Among Marty Cagan’s four dimensions of product success, he lists value and usability. Value is whether customers find it valuable enough to buy. For usability “the most difficult question is … Continue reading The product battle for hearts and minds
Innovation doesn’t need to be dramatic
A long, long time ago there was a new thing called “blogs”—a kind of page or website run (at that time) by a fairly small number of people. This was … Continue reading Innovation doesn’t need to be dramatic
Rigour in process
The other day I had another bad experience buying coffee. The one I remember most was in a place that had a captive market, a long queue running out the … Continue reading Rigour in process
Writing for honesty and integrity
Honesty and integrity are important, not just for personal and social reasons, but for business reasons, too. Being honest (to others and ourselves) about our decision-making helps us make better … Continue reading Writing for honesty and integrity
Speed and simplicity beat elegance and completeness
I’ve hitched a ride on a few technological bandwagons over the years. Some of those have lasted and some haven’t. In particular I remember CORBA, SOAP and EJBs. Once upon … Continue reading Speed and simplicity beat elegance and completeness
Showing you can do the hard thing
Sometimes people don’t always act the way that’s expected of them. This might be someone in our team breaching rules of what’s acceptable, a business partner violating an agreement, or … Continue reading Showing you can do the hard thing
Learn to disagree well
Is it okay to talk about politics in the workplace? If so, what are the limits? Or are there none? In some private sector companies it’s forbidden (and that’s been … Continue reading Learn to disagree well
Operating in adversity
Adversity isn’t welcomed, but if we are forced to recognise it we can use it to our advantage. I was thinking about this recently after one tech leader commented to … Continue reading Operating in adversity
What makes a good plan?
In the new trailer to the forthcoming film “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” we get the following entertaining exchange. A group of thieves are trying to recruit an elf … Continue reading What makes a good plan?
Using the right words
When trying to persuade people of something—particularly something where the stakes are fairly high—it’s important to be aware of words that are and aren’t appropriate. This doesn’t just mean being … Continue reading Using the right words
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