Making IT Work : Process Improvement

The Aughts: When Geeks Gave Up The Earth

Pedro Cardoso — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 04:00:00 GMT

I promised I wouldn't write "yet another" of these 2000-2009 retrospective blog posts - and I'm sticking to that resolution. I'm not going to mention the usual suspects of Google, the IPhone, Apple or Microsoft. I'm going to talk about simply one thing. What really matters.The death of the geek, rise of the nerd, when mom got a cell phone, dad went gaga for the internet and the world went digital. This is how I would characterize the last 9 years . Let me tell you why. ...(read more)

Blackberry Service Down Again? Get Your Act Together RIM!

Pedro Cardoso — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:49:00 GMT

Here we go again. What Do Google, RIM And Microsoft Excel Have In Common? If Any Of These "Essential Services" Go Down, The Business World Stands Still...Or At Least, Moves Much Slower. Like When My Back Acts Up And I Can Still "Work" But Boy, Am I Unhappy. ...(read more)

Why Projects Fail - Kotter Step 5/8 - Empowering Others to Act on the Vision

Pedro Cardoso — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:48:00 GMT

This is where "the rubber hits the road" in change management or project team efforts. Kotter describes this step as Empowering Others to Act on the Vision and HBR (Harvard Business Review) breaks this step down into 3 key streams of activity: - Getting rid of obstacles to change - Changing systems or structures that seriously undermine the vision - Encouraging risk taking and nontraditional ideas, activities, and actions ...(read more)

Why Projects Fail - Kotter Step 4/8 - Don't Under Communicate

Pedro Cardoso — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:43:00 GMT

In the fourth of a series of posts I am writing on Change Management, where we last left off was around Creating The Vision - with vision in hand, why does this next step cause such challenges? Well, in my experience, one of the "myths or barriers" that get in the way here is the fear of overcommunicating. The irony is, failure in this step is typically due to undercommunicating... ...(read more)

Why Projects Fail - Kotter Step 3/8 - Creating A Vision

Pedro Cardoso — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:30:00 GMT

The 3rd step in the Kotter Change Model is all about crafting a Vision and Strategy. The lack of vision, or the inability to articulate the Vision in a way that connects with people, teams or the broad organization is a great way to almost guarantee your change effort or project to fail - everyone needs to buy in to the vision. This is key and it requires leadership, regardless of how small you think your project/scope might be. ...(read more)

Why Projects Fail - Kotter Step 2/8 - Forming A Powerful Guiding Coalition

Pedro Cardoso — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:09:00 GMT

2nd in an 8 part series of Why Projects Fail. Are You "Busy" At Work? Of course you are, but is it a "good busy" or a "make busy" environment. Kotter discusses in this video - an environment where the sense of urgency and fundamentals of Change Management are well engrained and like a tidal wave, helps to sweep away all the non-critical "make busy" work that may seeem urgent but isn't really important. ...(read more)

Why Projects Fail - A Look At The Kotter Change Model

Pedro Cardoso — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:47:00 GMT

You read about it all the time, and articles like this one, provide excellent perspective on many of the blind spots project leaders, managers and executives often have which generate friction and counter productive behaviour to the ultimate project goal of success. The good news is that there are frameworks out there which, if you follow will increase the success rates of your projects ...(read more)

Why Projects Fail - Kotter Step 1/8 - Establishing A Sense Of Urgency

Pedro Cardoso — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:45:00 GMT

Perhaps unlike at any other point in history, today’s fact-paced global society is obsessed with change and the demands on organizations to change are great. Now more than ever, your projects need to be successful and it seems everyone is talking about Why Projects Fail. In Our Iceberg Is Melting, Kotter and Rathegeber use Penguins very effectively to convey how critical it is for “change” to be embraced and managed. ...(read more)

Intel Says "Innovate This" And Holds Industry Ransom Delaying USB 3.0 Until 2011

Pedro Cardoso — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:26:00 GMT

I recently tweeted about how Canadians just like to be "noticed" - every once in a while. Well, I've got a story I'm looking to "get noticed".

Intel has "allegedly" put the breaks on providing USB 3.0 support in chipsets in 2010, and has pushed this back to a 2011 release date. This wasleakedby NVidia, who has been going head to head with Intel, who seems to be acting less and less like a valued partner, and more and more like a competitor. In fact with what started earlier this year with the decision Sony made to push out NVidia and select Intel as the GPU Chip Designer for the PS4...the Intel/NVidia relationship has been a rocky road indeed.

