Poor man's bitemporal data system in SQLite and Clojure
https://www.evalapply.org/posts/poor-mans-time-oriented-data-system/index.html
#ycombinator #indie_software #B2B_Micro_SaaS #systems_thinking #technology_leadership #architecture #software_design #functional_programming #clojure #devops #shell_scripting #web_development #databases #sqlite #writing #blogging #coaching
#systems_thinking
...John says if you focus on building the capability in the organization to understand variation and to appreciate how to use #data - then you are on the right path, and can increase your influence in addition.
“You need to build into the organization things like a focus on pleasing the customer instead of pleasing your boss.” When combining all of these methods, that is when your #leadership is going to be most effective...
https://management.curiouscatblog.net/2016/09/13/lead-by-building-organizational-capability/
"Too often I see simplistic thinking used to accept that the results were good so what we did was wise or the results were bad so what we did was unwise. Sometimes those conclusions have merit. Sometimes they don’t. The results matter but understanding the nature of those results is important..."
https://management.curiouscatblog.net/2017/05/30/new-lessons-on-competition-from-mother-nature/
#Management #Leadership #critical_thinking #systems_thinking
“Toyama’s research reminds us that there are few one-size-fits-all solutions. If technology is going to improve the lives of the world’s poorest, it must be grounded in a deep understanding of human behavior and an appreciation for cultural differences.”
— Bill Gates
https://deming.org/creating-technology-solutions-that-are-appropriate-given-the-system-context/
Permaculture Instructor Andrew Millison visits a site in Oregon that has installed an series of built ponds that have renewed the water supply in a dry valley. Thinking systemically to use the water falling from the sky to enrich land (instead of just quick runoff wasting all the water).
"Good process improvement practices include:
- standardized improvement process (pdsa, or whatever)
- Going to the gemba – improvement is done where the work is done. You must go to the where the action is. Sitting in meeting rooms, or offices, reading reports and making decisions is not the way to improve effectively.
- evidence based decision making..."
https://management.curiouscatblog.net/2010/11/08/good-process-improvement-practices/
#Management #process_improvement #continual_improvement #systems_thinking #Leadership
Keeping it Old-Tool: REPL habits of a grug-brained Clojure programmer
https://www.evalapply.org/posts/demo-clojure-workflow-scicloj/index.html
#ycombinator #systems_thinking #functional_programming #architecture #software_design #technology_leadership #devops #clojure #B2B_Micro_SaaS
"give them enough rope and well designed systems that give them freedom, but also use rope to provide support. You can use rope to help people get themselves to new heights, not just to hang themselves. And you can use rope to give people freedom but also safety.
You want systems that let people take on challenges without too many restrictions but with enough support and training that you don't leave them hanging..."
https://evop.blogspot.com/2013/06/give-people-enough-rope-and-right-rope.html
...The reason the blaming a person is a bad idea is that your organization will improve much more effectively if you keep asking why.
Why did they make that error? Why did the process let them make that error? When you follow the why chain a couple more steps you can find root causes that will allow you to find a much more effective solution...
https://management.curiouscatblog.net/2006/05/03/find-the-root-cause-instead-of-the-person-to-blame/
"The purpose of a system is what it does" - Stafford Beer
The phrase "The purpose of a system is what it does" emphasizes that the true purpose of a system isn't what it claims to do or what people intend it to do—it’s revealed by its actual behavior and outcomes.
This idea is both paradoxical and powerful because it challenges us to focus on reality, not intentions or labels.
Interruptions can severely degrade your performance. The type of work you are doing impacts the cost greatly. I have spent some of my time programming web applications. When I am doing that interruptions are a huge drain on my performance (for me the costs of interruptions while programming are far higher than any other type of work I have done – many times higher). If the interruption disrupts my flow...
https://management.curiouscatblog.net/2010/05/12/interruptions-can-severely-damage-performance/
"Understanding to what extent an issue is within your control or influence can help a great deal in determining good strategies. Where you have a good chance to influence the process you can focus on strategies that may require much more of your participation to be successfully adopted.
...
there is a temporal component to your circle of influence..."
https://management.curiouscatblog.net/2010/02/09/circle-of-influence/
"The best way to have fewer bugs in the software is not to put them in in the first place. I would like to see testers become bug prevention advisors! And I think this is what happens on good teams."
Dorothy Graham
https://hexawise.com/posts/testing-smarter-with-dorothy-graham
#softwaredevelopment #software_testing #systems_thinking #management
A good management system doesn’t rely on heroic efforts to save the day. The organization is designed to succeed. It is robust. It will succeed with all the variation thrown at it by the outside world. A good management system takes advantage of the contributions people offer, but it will not perform poorly when others are relied on.
A well run organization has graceful degradation (when one component fails or one person is missing...
What’s your advice for managers who are just starting out?
Read the Leader’s Handbook by Peter Scholtes and use it as a reference to guide your actions on a weekly basis.
Learn to experiment and iterate quickly. Your main aim should be to manage the management system (which may mean the management practices used within your scope of authority or influence)...
https://management.curiouscatblog.net/2017/12/19/advice-for-managers-who-are-just-starting-out/
How to think about software quality (2022)
https://www.evalapply.org/posts/how-to-not-die-by-a-thousand-cuts/index.html
#ycombinator #systems_thinking #functional_programming #architecture #software_design #technology_leadership #devops #clojure
How to Not Die by a Thousand Cuts. Or How to Think About Software Quality (2022)
https://www.evalapply.org/posts/how-to-not-die-by-a-thousand-cuts/index.html
#ycombinator #systems_thinking #functional_programming #architecture #software_design #technology_leadership #devops #clojure
The idea that what is winning right now is best is flawed. What is successful now is dependent on the larger system and the conditions that impact that system... British Airways had to shut down flights worldwide. This has happened numerous times for major airlines in the last few years.
The systems that they settled on may seem to be working well for years and then suffer catastrophic failures. Why did they accept...
https://management.curiouscatblog.net/2017/05/30/new-lessons-on-competition-from-mother-nature/
Watch the video for much more but the basic idea of #idealized_design is to create a new design for a product, service or the organization based on existing feasibility but without the constraints of the existing setup. Then you can use that ideal to figure out a plan to move from the existing state to that idealized design. Russell #Ackoff co-authored a good book on the topic: Idealized Design...
management requires customization to the organization. You cannot just copy management practices from one place, where they are successful, to another. You can learn from what has been successful and adopt it to your organization if you have knowledge and theory and know how to test (pdsa) the effectiveness of new ideas in your organization...
https://management.curiouscatblog.net/2006/03/23/secrets-of-the-worlds-best-companies/
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