In the first two parts of this series, I talked about the problem space of mixed operating models in an organisation, why it exists and how to prepare for it. In this post I want to talk about the most important and often most challenging element of operating mixed operating models within an organisation: the cultural change. Any transition of working practices requires a corresponding and iterative process of empathetic change management, where with every modification and iteration, context is given for the changes, conversations are had with those who might be effected and (unlike many corporate change management initiatives) the process includes the input of those on the front-line of the changes....

In the first post on Mixed Operating Models I discussed that each application in your landscape, both custom built and third-party will need a different type of operating model and using wardley mapping to map that landscape will give the context of which model is appropriate and at what time. Transitioning between models won’t be easy and requires both technical and cultural changes to be successful. In this post, I will talk about the technical aspects that act as a foundation to any operating model change and cultural shift....

This month I wanted to start discussing a topic that has been going around and around in circles of conversation and thoughts for several years now - mixed operating models in IT organisations. There is a lot of ground to cover so stick with me over the next couple of posts and I’ll show you how and why this comes about and what we can do about it. The Problem One of the most challenging aspects of operating IT systems in large enterprise organisations is that there is a complex web of applications, data and infrastructure of varying ages and levels of support....

I started writing again in order to get some of those 1:1 conversations and email threads out into the public where some of the conversations, learning and titbits of information can be useful to others. On that same theme I wanted to write down some of those learnings I’ve had building teams over the past 5 years. Grow mentors, coaches and champions This is something I’ve had learn as my teams have grown....

I’ve had the opportunity over the past 5 years to be involved in many many different cloud migrations of all shapes, sizes and industries. From large-scale lift and shifts, native refactoring and even one or two cloud-to-cloud migrations. There are couple of things I have learnt along the way that appear to remain true irrespective or size, scope or type of organisation. 1. The cloud provider you choose isn’t the best technical fit but the best cultural fit There used to be a trend when organistations were moving to the cloud to ask the question: which cloud provider do we go with?...

I suppose that many of you reading this are doing so because the theme of remote working is top of mind and like myself over the past year you’ve found yourself in a deep hole of blog posts and podcasts trying to give you all tips on how to work remotely, how to manage a team remotely and how to do so without burning yourself out and becoming a titrant....

This is one of those posts that I have been meaning to write for while. Over the years one of the things that I have found useful in my career has been always being up-to-date on the latest technology, the latest corporate news, and the latest ideas, methodologies and scientific research. At the speed that all of these areas move, it’s not the easiest thing to do and can often feel like your trying to drink from a firehose....