Breaking the complexity curse

Welcome and cohort explanation [4:00pm]
Speaker: Alistair Croll
As we open up the 2023 Executive Cohort, host Alistair Croll introduces the peer learning format, explains the mechanics of each session, reviews themes we'll cover, and tells you how to make the most of the event.

The weight of society [4:10pm] 
Speaker: Alistair Croll
Large systems inevitably collapse under the weight of their own complexity. And while technology isn't a panacea that will save us from this doom, a digital mindset holds promise. We desperately need new approaches and new thinking, not just to control costs or improve service delivery, but to keep whole the very fabric of modern government in turbulent times. To lead the teams that will restore trust in a functioning public service, executives must overhaul their thinking.

Breakout introductions [4:20pm] 
In our first breakout, we'll separate into virtual groups and answer simple questions about our goals for the cohort and each share an example of an initiative that's blocked because of complexity, or over budget/time, due to the cost of coordination, and then share the results.
Along the way, we'll learn how to work in a peer breakout format.

Return and share [4:40pm]
Each breakout group shares its list of the three most common instances of complexity becoming unworkable.

Modularity breaks Tainter's Curse [4:45pm]
Speaker: Alistair Croll
Tech won't save us—but how we use it might. As the Parable of the Watchmakers shows us, modular, re-usable components are the antidote to custom, monolithic services.  But modular thinking means tearing down fiefdoms and understanding the hidden costs of uniqueness. Whether you're building a car, an application, or an operating theatre, loosely coupled subcomponents, limit the energy consumed by the system as a whole while allowing gradual improvements without wholesale upgrades.

Homework and next steps [4:55pm]
Speaker: Alistair Croll
We conclude the first day with some homework, and an assignment for our following session.