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SEPs and Avoiding the Body Brothers

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Somebody Else’s Problem: The Invisible Threat to Programme Success Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy introduces the wonderfully absurd concept of the Somebody Else’s Problem (S.E.P.) field [1] —a device that renders objects effectively invisible by exploiting the human tendency to ignore anything too inconvenient to accept. As Adams puts it, an S.E.P. works because “any problems one may have understanding it… become Somebody Else’s Problem” . A starship disguised as a giant pink elephant at a cricket match becomes unnoticeable not because it cannot be seen, but because the mind refuses to acknowledge something so implausible. While Adams’ example is comic fiction, the behavioural principle behind it is very real. In academia, the psychological phenomenon known as diffusion of responsibility [3] describes how individuals are less likely to take action when others are present and theoretically able to do so. This tendency to ignore issues deemed “out of scope” can ...
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Veto-by-Proxy

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  Veto-by-Proxy   AKA: Are You Helping or Not? In many organisations, individuals with approval authority, or influence over those who hold it, employ a subtle yet highly damaging tactic known as veto by proxy. They never explicitly refuse support, nor do they formally block progress. Instead, they create conditions that make advancement so difficult that the initiative falters, all while maintaining the outward appearance of enthusiastic endorsement. Veto by proxy is the pernicious practice of stopping something without ever being seen to oppose it. The behaviour is rarely obvious at first. It emerges gradually through a pattern of contradictions, inconsistencies and seemingly minor actions that, over time, indicate that something is not as it appears. Recognising Veto by Proxy Behaviour Although understated, veto by proxy behaviour follows recognisable patterns. Common indicators include: Excessive focus on trivial risks or issues, often amounting to nit picking. Co...
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F*** the Problem........................Fix the People

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Why Affinity Bias Can Make or Break Delivery                It’s who you are, and how you do it!.........not what you do or what you’ve done!                                                                                             When things go wrong, it is stressful for everyone involved. It can also be a lonely and disempowering experience for those who depend on a resolution but cannot contribute to it. Buyers and customers often have no choice but to sit and wait. Delivering an excellent fix rarely restores harmony on its own. The unspoken frustration remains: " it should not have gone wrong in the first place" .   An old mentor of mine used to say, “ Fix the people, not the problem ,” (or less polite wo...
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Governance - WHAT A DRAG!

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       MVG - Minimum Viable Governance                F D =½C P A V 2       FACT:    Drag increases proportionately with the square of speed.         Minimum Viable Governance: Reducing Drag Without Increasing Risk It is a simple truth in physics, "drag increases in proportion to the square of speed". The faster you go, the more resistance you encounter. The same principle applies to projects. The more urgent the delivery, the more significant the impact of anything that slows progress. Any activity not directly contributing to the creation of deliverables introduces drag. In theory, if you removed these activities, the project would still deliver. By far the greatest source of drag is governance. This includes record keeping, planning, monitoring, reporting, progress updates, change management, risk management and the ever‑present demand to attend...
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When you're up to your neck in Crocodiles

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  .......It’s hard to remember that the original objective was to drain the swamp   (yes that is me……….and yes they are real life massive Alligators……………and yes they really are about 5 feet away)     AKA: THE IMPORTANCE OF DOCUMENTATION (and the Law of Sufficiency )   FACT:    Selective memory, confirmation bias and revisionism are common human traits, and stakeholders, sponsors and project teams are no more immune to them than anyone else.                          At the same time, documentation is often perceived as an unnecessary burden. The time and effort required to record information, validate details and maintain accurate artefacts can create significant drag on a project. As a result, there is a natural temptation to avoid writing things down, to skip over the need to capture key decisions and events, and simply press ahead. The mindset becomes one of “ j...
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