Return on no investment

There is a famous quote attributed to the American retailer John Wanamaker - "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half." It to a great extent sums up the challenge that faces the modern advertising and marketing industry - in a clamour for demonstrable, linked return … Continue reading Return on no investment

Digital Architecture: Support Services

In my last post I introduce a simple 2x2 matrix that can help to classify services within an organisation to help make sense of how digital technologies impact and can be managed effectively. We'll now look at each of the four quadrants in turn, starting with the Support services. These internal business functions, processes, departments … Continue reading Digital Architecture: Support Services

A framework for Digital Architecture

The two-by-two matrix is the stock-in-trade of the management consulting industry. There's a reason for that - they are generally pretty useful, and help to put a bit of classification onto things that helps conversations about what to do next. As mentioned in my previous post, there are a number of technology architecture frameworks that … Continue reading A framework for Digital Architecture

The red flag man

In Britain in 1865, the legislative response to the increasing introduction of self-propelled vehicles on our roads was the Locomotive Act (sometimes known as the Red Flag Act). Amongst a number of provisions,  it stipulated that self-propelled vehicles needed to be proceeded with a man walking 60 yards ahead carrying a red flag to warn … Continue reading The red flag man

Becoming a digital architect

Update - November 2015 - I've recently revised the Digital Architecture model Just before the Christmas break I wrote an article that explained why I think we are entering a new phase for technology where everyone needs to be able to understand something of the architecture of technology within the businesses they operate to make … Continue reading Becoming a digital architect

We are all architects now

Every day it seems I can barely move in the world of the Internet without another big blurb about how software and developers are changing the world. Can you humour me for a moment so that we can lance that particular boil? For every Facebook or Twitter or whatever other clever doo-dad, there's a BBC … Continue reading We are all architects now

Top Posts for 2013 – 5 to 1

  The countdown concludes... 5 Hot-desking: the osteopath’s dream February 2013 Or - why messy desks are necessarily a bad thing. 4 Meaningful job titles January 2013 How I long for a job title that my mum would understand... 3 Leap, and a net will appear* August 2013 The announcement that I was to be … Continue reading Top Posts for 2013 – 5 to 1

It’s not played on paper

There appears to be mounting press coverage at the moment about the causes and consequences of Microsoft being unable to announce the name of Steve Ballmer's successor as the next Redmond CEO. Much of that coverage appears to be about the culpability of the company's board in this, as their main job is succession planning … Continue reading It’s not played on paper

CDO – this officer is time limited

  For some time I've struggled to take job titles particularly seriously, but I was keen to refer to myself as something other than "founder" on LinkedIn because it's just a bit naff. In the end, after much thought, I went for the flippancy option and now am entitled Chief <Insert Buzzword du Jour> Officer … Continue reading CDO – this officer is time limited