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Adrian

GET IN TOUCH

#### New Sora - but not in EU, Bitcoin reached $100 000, Podcast in minutes


In our latest newsletter, we've gathered the most fascinating updates from the tech world, sprinkled with intriguing tidbits from its many orbits. Our subscribers were the first to get their hands on these cutting-edge insights, delivered straight to their inboxes.

#### ChatGPT Pro and more news from OpenAI

![newsletter#9.1.jpg](https://bitnoise-cms.btn.fyi/uploads/newsletter_9_1_4ad5ca204c.jpg)

The AI startup is set to launch a 12-day "Shipmas" event, beginning on December 5th, showcasing new features, products, and demos. Among the anticipated announcements are OpenAI's long-awaited text-to-video AI tool, Sora, and a new reasoning model, according to sources familiar with the company's plans.


[Check out.](https://oebmgr.clicks.mlsend.com/tl/cl/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjg0NzIxMixcImxcIjoxNDA0MjUwMTA0MDE1MTA2NzcsXCJyXCI6MTQwNDI1MDIxNzc4NTYwMTkyfSIsInMiOiJjZWRlNjNkZGUwZDU0NzRkIn0)

#### Tool of the month 

![newsletter#9.jpg](https://bitnoise-cms.btn.fyi/uploads/newsletter_9_df5580faee.jpg)



GenFM podcasts launched on the ElevenReader iOS app, enabling users to transform any content - PDFs, articles, eBooks, and more - into engaging discussions with lifelike AI co-hosts. And now ElevenLabs is taking it further by bringing GenFM to Projects, allowing you to create, export, and monetize your own podcasts, making podcasting accessible to everyone.

[Read more.](https://oebmgr.clicks.mlsend.com/tl/cl/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjg0NzIxMixcImxcIjoxNDA0MjUwMTA0MDU3MDQ5ODIsXCJyXCI6MTQwNDI1MDIxNzc4NTYwMTkyfSIsInMiOiI2NzRjYzc1MjM1YjlhODNmIn0)

#### Trending

1. [Sora, a video-generating model from OpenAI, is going public](https://oebmgr.clicks.mlsend.com/tl/cl/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjg0NzIxMixcImxcIjoxNDA0MjUwMTA0MDg4NTA3MTEsXCJyXCI6MTQwNDI1MDIxNzc4NTYwMTkyfSIsInMiOiI2OTNiYWE0MDRiNDAwMGExIn0), but not in the EU region due to regulatory issues.
2. [Bitcoin reached $100,000](https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/04/tech/bitcoin-100k-trump-hnk-intl/index.html) for the first time late Wednesday, setting a new record.
3. [On the second anniversary of the start of the ChatGPT](https://oebmgr.clicks.mlsend.com/tl/cl/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjg0NzIxMixcImxcIjoxNDA0MjUwMTA0MTYxOTA3NDUsXCJyXCI6MTQwNDI1MDIxNzc4NTYwMTkyfSIsInMiOiIxOGM5ZGZmYjQ2ZjRiMmY2In0) hype train, Gary Grossman shares his thoughts on the near future of AI.

#### Around the Web

❌ [Itch.io taken down](https://oebmgr.clicks.mlsend.com/tl/cl/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjg0NzIxMixcImxcIjoxNDA0MjUwMTA0MjM1MzA3ODAsXCJyXCI6MTQwNDI1MDIxNzc4NTYwMTkyfSIsInMiOiIyNTRlNmE3NzJlMjY5OGZjIn0) by Funko of "Funko Pop" by using "AI Powered" Brand Protection Software.

🤖 [Humane's AI Pin is not dead yet](https://oebmgr.clicks.mlsend.com/tl/cl/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjg0NzIxMixcImxcIjoxNDA0MjUwMTA0Mjg3NzM2NjIsXCJyXCI6MTQwNDI1MDIxNzc4NTYwMTkyfSIsInMiOiI1YjA5MGU0Y2Y3YzY0MGI1In0) and is getting some new features.

💻 [Google's Willow](https://oebmgr.clicks.mlsend.com/tl/cl/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjg0NzIxMixcImxcIjoxNDA0MjUwMTA0MzQwMTY1NDUsXCJyXCI6MTQwNDI1MDIxNzc4NTYwMTkyfSIsInMiOiJjY2FkZWRkODZjOWE1MDg3In0) - a new quantum computing chip. 

🔍 [Reddit wants you to use it](https://oebmgr.clicks.mlsend.com/tl/cl/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjg0NzIxMixcImxcIjoxNDA0MjUwMTA0NDEzNTY1ODAsXCJyXCI6MTQwNDI1MDIxNzc4NTYwMTkyfSIsInMiOiJlZjYwZDA4ZTllOWIwMjdlIn0) - not Google - to search for answers.

#### What's new at Bitnoise

🚀 Check out part 6 of our saga dedicated to cooperation with one of our clients. In the article you will find out how to properly plan and implement release.
[
Check it out!](https://www.bitnoise.pl/blog/release-or-real-ease-the-inklusion-digital-saga-part-6)

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Unveiling the Latest Tech Insights: December Newsletter Highlights

Frontend Engineering

UX/UI Design

Research & Discovery

AI For Your Business

Services

Case Studies

Career

About us

Blog

Seemingly it is better not to stay in the port during a storm, at least that hypothesis was presented by Robert Zemeckis in "Forrest Gump". In the film the only boat that has stayed on the open sea during a hurricane was the one that belonged to Forrest and Bubba. Thanks to this, it survived and monopolized the shrimp catchers market in the region.

Today, small companies are just like small independent boats. The decision-making process is maximally simplified, and thus, they are agile and flexible. They find themselves better in a dynamic situation and when they see the opportunities they can immediately take action.

At the beginning of the pandemic crisis, the business world held its breath, some for a shorter, time others for a longer time. Some could not or did not want to stop, others were stopped by force, and still others held their breath for so long that they either suffocated or lost their momentum so much that now they are trying hard to come back to reality.

We have taken this opportunity and talked about what is happening here and now during the conversation with Adrian and Łukasz Roth, the founders of Bitnoise, but we also talked with Martyn Roberts, a Scot who lives in Berlin, where he runs Squareball, which is in the top 10 digital studio in the UK (the company's second headquarters is Manchester) and with Luisa Tatoli, an Italian who has been living in London for 7 years and is the managing director of Roll Studio - a digital agency that has cooperated with brands such as Universal, Google, Ikea or Unit9.

We have gained a multicultural perspective and several answers to all the questions that are now bothering us. We have also confirmed that we are in the right place and that, although we are like everyone shocked by what is happening in the world, both we and our partners are relatively well.

Bitnoise's stable position on the market has been strengthened by going virtual. Thanks to the fact that practically the whole world is in the same situation, it is easier for us to communicate, we can share experiences and count on understanding from others, not only within our company, our city but also in the world.

What was repeated in our conversations was the fact that, although we have been ready for the digital revolution for a long time, we needed an impulse in the form of a crisis that forced us to take advantage of already available solutions.

The situation of individual companies in the IT sector depends on many factors, such as the company's current strategy, location of clients, partners on the market, cooperation with specific sectors. Adrian and Łukasz Roth emphasized that the stable position of Bitnoise is a consequence of the strategy of customer diversification and shifting the center of gravity from project-only work to a greater share of stable and long-term contracts. Martyn Roberts noticed that realistically speaking, for many companies in the IT sector, little has changed. Remote work was commonplace, and what other sectors had to deal with, was obvious to those related to IT. Everyone agreed that the basis of a well-functioning company is mutual trust and respect. Luisa Tatoli talked about the unique position of Roll Studio, which is based in Italy and in Great Britain, which are two countries most affected by pandemics in Europe. From her perspective, the policy of the British authorities was completely incomprehensible, since they saw closely what Italy had gone through, while in London the approach to a pandemic, despite the huge number of infections, was very reckless. Roll Studio itself used the Italian experience and prepared well for the onset of a pandemic in London. They switched to 100% remote working mode, took care of their employees, gave up actions that could pose any threat earlier than it was expected by the authorities. And, like people around the world, they locked themselves in their homes. That last aspect of the pandemic turned out to be much less burdensome than one could have been expected. Flexible working time, smooth reconciliation of home and work life, more time with loved ones, and the invaluable impact of a pandemic on the environment are repeated as a big positive of the current situation.

If you want to listen to the whole interviews, you will find them on the [Bitnoise page on Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitnoise/)
.

An unexpected contradiction arises from the pandemic situation. The world may have taken a few steps back in terms of social activity or mobility, but technology has moved with impetus and made us aware that we are ready for professional and social functioning in the virtual world.

With the conversation with Luisa Tatoli, we have concluded sub-section “is IT crisis” and we are heading towards the “digital revolution” with different examples of solutions and tools that can help us with a smooth transition into virtual reality. 

We would also like to talk about the change within us and how to prevent digital exclusion.



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How does Forrest Gump relate to the pandemic situation?

**We all feel that the whole world is spinning faster and faster, not only in terms of technology but also in the way we do business. Here are some bits of predictions on what is likely going to happen in the next few months, brought to you by our CEO, CTO, and CRO.**

### **Adrian Roth** - CEO
> *I am somewhere in between a humanist and a scientific mind. Although I am a philosopher by education, my experience includes management, communication and broadly understood technological issues.*


#### **1. Bringing up the new generation of developers**
If we look at hiring rates and an interest for new developers in Poland and around the world, we can see a gap - depending on who estimates - of 50 thousand up to even 300 thousand programmers in market demand. So we face an industry need on the one hand and a lack of new programmers on the other. Something has to be done, and in the long run a constant race between businesses for new employees that are being taken out from competing companies is not benefiting anyone. 

It leads to high uncertainty in project management, a bigger risk of client churn, and is not good for the IT industry in the long run.

What we can do, aside from looking at closer cooperation with universities and schools, is to start to teach and to create a space for new developers' promotion inside the companies. It is costly and demands a long-term strategy, but this is a price we need to pay to be able to develop and grow our businesses. 

#### **2. New budget ranges and the problem of the pile of money**
Last year, markets were flooded with a huge amount of money and tech businesses got used to ever-larger budgets for digitization (e.g. for IT services and product building). This year we can already see the first signs of the crisis and it surely will make investors less willing to spend money and is going to drive them to make more informed decisions. If we put it together with - sometimes missed - expectations of IT service providers, it may lead to problems for some organizations that are not prepared for shifting from last year’s boom into an upcoming downfall.

#### **3. Instability in Ukraine - as a potential threat for the region**
If a large-scale military conflict in Ukraine (and Belarus) begins, it is possible that companies running IT projects in this region will turn their eyes to other markets, including Poland. If we consider all three topics mentioned, the situation in 2022 can be both a threat or more likely a chance for the Polish tech industry. Of course, a lot depends on whether the money will be spent wisely, and if tech companies are ready to create an environment in which there will be a space for the education of more specialists.

