Learnings from a Martial Arts instructor shaped a Dojo to go beyond the conventional best practices of the Elite IT Arenas.

Step into the heart of the dojo, where I, a seasoned martial arts instructor, invite you to embark on a transformative journey through the SW Craftsmanship Dojo's extraordinary odyssey. In this captivating narrative, I unfold the tale of our IT dojo—a fusion of age-old martial arts principles and the cutting-edge disruptions brought by cloud native technologies, containers, AI, and the transformative DevOps revolution that unfolded in 2010.

As the experiment unfolded, profound insights emerged, with neuroscience acting as a catalytic force, fostering neuroplasticity and enriching information retention. Beyond the mere technical aspects, we ventured into the realm of behavioral psychology, addressing the inherent social challenges that organizations face. This led us to refine our approach through meticulous observations and purposefully designed role-play-game sessions, birthing over 100 Key Behavioral Indicators (KBIs) that became the foundational elements of our unique approach.

The pivotal year of 2018 witnessed the remarkable convergence of our SW Craftsmanship Dojo with the renowned DORA model. This symbiotic integration not only propelled our XP-anchored curriculum into the technical domain of DevOps and DORA but also extended into the realms of neuroscience, behavioral psychology, and lean Product Management. Our journey, meticulously documented, transformed from an experiment into a comprehensive research endeavor, accumulating valuable insights from the experiences of over 15,000 individuals over the span of 13 years.

So, join me on this immersive tour into the discoveries of the SW Craftsmanship Dojo. Allow me to share the profound lessons learned and unique insights gained during this transformative voyage—a journey that has undoubtedly left an indelible mark on 15,000 elite developers. Together, let's redefine excellence in software craftsmanship and unlock new horizons in the dynamic world of IT.

Metrics and Specific techniques
1. Metrics:
- Student Progress Tracking:
o Key Behavioral Indicators (KBIs) on individual level
o Personal Code Base analysis
o Graduation tests from white to black belt
o DASA Competence model
- Team Progress Tracking:
o Key Behavioral Indicators (KBIs) on individual level
o Team Code Base analysis
o DORA model
o DORA quick check and related prioritization framework
- Curriculum Effectiveness:
o 5-star reviews
o Dojo anonymous surveys
- OKR Success Metrics:
o Connect company OKRs with technical excellence dedicated KRs to address improvements on teams within the dojo
2. Specific Techniques:
- Coding Kata
- Gamification
- Virtual dojo experience
- Role-play-game Sessions
- Neuroplasticity Training
- Behavioral Psychology Integration (observation, and transformation)
- Samman Coaching Methodology
- SW Craftsmanship dojo Curriculum Convergence with DORA Core Model
- Learn from the back of the room on a Cross-disciplinary Learning (XP, Agile and Scaled Agile frameworks, LeanUX, Product management, DevOps)
- Code Analysis (statical and behavioural) for Technical Capability Assessment
- Agile Transformation Techniques
- Coaching for performance Techniques
- Behavioural Coaching Techniques (Arbinger, Black swan)
- XP, LeanUX, Lean Product Management Implementation
- Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) Practices
- Large-Scale Agile Adoption Techniques

Lessons Learned
- Underestimating the diverse needs of companies based on their size was a significant oversight. A startup's dojo can undergo a fully immersive 6-month evolution within the Samman technical coaching method. Conversely, for a corporation, it necessitates a more diluted intensity, functioning as a weekly activity supplemented by homework.
- The implementation of the Judo belt system's wisdom, clustering expertise, proved groundbreaking in creating a safe space that accelerates the learning curve for both acolytes and experts.
- The principle of 'Divide and impera' extends its efficacy to technical practices. Focusing on one practice, as opposed to an extensive toolbox, proves to be more effective in achieving mastery.
- Large corporations lag in objective and holistic indicators around SW Craftsmanship. 98% of developers had never experienced a kata in their careers.
- The average time to wire the atomic habit of doing TDD is 3 months of daily practice. To being able to master all it's flavours, tapping into ATDD, and BDD, roughly 9 months of daily practice and discipline are required.
- Developers don't embrace time management (0.01% reported to know and use the pomodoro technique), thus, in average, a corporate developer is able to code "in-the-flow" for less than 5 pomodori/day.
- Teams use OKRs without understanding the different methodologies: "measure what matters," "radical focus," "north star," and where to use them.
- Test automation and TDD face challenges as cornerstones in DevOps and CI/CD adoption due to dysfunctional product management. 93% of students and their teams, are observed with efficiency problems due to poor product discovery capability.
- TDD adoption is hindered by challenges in dysfunctional product management and the subsequential difficulty of upfront test design.
- Students, influenced by the GIJoe fallacy, believe they can do TDD but fail to implement it effectively. Indeed, only 0.2% of students effectively use all five Test Doubles.
- Still a green belt level, milestone of tapping into high performance, less than 10% of students master a proper Double Loop passing through the realm of BDD, ATDD, TDD seamlessly.
- At blue belt level instead, less than 15% is master the skills to switch between Chicago and London style.
- At white belt level, the cognitive load from reading unclean code prevents the initiation of writing clean code.