The Future is Never Certain
We can look at what has happened in the past on projects, what is currently
happening, and what is happening in the future. If we are sloppy with our
records, we can easily have different versions of the past. If we are weak in
our communications, we can even have different perspectives of the present. With
care we can avoid both of these issues, but it is safe to say that when we are
looking into the future, we can never be certain of what will happen. This is a
limitation we need to appreciate. Read more
Why This Project?
I have heard all sorts of reasons for taking on projects. If you dissect these reasons, many boil down to rationales that are actually irrelevant. It may be that we have found some cool new technology that we can justify solves a problem if we can get it to work, or that we always kick off a new project after the last one ended, so it is time to get going on this one. Insert your inappropriate justification here. In the end, there needs to be 2 reasons for running a project: it benefits us as a business, and there is a net gain in benefits for the stakeholders over the competition (which begets the first reason). Read more
Customer Service
We’re all familiar with customer service, and likely have all kinds of stories to tell about disappointments with transactions we have had. I’ve changed cel phone carriers in disgust several times, and will never get my car serviced where I originally bought it. I have actually had a few positive surprises that have dramatically strengthened my relation with some service providers, but alas, these are outnumbered. This idea of customer service is more pervasive than we might first think. Read more
Instant Agility
I spent quite a bit of time studying martial arts in the past. While I wouldn’t say that this made me more capable of coming out of a bar fight unscathed, the effort kept me (relatively) physically fit, introduced me to my future wife, and taught me other valuable lessons. Two lessons that translates quite nicely to the workplace are the notion that you don’t become agile overnight, and that true agility transcends things like flexibility. Read more
