Operations ·
When dashboards disagree, define the metric first
Different numbers can come from different definitions rather than broken calculations. Agree the business event, population and time window before debating a result.
Read article →Notes from Norwind
Look closer at
the work.
Practical notes on software, engineering teams and the work a business depends on.
Engineering ·
Choose a software stack the next team can understand
Technology choices affect who can maintain an application later. Familiar tools help, but a maintainable system also needs clear structure and operating knowledge.
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Operations ·
Replace “ask the expert” with usable operating knowledge
A system should remain understandable when its usual expert is unavailable. Start with the tasks another person would need to perform safely.
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Engineering ·
Find the constraint before adding engineers
Additional engineers help when engineering capacity is the constraint. First check whether work is waiting for decisions, access, review or implementation.
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Operations ·
A feature request deserves a question before it becomes a button
A useful internal tool helps someone finish a task. Evaluate a requested feature against the work it supports before adding another control.
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Operations ·
Write project updates that help someone decide
A status report should make the work easier to understand. Replace broad descriptions of progress with evidence, uncertainty and the next decision.
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Operations ·
When a temporary workaround becomes part of the business
A workaround needs attention when other people depend on it. Review its purpose, ownership and failure points before deciding to replace it.
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Operations ·
Write down who approves access before the next hire starts
When every access request ends on the founder's desk, onboarding waits and departures go unchecked. Name the approver, the administrator and the review step.
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Operations ·
When a meeting can become a written update
A recurring meeting should have a clear job. Separate information sharing from decisions that genuinely need people in the same conversation.
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Operations ·
Watch the work before writing the requirements
A useful software brief starts with a real task. Watch where information is copied, decisions wait and people work around the official process.
Read article →Tell us what you
are building.
Or what is in the way. We will tell you plainly what it needs, whether that is us or not.
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