• You don’t need to write code to ship a feature. I added Google Analytics tracking to our app using Cursor IDE. The AI wrote the code; I made the decisions.

• The business person’s contribution is knowing what to track and why. Event names, categories, placements: these are product decisions, not engineering ones.

• AI tools are changing who gets to participate in engineering workflows. Not replacing engineers. Expanding who can contribute.

• The hardest part wasn’t the code. It was figuring out how to test that the tracking actually worked on my local setup.

How did we get here?

At Talent, our CPO Filipe raised a need: we should track where talent+ subscriptions come from. Which page? Which button? Which plan? Google Analytics was already installed on the app. We just needed to send the right events with the right details.

Our CTO Leal shared a code snippet showing how to fire a custom event. A few lines of code. Simple enough in theory.

In the past, I would have turned this into a ticket and handed it to a developer. But I’ve been building my own tools and dashboards with AI for a while now. What I hadn’t done was contribute to our team’s actual app. The codebase that goes live. The one engineers work on every day.

I decided it was time.

The setup

I opened our app’s codebase in Cursor IDE and started a conversation with the AI agent. I explained the goal in plain language: we need to track where talent+ subscriptions come from.

The agent did something I’ve come to expect from these tools: it asked me questions before writing anything. Which user actions should count as a subscription event? Do you want to track intent (someone starts the purchase) or just success (someone completes it)? What about the source: pricing page, settings, profile?

I made the decisions:

• Track both. A “purchase start” event when someone clicks the confirm button, and a “purchase success” event when the subscription actually goes through.

• Track all placements. Pricing page, profile, settings, onboarding: everywhere the subscription flow can begin.

• Include three properties on every event: which page triggered it, which plan they picked, and whether it was for themselves or a gift.

The agent then showed me exactly where in our codebase these moments happen. It pointed to the specific file, the specific button, the specific function. I didn’t need to search for anything. I just needed to confirm: “Yes, that’s the right place.”

How the build actually works

The AI agent created a working copy of the codebase, made the changes across about eleven files, and ran checks to make sure nothing was broken.

The whole implementation took a few hours in one session. I didn’t write a single line of code. But I made every product decision: what to name the events, what information to include, which user actions matter.

The tension: testing is where I got stuck

Building the feature was the straightforward part. Testing whether it actually worked? That’s where I had no idea what to do.

Google Analytics has tools that let you see events arriving in real time. But when I opened them, nothing was coming through. Zero.

The agent walked me through it. I needed two Chrome extensions to make my local browser visible to the analytics debug tools. I installed them, connected everything, and tried again.

I clicked “Extend Talent+” on the app. And there it was: talent_plus_purchase_start, showing up in the debugger. The event fired. The placement, the plan, the mode: all captured.

That testing phase took more mental effort than the entire implementation. It’s the kind of thing that feels obvious once you’ve done it, but completely opaque when you haven’t.

What I told the team

Before committing anything, I wrote a message to our tech team explaining what I’d done. The AI helped me draft it, but the structure was mine: what I did, how I tested it, and what the code actually changes.

Leal’s response: “From what you did everything looks OK! So feel free to commit, push, and open a PR.”

That was a good moment.

The git workflow (things I learned along the way)

This was my first time going through the full engineering workflow: create a branch, commit changes, push to GitHub, open a pull request, get it reviewed, and merge.

None of these steps were hard once someone explained them. But each one would have stopped me cold if I’d been working alone without the AI agent guiding me through.

A simple framework

After this experience, I’d say AI tools are changing who gets to participate in engineering workflows in three ways:

1. Deciding. The business person defines what to track, how to name it, and what matters for reporting. These are product and strategy decisions. The AI can’t make them for you.

2. Contributing. You can now go beyond prototypes and internal tools. With the right setup and guidance, a non-tech person can make changes to a real codebase, open a pull request, and get it reviewed by engineers.

3. Communicating. You need to explain what you did: to your CTO, to reviewers, to the team. Understanding the work well enough to describe it clearly is part of the contribution.

What this changes

In my experience, this shift has a specific implication worth noting.

The bottleneck isn’t coding. For a task like analytics tracking, the hard part was never the code. It was knowing what to track, where to track it, and why it matters for the business. Event names, placements, properties: those are product decisions. The AI handled the syntax. I handled the intent.

More people can participate in more workflows. I’m not suggesting every operator should start committing code. But the barrier has dropped significantly. If you understand the problem and can describe it clearly, AI tools can help you contribute in ways that weren’t possible two years ago.

Engineers become reviewers, not bottlenecks. Leal didn’t build this feature. He reviewed it. That’s a different use of his time: and arguably a better one for a task this size.

Practical takeaways

• Start with something well-scoped. Analytics tracking was a good first task because the goal was clear, the risk was low, and the surface area was small.

• Let the AI ask questions first. Don’t rush to “build it.” Let the agent ask what you want to track, where, and why. Your answers are the spec.

• Write a summary before you commit. Describing what you did, in your own words, forces you to understand it. It also builds trust with the engineering team.

• Go through the full workflow. Branch, commit, PR, review, merge. It’s the team’s process for a reason. Don’t skip it just because you’re “non-tech.”

• Ask for help when you’re blocked. Some things you simply can’t figure out alone. Knowing when to ask is part of contributing.

What I’m still figuring out

If AI tools keep lowering the barrier to participation, how should teams think about who works on what? Not everyone should be committing code. But more people probably could, and maybe should, for the right kinds of tasks.

I don’t have full answers yet. But I think they’re worth exploring.

Stay curious.

Tolga

• Clarity beats completion. Even when we missed deadlines, staying aligned on what we were building made the difference.

• A simple artifact drives focus. One shared table, updated consistently, kept nine people on the same page.

• Optimism isn’t the enemy. If your team consistently underestimates timelines but still ships, the problem might not be the estimates—it might be elsewhere.

• Borrow what works. We started with Shape Up, renamed it, adjusted it, and we’ll keep evolving it by learning from other methods.

• Automate the noise. Status updates and progress tracking are necessary but shouldn’t require manual effort every week.

How did we get here?

In early 2025, we at Talent started losing clarity. We were moving fast -experimenting, shipping, iterating - but alignment was slipping. We had quarterly plans, but when it came to weekly and daily execution, we struggled to stay on the same page.

We needed something simple: a shared view everyone could look at, understand the same way, and use to stay focused and accountable.

How we roll?

The Talent team doesn’t work with long-term roadmaps or annual strategic plans. We prioritize short cycles. We experiment, learn what works, and keep going. We’re good at staying close to what’s happening around us, moving quickly, and being open to trying new things.

But there’s a downside to speed. When you’re always pushing to get the next thing live, clarity gets harder to maintain.

Why me?

Our CEO Pedro suggested I take this on. Our CPO Filipe shared a video about Shape Up; the method Ryan Singer developed at Basecamp over years of practice. That’s where this started.

I watched the video. I skimmed their handbook, didn’t dive into every detail. On April 28, 2025, we ran our first sprint (Shape Up calls it a “timebox”).

What is Shake Up?

Here’s what I kept typing wrong: “Shake Up” instead of “Shape Up.” Eventually I realized we’d changed the method enough that renaming it made sense and I’d stop making typos.

Here’s the first definition I shared with the team:

Our Method: Shake Up

Goal: Make sure all deliverables are completed by their deadlines.

Timebox: Generally 2 weeks.

Workshop (before the timebox starts):

• Define deliverables with tech and product.

• Everyone commits to scope and deadline.

• Engineers know exactly what to deliver.

• Key input from tech: Which questions need answers during the workshop?

• No flexibility during the timebox. We only focus on these deliverables.

Next (Break Week):

• 1 week break.

• Workshop for the next timebox.

• Handle pending small requests.

First Day

I ran the first workshop. At the end, I documented four deliverables in a Notion table: Delivery, Scope, Owner.

Two weeks later, we hadn’t completed any of them. You can imagine the atmosphere on that call. But we gained something critical: clarity. During those two weeks, focus didn’t scatter. The team knew what we were working on. We were on the same page.

A 90-minute workshop and one Notion page made that happen. Worth celebrating.

What changed as we ran more cycles

By the end of 2025, we completed eleven timeboxes; most two weeks, occasionally three. Our Notion table evolved. The final version: Deliverable, Scope, Outcome, Owner, Contributors.

We added:

• Post-mortems after each timebox.

• Opening workshops to the whole team (we’re nine people total).

A pattern we couldn’t ignore

Before Talent, I worked at a design-focused startup. I learned that designers tend toward optimism. At Talent, I learned product people and developers share the same trait.

Scoping a deliverable to actually finish within two weeks? Nearly impossible. Almost every time, the team uses the break week to finish what we committed to. After eleven timeboxes, our completion rate during the timebox itself would probably be around 50%, if we didn’t count work done in break weeks.

The old version of me would have seen this optimism as a problem. Now I see it as a character trait many people share. Because ultimately, we do ship most of what we commit to (even if it bleeds into break week).

I don’t see myself saying: “In the original method, incomplete tasks get dropped and don’t get worked on until they’re added back in a workshop. We’re going to do that too.” Sure, I won’t push hard on this; but is there really nothing else to improve? Of course there is.

What’s next: Shake Up V2

1. Borrowing from other methods

One of our developers, Panos, has been in this field for years and has experience with many approaches. Two months ago we sat down and he walked me through Scrum and Kanban. I took notes, asked questions, and thanked him, saying: “You’ve given me a lot to think about.” I wasn’t just being polite and I’ll be going back to those notes soon.

2. Let AI do some of the work

Our current flow:

1. After the workshop, I compile everything into our Notion deliverables table.

2. Updates and questions happen in Slack.

3. Code changes, commits, and PRs happen in GitHub.

4. On top of this, the team writes and presents weekly updates.

It’s time to let AI handle that last part. I’ll start inside Notion, building a semi-automated system with Notion AI. Then I’ll use the vibe coding skills I’ve been developing over the past year to build a simple Shake Up dashboard myself.

You’ll hear more when Shake Up V2 is live.

Stay curious.

Tolga

1. Join a team.

2. Let your non-tech skills shine.

To make things easier for you, I've divided all the steps into the sections below. You can easily follow the specific tasks for each section:

• Choosing and Applying for a Hackathon

• Finding a Team

• Spreading the Word & Sharing

• What to do: Pre-Hackathon

• What to do: During the Hackathon

• What to do: After the Hackathon

Let's dive into the details:

Choosing and Applying for a Hackathon

Look for hackathons you can participate in:

a. Those that are entirely online.

b. Those requiring at least one team member to be present.

c. Those needing the whole team to check in onsite.

Ideally, having the entire team physically together is the best. But you don't have to wait for the perfect scenario. A little online research and you'll find the right event to kick things off.

• Registration takes about 15-20 minutes. Don't worry if you have zero experience.

• Most don’t charge a participation fee. Just ETHGlobal asks for a tiny amount to be staked – think of it as a deposit; if you don’t show, you lose it.

• Most likely, the hackathon will use two platforms: Notion and Discord. You'll get the essential info from Notion, while communication mostly happens on Discord. If you're new to Discord, the interface might seem a bit challenging initially.

Having lived in Lisbon for fifteen months, I was in luck when ETHGlobal decided to host a hackathon here after postponing the one in Istanbul due to elections. They practically came to my doorstep.

Finding a Team

Each hackathon's Discord server usually has a dedicated channel for those looking to form or join teams. This is where your communication skills come into play:

1. Read messages from those looking for teammates. You'll likely find engineers (either back-end or front-end) on the hunt. Don't get disheartened.

2. Introduce yourself. Communicate how you, as a non-tech, can contribute. (I'll elaborate on this shortly.)

I was fortunate in this aspect. Two members from my Talent Protocol team mentioned they were joining ETHGlobal Lisbon, and I hopped in. Relationships I had built before the event made finding a team a breeze. Tap into your network:

Spreading the Word & Sharing

1. Share on your social platforms that you're joining a hackathon.

2. Mention it's your first time and that you're a non-tech.

3. Tag the hackathon you're participating in.

I was amazed by the engagement my post got and the overwhelming support that came my way.

