Reposted by Ruth MalanSaeed Jones @theferocity.bsky.social · 30/09/2026This will be a thread of essays I recommend to students in my creative nonfiction workshop: 181264270
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 01/10/2026For those facing career headwinds (between jobs; responding to job threat by investing in design learning, but without org/budget support; etc.), there are scholarship options. (Same goes for the Technical Leadership workshop in November.) 000
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Workshop starts Monday Oct 5 (some seats still open and flash sale). It’s a *system* *design* practice based workshop, where we shape design intent and system integrity. 121
Reposted by Ruth MalanPatrick Berry @patandkat.com · 26/09/2026Currently reading: Signals & Levers by Elisabeth Hendrickson; Joel Tosi 📚 012
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Such great stickers! I remember Joel Tosi asking if stickers and hand drawn images in the book would be a good idea, and they have come on such a journey since then, and it’s all just so wonderfully done! 040
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Received the book plus stickers from the authors today 🎉 So looking forward to 👇 170
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 20/09/2026The book will be out on Tuesday (22nd)! And we’ll be discussing it, with a focus on ch 10, on Monday 28th. (There’s a link to the reading on sign up.) Join us? 064
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 13/09/2026Soon! Join us?? In person, or for talks there’s a remote ticket option. 000
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Getting to work with you was an amazing experience — all the ways you brought good things (orientations, perspectives, stories/experiences, insights, and good design work) out of all of us!! Just remarkable and memorable. Thank you! 110
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Pages from: www.ruthmalan.com/systems/2025...ruthmalan.com 010
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 08/09/2026System Design and Software Architecture Workshop in October: ti.to/bredemeyer/s... This workshop moves from strategic understanding of context and framing a design opportunity, through shaping system capabilities and properties, to designing components, interactions, and APIs. Sampling of pages: 174
Reposted by Ruth MalanIT Revolution @itrevolution.com · 03/09/2026Sign up for a workshop with Elisabeth Hendrickson and Joel Tosi, the authors of the upcoming book Signals & Levers, at Agile Testing Days! Nov. 16 - 19, 2026 Potsdam, Germany Info: itrev.io/4bL0rcf Register: itrev.io/3Uru9wW 013
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 07/09/2026“I'm on chapter 5 and believe me, you want to read this book!” — Barry S. 054
Reposted by Ruth MalanButtercup Festival @buttercupfestival.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Don't Buttercup Festival originals look nice on a wall? www.buttercupfestival.com/originals.htm 061
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 07/09/2026They did have “temporary” homes on view, naturally :) 040
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Got my @buttercupfestival.bsky.social ‘s up at last!! (They were my Christmas request. Don’t ask which Christmas, haha.) www.buttercupfestival.com/2-90.htm buttercupfestival.com/2-91.htm www.buttercupfestival.com/2-102.htm 180
Reposted by Ruth MalanHazel Weakly @hazelweakly.me · 24/08/2026It makes me happy every time I see this doing the rounds again 🥰 Shockingly, it’s still true 2567
Reposted by Ruth MalanElisabet Roselló Román @lisrosello.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Sé que se habla bastante de que si no sé qué complejo, que si no sé cuánto no-lineal (suele referirse a “exponencial”) Hace semanas publiqué artículos ahondando en fundamentos de ciencias de complejidad y paradigmas Qué es la complejidad (2º artículo) lisrosello.substack.com/p/ahora-si-q...lisrosello.substack.comAhora sí: qué es la complejidad 101. CyM II¿Qué es la complejidad? ¿Es una simple palabra de moda? Si es como paradigma científico ¿cómo se define? ¿qué hace que algo sea complejo y qué no? Vamos a desenredar el lío. 152
