# John Taylor on the Embedded Systems Cookbook

- Show: [The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast)
- Published: 2025-03-05
- Length: 44m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2025-03-05-john-taylor-on-the-embedded-systems-cookbook
- Listen: https://agileembeddedpodcast.com/episodes/john-taylor-on-the-embedded-systems-cookbook-2o5nGcOc

## Summary

John Taylor, co-author of 'The Embedded Project Cookbook' with Wayne Taylor, discusses his 30+ years of embedded systems experience and the practical 'recipes' in his new book. He contrasts this hands-on project management guide with his previous work, 'Patterns in the Machine', emphasizing the need to establish a critical mass of requirements and software architecture before coding begins. Taylor argues for opinionated, early-stage infrastructure setup—including CI/CD, branching strategies, and Software Development Plans—to make releases predictable and avoid the chaos of late-stage scrambling.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2025-03-05-john-taylor-on-the-embedded-systems-cookbook#t=0) Introduction and Book Overview
- [1:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2025-03-05-john-taylor-on-the-embedded-systems-cookbook#t=97) Comparison to Patterns in the Machine
- [4:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2025-03-05-john-taylor-on-the-embedded-systems-cookbook#t=284) Target Audience and Agile vs Waterfall
- [11:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2025-03-05-john-taylor-on-the-embedded-systems-cookbook#t=714) The Software Development Plan
- [17:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2025-03-05-john-taylor-on-the-embedded-systems-cookbook#t=1048) Foundation Setup and CI/CD
- [24:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2025-03-05-john-taylor-on-the-embedded-systems-cookbook#t=1488) Managing Product Variants and the Main Pattern
- [34:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2025-03-05-john-taylor-on-the-embedded-systems-cookbook#t=2080) Communication and Team Culture
- [39:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2025-03-05-john-taylor-on-the-embedded-systems-cookbook#t=2393) Ongoing Releases and Conclusion

## Topics

- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Design for manufacturing & NPI](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/design-for-manufacturing)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

established companies

## Mentioned

- The Embedded Project Cookbook (product)
- Patterns in the Machine (product)
- Wayne Taylor (other)
- APress (company)
- Amazon (company)
- GitHub (company)
- FreeRTOS (product)
- Teams (tool)
- ICQ (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [211: 4 weeks, 3 days](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-08-17-211-4-weeks-3-days) (Embedded.fm)
- [211: 4 weeks, 3 days (Repeat)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-01-31-211-4-weeks-3-days-repeat) (Embedded.fm)
- [53: Being a Grownup Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-05-28-53-being-a-grownup-engineer) (Embedded.fm)
- [53: Being a Grownup Engineer (Repeat)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-09-28-53-being-a-grownup-engineer-repeat) (Embedded.fm)
- [16: Democracy Is the Worst Form of Government](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2013-08-28-16-democracy-is-the-worst-form-of-government) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

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