Pre-Hackathon Skill: Coordination

Expect to spend some days on the Hackathon's Notion and Discord.

1. Read through the logistic info. Take notes on essential points.

2. Familiarize yourself with the requirements for the project submission at the end of the hackathon.

3. Create a Notion page for your team and neatly arrange all the information you’ve gathered.

4. Assure your team: "You focus on the tech stuff; I've got the logistics covered. Reach out if you have questions."

5. Repeat these steps throughout the process.

6. This approach allows the engineers to concentrate on the core tasks and assures them you've got their backs.

I later joined Ethereum Singapore (virtually) with the same team from ETHGlobal Lisbon. Now, we're prepping for both ETH Lisbon and ETHGlobal Istanbul, where I'll be physically present.

With my accumulated experience, things are more streamlined. I can confidently say, "Friends, for ETH Lisbon, just remember your Eventbrite tickets; I'll handle the rest." Or I can quickly find the right person on Discord to sort out any issues with our project application platform. It's all pretty straightforward.

Pre-Hackathon Skill: Defining Prizes and Goals

As the hackathon approaches, information about prizes and their criteria will be updated on the Hackathon's Notion page. If you're new to this scene, the initial events might feel overwhelming. If unsure, don’t stress.

If you can help clarify your team's goals for participating, you're adding immense value: Is the aim to enhance technical skills? Win prizes? Or add a hackathon participation to their portfolio?

By asking about each team member's objectives, you align everyone's intentions and ensure everyone runs toward the same goal during that limited time (~36 hours). At the very least, you're making everyone's intentions clear.

Filipe, the CPO of Talent Protocol, caught me off guard by raising this point during our first hackathon. I merely stated, "I have no clue about this; I'm here to learn." The majority voted for "winning the prize" which turned out to be the perfect goal for our team. I realized this later.

Pre-Hackathon Skill: Strategy

This is where strategy skills come into play. You can't start coding before the hackathon starts. But discussing the project and deciding what you want to achieve is, of course, allowed.

1. Gather the team.

2. Outline the problem you want to solve. Write it in two sentences; achieve consensus. (Sometimes your goal might be to win a specific prize. So, you clarify the project that meets the conditions for that prize. But finalize what you will produce in those 36 hours.)

3. If possible, draft at least one use case. Think of users facing the problem you defined. How do they encounter and use your product, and how does it solve their issue? Be clear on this.

By doing these, you'll pave the way for other team members to prepare in their respective fields. For instance, a front-end developer might chime in saying, "Hmm, I think we can use this UI component; what do you think?"

During the Hackathon Skill: Coordination

The hackathon starts and ends in a blink of an eye. If the entire team is in the same location, coordination flows naturally.

During my second hackathon, two of us were in Singapore, and the other two (including me) were in Lisbon. With a seven-hour time difference, coordination became crucial.

In such cases, having one person in each city monitoring the flow of information and ensuring updates is essential. Unless, of course, you're prepared to go without sleep for 36 hours. But we're hackers who don't compromise on sleep.

During the Hackathon Skill: Storytelling

This is where you can make a significant contribution. As developers code, you'll see your product come to life. Of course, it won't be a high-end design. The point is that it should work. As they flesh out the product, start preparing materials to explain your project for submission:

1. Create a logo for your project. Make one on Canva if you need to. If there's a designer on the team, ask them. Don't chase perfection. If you can't do any of these, request a friend's help.

2. Prepare the submission presentation. Remember, you'll be pitching to various juries for prizes. Go check out presentations of projects that have won at hackathons. After seeing three, you'll get the hang of it.

3. Prepare for the demo. Since there isn't a working product yet, you can't record a demo video. But you can work on the flow and script for the demo.

4. Record test videos as the product materializes. (Open the product in your browser and use a screen recording program. I use either Tella or Screen Studio for different demo requirements.) Test videos help you test your script and see the duration of your demo video. Preparing in advance is helpful since there's a time limit.

5. You can practice the presentation with other hackathon participants or friends (online hackathon support line). Doing a couple of tests might be beneficial.

During my first hackathon, I learned by helping Filipe with all these tasks. In the second one, I recorded the demo video using my own voice. If you ever come across a project demo titled "Buidler.Fi", yes, I'm the one responsible for that quirky thing.

At the End of the Hackathon Skill: Project Submission

1. Make sure to submit before the final deadline and include all necessary information.

2. Naturally, there will be details you need to get from the team. If you've done your homework before the hackathon, you'll know what they are. For instance, you'll know that you need to get details about the tools the engineers used from them.

3. If you face any issues during the application, don't worry; promptly write in the relevant channel on Discord and share. Rest assured, others face similar issues, and the organizing team will help.

At the End of the Hackathon Skill: Pitch

Once you've submitted the project, the work isn't over. You pitch to the main jury and the jury of sponsors you applied for prizes from.

1. Be ready to explain the essence and functionality of the project within a maximum of 5 minutes.

2. Always have someone from the technical team with you.

3. If you've applied for many prizes, split the team in two to make all the pitches on time.

After the Hackathon Skill: Prize Collection

We've come to the most exciting part. After the pitches, there's a ceremony where all hackers gather in the main hall, and the prizes are announced. It could be beneficial to have a strategy to win a prize from one sponsor, at least. Seeing the name of your project on the screen is pretty cool.

I returned from both hackathons with prizes. We won 2,750 USD from the first and 5,000 USD from the second. If you add both and divide by four (our team member count), you can calculate my share.

I hope this guide, prepared based on my experiences, gives you the necessary spark to attend your first hackathon. I easily adapted thanks to the support of Filipe and Leal from the Talent Protocol team. That's why finding a team with the right people is the most critical step.

Bonus: I'm preparing a Notion template to use during hackathons. If you're interested, leave your email address here. I'll share it once it's ready.

Good luck to you all!

Tolga

How Did We Get Here?

Let’s start with a little bit of background info.