### **Łukasz Roth, CTO**
> *For me, being a CTO means trusting and delegating technology decision-making to the teams.*


#### **4. Efficient remote engineering teams management**
The year 2022 will be a time where remote work of engineers will not be an exception, but a new standard in our industry. What is already routine for members of technical teams, will continue to be a challenge for project managers. Transformation of processes and methods of communication is inevitable, and the market advantage will be achieved by companies that will adapt faster to the new reality and be able to deliver business value to their customers with the same efficiency and the same high quality as before changes.

#### **5. Enterprise jamstack & nocode solutions**
The digital transformation is speeding up, not from year to year, but monthly. Increasing market expectations put pressure on technical teams to deliver solutions at a faster pace. The approach in which the programmer assigns as much responsibility as possible to external services and focuses his work on architecture and business logic fits perfectly into this trend. Headless CMS, headless e-commerce, (Amazon / Google / Azure) Cloud in projects is no longer a surprise. We buy more and more services such as data, identity, and operations in the PaaS model, and we focus on the value unique to the client's needs and ideas. Projects can be validated on the market much faster, and we can witness more specialization in developers' work.

#### **6. Knowledge sharing, soft skills development** 
Any forward-thinking and responsible organization must start investing its time and resources in knowledge transfer. The demand for software engineers in the market is very high, the expectations of professionalism are as high as never before. Nothing happens in a vacuum, if we want to give more responsibility for the tech industry to qualified people, we have to start preparing them now. Market demand lowers standards. If we do not want to let that happen as an industry, this is the time to act. Moreover, the days when a programmer was responsible for code and only code ended a few years ago. Currently, a mature engineer is required to have a whole range of soft skills, and it is also worth taking care of strengthening these qualities in your teams.

### **Greg Motriuk, CRO**
> *I build stable, long-term software development teams in Poland for clients worldwide.*


#### **7. Technological elasticity**
For the next few years, we will witness an increase in the flexibility of experienced engineers in the domain of shifting between technologies. It is true that we live in a world of specialization, but the pace of development of new technologies is so fast that moving from PHP to Node.js should be a new must-have skill-set for every experienced developer. 

Of course, specialization has its advantages, but if you are a mature developer, your background and knowledge is more important, and you should be able to become a senior in new technology within months if you put in enough effort. 

In companies and projects, this kind of skill-set is going to be in bigger demand, so don't be afraid to do that, especially when it is not necessary to always fit in 100%. If you are experienced and flexible, you can start the journey now, and get better with time passing.

#### **8. Ultrafast decision making - startupization of tech industry**
It used to take months to finish an initial part of a deal on software development, and today - in many cases - it takes only a few days. In the blink of an eye, your potential development team can sail to another project - that is how much good coding skills are in demand on the market. And companies (clients) started to realize that. 

The entire industry is going through a "startupization" phase, and it is very important to have a partner who combines business and tech maturity with the speed and flexibility of a startup. In the past, if you got something immediately, it wasn't of good quality. 

Now you have to be precise and fast. Luckily the whole tech industry got more mature and experienced, so it is easier to find a good fit for new challenging projects. 



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A Bit of noise in the predictions about the tech scene at the beginning of 2022

Tech companies, including Bitnoise, thrive on the success of their clients. When starting a new project or enhancing existing ones, our focus should always be to deliver high-quality services within a reasonable time frame, especially in React.js-driven projects. 

At our company, we have a strong commitment to our clients and prefer to establish long-term relationships with them. Hence, setting a high standard for product quality and ensuring that we meet these standards by implementing our philosophy throughout the organization is a must. Communication, accountability, and timely delivery are all integral to customer experience. We believe that by following these standards, is a path of consistently delivering the best possible work to our clients. 

Here are the 8 pillars of quality in further detail.

#### **1. Excellence Over Quantity**
While growth is an crucial aspect of any tech endeavor, it is important to understand that business goals should never supersede our commitment to quality. This commitment allowed companies like Biitnoise to develop a sparkling reputation in the first place. As a result, there is a need to be extremely careful during the hiring process so that it ends with bringing in **the best talent**. We should not be blinded by our desire for growth and take on projects our team can’t handle. In Bitnoise, most candidates we interview do not meet the caliber we expect in our organization. Thus, we turn them away.

Furthermore, it is important that developers work with confidence knowing that they have support systems behind them. The assistance of CTO and head of technology during the development process ensure that they receive support or guidance where needed. Realistically, no developer is infallible.

In Bitnoise, collectively, our team has a deep pool of knowledge. Our developers are always welcome to consult with one another when they need advice on how to solve a problem.

#### **2. Responsibility**
When working with clients, the **full ownership** of the product in development is a highly desirable feature. This is not so common in our industry, but it goes to show you just how committed the tech company is to delivering quality work for clients.

In Bitnoise we want to be there both for the scaling and the building of the software to watch the company evolve. Several of our clients have worked with us for over a decade. We're in it for the long run.

The secret is, instead of outsourcing developers, we focus on developing an internal culture of accountability. As a result, we partner with companies worldwide to service their technology needs.

#### **3. Working Globally, Coding Locally**
Many prominent tech companies have clients sprinkled throughout some of the world’s top global innovation hubs, ranging from Berlin to London to Silicon Valley, but still they prefer to work as a team at home.

In Bitnoise, we are located entirely in Poland. Most of the time, we all work at our office in Poznan even though we have the option of working from home.

The main advantage of this kind of setup is that since **we’re located within the EU**, we can all benefit from their legal framework, and our clients can expect stability when they work with us.

#### **4. Stable Teams With Low Turnover**
The software industry can be extremely chaotic, and its job market is always competitive. To build a stable team, you must have an attractive offer and a positive work environment that incentivizes everyone to stay on board.

![ ](\uploads\blog-Quality2_28l1PL2QiWf1AAmOJrGjkO.jpg)
By managing our employees sensibly without being overbearing, we’re able to win their respect. A good idea is to foster a **culture of independence** in organization and endeavor to exercise common sense in all situations.

As a consequence, the team can develop a level of stability that might make some of the competition jealous. 

In Bitnoise few of our engineers have worked with us for 8 years or more, and it is all thanks to an internal culture of independence, knowledge development and trust.

#### **5. A Holistic Approach**
In pursuit of quality a specialization is a very important feature, but it can not overshadow other technologies. For example in Bitnoisie we are a **React.js-driven company**, and you might assume that we only build frontends. But it is not the whole picture. We’re extremely competent with back-end technologies including Node.js, Python, and PHP. A large portion of our engineers are specialists in specific areas of technology. However, we also employ full-stack developers who can work on a project from start to finish. 

Some of our core competencies include UX/UI, quality assurance, and project management. So you know we’re a team that can excel at any aspect of app development.

#### **6. Seniority And Maturity** 
It's impossible to run a software development company without employing and training junior developers but what makes a difference is seniority. For our part, we emphasize **seniority** as much as we can. The majority of our developers at Bitnoise have over 7 years of industry experience. In some cases, they have worked with multiple tech stacks. Moreover, our developers usually have an educational background in Computer Science or a STEM field. 

As a result of their experience and education, our clients reap the benefits in the form of Quality Audits, Consulting and Strategy services, and CTO as a service. This variety is unique among software development companies. 

#### **7. Transparency**
Clients in many cases place their faith in companies whose fee structure is clear and simple. In Bitnoise we charge hourly or daily fees and validate our work on the invoice with corresponding timesheets. We don’t charge any upfront fees, recruitment costs, or any other cost that might arise during our work. In the case of a fixed-price project, we agree on a maximum fee from the beginning of the project so there won't be any unpleasant surprises down the road. Rest assured that you will get what you pay for. 

Even though we involve project managers in our work, our clients still have **direct contact with our developers** and often collaborate with them. There won’t be any middleman mediating your communication. Moreover, our entire management team is approachable in case you have any inquiries. Feel free to reach out to us.

#### **8. Fostering A Community**
To encourage growth and education in our industry, we made it our mission to build a thriving community of software developers. In doing so, we’ve founded or participated in several software initiatives such as: 

[**Land On Moon**](https://www.landonmoon.co/)
 – a series of Berlin meetups for founders, CEOs, and product managers to discuss their experiences with one another and inspire startup leaders and other businesses that are attempting to scale. 

[**PozTechTalks**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZB5qCQg9go&list=PL7zHBa_5KmnLSaEp4qQLNPCmm1SuUpEsl&ab_channel=Bitnoise)
 – an educational initiative where leading software companies based in Poznan promote engineering and development quality. 

[**ITCorner**](https://itcorner.org.pl/)
 – Poland’s most prominent software development business association made up of like-minded IT companies. 

[**Bitnoise Meet**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfCA-2nzN4A&list=PL7zHBa_5KmnJxiilc9bvKt48J3wHxsNw3&ab_channel=Bitnoise)
 – in which our in-house developers meet together to train and enhance their programming skills.

**These are the 8 pillars of quality in software development:** 

1. Excellence Over Quantity 

2. Responsibility 

3. Working Globally, Coding Locally 

4. Stable Teams With Low Turnover 

5. A Holistic Approach 

6. Seniority And Maturity 

7. Transparency 

8. Fostering A Community 


Of course, there is more to this topic, and we eagerly look forward to discussing it with you if you have any questions or suggestions. Reach out to us at hi@bitnoise.pl, and let's have a talk.

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The 8 pillars of quality of a React.js project

There are many ways to avoid the trap of being "just another generic software development company." For me, it is specialization, the value proposition that comes with it, and organizational culture. 

Why is it important not to be "just another generic software development company," you may ask? For us, it is crucial because **we like working with interesting brands, and our developers love coding in tech-challenging and satisfying projects.** We don't want to compete only with time and money because that is a dead end for any tech company. But what exactly is specialization and organizational culture for a company that mostly works on JS-driven projects and has a team of 50 tech-savvy programmers? Let's break it down.

#### **Specialization and the value proposition**
The main problem with genericity comes from the fact that many of us don't think and plan ahead when starting a company. We tend to have a vague concept of what we want to achieve with our business in ten years, relying on the technology that our CTO or tech lead knows best and a handful of recommended clients. This approach lacks experience, vision, and a positive attitude, leading to daily struggles. It can even consume the best entrepreneurs and undermine their motivation to work on their own unique value proposition. 

At Bitnoise, we have adopted a "**doing things a little different**" approach, **with a strong vision and values, and specialization**. It may be easy to say, but the real challenge begins when you start implementing specialization in your company. For us, it took some time, but we eventually discovered that our holy grail is JavaScript - specifically **React**, **React Native**, and **NodeJS**. This does not mean that we have no knowledge of other technologies, but we consciously focus on JS and direct our messages to customers who require such services. 

It took years of work and deep experience to be able to say that we are specialists in this area, not only in our marketing communication but also in practice. To prove it, we have taken part in hundreds of large and small projects, run internal workshops, and participated in industry events over our 14 years of existence, and it has paid off. 

#### **Culture - take it seriously and you will see the difference**
In our case, it means always cooperating with people with matching characters, temperaments, and values. This does not mean "the same" people, **but if the teams work on the same page technologically and socially, you have a win.** For us, the most important thing that makes our team well-connected and cooperation easier is acceptance of differences to a reasonable extent. We have people on the teams with extremely opposite worldviews, but we have never had conflicts at this level. Why? 

