For years, software delivery has been obsessed with finding “solutions” — new tools, new processes, new frameworks. But too often, these solutions simply add layers of complexity, governance, and technical debt, while the underlying problems remain untouched.
This talk challenges that mindset. Instead of asking “How do we solve this?”, we need to ask: “How do we remove the problem so it never returns?” Drawing from real-world delivery experiences, I’ll share stories of teams who stopped firefighting and started fireproofing — from redesigning fragile pipelines to eliminating unnecessary approvals altogether.
We’ll explore a practical framework for leaders and practitioners to shift from patching symptoms to permanently eradicating root causes. Along the way, we’ll look at how incentives, architecture, and organizational design can either entrench recurring issues or eliminate them entirely.
By the end of this talk, you’ll be equipped with a new lens: one that measures success not by how many solutions you deliver, but by how many problems you make irrelevant.