I've been developing business structures grounded in numerical data for the past decade. This includes creating systems like KPI-based bonus distribution models and then articulating these systems to teams. Over time, I've noticed my methodologies evolving, and that's what I aim to share with you.

Previously, my approach was as follows:

1. I'd establish the structure using Google Sheets.

2. Next, I'd import the necessary parts to Google Slides, either by taking screenshots or by embedding them.

3. After that, I'd incorporate explanatory texts right into Google Slides.

4. Finally, during a meeting, I'd guide the team through the system using these documents as reference material.

Even though this way of doing things worked, I really wished there was an easier, quicker, and better way to tell stories from/with data.

I'm sure you've come across documents that leave you with similar impressions. Perhaps you've seen investor updates packed with spreadsheets that bury you in data. Or maybe you've seen presentations full of charts and tables, with only minimal commentary sprinkled in. Every time I see these kinds of documents, I can't shake the feeling that the format is dictating the content.

Questions We Should Ask

Whether it's a KPI-based bonus system or an investor update, isn't it crucial to understand the context behind the numbers and graphs? Shouldn't we be able to adjust some numerical assumptions made by the author to see how the outcomes could differ or how scenarios might change?

These questions have been on my mind for years. As I continued to ask them, I tested various tools. Two years ago, I took a chance with Google Looker Studio, initially skeptical of its effectiveness. Although it didn't provide a complete solution to my storytelling needs, it significantly simplified the process of preparing business and product metrics dashboards.

Finally: Someone Else Is Asking The Same Questions

Half a year ago, I bumped into a London-based startup called Decipad. Their slogan, ”Make Sense of Numbers: Create interactive data stories, play with numbers and foster understanding across your team,” really hit home. Intrigued, I jumped right in to give their product a whirl, creating several different notebooks.

If you're looking for a better way to craft narratives from numbers, you have two options:

1. If you're not interested in a how-to-build guide, visit Decipad and start exploring.

2. If you want to learn more about the process, keep reading.

3. I know I mentioned two, but you might consider 'Subscribe' as a third option. 😊

   Thanks for reading The Agile Fractional! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

How To Build a Notebook on Decipad?

To illustrate its utility, let's consider an example: Suppose our startup establishes a bonus pool to be distributed each quarter.

We have five organizational KPIs, each with a maximum achievable point value.

At the end of each quarter, points are accumulated based on KPI success, and these points then determine the bonus pool's distribution. (Let’s call it bonus-to-share.)

Each team member has three individual KPIs, and each KPI has a max point. At the end of the quarter, team members collect points based on KPI success.

When we add up the organizational KPI points and individual KPI points, each person's bonus point comes out. In the end, let's distribute the bonus-to-share according to these points.

As you see, the notebook has different types of blocks:

• I used text blocks and call-out blocks for explanations.

• I used a number input block (bonus pool amount) that allows the end user to see different outputs based on the input.

• I used different tables which are hidden to end users to create the structure.

You can integrate your current tables from Google Sheets and other tools.

• I used formulas that are also hidden to end users.

So I created this notebook with a combination of these blocks. If you’re familiar with Notion, internalizing the concept will be much easier.

How Does It Work?

As you may have realized, I have explained both the structure and the result on the same medium. Of course, there is a problem here. You cannot change the numbers in this article to calculate bonuses for different results. That's why I love Decipad because it does precisely these things.

If you wish, take a short break now and look at my work: Performance-Based Bonus Model. (You can use my notebook as a template.)

Key Benefits

1. I no longer need to use two different products.

2. The end-user can manipulate the numbers whenever they desire.

3. I love this feature: When an individual modifies the input values, the results are recalculated solely for that individual's usage. This change doesn't impact other users. Additionally, the input values revert to their original state whenever you refresh the browser. This isn't possible with Google Sheets.

My sharing of this experience isn't motivated by an endorsement agreement but by my belief in the product's value proposition. I commend the Decipad team for their incredible support, especially when I struggled with specific formulas.

I would love to hear your comments and suggestions. Your input is incredibly valuable, whether it's feedback about this topic and product or new subject recommendations. The comment button right below is waiting for you!

Stay curious,

Tolga

How Did We Get Here?

Let’s start with a little bit of background info.

I spent the first 15 years of my professional life working in event production. I was involved in planning events from the idea stage and implementing those plans for years. Later, I found myself leading the operations and finance unit in a startup focused on innovation. After six years in this position, I switched to a fractional working model. Currently, I'm handling operational issues in various startups at different scales.

Throughout these 20+ years, I struggled to explain the value my role brought to an organization, especially when defining the operations field and understanding its benefits. A while ago, I came across a seventeen-year-old article in the Harvard Business Review: Second in Command: The Misunderstood Role of the Chief Operating Officer.

By the way, I never held the title of COO, but that's not important. If you’re in charge of operations, leading the team (or solo), and working closely with leadership, then it’s the same stuff.

This article states that the COO role is the only one that can't be clearly defined. (a comforting observation 🙏🏽). Due to this complexity, the article classifies the possible roles of a COO based on their relationship with the CEO.

I read the article several times, and with each reading, I began to understand better how the operations-related tasks I've carried out fit within the organization and how they might be perceived in the broader business world. However, seventeen years have passed since the article was written. So, I asked myself what the COO role (or Operations Lead) might look like today, particularly in the startup and tech ecosystem.

I also continued with the approach in the article and further defined the COO role based on the relationship with leadership. Here is my list with a possible classification of COO roles in today's startup and tech ecosystem:

1. The Integrator

In this role, the COO is the Integrator, working closely with the Visionary CEO to create an organizational structure supporting the company's goals and objectives. The Integrator streamlines processes ensures efficient use of resources, and helps maintain agility as the company grows. This COO balances the CEO's focus on innovation and disruption, ensuring that the company remains organized and efficient.

2. Growth Architect

As a Growth Architect, the COO partners with the CEO to drive rapid growth and scale the business. The COO identifies growth opportunities, designs and implements growth strategies, and optimizes operations to achieve maximum impact. This COO's focus on growth complements the CEO's efforts, helping the organization stay competitive and agile in a rapidly changing landscape.

