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In Conversation with
A Techronicler interview with Robin Macfarlane, President & CEO, RRMac Associates, LLC
Techronicler: Everyone has an origin story! What was the first piece of technology you ever broke, built, or fell in love with?
Robin Macfarlane:
My first love in technology was a Reel to Reel Recorder; this was around 1960, and I was a child then. I actually took that thing apart and fixed it! When I got older, I realized that was the same technology that was used in computing – recording music on tape or saving data on tape was the same concept. Tape or Disc storage just made sense to me and I’ve carried that with me throughout my life.
Techronicler: A lot of careers look like straight lines on LinkedIn. How was yours different? Was there a pivotal moment or ‘happy accident’ that actually steered you toward your current role or niche?
Robin Macfarlane:
I never planned on starting my own company; that was an outgrowth of being excessed from one of the major SCM software companies back in 2005. However, I have been fortunate in my career to have been employed in a variety of roles over the years: I was a tape librarian, systems programmer, systems manager, a QA Manager, I worked with storage and security, performance and tuning, change and configuration management, disaster recovery, I beta tested several products for IBM both as a customer and a business partner, and I was one of the developers of Rocket® ChangeMan® ZMF back when it was owned by Serena Software. Because I have been lucky enough to have experienced the SCM landscape from every point of view, so to speak, I think that helps drive RRMac’s approach towards engagements; the ability to not only understand, but empathize with, the struggles and pain points of each player in the DevOps/Mainframe Modernization field, because I experienced them firsthand at one point or another in my career.
Techronicler: What is the one problem or project that is taking up 80% of your brain space this month?
Robin Macfarlane:
The need for project managers across the mainframe modernization playing field to create, present, and explain accurate project timelines to clients, especially if it’s a large project that involves sub-contractors and/or business partners. For successful adoption, customers need realistic amounts of time for adjustment, training, etc. I’ve seen too many projects lately that prioritize checking a box on a plan, instead of ensuring the customer is set up for long term success. This type of work shouldn’t be about sending the next invoice; it needs to be about sensible rollout that ensures adoption of new tools and mindsets. True modernization is a marathon, not a sprint!
Techronicler: How do you define the role of a manager when 40% of your team’s ‘output’ is generated by autonomous AI agents?
Robin Macfarlane:
Well, first of all, that percentage is not accurate for my development teams. They aren’t allowed to be what I call ‘lazy developers’ who rely on AI to write and test their code. So my mangers, by definition, have to be knowledgeable mentors, who not only understand the process we are coding for, but who can also write, test, and fix whatever codebase they are writing in. We do have R&D teams involved in various AI projects, but those teams have been able to make AI ‘hallucinate’, and what’s more, the accuracy rate of AI generated code on the mainframe is less than 50%- you can’t deploy code that you can’t rely on- not when the systems you are coding for represent worldwide financial and healthcare industries.
Techronicler: Can you describe a time you had to intervene in an AI-driven decision that felt technically correct but ethically or culturally misaligned?
Robin Macfarlane:
We had a situation come up where we had to develop something for a customer quickly, so we did a prototype using AI, tested it, and the program worked. But since the team didn’t write the code, if they needed to debug it for some reason, we knew it would take longer to do that. They didn’t write it, didn’t know what logic was used to create it – they just knew it worked. If you have AI write all of your code, then you don’t actually know what your code is or why it works. Plus, there is the legal issue of who owns the code that AI writes. I personally want to know that my company has ownership of what we develop. I made the decision that as a company, we don’t use AI to write code. We use AI to assist us when we are prototyping and researching. It may have taken a bit longer for us to write the solution that met the customer’s need, but in the long run, it just makes more sense to retain the human development factor for the reasons I mentioned.
Techronicler: Tell us about a time you had to make a deeply unpopular technical decision (e.g., killing a feature, swapping a tech stack) that turned out to be the right call. How did you handle the pushback?
Robin Macfarlane:
I have made several decisions about where RRMac software and solutions can run. I do not allow some of our solutions to run in the cloud base, and that’s for our customer’s security. When we implement our software, we run it on premises. We don’t take any customer data outside of their network. There was pushback, but once I explained the security risks surrounding the decision, it was recognized as the right call. Also, a lot of our Fortune 100 Health and Financial customers have their own security practices that prohibit out of network access, so it is counterproductive for us to build our solutions that way in the first place.
Techronicler: If you were given $10M to start a company today in a niche outside of your current field, what problem would you solve?
Robin Macfarlane:
I have actually thought about this! I really enjoy cooking, a lot of people in my family have varying degrees of gluten allergies, and when we want to get together or go out to eat, it’s a challenge to find a restaurant in my area that has more than one gluten free option. I would open a 100% gluten-free restaurant or food truck to give people a wider variety of healthy, gluten-free food choices they don’t have to prepare themselves.
