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Guard clauses are a practical way to write cleaner functions by handling the unwanted cases first. Instead of nesting your entire function inside a stack of if conditions, you check for the early exits up front - returning or throwing as needed - and move on. It's a habit that keeps code flatter and easier to read. The structure becomes simpler, and it’s immediately clear what the function does and under what conditions it doesn’t even bother.

Hexagonal architecture, also called ports and adapters, is a software design approach that helps structure an application by clearly separating the core logic from technical details and external systems. Instead of shaping your app around frameworks, protocols, or storage, you keep your focus on what the application does, and let everything else connect to it through interfaces. The pattern isn't tied to any specific language. The examples in this article are written in PHP to show how the idea can be applied, but the approach works the same way in any backend system.

In Agile, measuring success isn't just about counting completed tasks - it's about ensuring teams continuously improve while delivering value. Without metrics, teams might feel like they're making progress, but they wouldn’t have clear evidence of what's working and what isn't. The right metrics give teams visibility into their workflow, highlight areas for improvement, and help them make better decisions. But Agile isn't about chasing numbers - metrics should support improvement, not dictate behavior.

CQRS stands for Command Query Responsibility Segregation. It's a pattern that separates how an application reads data from how it writes data. This approach can help structure code more clearly, especially in systems that deal with complex business logic or need to scale certain operations differently.

Becoming an engineering manager is not just about climbing the ladder. It is a complete shift in responsibility. You are no longer measured by the code you write or the tasks you complete. Now you are accountable for how the entire team performs. You can delegate work, but you are still responsible for results. If no one owns a problem, you do. That is not an extra detail, that is the job.