With the mountains of Python code that it’s possible to generate now, how’s your code review going? What are the limitations of human review, and where does machine review excel? Christopher Trudeau is back on the show this week with another batch of PyCoder’s Weekly articles and projects.

We discuss a recent piece from Glyph titled, “What Is Code Review For?” We dig into the limitations of human review and where software tools like linters and formatters can help you. We cover the challenges developers and open-source maintainers face with the rise of LLM-generated code and pull requests.

We also share other articles and projects from the Python community, including a collection of recent releases and announcements, creating publication-ready tables from DataFrames, choosing the right Python task queue, mastering context managers, statically checking Python dicts for completeness, an open-source inventory management system, and an ORM-based backend for Django tasks.

This episode is sponsored by SerpApi.

Topics:

• 00:00:00 – Introduction
• 00:02:32 – DuckDB 1.5.0 Released
• 00:03:11 – PyPy v7.3.21 Released
• 00:03:30 – Sunsetting Jazzband
• 00:04:08 – Thoughts on OpenAI acquiring Astral and uv/ruff/ty
• 00:05:19 – Great Tables: Publication-Ready Tables From DataFrames
• 00:10:24 – Comparing PDF Table Extraction Tools
• 00:11:53 – Sponsor: SerpApi
• 00:12:55 – Choosing the Right Python Task Queue
• 00:16:57 – Mastering Python Context Managers
• 00:22:40 – Statically Checking Python Dicts for Completeness
• 00:25:00 – Spotlight: Intermediate Python Deep Dive
• 00:26:16 – What Is Code Review For?
• 00:43:48 – usdatasets: Installable Collection of Datasets on USA
• 00:45:22 – InvenTree: OSS Inventory Management System
• 00:48:01 – django-tasks-db: An ORM-based Backend for Django Tasks
• 00:49:41 – Thanks and goodbye

News:

• DuckDB 1.5.0 Released
• PyPy v7.3.21 Released
• Sunsetting Jazzband
• Thoughts on OpenAI acquiring Astral and uv/ruff/ty
• OpenAI Acquiring Astral: A 4th Option for Fun - Will Vincent

Show Links:

• Great Tables: Publication-Ready Tables From DataFrames – Learn how to create publication-ready tables from Pandas and Polars DataFrames using Great Tables. Format currencies, add sparklines, apply conditional styling, and export to PNG.
• Comparing PDF Table Extraction Tools – This article explores three Python tools for PDF table extraction: Docling, Marker, and LlamaParse. Learn which handles merged cells and multi-level headers best.
• Choosing the Right Python Task Queue – Python has great options for task queues. Choosing between Celery and RQ isn’t an easy decision. Jump in and learn how each option compares!
• Mastering Python Context Managers – Go beyond just using open() and learn how Python context managers work and where they are useful.
• Statically Checking Python Dicts for Completeness – To keep code concerns separate, you might have two data structures (like an Enum and a dict) that are supposed to change in sequence: adding a value to the Enum requires you to add a similar value in the dict. This is common when separating business logic from UI code. This article shows you ways of making sure the corresponding changes happen together.

Discussion:

• What Is Code Review For? – This post explores just what you should and should not use code reviews for. Learn when to use linters to catch problems vs when human review is important.
• Your job is to deliver code you have proven to work

Projects:

• usdatasets: Installable Collection of Datasets on USA
• InvenTree: OSS Inventory Management System
• django-tasks-db: An ORM-based Backend for Django Tasks

Additional Links:

• Episode #214: Build Captivating Display Tables in Python With Great Tables
• Great Blogposts – great_tables
• Python’s with Statement: Manage External Resources Safely – Real Python
• Context Managers and Using Python’s with Statement – Real Python
• Episode #183: Exploring Code Reviews in Python and Automating the Process
• Episode #246: Learning Intermediate Python With a Deep Dive Course

Level up your Python skills with our expert-led courses:

• Modern Python Linting With Ruff
• Context Managers and Using Python's with Statement
• Creating Asynchronous Tasks With Celery and Django

Support the podcast & join our community of Pythonistas

Iryna Stelmakh: The Firewall Product Owner, Turning PO Anti-Patterns Into Opportunities for Growth

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

The Great Product Owner: Market-Oriented and Vision-Driven

"Great product owners don't just manage backlog items — they own the product vision and make sure the team understands how their work creates real value." — Iryna Stelmakh

Iryna describes the best product owners she's worked with through three qualities. First, they understand the market and the users deeply. Second, they can explain the business logic behind decisions — not just what to build, but why it matters. Third, they work closely with the team and treat them as partners in solving problems, not executors of tasks. The best PO Iryna worked with was responsible for sharing the business mindset, giving the team perspective and the possibility to contribute beyond the technical work. Everything was organized around a shared goal, and the team understood how their work created real value. As Vasco observes, when a PO just drops tasks without explaining why they matter, the team becomes "just a pair of hands." Great product owners create allegiance through understanding.

Self-reflection Question: Does your product owner share enough business context that your team could independently suggest features or improvements — or are they only able to execute what they're told?

