Friday 25th September

So I am on a train coming back from Cardiff. The week had been centred on a particularly nasty problem around Directors and some potential bad data (possibly affecting 1000's of records) when I get an email saying the problem is really small and we can fix all errors before we go live. This is enough to make me rejoice anyway (most times issues escalate, not actually resolve themselves without too much effort). But, and I kid you not reading public, my iPod started playing the line 'Good times for a change' from ‘Please please please let me get what I want this time’ by The Smiths. The odds of getting a positive message from a Smiths song were slim at best, so to get that nugget while reading the update on the Directors issue is arguably too close for coincidence (thanks MS). I think the Karma I mentioned in my blog last week is coming our way.

So why the bullish, almost euphoric mood? Well I see light at the end of the tunnel. We still have a lot of work to do over the next few weeks, but I note with some optimism that those involved in delivering the project know what we need to do and when we need to do it by - the project managers who have worked tirelessly on this deserve a medal, or at the least a very large beer.

The reality is this - all business information vendors large and small are affected by the Companies Act. We all have plans to deliver the work on time and on budget and therefore the execution of those plans still remains the number one priority for our business (and no doubt everybody else’s), in the coming days.

As a 'lifer' at ICC (and proud to be one), I know that the vast majority of the people working within ICC are a loyal and dedicated bunch who want this piece of work to succeed. Whether they are opportunists who see everything in terms of “what does this mean for my customers” - or the more rational, analytical thinkers who look at the consequences of not delivering the program, everybody I talk to has their own personal pride in the job they are doing, and wants their part of the whole to be as much of a success as those around them.

I think this bodes very well for what will be a challenging, but also pretty exciting period of time.