One of our ideas is to create a space for casual discussion, an internal platform like Hyde Park, and we actually call it Hate Park (the rest is confidential). From my point of view, another important thing is to be "**a present manager**," not "the owner of a high castle." We have a custom of open doors. Any of the company's leaders, as well as a person who has just joined the organization, can at any time have a talk with me and the company CTO. The same thing applies to business partners; devoting time to them makes it much easier to deliver the value proposition we've promised. 

![ ](\uploads\blog-post_adrian_bitnoise_post_02_5mG9Sq5Y3QB3ptliYbzKgq.jpg)
#### **Specialization out of expertise and experience**
Face it, running away from generality into specialization is a challenge and takes a lot of work, not only in the marketing of your company but also on the level of your teams. Basically, **you need the best people, and they need to constantly develop their skills**. It is time and money-consuming, but in the end, it pays off. At Bitnoise, we have come up with [Bitnoise_meet](https://www.bitnoise.pl/blog/tags/meetup)
, where more experienced Bitnoise members can share their experiences with those with less skill in a given field. 

We provide training not only on technical topics - we have mastermind workshops, public speaking, or event storming workshops behind us, and mini-conferences **-** [Land on Moon](https://www.landonmoon.co/)
 **- organized in Berlin**, **where we encourage local communities of scale-ups and start-ups to share their knowledge** and acquire new skills. What impact does this have on our clients' business? It's simple: it translates into a committed team that not only completes tasks and builds high-quality products but also looks after each other and works effectively as a unit. 

#### **Summary**
Both tech socialization and culture are not a silver bullet, but they work well for me and Bitnoise. There is more to add, among others, a niche industry, extraordinary partnership, and many others. For us, what works is to have a mature, independent, and high level of seniority teams and a strong **React.js** core on the side of competency and in the clients' portfolio. It allows us to go outside the simple software development process, and if we see areas around the business in which we can support the client - whether in technical terms or in terms of processes - we help to make the right decisions or refer to one of our many partners who, in a given area, can help (being part of the community is something I'll discuss in the future).

Finally, what I think is worth mentioning - as owners and managers of Bitnoise, **we are always available to developers and customers to help dispel any doubts or problems that may arise.** On time and as efficiently as possible, because when our clients' business works well, it means that we do our job well. It is an important consequence of being a "present manager," which I mentioned previously. My final take on the whole genericity problem, if you want to overcome it: 

- Make an in-depth analysis of what is the strongest value of your company;

- Research how and what problems of your clients it answers;

- Specialize in technology; 

- And last but not least, build strong, independent, and experienced teams (and support them). 


Of course, it takes time and resources, but it is worth it. Do you agree? Or maybe I should talk more on some specific point? Give me a heads up, and let's talk.

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Why we are not just another generic software development company

In this blog post, I will explore the responsibilities and significance of a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) role in startups and scaleups and the factors that should be taken into account when deciding between employing an in-house CTO or opting for the services of an external consultant ([CTO as a Service](https://www.bitnoise.pl/services/cto-as-a-service)
). 

**Let's begin with a fundamental question: What is the role of a CTO and what does their operational environment encompass?**

My focus will center on two primary contexts: startups during their initial financing and development phase, and established organizations during the scaling phase. While I acknowledge the existence of other possibilities, the purpose of this post is to offer insights rather than provide an exhaustive list of technological roles. Furthermore, I assume that the distinction between CTOs and Tech-Leads is less significant at this stage, as these roles often interchange and the nomenclature arises more from chance than deliberate decision-making.

#### **The most important qualities of a good CTO**
A Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is a highly skilled professional who assumes overall responsibility for the technological aspects of your startup. They bring extensive experience and expertise in understanding the inner workings of your solution and delivering value to end-users. However, it is essential to consider additional dimensions of this role.

**CTOs come from diverse backgrounds, often having held positions as software developers, tech leads, DevOps specialists, project managers, or even academic personnel.** Within your startup, their responsibilities may encompass technological leadership, research and innovation, business and technology development, product development, and the recruitment of key technical specialists.

Given the wide range of competencies required, finding the right person for the job can be challenging. During the MVP stage, when numerous pressing issues demand attention, the decision to hire a CTO can be overlooked. However, as your startup progresses beyond the MVP stage, effective technological management becomes crucial, especially when addressing any technical debt accumulated during the initial product phase.

What are the most important qualities of a good CTO?

**A leader in technology** 

The CTO plays a critical role in making architectural decisions, ensuring infrastructure scalability, and selecting the most effective tools to achieve both client and company objectives. They may also have greater control over the implementation of tech solutions. 

**Research & development for innovative solutions** 

The CTO holds a unique position in driving innovation by defining key directions for technological advancements. They inspire and motivate teams to think creatively, fostering an environment that encourages innovative ideas and thinking outside the box. 

**Hiring Talent**

Finding qualified candidates in the IT industry can be increasingly challenging. Involving the CTO in the recruitment process for development teams can enhance efficiency and satisfaction for both parties, as they possess the technical expertise to identify suitable candidates. 

**Product & development**

As the representative of the tech team, the CTO must effectively demonstrate how innovation and technology align with customer needs. Collaborating closely with the Chief Product Owner, the CTO ensures the creation of tech-enabled products that meet market demands. 

**Business & technology enabler** 

Working closely with both the in-house tech team and clients, the CTO serves as a bridge between business requirements and technical execution. Their deep understanding of both domains allows them to effectively translate business needs into a comprehensive technical plan.

Having identified the key qualities of a competent CTO in a startup, let us now shift our attention towards examining the benefits and drawbacks of employing an in-house candidate versus opting for the expertise of an external specialist.

#### **Pros and cons of in-house CTO** 
The in-house solution for a CTO has its own advantages and disadvantages. On the positive side, having an in-house CTO provides proximity and familiarity with the organization, but it can be costly. It is particularly beneficial for complex projects involving big data, AI, or large data volumes, whereas it may not be cost-effective for less advanced applications. 

An in-house CTO holds a crucial role within the organization as they possess extensive knowledge of internal processes, strategies, and the target market for product development. This internal perspective fosters a sense of organization, motivation, and deep involvement among team members. Furthermore, this model offers the advantages of high flexibility, simplified organization of agile workflows, and reduced response times for quick issue resolution.

![ ](\uploads\Blog-post_recyklning_ebooka_01_post01_3Ee3fEqUXYzqHJZIusGPIv.png)
#### #### **Pros and cons of CTO as a Service**
CTO as a service provides several advantages and disadvantages. The outsourced CTO is responsible for managing your company's technologies, engineers, IT support, and tech partners, ensuring proper diligence operations. They can work on a part-time, full-time (for a specific project or the entire company), or hourly basis, offering flexibility in decision-making. CTO outsourcing services are particularly beneficial for medium and small companies that don't require a permanent CTO but still need temporary leadership and technical supervision during specific software development cycles or for developer teams. Additionally, CTO as a Service is generally more cost-effective than hiring a full-time expert.

![ ](\uploads\Blog-post_recyklning_ebooka_01_post02_2IDrEsR6eIvGLMp07rarvM.png)

Naturally, the process of hiring a competent CTO poses its own set of challenges, and this blog post may not provide a definitive answer regarding the ideal CTO fit for your business. However, it can certainly help you evaluate the stage of your journey and identify experts best equipped to assist you in progressing further. Several crucial considerations need to be made when determining the type of CTO you require and the necessary skill set: 

1. **Business partner or technical manager:** Do you need a business partner with technological expertise to scale the business, or someone solely focused on managing the technical aspects without involvement in other areas of company development?

2. **Development stage:** Is your business in the early stages, requiring process organization and alignment of business goals with technology? Or are you post-MVP, seeking someone to plan and lead further technological development while building a reliable team? 

3. **Future goals:** If you plan to outsource part or all of your technological team in the future, an in-house CTO would be advantageous. However, if you already have a skilled team and only require part-time technical leadership, CTO as a Service may be sufficient. 

4. **Budget:** Consider the financial resources you are willing to allocate to the CTO position. 


Once you have determined the ideal solution for your organization, you can begin searching for suitable candidates or outsourcing services. 

___
#### **Summary** 
In this blog post, we explore the role of a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in startups and scaleups and discuss the decision between hiring an in-house CTO or using a CTO as a Service. A good CTO possesses leadership in technology, drives innovation, helps in hiring talent, oversees product development, and acts as a bridge between business and technology.

Having an in-house CTO offers proximity and familiarity but can be costly, while CTO as a Service provides flexibility and cost-effectiveness for smaller companies. Factors to consider include whether a business partner or technical manager is needed, the development stage of the business, future goals, and budget.

Ultimately, finding the right fit for your organization requires careful consideration. Once you determine the ideal solution, you can start searching for suitable candidates or outsourcing services.

If you found this article interesting, we invite you to explore our ebook tailored for CEOs, founders, and product managers. It offers invaluable insights into the product development process, providing you with valuable knowledge and expertise.

[Link: The Product Journey: building application that scale](https://theproductjourney.bitnoise.pl/#form)




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CTO as a Service or in-house CTO? Which is best for you?

In our latest newsletter, we've gathered the most fascinating updates from the tech world, sprinkled with intriguing tidbits from its many orbits. Our subscribers were the first to get their hands on these cutting-edge insights, delivered straight to their inboxes. 

From the groundbreaking launch of OpenAI’s GPT-4o to the thrilling countdown to the Paris 2024 Olympics, we’ve covered it all. Stay ahead of the curve with Bitnoise and explore the innovations shaping our future. Check out the highlights now and see why it's worth subscribing! 

Explore the latest from OpenAI, countdown to the Olympics, and meet the Polish Enigma code breaker!

#### GPT-4o and additional tools are now available to free users of ChatGPT

GPT-4o, the newest flagship model from OpenAI, offers GPT-4-level intelligence but operates faster and enhances capabilities in text, voice, and vision.
To broaden AI's global accessibility and utility, GPT-4o has improved language functionalities in terms of quality and speed, supporting over 50 languages for various user interactions. Are you curious how it might work in practice? Be sure to check out [this moment](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQacCB9tDaw&t=1349s&ab_channel=OpenAI) from
yesterday's presentation.

[Read more about it!](https://openai.com/index/gpt-4o-and-more-tools-to-chatgpt-free/)


#### Tool of the month

![stackradar_tool of the month.png](https://btnw-strapi-prod.dev.btndev.space/uploads/stackradar_tool_of_the_month_ef4a30257d.png)

Stackradar offers a curated selection of the best tech tools available online, designed to help individuals enhance and expand their work. At Stackradar, a tech stack is seen as a set of business operators, each playing unique roles and interacting with other departments, offering cost efficiency compared to traditional departments.

Check what others use, get inspired and find your own tool of the month!