Intel Holds USB Strategy Map "Ransom"

Now folks, it doesn't take a genius to figure this one out. This would be a blatantplay on Intel's part to allow theirLight Peak Technologyto gain momentum in the market. Light Peak is Intel's new high-speed optical cable technology, that would replace the usual connector "suspects", i.e. USB, HDMI, FireWire, etc. Light Peak "promises" transfer rates of 10 Gb/s out of the gate which sounds impressive doesn't it? But the fact is USB 3.0 offers bi-directional capabilties, is capable of 4.8 Gb/s transfer rates (compared to 480 Mb/s for USB 2.0) and....would be backward compatible with all USB 2.0/1.0 peripherals. Not to mention the fact that USB 3.0 devices are alreadyhitting the scene.

So after working to ratify the USB 3.0 standard for what seems like forever (I tell you I've been hearing about USB 3.0 this for almost 3 years now), Intel is saying...ummm, let's hold on for a bit. This while motherboard manufacturers such as ASUS are hitting the industry with offerings that support the new standard.

The Industry and WE need USB 3.0 **NOW**. Light Peak sounds "way cool", but give us USB 3.0 now and let Light Peak fight it out on its own merits. In the meantime, we'll be able to transfer our digital assets in 1/10th the time it takes now....now THAT IS INNOVATION INTEL!

-Pedro

Paging Any BI Professionals - Please Come To The Service Desk - STAT!

Pedro Cardoso — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:58:00 GMT

Business Intelligence is hot, it's sexy, and everyone's talking about it - finally! If you are a BI professional, this is probably not news for you. BI is the "unfulfilled" promise of what ERP vendors have been promising since the mid 90's.

This,I couldn't help but smile when I read Rafae'ls great articlethat talked about how IBM is now shouting this from the rooftops. They have good reason to. There is not a company out there which is not focused on leveraging the mounds of information it has, information assets really being what they are, in a way to drive efficiencies, gain insight, edge out competitors and ultimately drive revenue growth and market penetration. As someone who has been involved in BI for much of his career and is very passionate about the importance of Information Management & Quality- it has not been a question of IF, but WHEN the industry mobilizes around this unmet need in a big way. And that is exactly what has been happening. Just look at the players involved over the last 24 months - and the fact that these 3 BI acquisitions accounted for approximately 70% of the BI Performance Management market :

- Oracle offered $US3.3 billion for Hyperion

- SAP made a $US6.8 billion play for Business Objects

- IBM-Cognos union cost $US5 billion

Amidst all the consolidation that has occurred in the tech world during this time, it would have been easy to chalk this up to just more of the same. After all, for a company like SAP or IBM, these acquisitions were relatively minor in scale. The truth is, for Oracle and SAP these were very defensive plays, both ERP heavyweights that have been long criticized for a lack of maturity in their existing, bundled BI capabilities. Defensive plays because while ERP market share and growth is healthy, the BI space has been exploding with many companies "catching up" on years of under-funding/resourcing Business Intelligence, Master Data Management and initiatives such as CRM.

Rob Ashe was quite open and transparent in this interview back in January 2008 talking about Cognos under the IBM umbrella. This was a big "missing piece" for IBM who, being "an independent" vendor (not vested in any specific ERP system) now has an end to end portfolio of data management solutions - thus their "Information-Led Transformation" focus and Information On Demand strategy.

Many may be familiar with Gartner's "Magic Quadrant" paradigm, and it's application to BI - note that I am *not* always aligned with Gartner's "projections" or rankings, but in the BI space, they are pretty much bang on. IBM's now in the top of that "magic quadrant" - you can read more here.

So circling back to the title of this post - what does this mean to you, an IT Professional in the Business Intelligence or Business Process Improvement domains? You're positioned in a growth area that will see it's share of change, and opportunity in the years to come. When it comes to Making IT Work, data based decision making is all the rage - and you Mr. or Mrs. BI/BPI Professional, the fun is just beginning.

-Pedro

Why Twitter Needs To Grow Up To Survive

Pedro Cardoso — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 12:29:00 GMT

When things happen in “real time” they are a lot more interesting. Nobody wants to “read about it tomorrow” when they can “read it now”. It did not take long forJack Dorsey’s Twitter to becomethe poster child for thetruly disruptive Social Web. People Noticed. Twitter become ubitiquous seemingly overnight.

