That time of year again when I need to pause, breathe and look back at 2025 and remind myself to reflect but this year feels a bit different.
First thing, launching the new short course platform, which includes 5 services (not 6 or 7……that one is for all the parents), numerous integrations (one being online payment platform so everyone panics about financial transactions), compliance (privacy policies, terms and conditions for a new service), processes (we have the tech but how do we use it, support it, manage it, update it, access it, review it, communicate it, approve it etc) has been challenging.
I love a challenge but 2025 has been a tough one hence my reflection feeling different if not slightly weird. The pressure and expectation to have all the answers to various elements of a new platform (technical and non-technical) at stages throughout this year has been difficult to manage.
Part of this is my own expectation to have the answers or simply know everything. Part of this was my own disappointment and frustration when I didn’t. Part of this is the pressure cooker of delivering a new platform across the institution during a period of financial instability. It’s a lot of parts (some I haven’t included) but in reality, the only part I can fully control is me. Turning off a bit more sounds like an easy solution but it felt impossible. I honestly look back and am thankful for my colleagues who have supported me in 2025. SCP took a chunk of me and getting it out the door nearly broke me.
Friday emails (I don’t work Fridays) and teams conversations kept me in cycle of checking in when I should have been checking out. Don’t get me wrong, my role is to deliver and support services so it’s part of the JD and its with great joy the teams have delivered but the paranoid version of me questions “what did I do”. I know the answer but when things start to go wrong it leads to darker place. Am I mansplaining, are the right people included, what did that person mean, we agreed this but its changed, why?, why am I not invited to that meeting? Constant thoughts swirling through my head when in reality as the project grew you need to let go as it’s impossible to do it all. Placing trust in others but more importantly practising what you preach, sharing the load (like Samwise Gangee wanted to help Frodo by carrying the one ring into the fires of mount doom……), be transparent and listen.
I enjoy the challenge, I love pushing myself but I don’t have all the answers, I get stuff wrong and I am only 1 person. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable has been a big mentality change. It helps when your surrounded by supportive people.
Practically, I also installed an app blocker on my phone which makes accessing Teams and checking emails on a Friday a living nightmare as my phone makes me jump through multiple hurdles to even login to Teams (which is a kinda great!).
Learning and playing more with APIs, agile methodologies, Power BI, headless CMS, resource planning, release planning, power apps, power flow, Canvas, virtual meetings, communications, working groups, BAU are things that have all of a sudden merged into my vocabulary over the past 12 months. Lessons learnt is a term I am looking forward to using less over 2026…..although it’s part of however they are key to the of reflecting and being honest (as much as you can be).
SCP launched in June and so far we have over 450 courses which have ran just under 1000 times, 7k learners and over 11,500 enrolments which have either been via online card transactions or backend fun orders. The platform was a massive task with contributions from various teams in IS and across the institution. Listening and adapting the platform or the requirements has been pivotal to launching a platform that is starting to gain traction amongst schools.
Sadly, it will be the last year in Argyle House or as some may recognise the building as the police station in Dept Q (Netflix). Looking at a castle every day, having easy access to meeting rooms, seemingly always being on or close to a film set (T2, Frankenstein, Avengers) will be things I will miss. Listening to the jazz folk jam under the bridge at castle terrace will definitely not be something I will miss. We move in March and I wil miss the eye sore.
Overall, 2025 will always be the year we launched and I am proud of what we achieved. 2026 already has private courses, programmes, website enhancements and more on the agenda with less access to Teams and a bit more confidence in myself to get things wrong and the odd time right. Anyway, this is for me not you but if you feel the same sometimes, talk to someone. It does help.
(myles photo of argyle house)
