Story 1: Revamping the Robot Controller

Definition of the Robot Project

Situation (critical deadline)

When I joined Aristocrat, I quickly noticed that the Robot framework was difficult to maintain and full of bugs. Despite its importance in automation, it was causing inefficiencies and delays, We were so close to the code cutoff, and every day brought a new bug on the Robot Controller. Our system—vital for ensuring game stability—was built on two unwieldy classes, each over 1,000 lines long. The code had become a tangled web, violating SOLID principles and making it extremely fragile. The maintenance costs were astronomical, and no matter what quick fixes we attempted, the fix rate was dismally low. Quality issues were piling up, and with the looming cutoff, our release was at serious risk.

Task (Taking Ownership)

Faced with mounting QA pushback and a critical deadline, I had to decide whether to continue patching an unstable system or take a bold, risky move. My goal was to completely resolve this issue—deleting the problematic classes and rebuilding the system to be maintainable, extendable, and fully unit testable. At the same time, I saw a valuable opportunity to mentor a new team member and instill a culture of technical excellence.

Action

After discussing with my manager, I decided to go ahead with the refactor. I led the project and put in extra hours to work on the new design. I rebuilt the system using clear, simple design principles and set up thorough unit tests to catch any issues early. I also made sure to talk with the QA team regularly for feedback and spent time mentoring the new hire, explaining my choices and the new patterns we were using.

Result

The outcome was transformative. Post-refactoring, the Robot Controller became robust, dramatically reducing maintenance costs and nearly eliminating QA pushback. Our bug reports dropped to almost zero, and the system started performing reliably under intense stress. Beyond the technical improvements, mentoring Josh solidified a culture of collaboration and continuous learning within our team. This experience not only underscored my commitment to Ownership and Invent and Simplify but also reinforced the power of leading by example under pressure.

Story 2: Cultivating a Culture of Mentorship and Continuous Improvement

Situation (Be a Team Player)

In our fast-paced environment, staying ahead of emerging challenges meant not just solving problems, but also fostering a proactive learning culture within the team. I noticed that while individual contributions were strong, there was an opportunity to elevate our collective expertise and streamline our processes—especially when dealing with recurring issues that affected our delivery timelines.

Task (Helping Others)

I decided that we needed to improve how we share knowledge and work together. My goal was to boost our team’s skills by setting up a culture of mentoring and clear, easy-to-use documentation.

Actions

I took several steps to improve our team culture:

Lunch & Learn Sessions

I organized regular sessions where we discussed new tools, best practices, and real-world challenges. These meetings allowed everyone to ask questions and learn from each other.

Documentation

I kept a detailed work journal and turned it into simple guides that the team could follow when facing common problems.

Mentorship

I dedicated extra hours to mentor junior team members one-on-one, sharing lessons on design patterns, best coding practices, and effective problem-solving.

Communication Training

I introduced a clear communication method called the NoHello Strategy Communication. I taught the team how to structure updates using this template, which helps in reducing noise and focusing on key details.

Result

These efforts led to fewer recurring problems and smoother project deliveries. The documentation became a valuable resource for the entire team, and our new communication strategy improved clarity and response times. Overall, team collaboration and confidence improved, earning recognition from our senior lead

As a Gift: The NoHello Strategy Communication Template

I’m excited to share the NoHello Strategy Communication template with you—a simple method to structure your updates clearly and effectively. Use this template to make your communications more focused and actionable:

[no Hello] www.nohello.com

Subject: [Brief Description of the Update/Issue]

Problem Statement

• • What is the problem?
  • Describe the issue or challenge you encountered. Include any relevant context or background information to ensure the team understands the significance of the problem.

Action Taken

• • • What actions have you taken?
    • Outline the steps you took to address the issue. This might include research, troubleshooting, collaborations, or any specific interventions implemented.

Results

• • What were the results?
  • Summarize the outcomes of your actions. Include any metrics, observations, or feedback that indicate whether the problem was resolved or if further steps are required.

Additional Information:

• Next Steps: Detail any follow-up actions, further investigations, or recommendations for the team.
• Attachments/Links: Include any relevant documents, links, or screenshots that support your update.

