Nick Proud

Modern SharePoint didn't just update the interface. It changed who the platform was actually built for. Before the shift, SharePoint was largely the domain of developers and IT teams. Getting anything meaningful built required technical expertise that most organisations simply didn't have in-house. It was powerful, but it wasn't for everyone. The move to modern SharePoint changed that. Microsoft started designing for the people who actually needed to use the platform day-to-day and not just the people maintaining it. The experience became cleaner, more intuitive, and far more accessible to communicators, HR teams, and business owners who just needed to get information to their colleagues. What makes this foundation so significant is what was built on top of it. Teams, Viva, Copilot — the whole Microsoft 365 ecosystem now runs on SharePoint's modern architecture. Getting SharePoint right isn't just about having a good intranet. It shapes how your entire organisation works. Worth a listen if you're thinking about where SharePoint is heading next. 🎙️ https://lnkd.in/ecn4z6xY

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I'm finding it fascinating how tactics for working well with GenAI coding tools seem to be quite familiar - a lot of what I'm using comes straight from classic XP practices, Test Driven Development, and just a pile of my personal development practices and preferences. It makes sense - a common comment about these tools is "It's like having a lightning-fast junior developer who reads a lot but has no long-term memory or wisdom" - so in a lot of ways, I'm treating the AI like I'd treat a fast, clever, but naive developer. In D&D terms they have high INT but poor WIS. They need lots of guidelines and guard rails, and definitely don't let them go write an entire application unsupervised! XP practices especially were designed to help people write high quality software fast, with a focus on small safe iterative steps, and not needing to retain a lot of context - ideal for working with GenAI. See also Ian Cooper's post on XP and ADHD: https://lnkd.in/eTWQc5JH At a minimum I'm always making them work iteratively. "Generate a checklist of tasks that you will do, and let me check it. Then implement each step in turn, and let me review the changes and course-correct before you start the next step." This honestly reminds me of a really productive ThoughtWorks team I ran once, where for every story the devs would write an index card with a checklist of "TODOs" on the card, that they ticked off as they worked. That team was doing regular pair swapping, so lacked a lot of long-term memory - the checklist was very handy. This is also the best defence against "vibe coding" - at least as it was originally defined. Would you "vibe code" with a team of high-INT low-WIS developers with no strategic knowledge and no long-term memory to write code unsupervised? I'm having more success following what Pete Hodgson calls "Chain of Vibes": https://lnkd.in/eeU_xWnz (I love this naming, which is why I keep referring to his blog) - use the tools in lots of small, incremental steps, and you can get some great results. (I really should put more about this on my blog. When time permits. (and I know, the internet is flooded right now with "this is my cunning AI tooling approach" posts))

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Is your SharePoint intranet feeling tired or hard to manage? Many comms and IT teams are searching for a solution that makes it easier to keep content fresh, share important updates, and connect people across the business. This article explores practical SharePoint site and page templates that can breathe new life into your intranet. From improved design to smarter ways of sharing information, templates help teams save time and get better results without heavy IT involvement. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e7eranYX #SharePoint #InternalComms #DigitalWorkplace #EmployeeExperience #Lightspeed365

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Back in the 90s, I happened to be teaching a computer programming class.  It was simple back then. A bit of C, a bit of DOS, and Clipper. Mainly Clipper. But the kids (bit younger than me then, actually) didn't all have experience with computers back then. Some were seeing one for the first time. During the introductory sessions, one question came up: "If I ask the computer a question, will it reply?" "Don't be silly", I replied, "computers are not THAT intelligent". I'm sorry, past young student. I truly am. How could I possibly have known.

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UK unemployment has risen to 5.2%, a near five-year high, while wage growth slows, according to the Office for National Statistics. 📈 For IT professionals navigating today’s landscape, standing out has never been more important, from in-demand certifications to hands-on project experience and niche technical skills. If you’re exploring your next move in tech, now’s the time to sharpen your edge. #TechJobs #ITCareers #Hiring

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It's not just meetings that destroy the productivity of your developers, but they don't help. Learn some ways to improve your #DeveloperExperience in this blog post.

