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Adaptive Planning and the Personal Learning Curve

Posted by: Esther Derby on 04/17/2010

Most of my clients want to change something: they want to deliver software faster, reduce the number of defects the software they do deliver, and improve financial results.

Affecting these changes neither simple nor easy. Improving organizational results involves changing the work system on multiple levels. That means seeing the system, understanding that there’s seldom a single cause for the current pattern, and that the most effective lever may be an indirect one. It means discerning the shifts that will nudge the system towards the desired pattern.

Other changes aren’t so complex. Migrating software for example. On the surface, it’s a matter of switching one system off and another on, or reloading software on a desk top. Of course, the technical details are much more complicated; and as technical people, we are accustomed to navigating those waters.

But what about the people who use the software? Some thoughts on that complication here: Software Migration is a People Problem. Treat it That Way.

Esther Derby's complete blog can be found at: http://www.estherderby.com/category/insights

About Esther Derby

I started my career as a programmer, and over the years I’ve worn many hats, including business owner, internal consultant and manager. From all these perspectives, one thing became clear: our level of individual, team and company success was deeply impacted by our work environment and organizational dynamics. As a result, I have spent the last twenty-five years helping companies design their environment, culture, and human dynamics for optimum success.

I’ve written over 100 articles, and co-authored two books–Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great and Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management. I write about management, leadership, collaboration, organizations and change (or another topic I’m currently exploring).

Follow me on Twitter @estherderby

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