Cam Cottrill

It’s a truism in economics that most technological change in any industry takes place not during the boom times, but during the downturns, when firms have to be clever to survive. The Atlantic:This Is the Way the College ‘Bubble’ Ends, July 26, 2017.

I’ve often said that I’ve been either blessed or cursed by always working in poorly performing software intensive organizations. I also realize that if they had not been so bad, I may not have had the opportunities to try out the many ideas I’ve used over the years. The bad times have been some of my best times.

I do recall one job interview where, after the interview, my thoughts were that there was nothing I could do for them. Turns out they were very good at talking but not so good at software maintenance and development. I’ve concluded that there are always opportunities in every company to improve things even before the downturns.

See for example Don’t Kill The Golden Goose Of Project Management — The Crisis

How are you taking advantage of those times when you are working in a poorly performing organization?