Clarke Ching's Rocks and Snowballs

Choose: Sell your time, or your value?

http://businessofsoftware.org/2013/06/breaking-the-time-barrier-if-you-sell-your-time-as-an-individual-or-a-company-read-this/

Follow the link for a great little (and free) book about selling your value, not your hours.  

Very nicely put.

It takes less than 60 minutes to read.

LeanAgileScotland Call for Proposals ...

Got this note from Chris:

Just a quick reminder that our CFP closes on Sunday, 30th of June at 23:59. We've had a fantastic response so far, some really great submissions on a wide range of Lean and Agile topics.

If you are thinking of submitting the process to follow is really straight forward. Go to our website, http://www.leanagilescotland.com/call_for_proposals, register and create your submission(s). Simple!

Look forward to reading your proposals!

Chris

Germany is seeking to attract more migrants from crisis-hit countries to meet its own shortage of skilled workers.

From today's Telegraph: 

Germany is seeking to attract more migrants from crisis-hit countries to meet its own shortage of skilled workers.

The articles Lede:

 Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel has a simple message for the millions young people in the eurozone who are out of work – move. 

That kinda blew my mind for a few moments.

---

Last week, this blog from The Telegraph, covered an OECD report  which said that migrants contributed between 0.46 and 1.02% (depending on whether you count pension contributions) to the UK annual GDP.  And:

Broadly, the OECD concludes that migrant workers tend to make a net contribution to the countries they move to. This is because they tend to be younger and more economically active than the average of the wider population in their new country, a population that includes more very young and very old people.

At the same time, migrants consume public services. Do they pay in more than they take out? In lots of countries, the OECD concludes that the answer is Yes.

 ---

It's only just occurred to me that I'm one of those migrants.  

The War between Developers, Designers and Project Managers

A colleague just sent me this: 

 

Bottleneck video

A nice video about TOC and bottlenecks, featuring real bottles! 

 

http://youtu.be/mWh0cSsNmGY

Congratulations Portia

http://www.selfishprogramming.com/2013/06/06/happy-birthday-to-agile-adventures/

Portia has just announced that her book, The Dream Team Nightmare, will soon be published - in bits and atoms - by The Pragrmatic Press.

Nice!

Opposition

When I was 7, I learned the truth about Santa, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny.  When I was 9 I stopped taking advice from people who still believed in fairy tales.  

Opposition to the reforms was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, who yesterday argued that the proposals would be “neither equal nor effective”.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/politics/article3782669.ece

Right to Vote

1893 - New Zealand is the first country to give women the vote. 

TOC and Mazda

http://www.pr.com/press-release/495307:

Mazda Executive Credits Theory of Constraints for Company Turnaround

Mr. Mitsuo Hitomi, Executive Officer from the Mazda Motor Corporation Power Train Development Division presented the opening keynote address at the largest TOCICO (Theory of Constraints International Certification Organization) conference ever held on how Critical Chain Project Management enabled Mazda to quickly develop their innovative SkyActiv capability.

Bad Nauheim, Germany, June 03, 2013 --(PR.com)-- At the 11th annual conference for theory of constraints professionals, Mr. Mitsuo Hitomi described the crisis faced by Mazda to offer creative and innovative exhilarating driving to those people who still hold dear the love of motion experienced as a child while surviving four straight years of significant financial losses. Mr. Hitomi described the last chance for Mazda to survive by developing technology that would achieve low fuel consumption from an internal combustion engine that would rival a hybrid engine, no compromise in the driving pleasure, and affordable for all customers. The product development cycle had to be cut in half for Mazda to survive. Starting with Critical Chain Project management education in 2007, the momentum grew within the company for holistic project management until the development project duration was cut by half. Mr. Hitomi then described how this new technology was applied in a multi-project environment with all projects delivered with full scope on time.

Rami Goldratt, CEO of Goldratt Consulting, said, "Mazda gives the world another great example of the power of TOC to generate results previously thought not possible - financially, operationally, and at least as importantly, in the growth and harmony of the people themselves."

Mazda has won 73 awards for its SKYACTIV technology as of 20 January 2013 including Japan Car of the Year for the CX-5, Best SUV of the Year, Green Awards 2012. The CX-5 is the most sold car in Japan for 2012 and has sold three time more than last year's diesel cars sold total in Japan.

Yuji Kishira, Regional Director for Goldratt Consulting Japan, said, "I am so happy that Mazda is among the growing number of major Japanese organizations that are using TOC and with it, not just improving the performance the company, but also really improving our country and the lives of the people in Japan. My hope is that other companies around the world will take notice and see that with TOC, it really is possible to improve results for the shareholders while simultaneously bringing more value to the customers, while at the same time improving the harmony throughout the company."

Mr. Hitomi received warm applause as he presented the remarkable results in the improved quality of working life and the financial results for 2013 where Mazda has returned to the black after a continuous four year fiscal red ink.

Mr. Mitsuo Hitomi after the presentation said "The audience reaction was beyond my imagination. I want to share this warm applause from TOC society back to all Mazda people in Hiroshima and partners suppliers. I know there is so much more to do. I will continue our journey of TOC with mindset of "Even sky is not the limit."

About TOCICO (tocico.org): The Theory of Constraints International Certification Organization (TOCICO) unites people who share a passion for win-win holistic thinking and share a vision that this will become the main way to manage organizations. The TOCICO is a global not-for-profit certification organization for TOC practitioners, consultants and academics to develop and administer certification standards, and facilitate the exchange of latest developments. The TOCICO holds an annual conference to share new knowledge and provide a unique networking opportunity.

Keep Climbing

I love the attitude behind this letter to the editor from The Times earlier this week:

Sir, Ben Macintyre says that attempts prior to 1953 were "each a chapter in the long and glorious narrative of heroic British failure". This is unfair. Previous attempts brought new knowledge of routes, clothing, equipment and mountain leadership. This knowledge was bought at a cost of lives. It all increased by increments until brought together 60 years ago. The summit area was and still is known as the death zone.

I. H. Cairns,Perth

Why ux and cx work is important.

I've been spending a lot of time recently working with our UX guys. I've enjoyed it and I've come to appreciate the work they do. I have a reasonable idea of the techniques they use but have a natural flair for their kind of work.

However ... I think I've found an analogy which helps me understand why EXPERIENCE is sometimes so important.

The analogy came to me last week when it was (atypically) sunny during lunch time and I decided to go for a walk around Stockbridge, which is about 5 minutes from my office in Edinburgh. When I got there I bought a delicious Parma ham, pesto and goats cheese roll from Peters Yard bakery then crossed the road to find a place to eat it. I considered walking up one cobble-stoned street, which was familiar for some reason, but then decided not to. I wasn't sure why, at first, but then I remembered that was the street I went to to have my vasectomy.

Yikes.

Here's the experience bit: NEVER PUT A VASECTOMY CLINIC ON A COBBLE-STONED STREET.

The drive there is okay; the drive home is not.

 

phenomenom

I've had that muppets song Mahna Mahna in my head for a few days now and I can't get it out.

In a selfish effort to get shake it, Ive decided to share it.  Please press play: