So there are 5 special senses, we all know that. There are more subtle 'senses' like a sense of fear amongst others. But what are the senses of a Business Analyst? Someone who makes letters and numbers in a spreadsheet into a successful system or change initiative. Someone who makes the impossible possible. Someone who tames the wilderness.
Here are some thoughts on the emergent senses of the evolving BA.
> Common sense
Several of my contemporaries, notably @ukadrianreed, have highlighted how common sense is a thing missing from many BA's armoury at the moment. I fear that BA's get carried away in seeking to please and getting the validation of that coveted 'sign-off' which so blinds us all to the reality and practicality of making commitments on speculative requirements. I wholeheartedly believe that this is a key sensory talent that BA's need more than ever and it will ensure their survival out in the project wilderness. And it is an unforgiving wilderness at the moment in the change space!
> Sense of clarity
Engaging with people of all kinds is complicated. When developers say the only problem with their system is the user, the BA should take heed. Users are the source of our requirements, they will make all requirements high priority (or Must Have - if you are a Muscovite) and they will bamboozle you with complex rules, spreadsheet models and bizarre user interface needs. It takes a smart BA to sense ambiguity, dissonance and omission of requirements from the user community. Ever had scope creep? Users are wild creatures, unpredictable. Never smile at a crocodile; and never forget a senior user's requirement to login "just like Facebook"
> Sense of proportion of things
As I noted earlier, users tend to get requirements trigger happy - and all requirements tend to be must have's. I guess it's natural, if I ask you what you want tomorrow, it is unlikely you will settle for less than you have today will you? This is where the relative priority of requirements or features is a much better method than absolute requirement prioritisation. It forces users to rank requirements. No two requirements are equal, the jungle has a natural order and so do requirements.
> Sense of connectedness
As a caveat to the relative prioritisation of requirements above, I believe it is incredibly important to note that sometimes - depending on how you have completed your requirements, some requirements may be inextricably linked to one another. It means that a simple ranking process helps, but has exceptions. But where would we be without the odd exception to the rule?
Further to this, but linked to the sense of clarity, it is important to realise connectedness in relation to dissonance and omission. Dissonance may occur (and often does) where requirements contradict each other and sadly, yet predictably, we never notice this in the sessions when the users are relaying their needs and neither do they! But sometimes, things are not connected on the surface. A keen and experienced BA will sense the dissonance; gurus may even do so in the middle of a workshop. Omission is to requirements as the platypus is to land mammals - an entirely unexpected cousin.
> Sense of perspective
As an agent of change, BAs realise that sometimes it is more important to know enough to move ahead, than to know everything right now. The BA profession is not a career stepping stone to being psychic; requirements change over time, they evolve. Much like any king of the jungle, projects and requirements are emergent and as much as we try to manage change - the state of flux is natural. From change control to Agile, all we are try to do is manage the inevitable. It is perhaps better to have a strong sense of perspective, what do we need to know to move ahead: does this validate or invalidate the perceived project benefits? Am I comfortable living on the edge of certainty and uncertainty?
> Sense of style
A business analyst should be creative, imaginative and innovative. Your delivery should have a sense of style that inspires others, wants them to engage with you, your work and be energised by engaging the change that the BA is representing in the project. There is nothing less engaging that boring workshops, black and white models and lots of text. In order to get ahead in the jungle, fauna and flora need to attract others to their wares. Like bright flowers for pollination, BA's need to attract stakeholders and users to their artefacts to improve the probability of project success through engagement and buy-in.
Looking back on my starting question: I think yes. There are 'senses' to a BA. Furthermore, we might even have specialised sensory tools to receive the stimuli that drive those senses...
But for now, as BA's evolve, the project wilderness is what it is. Happy evolving.
Kind regards,
Stuart
Friday, 31 August 2012
Monday, 6 August 2012
Monday, 23 July 2012
Dilemmas of the pie kind
So I faced a conundrum recently...
My partner and I were having lunch at a nearby supermarket cafe (glamorous I know!) and I ordered the pie and chips. The pie wasn't ready so we headed off to pay as I was told I'd have the pie brought to me. At the till, a small battle ensued as I (and my partner) tried to relay to the gentleman eagerly tallying up the total that I had ordered a pie and that should be included in the bill. Despite several attempts on her part and mine; he was happy it was all square and we were ushered off.
