The IT Skeptic - slow

Considerations for Multi-Speed IT

skeptic — Mon, 11 May 2015 04:37:21 +0000

Recently I posted about the "Big idea" I am focused on for 2015: Multi-Speed IT Capability. Let's drill down into some of the further considerations that come out of that.

Multi-Speed IT

skeptic — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 23:07:32 +0000

Enterprises are wrestling with the conflicting needs to chase competitiveness in a world of endlessly changing technology, whilst still remaining mindful and careful. In IT we are caught in the same bind. I have written about this squeeze before in "To Protect and Serve".

This year I'm looking at solutions: how IT can deal with the dichotomy with Multi-Speed IT. By embracing Agile, DevOps, BYOD and other "liberation" approaches, and integrating them into our ITSM, risk, and governance practices, we can create an IT environment with a better chance of responding at the speed of business, whatever the business chooses that speed to be. This article proposes a nuanced approach to two-speed IT, where each lifecycle implementation is a blend of the two "speeds".

Darwin doesnt justify change

skeptic — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 20:27:56 +0000

I heard this one again recently: "survival of the most adaptable". To be clear: Darwin did NOT ever say "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change." Because it is NOT true. Change is not essential and it certainly isn't always a good thing.

Meet In The Middle: Slow IT and Fast IT

skeptic — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 03:04:51 +0000

I've talked before about the need for Slow IT. Here then is a strategy for IT to address the issue, to make a value proposition for the parent organisation about how Slow IT will deliver benefit, will allow IT to be more response, will enable Fast IT.

Slow business

skeptic — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:17:44 +0000

Some links to discussion on "Slow Business" as a background to my work on "Slow IT"

Chicken ITle calls out the end of Service Desk

skeptic — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 23:41:20 +0000

As part of my ongoing theme of Slow IT, I'm introducing a new character to the blog, Chicken ITle (how appropriate just before Easter). Chicken ITle draws our attention to those who announce catastrophic consequences for IT if we don't all rush off and do something. Usually these sky-falling folk are either analysts or vendors, because both profit from fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD).

The mad competitive scramble

skeptic — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 04:05:27 +0000

The rate of change in IT is unsustainable, and is in fact a crowd hysteria. Just because the technology is changing that fast doesn't mean we have to, or can.

A major driver for that scrabbling rush is "competition". That is an over-used trump-card that needs some close skeptical scrutiny in all the companies playing it. Tweet this

Slow IT

skeptic — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:28:32 +0000

Slow IT is a provocative name. It doesn't mean IT on a go-slow. It means slowing down the pace of business demands on IT so as to focus better on what matters, and to reduce the risk to what already exists. The intent of Slow IT is to allow IT to deliver important results more quickly. It does this by concentrating on the interfaces between business executives and CIOs. Slow IT highlights the importance of Governance of IT and of Service Portfolio in order to make the right decisions to do the right things in the right way at the right time, to maximise benefit and minimise risk. Slow IT challenges the hysterias and fads of IT to ensure that these results are really needed as quickly as we think they are. Slow IT is about trying to introduce more measured responses, to bring some sanity to the current dangerous madness that is organisational IT.