Niels Pflaeging

Read this week's new article on the Red42 web magazine: "Meet Ernst Weichselbaum, the world's foremost philosopher of time-orientation". And subscribe to our web mag - free of charge: nielspflaeging.substack.com

Watch our conversation about "What would Ohno-san do?" - the 1st-ever book of quotes of the remarkable Taiichi Ohno (1912 - 1990), of Toyota Production System fame. The book is available everywhere now! www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkcX...

YouTube video by BetaCodex Network What Would Ohno-san Do? Book discussion 🔴 BetaCodex LIVE #77

Tune in now (Midday CET) or watch the recording later:
A conversation about "What would Ohno-san do?" - the first-ever book of quotes of Toyota maverick Taiichi Ohno (1912 - 1990)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkcX...

Today's new article on the Red42 web magazine tells the story of Ernst Weichselbaum, philosopher and practitioner-pioneer of consistently Time-Orientated Work Systems. It's the most comprehensive account of Ernst's work I have written so far in English.
nielspflaeging.substack.com/p/meet-ernst...

Not to miss: A free webinar on Time-Oriented Software Development (TOSD) - hosted by Agile Maine! www.tickettailor.com/events/agile...
Date: Wed Dec 10, 2025 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EST

For more on TOSD: www.timeoriented.dev
The TOSD BetaCodex Network research paper: betacodex.org/white-papers...

You are interested in leadership, self-organization, decentralization, contemporary organizational development and transformation? Then subscribe now to "News from the Beta World" - the BetaCodex Network's free web magazine. New articles every week!
betacodexnetwork.substack.com

My co-editor Stefan Schmeing and I are happy to share the good news: “What would Ohno-san do?”, our carefully researched and beautifully designed little book of 160+ quotes straight from the great Taiichi Ohno is now available everywhere! www.redforty2.com/product-page...

Stop annual planning, scrap budgeting, put an end to all target-setting There is an alternative that works for all kinds of companies. Its name is Relative Targets

Planning processes in companies don't require fixing.
They should be abolished.
nielspflaeging.substack.com/p/stop-annua...

Read my new article on the BetaCodex Network web magazine "News from the Beta World", about why and how (!) to escape the Agile maelstrom. For good. betacodexnetwork.substack.com

I updated the research projects page on the BetaCodex Network website. Check out what research is currently being undertaken and get involved as well!
betacodex.org/research-pro...

‘All that is necessary for evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing.’
Simon Wiesenthal

Sprints were never a path to agility & flow: They were just another wrong turn In software development, adopting Sprints was never a path to agility and flow: It was yet another wrong turn

Forget Sprints. They were always part of the problem, and not part of the solution.
nielspflaeging.substack.com/p/sprints-we...

Our fantastic colleague Ernesto R. Corona and I recorded a bit of content around Time-Oriented Software Development in Spanish. It was fun to cover this, conversation-style, as part of the TOSD launch campaign in Spanish. Watch the conversation on TOSD here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbub...

In each country or region, TOSD is going to be kicked off with a public conference. Here's why From Bochum to Buenos Aires, Time-Oriented Software Development arrives through a 1-day event that unites experts, practitioners and those curious about TOSD. Our conferences are a counteroffer

Read the brand new article on the BetaCodex web magazine!
betacodexnetwork.substack.com/p/in-each-co...

Fads & failure: What went wrong with TQM, Lean and Agile? None of the big management movements of the last decades delivered on its promises. Losing faith in transformation would still be a mistake

Don't lose faith in the possibility of Beta transformation, everywhere! There are good reasons why the big movements of the past failed and why so few companies are transforming yet. Read about it in this week's article of mine on the BetaCodex Substack: betacodexnetwork.substack.com/p/what-went-...