So why the “Twitter - FAIL” post? Simple. The Twitter service still feels like a “half-baked prototype”. It is often “down”, provides highly variable response times to customers, has a silly “API Limit” restriction to prevent the “lights from dimming” in their data centers, and the general perception is that none of this is changing soon. In this new game of Search 2.0 and the “real time” web, the pace of change is exponential, not linear - and Dorsey’s crew appear to be stuck in slow motion.

If Twitter Doesn't Grow Up Quick - Google Will End It.

And as in the photo above, Twitter may find itself “rewinding the tape” some time from now and identifying that critical inflection where they “dropped the last ball”. That point where their competition stopped firing warning shots, but locked in with that silver bullet, and where everything came crashing down.

Facebook and Google are both investing heavily in “catching up”. Facebook’s enhancement a few weeks back, to provide their community with an amazingly similar “Twitter Stream Of Consciousness” feel was significant. Google’s recent launch of iGoogle Social Gadgets was both brilliant - and may well turn out to be that “silver bullet” that will one-day haunt Dorsey and his team.

An interesting observation I have made is that most of the chatter out there are from people that likely would disagree with me, and who are instead dismissing Google, pointing to how limited their Timeline Gadget is compared to what Twitter offers. ”Oh, if only they had let us type whatever we wanted, THEN it might have been a Twitter alternative - stupid Google!”

No, not stupid Google. ”Stupid” People.

Do you really think that Google didn’t “think of that”? HELLO? They are a pretty smart bunch over there I THINK.

Google is the first software company ever that publically launches all their products in beta - and many of them seem to stay in beta indefinitely. Having said that, their “beta” software often performs better, and always scales better than the rest of the online software ecosystem!

Google is always striving to improve. Google understands Continuous Improvement.

Google is smart. And Google “knows” what happened with Microsoft and the DOJ. They will tread carefully.

Above all, Google knows how to Make IT Work. They focus on the back-end first, and the front-end last. Compare that with what Microsoft’s approach was over the last 20 years.

Twitter’s last change of note was to their “front-end” but to their home page. Unimpressive.

Is Twitter Destined To Simply Be Remembered?

Dorsey, I know your team is super smart too. I hope you are playing the “google game” with the rest of your infrastucture and on the cusp of revealing a better, faster, scalable “new and improved” version of Twitter.I like rooting for the underdog, and I don’t want to see epitaphs like this mark the final chapter in the Twitter book of history. Change people, CHANGE!

And please, get rid of that silly “Oops, Out Of API Requests” issue. You’re killing us…..

-Pedro

Why Half Full Is Always Better Than Half Empty

Pedro Cardoso — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:28:00 GMT

A shoe factory representative sends out two marketing scouts to a region of Africa to study the prospects for expanding business. One sends back a telegram saying,

SITUATION HOPELESS STOP NO ONE WEARS SHOES

The other writes back triumphantly,

GLORIOUS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY STOP THEY HAVE NO SHOES

This excerpt above is, for me, a very thought provoking one from The Art Of Possibility byBenjamin Zander, a conductor for the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. To one Marketing expert, the evidence suggests there is no growth opportunity here — to another, an abundance of possibility. Applying this example closer to home, think about the difference it makes, whether at work, at home or somewhere in-between, when people are “content”, positive and optimistic about what could be - as opposed to those that dwell on “what will never change”, those who are negative or nay-sayers and pessimistic. Those who consider a half filled cup as half full as opposed to empty….are almost without fail, more successful and certainly more fun be around - whether at work, rest, or play.

So you may wonder, what was the impetus for this post. Well, I blame Seth. Know him? If not, take notes. Seth Godin is a highlyinfluentialthought leader andrivetingwriter - touted as a marketing genius, I keep up with his riffs weekly, without fail - and often find myself long thereafter, recovering from the “impact” of the experience. A (poor) anology that comes to mind is that of after leaving the gym and feeling “physically sore and spent” - but in a “good” way. And today, The Problem With Positive Thinking did it for me.

What do you see in your "glass"?

Seth encourages us to think positive - even when it’s easier to be negative. This advice, to me, is universal - but from a Making IT Work perspective, consider your approach - with your team, with your customers, your projects, your work - and most importantly for the leaders out there, with your vision for what could be.

As most IT Professionals, I often wear many hats. One of the my “so comforable” hats is that of Process Improvement. An example that comes to mind is the classic AS-IS and TO-BE process mapping exercise, so critical in change efforts — both from an “information gathering” perspective as well as the “team ownership and engagement” perspective.