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A long Long LONG time ago Ross Duncan told me "It's amazing how little code you write when you do TDD" after having had the privilege of working with some famous legend in London. It's my observation today that it's amazing how MUCH code <your LLM of choice> writes if you don't tightly constrain it. Ask for a simple script to do X? Get a tiny masterpiece with correct set options inc pipefail and a sophisticated usage function and who knows what else. Far in excess of what you'd have done yourself and totally overkill for the task at hand. But yet it's MORE effort to get the simple script that you imagined without the bells and whistles because to do so you must write enough to overcome the built in "be very helpful" driving force in every LLM and get it to "be very reasonable" instead - something they're not always good at. Now I'm just wondering does Ross remember that conversation? :-) he probably didn't know he popped into my head periodically over the years with that short punchy line. :-)

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🛠️ Friday Dev Drop – Translating H5P, One JSON at a Time It’s been one of those weeks here adaptiVLE Ltd - the kind where curiosity, #dev and caffeine collide. We hit a real-world challenge: a batch of H5P content needed converting into a language none of us had much experience with. Cue a lot of tab switching, copy-pasting, and collective groaning. So we asked: Could we build something to help? 🔁 Enter a local tool that: Takes an .h5p file Extracts translatable content Prepares a translated duplicate — no #Moodle required 🧪 Still early days: Built with Next.js Keeps original structure and settings intact Designed to work locally Hooks into the Google Translate API 🎥 The video shows the prototype in action. It’s not polished, but already saving hours — and sparking a few ideas. We’re not sure yet if this becomes a full product, a side utility, or a dev-only tool. That’s where you come in — is this something you'd use? Note to self: if Lewis Carr asks if you know Welsh, run, it's never a small bit of Welsh. (Bora da). #H5P #DevBuildWeek #TranslationTools #NextJS #EdTech #AdaptVLE #FridayBuildDrop #Moodle

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One week to go! On Thursday 19th June, Developer South Coast is back with their next event: Design Patterns for Software Diagramming by Jacqui Read 👏 In this session, Jacqui Read will explore how applying design patterns to software diagrams can enhance communication and understanding within development teams. You will learn about effective diagramming techniques, common pitfalls to avoid, and how to create visuals that foster better knowledge transfer and inclusivity. Jacqui is a keynote speaker, an internationally-recognised solution and enterprise architect, and author of Communication Patterns: A Guide for Developers and Architects. She teaches public and private workshops and speaks at international conferences on topics such as architecture practices, systems design, and technical communication. More information about the event and registration here: https://lnkd.in/eGmSs-iw Derek Mwanza Steven Elliott #TechTalk #SoftwareDevelopment

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Agents are capable enough to do the work. That doesn't mean they'll get it right without guardrails. The second video in The New Software Engineer series breaks down what actually makes AI-assisted work reliable in practice: control, context, and checks . Worth two minutes if this is something you're thinking about.

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🚀 New Blog: IR35 and the Tech Sector 💻 The UK’s tech industry thrives on specialist contractors – but since the IR35 reforms, many IT professionals have had to rethink how they work. With stricter tax rules, compliance pressure, and reduced take-home pay, more contractors are turning to umbrella companies as a safer, simpler way to contract. From inside vs. outside IR35 rules, to the impact on high-demand IT roles, our blog explores why umbrella solutions like Danbro Umbrella are becoming the go-to choice for contractors. 👉 Read the full blog to discover how umbrella contracting could help you stay compliant, flexible, and secure: https://bit.ly/4nDLiNw #IR35 #TechSector #Trusted #Compliant #ITContractors #DanbroUmbrella #NewBlog

