Six Questions: PPP and You
- Ben Ashley
- Apr 9
- 4 min read
Fresh from attending our PPP event in Melbourne, Senior Developer Ben Ashley answers six questions about PPP.
What does PPP stand for?
PPP stands for Pivots PivotsPivots! (I’m fairly sure the exclamation point is required.) The reason it’s called PPP is because it’s based on the popular DDD conferences, which used to stand for Developer! Developer! Developer! (See! The exclamation mark is required!) Nobody will ever convince me that it is not from the famous video of Steve Ballmer bouncing madly around the stage and screaming, “Developers!”*
Because employees at SixPivot are colloquially referred to as Pivots (I’ve floated the idea that our collective noun should be a Rotation of Pivots, with limited success), we call our event “Pivots PivotsPivots!”
* It is not, in fact, remotely related to this
What is PPP?
To paraphrase famous ex-U.S. President and ex-theatre buff Abraham Lincoln, it’s an event of the Pivots, by the Pivots, for the Pivots. Every so often (usually at least once a year), we all get together for a day-long, internal training/ personal development day.
Similarly to DDD, there is a call for talk/event submissions, which all the Pivots then vote on to decide the agenda. The talks don’t have to be technical (though they usually are). The first year I attended, I spoke about election tampering throughout history, and history is famous for mostly not involving computers.
Because the Pivots are geographically diverse, instead of bringing us all to one city, two locations are linked via videoconferencing. Most Pivots go to whichever is closer to them. Though this sounds a little awkward, in practice, it works out well, and it has yet to cause a civil war within the company between the Northerners and the Southerners.
What is the Purpose of PPP?
As alluded to, SixPivot is a remote-first company, with staff logging in from all over Australia, New Zealand, and occasionally the world. Furthermore, we’re a consultancy, so our team will often be split into smaller teams embedded in other organisations, with little incidental contact between team members- it’s pretty difficult to run into people at the water cooler when your water coolers are in different locations. If you’re not careful, this way of working can lead to feelings of isolation and alienation.
Luckily, we’re careful at SixPivot (also, luckily, nobody has suggested Friday afternoon virtual drinks), and the leaders are dedicated to building a place people want to work. This care takes the form of considered (and regularly evaluated) initiatives proposed and driven at all levels. A non-exhaustive sampling of these includes a well-supported mentoring system, a vibrant and inclusive Slack server, and an annual in-person celebration with employees and their partners. In this vein, the primary purpose of PPP is to bring the Pivots together to encourage a sense of togetherness, along with other warm, fuzzy intangibles.
Although connection is the primary purpose of PPP, this doesn’t mean there are no other reasons why we participate. PPP also provides a safe environment for staff to get constructive feedback on presentations and ideas. The format of PPP creates a platform for all Pivots to step outside of their comfort zone by volunteering to present in front of their peers in the first place. It would be hard to find a more sympathetic audience or one more dedicated to giving helpful and applicable feedback than the Six Pivot team.
Is PPP worth it?
So, is it worth it? I think it is. As I noted above, PPP is a rare and valuable opportunity for Pivots to meet in person and learn from one another. There are many Pivots I’ve never worked with who I only get to talk to at PPP or the other team-building events and celebrations we throw. A hard-nosed, cynical person might say that this reduces the time it takes for new consulting teams to work well together. But I’m a giant softy, so I just like seeing people. It makes me feel like I'm part of a supportive community instead of just someone working at a company.
What Happens at PPP?
Well, this year, the Pivots (me included) selected a bunch of great talks. The stand-outs for me included a breakdown of what really matters in software development by Isaac Lamb and a roundtable on changes within the tech industry, mediated with aplomb by Thushan Fernando and Andrew Newton. Themes touched upon during this explorative session were excitement about the opportunities represented by recent advancements in AI, tempered by concerns about the possible effects of their application and rapid expansion. It was really validating to hear some of the thoughts and worries in my own head echoed by others.
However, PPP is not just a series of interesting presentations. For me where PPP truly shines the brightest is in the incidental interactions - those water cooler moments I mentioned - had between talks, during breaks, and even whilst waiting for technical difficulties to be resolved (which were few and far between thanks to the efforts of not a few Pivots, including our logistics extraordinaire Jayne Upton, the inestimable Head of Developer Experience Sammy Herbert and our MC for the day, Rebecca Scott).
Can You Come to PPP?
No, sorry. Wait, do you work at SixPivot? You totally should. It’s great! If not, you should consider attending your local DDD event instead. It’s not as good, in my opinion, but it’s still pretty great. Otherwise, you can peruse our Speakers page and book one of our team (even me) to speak at your next tech meet-up or lunch and learn and pretend you were at PPP.
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About the Author
Ben Ashley is a .NET developer with 9 years of experience working in the Federal government, State government and the private sector. He focuses on application security and analytics, with a background in mathematics and statistical programming. Ben loves solving difficult problems and getting immersed in a complex business domain.
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