3. The Agile Facilitator

In the Agile Facilitator role, the COO embraces an agile mindset alongside the CEO, prioritizing adaptability, continuous improvement, and iterative decision-making. The COO helps build an agile organization that can respond quickly to market changes, pivot when necessary, and rapidly iterate on products and services. This COO ensures the company is prepared to navigate the fast-paced, ever-evolving world of tech and startups.

4. The Data-Driven Strategist

As a Data-Driven Strategist, the COO works closely with the CEO to establish a data-driven culture within the organization. The COO ensures that decisions are informed by data and insights, creating systems and processes that enable data-driven decision-making. This COO's focus on data empowers the company to make smarter choices, reduce risk, and achieve better results.

5. The Ecosystem Builder

In the Ecosystem Builder role, the COO collaborates with the CEO to cultivate relationships with investors, strategic partners, and other stakeholders within the tech and startup ecosystem. The COO leverages these connections to create mutually beneficial opportunities, helping the company access resources, expertise, and support that can accelerate growth and drive success.

6. The Customer Advocate

As the Customer Advocate, the COO works alongside the CEO to prioritize customer success and satisfaction. The COO ensures that the company's products and services are designed with the customer in mind, continually seeking feedback and iterating on their offerings to meet customer needs better. This COO's relentless focus on the customer helps the company build strong relationships and foster loyalty, fueling long-term success.

7. The Guiding Hand

In the Guiding Hand role, the COO serves as a counselor and consultant to the CEO, especially in cases where the CEO is new to their position or has limited experience in a particular industry. The Guiding Hand COO brings vast knowledge, expertise, and practical experience, helping the CEO navigate the challenges of leading a growing company. This COO's role is crucial for nurturing the CEO's leadership abilities and securing the organization's long-term success.

So, Who am I?

I realized that I relate to three of these roles. Of course, I don't take on all three roles simultaneously in every team I work with. Sometimes, I contribute by taking on just one role, as carrying all of them would be impossible.

I think I am closest to The Data-Driven Strategist. The co-founders’ contribution -whom I’ve worked with over the past ten years- has been invaluable to my success in this role. I have always been good with numbers but I learned that numbers don't mean much without the right story derived from data. I love my role in capturing the story the data tells, making it visible, and sharing it with the team.

Next comes The Guiding Hand. For ten years, I worked as a part-time lecturer at the university, guiding young folks. For the next ten years, I mentored many leaders. These two decades were my preparation process for the Guiding Hand role. In fact, I even had the chance to be invited to Toyi’s founding team I began mentoring in 2017. I'm not a toy industry expert, but I've been a guiding hand through my contributions to the leadership of the two founding partners.

Lastly, I see myself in The Integrator role. I often have the opportunity to implement some of the tasks defined under this role in different organizations, like taking responsibility for setting company goals and objectives. However, I have never performed this role 100% in any team.

These seven new COO types still don't feel entirely accurate or well-thought-out to me. I believe I need to think more about it and work on it further. It can be enlightening to view the contributions of operations from a product management perspective, but for now, I'll leave it here.

If you have any suggestions to enrich the topic, please share them; I would be happy to read.

Stay curious.

Tolga

What is The Agile Fractional?

After much reflection and learning, I've decided to evolve my previous newsletter, "Journey of a Non-Tech to Tech," into something that encompasses a broader range of topics and speaks more directly to the challenges and opportunities faced by today's agile professionals.

While my journey from the non-tech world to the tech and web3 space remains an essential part of my story, "The Agile Fractional" will expand upon these experiences to cover topics that cater to the unique needs of fractional workers, freelancers, and startups. I will explore areas such as productivity hacks, operations management, data storytelling tools, team collaboration, entrepreneurship, and more.

Freelancer vs Fractional

I'm not a fan of the term 'freelancer,' but I'm unsure how to use the fractional. When deciding on the newsletter's content, I started a discussion with ChatGPT to explore possibilities. After seeing this comparison, I was convinced to move forward with fractional:

The term "Fractional" has gained popularity in recent years, particularly in the context of executives or professionals providing their expertise to multiple organizations on a part-time basis. Fractional work implies that the individual is dividing their time and skills among several companies instead of being dedicated to one organization as a full-time employee.

Freelancer, on the other hand, is a broader term that encompasses professionals who work independently and offer their services to various clients, often on a project-by-project basis. Freelancers can work in a variety of fields, including writing, design, development, and consulting.

Both terms are relevant, but they convey slightly different nuances. If your primary focus is on sharing your experiences and insights as a professional who works with multiple companies on a part-time basis, you may want to emphasize the term "Fractional.

Community: Building and Sharing Together

The Agile Fractional is not just a newsletter. I want to create an active community of 20 members from around the world who are willing to collaborate and generate content in these areas by the end of September 2023. If you are interested in joining or know someone who might be a good fit, please get in touch.

Browser Battles

In this article, I'll start by sharing my recent experience with web browsers. For many years, I used Chrome as my main web browser. But things have changed in the last year. Brave caught my attention for being crypto-friendly and providing a more secure internet experience. Recently, I found myself downloading two different browsers:

The first one is Arc browser. Its simple design and slick UI made a difference immediately. As someone who has opened different windows for different accounts for years, it became my default browser in just one week, allowing me to navigate between accounts within one window.

The second one is Microsoft Edge. ChatGPT has become a part of my daily life, but sometimes it's not accessible, so I decided to try Bing Chat for a different experience and as a backup. I installed Edge. However, the design and UI didn't impress me much. Typical Microsoft 🫣

I think I'll continue with Arc for a while. It will be an even better experience when I get used to its keyboard shortcuts. By the way, I have invitation codes. Let me know if you want to try it out.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, feel free to drop a comment or DM me!

Stay curious.
Tolga

Mentoring vs. Building

Mentoring a Web3 (music & NFT) startup [May-July]: I couldn't focus on this while dealing with moving to Portugal. I realized I needed more experience with the vertical, so it didn't go well or serve my purpose.