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Recently James Thomas used Elisabeth Hendrickon’s previous (testing) book cover as inspiration for a zine cover for the Advent(ure) in Systems zine qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2026/08/see-... So “everything is connected to everything” loops are at it, here too :)qahiccupps.blogspot.comSee It! A System Seeing AdventureMy friend Patrick Prill posted some of his System Seeing practices at the start of the year. He is a systems thinker and... 010
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Because the book will only just be available, the authors have arranged for folk joining the discussion to have access to digital copy in good time to get the reading done. Also, available to pre-order at your beloved (local) book place (probably), and at bookshop.org/p/books/sign...bookshop.orgSignals & Levers: Systems Thinking Tools to Unblock Software DeliveryStop fighting symptoms. Start finding solutions. Discover the systems thinking tools that actually work.In Signals & Levers, Elisabeth Hendrickson—former VP R&D at Pivotal and author of the en... 130
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 21/08/2026#PapersInSystems We have a very exciting discussion lined up for Monday, September 28 at 1-2 pm Eastern Time (US/Canada); 7pm CET Elisabeth Hendricks and Joel Tosi will lead discussion on ch 10 of their book *Signals and Levers* that is due out on Sept 22 Info/sign up: ti.to/bredemeyer/s... 182
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 21/08/2026I’m doing a hands-on session on (Socio)Technical Decisions. The parenthetical (socio) is part of the learning moment of our time, huh. “Oh, yeah. People, people!” :) It’s a practice-session on exploring the forces, constraints and tradeoffs that are (really!) impacting, influencing, at play… 021
Reposted by Ruth MalanLuke @lukepatrick.dev · 20/08/2026Are you going to #ExploreDDD? Then come to DevOpsDays Denver #devopsdays #devopsdaysrox devopsdays.org/events/2026-... Are you going to #devopsdaysrox? go to #ExploreDDD afterwards Hopefully everyone could co-mingle at the same happy hour event that week.devopsdays.orgDevopsdays Denver 2026devopsdays Denver 2026 032
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 20/08/2026And suddenly! #ExploreDDD 2026 is next month! In Denver, CO on September 21-25. @paulrayner.bsky.social and @indu-alagarsamy.bsky.social have designed a wonderful program, with workshops, talks, hands-on sessions, open space, and a day+ of modeling together. exploreddd.com I’m excited!exploreddd.comExplore DDD 2026 | Domain-Driven Design Conference in DenverExplore DDD 2026 is a Domain-Driven Design conference in Denver, September 21-25. Five days of talks, hands-on workshops, and open space for software leaders. 172
Reposted by Ruth MalanYvonne Lam @yvonnezlam.bsky.social · 04/08/2026I looked at a minutely detailed table of how long to steam potatoes in the Instant Pot and said, "I'm not reading all that; 8 minutes seems good." (for anyone at Papers in Systems who listened to me talk about my experience of how people choose initial configuration options) 0111
Reposted by Ruth MalanLucy Bellwood @lubellwoo.bsky.social · 03/08/2026The ancient texts still exist among us. 2433
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 03/08/2026The Meadows “Leverage Points: Places to Intervene” pdf is here: donellameadows.org/wp-content/u...donellameadows.org 010
Reposted by Ruth MalanRuth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 27/07/2026Join us in discussing Meadows’ “Leverage Points”? ‘“This is a HUGE NEW SYSTEM people are inventing!” I said to myself. “They haven’t the SLIGHTEST IDEA how this complex structure will behave,” myself said back to me. “It’s almost certainly an example of cranking the system in the wrong direction”’ 2116
Reposted by Ruth MalanAlexander Ptakhin @aptakhin.name · 08/01/2026Here’s the paradox: – Systems regularly face challenges they weren’t designed to handle – Yet we keep using reductionism—treating entities as just sums of parts while ignoring how those parts interact 151
Reposted by Ruth MalanButtercup Festival @buttercupfestival.bsky.social · 30/07/2026Last full day of the tshirt presale! topa.to/buttercupfestival 051
