Is comparison with another organisation ever worthwhile? I am not so sure. Every now and then the question of benchmarking raises its ugly head. Ugly to me that is. Tom and I have ended up having a conversation over its merits. Benchmarking in itself is not bad. It is what is done in the name … Continue reading Random benchmarking
A visit to the Archive
During all of the seven years that I've wandered the corridors of County Hall I have never visited the County Records Office. I'm not really sure why. Perhaps it is because it is somewhere the public go rather than being just an office, or maybe I just have not found an excuse. As if I … Continue reading A visit to the Archive
A rollercoaster
Life is filled with ups and downs. Like grandma said in ‘Parenthood’ it's like a rollercoaster ride. There are highs and lows. Sometimes you feel like your underwater, inundated with too much work, and then you rise to the surface to gasp for air only to find the sun is shining. Once more everything is alright … Continue reading A rollercoaster
A glowing ego
I am enjoying mentoring, or is it coaching? No matter how many times I have been told what the difference is it never seems to stick. Either way, I am doing it as part of the Executive Women in ICT course we have helped put on. It is going well. I enjoy being a mentor. … Continue reading A glowing ego
Cumulating
The cloud will be the saviour of all mankind if you believe the hype. It will feed the hungry, liberate the poor and satiate our warring bloodlust. The world will be a better place thanks to the cloud. But how can a simple hosting arrangement, the rewriting of software or a transfer of revenue make … Continue reading Cumulating
Stick to the rules
What do you do if someone breaks the rules? Discipline them? Perhaps, but you can't go down this route unless you expect to carry it through which means ultimately, the threat of dismissal. People who break the rules should expect the threat of the sack. That may be fine if it is something big, such … Continue reading Stick to the rules
Apprentices again
I applaud the government's position on apprentices. This is not a political statement. I'm not permitted to make them in my current role. Anything that gets more young people into employment is fine by me. Even better if they are in a technical arena. The government stance is in providing skilled people for real jobs … Continue reading Apprentices again
The technology gets in the way
Somehow we always end up talking about technology. That could because we work with the stuff, yet technology is built by people, to be used by people for the benefit of people. So all of our conversations should really come back to people. But somehow we always end up talking about tech. We’re up in … Continue reading The technology gets in the way
Shaping Water
The Shape of water is a book by Andrea Camilleri. It is a quote from a Bruce Lee films. It is the shape that our service needs to be. This is a topic that I keep coming back to. It haunts me and excites me. Water can be any shape. Try it. It can be … Continue reading Shaping Water
Forget bimodal
Have you heard about bimodal IT? It's a new one on me. Apparently it is one of Gartner’s and has been around for a while. I can't be expected to keep all of the jargon. That would be a lifetime's work. In short, bimodal means that there are two types of IT. The stuff that … Continue reading Forget bimodal
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 