Category: Themes

"We need new systems. The old ones don't work. They're all fragmented and siloed. We need to work better together. We need to break the silos." That's a made up quote, but a recounting of a story that I have heard in many different organisations over many years now. And increasingly it feels like it's … Continue reading The Semiotics of Software

This week I have learned: to reflect on how hierarchy impacts on the way in which I think about things.that a quick response in the first instance doesn't help if then nothing happens.that Podcast Powered Projects are a thing again.the importance and significance of pronouns... I and my versus We and Our in particular.that there … Continue reading Weeknote 553: hierarchy

There's a lot of talk about "hybrid" working these days, but probably not a lot of clarity about what it actually might mean. For me there's one key question: how do you allow groups of people to effectively interact when some of them are sharing the same physical space and others are "dialling in". Traditionally … Continue reading Bridging the divide

This week I have learned: quite how much my eldest likes his new school blazer (how much? a lot)how the dynamics of a group can be shaped by so fewhow overwhelming complexity can becomethat the ethics project is right on trackthat I'm already missing Troythat petrol is really messythat I might have a publisherinevitably you … Continue reading Weeknote 549: Secondary School

One of my typically sarcastic tweets seemed to chime with people last week. https://twitter.com/ballantine70/status/1428628244052520968 Parking apps are becoming like Tribbles in the UK. They're cute and fluffy on the outside, but pose a distinct risk of overpopulating your smartphone. Unlike Tribbles, the also mostly offer a truly terrible user experience. They provide a good case … Continue reading Stages of digital transformation

I’ve recently started running. Well, I say running. It’s more like short bursts of below par jogging interspersed with heavy breathing and walking. Yes, I’m doing the Couch to 5k programme. It’s got me thinking about my relationship with sport and exercise. And particularly how ideas of sport and sporting excellence have significantly clouded my … Continue reading Sport

This week I have learned: the phrase "because of Covid and Brexit" are going to be being used a lot in the next few years, mostly after a statement about something that is bad.not everything is like an Amazon shopping cart. Bad UI design patterns emerge when that is not understood.I feel like I might … Continue reading Weeknote 545: Tiger Team

I'm a Watford fan. You may already know this about me. Being a football fan, particularly being a fan of a smaller club, is a tribal thing. A thing of faith. A secular religion. Every so often The Algorithms suggest that I should be interested in other football teams. Google offers me news articles about … Continue reading Ooo are you?

This week I have learned: how automation can lead to significant errors if you miss human checks that once existed unseen in the manual process.how good it was to at last get to another Cardstock session.that my little boy is growing up fast.that algorithms lack anthropology.that replanning a whole bunch of stuff is a very … Continue reading Weeknote 543 – the long game