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 27/07/2026Join us in discussing Meadows’ “Leverage Points”? ‘“This is a HUGE NEW SYSTEM people are inventing!” I said to myself. “They haven’t the SLIGHTEST IDEA how this complex structure will behave,” myself said back to me. “It’s almost certainly an example of cranking the system in the wrong direction”’ 2116
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 24/07/2026Next in our #PapersInSystems discussions: Donella Meadows' "Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System." When: Mon, Aug 3, 2026, 1PM - 2PM Eastern Time (US/Canada) (19:00 CEST) The reading is at: donellameadows.org/archives/lev... More info/sign up (free, of course): ti.to/bredemeyer/p...donellameadows.orgLeverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System 050
Reposted by Ruth MalanYvonne Lam @yvonnezlam.bsky.social · 16/07/2026paging @ruthmalan.bsky.social 2102
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 15/06/2026System Design and Software Architecture Workshop: Oct 5-7 and Oct 12-14, 2026 at 11 am - 3:30 pm Eastern Time (US/Canada). Remote (on Zoom) More info/enroll: ti.to/bredemeyer/s... Preview material: Systems and System Design Overview (pdf): www.ruthmalan.com/systems/2025... 051
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 15/06/2026Next #PapersInSystems July 8 (shifting from "first Monday" to Wednesday for this one), 1-2pm Eastern Time (US/Canada). Remote. Arty Starr and "Theory of Troubleshooting": dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/... Info/sign up: ti.to/bredemeyer/t...dl.acm.orgTheory of Troubleshooting: The Developer’s Cognitive Experience of Overcoming Confusion | ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and MethodologyThis paper introduces a Theory of Troubleshooting that is rooted in cognitive science. This theory helps software developers explain the challenges they face and the project risks that emerge as troubleshooting becomes difficult. We define troubleshooting ... 011
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 11/06/2026yes, thank you :) Yeah, I was thinking/working earlier on critique, and the role it plays, so good timing. 010
Reposted by Ruth MalanLisi Hocke @lisihocke.bsky.social · 07/06/2026#elbsides2026 is over. I took #sketchnotes on the conference day. While this activity helps me focus in the moment and memorize a talk better, the resulting notes are also great to share. So here they are from @elbsides.bsky.social: mastodon.social/@lisihocke/1... 1/2mastodon.socialLisi Hocke (@lisihocke@mastodon.social)#elbsides2026 is over. I took #sketchnotes on the conference day. While this activity helps me focus in the moment and memorize a talk better, the resulting notes are also great to share. So here they... 164
Reposted by Ruth MalanTrunk-Based Thierry (they/them) @tdpauw.bsky.social · 08/06/2026Published: Beyond the Shades of Conway's Law - Foundations: The Origin & The Mirroring Principle How the communities of Product Design and Organisation Design independently made similar observations to Conway's Law, introducing The Mirroring Principle. thinkinglabs.io/articles/202...thinkinglabs.ioBeyond the Shades of Conway's Law - Foundations: The Origin & The Mirroring Principle 034
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 06/06/2026Thank you! Cute! And. It’s been a while since I watched it, so good reminder! www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMgV...m.youtube.comCopeland James - Darling We've Got Time (Official Music Video)YouTube video by Copeland James 041
Reposted by Ruth MalanButtercup Festival @buttercupfestival.bsky.social · 01/06/2026Visitation: Buttercup Festival 3-383 0233
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 31/05/2026It’s at 2pm Eastern Time this time, so if you usually can’t make the 1pm time-slot, hopefully this one works! Also off pattern: in July we switch to Wednesday (Jul 8, 1pm ET) so that Arty Starr can be there (on zoom) to lead discussion of her paper “Theory of Troubleshooting” ti.to/bredemeyer/t... 020
Ruth Malan @ruthmalan.bsky.social · 31/05/2026Excited to discuss Knowledge Power (KP) Maps and the CDE Model tomorrow (June 1)! Thinking I’ll bring Rich Pictures (in memory of Peter Checkland) to the “other conversation scaffolds” part of the discussion. #PapersInSystems 121