Now I’m Leading Robot Team

Situation (Putting Architecture Hat on)

When I joined Aristocrat, I quickly noticed that the Robot framework was difficult to maintain and full of bugs. Despite its importance in automation, it was causing inefficiencies and delays.

Task

As a Principal Software Engineer and Team Lead, I took ownership of refactoring and redesigning the Robot framework (Robot V2) to make it scalable, maintainable, and better integrated with the Monaco platform.

Action

• Conducted a deep dive into the existing Robot framework, identifying pain points.
• Designed a centralized monitoring system to support global execution over the network.
• Created a high-level design, presented it to the Architecture Review Board, and documented it thoroughly.
• Led the team through the redesign while ensuring minimal disruption to ongoing operations.

Result

Now I have a seat in architecture review board. The refactored Robot V2 significantly improved maintainability and performance (10x faster). It reduced bugs, enhanced automation capabilities, and allowed for seamless monitoring. My work strengthened automation reliability and led to my promotion to Principal Software Engineer.

As a Gift (ConcurrentPriorityMultiQueue)

I’m excited to announce that I design a new high-performance class for C# community, you can find it in my GitHub Repository) 

ConcurrentPriorityMultiQueue

Represents a thread-safe, priority-based multi-queue where tasks or elements are organized by priority.

As a Gift (ConcurrentPriorityBlock)

I’m excited to announce that I design a new high-performance class for C# community, you can find it in my GitHub Repository) 

ConcurrentPriorityBlock

Represents a thread-safe both function and action block with priority handling

As a Gift (TaskDispatcher Design Pattern)

I’m excited to announce that I design a new Software Design Pattern for our community, you can find it in my GitHub Repository)

TaskDispatcher

•  The TaskDispatcher class is responsible for managing and executing tasks (ITask instances) based on their priority levels.
• It ensures controlled concurrency and bounded capacity, handling task prioritization, execution, and exception management seamlessly.
• This class is designed to be thread-safe and implements the IDisposable interface to ensure proper resource cleanup.
• Important: The TaskDispatcher class must be registered as a singleton in your DI container.
  
  

Handling a Non-Performing Colleague with Empathy and Structure

Situation

A colleague on my team was struggling with performance, particularly due to a language barrier and a lack of business knowledge. His work was affecting team productivity and deliverables.

Task

As a team lead, I needed to find a way to help him improve while maintaining high team standards.

Action

• Held regular one-on-one meetings to provide clear guidance and expectations.
• Encouraged open communication to understand his challenges.
• Provided structured feedback and mentorship to help him upskill.
• When no improvement was seen, collaborated with my manager to place him on a performance improvement plan (PIP).

Result

Despite my efforts, the colleague was eventually reassigned and later left the company. However, this experience reinforced the importance of structured feedback, empathy, and direct communication in leadership. also language barrier is expensive cost for the company.

Managing Dependencies Between Automation and Platform Teams

Situation

The automation team frequently encountered broken builds due to uncommunicated changes in the platform code (e.g., state machine and UI classes). This led to inefficiencies and unnecessary rework.

Task

I needed to create a solution to track dependencies between automation and platform code, preventing build failures and ensuring smoother collaboration.

Action

• Designed a Dependency Tracking and Notification System using static code analysis to detect breaking changes.
• Integrated it into the CI/CD pipeline to generate dependency reports and fail builds when necessary.
• Proposed an approval workflow that required both teams to review and approve critical changes.

Result

The new system improved coordination between teams, reduced unexpected build failures, and streamlined development workflows. It established a proactive rather than reactive approach to dependency management.

Personal Branding and Thought Leadership

Situation

I realized that while I had extensive experience in software engineering and architecture, I wasn’t leveraging my expertise for personal branding. I wanted to establish myself as a thought leader in the software engineering community.

Task

My goal was to build my brand by sharing knowledge, engaging with the community, and creating valuable content.

Action

• Created DWiseOwl.dev, a mentorship brand focusing on software engineering, tech, and personal growth.
• Set up a blog, Instagram, and LinkedIn presence, posting technical content regularly.
• Started writing about system design, architecture, and C# concepts, sharing real-world insights.
• Engaged with online communities, offering mentorship and guidance.

Result

My content started gaining traction, helping me connect with like-minded professionals. I’ve built a growing audience, positioning myself as an expert while reinforcing my credibility in the industry.