Systems Thinking

2 years, 9 months ago

Creating the Corporate Future

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As enterprise architecture has developed as a discipline over the last 25 years, it has borrowed significantly from business strategy. Given this, it is important to recognize and understand the business strategy underpinnings of enterprise architecture. A great example is the “Creating the Corporate Future” written by strategic, systems thinker Russell Ackoff. This article will share some of the key insights from the book that were building blocks of enterprise architecture, so you be an even better enterprise architect and strategic thinker.

5 years, 9 months ago

Form Follows Function on SPaMCast 471

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It’s time for another appearance on Tom Cagley’s Software Process and Measurement (SPaMCast) podcast. Last week’s episode, number 471, features Tom’s essay on the top 20 transformation killers. Jeremy Berriault‘s QA corner is about involving testers in the requirements process. My Form Follows Function segment rounds out the podcast, covering my post “Systems Thinking Complicates […]

5 years, 10 months ago

Form Follows Function on SPaMCast 467

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It’s time for another appearance on Tom Cagley’s Software Process and Measurement (SPaMCast) podcast. This week’s episode, number 467, features Tom’s excellent essay on value (value is one of those simple-seeming, but complex concepts). Jeremy Berriault‘s QA corner covers testing in difficult circumstances. I bat cleanup with a Form Follows Function segment discussing my post […]

5 years, 11 months ago

Form Follows Function on SPaMCast 463

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I’m back for another appearance on Tom Cagley’s Software Process and Measurement (SPaMCast) podcast. This week’s episode, number 463, features Tom’s essay on big picture stories. This is followed by our Form Follows Function segment discussing my post “Management, Simple and Wrong – Semantics, Systems, and Self-Correction”. Jeremy Berriault‘s QA corner finishes the cast with […]

6 years, 1 month ago

Systems Thinking Complicates Things

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  I’ve had the honor and pleasure of appearing as a regular on Tom Cagley‘s SPaMCast podcast for almost three years now. Before I write one of my “Form Follows Function on SPaMCast x” posts, I always listen to the podcast to make sure that the summary is right (the implication being, relying purely on […]

6 years, 2 months ago

Management, Simple and Wrong – Semantics, Systems, and Self-Correction

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Simple responses to complex situations are both seductive and dangerous. The difficulty in juggling lots of variables tempts us to employ abstraction so as to avoid being overwhelmed. Abraham Maslow’s observation, “I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail”, applies. […]

6 years, 6 months ago

Regulating Software Development

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  Another weekend, another too good to pass up Twitter conversation during my “unplugged” time. This weekend, Grady Booch hooked me by retweeting Mike Potts tweet: Mike’s tweet was a reply to Grady’s comment on the latest news out of Uber: It’s an understandable question. It’s a reasonable question. It’s one that came up back […]

6 years, 7 months ago

Quantum Psycholosography

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Why is everything so damned interesting? Some social media friends and I were discussing the huge amount of interesting (and potentially important) stuff that comes our way and that we can’t keep up with. New books and articles pile up half read on our physical or virtual bookshelves. In the last month articles on cognition, […]

6 years, 7 months ago

This Is Winter Too, (This is Nature Too)

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This started out as a photo essay on winter. And then I read an article that disturbed me. I’m a strong supporter of rewilding. I think organizations like Rewilding Britain do great work, so it may seem strange that I was unhappy with this article about them. Near the beginning there’s a quote from George Monbiot […]

6 years, 9 months ago

Baynes and Bateson

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Back in November we said goodbye to a lovely guy and one of the finest musicians I’ve ever played with, Ifor Baynes. Most people who’ll read this have probably never heard of him. Would that the world were different.     Ifor actually died in April but this was a memorial organized by some of his closest […]