[Check it out!](https://www.stackradar.co/)

#### Trending

[1. The latest major update to ChatGPT-4o now supports audio-video interactions with an AI chatbot that can express “emotions”. Check out more news from the presentation.](https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/05/chatgpt-4o-lets-you-have-real-time-audio-video-conversations-with-emotional-chatbot/)
[2. Bloomberg reports that Apple is close to finalizing a deal with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT features into iOS 18.](https://9to5mac.com/2024/05/10/ios-18-chatgpt-features-apple-openai/)
[3. Paris 2024 is preparing to tackle an unprecedented level of cybersecurity threats.](https://oebmgr.clicks.mlsend.com/tj/cl/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjg0NzIxMixcImxcIjoxMjEzODE3NzYxNTQxNjcyNzgsXCJyXCI6MTIxMzgxNzc3Mjc4MjM5OTgzfSIsInMiOiI3ZWRiNDA4MzAzMGFlNGI5In0)

![nagłówek newsletter.png](https://btnw-strapi-prod.dev.btndev.space/uploads/naglowek_newsletter_f1f3c5940f.png)

#### Around the Web

🍎 Did you know that Alan Turing wasn't the first to decipher the Enigma code? [Tune into these interviews](https://www.flyingpenguin.com/?p=56989) to uncover more about this fascinating piece of history!

⚖️ TikTok and ByteDance are [taking legal action against the US government](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/may/07/tiktok-sues-us-ban?CMP=share_btn_url&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email) to prevent the
enforcement of a law that mandates the sale of the app.

🤖 Kids are forming [friendships with AI chatbots](https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/4/24144763/ai-chatbot-friends-character-teens).

🎤 Deciphering in pop culture. [Switzerland wins Eurovision with song 'The Code’.](https://eurovision.tv/story/switzerland-wins-eurovision-2024)

#### What's new in Bitnoise

![blog-Midjourney guider_blog okładka.png](https://btnw-strapi-prod.dev.btndev.space/uploads/blog_Midjourney_guider_blog_okladka_feac2e3ddd.png)

Are you ready to begin your journey with MidJourney? Kaja, our Project Manager, has crafted a comprehensive series of articles that serve as a complete guide!

[Check it out!](lhttps://www.bitnoise.pl/blog/midjourney-guide-part-1-simple-thing-settings)

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Unveiling the Latest Tech Insights: May Newsletter Highlights


In our latest newsletter, we've gathered the most fascinating updates from the tech world, sprinkled with intriguing tidbits from its many orbits. Our subscribers were the first to get their hands on these cutting-edge insights, delivered straight to their inboxes. 

From the AI clones that will be able to participate in video calls to the the world's thinnest lens, we’ve covered it all. Stay ahead of the curve with Bitnoise and explore the innovations shaping our future. Check out the highlights now and see why it's worth subscribing! 


### Digital avatar clones, the world's thinnest lens, virtual IKEA and META has some trouble, again


#### AI clones will be able to participate in online meetings on your behalf

Eric Yuan, CEO of Zoom, aims to expand the company beyond videoconferencing to compete with Microsoft and Google by offering a suite of enterprise tools, including email, documents, and chat. A central element of this vision is the use of AI, especially in creating "digital twins"—AI avatars capable of attending meetings and making decisions for users.

He acknowledged the technological and cultural shifts required to achieve this, emphasizing the need for personalized AI and ongoing advancements in AI and AR technologies. Eric believes AI can significantly reduce manual work, potentially leading to shorter workweeks.


[Read more about it!](https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/3/24168733/zoom-ceo-ai-clones-digital-twins-videoconferencing-decoder-interview)

#### Tool of the month

![blog-AI Tools for Developers_high (1).png](https://btnw-strapi-prod.dev.btndev.space/uploads/blog_AI_Tools_for_Developers_high_1_503d656e1e.png)

Elevenlabs has created a tool that generates any sound effect from a text prompt, streamlining the audio production process. Users can quickly produce a variety of sound effects simply by describing their needs. The tool offers precise control, allowing customization of sounds such as "footsteps" by specifying details like shoe type and environment. All paid subscriptions come with a comprehensive commercial license, guaranteeing royalty-free use.

[Check it out!](https://elevenlabs.io/sound-effects)

#### Trending

1. [On June 6, privacy advocacy group NOYB lodged complaints in 11 European countries, alleging that Meta is using personal data from its platform users to train artificial intelligence models.](https://www.euronews.com/next/2024/06/06/meta-faces-complaints-in-11-countries-over-data-use-for-ai)
2. [Elections to the European Parliament.](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/european-parliament-poised-rightward-shift-after-final-voting-2024-06-09/)
3. [Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024: 10-14 June.](https://developer.apple.com/wwdc24/)

#### Around the Web

👁️ New "Recall" function from Microsoft AI - [security issues](https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2024/05/microsoft-ai-recall-feature-records-everything-secures-far-less?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR15R8YOt-VaXVYViW-R3TCtuYmzCnA92uZouriI0GSF2Hlxsiud5BKOwDE_aem_AZCm_r1z6t3S3F6xt7nAFBShHCSk1jOKUJH7uHds1CCZgSj1tOSwjtpQr474-2IpbPV-BmZpBgfoD2ogCm_UUIG5).

🚨 Adobe intends to [train its AI models using user-generated content?](https://alternativeto.net/news/2024/6/adobe-faces-backlash-over-new-photoshop-tos-granting-unlimited-access-to-user-projects/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2uNHcXDm7x--FSpGN4h_9SQsLgx_SYW5j1ulrLb_KvW1hIkitWLK7eLHA_aem_AZA9tsiaerAcPR-li0nPTSFLp97JFdSJgeJw7ohwNjZXmaOldTzFyCUNeAIleRqi6sggsJgc8hgR7Yvv2G31aPiC)

🔥 Scientists have developed [the world's thinnest lens](https://scitechdaily.com/just-three-atoms-thick-scientists-have-developed-the-worlds-thinnest-lens/), just three atoms thick.

🎮 IKEA wants to pay people to [work in its new store inside Roblox game.](https://time.com/6985642/ikea-hiring-workers-roblox-game/)

#### What's new in Bitnoise

![blog-_cover.png](https://btnw-strapi-prod.dev.btndev.space/uploads/blog_cover_1187589fac.png)

Kaja, our Project Manager, has crafted a comprehensive series of articles that serve as a complete guide!

**Midjourney guide part 6: The puppet method**
Maintaining the consistency of the generated image - to apply it in later ones and create a coherent story - is a huge challenge for Midjourney. The puppet method is tedious and rigorous, but it allows for very satisfactory results - especially for individual characters.

[Check it out!](https://www.bitnoise.pl/blog/midjourney-guide-part-6-the-puppet-method)

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Unveiling the Latest Tech Insights: June Newsletter Highlights

In our latest newsletter, we've gathered the most fascinating updates from the tech world, sprinkled with intriguing tidbits from its many orbits. Our subscribers were the first to get their hands on these cutting-edge insights, delivered straight to their inboxes. 

Visualizing our dreams, code that writes itself and transmitting information with light - check out the highlights now and see why it's worth subscribing!


#### New 'Artifacts' Feature in Anthropic Claude Revolutionizes AI-Generated Code Interaction

![CLAUDE SONNET_1.jpg](https://btnw-strapi-prod.dev.btndev.space/uploads/CLAUDE_SONNET_1_7d8ae9e831.jpg)
Anthropic Claude's new ‘Artifacts’ feature allows you to run and visualise code directly in your chat window, transforming how we interact with AI-generated code.

**How is it done?**

1. Access Claude 3.5 Sonnet on Claude AI and enable Artifacts in the Future Preview settings.
2. Start a New Chat. To explore its capabilities, type: “Demonstrate some Artifacts you can make.”
3. Request Code Generation for your specific use case (e.g., React components, websites).
4. Interact with the Generated Artifact - preview, modify, and expand on it!

This new feature opens up exciting possibilities for developers and AI enthusiasts, making code interaction more intuitive and dynamic. 

[Check it out! ](https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-3-5-sonnet)


#### Tool of the month
![LUMA AI.jpg](https://btnw-strapi-prod.dev.btndev.space/uploads/LUMA_AI_b4209c528d.jpg)

**Luma Dream Machine**

Dream Machine is an advanced AI model designed to create high-quality, realistic videos from text and images quickly.

This highly scalable and efficient transformer model is trained directly on videos, enabling it to generate physically accurate, consistent, and eventful shots. Dream Machine represents our first step towards building a universal imagination engine, which is now available to everyone!

Explore the possibilities with Dream Machine and bring your creative visions to life with unprecedented ease and precision. And you can have a lot of fun at the same time ;)

Check it out! (https://lumalabs.ai/dream-machine)



**TRENDING**

1. OpenAI's newly released ChatGPT macOS app had [a concerning security flaw](https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/3/24191636/openai-chatgpt-mac-app-conversations-plain-text?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email): it was relatively easy to locate and read your chat logs in plain text on your computer. This vulnerability meant that if a malicious actor or app gained access to your machine, they could effortlessly read your conversations with ChatGPT and access the data within them.

2. Researchers have pioneered [a novel technique for transmitting quantum information](https://scitechdaily.com/flying-qudits-unlocking-new-dimensions-of-quantum-communication/) using light particles known as qudits. This method leverages qudits' spatial mode and polarisation properties, facilitating faster and more secure data transfer while enhancing error resistance.

3. Poe, Quora's subscription-based platform that aggregates AI-powered chatbots such as Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s GPT-4, [has introduced a feature called Previews](https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/08/quoras-poe-now-lets-users-create-and-share-web-apps/). This new functionality allows users to create interactive apps directly within their chatbot 

**AROUND THE WEB**

🚨 [How fraudsters are getting fake articles onto Facebook](https://www.bbc.com/news/business-68843985?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1cn21p3MXNcA3nJGRmCe5jShpQBXBJPq93hEG2DgMSv3opLz_Z-o5r364_aem_wMOX4V_Yi4oCO4zB3W49cw). 

👁️ The Webb Space Telescope has captured an astonishing [image of a quasar-galaxy merger](https://scitechdaily.com/webb-space-telescope-captures-a-staggering-quasar-galaxy-merger-billions-of-light-years-away/) occurring billions of light years away.

🚀  NASA's 1st year-long mock [Mars mission](https://www.space.com/nasa-simulated-mars-mission-chapea-1-end) wraps up in Houston.


#### What's new at Bitnoise

![blog-DecodingReactUI_cover_high.png](https://btnw-strapi-prod.dev.btndev.space/uploads/blog_Decoding_React_UI_cover_high_e9d380dff7.png)

Git is a fundamental tool that every developer must have in their arsenal. In a modern and agile world of software development, where codebases are managed by huge teams, having a tool that helps to streamline the process of adding features, changes, or fixes is a necessity.

Now, you can take care of your commits history like a pro!
[Check it out! ](https://www.bitnoise.pl/blog/Git-Gut-Take-care-of-your-commits-history-like-a-pro)


**MEME**

If you are looking for a new path in life, [gymnastics](https://x.com/i/status/1808533347276312883) is for you!


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Unveiling the Latest Tech Insights: July Newsletter Highlights

### AI at the Olympics, two halves of an apple and Google makes boredom go away

In our latest newsletter, we've gathered the most fascinating updates from the tech world, sprinkled with intriguing tidbits from its many orbits. Our subscribers were the first to get their hands on these cutting-edge insights, delivered straight to their inboxes. 