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It's that time again! I've got a talk up this year that started out as a discussion in a DigiLocal CIO session about the best ways of talking to young people about testing the code you've written and led to me writing a basic testing framework in Scratch and seeing how feasible TDD was in that environment. The talk is called "Testing from Scratch" and if that sounds in any way interesting I'd really appreciate any votes to get it into the programme, but there are loads of great talks on offer (in particular, I'm curious to see what both Lorraine Pearce and Michael Luke are talking about) so do have a scroll and see all the wonderful things on offer

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UPDATE: Added 3D view and SPARQL Query execution against the TTL data. Yesterday I wanted a quick and dirty tool to help me visualise TTL files (Terse Triples, or Turtle files) which is something I need to do quite often but the online tool I was using wasn't good enough. With the help of CursorAI I was able to write the tool in a couple of hours and make it available on the web here: https://lnkd.in/eMTpTeeF (along with the polygon covering app that I blogged about recently). You can export the TTL, or save the image as PNG or SVG for use in documents if needed. Using AI coding tools can make your quick and dirty solutions a lot less dirty, but just as quick if not quicker.

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In Construction and Engineering, "hope" isn't a compliance strategy. In sectors like construction and engineering, contractors aren’t a nice-to-have; they’re fundamental to having a fluid workforce and delivering projects on time. Some firms appear to rely too heavily on weak assessments (such as HMRC’s CEST Tool) or ad hoc role-based assessments, which introduce more risk. Weak processes are not only unnecessary, but they will not stand up to scrutiny by HMRC. What we’ve seen work well is a 5-step process that includes a robust, transparent assessment that everyone from HR to Finance can stand behind. A solid IR35 compliance regime typically results in an HMRC Compliance Check taking months, not years. Protracted compliance checks won’t happen if you have done things right, to achieve a low risk of misclassification. If you cut corners, it introduces risk and turns an HMRC Compliance Check into a multi-year punishment, potentially resulting in a final tax bill. We help engineering firms de-risk their workforce and kill the compliance "sludge." Why not download our free 5-Step guide to IR35 & off-payroll compliance, and make sure your business is doing things right: https://buff.ly/r1htKyh #IR35 #IR35assessment #IR35Compliance #Compliance #Construction #Engineering

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"Sometimes the biggest barrier is our own industry’s reluctance to change. We talk about collaboration and innovation, but the delivery model still tends to encourage siloed working." https://lnkd.in/gdeJTg-e We caught up with Claire Gott MBE FICE from WSP at the British Council for Offices conference in Milan about pushing the boundaries of innovation, nurturing the talent pipeline and looking for learning opportunities.

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Tech salaries in the UK are shifting fast, and employers who aren't keeping pace are losing top candidates before interviews even begin. 💰 Recent data shows that mid-level software engineers in London are now commanding base salaries between £65,000 and £90,000, with demand for cloud, DevOps, and security specialists pushing figures even higher outside the capital. What's driving this? A persistent skills shortage, increased competition from remote-first companies, and candidates who are far more informed about their market value than ever before. For hiring managers, this means benchmark reviews can no longer be an annual exercise. Salary expectations are moving quarterly, and offers that felt competitive six months ago may now be falling short. For candidates, understanding your worth is critical. Specialisations in AWS, Azure, Kubernetes, and cybersecurity continue to attract significant premiums across all UK regions. Whether you're hiring or job seeking, staying informed on compensation trends gives you a real edge in today's market. Follow Hire Tech for UK tech hiring insights and opportunities. Visit www.hiretech.uk to learn more. #TechRecruitment #UKTech #TechSalaries #HiringTrends #RecruitmentAgency #TechJobs #ITRecruitment #HireTech

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If you’re unsure whether your current IT provider is delivering what your business really needs, you’re not alone. Many businesses in Scotland stick with underperforming providers because they don’t know what “good” looks like. This checklist is designed to give you clarity. In this article we talk you through a practical checklist for assessing the value, reliability and performance of your IT support partner as well as providing a downloadable sheet for you to use with your business. https://lnkd.in/ejGVg6_t

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