The run-up to a new role gives me a privileged few weeks to start some habits the way I intend to continue. One that’s high on my list is to ask better questions. Asking questions has to be more than a matter of once-and-done induction to a new domain. I will never close my mind … Continue reading I’m curious: 3 questions I’m asking right now
Author: mattedgar
Weeknote: 8 to 12 February 2021
What was hard? A lot of my colleagues are experiencing the combined effects of the third national lockdown, home-schooling, pressure to deliver, and the freezing cold weather. Sometimes we need to have some hard conversations about priorities and team behaviours, and doing these remotely doesn't make it easy to read how people are feeling. What … Continue reading Weeknote: 8 to 12 February 2021
Weeknote: 11 to 15 January 2021
What was hard? I struggled with procrastination a few times this week, perhaps accentuated by prospect of continued home working stretching out ahead of me. There are some things on my to-do list that I meant to get done in the working time between Christmas and New Year, didn't quite get to them, and now … Continue reading Weeknote: 11 to 15 January 2021
Weeknote: 4 to 8 January 2021
What did you experiment with? A new weeknote format for 2021 What did you enjoy? Working with NHSX colleagues and some of my other favourite people on a new piece of workAn intro call with Laura, our organisation's new chairA walking meeting through the snowy woods near our house What was hard? Struggling to strike … Continue reading Weeknote: 4 to 8 January 2021
Using Twitter lists to balance my attention: a slow motion self-experiment
If I'm going to live in a filter bubble, it might as well be one that I have intentionally constructed for myself. For a few years now I've been using tools like proporti.onl to keep a check on the gender balance of the people I follow. nonbinarymenwomenno gender, unknownPeople you follow1%50%49% Guessed from name0537464443Declared pronouns14130188 Proporti.onl results … Continue reading Using Twitter lists to balance my attention: a slow motion self-experiment
Weeknote: 9 to 13 November 2020
An autumn lockdown treat: we cooked Saturday evening dinner over an open fire in the garden What inspired me this week? This brilliant video featuring some of my NHS Digital colleagues... https://youtu.be/SOfkWR9I-XM Tero’s post on Apolitical: Design is the strategy More workshops with colleagues from Primary Care. This week it felt as if the team … Continue reading Weeknote: 9 to 13 November 2020
Weeknote: 2 to 6 November 2020
View from my Monday morning desk at Trevelyan Square What leadership teamwork did I see? On Tusday, senior leaders from 3 NHS organisations came together to kick off an intensve period of work on a knotty service transformation problem. I felt the first workshop went well, with everyone agreeing how we wanted to work together. … Continue reading Weeknote: 2 to 6 November 2020
Weeknote: 26 to 30 October 2020
Ther River Aire outside Leeds on my Sunday morning bike ride What connections did I make? An introductory call with Fran, a new director in NHS Digital's Data Services area Peter joined the user-centred design team as associate delivery manager. I'm looking forward to having some help as a team to focus on our objectives … Continue reading Weeknote: 26 to 30 October 2020
Weeknotes: 19 to 23 October 2020
Caption from murals at Wallington, which I visited during my week off Back to weeknoting after a hiatus when my time was consumed with other things. Thanks to Rachel for the nudge I needed to get back into the habit. What inspired me this week? All the stuff that happened while I was on leave … Continue reading Weeknotes: 19 to 23 October 2020
Weeknotes: 17 to 28 August 2020
Saturday morning bike ride round Bardsey A double edition covering the 2 weeks since I got back from holiday… What inspired me this fortnight? Getting back from 2 weeks’ holiday and seeing how the team had moved things on while I was away. The Product Development show and tell, in which two of our user-centred … Continue reading Weeknotes: 17 to 28 August 2020
Weeknote: 20 to 24 July 2020
What inspired me this week? 97 people joining our Product Development show and tell on Teams. I think that’s a record! There were great presentations about the coronavirus content toolkit, and a change to the NHS App to improve the user experience when there are temporary glitches in connecting to GP systems. Catching up with … Continue reading Weeknote: 20 to 24 July 2020
Weeknote: 13 to 17 July 2020
A four-day working week after a long weekend on the lovely Northumbrian coast. What inspired me this week? Happiness is watching a flock of user-centred design professionals from multiple delivery teams swarming over a Miro board in a community workshop. I concluded early in my time at NHS Digital that having teams talk to each … Continue reading Weeknote: 13 to 17 July 2020
Weeknote: 6 to 10 July 2020
I got a haircut!Only retrospectively did I realise how much that, along with the scratchy Sharpies, was affecting my mood at my home office.How am I developing leaders and leadership?We welcomed Emma Parnell as a lead designer to work alongside Dean across our citizen-facing services.I also had a catch-up with Eva, the practice lead for … Continue reading Weeknote: 6 to 10 July 2020
Weeknote: 29 June to 3 July 2020
Back to weeknotes after a break while I wrote up my 3-year reflections. Monday Spent the morning and early afternoon in a brilliant remote unconference for Nye Bevan Programme graduates, organised by Mike Chitty, Hesham Abdalla, and Peter Watson. After the busyness of the past few months, it was a lovely change of gear to … Continue reading Weeknote: 29 June to 3 July 2020
3 years into my work at NHS Digital – part 2: Responding to change over following a plan
I hate emergencies. Some people thrive on drama, on spontaneously pulling improbable triumph from the jaws of a terrible situation. Personally, I’d much rather we didn’t get into that situation in the first place. I knew this about myself before I did the Nye Bevan Programme, and my learning on that programme confirmed it. Leadership … Continue reading 3 years into my work at NHS Digital – part 2: Responding to change over following a plan