Hi, I’m Anna, co-founder of T5 Digital, and today I want to share something I’ve learned over the years, something that can make or break a project: it’s all about principles, not frameworks. If there’s one bit of advice I can give to anyone embarking on a transformation or delivery project, it’s this: don’t get too hung up on the frameworks. Focus on the underlying principles that guide your team’s decisions and work.
Don’t get me wrong, frameworks can be really useful. They give you structure and a set of rules to follow, which can be comforting when you’re tackling something complex. But the problem is, frameworks can also feel rigid. They might not fit perfectly with how your business operates, and trying to shoehorn everything into a predefined box can sometimes do more harm than good.
I’ve seen teams follow delivery practices from various frameworks and methods to the letter, only to end up frustrated because it didn’t solve their problems. The key to success is using frameworks as scaffolding, but if you want a high-performing team culture that keeps improving and evolving, it’s best to understand the principles behind those frameworks. For example, take agile principles like collaboration, iterative progress, and responding to change, and then apply them in a way that works for you.
One thing I always advise is to focus on flexibility. No two businesses are the same, and no two projects, products, or teams are either. The moment you realise that principles give you the freedom to adapt, everything gets easier. Rather than forcing a process or methodology onto your team, ask yourself: what’s the principle behind this? How can we apply it in a way that fits our situation?
One of the principles I lean on a lot is “continuous improvement.” In practice, this means taking the time to reflect and adjust as you go. Whether it’s through regular retrospectives or having an open culture where people feel comfortable suggesting changes, it’s about empowering the team to improve with every step. I’ve found that when teams focus on improving their processes bit by bit, they deliver better results and handle challenges more easily.
For example, Scrum sets a cadence of a fortnight for retrospectives, but why wait to improve? When Scrum was developed over 20 years ago, the goal was to encourage teams to stop, reflect, and improve, something many teams never did back then. The fortnightly retro was a revolutionary concept, but fast forward to today, and the best teams I’ve worked with retro every single week. It’s about understanding the principle behind the practice and making it work for you in real time.
Here’s another example: security. Too often, teams think of security as a box-ticking exercise, something to be added on at the end of a project. But when you approach security as a principle, it becomes something that’s embedded in every part of the process. It’s not just an extra task, it’s a mindset. Teams start thinking about security at every stage, from development through deployment, and that makes the end product much more robust.
I once worked with a team that struggled with late-stage security issues. They’d get so close to the end of a project, only to have everything grind to a halt because security testing found vulnerabilities. What worked for them was shifting their thinking, making security part of the principle behind their day-to-day work, rather than something tacked on at the end. How they did this was by adding security as standard acceptance criteria across everything – to ‘bake security in’. That led them to adopt security testing tooling within their deployment pipeline rather than standalone testing at the end. This reduced stress, made the project flow more smoothly and resulted in far fewer last-minute surprises. Importantly, it reduced risk.
The best thing about focusing on principles is that it makes everything simpler. You’re not constantly trying to figure out if you’re following the framework correctly or worrying if you’re “doing it right.” Instead, you’re making smart decisions based on what really matters, whether that’s reliability, security, user experience, or cost efficiency. The principles guide you, and they’re flexible enough to adapt as things change.
For me, it always comes back to this: what’s the best way to reduce risk and make life easier for the people doing the work? And how can we make sure that we’re delivering value in a way that’s sustainable and scalable? When you focus on the right principles, those questions become a lot easier to answer. One of my favourite lean principles is all about simplification, as opposed to adding more process.
So here’s my advice, the next time you’re faced with a project or a change initiative, start by thinking about the principles. What are the core things that need to be true for this project to succeed? How can you apply those principles in a way that makes sense for your team and your goals?
Focus on flexibility, continuous improvement, and embedding key principles like security and quality right from the start. When you do that, you give your teams the freedom to adapt and the confidence to deliver. Principles will always serve you well.
Thanks for reading!
Let’s connect and see how we can help you achieve your vision.
Your privacy is important to us. It is T5 Digital’s policy to respect your privacy and comply with any applicable law and regulation regarding any personal information we may collect about you, including across our website, https://t5.digital/, and other sites we own and operate.
This policy is effective as of 27 May 2022 and was last updated on 27 May 2022.
Information We Collect
Information we collect includes both information you knowingly and actively provide us when using or participating in any of our services and promotions, and any information automatically sent by your devices in the course of accessing our products and services.
Log Data
When you visit our website, our servers may automatically log the standard data provided by your web browser. It may include your device’s Internet Protocol (IP) address, your browser type and version, the pages you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on each page, other details about your visit, and technical details that occur in conjunction with any errors you may encounter.
Please be aware that while this information may not be personally identifying by itself, it may be possible to combine it with other data to personally identify individual persons.
Collection and Use of Information
We may collect personal information from you when you do any of the following on our website:
Use a mobile device or web browser to access our content
Contact us via email, social media, or on any similar technologies
When you mention us on social media
We may collect, hold, use, and disclose information for the following purposes, and personal information will not be further processed in a manner that is incompatible with these purposes:
Please be aware that we may combine information we collect about you with general information or research data we receive from other trusted sources.