Mentoring a solopreneur (regenerative agriculture) [during the year]: Although I'm not an expert, building the business from scratch helped us learn during the process. We initially focused on the vision, strategic planning, and value proposition. Then, as clients started approving projects, we began building business processes.

Sharing My Journey vs. Sharing My Learnings

I've been writing about my journey, and it's closer to a diary format. However, I have realized that sharing my learnings with a case is more engaging. 

LinkedIn vs. Substack

• Substack has more tools than LinkedIn to engage with your audience.

• Substack offers more insights about engagement than LinkedIn.

• I have an audience on LinkedIn, but I need to build one on Substack. 

Building a Product vs. Building a Process, or Solopreneurship vs. Freelancing

I realized I'm good at

• Understanding the client's needs and building processes with ready-to-use online products or no-code tools

• Creating content for the client to benefit them.

Enough with the bets. 😄 It’s time to share the super-cool things that happened in the last 2 months:

Increasing My Web3 Experience

I've just started to work with Talent Protocol, and this is the perfect collaboration opportunity for me. Talent Protocol is a Web3 startup where we can create a beautiful Web3 resume, make meaningful connections, and access exciting Web3 opportunities. I'm developing better reports and building new processes or improving current ones for them while I'm gaining experience in what I've been looking for: Web3.

PS: If you want to join the platform, here it is.

Super Uplifting Feedback

I was asked to create learning materials for a document automation tool called Portant for the 100 Days of No-Code community. When I started to work on it, I realized I needed to understand the perception of the product by its users, so I ran user research. When I got the Portant's CEO's feedback, I understood that I had made the right decision.

You need to join the 100 Days of No-Code challenge to see the learning materials, but you can view the user research deck here.

PS: Portant updated the website based on my research findings. 

Having Fun with AI: DistilledLX

In August, I met AI art generators and decided to create something with them. So I decided to combine my discoveries in my new city, Lisbon, with AI art. At that time, I was learning Webflow to build websites, and when it all came together, Distilled LX was born. 

I'll focus on new AI solutions for automation and process. If I don't learn to benefit from AI, I'll be a boomer. 😄

Next Steps

It was more learning and exploration in 2022, and the focus of 2023 will be more on building and creating. I'll revise this newsletter's content and title based on the 2023 strategy. But I still need to make up my mind. 

Why don't you share what you want to see here? Also, you can share business problems you're facing to tackle with me. You can use the “Leave Comment” button. I'm sure we can learn and have fun together.

Leave a comment

Stay curious until next time,

Tolga

Coworking Spaces

1. LACS

2. Yayem Lisboa

3. IDEA Spaces

4. Resvés

5. Second Home

6. Devazuka

7. Base

8. NOW (No Office Work)

9. Impact Hub Lisbon

10. Startup Lisboa

11. NKOOWOORK

12. Hood

• There are many coworking spaces talking about community, but I think Resvés deserves the "all about the people" badge.

• Yayem Lisboa is the coolest. However, it's far from the city center.

• I'll visit Hood this week, and I'm super excited about it since I heard very tempting feedback regarding the place. It's more than a coworking space with the other facilities, and I liked the feeling passed to me when I visited their website.

Incubators

1. Build Up Labs

2. Impact Hub Lisbon

3. Startup Lisboa

4. Demium

• I liked the approach of Build Up Labs: Running a tailored program for each entrepreneur based on their goals and needs.

• I'll visit Demium Lisbon next week; let's see what happens.

Other Organizations

1. Moviinn (a relocation and integration company for expats and companies moving to Portugal)

2. HERE Partners (Fundraising advisory, government grants consultancy)

3. Startup Portugal (a non-profit organization with the mission of promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in Portugal)

4. aicep Portugal Global (Trade & Investment Agency is a government body focused on developing a competitive business environment that contributes to the globalization of the Portuguese economy.)

5. Callmea (A platform for startups to find out if you can receive European funds or tax benefits)

My First Impression

Everyone is helpful and welcoming here, and that's very uplifting. Sometimes I made silly mistakes, but nobody cared: There is a Lisbon brunch of the global Impact Hub network, and -as you guessed- it's called Impact Hub Lisbon. I went to their office to meet the director, but he wasn't there. I took a picture of his room, sent him via WhatsApp, and asked, "Hey! I'm in front of your room, but you're not here. What should I do?"

He was extremely kind when he called me a couple of minutes later and explained where I was. “Tolga, I think you're in the land of our competitor, Casa do Impacto, which means Impact Hub in Portuguese.” He was giggling. Guess what? I managed to find the right Impact Hub the following week 😋

Me as a Trojan Horse 

I had decided to volunteer for startup-related communities before I moved to Lisbon. I attended the Startup Grind Lisboa event two months ago and met some very nice people. They were looking for volunteers, so I applied, but they rejected my application (don't insert a sad face here).

I didn't give up. I joined the 351 Portuguese Startup Community by invitation of Francisco Leal, a super friendly person from Talent Protocol. It is a community of founders that has been serving the ecosystem for three years. While I was introducing myself to the community, this post was shared by Fernando:

We are looking for people who want to build together the next chapter of the Portuguese ecosystem! If you want to contribute, you can sign up to become a volunteer here.

This time I was accepted. I volunteer at 351 Community and for Portugal Tech Week, the largest innovation festival in Portugal. 🎉☀️

First Paid NoCode Gig

Not everything is all about startups! I've been working hard to improve my nocode skills. I like the journey; everything's going well, and I'm learning new tools, etc., but I hate APIs. 😠

I got my first paid gig, and it's from the 100Days of NoCode community. I'll craft a learning material about automating document workflows and the product called Portant. If you want to learn how to do that, please shoot. 

Anthony's Magical Touch

I joined different nomad communities in Lisbon to meet new people from all around the world. I don't like attending the "let's have a beer and chat" events. Coworking Together events, Let's Learn This and That events are okay for me. I enjoyed attending the Lisbon Digital Nomads' Coworking Together Wednesday meetups a lot.

