Moocs a gamechanger but not a cheap option

Andrew McGettigan asks whether Moocs will offer a low cost alternative mechanism for delivery of higher education (Will Moocs be the scourge or saviour of higher education, The Guardian,13 May).

16 Projects - 3 steps for managing a project portfolio

If you are a fan of the David Allen system "Getting Things Done" then you may like this system for managing a project portfolio. My definition of a project is any piece of work, area of responsibility or relationship that requires multiple actions. 

1. Keep a minimum of 20% of time free for single tasks, correspondence, the unexpected and minor projects

This is vital to deal with correspondence, single action items, modest (usually maintenance) projects and unexpected activity requiring urgent attention.

2. Use 80% to deliver major projects.

A major project may be time-limited or recurrent, it may be an organisational unit or division for which you have responsibility, or it may be a working relationship with a colleague. If you accept that each major project needs at least 5% of your time, then the maximum number of projects is 16. If you have more than 16 projects / reports etc...then it may explain why you are working all the time!

3. Make sure your meeting schedule is helping you deliver your project priorities. 

Make sure your meeting schedule is project focused. Your time is valuable so if it does not match up against your critical projects then the schedule is not fitting the priorities. In order to track this make sure that every appointment is tagged with a project label.

In summary - these simply guidelines help:

(a) Identify times when you are over-capacity - with all the implications on you and those around you.

(b) Prioritise projects - so you know which need the most attention right now

(c) Consider the feasibility of taking on a new project - if you are at capacity you can't take on a new project without ditching an existing project

(d) Reinforce the importance of project review. Its obviously vital to keep on track of your projects to maintain momentum - but also so you can determine when you can exit and take on something new!

(e) Focus on the projects that really matter to you.

If there is general interest in this approach I'll post something on implementation.

Why I ran 1000 for Children In Need - and will keep going...

In January 2012 I decided to try and do something for charity - a small personal challenge. It was really just an excuse to get fit rather than any grand gesture. I decided to try and run 1000km over the course of a year and given my fitness levels, I wanted to wait until I got a few hundred km under my belt before fund raising. 

My choice of Children In Need, rather than a more specific charity was surprising, but I felt that they would know how best to use any money I raise. I also thought it might be good to join with others in a collective show of support for the numerous projects that Children In Need fund.

There have been times when the running has been hard. Sometimes its been tough to get out of the door to run mainly because of time and occasionally because I can't be bothered or the weather is too bad. I have had no injuries or illness, but even so it can feel hard to run 20km every week - there are lots of good excuses not too. However if I'm in any doubt I have the support of my daughter's words of encouragement - "man-up Dad"!

However what has kept me going has been the thought of the thousands of individuals who work  tirelessly, often in difficult circumstances and without glamour or a spotlight - to help people who need them. Through the people and organisations that help my autistic son, I see a small segment of this part of our society and I am staggered by their unstinting commitment to their causes. It reminds me that the simple act of putting on a pair of running shoes and jogging a few miles a week is a genuine luxury.

I am now past 1250km - I have not raised much money so please sponsor me - in any event I will keep going to the end of the year. 

And who knows maybe I'll just keep going through 2013.

So why not sponsor me (http://buff.ly/Xy4dvg), join me or set your own challenge.

@SteveCaddick

#run1000challenge

#childreninneed

No people, no recovery - the UK economy cannot afford a talent deficit

Opinion is divided on whether we are entering a phase of growth or enter a triple-dip recession and whether the coalition is being effective in cutting the structural deficit.

Shifting science out of the geek ghetto

Elizabeth Truss  writing in The Telegraph  ([We must shift science out of the geek ghetto, September 4, http://buff.ly/QtK1FX) highlights the importance of maths and science to our future prosperity and expresses concern about the rates of take up of maths and science in our 16-18 year olds. Yet her claim that the poor uptake of these subjects by British students is because of the unwillingness of our young people to take risks – or a desire to take the easy option – misses an important point. 

