Jon Paul Little on LinkedIn: #weeknote (2024)

Week Note 17/05/24 - Embracing Flexibility: Key Takeaways when Pivoting in Digital Transformation ProjectsIn digital transformation, flexibility and adaptability are crucial. Projects often falter when teams stick rigidly to an approach. This week I've worked with key project members and some key business stakeholders to review an approach around requirements gathering that we needed to unblock. Here are key takeaways for project and product leaders based on my week:1. Transparent Communication:- Keep all parties informed about changes, outcomes, and impacts.- Regular updates build trust and align expectations.2. Flexible Strategy Framework:- Use agile methodologies to adapt plans without losing sight of goals.- Continuously assess risks and make informed decisions.3. Culture of Innovation:- Embrace change as an opportunity for growth.- Encourage small-scale experiments before full pivots.4. Data-Driven Insights:- Base decisions on real-world data and user feedback.- Regularly collect and analyse performance data.5. Continuous Learning:- Provide ongoing training and resources.- Keep teams updated on new technologies and methodologies.Key Takeaway:Pivoting isn't a sign of failure but a strategic response to a dynamic landscape. Open communication, flexible planning, innovation, data insights, and continuous learning keep projects resilient and responsive to change.#DigitalTransformation #ProjectManagement #ProductLeadership #Innovation #Agile #DataDriven #ContinuousLearning

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After four months into a digital transformation initiative, I’m thinking about the key questions I should be asking about the project's progress, the team's alignment, and the overall strategy? I'd love to hear your thoughts on how to assess the project's milestones, risks, and alignment with business goals, as well as insights into managing change and ensuring employee engagement. What questions have you found most valuable?

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Week Notes 26/04As another week wraps up, I find myself hoping for warmer days and some much-needed sunshine. The team pushes through the complexities of our current projects. Positive steering group meeting at the start of the week and good progress on initiatives around data, training and planning. Highlights of the Week:This week's spotlight has been on our Business Analyst, who has tirelessly led workshops and the thinking with key business stakeholders to unravel the intricate layers of our system's setup and user journeys. Although the process feels like a tough climb right now, there's a palpable sense of purpose in sticking with the method, trusting that each step brings us closer to clarity and efficiency.Challenges and Learnings:A significant theme this week has been encouraging proactive thinking. We've focused on not just reacting to issues as they arise but anticipating them ahead of time. Personal Responsibility is key, I'm encouraging each team member to take ownership of their roles and the outcomes of their actions.As a result of a more product led approach we are learning to identify our priorities clearly and act on them decisively.Looking Forward:Next week, we plan to further deconstruct our project into manageable parts, focusing on detailed plans, risk assessments, and training needs. Personal Touch:On a lighter note, my weekly step count hit 11,268. I've played pickleball for the second week running, and my tennis game at Wednesday's social was surprisingly good - for me :). Is there a correlation between these activities? Time will tell! Meanwhile, I'm planning to channel Usain Bolt's victory pose before every big meeting, inspired by Amy Cuddy's insights on power dynamics.Useful Links:- Watched Amy Cuddy on "Diary of a CEO" during my commute. Her 20-minute TED Talk inspired me to adopt a victory pose for confidence in meetings. Check it out here: [Amy Cuddy's TED Talk](https://lnkd.in/enkjFZ_D).Here's to a proactive, productive week ahead!

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World penguin day 🐧 today

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Week note 19/04This week I’m echoing Amy Winehouse's words after seeing her new film last weekend. "Idon't ever want to do anything mediocre. I hear the music in the charts and I don't mean to be rude, but those people have no soul. Learning from music is like eating a meal - you have to pace yourself. You cant take everything from it all at once. I want to be different, definitely. I'm not a one trick pony. I'm at least a five-trick pony" My wife was reading some poor reviews of the film prior to going but we enjoyed it and the people who I've spoken to since that watched it have also enjoyed it. I sometimes wonder how you become a critic or film reviewer! Highlights of the Week:Celebrated National Tea Day with perhaps one cup too many, and kept the energy high with an average of over 10,000 steps daily. Discovered the joys of pickleball, a sport blending tennis, badminton, and table tennis into one engaging game. You have to keep out of the "kitchen" when playing Pickleball. This evening marks the beginning of another racket adventure – tennis on the grass courts of a my local club in Horsham. I have never had a lesson but enjoy running about and took it up in COVID times and it remains a lovely thing to do on a summers evening. Challenges and Learnings:Epictetus' quote, "It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters," was ringing in my ears this week with some challenges. The quote highlights the significance of our responses to life's events over the events themselves. Looking ForwardNext week aims to continue this momentum, with a focus on a positive steering group update early next week and integrating 'product thinking' into current projects and enhancing decision-making skills both on and off the court.Personal TouchOn a lighter note, stumbled upon a fascinating tidbit that once, people believed in giant Cinnamon birds!Useful Links- [Exploring the Myth of Cinnamon Birds](https://lnkd.in/eHKJC466)- [Why Product Thinking is the Future for Product Management - Mind the Product](https://lnkd.in/e-ckVq6c)- [How to Give and Receive Better Advice - The New York Times](https://lnkd.in/eHpDPm7P)I get the fortnightly content-ment email which is just brill - that's where the Cinnamon story came from - subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/epktBMKCI hope we can all stay curious and open to the lessons each week brings – whether they come from history, a film, or a game of pickleball.

