An interview with Rupenkumar Anjaria to discusses current trends and challenges in Software Engineer

Photo byRupenkumar Anjaria

Rupenkumar is a leader in software development technologies with more than 20 years of experience under his belt. His experience spans multiple technologies and diverse domains. He occupies a specialized position in the technology landscape, with a background that covers the entire technology stack. He has worked as a programmer, software developer/engineer, team lead, and DevOps engineer, spanning a range of technologies from classic to the latest advancements.

In this interview, Rupenkumar shares his expertise, offering practical insights that software development leaders and newcomers can use to excel in the enterprise technology arena.

Welcome Rupenkumar. Can you tell us your background? How did you get introduced to the computer and software engineering field?

Sure, I completed my undergraduate degree in science with mathematics as my major. Later, I pursued my Masters in Computer Applications. My journey with computers began in the early 1990s during my school days. Our school brought in an institute to teach the basics of computers, and I eagerly volunteered to learn. Although they didn’t cover programming, I found the concept of what computers could do and how they functioned to be fascinating.

As I progressed through my undergraduate studies, I also enrolled in a private computer institute to learn programming. The combination of studying mathematics and programming simultaneously ignited my passion for software technologies.

After completing my undergraduate degree and gaining a good understanding of software technologies, I decided to pursue a Master's in Computer Applications. Over the course of just three years during my master's program, I witnessed incredible transformations in the software industry. It was a time of continuous learning, and I was fascinated by how rapidly the industry evolved to address and solve various challenges.

During that period, Microsoft had just introduced the first framework of .NET. I was able to grasp how .NET could facilitate rapid software development while ensuring security and reliability. This understanding further fueled my interest in software development.

As a seasoned leader in software development, how do you handle conflicts or disagreements within your team, and what strategies do you employ to foster a positive and collaborative work environment?

The word "conflict" might sound counterproductive, but I believe that if managed correctly, it can be more beneficial than harmful. I value conflicts within a team because they demonstrate that we have diverse perspectives among our members. If everyone approaches problems the same way, we might overlook crucial aspects that could lead to failure.

When conflicts arise, I initiate a meeting with both parties and other relevant stakeholders. Each person is given the opportunity to present their views, and we list the pros and cons of each approach. Then, we work towards finding common ground, identifying elements we can safely set aside or adopt in the future if necessary. Once we reach a consensus, we document the agreement and the meeting notes.

With such a wealth of experience, you've likely encountered numerous challenges in software development. Can you share one particularly difficult problem you've faced and how you approached solving it?

Absolutely, challenging situations are part of the course in the software industry, and I've encountered my fair share. Projects often involve numerous moving parts, and it's natural for some things to go off track as they progress.

Let me share an example. A few years back, I was working as a consultant and landed a position involving .NET technologies. However, just two weeks into the project, I learned that the management had decided to scrap the existing project and rebuild it from scratch. The catch? The new technology stack was completely unfamiliar to me, quite different from what I had been hired for.

This posed several challenges. Firstly, I had to quickly get up to speed with the new technology. Secondly, I had to implement and support a project set to go live within two months, despite having no prior knowledge of its business logic. I decided to step out of my comfort zone and dive into learning this new technology stack.

I immersed myself in the new technologies, focusing on grasping the basics without getting bogged down in unnecessary details. Within a month, I had a solid understanding of many of the concepts involved. Then, I broke down the project requirements to identify the most crucial aspects of the technology and concentrated my learning efforts there. This approach paid off, allowing me to focus on what was truly essential without wasting time on less critical details.

In the end, the project was a big success, and I was glad to have played a part in it.

Collaboration and teamwork are integral to the software development process. Can you share an example of a successful collaboration experience you've had and what made it work so well?

Indeed, collaboration is vital in software development. In fact, neglecting it can jeopardize an entire project. A few years ago, I was involved in a project that was at a critical stage, with our team split between the USA and India. It became clear that without effective collaboration, success would be impossible.

To foster collaboration, we relied on a variety of tools and agreed on specific work principles. We set clear expectations for each team member’s contributions over a two-week period. Daily calls were essential for discussing any blockers or updates, and if an issue arose, we held meetings with subject matter experts to find solutions. At the end of each two-week cycle, we conducted brainstorming sessions to evaluate what worked and what didn’t.

Investing in tools and technologies was also crucial. We used task and issue trackers, chat and call software, emails, and online collaboration platforms to enhance visibility and streamline our workflow.

We also implemented pair programming, where two programmers work together at a single workstation—one writing the code (the "driver") and the other reviewing it (the "observer" or "navigator"). Additionally, we had a buddy program where new employees were paired with experienced team members to facilitate learning and integration. Weekly meetings provided a platform for any team member to showcase innovations or new ideas to the entire team.

This structured approach to collaboration not only ensured the project's success but also fostered a productive and cohesive team environment.

The software development field is known for its fast-paced nature. How do you manage stress and maintain a healthy work-life balance, especially during demanding projects?

It's definitely a fast-paced and demanding environment. Stress is inevitable, but managing it is crucial. There are two aspects to managing stress: mental and physical. Personally, I find meditation helpful. It can take various forms, such as breathing exercises or engaging in activities like painting, reading, or listening to music that help you stay calm. Besides mental health, maintaining physical health is important, too. Sometimes, during intense project phases, finding time for exercise can be challenging. However, discipline doesn't mean forcing yourself to exercise when you're exhausted. The key is to restart your exercise routine once things ease up.

Moreover, it's common to have to stay up past midnight to support or fix critical issues. To cope with these situations, I suggest opting for water over tea, coffee, or snacks, taking short breaks and walks instead of sitting for long periods, and making sure to rest the following day if possible.

Finally, looking ahead, what do you see as the most exciting developments or trends in software engineering, and how do you think they will shape the future of the industry?

One of the trends I find most exciting is the availability of coding assistance tools like GitHub Copilot, developed by Microsoft. It's basically an AI-powered helper that works right alongside the editor where we write our code, called Visual Studio. It offers suggestions for code that fits perfectly with what we're working on, like the programming language we're using or the version we're coding in. It even helps complete our code so we don't have to type as much. And get this, it can even generate entire pieces of code for us! How cool is that? All of this magic is thanks to some really smart machine learning technology that's been trained on tons of code from GitHub. So, in a nutshell, GitHub Copilot makes writing code easier and faster by helping us out with suggestions and completing repetitive tasks.