Communications of the ACM
From Communications of the ACM
Involvement and Detachment
How detachment from your community blocks your success at leading innovations, and what to do about it.
From Communications of the ACM
Systems Abstractions
Computing professionals use powerful abstractions to tame complexity in large software systems and distributed networks.
From Communications of the ACM
Back of the Envelope
Back-of-the-envelope calculations are a powerful professional practice.
From Communications of the ACM
Science Is Not Another Opinion
The issue is not who has the "truth," but whose claims deserve more credence.
From Communications of the ACM
Avalanches Make Us All Innovators
Avalanches generate enormous breakdowns. The practices of innovation adoption may be just what you need to resolve them.
From Communications of the ACM
Technology Adoption
The S-shaped curve of technology adoption is a welcome recurrence in an otherwise chaotic adoption world.
From Communications of the ACM
Uncertainty
Considering how to best navigate stability and randomness.
From Communications of the ACM
The Forgotten Engineer
Engineering has been marginalized by the unhealthy belief that engineering is the application of science.
From Communications of the ACM
Learning to Learn
Do you get stuck when it is time to learn something new? Read this.
From Communications of the ACM
Software Quality
Software users are looking more and more for software that delights.
From Communications of the ACM
Fifty Years of Operating Systems
A recent celebration of 50 years of operating system research yields lessons for all professionals in designing offers for their clients.
From Communications of the ACM
Why Our Theories of Innovation Fail Us
Until we moderate our fascination with creating ideas, we will not achieve the rate of innovations we seek.
From Communications of the ACM
'Surfing Toward the Future'
A new report from Chile about improving economic competitiveness advances a novel interpretation of innovation. Timing is everything.
From Communications of the ACM
Design Thinking
Design thinking is the newest fashion for finding better solutions to problems. Combining it with computational thinking offers some real possibilities for improving...
From Communications of the ACM
The Other Side of Language
The conversation for action gives a framework for completing professional actions effectively.
From Communications of the ACM
Thumb Numbers
Rules of thumb stated as numerical rules are enticing, but many are folk theorems that may not apply in your critical situation.
From Communications of the ACM
Moods
Recognizing and working with moods — your own, your team's, and your customers' — is essential to professional success.
From Communications of the ACM
The Idea Idea
What if practices rather than ideas are the main source of innovation?
From Communications of the ACM
Managing Time, Part 2
Masterful time management means not just tracking of messages in your personal environment, but managing your coordination network with others.12