#### Google Meet will soon be able to take notes during your calls automatically.

![news GOOGLE MEET.jpg](https://btnw-strapi-prod.dev.btndev.space/uploads/news_GOOGLE_MEET_f6e270da41.jpg)

Have you ever wished your Google Meet calls could take notes for you? Well, that wish is about to come true! Google is rolling out an exciting new feature that automatically generates notes during your meetings, saving you time and helping you stay focused on the conversation. This new addition is perfect for busy professionals who juggle multiple meetings and want to ensure they get all the details. Want to know more about how this game-changing feature works? 

[Check out](https://www.techradar.com/pro/good-news-your-google-meet-call-will-soon-be-able-to-take-notes-for-you?_bhlid=576f4a4de257c6aa0a3886a6cbb5ce34d6294bd1) the full article to get the inside scoop!


#### Tool of the month

![news FLUX.jpg](https://btnw-strapi-prod.dev.btndev.space/uploads/news_FLUX_f633650130.jpg)

Flux is an innovative AI model designed for image generation, functioning similarly to the widely known Midjourney. It utilises deep neural networks, specifically diffusion models, to convert text descriptions into visual content. The process begins when a user inputs a text description of the desired image. The AI model then interprets this text through its neural network, "understanding" the content and producing an appropriate image based on the description.

What sets Flux apart? It's open source. Interested? [Give it a try!](https://blackforestlabs.ai/#get-flux)


#### Trending 

1. Artificial intelligence is revolutionising the sports industry. [The Olympic AI Agenda](https://olympics.com/ioc/olympic-ai-agenda), the third in a series of strategic documents spearheaded by IOC President Thomas Bach, outlines the potential transformative effects AI could have on the world of sports.
2. [Intel is on a lengthy path to recovery](https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/1/24210656/intel-is-laying-off-over-10000-employees-and-will-cut-10-billion-in-costs), and over 15,000 employees will not continue the journey. The chipmaker has just revealed plans to reduce its workforce by more than 15 percent as part of a new $10 billion cost-saving initiative for 2025. This reduction translates to a potential loss of over 15,000 jobs, with layoffs possibly reaching up to 19,000 people. 
3. OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT AI has begun responding to voice commands and conducting conversations with users. The latest feature, called [Advanced Voice Mode (AVM)](https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/07/when-counting-quickly-openais-new-voice-mode-stops-to-catch-its-breath/), is impressive in its effects but also a bit scary.


#### Around the web 

⚖️ Judge Rules ['Google Is a Monopolist'](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/05/technology/google-antitrust-ruling.html) in Landmark Antitrust Case
The decision on Google's search dominance marks the first antitrust ruling of the modern internet era against a major technology company.

🧜‍♀️ Changing of the guard at [Starbucks](https://www.geekwire.com/2024/brian-niccol-who-led-chipotles-digital-push-named-new-ceo-at-starbucks/). What impact will a new CEO have on the coffee giant?

🍏 Foldable Apple? Why not! New iPhone [coming soon](https://www.reuters.com/technology/apple-likely-release-foldable-iphone-early-2026-information-reports-2024-07-23/). 

🕶 [Gemini ](https://blog.google/products/gemini/made-by-google-gemini-ai-updates/?_bhlid=38eb5834b5ee043160c764f22bc38870316d39ef)transforms your mobile device into a powerful AI assistant.


#### What's new at Bitnoise

![blog_cover_high.jpg](https://btnw-strapi-prod.dev.btndev.space/uploads/blog_cover_high_2db7c5d85d.jpg)

Excited to dive into the first part of our new blog series: "Backend Architecture on Frontend" by Łukasz! 

Discover:
🤖 how frameworks like Next.js and Remix are bridging the gap between frontend and backend development, 
🤖 why architectural discipline is crucial, 
🤖 and how adopting principles like GRASP can bring order to your codebase. 

Perfect for developers looking to streamline complex interfaces with simple APIs. Stay tuned for practical tips on creating a robust architecture that meets your actual needs.

[Check on your own! ](https://www.bitnoise.pl/blog/backend-architecture-on-frontend-part-1)


Unveiling the Latest Tech Insights: August Newsletter Highlights

Quite recently, we delivered a project for one of our German clients, Inklusion Digital. Our task was to design and build an application for two groups of users: German teachers and students. Within the solutions provided, both groups had a common goal: to develop annual goals for students and verify their progress through feedback and self-reflection.

This is a fascinating example of an implementation in which we involved many different specialists; I had the pleasure of acting as the Product Owner of the entire idea. Today, I want to tell you the history of this whole project in several posts - so that you can understand the completed stages of the project, learn about the tools and practices... and learn from our mistakes.

We will start by analysing the discovery and design phases, allowing us to develop product design and UX tailored to users' needs.


In startups, the discovery and design phase is often overlooked and, as it later turns out, the most necessary. This stage of the product creation and development process aims to understand user problems, market needs, and technological possibilities. During this phase, the product team collects and analyses information to define the product's vision and determine its potential value and the risks associated with its implementation.

Suppose you are asking yourself what this is or are already answering this question by claiming that you do not see the relationship between the project's success and this phase. In that case, I will help you pragmatically out of this mistake.

According to [the latest research](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/discoveries-in-industry-revealed/) by Nielsen Norman Group and MIT:
- Product Discovery can help you lower the risk of failure by 75%.
- Teams using Product Discovery report 83% 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀.
- Discovery saves 50% of development rework time & 𝗰𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝘆 33–50%. 

![blog-grafika 1 - discovery phase.jpg](https://btnw-strapi-prod.dev.btndev.space/uploads/blog_grafika_1_discovery_phase_639acd94c3.jpg)


The above information guided us and convinced us that it is worth investing money into the discovery phase, as the results at the delivery and launch stages can be much more profitable. 
Before we started the design phase, we decided to work with the client in several weekly sprints to understand the needs of our end users (teachers and students) and their most significant pain points. How did we do it?

#### Customer Journey - process mapping

We set out to build a tool for the German education market to digitize the existing manual process of creating and managing students' annual goals. Using customer journey mapping, we analyzed the current process in German schools and identified the associated challenges. The results exceeded our expectations—it became clear that goal cards are often lost or forgotten, and their current format needs to be updated and made more appealing. As a result, students are less motivated to achieve their goals.

We definitely obtained tips and information that—as it now turns out—were the core of building basic functionalities in both applications.

We have placed the map and all information in MIRO.

#### User Personas - who is our end-user?

In parallel to building the Customer Journey, we decided to deepen our knowledge about our potential users - teachers and students in Germany. We started from the level: we want to make applications for all children and teachers in Germany. We concluded that the needs and requirements for using different applications are different and depend, among others, on the age of children/teachers, the type of school, and the education regulations of a given Bundesland. And this is how we defined our end-users (in an extensive summary :)):

- children and teenagers from various backgrounds, aged 10 to 16 (the most popular age group, we do not want to expose younger ones to technology), from secondary-level schools (business reasons for the client: gymnasium, Forderschule, Gesamtschule.. - the largest group of students)
- teachers - of different ages (challenge here!), and secondary-level schools (the same as above).
In addition to the specific characteristics of our users group - we have defined their key pain points, wishes and expectations in accordance to the build solutions. 

![blog-grafika 2 - personas.jpg](https://btnw-strapi-prod.dev.btndev.space/uploads/blog_grafika_2_personas_26f5211ca0.jpg)
_Sample user personas template: https://miro.com/templates/personas/_


#### Business Model Canvas + User Stories
##### What do we want to build, and what are its chances of success?

After completing work on the customer journey and user personas, we felt ready to define the scope of our new product—digital applications for teachers and students that will improve the process of achieving school goals—together with the client.
We knew that: 
![blog-grafika 3.jpg](https://btnw-strapi-prod.dev.btndev.space/uploads/blog_grafika_3_599cd991e0.jpg)


We started developing a [BMS](https://miro.com/templates/business-model-canvas/) and an Epic and User Stories outline. And we were like, wow - we create products tailored to the real needs of users! The Discovery Phase lasted about a month in total. After that, we started the design phase with full excitement. 

Those needs were converted into user stories with a MoSCoW prioritisation. We ended up with two scopes of products: one for teachers and a second for students. Suddenly, we realised that we were creating products that truly meet user needs. The Discovery Phase lasted about two weeks, and we moved on to the design phase, which took about a month.
Here, you can see the effects of the user stories slicing process: in the form of 2 maps in the Miro board.

![blog-grafika 4.jpg](https://btnw-strapi-prod.dev.btndev.space/uploads/blog_grafika_4_1a511232de.jpg)
![blog-grafika 5.jpg](https://btnw-strapi-prod.dev.btndev.space/uploads/blog_grafika_5_ac22b5d1a6.jpg)

The design was really smooth, primarily because of the great output from the discovery phase and the client’s involvement in the reviewing process. Teachers could expect a module as an add-on to the existing platform, and students would experience a separate app (independent of this platform). Teachers could, among other things, set annual goals together with students, leave feedback on progress, view results on an interactive chart, set a reward system and monitor students’ emotions. On the other hand, students carried out the self-assessment process, were recipients of rewards, collected points and shared their emotions. We have validated the design three times and, most of all - tested prototypes with teachers and students. We have received an enormous amount of input that has confirmed that we are ready for the development process.


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The discovery and design phase as the main component of product success - the Inklusion Digital Saga part 1

Being a Product Owner (PO) is a challenge that requires managing many aspects of the project, from understanding user needs to working with the development team. Especially in the MVP phases, it is worth balancing between what is necessary and what is unnecessary. However, there are essential tools that cost nothing, can improve the quality of your work, and make it much easier at the same time. In this article, we will look at several of the most critical tools, such as Jira, Miro and Chat GPT and how they helped me build digital products for German students and teachers.

#### Jira - Backlog and Task Board Management

Holly Jira, but I won't hide it - I like this tool. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I enjoy collaborating with teams in this particular tool. In the beginning, when building an MVP, the free version was completely sufficient for me! Why?

**Because I could flexibly manage the development plan (so-called timeline).**
Jira's timeline uses the epic level to build a delivery plan. At first, I managed to create just a few epics (including login/registration epics, building the basic architecture, etc.). Still, as development work progressed, I learned more and more and eventually built a 4-month development plan (for both applications - teacher and student). This was great because I made sure that the most important screens and functionalities for both end-users would be delivered, tested, and working. What's more, the timeline function revealed to me the fact that it's worth starting development work by building an architecture and backend to get ahead of the frontend a bit - thanks to this, we built interfaces based on a working system and endpoints.

**Because I could manage the backlog at the level of tasks and functions**
For me, the backlog is a sacred tool for every Product Owner. Properly organised, it supports the team, and introduces transparency and order instead of chaos. How did we organise it within the project?
- Backlog as a list - and looking at it from above - there were tasks with the most significant degree of detail, which were refactored and ready for development. At the bottom of the backlog were tasks at an early stage of their preparation.
- project scope in form of ticket types
as the development team progressed, the backlog was supplemented with backend tickets, stories, bugs or extra change requests from the CEO, CTO and other stakeholders.
- impact analysis - every time a new scope (sometimes more or less needed) was reported to the team - we tried to analyse its impact on the timeline and current priorities in the backlog. 

