Teapot Lid

I can’t be an expert in everything. In fact I’m not sure I am an expert in anything other than perhaps helping people to take a step back from their issues and helping them to put forward a solution. At least that is what I like to do and I am convinced that people are … Continue reading Teapot Lid

Who should run the project

This is a question that has troubled me for some time.  Who is it that should run a project, or rather which team or service should they come from?  Good project management skills are hard to find, certainly within an organisation that has a lot of operational stuff going on.  Change happens all the time … Continue reading Who should run the project

Unfolding plans 200 – Hoary chestnuts roasting

Once again that perennial problem of system specification has raised its head.  It is a hoary chestnut yet one I thinking we are making good inroads into cracking. Traditionally when we have decided we have a need for something, a new process, a new system or a new tool we would get a group together … Continue reading Unfolding plans 200 – Hoary chestnuts roasting

Unfolding plans 189 – Scrum down

It looks like I’m going to get to use scrum.  We’re going agile with our project methodology.  Goodbye PRINCE2, farewell Managing Successful Programmes and hello modernity.  Well, not quite but at least it’s a start. Project management is a bit like Enterprise Resource Planning systems.  They work very well in certain environments but don’t necessarily … Continue reading Unfolding plans 189 – Scrum down

Unfolding plans 171 – Document management

So, one of the best things about going down to the Local Government Forum in Manchester earlier this week was the drive there and back.  I know it was awful.  I said so in my blog.  We got stuck in bad traffic both on the way down as well as the drive home yet it … Continue reading Unfolding plans 171 – Document management

Unfolding plans 170 – free from location

I thought the traffic was bad through the Team Valley but having travelled to Manchester yesterday I'm thinking I've been getting away with it lightly.  Lee and I were making our way to a Local Government Strategy Forum at the Worsley Park Marriott Hotel and Country Club just north of the city.  The drive down … Continue reading Unfolding plans 170 – free from location

Unfolding plans 168 – I wouldn’t start from here

It’s an old joke when asked for directions to reply that ‘I wouldn’t have started form here’ yet it is a truism that we arrive where we are because of where we started from.  I am thinking of this in context of this year’s planning round.  We’ve started on our service plans which, while covering … Continue reading Unfolding plans 168 – I wouldn’t start from here

Unfolding plans 167 – The governors

We govern our ICT with three overlapping circles, a trefoil or a shamrock.  Our governance is a lucky charm. We have three overlapping groups that set direction and hold us all together. The Strategic ICT Group comprises directors and Head of service.  Their job is to set the direction and need for technology.  They also … Continue reading Unfolding plans 167 – The governors

Unfolding plans 166 – War and Peace

I’m not sure if I remember this correctly as it is a long time since I’ve read War and Peace.  I’ve always loved the way that the Russian classics were written and whilst it is a long book, (my version was in three separate books) it is well worth a read.  I think I have … Continue reading Unfolding plans 166 – War and Peace