Techronicler: What specific ‘quality gates’ or documented pathways have you built to help individual contributors make their first leap into leadership?
Robin Macfarlane:
We have a very robust internship, apprenticeship, and mentorship program at RRMac. Depending on the level of experience of the individual, when they join the RRMac team, they are automatically enrolled in one of these programs. They are structured in a way that allows for growth, education, collaboration, contribution, and ownership at every level. Over time, employees are given increasing amounts of responsibility, until one day, a leadership role just seems like the natural next step, as opposed to a leap they aren’t prepared to make.
Techronicler: What is the single best piece of advice you’ve ever received about negotiating—whether for salary, headcount, or project timelines?
Robin Macfarlane:
I’m frequently told by my executive team that I’m too nice, and need to be tougher on negotiations. However, I try to negotiate from a point of respect, which isn’t always how other companies approach things, so I just try to strike a balance that feels good morally, but doesn’t hurt my company.
Techronicler: What is the one book every leader in tech should read this year?
Robin Macfarlane:
Who Moved My Cheese, by Dr. Spencer Johnson was very popular in the 1990’s, but it had a lasting impact. Most people are fearful of change, and being in the Software Change Management field, I found it held a lot of wisdom not only for myself, but for others in the tech field as well. The book explains how to take fear and anxiety out of the future and how to manage and accept change in order to have a positive impact on not only your job, but your life in general.
Techronicler: What is a piece of ‘common wisdom’ in the tech industry that you completely disagree with?
Robin Macfarlane:
I don’t know if it’s common wisdom, but the trend towards thinking AI will write your code, solve your staffing problems, and make life easier is what comes to mind. It’s a nice dream, and maybe one day we will get there, but from where I sit, and my experience with AI so far, we just aren’t there yet.
Techronicler: How do you create ‘leadership moments’ for junior team members before they officially have a title?
Robin Macfarlane:
This ties back to the question on pathways to leadership we have at RRMac. We have HS and college interns, as well as junior developers, who are given the space and support needed to contribute to a ‘real world’ project. They are typically paired with an experienced mentor who is available for guidance when needed, but they are encouraged to actively participate, contribute, and see their work play out for real customers. Whenever possible, managers will ‘call out’ their successes and contributions to the rest of the team. By allowing junior staffers the opportunity to achieve success and earn recognition, they develop the self-confidence to seek out more responsibility, volunteer to lead projects, and follow that natural path to leadership we spoke about earlier.
Techronicler: If you were tasked with reducing the carbon footprint of your department’s compute strategy by 20% this year, where would you start?
Robin Macfarlane:
RRMac Associates is a 100% remote company, and most of our staff is very eco-conscious already, so this is a tough one. We are moving from an IBM z14 to an IBM z16 mainframe, which I understand represents around a 75% reduction in energy consumption and has significantly lower CO2 emissions, so…. does that count?
Techronicler: As a leader, how do you architect workflows to reduce the ‘mental load’ and cognitive burnout of your team in a 24/7 digital environment?
Robin Macfarlane:
I try to be as flexible as possible when it comes to schedules and allow my staff to strike a healthy work/family balance. We have a saying at RRMac; “Family First.” Work is important, but your family is the priority. If someone needs to take an afternoon off for a doctor appointment, or log off early to take their kids to a game, that’s fine. There’s no pressure to make work your highest priority, or censure when you can’t, or account for every hour of PTO. We always have coverage and backup in place, so our project deliverables are never impacted. There is no single point of failure. I have found that when you respect your employees, and their personal lives, you get respect back, and people naturally perform better and feel empowered to do a better job.
Techronicler: How do you evaluate ‘potential over polish’ during the hiring process to ensure a more equitable team?
Robin Macfarlane:
Rather than ask a lot of typical interview questions, I try to engage in an open and honest conversation with the person I’m interviewing. Of course, we discuss highly technical scenarios, and the ‘nuts and bolts’ of the job they are interviewing for, but by asking people about their lives, and being honestly interested in their answers, I’m able to judge if the person will fit well on a team. I make a point of getting to know a person, not just their resume or references, before hiring them. Then, oftentimes, I’ll ask my senior management team to have a conversation, and give their opinion on how well the applicant may fit in. This way, I’m not constantly fighting staffing fires- I’m building teams with varied experience levels, complementary strengths and weaknesses, and allowing senior management valuable input. All of which increases retention rates and sets everyone up for long term success.
With over 45 years of experience in Enterprise IT transformation, Robin Macfarlane has been a key driver of innovation in mainframe modernization. Under her leadership, RRMac has helped global enterprises modernize their core systems, embrace DevOps, and prepare for the future. Robin is a visionary leader who has positioned RRMac Associates as one of the top global brands in Mainframe Legacy and DevOps transformation.