Automation

There is currently quite a lot of noise about internal developer platforms <<insert obligatory Garter link>> as an aid to ease complexity and smooth the path to work, productivity and software delivery. What is an Internal Developer Platform and is it a good idea? The most popular example of an IDP is Backstage. I’ve seen …

Over the last week I’ve been exploring the themes surrounding what can go wrong and what can go right when trying to please your customers with your software product. Focus on the CI/CD pipeline (Is Your CI Doing Valuable Work?), the backlog (How To Know When Your Backlog Sucks), how your team is set up …

There is an oft-misattributed quote thats goes: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Narcotics Anonymous 12-step programme Many people think it’s by Albert Einstein or by Benjamin Franklin but it’s actually in the 12-step rehabilitation programme of Narcotics Anonymous. The quote resonates with us all. …

When considering whether or not to automate, or what and when to automate, consider your mission. What type of a business are you? Service industry, retail, products? If you have a long tail of customers to support you are undoubtedly in a knowledge business. Prepare and protect your systems appropriately and plan and make your …

This US English idiom* comes up a lot in software development. Why and what is it? It means being too close to a problem that you can’t see the bigger picture. Mostly this means that you have no idea why you started doing something, you’re so busy in the middle of executing a path of …

In Bullshit Jobs, American anthropologist David Graeber posits that the productivity benefits of automation have not led to a 15-hour workweek, as predicted by economist John Maynard Keynes in 1930, but instead to “bullshit jobs”: “a form of paid employment that is so completely pointless, unnecessary, or pernicious that even the employee cannot justify its existence even though, as part …

I went to see the Stones last night. Yes the Rolling Stones. They were very good but the real show was on our side of the stage. The average age had to be 50+. When a bunch of older people get excited and stay up too late, things happen. There were many paramedics on standby. …

The gift of time. Is there anything more precious other than perhaps love? If you are lucky enough to manage your own time then make sure you own it. If you don’t – others will plunder it and make it theirs. Example? I’ve been doing daily writing for the last 30 days. Hooray. So what’s …

Looking back to the start of the week, how did you get on with the challenge of transforming your schedule? One of the benefits of having a schedule is that it should confront you. There are things that you need to do, you’ve committed to. If you find yourself avoiding them, postponing them or dreading …

This week on “Automation for the Nation” I’m considering the possibility that your systems and your positioning are closely related. Positioning – for those who are uninitiated – is the marketing strategy of placing your brand or product in the mind of the target audience through a variety of techniques. This was itself inspired by …