Keeping the nice and clean backlog is not easy, but it is necessary if the Product Owner expects the development team to operate efficiently at the delivery stage.
![blog-grafika 1_poprawiona (1).jpg](https://bitnoise-cms.btn.fyi/uploads/blog_grafika_1_poprawiona_1_b9f060cf50.jpg)



**Because I could order delivery on the Kanban board**

For me, the Kanban board is a must and a standard tool for tracking tasks and communicating with the team. A good task board reflects the team's current work and helps rather than hinders. Therefore, our Kanban board has evolved, as the needs reported by, among others, the team have grown. We started from the level of "TO DO, IN PROGRESS, DONE" columns and ended up... on the Mendeleev board ;)

![blog-grafika 2.jpg](https://bitnoise-cms.btn.fyi/uploads/blog_grafika_2_f5c7177481.jpg)

#### MIRO - visual collaboration and brainstorming

Miro is an interactive board that made it easier for me to visually present ideas and collaborate in real-time. Since our team worked entirely remotely, it was a challenge to work out solutions together. MIRO came to our aid. 
- Discovery and Research—If you red a previous article and learned what our Discovery phase looked like, you will know that all diagrams, User Personas, research results, Customer Journeys, and BMS were visualised and developed in MIRO.
- Workshops and Brainstorming: Miro was primarily used in my work to plan new features and their early visualisation. For example: gamification logic in the student and teacher application.  I visualised several scenarios for both end-users and carried out a requirements refinement, which was then used to create the final design and flows. In addition, our developers were also very keen to use it for their activities. For example, our Senior BE developer led Event Storming sessions in MIRO, thanks to which we learned the scope of necessary endpoints to prepare for the entire project.
- Retrospectives and presentations at review meetings - Miro is very rich in [templates](https://miro.com/templates/retrospective/), and I decided to transfer the process of conducting retrospectives and tracking actions from retro right there . My favorite retrospective is [the 4L method](https://miro.com/templates/4-ls-retrospective/) - and it's great that I didn't need any additional external tool to conduct it. 

![blog-grafika 3.jpg](https://bitnoise-cms.btn.fyi/uploads/blog_grafika_3_15848c3225.jpg)

Going further into experimenting with MIRO, I also decided to check the slide-show function - I used it to present the results of increments at a review meeting. But here, honestly? I would go for simpler tools like Google Presentations or Canva :)

#### ChatGPT - my personal advisor

Last but not least - ChatGPT. There is so much talk about genAI in products and projects, but I personally had a hard time getting used to this new reality. However, I managed to find a practical application for ChatGPT in my work as a Product Owner. What did I do with this tool?
- I planned meetings - the structure, flows, timeboxes and Agendas e.g Review Meetings. ChatGPT gave me also insights on how to engage programmers and stakeholders so we could conclude any assumptions and key points from discussions
- I looked for statistical data - ChatGPT came in handy during the discovery phase when I validated various data and statistics regarding the education industry in Germany. And so, among other things, I learned that the most popular age group among young people are children aged 6 to 14, and German schools have problems accessing wifi and working equipment. So I adjusted the strategies of both products (teacher and student) with additional assumptions: the age of end-users and the need to design the flow of the feedback and self-assessment process so that it meets its goals both remotely (on users' private devices) and at school (on, e.g. a school tablet).

#### Summary

Creating an MVP, which is really two products, requires managing many tasks and collaborating with various specialists. Although I built products from scratch and didn't need advanced tools to start with, without Miro, Jira and ChatuGPT, everything would have taken me longer, and the quality of my work as a Product Owner would have been questionable.

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Product Owner Tools: What to start with and how we dealt with this topic - the Inklusion Digital Saga part 2

#### Why do we blindly trust AI, what Elon came up with, and yes, we saw the new iPhone


In our latest newsletter, we've gathered the most fascinating updates from the tech world, sprinkled with intriguing tidbits from its many orbits. Our subscribers were the first to get their hands on these cutting-edge insights, delivered straight to their inboxes.

#### [Telegram](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvglp0xny3eo) will now provide some user data to authorities

![newsletter#7 MAIN TOPIC.jpg](https://bitnoise-cms.btn.fyi/uploads/newsletter_7_MAIN_TOPIC_8061c9ab8c.jpg)

The messaging app Telegram said it will hand over users' IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities with search warrants or other valid legal requests.

Telegram has historically been known for its strong stance on user privacy, encryption, and resistance to government interference. However, in recent years, there have been instances where the platform has complied with legal authorities under certain conditions, particularly in cases involving serious crimes, such as terrorism or child exploitation.

[Read more](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvglp0xny3eo). 



#### Tool of the month 

![notebookLM_tool of the month.jpg](https://bitnoise-cms.btn.fyi/uploads/notebook_LM_tool_of_the_month_e12ad5e4f2.jpg)

NotebookLM is an experimental AI-based tool from Google that uses the Google Gemini model. As the authors say - It helps you “think your best” by reading, taking notes, asking questions, and organising your ideas. In other words, NotebookLM is like an AI-based research assistant that helps users better understand, summarise, brainstorm, and generate ideas based on their submitted sources. NotebookLM excels in workflows that involve synthesising information spread across multiple documents. Some of the main features of this tool are uploading multiple sources, using the Notebook Guide, asking questions, taking notes, changing articles into a podcast, and suggesting actions.

[Check it out](https://notebooklm.google/). 

#### Trending

1. [It’s all about the money](https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/openai-chair-says-board-has-discussed-equity-compensation-ceo-sam-altman-2024-09-26/). The chair of OpenAI mentioned that the board has considered offering equity compensation for CEO Sam Altman.
2. [You have been blocked.](https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-is-nerfing-the-block-button-blocked-users-will-be-able-to-see-your-posts-214928396.html) But not really. X is weakening the block button: Blocked users will still be able to view your posts.
3. [iPhone 16 is here.](https://www.techradar.com/phones/iphone/iphone-16-review) But is it really worth the upgrade? 

#### Around the Web

🏰 We are all part of one big [Disney](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/disney-plus/disney-plus-unveils-password-sharing-pricing-ahead-of-its-impending-price-hike-and-now-i-m-not-sure-i-ll-be-able-to-finish-agatha-all-along) family. Disney Plus’ password-sharing fees are official—here’s how much they cost. 

🧭 [The CTO is leaving Open AI](https://www.engadget.com/ai/cto-mira-murati-is-the-latest-leader-to-leave-openai-200230104.html) because “she wants to create the time and space to do her own exploration”.

❌ [Advanced AI chatbots](https://www.engadget.com/ai/advanced-ai-chatbots-are-less-likely-to-admit-they-dont-have-all-the-answers-172012958.html) are less inclined to acknowledge that they don't have all the answers. The study also revealed that people tend to accept incorrect answers from bots too quickly.

#### What's new at Bitnoise

🚀 The first part of our series on the #InklusionDigitalSaga is live! 

In the first article, Luiza Kwiatek explores why the Discovery and Design Phase is critical to product success. 

Learn how taking time to thoroughly research, plan, and design before development can lead to more innovative and user-friendly solutions and save much money! If you want to understand how strong foundations lead to great products, this one’s for you.

[Check it out](https://www.bitnoise.pl/blog/the-discovery-and-design-phase-as-the-main-component-of-product-success-the-inklusion-digital-saga-part-1)! 


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Unveiling the Latest Tech Insights: October Newsletter Highlights

Going from the design phase to the delivery phase always brings excitement but undoubtedly doubt. Project Managers and Product Owners wonder: What functionalities should we start production with? How can we stay within budget? And finally, what methodology should we choose so as not to overdo it and deliver?

#### Soft start 
We have engaged three specialists for the project - a backend developer, a frontend developer and a tester. When we started, we knew that:
- we want to build an MVP in the form of an application for students and an additional module attached to the main product for teachers,
- we have obvious expectations, a well-designed design and support from our stakeholders (CTO, CEO, Marketing Team, sales team, German teachers),
- we are aiming for a production release in March 2024 (at that time, we had the end of December 2023),
- during the ongoing work, we have to include tests with teachers and students to obtain valuable feedback,
- we have to ensure the scalability of the product and remember the assumptions in the Discovery phase (i.e. who we are doing it for, why, what long-term product strategy, etc. - I presented the conclusions in this article: [click](https://www.bitnoise.pl/blog/the-discovery-and-design-phase-as-the-main-component-of-product-success-the-inklusion-digital-saga-part-1))

We started the development by:
- Setting up the infrastructure, building the architecture of the new student application,
- Integrating this application with the existing platform for teachers,
- working on the first endpoints of the login process (probably a classic of every startup - you start by logging in).

This soft start allowed for a smooth, gradual addition of the frontend programmer and QA. We had a week or two of spare backend work on the frontend at each project stage. Our QA specialist, on the other hand, divided his time between working on our MVP and the team working regularly on the educational platform for teachers. This is how it went for the following weeks of work.

![blog-grafika 1.jpg](https://bitnoise-cms.btn.fyi/uploads/blog_grafika_1_25a52940f3.jpg)

#### Scrumban - was it worth going crazy like that?

In my career, I have implemented projects using many methodologies and frameworks, such as AgilePM, Scrum, Kanban, and staged/waterfall. Using them had its pros and cons. Due to the specifics of working for a client (including the lack of Scrum Master/Agile coach roles, the need to synchronise work and releases with a parallel development team) and a completely anticipated project (because there was a design, an available client) - I decided to try a delivery framework with an exciting name: Scrumban. How did it look for us?

_Firstly, abandoning cyclical sprints in favour of flexible releases_

Working in regular sprints was out of the question - among other things, due to the size of the team, we knew that it would simply be a management "overkill". For us, the moment of meeting with the client for a review and deciding on a release was a reasonably flexible statement based on "Okay - interactive, working things are starting to appear - we feel that we should collect feedback on this part". However, once we had a demo, it was really effective, interactive and valuable. Additionally, we had such meetings planned in our roadmap (although they were supposed to be shiftable), and we conducted the demo about four times in total.

_Secondly, the backlog and roadmap as the main sources of information_

As standard, as in most agile frameworks - we worked with a backlog and roadmap in Jira. At the beginning of development, we built the roadmap of both solutions (the application for students and the new module for teachers). We corrected it continuously, considering change requests or delays/accelerations. The backlog lived daily - supplemented with tasks, stories and bugs - which were released by the Product Owner to the Kanban board of functions at the right time.

_Thirdly, limiting team meetings to daily and refinement meetings_

Our team was small (but agile!), so we decided to limit the daily to 3 times a week. Due to the abandonment of cyclical sprints in favour of flexible releases, we also eliminated planning meetings - we focused on refinements with the client in written form (on the messenger) and the form of cyclical meetings (twice a week). Thanks to this, we kept the backlog and the roadmap up to date and prioritised, and production breaks did not happen to us.

