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chronicles

12
May
Law 4 — Delayed Feedback Compounds Failure

Law 4 — Delayed Feedback Compounds Failure

The longer the loop, the higher the cost. In engineering, physics, biology, and business, feedback governs adaptation. Modern organisations routinely violate this principle.
7 min read
11
May
Monday Myth: You Cannot Declare a Start-up Nation into Existence

Monday Myth: You Cannot Declare a Start-up Nation into Existence

When the expression "Start-up Nation" entered the political vocabulary, it carried an attractive and ambitious vision. The phrase suggested a France that would embrace entrepreneurship, risk-taking, speed, and innovation. The aspiration was legitimate. The assumption behind it was flawed.
4 min read
10
May
Friday Fun: The IT Department as a Medieval Kingdom

Friday Fun: The IT Department as a Medieval Kingdom

Modern IT departments often claim to operate like high-performance engineering organisations. Most actually resemble medieval kingdoms. Not metaphorically. Structurally.
4 min read
07
May
Law 3 — Dependencies Tax Flow

Law 3 — Dependencies Tax Flow

Law 1 established that unused delivery has no reality. Law 2 showed that complexity naturally accumulates unless systems actively remove it. Law 3 explores one of the primary mechanisms through which entropy damages execution: dependencies.
7 min read
06
May
When Leadership Lets the System Drift

When Leadership Lets the System Drift

Observe the delivery system of almost any organisation under strain. Boards remain full, work continues to move, and a significant proportion of items hover in a perpetual state of “almost done”.
6 min read
05
May
Law #2 — All Additions Increase Entropy

Law #2 — All Additions Increase Entropy

Law 1 established the foundation: if it is not used, it does not exist. Law 2 extends this logic. If reality depends on usage, then everything that enters the system either supports that outcome or works against it.
7 min read
04
May
Monday Myth: Psychological Safety Is Not a Performance Strategy

Monday Myth: Psychological Safety Is Not a Performance Strategy

Psychological safety matters, but the belief that it drives performance on its own does not hold. When misunderstood, it produces the opposite effect and quietly undermines the very outcomes it intends to improve.
5 min read
03
May
Friday Fun: The Museum of Modern IT

Friday Fun: The Museum of Modern IT

Welcome to the Museum of Modern IT. Entry is free. Exit is complicated.
3 min read
30
Apr
Law #1 - If It Is Not Used, It Does Not Exist

Law #1 - If It Is Not Used, It Does Not Exist

Many organisations equate delivery with value creation. Features get shipped, tickets closed, and roadmaps executed. Progress then appears in reports and dashboards, which encourages a sense of momentum. Yet none of this proves that value exists.
5 min read
29
Apr
Engineering Withdraws. Companies Follow.

Engineering Withdraws. Companies Follow.

Companies do not collapse because they fail once. They collapse because the people inside stop enforcing standards.
5 min read