Monday, February 8, 2010
About Me
Oddly enough, my formal education is not in computers at all, but rather in engineering. It all started back in sunny Southern California. For most of my childhood by home was one block from the beach in Carlsbad California. Yeah life was rough. Surfing was a serious distraction. In my early 20’s I had the good fortune of working at the world’s first boogie board factory. Tom Morey invented boogie boards right there in Carlsbad, and I was one of original production crew. I got to set up a production line at the boogie factory, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. So I did a bit of research and discovered that this type of work is called Industrial Engineering (IE). I managed to get myself enrolled in IE program at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where I learned many interesting new things about systems and processes. I also found out that I had an aptitude for computer programming, and became totally fascinated with computer systems and software development. As it turns out, I’ve spent most of my career working as a software developer and system architect. But the industrial engineer in me has always been fascinated with the process of designing and implementing computer-based solutions. After all, the process is so critical to the success of the outcome!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Introduction
I've been given a unique opportunity to facilitate the implementation of Lean Methods in a 40 person Information and Communication Technology (ICT) organisation. I thought it would be a good idea to keep a journal of our experiences as we embark upon this experiment, primarily to have a historical record for retrospectives.
Then I realised that if this journal was in the form of a blog it would also be a good way to communicate to all the stakeholders involved, from the staff performing the work to the executives managing the operation. The blog could be used to explain what Lean is, why we are doing it, how we're going about it, what we tried that worked well, and what didn't work so well. The blog could also be used to record the challenges we faced and, more importantly, how we overcame each challenge.
But, then I realised that there would be value in sharing this journal with the rest of the world, or at least those interested enough to read the rambling musings here. Perhaps others would be willing to share their ideas and experiences as well, as comments on this blog or maybe as postings of their own. Also, I think that what we're doing really says something about the people involved. I want to publicly acknowledge their willingness to innovate, to step outside their comfort zones and try something new in the spirit of continuous improvement.
So, here we go. The journey is about to begin. Come join us!
Then I realised that if this journal was in the form of a blog it would also be a good way to communicate to all the stakeholders involved, from the staff performing the work to the executives managing the operation. The blog could be used to explain what Lean is, why we are doing it, how we're going about it, what we tried that worked well, and what didn't work so well. The blog could also be used to record the challenges we faced and, more importantly, how we overcame each challenge.
But, then I realised that there would be value in sharing this journal with the rest of the world, or at least those interested enough to read the rambling musings here. Perhaps others would be willing to share their ideas and experiences as well, as comments on this blog or maybe as postings of their own. Also, I think that what we're doing really says something about the people involved. I want to publicly acknowledge their willingness to innovate, to step outside their comfort zones and try something new in the spirit of continuous improvement.
So, here we go. The journey is about to begin. Come join us!
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