We’ve be experimenting with a new way of interacting with IT executives to determine how they see their roles and their peers roles in the organization. Using what we call the Social-IT Game, we set team members the task of prioritizing their responsibilities. It’s kind of a Myers-Briggs for IT Executives.

But the real fun starts when each participant then guesses what their colleagues set as priorities. The results are sometimes surprising, often startling and always fascinating. We use points and prizes to move the game along and encourage serious participation.

The whole process is designed to elicit the basis for debate amongst the players after each round. For them to share why they chose a particular order of priorities. With a skilled facilitator it is possible to arrive at some real truths and insights for the team.

We run these programs free-of-charge for small and large groups around the country. To part of one of them, or to book your own personalized event, just contact me. Alternatively come to my session at the Innovation Games Summit on Thursday 24th March at 10:45 am.

For those of you who are frequent readers of the blog you will remember that I have been on a bit of a rant lately about Release Management. Well now I get to share that rant with a live audience at Share in San Francisco.

I’ve been musing on why we call it a Release Train. I think it’s time to start calling it “The Release Plane”. Imagine if the TSA ran QA? What if Air Traffic Control ran release planning and what if a United gate agent was in charge of release control. Would your release be ready to leave on time? Would it pass testing? Would it be complete. And would it be sure where it was going and why?

Now is the time we have to get tough on release management and start acting as though we are serious.

We can’t have one train a week that takes 4 days to get there. We need 4 flights a day that take 90 minutes. We can’t have a million tonnes of cargo that sits on a dock for weeks and then takes another week to load and yet another week to unload. We need our stuff when we want it.

This session is about a radical rethink of release management. It is provocative, informative and entertaining. But it has a serious message – come fly the friendly skies.

See you there on Friday 8th of February at 08:00.