For the first few decades of the automobile industry, cars looked like horseless carriages. The infrastructure to support them was ropey. There were restrictions place upon them, like having a man walking ahead with a red flag, that made them fairly useless. But over time things changed; the infrastructure to support motoring began to expand … Continue reading The typewriter-less office
Category: Management
It's tempting to sometimes think that the world neatly fits into things that are inherently knowable, and those that aren't. A world of things to which "proper" planning can be applied, and of others to which an agile approach needs to be applied in its slapdash, scruffy way. A world of clocks and a world … Continue reading Iterative bridge-building
For many years information technology focused itself on automating processes. My distant memories of studying SSADM at University were of an approach that looked at the current reality and tried to map that into a system. In my defence, University was a very long time ago and I wasn't necessarily paying attention. In recent years … Continue reading Reorganizing
There's a weird set of paradoxes that appear to be opening up in the realm of technology management in business at the moment; on the one hand technology is becoming increasingly commoditized so that the needs for running technical stuff - servers, email systems and so on - in house is diminishing. At the same … Continue reading Keeping people API
In my time working at the Government Digital Service I have to admit I got a bit weirded out by the relentless focus on User Needs. It felt cultish. To an extent it still does. But having had some time to reflect, and having spent some time working in different environments in the past six … Continue reading Business needs, user needs, theory x and theory y
During my recent research project, which I continue to write up into a coherent report for the lovely people at the LEF, one of the conversations that appeared to happen again and again with my interviewees went along the lines of: Me: "Would I be able to attribute this conversation to you?" Them: "I'd love … Continue reading Uncommunicative
A new week, a new adventure. On Monday I started a new professional challenge, at the heart of professional services organization, heading their digital initiatives. What does digital even mean these days? Well, it's everything and nothing, but for my own sanity I see it as a way of describing the ways in which technology … Continue reading Digital professional services
I've said it before, and no doubt I'll say it again: technology projects in the public sector are subject to a level of transparent scrutiny the likes of which would make most people in the private sector turn into gibbering wrecks. If it's not the National Audit Office raking over the coals, it's Parliament's Public … Continue reading When digital isn’t the answer
I've always found the telephone a stressful device. For as long as I have remembered I've generally found the idea of calling someone - particularly someone I don't know - a bit daunting. I know I'm not alone in this. On the other hand, for the most part, the written word - whether in the … Continue reading The spoken word
Right at the beginning of my career I remember my dad giving me a piece of advice: that where ever I found myself working in my career I should always regard myself as a supplier, providing my services to my client (my employer). Dad's an organizational psychologist, so he was speaking from a professional as … Continue reading Parent/Child
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