The Flux

Another heady week of bidirectional information streams travelling into, around, through and out of my brain. By Thursday evening I was feeling rather overwhelmed and drained (according to my state of mind logs). But after a night’s sleep, my sub-conscious had done some work and something clicked: I felt more positive, more comfortable with the uncertainty.

Though it would be nice to be able to layer up a strategy dealing with the biggest risks and assumptions first, we’re some way past that point – with the technology at least. The utility of the platform and the utilisation of any datasets it holds will, in my view, be down to how it transforms and accelerates the planning system according to whatever goal is set. That’s a policy decision for a government to make, whether that’s the current or a successive government. ‘Are we constructing homes or mortgages?’

So, ultimately, we need to build the platform’s capability and capacity to suit a planning system in constant flux, acting on information we have at the time under the knowledge that reality is constantly changing around us. Superior work has the quality of an accident. The strategy is emergent.

There are ways to be intentional about this though. We need to be explicit about what we’re trying to change with certain ventures. There’s an opportunity to think like a futurist and use pace layering to stratify the opportunities we pursue and adjust our expectations accordingly. One product cannot change an entire system.

That was the big reflection of the week. I could write down a list of things I did, people I spoke to, but I don’t think it would interest you very much.

This coming week will be fun. We have a roadmapping day on Thursday, which should bring some clarity to the next few months. Or clarity to three workstreams at least.

Another big win was chatting to our data manager, Swati, about a vision for the platform that got her really excited. The best conversation she’d had in weeks, she said. Chalking that up as a win.

Oh, yeah, there was also a helpful interjection by one of the product managers, Matt, at our leads weekly lean coffee. Us new folk had been going over old ground and he gave us the context of why it was fruitless to try again. It was very good of him to do that, and I asked him to do it again whenever we run the risk of slowing ourselves down like that. A productive tension.

Another quick note to myself: co-design and the commons as a way to work out which data standards go next?

Life stuff

Loving the bank holiday weekend. Hence why I’m only writing these notes now.

Dinner out with Nana and Owen on Thursday, then cocktails at Discount Suit Company afterwards with Nikin. Great tunes.

Had coffee at Filtr in Addiscombe on Friday, then brunch at the Dirty Crunch deli. The afternoon was spent looking at parts in a catalogue for the new bathroom, so that I can mock up a 3D drawing. Only took an hour but was dry and dull enough to warrant a bottle of wine at The Sourcing Table (L’Inattendu by Clos du Gravillas) then pizza at Palazzo. Rounded off the day with Dune: Part Two at the Everyman. Loved it.

Saturday was a lazy-ish day until me and Kelvin went to see DJ Yoda at the Fox & Firkin. Excellent night. Great tunes. Drunk dancing.

Sunday was slow to start but I eventually built up the courage to go for a long run. Was supposed to 25km but only managed 20km. Although I did 50 miles in total the whole week, which is plenty. Celebrated with roast chicken and chips, and watched Miami Vice (2006).

Today we had another lazy morning, went to Aldi (having missed Brockley market on Saturday), then prepared the raised beds for sowing more seeds in the week. Carbonara with the leftover ham for dinner, followed by rewatching Barbie, I reckon.

Bookmarks

· Weeknotes

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