How IT professionals work. Leonid Vyhovsky, systems architect, LiveTex

We continue to ask specialists about the mode of work and rest, professional habits, the tools they use, and much more. It will be interesting to find out what unites them, in what they contradict each other. Perhaps their answers will help to identify some general patterns, useful tips that will help many of us.

Today, our guest is Leonid Vyhovsky, a systems architect at LiveTex IT.

Began to write programs from 1998, while still in school. I got my first job in 2003 when I was a student. For 5 years he has gone from a junior developer to a technical leader of a startup. At the same time he received the degree of Candidate of Technical Sciences at St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University "LETI". After the startup was frozen, he worked as a team leader for several years. Then I finally realized that the most interesting thing was the role of the architect.
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Since 2015, Leonid has been working as a system architect at LiveTex, but prefers to be a solution architect.

What do you do in the company?

My main tasks are designing the architecture of the communication platform (thinking through the message model, analyzing the requirements for it), helping the teams with the implementation of tasks that are solved by several teams. I also form non-functional requirements. If necessary, I share technical experience and expertise with teams.

Interact with integration partners: case studies, product API development. Additionally, I fulfill the role of a technical product owner for a team of a communication platform: I am engaged in setting tasks, determining the priority of their implementation, taking into account the interest of product teams.

One word that best describes how you work:

In pace.

How many hours a day do you spend on work?

I spend 9-10 hours of work. If the task is important and difficult, I can work 24 hours.

How many hours do you sleep?

On weekdays I sleep for 6-7 hours.

How do you have breakfast?

Porridge with honey, coffee and cheese sandwich.

What are you doing on the way to / from work?

On the way to work, I read news or switch to work tasks. After work I listen to audiobooks, I prefer fiction or fantasy.

What kind of todo-manager do you use personally?

doit.im is a very simple GTD solution. I use the paid version, it is inexpensive and convenient.

What applications and services can't you do without?

I constantly use Google Calendar, Evernote, Gmail, instant messengers. Since I have to communicate with very, very many and in convenient communication channels, I have 3 messengers: Slack for communicating with developers, Skype for communicating with colleagues from other companies and Telegram for personal communication and communicating with colleagues from Livetex .

What kind of task manager / issue tracker / repository do you use in the company?

We use GitHub with private repositories. GitHub is the most convenient tool for working with repositories. It has a search in the source code, visualization and many other trifles that make the product convenient. You start to notice such trifles especially when you work in a company with a similar focus on convenience and productivity. As an issue tracker, we use JIRA with the Agile plugin. In general, it is convenient, although there are more convenient solutions on the market.

What other tools and software do you use at work?

The working machine is Debian 8, Intellij IDEA, Visual Paradigm (UML modeling tool), EMS PostgreSQL and R-studio. Work laptop - Windows + MS Office.

Does the company have internal projects?

We have our own CRM developments - the integration of the company's processes with the company's solution. We actively use our product and integrate it with sales and customer support processes.

What annoys you most when you work?

LiveTex is not annoying, but from past experience it is the irresponsibility of colleagues, their level of competence and unwillingness to develop. From this point of view, working in LiveTex is very comfortable, we have a solid team that is ready to constantly learn something new.

What professional literature would you recommend?

A book that will be useful to all - "7 skills of highly effective people" by Stephen Covey. From professional literature, I advise you to read:

• Domain-Driven Design by Eric Evans;
• “Implementing Object-Oriented Design Methods” by Von Vernon;
• “Refactoring. Improving the existing Martin Fowler code ;
• “Rapid software development. Principles, examples, practice » Robert Martin;
• Head First Design Patterns.

What do you prefer: electronic reading rooms or paper books?

I prefer to read professional literature in paper form, as there is an opportunity to make notes, put mindmap on the necessary pages. In electronic form I read books on personal growth, and I prefer to listen to fiction in audio books.

What technique and why do you prefer at work and at home?

I prefer high-quality technology. As a rule, it is better to overpay for opportunities at the time of purchase than to regret a missing opportunity or run around the service centers. To everything that is used on the street, I have an additional requirement: dust and moisture resistance.

What do you listen when you work?

I usually work in silence, and if I work at night from home, I listen to anything that prevents me from falling asleep. The last time was Bon Jovi.

Which life hack allows you to be more efficient?

There is a very good practice for GTD: if you can solve the problem for the 2nd minute - decide now, no - set aside.

What kind of professional advice for the future can you give yourself?

Strive for the best.

What would you recommend to a person trying to go the same way?

Focus on the goal and constantly go to it. Remember that soft skill for leading positions is no less important than deep technical expertise. Practice your thinking skills: search for different options and quickly switch from the big picture to the little things.