Radikal anders – Warum wir die Zukunft der Arbeit in der Sozialwirtschaft selbst in die Hand genommen haben – Plattform für Soziale Innovationen & Gemeinwohlorientierte Unternehmen Die AWO Mönchengladbach arbeitet heute #radikalanders, denn die Organisation hat ihre Strukturen von Grund auf neu gedacht: mehr Transparenz, geteilte Verantwor

A new article about a transformation case of ours that beautifully combines #CellStructureDesign and #RelativeTargets. The company, AWO Mönchengladbach also already uses #qomenius and #MyselfAtWork. If you are interested in Beta cases, you should take a look!
sigu-plattform.de/radikal-ande...

Time-Oriented Software Development (TOSD) is moving FAST. You are invited to join the movement and go time-oriented, for good. The invitation: www.timeoriented.dev

In software development and beyond, the urgently needed renaissance of work & organizations won't come not from stuff like "better Agile", but from a mental shift foretold by Toyota, many decades ago: A shift from capacity-orientation to time-orientation.
nielspflaeging.substack.com/p/sprints-we...

An update on Time-Oriented Software Development (TOSD) About three weeks ago, at the end of October, we launched TOSD to the world as a social technology that's free for all to use. A lot has happened since then. Here's a news update

The 2nd Email newsletter on Time-Oriented Software Development (TOSD) is out! In case you haven't subscribed to it yet or if you haven't received it, you can also view the full newsletter it here: redforty2.com/so/d5PgONiiL... Enjoy!

What if doing Sprints (as in most Agile environments) was more akin to Waterfall software development than you thought it was? Read the article on the Red42 web mag: nielspflaeging.substack.com/p/sprints-we...

Hello everyone! Among the things YOU SHOULD do as someone feeling a certain association with the BetaCodex cause, you should of course be subscribed to our Substack web magazine "News from the Beta World".
betacodexnetwork.substack.com

Fads & failure: Read my brand new article on the BetaCodex Network web mag! In the article I explain that the major management movements of the last 4 decades were missing the same crucial element, and were thus doomed to produce fads and failure. Read the article here: betacodexnetwork.substack.com

What went wrong with TQM, Lean and Agile? None of the big management movements of the last four decades was able to deliver on its promises. To be pessimistic about transformation would be a mistake, though

Just published: Read my new article "What went wrong with TQM, Lean and Agile" on the BetaCodex Network web magazine! In the article, I argue that all those major management movements of the last four decades were missing the same crucial element. betacodexnetwork.substack.com/p/what-went-...

Question: What is strategy?
Answer: Superfluous.

To get unstuck, first renounce that obsession with acceptance The overwhelming share of change efforts in organizations is doomed right from the start. The problem is not people

Remember: Organizational transformation work only requires “courage” when there’s a lack of mastery.
nielspflaeging.substack.com/p/to-get-uns...

Time-Oriented Software Development (TOSD), explained: Read the BetaCodex Network research paper on time-orientation in software development!
betacodex.org/white-papers...

All times are not the same: A wonderful book about time, meaning and human organization In 2002, sociologist and management professor Allen C. Bluedorn produced a remarkable treatise on time as a way of organizing

Watch my latest book recommendation on the Red42 web magazine "Transforming organizations for good. Fast": nielspflaeging.substack.com/p/all-times-...
Don't forget to subscribe to the web mag. It's carefully curated, free of charge and keeps you up to date with new content I publish weekly!

Sign up to my no-bullshit web magazine on Substack free of charge! You will be notified about new articles by email. Very conveniently. nielspflaeging.substack.com

Sprints were never a path to agility & flow: They were just another wrong turn In software development, adopting Sprints was never a path to agility and flow: It was yet another wrong turn

There is a difference between proper time-boxing and the so-called Sprints that most organizations using Agile approaches to software development are employing. Turns out Sprints were never a way of creating agility, flow and responsible self-organization!
nielspflaeging.substack.com/p/sprints-we...

Today Rijon Erickson and I had a conversation with special guest Sebastian Kubsch, CTO at Pradtke, about Time-Oriented Software Development (TOSD). Watch the video now and learn about the future of software development - beyond Waterfall, beyond Sprints! www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3N_...