P-day

My lack of blogging lately is due to working flat-out to complete December's security awareness module on oversight. 

Today, Friday the 30th of November, it's P-day here in the IsecT office:

• Posters - two more poster designs are due in from the art department today. This close to the deadline I'd be worried except that, over the years, we have developed a close relationship and understanding with the supplier. I'm confident we'll get the stuff on time, and that it will be good.  Generally, it's right-first-time, which is nice. Our contingency plan involves crayons and a scanner - not pretty but, um, distinctive!
  
  
• Proofreading - checking through the materials for errors and omissions, opportunities for improvement, loose ends to be tied-off and so on. This is oversight, in action. 
  
  
• Polishing - tying-off those loose ends and finalizing the materials. Often I find that having prepared the content for the first stream, working on the second stream reminds me about stuff we should mention or incorporate into the first stream - and the same again with the third stream. There is some iteration, followed by a further round of checks to ensure that all three streams end up consistent, yet reflect the distinct perspectives of the three target audiences.
  
  
• Packaging - we currently use WinZip to package and deliver the materials, an awkward, slow, costly and poorly-supported utility. We really ought to look for a better alternative. Suggestions welcome.
  
  
• Publishing - uploading the materials to the server for customers, updating the website to describe the new module, and notifying subscribers is almost the last step, except for a quick update to this blog if I have time ... because it is ...
  
  
• POETS day - once the month's work is done, it's play time, where 'play' partly involves catching up with all the other stuff that has been piling up on our to-do lists lately - ISO27k drafts to comment on, customers to contact, prospects to persuade, payments to chase. Plus a little R&R. Maybe a small dry sherry and an hour in front of the goggle-box if I'm lucky.

All too soon the cycle turns and it'll be time to start next month's juggling act, the final one of the year. I'll be blogging about our next awareness topic soon. Watch this space ...