Category: Reading

Categories
Education Innovation Reading

Latest Read: Doing Agile Right

Doing Agile Right: Transformation Without Chaos by Darrell Rigby, Sarah Elk, and Steve Berez

Doing Agile Right: Transformation Without Chaos by Darrell Rigby, Sarah Elk, and Steve Berez

Darrell holds a MBA from Harvard Business School. He is a Senior Partner at Bain & Company and is a founder and leader of Bain’s Innovation and Agile Practices. Sarah holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and is a partner at Bain & Company with a focus on agile transformations and organizational change. Steve holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and is a partner at Bain & Company specializing in technology and agile practices. As a team they provide a deep and well-rounded perspective on implementing agile methodologies while avoiding common pitfalls associated with chaotic transformations.

Agile is a project management and software development approach that emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and customer-centricity. It breaks projects into smaller phases called sprints. This permits teams to adapt quickly to changes and deliver value faster. It certainly has the power to transform work, but only if it’s implemented the correct way.

This isn’t a product or goal in itself, it’s a means to becoming an efficient operation. This book is really a must-read for any organization making transitions. They addresses the challenges many organizations face when implementing agile methodologies. They emphasize understanding and applying agile principles effectively in order to to achieve real transformation without falling into chaos. Today this is a tall order indeed, more than ever before.

Continue reading “Latest Read: Doing Agile Right”
Categories
Artificial Intelligence Education Innovation Reading

Latest Read: Brave New Worlds

Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education by Salman Khan.

Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education by Salman Khan

Sal holds BS in both mathematics and electrical engineering from MIT. He holds a MS in electrical engineering also from MIT with a MBA from Harvard Business School. Sal founded Khan Academy after tutoring his cousin in mathematics in 2004 and launched online video tutorials in 2006.

He wrote Brave New Worlds in fact for general audiences to teach them about the AI revolution in education. He addresses the implications for parents and how to best address AI for good. Sal starts simple with ChatGPT, showing how it will transform learning. In fact, there is a roadmap addressing teachers, parents, and even students on how to engage our AI world. Sal demonstrates his AI-powered tutoring service Khanmigo which was obviously developed by Khan Academy.

Readers will also appreciate this is not an AI technology book. Sal is laying out the impact upon our society and implications from educational administrators, teachers, and guidance counselors, to hiring managers. Companies will certainly demand employees be AI aware in their education to make their workplace competitive.

Continue reading “Latest Read: Brave New Worlds”
Categories
Education Reading

Latest Read: You’ll See This Message When It Is Too Late

You’ll See This Message When It Is Too Late: The Legal and Economic Aftermath of Cybersecurity Breaches by Josephine Wolff.

You’ll See This Message When It Is Too Late: The Legal and Economic Aftermath of Cybersecurity Breaches by Josephine Wolff

Josephine holds a AB, Mathematics from Princeton University and a MS in Technology & Policy and PhD in Engineering Systems both from MIT. Today she is Associate Professor of Cybersecurity Policy Associate Professor, Computer Science, Engineering and Director, Hitachi Center for Technology and International Affairs at Tufts University. She is also a visiting professor of Law at Yale Law School.

Josephine outlines a series in fact of highly publicized cybersecurity incidents between 2005 and 2015. She is able to map the entire attack cycle of each breach. This certainly leads to insights for identifying opportunities for more robust defensive intervention. There are three main motives: financial gain, espionage, and public humiliation of the victim. These are a consistent theme over the ten year timeframe.

During this decade, cyber attacks made the news regularity. The book discusses the legal ramification organizations face after a breach. Here the focus is including litigation, regulatory fines, and compliance issues. Josephine also analyzes financial ramifications including direct costs for remediation and legal fees and the indirect costs like customer trust and brand damage. Josephine documents real-world examples of significant data breaches and the various organizational responses and lessons learned.

Continue reading “Latest Read: You’ll See This Message When It Is Too Late”
Categories
Education Reading

Latest Read: HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Managing Projects and Initiatives

HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Managing Projects and Initiatives by Harvard Business Review.

HBR's 10 Must Reads on Managing Projects and Initiatives by Harvard Business Review

This book is a valuable read since all of us will be leading projects or initiatives sooner than we realize. So, why not learn how to manage them more effectively. This book is a collection of articles on project management and positioned a a resource for anyone working in project based work roles or even project leadership.

I found this to be a valuable read for my own projects. Yet I also realize “Keep Your AI Projects on Track” by Iavor Bojinov as a most interesting chapter since the number of AI Project Management services must be already on the horizon. Managing projects and initiatives often involve multiple stakeholders, competing internal priorities, and resources.

The book reveals key topics to understanding to ensure successful project execution. They include: Navigating Complexity, Managing Change, Resource Allocation, Maintaining Alignment, Measuring Success, Dealing with Uncertainty, and Fostering Collaboration. All truly key elements to understand and perhaps master along your project lifecycles.

Continue reading “Latest Read: HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Managing Projects and Initiatives”
Categories
Artificial Intelligence Education Reading

Latest Read: Generative Artificial Intelligence

Generative Artificial Intelligence: What Everyone Needs to Know by Jerry Kaplan.

Generative Artificial Intelligence: What Everyone Needs to Know by Jerry Kaplan

Jerry holds BA in History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Chicago and PhD in Computer and Information Science (specializing in AI) from the University of Pennsylvania. He is Adjunct Lecturer at Stanford University’s Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. Jerry co-founded GO Corporation in 1987.

This is a somewhat comprehensive guide to the very rapidly evolving field of Generative AI (Gen AI). Jerry is basically conveying GenAI may revolutionize society.

At the same time, Jerry is outlining risks and dangers associated with Gen AI including the abuse and misuse by authoritarian governments to spread disinformation and suppress dissent. Yet in the later chapters there seems to be a simplification of the ethical and societal impacts. There are also concerns that with such a respectable career, a more firm approach to AI ethics was missed.

To be fair, the AI market is so fluid today that the major competitors OpenAI, Microsoft, Google among a small handful of others, it appears somewhat challenging to forecast a market that will surly shift before the end of the year.

Continue reading “Latest Read: Generative Artificial Intelligence”