Saturday 31 August 2013

Following the 'Roadmap'

OK so you produce the 'roadmap' for how to start to integrate the new systems into the old - could be cloud based, could be crowbar into the internal setup, could be complete new redesign of internal. All of which make for good roadmap's - people like this roadmapping - you can explain what you are up to with a roadmap. The interesting part is what you start up the engine and begin to drive using the 'roadmap'.

What you find is that it is difficult to run a programme/project just using a 'roadmap' - the signposts are there but the details of what awaits you on the roads is what is needed when you drive. Bends, hollows, potholes (just driven down a few of them), pedestrians, cyclists all sorts of hazards that can only be negotiated on-the-fly. No amount of project (re)planning will help you much either - though you will probably be able to frighten yourself with how much all this dodging is costing you.

Sounds like you need to be 'agile', particularly if you have a strict deadline looming, but what does agile mean? Can a large programme actually be agile? Haven't we been there before with Rapid Application Development (RAD), and other associated methods?

Or is it the other definition of RAD - Rapidly Approaching Disaster - that will be the norm?

The drive continues.....


Saturday 17 August 2013

The art of the impossible.....

cont' from Steep Curves post....

Not just solution architects but also ..... so far and counting;


  • Enterprise architect
  • Solution architect
  • Data architect
  • System architect
  • Software architect


once upon a time all you had to do was write the code!

All these architects are in place to try and manage the complexity and poorly connected nature of all of the various applications and corporate systems that have grown up over the years without any thought for how they fit or flex within a changing business environment. Not to mention the disparate data sources, multiple systems, multiple variants of the multiple systems.

Or maybe it has all been through design? ..... I doubt it.

This landscape is changing rapidly though.

Do you bother even trying to engineer something into your current IT environment given the issues related to implementing new systems  into this complexity? With all the architects in place making sure you don't mess with the business, it can take an inordinate length of time to get anything up and running. That's before you hit any 'stuck bolts' in the new system built itself. There's always a thousand reasons not to bother.

Enter the Cloud. Vanilla environment, vanilla interfaces, vanilla support, vanilla politics, vanilla risk, vanilla .... I can now see the attraction.


What is needed is a 'roadmap' so we know where we are going and a driver to get the bus moving .....








Sunday 4 August 2013

Silent type

Not been very blog active over past few weeks.

Sensitive job and holidays got in the way of typing. Job now sorted so normal service will be resumed. 

It's been an interesting few weeks - have learned a tremendous amount. Think by brain is about to explode!

Just how do you get to grips with complicated IT, massive business change and distributed data of varying quality?

To be continued.....