In 2007, after resigning from Model N (the company that bought my start-up Azerity), I established Duck Pond Software and wrote my first blog, “Retirement or Another Start-Up?” In that blog I wrote “My husband says I’ve “retired”. I don’t know what that means. The beauty of being in software is that as long as you have access to a computer, you can do all of the fun activities you did at your job (but just not get paid for it – humm.)”

Shortly afterwards, Model N asked me to return which I agreed to do as a consultant. It was part-time and in parallel I started blogging and creating websites for various groups including this Duck Pond Software site.

During a lull in Model N work in 2011, Freeman & I formed a partnership and created Software 2020, the 21st century tool to replace our SD Tracker bug tracking tool but expanded to support Agile and more. Then back to work at Model N as business picked up there.

Seven years later I did it again (terminated work with Model N) – not out of frustration with the company direction or technology this time. Before I left I was able to influence some important changes in company direction and to restore the product’s platform to a clean, maintainable architecture.

Feeling like I accomplished what I wanted to do at Model N and looking forward to a free schedule to do what I want to do when, here I am “retired” again. This time another start-up is not something I am looking for. Nearly 20 years of start-up life has been plenty. Nor is my goal being another VP of Engineering at a company I do not own.

I’m not void of work. Since 2009 when I learned about the state’s plans to ruin the Delta where I live in order to send our water south to benefit primarily rich agribusiness corporate owners in the Central Valley in their never-ending expansion to sell almonds to Asia for significant profits, I’ve become somewhat of a water activist, focused on Delta water issues and on stopping the BDCP’s Delta Tunnels. Being President of the non-profit Save the California Delta Alliance (STCDA) takes a lot of my time.

Also there’s boating and golf and travel and grandkids.

Will that be enough?

Probably not. I am a software evangelist. It’s in my blood. With the internet it’s easy to continue the discussions, mentoring of new engineers and managers, and hopefully help improve the current software methodology.

At Azerity, Anita and I implemented our own version of software process for start-ups. Later we coined it “Practical Software”. When people saw how we worked, they said “Oh, you use ‘Agile'” and we said “Yes, we are agile” but had never been involved with “Agile”, the new software process movement. Later I took “Agile” training and said “Oh, that’s basically what we used to do.” I found that the while the core of Agile is good, it is missing a lot of the practical basics. Upon retiring, the engineers I’ve worked with are all emailing me about how much they’ve learned working at Azerity and brought with them to Model N. There are lessons learned I’d like to share with a wider audience. Definitely more blogs.

Maybe I’ll finally write that book!

It doesn’t sound like retirement, does it? But then with the Internet, what is “retirement”? Anything is possible.