Customer-centric

Submitted by skeptic on Sat, 2013-04-13 21:34

OK I've had it with the cult of the customer. I just saw one remark too many about "it's all inward-looking". We need to be inward-looking most of the time or we're not doing our ****ing job. Let me illustrate with that favourite analogy: a water supply.

Chicken ITle, robots, and a chessboard

Submitted by skeptic on Mon, 2013-04-08 21:27

© Copyright Canstock Photo IncToday our new blog character returns. Chicken ITle draws our attention to those who announce catastrophic consequences for IT if we don't all rush off and do something. Usually these sky-falling folk are either analysts or vendors, because both profit from fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD). But sometimes they are book authors, pumping a book.

Skep Chat 2013/04/04 - hangout with the IT Skeptic

Submitted by skeptic on Thu, 2013-04-04 22:14

Here is the latest online streamed Skep Chat, an opportunity for you - dear readers - to hangout and discuss recent posts on this blog with me.

Announcing SkepCoin

Submitted by skeptic on Mon, 2013-04-01 01:20

The IT Skeptic is excited to announce today an upcoming service from the IT Skeptic website: SkepCoin.

Site members will be able to buy SkepCoin currency for use on the website to buy intangible property (IP) products. Note: no products are currently available for SkepCoin purchase. Look for future announcements of opportunities to use SkepCoins.

Google Project DriveL will revolutionise online discussions and debates

Submitted by skeptic on Sun, 2013-03-31 20:12

Hard on the heels of the news on Google Babble comes an inside leak of another linked secret project: Google DriveL. This super-secret "social community connector" will allow all discussion about a topic to be seen in a single thread, a "rich community experience".

Chicken ITle

Submitted by skeptic on Wed, 2013-03-27 23:41

© Can Stock Photo As part of my ongoing theme of Slow IT, I'm introducing a new character to the blog, Chicken ITle (how appropriate just before Easter). Chicken ITle draws our attention to those who announce catastrophic consequences for IT if we don't all rush off and do something. Usually these sky-falling folk are either analysts or vendors, because both profit from fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD).

The IT Skeptic on facebook

Submitted by skeptic on Tue, 2013-03-26 22:38

Mountains crumble, continents shift, species evolve, and The IT Skeptic gets a page on facebook. Personally I prefer Google+ but for those of you who use Zuckerbook, The IT Skeptic now has his own page, and I promise to try to keep the page alive on this crumbling ruin of a social network (like, facebook is so noughties). To do that, I need you to interact please, so come friend, like, post, tag, comment, and all those things you do on a social network.

Please Like the IT Skeptic on facebook

Service desks and spontaneous user combustion

Submitted by skeptic on Sun, 2013-03-24 23:24

There is much talk about users spontaneously creating their own communities for mutual technical support. This phenomenon of spontaneous user support is presented as a threat to IT. We're told that if we don't do something to engage these communities then they will render IT redundant. The absurdity of this shouldn't need explanation but apparently it does. I'll deal with that separately (I started here). Never mind the absurdity of the predicted consequences, does it ever happen?

The mad competitive scramble

Submitted by skeptic on Thu, 2013-03-21 04:05

ImageThe rate of change in IT is unsustainable, and is in fact a crowd hysteria. Just because the technology is changing that fast doesn't mean we have to, or can.

A major driver for that scrabbling rush is "competition". That is an over-used trump-card that needs some close skeptical scrutiny in all the companies playing it. Tweet this

Obtaining compliance for policies, processes and procedures

Submitted by skeptic on Thu, 2013-03-14 10:16

One of the great frustrations of improvement is getting people to do stuff.
From an email I wrote today responding to this question, here are some ways to get compliance - in increasing order of maturity. Tell me what you think of this model. What did I miss? What is already out there?

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