There are many who prefer to call the “TO-BE” by another name - you might have heard it - the “SHOULD-BE”. I’ve never liked that term. It has always sounded a little “defeatest” - almost to suggest that we might not get there, we can’t change, and there will be another “flow” to come which will reflect a more “realistic” view — since after all, we might not have enough information at this point to really be able to say what the “TO-BE” will look like…

Yes, it all sounds so logical, but I’m putting this out there. I wonder if the “SHOULD-BE” crowd are related to the “Glass is Half Empty” people. Because as a member of the “Glass Is Half Full” tribe - I’m still calling it the “TO-BE” process map.

In fact, I’m now thinking that even “TO-BE” isn’t positive enough. How about the “WILL-BE” target process map? I’m liking that. What about you? What camp are you in? If you’re in with the “good guys”, what can you do to grow your tribe? If you think you’re with the dark side, why are you there? Can you make the move?

And if you have not read Art Of Possibility - I highly recommend it. Give it to your team, your spouse, your kids. Talk about it with them. Learn & Grow Together. And Imagine…the Possibilities!

-Pedro

When A Blog Entry Goes Bad - Standing Up For Service Desks Everywhere!

Pedro Cardoso — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:25:00 GMT

So, this might be a Career Limiting Move (CLM), but I’m calling our very own Shane Schick on a post. So why in heaven’s name would I do something like this? Who knows. Maybe it’s the second glass of Cabernet Merlot, as I unwind on a Friday night that is enough to overcome any inhibition (read: common sense) that would otherwise prevail, and result in this voice being silenced. Is it wrong to “drink and blog”? Perhaps a good topic for a different day…

So I watched this video, and did not feel great afterwards - in fact, I was perturbed. The reality is, it has nothing to do with our Super-Stupendous Shane Schick (hey…maybe that’s what his initials SS really stand for?). That was just my shameless ploy at a provocative lead in (yes, it’s all about the magnetic title folks), to a story which has nothing to do with butting heads with anyone - but instead, really has to do with the phrase Perception Is Reality. I really hate that phrase. The problem is this overused phrase is REAL - and when it comes to perception around Service Desk, perception is KING.

For those exposed (or subjected) to Six Sigma, the concept of Variability Being The Enemy is likely very familiar. In the realm of Service Desk and Service Delivery, projecting an image of a high performance team focused on maximizing the efficiency and ease with with Technology is supporting their customers (businesses, functions, users) is of paramount importance. Marty Seldman refers to this as being savvy - for a lot of Service Desks, overcoming the frustration that end-users have with Making IT Work is not a technology issue, but a PR and marketing based paradigm challenge.

Videos like this, that perpetuate the stereotype that a ServiceDesk team does not take personal responsibility, is silo’d froma work process and learning perspective, and is more focused on following “procedures” than driving to outcomes that the customer wants - just “bother me”. It come down to stereotypes and perpetuating an antiquated image that IT departments everywhere are trying to shake (or should be)

A successful Service Desk team needs to be truly customer centric - this means “understanding” your customer in a (professionally) intimate way. Understand what they “need to do” and guide them (as the technical denizens we are) as to how they can best infuse technology to “perform at their best”. The tension between “non tech-savvy” user and “super-tech-savvy” IT staff has no place in the modern ICT/Service Desk Team. Videos like this don’t help the cause - they just reinforce the negative “buzz” that already exists, whether reality or not - perception trumps all remember…

As in a recent ITWorldCanada article - Soft Skills Are Sexy - this human side of IT was emphasized as being key distinguishing competencies in demand “out there”. In my opinion, Customer Intimacy/Focus should have been included explicitly, though one could also argue that soft skills ranging from Listening, Empathy, Communication, Public Speaking to Teamwork and Confidence are all sub-elements of being Customer Focused. Your IT Team should be “perceived” as being a group committed to learning and growth - both among the IT Community, and more importantly, outward to their user community.

There’s no room for “No Help”IT DeskGuys and Gals (you have to watch the video to the end to see the credits). Let’s squash that Stereotype once and for all - it’s not one that furthers “the cause”.

Remember - keep Making IT Work. Be strong, and do the right thing, even when it’s hard.

Above all, have fun. IT is the “best job in the world”. {Note: Highly biased opinion. YMMV}

-Pedro