Holistic Engineering: Organic Problem Solving

Principal Software Engineer Vanessa Formicola introduces the concept of "holistic engineering" – the practice of making technical decisions while factoring in non-technical forces that inevitably impact code and architecture. Through patterns like the "solo coding event", "everything but the kitchen sink" and "space abuse" she demonstrates how human behaviors, organizational dynamics, career frameworks, and company processes leave traces in codebases that no one intentionally designed. Vanessa argues that technical leaders must look beyond pure technical excellence to understand the organic system they're working within, advocating for honest conversations about constraints and realistic architectural decisions that account for human factors. The discussion extends to the emerging need for ethical engineering as our technical decisions increasingly impact society at unprecedented speed, with practical advice for teams to analyze their own systems through the lens of tech, people, and product dimensions.