I met Anthony, founder of Indie Worldwide, at one of those events. We chatted and asked the typical questions, like where are you from and what do you do. He gave me the sticker of Indie Worldwide, and he wanted me to believe that it was a limited edition :) He claims that he printed only 300 stickers and washed ten of them by accident, so I got one of the 290 rare stickers.

Two weeks later, he shared an indie hackers coworking event. My inner voice was: "I'm not an indie hacker, but I don't think anybody can stop me from joining. I have the sticker!" I went there, and we worked together. I met more new people and had coffee with them. Unfortunately, I had to leave early to catch the director of Impact Hub (don't laugh!).

Before I left, Anthony took a photo. We said goodbye to each other and went back to our own lives. Two hours later, I saw Anthony's tweet asking, "Who had to leave early?"

Let's see what life will bring to me as I continue to explore the city and the scene. Stay tuned!

Ciao,

Tolga

Hello dear friend,

It's been two months since our last conversation. At that time, I changed my country, and Lisboa is my new base now.

The procedures to start a life in a new country were much more involved and took a lot more time than I thought. Fortunately, I am relieved to have rented an apartment we love so much in a neighborhood we also love.

Of course, the whole two months were not just about moving out. I spent the month of June touring the coastline of Turkey with my wife. We were guests at our friends' houses, had lovely days with them and enjoyed the sun and the sea. It was enjoyable enough to say goodbye to a country so beautifully.

There is still work to do with settling in. But now it's finally time to return to learning and writing about the subjects I love. Here I am.

Enjoying Teaching

I like teaching. I love designing learning journeys. Thankfully I could spare some of my time during these busy days to craft a learning path for the participants in the 100-day No-Code Challenge. It's called How to Build a Membership Site? (with a free Softr and Airtable account).

I designed a 7-day, email learning journey, which took me 30 hours to complete. The first participants will start in August. I'm super excited, and I can't wait for their feedback.

Unfortunately, you don't have access to the learning path. Please let me know if you're interested in building a gated, members-only website. Also, I'm planning to put this content on my website; you'll be the first to know when it's ready.

If you're curious about no-code and want to learn more about building digital products without coding, you can visit the 100-day No-Code Challenge site.

While I was crafting this learning path, I discovered two new tools:

• I liked the simplicity of Whimsical, and I use it for ideation, brainstorming, flows, and wireframing. It's so cool to do all these with one easy-to-use tool.

• I used Loom several times to shoot tutorial videos, but I switched to Tella after using it for the learning path videos. You can onboard yourself in 5 minutes and start creating videos. It's that easy to use!

a Hello From the Distant Past

I got a call from one of my old friends while packing to move. I was a rookie, and he was a pro at sound design and production during our radio days. I learned that he is the founder of Yodiviki, a digital platform for audio infotainment and edutainment content, and he is looking for mentorship for his start-up's investment journey.

We had two sessions to improve Yodiviki's investor deck, and I hope I'll be able to contribute to the investment journey as well. You can install the app and try it if you're interested in audio content, but the content is only in Turkish right now.

They say life is slower in Lisbon in August. I will spend this quiet month exploring the city's entrepreneurial ecosystem. I will, of course, share with you what I discovered.

See you on another sunny day. Stay curious until next time ✌🏼

Tolga

I will be moving to Lisbon very soon, and I believe it'll open up new opportunities in my life. On the other hand, I have to deal with many daily tasks. That's why this newsletter is filled with more news and conference notes. I hope you like it.

The Culture of Thinking Outside the Box

I think it's critical to track whether an organization is moving in the right direction or not. I believe that this has been the subject of analytical and numerical measurement methods for years. I thought that if we set up the necessary measuring systems and created dashboards, we would soon begin to understand where we were going. As time passed, I faced the realities of life. I learned that establishing a system and, most importantly, getting meaningful results is wholly related to an organization's culture.

Last week, I attended the OKRX Summit 2022, and this finding struck me again. The summit's motto was "Unlock the Culture of Thinking Outside the Box and Setting Results-Oriented Goals with OKR!" It was all about OKRs: Objectives and Key Results. Let me briefly share my takeaways:

I attended seven different talks and all of the speakers mentioned that OKR transformation was a cultural transformation project. Suppose an organization's culture doesn't provide a safe environment for speaking freely and learning by making mistakes. In that case, an OKR transformation will most probably fail.

Bite-Sized Learning

I liked Christina Wodtke's short and direct answers. She was not trying to be politically correct, and I loved it.

If there is a trust issue in the organization, don't start the OKR process. Go deal with the real stuff and solve the trust issue.

Cool Definition for OKR

I liked Sure Köse Ulutaş's OKR definition. It’s simple and worth thinking about.

OKR is a critical thinking framework.

Most Radical Suggestion

Don't have more than 1 objective and 3 key results for a company or a team.

This is from Bart den Haak, author of the book "Moving the Needle." He is trying to make the process as lean as possible, and I really liked his approach.

NFTs on Instagram

Instagram announced that they started to test the NFTs of selected creators in the United States. The creators will be able to showcase their NFTs as digital collectibles on Instagram. This is just a "read" function. The users will not be able to mint (create or write) NFTs through Instagram at this time, but it's a significant start. Let me tell you why:

• There are now 21-million monthly active users of Metamask. It's 1 billion (48X) for Instagram.

• After Facebook's Libra fiasco, Meta developed a better understanding of web3. (If you want to hear more about that, please search the statements of the founders of Polygon. They're pretty impressed with the approach and the knowledge of Meta's web3 team.)

NFTs on Spotify?

Another player will step into the ring. The streaming service is testing a feature that will allow artists to promote their NFTs. It's not as exciting as the Instagram announcement, and it seems like some of the users don't like that. You can read the details here.

How to Track my Goals Status?

You may remember that I've been tracking my goals. I mentioned that in the second issue: "When I decided to get into tech, I realized that I needed to set smart goals and define a tracking system to evaluate whether I was going in the right direction, so I started to look for a solution (a free one, if possible) to create a dashboard and reports to track my progress. After an exploration phase, I decided to move on with a Google Sheets and Google Data Studio combo. I'm working on the dashboard and graphs, which I'll embed on my website when they're ready."

