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Managing Tech Teams: Rules, Tools & Insights
PRESENTED BY
Michael Carducci
Software Architect & Magician
Software projects can be difficult to manage. Managing teams of developers can be even difficult. We've created countless processes, methodologies, and practices but the underlying problems remain the same.
This session is full of practical tips and tricks to deal with the reallife situations any tech leader regularly encounters. Put these techniques into practice and create an enviable culture and an outstanding development team. At the same time, you'll avoid common management mistakes and pitfalls.
Michael Carducci
Michael Carducci spent years learning to see things as they actually are; first as a magician, then as a software architect, now as both simultaneously. And somehow that’s not even the whole story.
He’s the author of Mastering Software Architecture (Apress, 2025) and is currently writing The Semantic Layer (Packt, 2026). He has spent over 25 years following interesting problems; through roles from individual contributor to CTO and back again, across industries and continents.
As a speaker, he applies the same toolkit he uses in close-up magic: attention, misdirection, timing, storytelling, and the instinct to take the long way around when that’s where the truth lives. Audiences at hundreds of conferences across four continents have described his talks as the kind that change how you think about a problem rather than just what you know about it.
He also makes YouTube videos about technology and curiosity with his wife Kate, because some ideas are too important (or too interesting!) to leave only in conference rooms.
More from Michael
ALL SESSIONS ↗Effective Leadership - The Six Principles of Persuasion
Whether you want to effect culture change in your organization, lead the transition toward a new technology, or simply get more out of your team; you must first understand that having a “good idea” is simply the beginning. An idea must be communicated; a case must be made. Communicating that case well is as important, if not more so, than the strength of the idea itself.
Finding Signal in the Noise: The art of Execution
In tech teams it's a constant firefight. We react. Then we react to the reaction... the cycle continues. In all this noise, in all this chaos, how do we move forward. How do we remain proactive?
Personal Knowledge Management Second Brain Methods and Madness
We are knowledge workers and ultimately, we must own our growth and learning. [Personal Knowledge Management](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_knowledge_management) is a process of collecting information that one uses to gather, classify, store, search, retrieve and share knowledge in their daily activities and the way in which these processes support work activities. Despite taking notes, bookmarking web content, and highlighting passages in books; often we struggle to recall or rediscover these many insights we pick up daily in our work and life. This session introduces a tool and some process recommendations to never again lose discoveries and knowledge resources.
The Innovation Playbook
Statistically speaking, you are most probably an innovator. Innovators actively seek out new ideas, technologies, and mental models by reading books, interacting with a broader social circle, and *attending conferences.* While you may leave this conference with the seed of an idea that has the potential to transform your teams, products, and organization; the battle has only begun. While, as a potential changeagent, you are ideally positioned to conceive of the powerful new ideas, you may be powerless to drive the change that leads to adoption. Your success requires the innovation to *diffuse* outward and become adopted. This is the _art_ of Innovation.
Two and a half days with the people writing the playbook.
Insightful sessions, inspiring ideas, and meeting your peers — the skills and methods that take your organization to the next level.