Creating a more diverse tech workspace requires a different kind of “pipeline” – one that creates tech curiosity and a sense of mastery in underrepresented teammates from an early age.

Commodity hardware and DevOps principles can play a role.

I’ll share how $65 of pre-integrated parts, small batch sizes and limiting WIP resulted in squeals of delight from my six-year-old daughter as she learned she could code, deploy, test and iterate until the software and hardware did what she wanted it to.

The key (and not just with six-year-olds) is fast cycle time! In sprints of 5-10 minutes each, she was able to write and deploy code, test, and iterate (all without handoffs or waiting for resources).

I’ll end with a QR code for you to easily clone this idea for your own home and any community you are connected with.