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Todd Horn

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Todd Horn is a Keyhole Software developer based in St. Louis, MO with experience in .Net, JavaScript, Java, and PHP. Todd has been involved with software projects in the telecom, manufacturing, insurance, and non-profit industries, including background in HR, Payroll, Benefits, and Insurance systems. When not at work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and kids, helping with boy scouts, hiking, and volunteering for the Ozark Trail Association.

Foundations of SAFe: Part 3 (benefits, drawbacks, and practical application)

The Foundations of SAFe: Part III (Benefits, Drawbacks, + Practical Application)

Todd Horn Agile, Dev Methodologies Leave a Comment

You’ve officially made it! We’re almost ready to wrap up our conversation about the Scaled Agile Framework. In case your memory is hazy, I’m a senior consultant and team lead on the Keyhole Software team. I’ve been working with a client who is adopting SAFe, guiding their team and helping to set the right culture for the methodology. I’ve learned a lot about SAFe over the past year, and in this blog series, I’m sharing what I’ve learned with you.

In this final series installment, we’re getting a bit more practical. We’ll start with a quick foray into the benefits and the drawbacks of implementing SAFe (we’re all about balance here). Then, I’ll talk a little more about what it looks like for small teams, and after, I’ll share some tips for devs who find themselves in an organization that uses SAFe. To wrap up, we’ll get down to it; should you implement SAFe on your team? I’ll talk you through a few factors that should help you decide.

Before we get started – if you’re new here, head to Part I (Overview + Core Values) and/or Part II (Core Principles) before proceeding. If you’re caught up, great! I think we’re ready to dive in.

Foundations of SAFe: Part II (Core Principles)

The Foundations of SAFe: Part II (Core Principles)

Todd Horn Agile, Dev Methodologies Leave a Comment

Welcome back to Part II of our series covering Scaled Agile Framework. As a quick refresher, I’m a lead consultant at Keyhole Software, and for the past year, I’ve been helping my client adopt SAFe methodologies and practices. I’ve certainly learned a lot, and I want to share that knowledge with you.

Last time in Part I, I gave an overview of SAFe and discussed the four core values: Alignment, Transparency, Respect for People, and Relentless Improvement. Today, we’ll dive a little deeper, talking through SAFe’s ten core principles. Next time in the third and final installment, we’ll take a practical look at the pros and cons of SAFe and some tips for implementing it.

The Fundamentals of SAFe - Part 1: Overview and Core Values

The Foundations of SAFe: Part I (Overview + Values)

Todd Horn Agile, Dev Methodologies Leave a Comment

For several years, I have been a lead software engineer for one of Keyhole’s clients. More recently in the last year, they started a journey to implement SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) methodologies and practices. If you are new to or have not heard of SAFe, this short, three-part blog series will give you the perfect launch pad.

In Part I (this post), I’ll give a high-level overview and then we’ll walk through SAFe’s four core values. In Part II, we’ll dive into its ten core principles. In the final installment (Part III), we’ll discuss the benefits and drawbacks and then we’ll get a bit more practical. I’ll teach you how it can be used for small teams, some key points a developer should know, and some considerations for if SAFe is right for your organization and teams.

The Power of Amazon Lightsail

Todd Horn AWS, Development Technologies, Tutorial 1 Comment

Amazon Lightsail allows a developer to build applications and websites fast, with very little cost, using pre-configured cloud resources on AWS. You can create a website or application in just a few clicks and automatically configure networking, access, and security environments with ease. It will easily scale as needed, or you can migrate your resources to a larger AWS ecosystem, such as Amazon EC2.

Recently, a client wanted to move and update an existing marketing / informational WordPress site from a typical hosting provider to their existing AWS environment. Let’s walk through that process and also explore some of the other options that are available with Amazon Lightsail.

ArcGIS Developer Mapping APIs Quickstart

Todd Horn Development Technologies, Programming, Tutorial Leave a Comment

I have always been interested in maps and GIS data. Whether I am planning a hike or a backpacking outing for scouts or helping the Ozark Trail Association with their website, trail building, and maintenance or needing directions from one place to another, a good map and mapping tools are a necessity.

ArcGIS has always been the gold standard for anything related to maps and GIS data. So, in this blog, we’ll take a look at some of the mapping options that are available with an ArcGIS Developer account and their Mapping APIs.