JohnRauser

Flow, Flow, and Flow

What does it mean when we say “Flow”? In the study of organizational dynamics and productivity, the concept has evolved significantly over time. We can see three distinct yet interconnected types of Flow that have shaped our understanding of creativity, efficiency and productivity in various contexts. Let’s review them (using some names I made up)Continue reading “Flow, Flow, and Flow”

Agile, DevOps, AI, and the Future of Work

In many ways, the breakthroughs that have shaped the last few decades of progress in software delivery have become normal. We are no longer facing an intellectual gap in what “good” looks like on a software delivery team. DevOps has a Handbook, SRE has a Workbook, and Agile is even taught by PMI. We haveContinue reading “Agile, DevOps, AI, and the Future of Work”

Enterprise GenAI Delivery Patterns

Generative AI (GenAI) promises transformative potential for enterprises, yet the path from idea to implementation is complex. How can we harness this game-changing technology in the ecosystem of a large organization? We explore this problem in a new paper I co-authored and published in the Enterprise Technology Leadership Journal Spring 2024 edition.’ In this paper,Continue reading “Enterprise GenAI Delivery Patterns”

Wiring for Flow: Harnessing Digital Networking Principles in Organizational Design

As a long-time practitioner in the field of improving ways of working across organizations, I often find myself drawing parallels between the complex systems we build in technology organizations with other domains. One area of deep interest for me is understanding the elaborate networks of people and processes in our businesses. This led me toContinue reading “Wiring for Flow: Harnessing Digital Networking Principles in Organizational Design”

Enabling Enterprise Innovation

How can R&D leaders working on incubation projects in large enterprises increase their odds of successfully transitioning into a major revenue stream? This article lays out the four enablers of transformation: Re-Use, Integration, Standardization and Unification. Incubating Innovation: The Theory You are likely already familiar with the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule,Continue reading “Enabling Enterprise Innovation”

Exploring the Frontier of Generative AI at Cisco

In 1893, Frederick Jackson Turner penned his famous Frontier Thesis to explain the culture that grew from the unique circumstances at the birth of the American nation. It was the great Western frontier, he said, that gave rise to a particular character, driven by the struggle and opportunity that lies in exploring the unknown. TheContinue reading “Exploring the Frontier of Generative AI at Cisco”

LLM Archetypes: Product Patterns for Generative AI

This is a summary of my talk at DevOps Enterprise Summit 2023. To watch the full presentation, please visit the IT Revolution Video Library here: https://videos.itrevolution.com/watch/873538323 The advent of widely available Large Language Models (LLMs) has created a tremendous amount of excitement, and a decent amount of chaos. Let’s face it: LLMs are a solution lookingContinue reading “LLM Archetypes: Product Patterns for Generative AI”

Attacking AI Underneath the Prompt: LLMOps and Security

The current discussion about security AI is all about the prompt, a natural focal point: it’s the interface, generally available to the public and evoking the world’s imagination. We can already see the weaknesses: the ability to generate malicious content, the problems of data privacy, the threat of injection/exploitation, and general adversarial dialogue. But thisContinue reading “Attacking AI Underneath the Prompt: LLMOps and Security”

How do Small Teams have a Big Impact in Large Companies?

Sometimes it feels like we are swimming in a giant sea of products, people and teams. Other times we forget that there are oceans of activity going on all around us. Developing software in a large company comes with a unique set of challenges. For a small engineering team, having an org-scale impact can beContinue reading “How do Small Teams have a Big Impact in Large Companies?”

Grateful Leadership

Practicing values in the workplace is key to a healthy culture, but we tend to focus on those relating to communication, planning or practices. I like to also reflect on how our personal values translate into the workplace. Gratitude means being thankful by showing appreciation. When we practice gratitude, we channel our thanks into action.Continue reading “Grateful Leadership”