At the table, awaiting the pie... I looked at the bill. It seems fairly cheap at the till so I wasn't sure it was correct. And it wasn't right. There was no pie accounted for in the £7.50 total. Her food was there; but mine was not.
Now, I am a fairly principled guy. I don't feel right eating something I haven't paid for; but I don't like being shoo-ed off like an imbecile. So I faced a dilemma. I didn't want to go back up to the now unmanned till, hail a staff member over and explain the whole story and pay for a pie when I was so eagerly rebuffed earlier... the offending fool must pay his price. But I couldn't eat a pie I hadn't paid for.
Toil.
I felt like a Shakespearean tragic hero... ok. Tragic guy. Plain tragic maybe the best description actually.
So I concluded that I wouldn't hand my money over to the supermarket staff; but couldn't keep it myself and the only way to satisfy both was to donate the money to charity.
So cheers whichever charity has their little blue change bin at Tesco's in the South East of the UK - I enjoyed my pie from the moral high ground.
My partner and I were having lunch at a nearby supermarket cafe (glamorous I know!) and I ordered the pie and chips. The pie wasn't ready so we headed off to pay as I was told I'd have the pie brought to me. At the till, a small battle ensued as I (and my partner) tried to relay to the gentleman eagerly tallying up the total that I had ordered a pie and that should be included in the bill. Despite several attempts on her part and mine; he was happy it was all square and we were ushered off.
At the table, awaiting the pie... I looked at the bill. It seems fairly cheap at the till so I wasn't sure it was correct. And it wasn't right. There was no pie accounted for in the £7.50 total. Her food was there; but mine was not.
Now, I am a fairly principled guy. I don't feel right eating something I haven't paid for; but I don't like being shoo-ed off like an imbecile. So I faced a dilemma. I didn't want to go back up to the now unmanned till, hail a staff member over and explain the whole story and pay for a pie when I was so eagerly rebuffed earlier... the offending fool must pay his price. But I couldn't eat a pie I hadn't paid for.
Toil.
I felt like a Shakespearean tragic hero... ok. Tragic guy. Plain tragic maybe the best description actually.
So I concluded that I wouldn't hand my money over to the supermarket staff; but couldn't keep it myself and the only way to satisfy both was to donate the money to charity.
So cheers whichever charity has their little blue change bin at Tesco's in the South East of the UK - I enjoyed my pie from the moral high ground.
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
A social media moment...
Having watched a recent TEDtalk (http://bit.ly/NxnMxY), it got me thinking about stuff. Work stuff as usual; in particular our experiences in the use of social media in our fledging BA business in London town. I want to share one of the many great points he discusses in his talk and what it meant to me.
I really love Clay Shirky's concept of the asymmetry of media: media that is good at creating groups is no good at creating conversation; and media that is good at creating groups is no good at creating conversation.
This resonates with me and the team that I work with as we had a similar discussion about engaging with our customers - existing and potential. The conversations centred on my observation of broadcasting versus engaging in conversation. And is there some lesson to be learnt with regards to intimacy.
Shirky's observations of the medium of the web as (of course) true. There is a confluence of media in the thing that is the web - written word, video, audio, etc. But whilst the medium of the internet allows the conversations to go on alongside one another; it relies on the producer engaging the reader/consumer on those channels in order to have a collaborative conversation.
Sure, we can use one of these sub-media of the internet to initiate a dialogue. We need to be conversant in the remaining media types to ensure that the initial contact maintains some energy and richness, that there is a reason to carry on engaging. To be clear,I don't mean using different media for different media's sake - I mean using the right media for the right message to the right audience.
That talk taught me not to think too narrowly in terms of a dialogue, consider what I and trying to say and why but most importantly considering the reason in context and selecting an appropriate initiator medium with suitable flow from there.
I really love Clay Shirky's concept of the asymmetry of media: media that is good at creating groups is no good at creating conversation; and media that is good at creating groups is no good at creating conversation.
This resonates with me and the team that I work with as we had a similar discussion about engaging with our customers - existing and potential. The conversations centred on my observation of broadcasting versus engaging in conversation. And is there some lesson to be learnt with regards to intimacy.
Shirky's observations of the medium of the web as (of course) true. There is a confluence of media in the thing that is the web - written word, video, audio, etc. But whilst the medium of the internet allows the conversations to go on alongside one another; it relies on the producer engaging the reader/consumer on those channels in order to have a collaborative conversation.
