Articles for category: Initiative

June 25, 2020

Greg Thomas

What do you need me to build?

In starting work on a new feature, story, use case, issue, etc, etc – there is generally some point where you are going to get confused. Perhaps it’s a new requirement, perhaps its a new concept you’ve never heard of or maybe, despite all the time that’s been invested, it’s written in such a way as to not evoke clarity in what you need to work on, there is one simple question which will give you what you need. “What do you need me to build?” If the answer is not an immediate, direct response, there is a problem –

June 19, 2020

Greg Thomas

Which Chips Do You Want?

When someone says – “I want a bag of chips” – and you go to the store and return with a bag of chips, you are invariably destined to get the ill-fated response of – “Those aren’t the kind I wanted.” Such is life in any request for software. I want it to be blue. (But really, only in the bottom right corner). We need to be agile. (But we don’t want to change what we are doing). We should use this framework. (Not really, but it sounds nice). These are the statements that will be thrown at you as

June 5, 2020

Greg Thomas

Sayers and Doers

I like it when people do more over what they say. They don’t wait for “IT” to happen, them make “IT” happen. They don’t announce what they are doing, they roll up their sleeves, get in there and do it. They don’t call a meeting to vote on what needs to happen, they do what needs to happen and have a meeting to discuss the outcomes what they learned when they did it. Doers take the risk and let the chips fall where they may, and wherever they do, they pick them back up and start all over again. Want

May 28, 2020

Greg Thomas

Remotely Prepared Podcast

If you didn’t see it yesterday, there is a new podcast in town. In all reality, there are probably a number of them, but this one is new to me. The past few months have put an exceptional load on people and businesses as they shift their workforces to working remotely bringing up a number of new struggles and changes which they are having to implement while running their current operations. I’ve likened it to putting the car into reverse when you’re already going 100 km/hr and see how the car likes that. A colleague (Colin Harding) and I thought

May 20, 2020

Greg Thomas

What Online Conferences Miss

It would happen in more meetings than I would care to admit. But as you’re presenting, no matter the size of the group, there would be a side conversation that would start between two people at the back. It wouldn’t be malicious in intent, but the purpose was for them to discuss the topic at hand quietly and realize that they were both lost or that they both had the same question. There is strength in numbers and that’s what would then give them confidence to ask a question. In Online conferences, you don’t have someone sitting next to you.