Personas have become ubiquitous in many organisations, and are typically used as part of the digital development cycle and latterly transformation programs. Project Managers and interventionists come across this tool more frequently and since 2010 I have seen them used in six different public, private and third sector organisations. For some time I have wanted to do a little … [Read more...] about Reflecting upon Personas
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Designing and doing in a traditional programme environment
As services improvement specialists the ability to explore, understand and adapt to the different situations that we find is critical. And sometimes the pieces of work that we take-on are ‘make it happen’ tasks in traditional project and programme environments. Intended outcomes have been specified and work has been broken-down and packaged-up as part of a large program, with … [Read more...] about Designing and doing in a traditional programme environment
To understand effectiveness university leaders should study demand
One of the quickest ways for university leaders to understand the effectiveness of their services is to study demand. When done right, such studies will provide a student perspective that can act as a sophisticated way to reframe student services. Studying demand in a university As a consultant I conducted a demand analysis (adapted to meet constraints and to fit within … [Read more...] about To understand effectiveness university leaders should study demand
Consulting advice is serious business
Despite widespread humour about business consultants giving advice, it is a serious endeavour. Bad advice harms companies and livelihoods. I wanted to illustrate the mechanics of advice-giving with an example from internal consulting practice. A CIO asks for an opinion A Chief Information Officer (CIO) asked for advice during an IT development freeze. One team had … [Read more...] about Consulting advice is serious business
Seeing distance learning module production as a system
Recently a department responsible for the digital design and build of distance learning modules asked me to assess the feasibility of introducing new technology and agile. A quick-look identified that an expanded study was necessary. Excavating the system It can take some time for a module to progress from initial idea, through the process of design, content creation and … [Read more...] about Seeing distance learning module production as a system