Personas have become ubiquitous in many organisations, and are typically used as part of the digital development cycle and latterly transformation programs. Project Managers and interventionists come across this tool more frequently and since 2010 I have seen them used in six different public, private and third sector organisations. For some time I have wanted to do a little … [Read more...] about Reflecting upon Personas
Book reviews
Beyond Command and Control by John Seddon
If you are interested in profound thinking on transformation, change and improvement then I recommend John Seddon's ‘Beyond Command and Control’ (2019). And for those of you who have read the precursor 'Freedom from Command and Control' (2003), prepare to be surprised. This book marks a genuine departure in both tone and style and I believe it to be Seddon's best work. For its … [Read more...] about Beyond Command and Control by John Seddon
Freedom from Command & Control
If you are interested in effective approaches to services improvement, transformation and change then this book is a must read. Originally published in 2003, it outlines the Vanguard Method, a structured normative method designed for services. The method has three main parts: Check (study), Redesign (plan) and Roll-in (do). It is a sophisticated blend of psychology, systems … [Read more...] about Freedom from Command & Control
Systems Thinking, Systems Practice by Peter Checkland
Peter Checkland's Systems Thinking, Systems Practice (1981) is one of those seminal works that helped to move systems thinking out of the classroom and into the boardroom. In a remarkably readable book, Checkland outlines the components of Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) and takes us through the stages with case studies in organisations. What Checkland demonstrated was that … [Read more...] about Systems Thinking, Systems Practice by Peter Checkland
Whac-a-mole projects
At one point I was asked to deliver a project in a high-risk, highly-regulated service. It was an area that I hadn't worked-in before and I was pretty anxious to do no harm. Reading through the internal documentation; previous consulting reviews (including one from the big three), reports and project documentation, the organisation had repeatedly tried to solve these … [Read more...] about Whac-a-mole projects