I've finally managed to embed it on my website. I like updating the figures and thinking about my progress by looking at the graphs. You can jump here if you want to take a look at them.

Please let me know if you want to hear more details about any of these. I’m ready to share more.

Stay curious until next time ✌🏼

Tolga

I'll talk about why I feel like a designer and my first mentorship in the web3 world this week. We'll also be stopping by Luna, last week's hot topic for anyone interested in crypto.

Let’s begin.

Feeling Like a Designer

Last week, I joined the "Design Fundamentals" learning path of 100daysNoCodeChallenge and spent my time navigating articles about design principles, color combinations, etc. I started learning Figma, and, coincidentally, Figma's online conference was last week, so I got a "high dose of design." You can jump here to read my learnings and takeaways from the summit.

I made my website in Notion because it's convenient. As time passed, I realized that I needed to improve its design, so I started playing around with the design using Figma.

Of course, I won't be a designer in the end, but I think Figma will be beneficial for me, especially in two respects.

1. Crafting Engaging workshops: I think workshops could be facilitated with Figma and FigmaJam without using other applications such as Miro and Mural.

2. Idea visualization: I experienced this and loved it. I talked to the project team about a marketing campaign at Talent Protocol's weekly product development meeting, a web3 project I've been following for a long time. And this week, I visualized this idea with Figma and shared it with the team. I thought that the quick feedback I got from the team was thanks to this visualization.

First Mentorship in Web3 Space

I was so happy when I received the invitation email to join as a CultTech Accelerator mentor. CultTech is the first European acceleration program created especially for the arts and culture startups! Eight different startups from all over the world focus on areas such as "a community-curated NFT bazaar," "AI-powered ornaments & patterns design platform," and "a social curation platform and discovery tool for new media formats."

As a mentor, I'll be working with Kloov, a social web3 platform for music, and I believe it will be a process where we will learn from each other. They'll launch their beta version very soon, and I'll let you know when that happens.

Biggest Collapse in Crypto

I'm not an OG, but I'm here enough to realize that we've witnessed one of the most significant events of crypto history. Almost 50B USD worth of crypto-asset evaporated in three days due to the collapse of the Terra ecosystem, and a lot of people lost a significant amount of their net worth.

While trying to understand my feelings, I found a Bankless episode about the collapse. I felt close to how the Bankless team approached the case: "For those who have been right about Terra, this is certainly not the time to gloat, and it's time to reflect."

Please let me know if you want to hear more details about any of these. I’m ready to share more.

Stay curious until next time ✌🏼

Tolga

Let’s begin.

Odyssey DAO Bootcamp

Let me start with the good news! I’m one of 300 lucky people accepted to Odyssey DAO’s first Web3 Bootcamp. Its content is mainly for beginners, so most of it is not new to me. However, my purpose of participation goes beyond gaining new knowledge.

1. I want to start contributing to one of the DAOs to gain more experience in the governance models of DAOs. So it seems a good idea to be more visible in Odyssey DAO with the help of the bootcamp participation.

2. Meeting excellent and bright people I can learn from and grow together with.

Bootcamp just started last week, and it’s so cool to see how diverse the participants are.

If you’re a beginner and don’t know where to start to learn about Web3, Odyssey is the place. Visit the website, subscribe with your email and wait for the first email of the “12-days-Web3-onboarding”.

No-Code Challenge

I want to have the capability to build digital products but learning how to code could be challenging. While I was feeling pessimistic about that, I realised there are so many tools to let you build your product without writing a code: No-Code! That was quite an enlightenment for me.

While exploring the tools and learning materials, I met the 100DaysOfNoCode community and joined the 100DaysOfNoCode Challenge on the 1st of April. I’ve been dedicating one hour each day to learning and building since then.

As a first step, I decided to focus on one of my pain points and bring a solution: I’ve been using Goodreads as an online bookshelf for many years, and I’m not too fond of the UX. So I decided to build my online bookshelf app. I’m still working on it, and you’ll see it soon.

Quote of the Week

I like to be organized and give importance to planning. When I add my calm and composure, you can guess that I want to be a part of a world where things are under control and that I’m comfortable this way. In these contexts, I take on the compass role for the organizations I’m working for (Tolga, a.k.a. “safe and sound checkbox”).

While trying to learn, build and improve many things simultaneously in the last months, I realized that I envied my friends who loved going fast. They are pushing the limits by keeping themselves and the organisation in the stretch zone, which can be the critical approach to shaping the organisation’s future.

My thoughts are going back and forth between these two different ways of being while seeing this quote on my desktop. It can be the right time to speed up.

Progress Report

Since I decided to get into tech, I realized that I need to set smart goals and define a tracking system to evaluate whether I’m going in the right direction. So I started to look for a solution (a free one, if possible) to create my dashboard and reports to track the progress. After an exploration phase, I decided to move on with a Google Sheets and Google Data Studio combo. I’m working on the dashboard and graphs, which I’ll embed on my website when they’re ready. Until that time, here is a sneak peek of the report.

Please let me know if you want to hear more details about any of these. I’m ready to share more.

Stay curious until next time ✌🏼

Tolga

Welcome to the first edition of my newsletter. In this first edition, I will briefly write what you will find in this newsletter.

For the last three months, I have been taking a new direction. I’m navigating subjects such as no-code, product development, entrepreneurship, and web3. As you can imagine, I’ll share my learning about these issues in my newsletter.

If you are already competent in these matters, my newsletter may be too simple for you. However, if you are a beginner and interested in learning, you are in the right place. You’ll get information in small chunks and I’ll share the resources if you want to dig any deeper.

Here are some of the titles in my mind right now:

What did I learn? The summary of my learnings from the last week.

Similar Stories: I will share the stories of people who have taken a similar journey as me.

Tip of the Week: An app to possibly make your life easier.

Blog/Podcast of the Week: I intend to share content that interests me among the things I read or listen to that week.

It’s my first time going on a road like this. I look forward to your suggestions.