This post is the second in a series of two. The previous post contains the back-story to the creation of the concept which we call ‘Bubble Squads’. This post is concerned with the theory and practice of the squads themselves. Our concept of Bubble Squads has been heavily influenced by the Lean philosophies, the Spotify […]
Bubble Squads: theory and practice Read More »
At reed.co.uk, we’ve been 64%* agile for many years. We’ve watched others, tried things ourselves, failed and picked ourselves up again. One of the most recent additions to our internal vernacular is that of ‘Bubble Squads’, or cross-cutting teams that quickly form around particular objectives, achieve their goals and burst, releasing their team members back
How not to do Lean and Agile – a pre-history of agile at reed.co.uk Read More »
“Two boys is half a boy, and three boys is no boys at all” Team size is such a significant driver of the structure and so much research in organisational behaviour, sociology and psychology has been conducted that it rapidly demanded its own post. Here, then, is that post. Jeff Bezos, of the Amazon, is
What’s the perfect team size? Read More »
I present: Uber Testing. You book an Uber, it arrives and a friendly UX tester is sat there, waiting to share your ride across town. You didn’t have much to do anyway, except check emails on your phone. For the next 15 minutes, as your taxi coughs its way across London, you engage in delightful
Last week’s second best idea: Uber Testing Read More »
Kalymnos is an odd little island, thrusting jaggedly out of the Aegean a few miles north of Kos. While Kos is an understandably popular tourist destination, with over a million holidaymakers arriving at Kos airport each year, Kalymnos is a less obvious choice. There are no long sandy beaches, few obvious tourist destinations and a
Customer Service and the Art of the Smile Read More »
Kalymnos is an odd little island, thrusting jaggedly out of the Aegean a few miles north of Kos. While Kos is an understandably popular tourist destination, with over a million holidaymakers arriving at Kos airport each year, Kalymnos is a less obvious choice. There are no long sandy beaches, few obvious tourist destinations and a
Customer Service and the Art of the Smile Read More »
I’m occasionally asked how to get an executive board to buy into a change programme. Or how to convince a decision maker to buy into a new way of working that may challenge some comfortably accepted wisdoms. Or how to sell something technical to a non technical CEO, or founder, or owner. And the truth
Managing upwards is a pitch Read More »
This story originally started life as a Slack conversation between techies defending laziness as a lifestyle choice. It rings as true now as it did a couple of years ago… “Progress isn’t made by early risers. It’s made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.” — Robert A. Heinlein 1) Lazy developers write
6 reasons that lazy developers are the best developers Read More »
Last year I was fortunate enough to be able to drive around Silverstone’s Grand Prix circuit and be taught, in my own scrabbling, dangling fashion, how to climb up sheer rock faces. While on the face of it driving a car around a ribbon of tarmac and hanging by your fingertips on a narrow ledge
Beginners and Experts — What business can learn from sports Read More »
What would you consider your main sport and highlights? Football. Highlight was undoubtedly been part of the coaching staff of Doncaster Rovers FC and playing in the League 1 Play off final at Wembley against Leeds Utd in May 2008. This was a game of huge importance under massive pressure. The consequences of winning/losing were
The Full Interviews – Jim Brearley Read More »