It’s easy and necessary to make assumptions. If we didn’t make assumptions then we would never make any progress in our work; we would have to stop and check everything. … Continue reading Don’t assume – talk
Know when your plan will fail
The other day I was listening to a talk by Russ Vane about how to effectively design public policy. I last attended a talk by him several years ago, and … Continue reading Know when your plan will fail
Comparing requirements with needs
Throughout almost all of my technology career I’ve been involved with making sure the requirements are specified and implemented well for the products and projects I’ve been responsible for. But … Continue reading Comparing requirements with needs
We are responsible for the world we want
No doubt you, like me, were horrified by the killing of George Floyd. And maybe also by the killing of Trayvon Martin. And also Stephen Lawrence, and many others I … Continue reading We are responsible for the world we want
Seeing ourselves in world events
When I listen to, or read, the news—the really big events that are going on in the world—I always find myself bringing things home to my much smaller world. Have … Continue reading Seeing ourselves in world events
One good approach to development “research”
Normally I’m very wary of “investigation” or “research” cards in a delivery team. Sometimes there are pieces of development work that are difficult, but I usually find that when a … Continue reading One good approach to development “research”
The importance of a common language
A long time ago I co-authored an article with Mat Wall about the value we found from domain-driven design (DDD). That is a way of capturing in software the concepts … Continue reading The importance of a common language
Team optimisations can have wider consequences
This week I was listening to a great podcast conversation between Ian Gill and Andy Bold, focusing on Andy’s area of expertise, which is devops. (Disclaimer: I am part of … Continue reading Team optimisations can have wider consequences
The evolution of our organisations
I’ve been reading recently about the evolution of species, and it struck me how similar that process is to the evolution of our own organisations and their internal structures and … Continue reading The evolution of our organisations
It helps to know what not to do
In a single day, recently, I came across two things independently, but in which I saw a useful link. The first was a quote from management legend Peter Drucker: We … Continue reading It helps to know what not to do