![blog-grafika 2.jpg](https://bitnoise-cms.btn.fyi/uploads/blog_grafika_2_152354db94.jpg)


#### Conclusions

To sum up, the delivery phase in this project was exceptionally dynamic and demanding, but our approach based on flexibility and adapting to the client's real needs brought the expected results. The most important thing is that we delivered the project in 4 months (we closed the development work in April) and managed to release both solutions in production in May (client's business issues). Focusing on a small, essential team: a Ui&UX designer, two programmers, one tester and a Product Owner minimised the costs for the client and helped us maintain agility. Giving up cyclical sprints in favour of flexible releases allowed us to better adjust the pace of work to the real needs of the project and the second parallel team. Thanks to this, we could respond more effectively to feedback and introduce changes smoothly and without downtime. Limiting meetings to a minimum allowed us to maintain high team productivity without unnecessary breaks in work. Soft start allowed savings in the project and conclusions from the discovery phase - to reduce the rework time by 50%.

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Scrumban and a small team to ensure high-quality project delivery - the Inklusion Digital Saga part 3

#### OpenAI's new direction: Creating a sustainable AI ecosystem

OpenAI’s DevDay 2024 signifies a strategic shift, focusing on ecosystem development rather than high-profile product announcements.

Though this strategy may seem less thrilling to the broader audience, it reflects a deeper, more mature grasp of the AI industry’s present challenges and opportunities.

What new things can we expect?

#### [Prompt caching](https://platform.openai.com/docs/guides/prompt-caching): A potential game-changer for reducing developer costs

One key announcement is the launch of Prompt Caching, designed to cut developers' costs and latency by offering a 50% discount on recently processed input tokens. This will lead to significant savings for apps that reuse context.

At a press conference, OpenAI's head of product, Olivier Godement, highlighted the company's progress, noting GPT-3 costs have been slashed by nearly 1000x in just two years. This reduction opens new opportunities for startups and businesses to pursue previously unaffordable applications.

#### Vision fine-tuning: Exploring a new horizon in visual AI technology

OpenAI also introduced vision fine-tuning for [GPT-4o](https://openai.com/index/hello-gpt-4o/), enabling developers to enhance the model's visual understanding with images and text. This update could significantly impact areas like autonomous vehicles, medical imaging, and visual search.

#### [Realtime API](https://platform.openai.com/docs/api-reference/introduction): Closing the divide in conversational AI

OpenAI launched its Realtime API in public beta, allowing developers to build low-latency, multimodal experiences like speech-to-speech applications. This enables ChatGPT’s voice controls in apps. To showcase its potential, OpenAI demoed an updated version of [Wanderlust](https://github.com/widgetti/wanderlust), where users can naturally converse with the app to plan trips, even allowing mid-sentence interruptions for a more human-like interaction.

#### Model distillation: Advancing toward more accessible AI solutions

The most transformative announcement was Model Distillation, a workflow allowing developers to use outputs from advanced models like [o1-preview](https://openai.com/index/introducing-openai-o1-preview) or GPT-4o to enhance the performance of smaller, efficient models like [GPT-4o mini](https://openai.com/index/gpt-4o-mini-advancing-cost-efficient-intelligence/). This method helps smaller companies access advanced capabilities without the high computational costs, bridging the gap between cutting-edge models and more accessible alternatives.

You can find more information about OpenAI DevDay 2024 [here](https://openai.com/devday/). 


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Everything you need to know about OpenAi DevDay 2024 -Newsletter Highlights

Imagine this—you are building a product MVP for two users: a teacher and students. These users are to work together to develop annual goals for students, which they will try to work on during the semester. Both groups of users use two separate applications, and progress towards achieving this goal is measured using teacher feedback and student self-assessment.

You are in the final phase of beta testing, which means production deployment to your end users. You have already had a few demos and tests with target users, and you have obtained valuable feedback on various increments of both applications, **but you have not yet had the opportunity to present both solutions fully connected to your stakeholders** (and the client). And now the question - how to do it, to encapsulate 4 months of teamwork in an hour meeting? And get a blessing, but above all, is it valuable feedback?

This is the challenge we set for ourselves as a development team, and in addition to joint discussions, ChatGPT helped us.


#### ChaGPT Helpline

The last demo is on the calendar. We call chatGPT, and I explain to him through a prompt:
- we are finishing the project, and in order to close the scope of the MVP phase and move on to beta testing and sales - we need to get the green light from the stakeholders (client-side teachers, other Product Owners, CTO, CEO) - and that it really was a great team!),
- we have an hour, maybe 1.5 hours, to explain how the application behaves
- we need to keep the stakeholders and devs engaged
- I am looking for alternatives to the standard demo form (we don't want to bore anybody). 

![blog-grafika 1.jpg](https://bitnoise-cms.btn.fyi/uploads/blog_grafika_1_eaac1fee08.jpg)


The answer was long, and I will tell you about how we planned our demo in detail soon. However, I will detail specific answers from the Chat that confirmed the direction of my thinking about this demo, namely:

![blog-grafika 2.jpg](https://bitnoise-cms.btn.fyi/uploads/blog_grafika_2_e8385d84d6.jpg)

![blog-grafika 3.jpg](https://bitnoise-cms.btn.fyi/uploads/blog_grafika_3_4e8d4c96b4.jpg)

So I came back to the team, and we confirmed what we had been thinking for a long time: let's do an interactive workshop!

#### A short planning demo, and off we go!
We sat down together as a development team and planned our hour-long demo meeting with stakeholders. We really wanted our stakeholders to experience both products to the fullest, and we thought this was the first step in the beginning of "knowledge sharing."

Based on ChatGPTt's suggestions, we decided to:
- pair participants in advance, assigning each person in the pair an appropriate role: teacher and student,
- separate "rooms" for each pair,
- prepare tasks to be performed as part of testing both products (we prepared the tasks in the form of instructions for each pair),
- develop a simple MIRO board where each pair could leave their feedback and thoughts on the tested flow.

We organised everything remotely, using channels (rooms) on Discord, which was a natural choice for us, because it is the client's communication channel.

#### Demo - progress and conclusions

The session began with a brief presentation of the Agenda demo—this time, we skipped the presentation and discussion of the latest changes. We wanted the participants to start playing with the products immediately.

10 of the planned 16 people came to the meeting (Yup, that was a difficulty we didn't foresee). We informed the participants about their pairs and roles. After giving each person task instructions, we divided the pairs into rooms.

The instructions with tasks were prepared for a given role. This meant that the person who was our “teacher” had to perform a set of tasks in one application and the person who was a “student” in the other. Since the prepared solutions are focused on the collaboration of these two users, some tasks require cooperation between these roles—just like in school life. Each of the five pairs had the same scope of tasks to perform.

The tasks had to reflect the processes that teachers and students were soon to implement in our applications. Hence, our "students" tested, among other things, the process of logging in with a QR code, co-creating goals with the teacher and implementing **self-assessment**. "Teachers" tested, among other things, generating these QR codes, co-creating goals with students, or exchanging **feedback**.

We left our testing group the choice of writing down their thoughts either on an ongoing basis or after the tests were completed. We used the MIRO board for this purpose, which looked like this:
![blog-grafika 4.jpg](https://bitnoise-cms.btn.fyi/uploads/blog_grafika_4_0b9567adf3.jpg)

Completing all the tasks from the instructions took from 10 to 20 minutes - those who already knew the applications a bit better came through the applications and completed the tasks more efficiently. It was also interesting that everyone completed the tests without significant problems and shared their thoughts in an open, approximately 20-minute session in MIRO.


#### WHAT WENT GREAT:
- planning demo was short, and the instructions for each role were clear - as evidenced by the time it took to complete the tasks and feedback from the participants
- we collected valuable comments from the participants - and we decided to implement the most important ones before beta testing,
- we finished in 1 hour,
- we got the blessing from the stakeholders and clear satisfaction with the results,
- absolutely everyone got involved: programmers, designers, teachers, company owners. The observations were varied (after all, everyone paid attention to something different), but all of them were accurate and valuable. 

#### What went so-so and what I would change

- I would try to prepare instructions that would require even more independence - to verify better the intuitiveness of the designed processes in the applications,
- at the end of the meeting, we held an open session with conclusions, and unfortunately, not everyone had time to express their opinion (and they wanted to). Next time I would divide the participants into two groups, e.g. teachers and students, divide them into rooms and ask them to prepare statements with the most important points/thoughts,
- each pair carried out the same range of tasks. It is possible that a better solution would be for each group to test a completely different area of ​​the application, e.g., one group would use the reward system, and the other would create a goal.


#### Summary

Organising this interactive demo with the help of ChatGPT turned out to be a bullseye. With the support of AI, we managed to plan and run a meeting that engaged all participants and provided us with valuable feedback. Using the workshop format allowed stakeholders to fully experience both applications, which was crucial to gaining their acceptance.

The demo was well organised, and the prepared tasks were spot on, as confirmed by the positive feedback from the participants. The comments we collected allowed us to make necessary corrections before the beta testing phase. Although several aspects could be improved, the event's overall success strengthened our belief that this approach to project presentations was effective and inspiring for the entire team.


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How did AI help me deliver the best client demo possible? - the Inklusion Digital Saga part 4

In today's technological world, where user expectations and design requirements are constantly changing, the role of a QA tester becomes crucial. I recently had the opportunity to participate in an exciting project with a German client, where I was responsible for manual testing and overall product quality assurance. This project was a demanding challenge but provided many valuable lessons I would like to share with you today.

#### The beginning of the adventure with the project

I joined the team as a QA tester when the SPLINT Feedback project was underway.

At this stage, the most crucial task was actually to get to know the project and plan further work:
- The first step was to get to see the documentation, application architecture and functional requirements;
- I had to take into account that the analysis of requirements, design and planning was still ongoing;
- the project was not yet stable enough to introduce automated tests;
- However, the already created BE and FE allow manual testing.

Organizing the work helped me better understand the project and plan an effective test strategy. My experience working on the SPLINT application, of which SPLINT Feedback is a sub-product, proved helpful.


#### Tests, tests, tests..!

Testing was an integral part of the application development process. We focused on the highest-priority tasks, which were accepted and sent to test environments. This allowed us to examine the functionalities closely, analyse their usability, and make the final changes by end users' expectations. How did it look in this case?
- The entire testing process was based on unit tests (performed by the development team) and manual tests for which I was responsible;
- The application consisted of two modules: SPLINT Feedback for Teachers (part of the web application) and SPLINTY—PWA for students. When planning the tests, I took into account not only the needs of both groups but also the need to broaden the scope to include tests on physical mobile devices.
- Our main goal was to enable students and teachers to jointly develop annual goals and cooperate on achieving them through self-assessment and feedback processes. To ensure that everything works as it should, we, the dev team, often assume the role of end users.
- During the testing stage, a solution did not fulfill its intended role, and we had to modify it. In such situations, the tests' conclusions allowed us to create a new, more adapted solution.
- From the application development perspective, pre-release and post-release testing were very important. The test environment, a copy of the production environment, significantly accelerated the smooth release of the latest changes and allowed me to work independently and engage the team.
- To ensure the app was “production ready” at the project's end, we ran acceptance tests with external testers. This allowed us to confirm our previous choices and catch any discrepancies.