The Bad Product Owner: The Firewall Who Blocks All Business Context

"We were working without the product mindset, without the product vision." — Iryna Stelmakh

Iryna shares the story of what she calls the Firewall Product Owner — a PO who constantly said "I need to go ask someone" for every decision, but never brought back answers. The result: backlog items lacked clarity, priorities changed frequently, and the team couldn't understand the real product direction. They were working without a product mindset or vision. As Vasco frames it, this PO wasn't just a proxy — they were a firewall, blocking the team from accessing any business context or market knowledge. The team couldn't reach the market representatives because they didn't even know who was on the other side.

Iryna's approach to this kind of situation: escalate with suggestions, not just complaints. Turn problems into opportunities and extensions — propose bringing in a business analyst to support the PO, or suggest restructuring the communication between the business and technical sides. In her case, the client eventually recognized the problem and replaced the PO with someone who could actually bridge the gap. The new PO changed everything.

In this episode, we also refer to the concept of turning problems into opportunities.

Self-reflection Question: When your product owner is unable to provide timely answers, do you escalate with specific suggestions for improvement — or do you simply wait and hope things get better?

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Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she's caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn't just about the product—it's about the people.

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About Iryna Stelmakh

Iryna Stelmakh is a Project & Delivery Leader and Agile Coach who helps leaders turn complexity into clarity. With 10+ years across US, Nordic, and Eastern European environments, she works at the intersection of business transformation and human systems, building resilient organizations and high-performing teams in complex contexts.

You can link with Iryna Stelmakh on LinkedIn.

About Will

Will Linssen has been recognized as a LinkedIn Top Executive Coaching Voice, serves as advisor to Harvard Business Review, has been ranked World’s#1 Leadership Coach by Global Gurus and World’s #1 Coach Trainer by Thinkers 50, and has attained the highest accreditation – Master Certified Coach from the International Coaching Federation. His latest book, Triple Win Leadership Coaching, is an international #1 Bestseller at Amazon. With 30 years of leadership experience across North America, Asia, and Europe, Will serves as CEO of the Global Coach Group, the world’s most renowned international leadership coaching network.

Will has been ranked as the World’s # 1 Leadership Coach by Global Gurus (USA) and recognized as #1 Coach Trainer by Thinkers50 (UK). Furthermore, Will is a Master Certified Coach at the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and co-author of the Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching methodology. For over two decades, he has been working with executive teams to measurably improve their leadership and team effectiveness. He has held several positions in general management and business management at multinational companies in Europe, North America, and Asia, and he has served at the board of several multinationals in Asia. Will travels the globe training executive coaches and coaching business leaders using GCG’s highly effective methodology.

Clients consistently commend his results-driven personality combined with his confident, energetic, and relatable style. A good listener and problem solver with in-depth business knowledge and cross-cultural understanding, he has been recognized for his creative and analytical skills, and most of his executive clients hold international positions in a wide range of industries at Fortune 500 Cos across the USA, LATAM, Europe, Asia, and Australia, a.o. AON, Allianz, BAT, Bayer, Coca Cola, GSK, ING, Kimberly Clark, LG, LinkedIn, McDonald’s, Novartis, Pepsi, Philips, Philip Morris, Sanofi, Standard Chartered Bank, Saudi Telecom, Saudi Institute of Public Administration, Syngenta, SC Johnson, and Uber.

Will Linssen is a globally recognized leadership coach, international #1 Amazon bestselling author, and the creator of the Triple Win Leadership Coaching methodology. His publications focus on developing measurable leadership effectiveness and helping organizations thrive through proven coaching strategies. His books, available on Amazon and wherever books are sold, serve as essential resources for leaders, coaches, and HR professionals seeking to drive performance, engagement, and growth. Below is a selection of his most impactful published works:

• Triple Win Leadership Coaching: The Coach’s Guide to More Impact, More Coaching, and More Clients (2025)
• Pinnacle of Influence: How the World’s Greatest Thought Leaders Became Global Gurus (2024, Co-Author)
• Global Leadership Coaching – Coaching and Leader Guides (2021)
• Global Leadership Assessment – Coach and Leader Guides (2021)
• Taking the Stage: Breakthrough Stories from Women Leaders (2013, Co-Author)

Today We Talked About

• Coaching
• Leadership
• Influence
• Future focused suggestion
• Action Plan
• Accountability
• Agile Coaching
• Communication properly
• Ask questions
• Becoming a coach – get certified first (ICF)
• Convert Know-how into Show-how
• Mashall Goldsmith
• AI and coaching

Connect with Will

• Book
• LinkedIn
• Website

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What does it take to trust your voice—especially when the work you’re called to do feels bigger than you? We sit down with Celina Mattock to talk about the experiences that shaped her path to the TEDx stage—and the inner work that made it possible. Celina shares her journey through tech and consulting, where her background in communications and organizational development helped her understand not just systems and data, but the very human ways people respond to change. We explore the internal conversations so many women in tech know well—Am I enough? Do I belong here?—and how those questions evolve as careers, confidence, and courage grow. From leading large-scale change initiatives to leaving corporate life to build Lead Live Learn, Celina opens up about taking risks, facing fear, and translating something as intangible as confidence into something you can design, teach, and scale. She also takes us behind the scenes of her TEDx experience—how the idea emerged, the discipline of shaping it, and what it taught her about taking up space and trusting her voice in real time.