“From the very beginning of my studying I made it a rule that whenever, in any matter, I heard a sounder viewpoint, I abandoned the one I had since I know well that we know far less than what we do not know.”

- Jan Hus, visionary, 1369-1415

What "strong opinions softly held" really should mean.

"People just need to follow the process."

Nope. Elephant paths. People, like particles, do what is energetically favourable for them to do within the (normative) constraints of the system. If they aren't doing what you want, it's because your constraints don't make sense to them. #agile #advent

One can (and should; it's fun) think of a system as the metabolism of energies and materials - from raw form(s) to more useful one(s).

Energy is ephemeral, material is (more) persistent. System collapse can thus be defined as the point at which a system can no longer metabolise.

#agile #advent

It's astonishing to me how few people in the field are aware of Peter Drucker, let alone have read him. If you aren't familiar with the concept of Knowledge Work (that he coined) you aren't really managing work at all, or inevitably worse: mismanaging it. Invest in yourself and read! #agile #advent

Impact, direction, value.

In digital services the domain of product management and designers, but also very often of execs and c-suites, and - since we're talking about something readily measurable and translatable into $£€ - the Finance Office. This is unfortunate for everyone. #agile #advent

Where values-as-behaviours require much less interpretation and hence create clarity and alignment, that is equally their weakness.

When contexts change, and especially when subtle, the behaviours mislead you gradually... then suddenly. Clear into chaotic right? #agile #advent

Getting things done. Common sense. Practicality. Pragmatism. Reasonable suggestions, terrible values.

If pragmatism is a value, nothing else can be. Pragmatism is your sanctioned and signposted excuse to drop every other value when they become inconvenient. #advent #agile

Wow, did you even read the text Mr.Google?

Swing and a miss.

I'm not so fearful of AI (yet) as it's clearly incompetent. But I am terrified of inordinately powerful humans fetishizing the low low price point of AI vs the cost of weaker human workforces.