 

It is true that we have an excellent science base, yes – but universities are experiencing real term cuts in higher education in general, and research in particular, at a time when our competitors are increasing their investment. It is a powerful message to our young people that this government is not as committed to scientific research as other countries and secondly, that there is little prospect of being able to develop and sustain a career in scientific research in the UK. 

 

There is always more universities can do to raise aspirations by more effectively communicating the accessibility, beauty and excitement of the world of science. Anyone with a career in the field knows that hard work is a pre-requisite. However, if Elizabeth Truss and her colleagues are genuine in their desire to see a real change in the choices of our young people, then this government must increase investment in universities and research for the long-term – otherwise we will see our best talent continuing to move overseas.  

 

History has shown that such investment will provide an economic return and it will show to our young people that pursuit of these subjects have rewards which include the prospect of a fulfilling career, including as an academic researcher in one of our world class universities.

More regulation will not encourage innovation

Unsurprisingly given the state of the world economy there have been a number of pieces asking questions about the ability of large corporations to innovate - see for example Felix Salmon on Reuters (http://t.co/V31EDyhn).

However the most recent I have seen is Peter Wilby's piece in the Guardian (http://bit.ly/Ryp78U). His diagnosis is that business, particularly "big pharma", is suffering from an innovation crisis that can be cured by additional regulation. He suggests that this would steer "rent-seekers" away from marketing and PR toward research and development and consequently job creating and socially beneficial technologies. In my opinion more regulation is unlikely to stimulate innovation in big companies.

The development of new therapeutics remains a high risk and expensive business, despite the huge increase in our knowledge of human physiology and disease. The cost of failure is substantial, and the opportunities to make a return are generally limited to the lifetime of patents. The expectation of our society is that we will increasingly develop personalised treatment regimes for acute and chronic conditions in an ageing population. Thus, with the days of the blockbuster drug numbered, new therapeutics will individually deliver more modest returns, but without any immediate prospect for a concomitant reduction in the costs of development, some of which are directly attributable to over-regulation. This may provide the stimulus for innovation, but it is also possible that shareholders, investors and business people, will decide that there are less risky ways to make a return on investment.

There is no doubt that we need to encourage a greater appetite for creativity and innovation, and that removing incentives to other patterns of behaviour are important. However for complex areas of societal importance and public concern such as healthcare, we need to ensure that there is a credible and sustainable business model. That means incentivising innovation, removing unnecessary regulatory barriers, sharing the risk between the public and private sector and ensuring that there is sufficient opportunity for investors to make a return. In the absence of such thinking we will be unable to promote the level of innovation required to address the complex challenges of modern society.

No room for Fool’s Gold when it comes to the British economy

Our sports stars have done us proud this summer - never mind Tour de France - its been a Tour de Force. There will no doubt be political squabbles over the immediate economic benefit of London 2012 but the British public have received a feelgood factor that in itself is a pretty good return on investment. Its certainly been enough to temporarily take our take most people's minds off the double dip recession.

To my mind, the Government could do worse than seek inspiration from TeamGB when it comes to the economy – they have systematically combined determination, planning, smart training and teamwork to lead a ruthlessly competitive international pack in a tough competition. We need to learn from this impressive display if we are going to power our way back to sustainable growth for UK.

The Government has persisted with a one-dimensional approach to economic fitness – trying unsuccessfully to shed a few pounds through a diet of austerity and the same old training regime of quantitative easing. It’s not working and a more sophisticated approach is needed. There have been recent calls, including most notably by Boris Johnson, for us to invest in the UK's infrastructure. He's right.

It seems obvious to me that we must create infrastructure which will entice the most creative and brightest minds from across the world to the UK – especially entrepreneurs. We must also ensure that they generate jobs; a skilled and experienced workforce is as vital a part of infrastructure for business as transport and broadband.

The success of Team GB was epitomised by the sustained success of cyclists. Even if our economy had the yellow jersey or a gold medal, we can’t afford the luxury of resting on our laurels. We need to invest in the future if we are to create a gold-plated British economy.