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Week Note Ending 05/04/24"Business Transformation is a simple game based on providing clarity of purpose and building the capability to deliver against that clear purpose."Reflection on Business Transformation: [The Digital Transformation People](https://lnkd.in/erRajTFz)Highlights of the Week- Family Easter in Copenhagen: A delightful, albeit expensive, time with family in Copenhagen. Juggling the needs of a 19 and 16-year-old while traveling is a challenge but the memories we created are priceless. Tivoli gardens rollercoaster pic on the fridge forever! - Tessitura and CRM Work: Our focus has been on breaking down elements to include in the planned work delivery. Some of these tasks naturally align with our ongoing Tessitura work or CRM projects. A notable step was our initial super user group session, setting the stage for more in-depth involvement.- Community of Practices: We're exploring how to shape our community of practices from the ground up. This is new territory for us, so we're taking it step by step. Any thoughts or insights on this journey are warmly welcomed?- Tooling and Trello: We're reassessing our tooling strategies. Despite our third-party's preference for Trello, we need to ensure our project team has the best resources at their disposal.Challenges and Learnings- The Role of BA: Business Analysis has been pivotal in bringing clarity, despite us uncovering more questions than answers. We're preparing for a business alignment session next week, building on the momentum from a successful Looking Forward- Upcoming Sessions: Next week holds the promise of more alignment and strategizing, particularly focusing on the business alignment session.Personal Touch- Easter Indulgence: No Easter eggs for me this year, but the Danish pastries at the hotel more than made up for it!- Entertainment: Watched 'Monkey Man' last night; gripping and intense, though a bit too violent for my wife's taste. Next up, the Amy Winehouse film and 'Three Body Problem' on Netflix.- Physical Activity: Managed an average of 11,933 steps daily this week Useful Links- Reflection on Business Transformation: [The Digital Transformation People](https://lnkd.in/erRajTFz)- Insights on Pre-Discovery Phases: [Gordon's LinkedIn Post](https://lnkd.in/er-HxwAY)Until next weekPic my own taken outside the central station

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Ellis is a great person so please share his update so he can find a good opportunity

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Week note ending 22/03/24 - "I'd rather be vaguely right than profoundly wrong" – a quote from Partha Dasgupta this week that resonated with me. Reflecting on this week, The highlight was undoubtedly the insightful lecture by Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta at ZSL, melding nature, economics, and technology. This week was marked by significant strides in team planning and training, highlighted by the inaugural Super User Group meeting that brought together our collective expertise in Tessitura. The engaging sessions with the Fundraising team and project collaborators sets us up for a busy but important week next week. From the lecture the challenge is how we can better embed nature into our economic frameworks and leverage technology to enhance our conservation missions. Closer to home the challenge is keeping all the balls in the air and maintaining progress. The coming week looks to be another step forward, with collaborative workshops scheduled with Fundraising and project/agile planning. The focus will be on further refining our strategies and ensuring that our technological tools align seamlessly with our goals. On a lighter note, it's been a week of balancing work with personal well-being: hit the gym thrice and averaged 14,235 steps a day, thanks to some long weekend walks. I'm dusting off my tennis racket for a game this Saturday – the first since October. I joined a club that has four glass courts and it's one of the best things I have done, lovely setting and people, shame I'm not very good. Also, it's a weekend of Everyman: catching the new Ghostbusters on Sat (school boy error booking and then realising we play Brazil but I can live with that. Also watching Interstellar on the big screen with my son on Sunday. Should be a nice break from the busy week week! Useful Links: - [Dasgupta Review on the Economics of Biodiversity](https://lnkd.in/e8qp49kT) - [ZSL Initiatives](https://lnkd.in/exypp92Z)

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