Our approach, based on iterative testing and adaptability, was crucial to success.

#### Communication is key

Even the best tests are useless if there is no communication within the project team. Direct contact with developers, product owners (POs), and customers, as well as using tools such as Jira, allowed me to constantly update my priorities and adjust the testing process to the project's needs. Transparency and shared responsibility for the product's quality helped create a strong team and allowed for agile change implementation.

#### Summary 

The SPLINT Feedback project developed quickly and with great flexibility. Thanks to a small, closely related team and constant communication, we could focus on critical aspects of testing. Getting a good grip on the project at an early stage allowed for early detection and prevention of defects, which directly contributed to shortening the development time, reducing costs and improving product quality. Working in an agile environment allowed for quick modification of tasks and improving solutions that the tests indicated were worth refining. Communication was vital, and thanks to the shared responsibility for the quality of the product, our small group had the freedom to make decisions. We analysed the test results, identified errors and adapted the application to users' needs. Most importantly, the conclusions from this project will be valuable to us in future endeavours, and the knowledge and experience gained will have a lasting impact on our team.

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From the QA diary: experiences from developing applications for teachers and students - the Inklusion Digital Saga part 5

#### New from OpenAi, Anthropic, Meta and... Chopin


In our latest newsletter, we've gathered the most fascinating updates from the tech world, sprinkled with intriguing tidbits from its many orbits. Our subscribers were the first to get their hands on these cutting-edge insights, delivered straight to their inboxes.


#### Orion - new AR glasses from Meta

![newsletter#8.jpg](https://bitnoise-cms.btn.fyi/uploads/newsletter_8_7725cfe3fd.jpg)


The Meta Orion AR glasses are Meta’s latest innovation in augmented reality technology, blending digital and physical worlds with a sleek, lightweight design. These AR glasses aim to provide an immersive experience with features like live navigation, real-time notifications, and enhanced interaction with digital objects in the user's environment. Orion is expected to support both virtual meetings and gaming, bringing new possibilities for collaboration and entertainment. Meta envisions Orion as a tool for everyday convenience, allowing users to stay connected hands-free while maintaining awareness of their surroundings. These AR glasses are part of Meta’s broader mission to build the “Metaverse” a fully connected digital world.


[Check out](https://about.fb.com/news/2024/09/introducing-orion-our-first-true-augmented-reality-glasses/amp/) the full article. 



#### Tool of the month 

![blog-AI Tools for Developers_high.jpg](https://bitnoise-cms.btn.fyi/uploads/blog_AI_Tools_for_Developers_high_3f89cfe3eb.jpg)

We recently reported on Anthropic's latest features, but they've now released another batch of improvements. So, what's new? Anthropic recently introduced upgrades to its Claude model series. The new Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Claude 3.5 Haiku models feature significant improvements in both coding performance and real-world usability. The Claude 3.5 Sonnet excels in software engineering, now surpassing most available models on various industry benchmarks for agentic coding tasks. Additionally, it has demonstrated effectiveness in handling complex, tool-driven tasks across different industries, such as retail and airlines. Early feedback indicates that its improved reasoning capabilities make it a strong asset for multi-step software tasks in DevSecOps and autonomous AI testing.

[Read more.](https://www.anthropic.com/news/3-5-models-and-computer-use)

#### Trending

1. [OpenAI recently launched ChatGPT Search](https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/04/chatgpt-search-is-not-openais-google-killer-yet/), sparking comparisons to Google.

2. [Bitcoin surged 7% to a record $75,060](https://www.reuters.com/technology/bitcoin-leaps-record-high-traders-lean-towards-trump-victory-2024-11-06/) in Asian markets, as investors anticipated a Trump election victory that could lead to softer cryptocurrency regulation.

3. Apple introduces a “[Share Item Location](https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/05/apple-may-update-find-my-app-to-let-you-share-locations-of-lost-items/)” feature in the Find My app, allowing users to share the location of lost items.

#### Around the Web

👂  [Listen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CLyCKEJ5mI&ab_channel=Jart) to a new composition by Chopin that [has just been discovered](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/27/arts/music/chopin-waltz-discovery.html).

🍏  Check out [the latest MacBook Pro features](https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/?cid-wwa-us-yt-shr-NewMacBookProAI) the most advanced lineup of chips ever built for a pro laptop.

🎞️  Amazon introduces generative [AI-based summaries](https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/04/amazon-brings-generative-ai-powered-recaps-to-prime-video/) for Prime Video content.

👶  [AI rejuvenated Tom Hanks.](https://www.wired.com/story/here-movie-de-age-tom-hanks-generative-ai/)

#### What's new at Bitnoise

🚀 The fourth part of our series on the #InklusionDigitalSaga is live! 

From this article, you will learn how ChatGPT supported the product testing phase.

[Check it out](https://www.bitnoise.pl/blog/how-did-AI-help-me-deliver-the-best-client-demo-possible-the-inklusion-digital-saga-part-4)! 


Unveiling the Latest Tech Insights: November Newsletter Highlights

After several months of work and the involvement of the entire team, the time has come to plan and **execute the release**. For many, this may be an exciting moment, but from a technical perspective, it is often accompanied by **stress**. So how can the entire process be planned so that next time, when asked, 'How's the **release** going?' you can respond, '**Don't worry; it's real ease**.'


In ideal circumstances, deploying an application for the first time can be relatively stress-free. We start with a 'clean slate' - we don’t have to worry about users who might encounter a bug because there simply aren't any yet. Of course, such a release still needs to be planned, but the team has significantly more room to make mistakes or test something in the target environment.

In our scenario, the situation was more complicated. For a long time, we have been working together on an existing platform for teachers in Germany to facilitate collaboration among them to best support students' development. The application was growing very intensively, continuously delivering new solutions and responding efficiently to the needs of its users. It turned out that this was not the end. The application fulfilled its purpose and facilitated teachers' work but needed more student elements. The next step was creating a smaller platform for students to observe their progress, track their goals, and earn rewards. At this point, we decided to expand and split the development team slightly to get to work. Team A was to continue the daily work on the teacher platform, while Team B was to start implementing the new student platform.


Thus, as we entered the final phase and began planning the release, we found ourselves in a rather unusual and difficult situation. Here are our conclusions about the steps that need to be taken to maximise the chances of a successful release.

#### Organisational Planning Phase


##### **Release Date**
First and foremost, the planned release date must be established. Sometimes, this date is dictated by the client or managers, but usually, it will be a time frame rather than a specific day. As the project nears completion, the team should be able to pinpoint a particular day for the official release. At this point, adding at least one extra day to the planned date is advisable to provide a buffer for any potential complications.

In our case, setting this date was more complex because while Team B was finishing the implementation of the new platform, Team A was continuously working on new features and conducting their releases. Therefore, we had to gather both teams and jointly decide on a moment that would allow Team A to complete and test the current phase of their work while also allowing Team B to deploy their module without blocking either side.

##### **Responsible Persons**
If you have yet to assign individuals for specific tasks permanently, this is also a good time to designate responsible persons. Our situation required significantly more coordination and inter-team communication, so outlining specific tasks and assigning individuals to them was crucial for the process to run as smoothly as possible. However, creating a task list will be helpful even in less complicated scenarios.

Remember that projects often include less experienced members. An organisation like this will clarify them and offer valuable learning opportunities.


##### **Attention to Details**
It's worth remembering to write down even the most minor things that come to mind because as the planned release date approaches, more things will demand our attention, causing us to forget details that seemed evident during the planning stage. Keep in mind the detailed documentation related to the deployment process, such as:
- Creating or updating the README file,
- Updating user documentation: FAQs, release notes, instructions, and guides,
- Ensuring all licenses, cookies, and legal information are up to date

#### **Technical To-Do:**

Before initiating the deployment of your application, it's crucial to address several technical tasks to ensure a smooth and successful release. These steps help minimise the risk of disruptions and ensure your application functions as expected in the production environment. Here’s a comprehensive checklist of technical tasks to complete:












##### **Data Backup**

Data backup is a critical step in the deployment process, as it ensures that you have a reliable way to recover your application and its associated data in case something goes wrong. 

This is especially important when deploying an application that automatically performs database schema migrations at the time of deployment.

##### **Ensuring All Dependencies Are in Place**
Our application may be another piece of the puzzle in more complex systems that are dependent on other services. These may sometimes include a database, a queue system, or a data encryption service. We must ensure that all configuration variables are correctly set and that these systems can seamlessly integrate with our application.

##### **Create a Staging Environment**
It's crucial to thoroughly test the entire configuration in an environment that closely mirrors our production environment. This allows us to catch critical errors during internal testing stages.

##### **Deploy to Production Early**
When creating a new system, we can sometimes deploy our application to production ahead of the official release date. This was precisely the case for us. We deployed the new services a week earlier and tested their full functionality. Meanwhile, the integration parts in existing services were hidden using a feature flag. Nothing changed from the users' perspective, but this allowed us to begin testing in production by enabling the feature flag for specific users. Thus, the final release was simply disabling the feature flag for everyone.

##### **Conduct Alpha and Beta Testing**
Alpha tests are internal tests, while beta tests are conducted externally with a limited group of users. This approach not only helps us catch bugs but also allows us to gauge what our target users like or dislike. It also enables us to identify logical errors and verify our assumptions.

##### **Monitoring**
It is very important to maintain the health and performance of your application. Effective monitoring helps identify and address issues before they impact users or lead to significant downtime.
- Set up tools to monitor the performance of the application and servers.
- Establish alert thresholds to respond quickly to issues.

##### **Contingency Plan**
A contingency plan is a crucial component of your deployment strategy, designed to ensure that you can respond effectively to unexpected issues and minimise disruption if things don’t go as planned. 
- Prepare a plan to revert the deployment in case of critical issues.
- Team on Stand-by: Ensure key personnel are available and ready to act in case of an emergency.


In our case, this was an essential part. We needed the best contingency plan as our release affected real users. Any issues that might have happened during the release needed to be easily reverted or at least quickly hidden. 

#### Conclusion 

Successfully planning and executing a release requires careful consideration and thorough preparation. By addressing both organisational and technical aspects, you can significantly reduce the risk of complications and ensure a smoother transition to production.
 
 
In our case, the complexity of deploying a new student platform alongside ongoing work on an existing teacher platform highlighted the importance of detailed planning. Establishing a clear release date, designating responsible individuals, and paying attention to every detail were crucial steps. Moreover, implementing data backup procedures, effective monitoring, and a comprehensive contingency plan were key to managing potential issues and ensuring a successful release.

Ultimately, a well-executed release meets project goals and sets the stage for future success. By learning from each release and refining your processes, you can continue to improve and achieve greater ease in future deployments. With the proper preparation and mindset, you’ll be well-equipped to handle the challenges of any release and turn potential stress into a seamless experience.

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From the QA diary: experiences from developing applications for teachers and students - the Inklusion Digital Saga part 5

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Unveiling the Latest Tech Insights: November Newsletter Highlights

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Release or Real ease - the Inklusion Digital Saga part 6

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