Not in code

I could tell straight away that I will enjoy learning about this topic! I relish opportunities to expand and enrich my vocabulary and already this course has introduced me to a few new concepts.

A couple that stand out as I recollect the first two lectures are the distinction between data, information and knowledge; and the classification of knowledge into explicit and tacit knowledge. Colin�s discussion of Generation Y was also intriguing, appealing even – I need to research this some more.

I agreed with his comments about the disconnect between IT and business, this is something that agile methods like eXtreme Programming (XP) recognise and work actively to address; in XP this is via the practice of an Onsite Customer. I am however curious to see how this relates to KM and if and how it is addressed.

A challenge I face professionally relates to the question of how to achieve effective knowledge transfer in a rapidly growing team. We have grown from ~8 to ~32 developers and several business analysts and testers in a short period. So far we have relied on the XP practice of Pair Programming and other forms of face-to-face communication while attempting to manipulate team structure and size by breaking into smaller sub-teams.

My own experience has been that informal, face-to-face communication is an excellent means of knowledge transfer when the team size is still small (5-10 people), however as the team grows so do the associated costs. I hope this course lends some clues about how to manage knowledge transfer in larger rapidly changing teams especially those that keep growing and where limiting this growth isn�t really an option.

What are the tools, techniques and principles that have worked for others? Why?

I also look forward to contrasting and comparing some of the views which have been and will be put forward with familiar values and principles of XP and the agile software development community. Colin made a comment about software development being composed of 80% explicit knowledge and 20% tacit knowledge when discussing the hybrid model. Many proponents of agile methods, including myself, would probably state the ratio differently with tacit knowledge being 80%. In fact many agilists, refer to themselves as craftsmen not engineers. I am curious to further explore the basis of his assertion as at least on the surface I feel it contradicts my own views.

Finally, I can tell that there will be plenty an opportunity to apply what I will learn in this course: at my current job, in my personal learning, and in future roles – particularly if (when) I succeed in my ambition of running my own software firm one day.

I just became a citizen of Australia. Sang its (our) national anthem for the first time. Wow, strange feeling. I’ve never sung a national anthem other than India’s before this.

They could probably do with making the ceremonies more interesting though (read – fewer speeches!). The wait to receive my certificate seemed longer than the last 6+ years I’ve spent in Australia. Sandeep was smart and brought a book along! In all seriousness though, despite my distaste for ceremony, it is a special feeling to receive the certificate and be congratulated (Though it was actually Abaa-jee Go-pee-na-ha Heeraa-mugoo-ha-ha who became a citizen according to the MC).

Of course India will always be home, but now so is Australia. I feel like a lucky kid with two sets of parents :)

I think I’ll enjoy having a national cricket team that wins all the time and I feel a sudden urge to take my obligatory sickie from work tomorrow. I wonder if they’d understand – Mike?

.. only a little has changed. I now live on my own. I rent a cozy flat in Richmond just off Bridge Road. Those of you who’re familiar with Melbourne probably know what a great location this is. For those of you who aren’t, it’s great because it’s only 10 mins from the heart of Melbourne (by tram) and Bridge Road is home to several excellent cafes & restaurants & also one of Melbourne’s best shopping strips.

I love having my own space and especially enjoy having a bathroom/toilet to myself but I definitely miss the company, especially since my last set of housemates were so wonderful. I’ve always shared a house since I arrived in Melbourne in 1999 so moving out on my own feels like a big step.

There’s been a number of little things that I’ve wanted to blog about since May, but I have trouble drumming up the motivation/discipline to actually sit down and express these in words. I’m *hoping* that this post will help me build up a little momentum so I blog more often. Let’s see if this turns out to be the case.

Finally, I’d like to get an idea of who’s actually reading this blog so, if you’re reading this please post a comment or register so I know you are. This might actually help motivate me write my next post.

Until next time.

Friday (the 18th )was my last day cvMail.

I have a week’s break before I start next monday at IBS.

I start uni again this week.

Now… must try to make use of my spare time constructively before the rest of the week disappears magically!