Welcome to the Arbre Technologies Developer’s Desk blog column! In this blog series we’re going to give you a behind the scenes look at the software development process here at Arbre Tech. This will range from sneak peeks at new features we’re developing, new processes we’re implementing to improve our workflow, cool technology we’re working with, and anything else that will help you better understand what our tech team does on a daily basis.
Introduction
First, I want to introduce myself. I’m Drew Frisk, the lead software engineer here at Arbre Tech. I’ve been developing software for about a decade and specialize in mobile app development for Android and iOS devices. When I started at Arbre Tech in 2018 my focus was enhancing the Arbre Nursery mobile application, but since then I’ve dove into the other areas of our software architecture including the web application, database and backend services that power our web and mobile apps.
I work from home every day; (our whole team does actually!) but just because I work from home doesn’t mean I don’t have an office manager! My eldest cat likes to keep me in check every day and make sure I’m providing great features in our software. I also have 2 other cats and 2 dogs that make sure taking regular breaks during the workday to keep my stress levels down and eating regularly.
A Typical Day
A typical day for me starts around 8:15 a.m. and goes until 5 p.m. In the morning I’ll catch up on emails and review the task board for the day. 3 days a week our tech team kicks off the day with a stand-up meeting (virtually of course) where we discuss any challenges we’re having and what we’re planning on working on for the next 2 days. I’ll then spend most of the day writing code and testing changes in our software.
If any support tickets are submitted by customers I’ll review and work on those as needed, and we occasionally have team meetings to discuss ongoing work and strategic planning of our software. Generally speaking though, I make it a goal to commit at 6 ½ hours of my day to working directly with our software either by coding or testing changes. Periodically throughout the day the dogs and cats will tell me it’s time for a break and I use the chance to stretch my legs, refill my coffee and maybe grab a snack.
That’s really all there is to a typical day for me and our development team. We try to do as much as we can to focus on delivering new features and enhancements to our software.
Thanks for taking a few minutes to stop at the Developer’s Desk. I look forward to sharing cool and exciting things with you in the future!
Until then, happy holidays!
Drew is a developer at Arbré Technologies and focuses on maintaining and adding new features to the iOS and Android applications. Drew also teaches night classes in programming at the local tech college. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and their two dogs and three cats in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.