Category: Human cost
What making a difference asks of people.
-
![When the Door Closed [1-page story]](https://adriancowderoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/When-the-Door-Closed-150x150.png)
When the Door Closed [1-page story]
Suzanne closed the door carefully, as wary of its ancient wood as of the publishing house’s history. She turned her back on the stone pillar and faced her colleague. “He used to say nothing would stop a publication date. Something’s happened to him.” She shook her head, not a strand of her bob out of…
-
“Fightback” – manage a technology failure – a case study
A technology failure. This is a case study of a quality assurance manager facing his worst nightmare, and how he reacted. It’s an example of intelligence-based project management.
-
“Today will be different” – how to achieve chaos resolution
Chaos surrounds Libby’s work. She dreams of order. Then a new manager arrives and claims he has a magic wand. … This is a story of chaos resolution.
-
Rehan Haque and Metatalent.ai – what makes an entrepreneur?
This is an account of the creation of Metatalent.ai and the emergence of its founder, Rehan Haque as an entrepreneur. It’s a true story, written by an insider.
-
Too many presidents – how to protect data privacy rights
A young business analyst must confront her feared boss. The 3-page story covers data privacy rights in a large company, and snooping by intelligence agencies. The story also illustrates how to manage unknown-unknowns.
-
The Poltergeist – an intrusive surveillance example
Poltergeist! The words throbbed in Sabra’s mind as she inspected what had moved. …[This story is an intrusive surveillance example.]
-
Rage – an intimidation case
“Intimidation case.” Hans listened to the man in the red shirt. The man in the red shirt inspected Hans’s mobile then powered it off. “Secrecy first,” he said.
-
Forced confession – a 2-page story of an analyst’s dilema
The forced confession was in stilted Arabic with words that the suspect never used, and the recording from the interview had been replaced by a transcript.
-
Presumed guilty – a story of intrusive surveillance
‘She’s a journalist, that makes her guilty,’ the intelligence officer declared. ‘Get me evidence for intrusive surveillance and we’ll find her dirty secrets.’
-
The price of secrecy-first – a 2½-page story
Mikael’s secrecy-first speech was cut short by the minister. ‘Tell me more about this cyber-attack. Are they really intending to cripple our railway network?’