IT Leadership, Counselling and Execution
Modeling
02/02/16 16:50 Filed in: Business
Architects have it right. When commissioned to submit a construction design, they do more than write words describing what the client (thinks/says they) want: they draw what they have in mind so that they can share it and they build scale models, or virtual representations of the end result so that clients can see exactly what it will be when done.
A couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to go through the experience of building a new home for my family and got to work with a highly talented architect. Matt, obviously, sat me down at the onsite of the work and asked me what I wanted the property to be but he didn't just ask us and have us talk back at him - he showed us examples and had us tell him what we liked and what we did not like; he asked us to point out materials and finishes and shapes; we drove around looking at other properties, and, generally obsessed details such as roof tiles, brick colours and window-frame finishes. And when he came back to us with his initial designs, unsurprisingly, his proposal was more than just words on a page describing what our house could be. Just as well! He gave pictures, drawings from all angles and an app that had us able to walk through every room in the house before the old one had been knocked down.
Building a system should not be any different. What is the point in writing 60 pages of specifications which is only "correct" for a short moment in time and in the mind of the person that wrote it? Even if they read the entire spec, other people will have their own thoughts on how it is supposed to look and feel and behave and, fundamentally, what it is to do - interpretation will be so wide and will vary so much that this form of design as inappropriate for software as it would be to build a house (or a bridge or a tower or a boat or a car) without a picture or a model.
Build something, however un-functional, so that people get to see it as soon as possible - show it to them often and, as you are building the finished product, adopt a mindset of involvement, sharing and prototyping. Constant and critical input will save expensive (time and cost) rework later.
A couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to go through the experience of building a new home for my family and got to work with a highly talented architect. Matt, obviously, sat me down at the onsite of the work and asked me what I wanted the property to be but he didn't just ask us and have us talk back at him - he showed us examples and had us tell him what we liked and what we did not like; he asked us to point out materials and finishes and shapes; we drove around looking at other properties, and, generally obsessed details such as roof tiles, brick colours and window-frame finishes. And when he came back to us with his initial designs, unsurprisingly, his proposal was more than just words on a page describing what our house could be. Just as well! He gave pictures, drawings from all angles and an app that had us able to walk through every room in the house before the old one had been knocked down.
Building a system should not be any different. What is the point in writing 60 pages of specifications which is only "correct" for a short moment in time and in the mind of the person that wrote it? Even if they read the entire spec, other people will have their own thoughts on how it is supposed to look and feel and behave and, fundamentally, what it is to do - interpretation will be so wide and will vary so much that this form of design as inappropriate for software as it would be to build a house (or a bridge or a tower or a boat or a car) without a picture or a model.
Build something, however un-functional, so that people get to see it as soon as possible - show it to them often and, as you are building the finished product, adopt a mindset of involvement, sharing and prototyping. Constant and critical input will save expensive (time and cost) rework later.
Why "SquashLeague"?
21/01/16 13:46 Filed in: Sport and fitness
I'm sometimes (I'd say "often" but that wouldn't be quite right!) asked "why Squashleague, when you're neither a league or anything to do with squash…?" Well, back in the depths of history (pre-Y2K) I was managing The Metropolitan Club in Portsmouth and looking for something new while my old buddy Martin (he and I go back way, way before even Y2K to TBGS) was breaking in to the brave new world of "computers" and writing database applications for the property management sector that he worked in at the time. He encouraged me to think about doing the same (build a data application) for a space that I knew (hence Squash) and use something called the "internet" - which has, I'm assured, become even more successful than it was in 1998 - to reach customers/consumers.
My vision was that I would offer a place (on the "internet" - I could see that I was going to have to promote that!) where squash leagues would be managed on behalf of the many clubs and centres that, at that time, largely did that through someone with the patience to take down umpteen pinned sheets from a wall each month and work out, from the results, who should be moved up or down in relation to their fellow members. In this new world, next month's league positions would simply be a matter of adding scores from last month and rearranging the array (of players) after applying a mathematical algorithm. I would extend that model so that the sum of the many leagues managed there could not be exposed and players' positions in the super SquashLeague would be determined by everyone's relative performances allowing for, e.g., players to find players of a similar standard when visiting a new town or club.
The service would be free to players, offered with a small charge to the clubs that would use it for managing their leagues and I would make my fortune through it by selling onsite advertising to what was obviously going to be an important, and cash-rich demographic. Easy!
And so the site became an online family album! And even that slipped into disrepair when "cloud" offerings came along and it was not really anything - but I did continue to use the domain as my email address (thanks to Gary) and, when I came to offer myself up as a consultant, it seemed obvious to make use of what I had on the shelf. And that's why SquashLeague! I think I was just early - what do you say?
My vision was that I would offer a place (on the "internet" - I could see that I was going to have to promote that!) where squash leagues would be managed on behalf of the many clubs and centres that, at that time, largely did that through someone with the patience to take down umpteen pinned sheets from a wall each month and work out, from the results, who should be moved up or down in relation to their fellow members. In this new world, next month's league positions would simply be a matter of adding scores from last month and rearranging the array (of players) after applying a mathematical algorithm. I would extend that model so that the sum of the many leagues managed there could not be exposed and players' positions in the super SquashLeague would be determined by everyone's relative performances allowing for, e.g., players to find players of a similar standard when visiting a new town or club.
The service would be free to players, offered with a small charge to the clubs that would use it for managing their leagues and I would make my fortune through it by selling onsite advertising to what was obviously going to be an important, and cash-rich demographic. Easy!
And so the site became an online family album! And even that slipped into disrepair when "cloud" offerings came along and it was not really anything - but I did continue to use the domain as my email address (thanks to Gary) and, when I came to offer myself up as a consultant, it seemed obvious to make use of what I had on the shelf. And that's why SquashLeague! I think I was just early - what do you say?
Here's 2016
18/01/16 12:45 Filed in: Sport and fitness
New year and 2016 is my "biggest triathlon" year with a 70.3 (half ironman - lowercase branding) event in May. I haven't done any triathlon for a few years now (I think my last was Brighton or Seaford - both Olympic distance and about 5 years ago) and this one is further than I've ever done with a 2k swim, a 90k ride and a 21k run but I am better prepared and in better shape than I've ever been in. Since last summer, it has been more normal to do some form of exercise than not every day. I've upped the running (from about 150k total in 2014 to about 900k in 2015), re-started my swimming and kept going on the bike. More details will follow as I tell the story but I have the place in the Outlaw Half in May and I will be raising sponsorship in support of Cancer Research.
And, in as good a segue as I can do, it was cancer that did away with David Bowie last week. I could not, and will not try to, match any of the more lucid homages to his talent that are around and I don't go for a lot of public grieving on social media but I will say that he was a genius that, unlike most, will never be seen as tied to any particular time - he and his art (more than music) are time-less and will last.
There will be more business and or technology posts here but, for the moment, welcome to my site - please use the contact form (or any other form of communication!) to let me know what I should discuss here
And, in as good a segue as I can do, it was cancer that did away with David Bowie last week. I could not, and will not try to, match any of the more lucid homages to his talent that are around and I don't go for a lot of public grieving on social media but I will say that he was a genius that, unlike most, will never be seen as tied to any particular time - he and his art (more than music) are time-less and will last.
There will be more business and or technology posts here but, for the moment, welcome to my site - please use the contact form (or any other form of communication!) to let me know what I should discuss here