It’s thanks to the Education Act of 1880 that each new academic year starts in September. By this time of year the harvest had been collected so the children could be spared from their work on the land for a few hours a day to attend school. This has endured – even in 2020! – …
Stephen Covey concludes his bestselling book ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ with the habit that makes all other habits possible – sharpening the saw. The name of this habit comes from a story in which we come across a man feverishly and exhaustedly sawing down a tree, which he’s been doing for the…
We frequently ask people in our workshops and webinars to tell us about the challenges they experience from day to day. This is done using a non-technical audio measurement system of our own invention which we call the ‘ugh-ometer’. We simply ask people to provide us with an “ugh” if they experience any of the…
Icebergs seem ubiquitous in the world of Continuous Improvement: there’s John Kotter’s change management fable ‘Our Iceberg is Melting’; the Iceberg model used by systems thinkers to get below the ‘surface’ events in order to understand the patterns, structures and mental models underneath; the famous Cost of Poor Quality iceberg that shows there are many…
In her book ‘The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k’, author Sarah Knight provides advice on how we can rid ourselves of unwanted obligations, shame and guilt, to free up time for the things that make us happy. After a chapter focused on looking at ‘things’ (like basketball or having a bikini body),…
“In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and – SNAP – the job’s a game!” So said Mary Poppins prior to bursting into song before a bemused looking Jane and Michael Banks. At Catalyst we always bring a spoonful of sugar to our work. In…
It’s one thing to know the analytical tools, when and how to apply them, but it can be quite another to use them! When it comes to turning data into graphs and charts not every CI practitioner is a whizz on Excel and certainly not everybody has access to powerful stats tools like MiniTab. Recognizing…
You might have come to this blog expecting to read all about the Agile Methodology Steps and how to apply them. In that case, this blog is not the right one for you. In fact NO BLOG claiming to have Agile methodology steps would be right! Let me explain why. The Agile principles and manifesto…
Focus on the User and all else will follow. This is the first in a list of ‘ten things we know to be true’ that was developed by Google in its early days. Focussing on the user led Google to improve the speed of searching despite concerns that it would reduce the time users spent…
In the days before GPS, sailors would use the North Star to find their way across the seas. It is still used by hikers and outdoorsy types to help them find their way when lost – those with no access to an app or star atlas can find it by using constellations as a guide.…