Agile Projects Blog

Each generation predicts automation will make software engineers obsolete. Seventy years of abstraction suggest the opposite: as lower layers disappear, the profession expands upward.

Advances in technology make once-essential skills unnecessary, like car maintenance with grease guns in the 1960s or IP network setup in the 1990s. Tools like the recently-released Amazon Q Business are now simplifying complex business tasks with generative AI, and are likely to fundamentally change how specialised work is done.

"The Charles Test," presents a 12-question framework designed to evaluate the effectiveness of digital sales channel management. Covering areas like data accessibility, conversion rates, customer satisfaction, and teamwork, the questions help businesses identify strengths and weaknesses. A perfect score signals robust channel management, while lower scores highlight opportunities for improvement.

Until recently, Machine Learning was in the domain of Computer Scientists and ML Specialists. It's not today. It's now in the domain of Engineering and companies should be seeking-out opportunities everywhere to take advantage of it.

We often hear that 'banking is boring'. But something strange is happening with consumers: they're engaging more frequently than ever before with their banks. What's going on?

Most of the rationale for moving to the cloud is based on a cost argument: moving will save you money. My experience is that the primary benefits are often 'non-functional' like faster cycle times and a strong bias towards best-practice technical architecture.

How should banks view Mobile - as a new channel like branches, or as the defining experience of the bank?

When segmenting your customer base and deciding who to target it can be tempting to focus on least engaged customers as the opportunity seems biggest. A better starting place - in my experience - is to start with the most engaged customers.

Customer loyalty campaigns abound: providing special offers and recognition to reward loyalty is an important part of the marketing toolkit. Figuring out whether a campaign is effective or not can be complicated - and a phenomenon I call 'survival of the most engaged' can often hide what's really going on.

One of the hardest tasks for any brand is keeping a strong relationship with their customers. How do great companies do this and what are some of the pitfalls to avoid?