Insights top picks from 2020

2020 has been a very different and challenging year for many. COVID-19 turned businesses on their heads and remote-first became the norm. Throughout major world events during 2020, Thoughtworkers around the globe have continued sharing their knowledge of career pathways, technology insights, digital transformation and more. Our Insights channel is home to this expertise of Thoughtworkers. Check out the editor’s top picks for 2020 content. 

A multitude of colours: celebrating the many pride flags
Glen Wolfschoon & Rebecca Schmidt
New flags are popping up all over the world. Members of the LGBTQIA+ community use all kinds of colours in all kinds of flags to create a variety of queer symbols. Take a look at a few of them.


Business Resilience: Time for a reality check
Kathy Gettelfinger & Luke Vinogradov
Businesses have had to embark on digital-led initiatives aimed at enhancing their ability to assess and respond to major crisis situations. 


Cloud: beyond infrastructure thinking
Scott Shaw
Cloud has become ubiquitous within the enterprise and with good reason. Done well, cloud is an enabler of the modern digital business. But as we’ve seen, there are still challenges. Check out this insights article for exploring Cloud: beyond infrastructure thinking.


Decentralized Identity: the key to the digital era
Gareth Morgan
Today’s any given business process might depend on a handful of interconnected systems, each of which may be running in different clouds. At every step across that process, your business reputation depends on ensuring that only those people with sufficient privileges are able to access specific information. A new approach is needed. Check out Gareth Morgan’s Insights article on Decentralized Identity.


Digital Readiness: Leading in the Digital Era
Gary O’Brien & Marcelo De Santis 
As successful leaders are coming to realise, ‘digital’ isn’t so much a ‘thing’ to be achieved within an organization or industry; but rather, an era, requiring an ever-evolving mindset and intentional investment in the right capabilities. Check out this blog on leading in the digital era.


Employee Statement
All Thoughtworkers
In light of the on-going police brutality and events of 2020, Thoughtworks released a statement to show our solidarity with black, brown and indigenous people affected by racism. 

Fundamentals of Software Architecture
Mark Richards and Neale Ford
Software architecture is frequently highlighted as one of the most desirable careers. But there's never been a handbook that gives you everything you need to know to succeed — until now. Fundamentals of Software Architecture explores the principles of software architecture; examines the strengths and weaknesses of different architectural patterns; and uniquely, the book also explores the techniques and soft skills software architects must master.


How a global pandemic rewrote the rules of retail
Rujia Wang, George Earle, Dianne Inniss, Visalakshi Subramaniam, Khaarthigha S, Amit Negi and Gareth Morgan
The ‘Great Lockdown’ has created a learning opportunity for retailers with omnichannel aspirations; it’s a chance to respond, to focus on more targeted approaches in your core operations. Check out this insights article, highlighting what has changed and how retailers should respond. 


[Leadership pathways] conversations with women in tech
Aj Iniguez
Rebecca Parsons, our Chief Technology Officer, Ange Ferguson, Chief Transformation Officer, Jessie Jie Xia, Managing Director for Southeast Asia, and Joanna Parke, Chief Talent Officer give insights on leadership and technology.


Life after accepting the offer: juggling a new role and fatherhood
Giovanny Sayas, María Caparrós
Thoughtworks Senior Developer, Giovanny Sayas, was hired during the COVID-19 global pandemic. He was also hired during a very special moment in his life: whilst having a newborn baby. Read about his experience juggling his new role and fatherhood.


Macro trends in the tech industry I October 2020 
Mike Mason
Mike Mason discusses big trends happening in the Technology industry. This is the latest of the Macro trends in the tech industry blogs and includes Rust, Infrastructure as code and Democratizing programming.


Making a case for low-code platforms
George Earle and Mike Mason
There are many good reasons why organizations want to use low code but we’d always advise doing so within a set of clearly defined guardrails. Find out about making a case for low-code platforms from George Earle and Mike Mason.


Modern day service orchestration using DSLs
Janvi Parikh
Microservices is a widely adopted architecture today with tech giants like Uber, Netflix, Google, Amazon swearing by their adoption of this architecture. Now, while the world of tech is sitting up and taking notice, microservices have their own challenges. This Insights blog explores modern day service orchestration using DSLs.


Navigating an 8,000 kilometer virtual international transfer
Matheus Tait
What does an international transfer look like during a global pandemic whilst most of the world is under lockdown? Read about Matheus’ experience transitioning from Ecuador to Spain.


Objectives and key results: Continuously improve on using the OKR method 
Anne Weise
OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are one of the most attractive and frequently used agile methods of our time. Check out this insights blog for improving on using the OKR method.


Perspectives
The Internet of Things (IoT) has seen remarkable growth as more businesses look to leverage connectivity and data to drive efficiency, automate critical operations and enhance visibility over their assets. This edition of Perspectives explores where IoT projects most often go wrong - and the steps enterprises can take to ensure they deliver.


Podcast: The future of Python
Alexey Boas, Mike Mason, Luciano Ramalho
The increased emphasis on machine learning in the enterprise also seen resurgent interest in Python. In this episode, our podcasters chat to Luciano Ramalho, from Thoughtworks Brazil — a renowned author of books on Python — about dunder methods, fast fails and what’s new in the upcoming second edition of Fluent Python.


Quantum Computing: an illustrated guide
Gitanjali Venkatraman
Quantum physics works together with computer science to make a new type of computer called a quantum computer. Check out Gitanjali Venkatraman’s illustrated guide to Quantum Computing.


Social change report
The true social conscience of any organization becomes more evident in a crisis. Thoughtworks has had social change ingrained in our business for over 20 years; embedded in both our culture and the work we do. We strongly believe that tech is a great enabler in building a better tomorrow. Check out our latest social change report. 


Thoughtworker Stories: TW Together
Joining a new company mid-lockdown is a tricky experience, so when Jéssica and Arthur joined Thoughtworks, they built an app to help all Thoughtworkers feel more connected. Check out the video here.


21st Century Transformation
Ruth Harrison
The global events of 2020 have made businesses reassess their strategic approach to digital transformation. This blog discusses how businesses have and can apply digital systems and tools to meet rapidly evolving, technology-enabled demand and fuelling market disruption by harnessing innovation.