Team Talk: Fostering Integrity on the Software Development Front Lines

At Pact, we believe that integrity is the cornerstone of success in every business, especially in software development. With the right people, processes, and tools in place, integrity is always the natural outcome.

One of Pact’s top software developers, Javier Hernandez, exemplifies this commitment to integrity in his professional life. With extensive experience managing and meeting expectations, Javier is on Pact’s front lines fostering a transparent and accountable work environment.

We sat down with Javier to discover what integrity means to him, how he’s achieving it in his career, his insights on expectation-setting, and Pact’s impact on his work as a professional and a software developer.

So Javier, let’s start with a bit of background. Walk us through the talking points of your career so far.

JH: Well, I started out getting my degree in electronics engineering, but I was always more interested in the digital aspect of electronics, so I shifted my focus to software development ten years ago and have stuck with it ever since.

I’ve worked for a few startups and small companies in Guadalajara, Mexico and even had the opportunity to work for a Japanese company offering a service similar to Uber. When the pandemic forced the company to shut down, I transitioned to Pact to continue my software development journey.

With Pact, I’m more of a generalist since we’re a small team, and I get to do a little bit of everything, from research and reviewing metrics to running experimental features for the product. Regarding languages and technologies, I primarily work with JavaScript and a little bit of Python, plus I have a certification as a Google Cloud Architect. We also work with React, Elastic Search, and various integrations like Slack and JIRA.

Overall, I enjoy working on everything I can get my hands on and being a part of a culture where I can contribute in various capacities.

We’ve been talking a lot about integrity recently since it’s fundamental to what we do at Pact. But what does integrity mean to you?

JH: Integrity, to me, means committing to something and following through while keeping everyone informed about your progress or any changes. It’s also about setting and updating expectations.

In life and work, things change all the time, and sometimes it’s okay not to do what we initially planned as long as we let people know when that’s the case—it’s this essential communication and transparency that leads to integrity.

Has the concept of integrity always been important to you in your career?

JH: In the early days, there was a time when the concept of integrity wasn’t as present in my work. I wouldn’t say it wasn’t necessary; more that I was somewhat afraid of it. There was the fear of commitment, the fear of being unable to deliver, and the fear of taking on too much, but it all came down to a fear of confrontation or conflict, which is a challenge many people face at work.

Over time, I realized that not communicating about late or unfulfilled commitments set me up for failure. The longer I waited to inform others, the worse the situation became. Eventually, I learned that the earlier I communicated changes or issues, the better for everyone involved.

When did the importance of integrity become clear to you as a software developer?

JH: During my time at Wize Services, which builds custom product and engineering technologies to transform how companies deliver products to market, I realized that being honest and upfront with clients helped build trust, especially when things weren’t going to plan.

By informing clients about changes in our plans or expectations, they could update their strategies and work with us to resolve issues. This honesty and early communication fostered trust, which helped grow the business. It also helped me see that not all commitments are set in stone, and it’s okay to update commitments to ensure they get done. Plus, this mindset helps promote a more transparent and collaborative work environment where people meet their expectations.

How does expectation setting affect workflow for you and your team?

JH: Proper expectation setting starts with transparently communicating the intentions for a task and defining a clear timeline for completion to avoid misalignment between each person involved. It’s essential to be honest and transparent if we can’t meet the initial expectations, whether due to delays or changing priorities. Additionally, knowing when to decline requests when necessary helps keep expectations realistic and prevents overload, allowing everyone to focus on their tasks.

How has Pact changed the way you approach expectation-setting in your professional life?

JH: Pact emphasizes the importance of having a counterpart or an “accountability buddy” who relies on you, ensuring you stay committed to completing tasks—unlike a personal to-do list where accountability might be lacking. It also highlights the necessity of setting expected dates for completing tasks, which allows you to prioritize and evaluate accordingly when things get postponed.

This combination of a human counterpart and an expected due date significantly improves commitment and moves things forward more effectively. But the real magic is how Pact removes barriers and simplifies the act of maintaining integrity by focusing on habit formation that encourages it through reduced friction.

Users can easily create and track commitments across various platforms, like Slack, email, and calendar. It also sends reminders and makes it easy to remove commitments that are no longer relevant, allowing us to concentrate on what is crucial in the present moment rather than outdated priorities.

What truly sets Pact apart is its focus on advancing projects and professional goals. At face value, it may seem like a tool for capturing tasks, but the information it provides can propel people forward rather than adding overhead to their process. This focus on helping teams achieve their project and career milestones is why integrity is crucial to us at Pact.

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We invite you to learn more about Pact by visiting our website and downloading it here.