Security of Your Personal Information
When we collect and process personal information, and while we retain this information, we will protect it within commercially acceptable means to prevent loss and theft, as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification.
Although we will do our best to protect the personal information you provide to us, we advise that no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure, and no one can guarantee absolute data security. We will comply with laws applicable to us in respect of any data breach.
You are responsible for selecting any password and its overall security strength, ensuring the security of your own information within the bounds of our services.
How Long We Keep Your Personal Information
We keep your personal information only for as long as we need to. This time period may depend on what we are using your information for, in accordance with this privacy policy. If your personal information is no longer required, we will delete it or make it anonymous by removing all details that identify you.
However, if necessary, we may retain your personal information for our compliance with a legal, accounting, or reporting obligation or for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific, or historical research purposes or statistical purposes.
Children’s Privacy
We do not aim any of our products or services directly at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information about children under 13.
International Transfers of Personal Information
The personal information we collect is stored and/or processed where we or our partners, affiliates, and third-party providers maintain facilities. Please be aware that the locations to which we store, process, or transfer your personal information may not have the same data protection laws as the country in which you initially provided the information. If we transfer your personal information to third parties in other countries: (i) we will perform those transfers in accordance with the requirements of applicable law; and (ii) we will protect the transferred personal information in accordance with this privacy policy.
Your Rights and Controlling Your Personal Information
You always retain the right to withhold personal information from us, with the understanding that your experience of our website may be affected. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your rights over your personal information. If you do provide us with personal information you understand that we will collect, hold, use and disclose it in accordance with this privacy policy. You retain the right to request details of any personal information we hold about you.
If we receive personal information about you from a third party, we will protect it as set out in this privacy policy. If you are a third party providing personal information about somebody else, you represent and warrant that you have such person’s consent to provide the personal information to us.
If you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time. We will provide you with the ability to unsubscribe from our email-database or opt out of communications. Please be aware we may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity.
If you believe that any information we hold about you is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant, or misleading, please contact us using the details provided in this privacy policy. We will take reasonable steps to correct any information found to be inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, or out of date.
If you believe that we have breached a relevant data protection law and wish to make a complaint, please contact us using the details below and provide us with full details of the alleged breach. We will promptly investigate your complaint and respond to you, in writing, setting out the outcome of our investigation and the steps we will take to deal with your complaint. You also have the right to contact a regulatory body or data protection authority in relation to your complaint.
Use of Cookies
We use “cookies” to collect information about you and your activity across our site. A cookie is a small piece of data that our website stores on your computer, and accesses each time you visit, so we can understand how you use our site. This helps us serve you content based on preferences you have specified.
Limits of Our Policy
Our website may link to external sites that are not operated by us. Please be aware that we have no control over the content and policies of those sites, and cannot accept responsibility or liability for their respective privacy practices.
Changes to This Policy
At our discretion, we may change our privacy policy to reflect updates to our business processes, current acceptable practices, or legislative or regulatory changes. If we decide to change this privacy policy, we will post the changes here at the same link by which you are accessing this privacy policy.
If required by law, we will get your permission or give you the opportunity to opt in to or opt out of, as applicable, any new uses of your personal information.
Contact Us
For any questions or concerns regarding your privacy, you may contact us using the following details:
Anna Broadhurst
info@t5.digital
Introduction
By participating in the competition, you are agreeing to these competition terms and conditions.The competition is being run by T5 Digital.
Eligibility to Enter
The competition is open to entrants who are at least 18 years of age or older. T5 Digital employees and associates are excluded from the draw.
By entering the competition, you confirm that you are eligible to do so and that you are eligible to receive any prizes that may be awarded to you.
There is a limit of one entry per person and the competition is completely free to enter.
The Prize
The winning prize will be Bespoke Food and Drink Hamper.
The use of specific brands as prizes by T5 Digital does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement of such brands.
The prize is non-transferable and non-exchangeable, and no cash alternatives will be provided.
We reserve the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value if circumstances beyond our control require doing so.
T5 Digital’s decision on any aspect of the competition is final and binding, and no correspondence will be entered into about it.
Winner Announcement
The winner will be chosen at random and notified via the email address provided on 14th March 2025.
T5 Digital will make two attempts to contact the winner via email.
If the winner does not respond to the emails informing them of their win within 14 days of the second email, they forfeit their right to the prize, and T5 Digital reserves the right to select and notify a new winner.
Delivery of the Prize
The winner will allow 14 days for the prize to be delivered; otherwise, alternative collection or delivery arrangements can be made through mutual agreement.
Data Protection and Publicity
You agree that any personal information that you provide when entering the competition will be used by T5 Digital for the purposes of administering the competition and for other purposes as specified in our Privacy Policy.
All entrants may request information on the winning participant by emailing info@t5.digital.
If requested by T5 Digital, the winner agrees to release their first name and place of employment to other competition participants.
The winner’s first name and country of residence will be announced on T5 Digital’s website and social media channels.
Limitation of Liability
T5 Digital accepts no liability for any damage, loss, injury, or disappointment suffered by entrants as a result of participating in the competition or being selected for a prize.
General
T5 Digital reserves the right, at any time and without prior notice, to cancel the competition or amend these terms and conditions.