Sure, we can use one of these sub-media of the internet to initiate a dialogue. We need to be conversant in the remaining media types to ensure that the initial contact maintains some energy and richness, that there is a reason to carry on engaging. To be clear,I don't mean using different media for different media's sake - I mean using the right media for the right message to the right audience.
That talk taught me not to think too narrowly in terms of a dialogue, consider what I and trying to say and why but most importantly considering the reason in context and selecting an appropriate initiator medium with suitable flow from there.
Thursday, 21 June 2012
As soon as possible. Possibly. Gimme a "why"!
ASAP (context qualifier: in emails) - An ambiguous term, frequently misused by the sender, used to inject some sense of urgency where none may be required on the recipient's part especially where there is no clear link to the intent - prosaic, utopian, Machiavellian or otherwise - of the sender. And no reason for me to respond.
Allow me to present an example to illustrate...
That is why "why" is so important - and most importantly why an alignment of "why" (AKA intent) can create action without the need to even say (or send) any form of communication. And I am using my crude example to prove a single point...
Alignment of the "why" across a group will mean that, if any opportunities are available to the group, anyone in the group will response in sufficient time and with sufficient detailed content to ensure the opportunity is realised*
And if you aren't asking "why" - you aren't learning as you are going through this detritus! If I am part of the group for the right reason (my why) I will react to new opportunities for the group to ensure the group benefits. And best of all - no-one needs to ask me. Least of all to do so "as soon as possible" because you can bet the farm I would have jumped like a crazed donkey if I knew you'd post it on YouTube.
*Caveat: I suppose my assumption is somewhat perfect information within the group. Cute hook for social media product plug here.
Allow me to present an example to illustrate...
- Sender: "jump up and down as soon as possible" - even with suitable polite top and tail etc; we are still flummoxed as to the reason and intent behind this lunacy.
- Recipient reaction: mystification, thinking hard about sender's intent, failing to decide intent, demotivation, sadness and then death (emotionally - and just for today).
- Sender: "jump up and down as soon as possible so I can record your dumbass on the CCTV feed" - better!! At least there is clarity of intent. Albeit one of ridicule and a resultant YouTube viral rise and fall soap opera.
- Recipient: feeling of debasement at being ridiculed, submission and excited action on the basis of momentary fame and the hope of a spot in suitably trashy live-in-this-moment-now magazine.
That is why "why" is so important - and most importantly why an alignment of "why" (AKA intent) can create action without the need to even say (or send) any form of communication. And I am using my crude example to prove a single point...
Alignment of the "why" across a group will mean that, if any opportunities are available to the group, anyone in the group will response in sufficient time and with sufficient detailed content to ensure the opportunity is realised*
And if you aren't asking "why" - you aren't learning as you are going through this detritus! If I am part of the group for the right reason (my why) I will react to new opportunities for the group to ensure the group benefits. And best of all - no-one needs to ask me. Least of all to do so "as soon as possible" because you can bet the farm I would have jumped like a crazed donkey if I knew you'd post it on YouTube.
*Caveat: I suppose my assumption is somewhat perfect information within the group. Cute hook for social media product plug here.
Thursday, 10 March 2011
Ties
There is a debate in my office around the applicability, value-add, sense, morality and use of a tie. A neck-tie to be precise...
To me, it is the only bastion of male fashion differentiation left on this planet. Let's face it, every suit is the same - blue or black mainly, but some grey ones out there. Shirts are fairly standard unless you want to attract a swarm of bees (or worse - birds) on your lunch break walk. And who looks at your shoes... really?!?
To some, the tie exudes a sense of professionalism, decency and a working attitude. Professionals wear ties. They convey that you are trustworthy, upstanding and worthy of respect. Why? I am not sure, but I know that there aren't many people who are the opposite of that wearing ties. Not to say that absence of evidence implies truth, that would be a foolhardy error to make. After all... bankers and lawyers wear ties.
To others, ties are a ball and chain. A sign of oppression by a manager over a worker - like school uniform - a way to be told that you are just like everyone else. It may be that ties are uncomfortable to some people, however it is rare that a tie is uncomfortable... people just need bigger shirt collars. Ties are also a link to the past. A past of Taylorist managers and workers - metrics, accountants and the world of non-creatives... juxtaposed against the 21st century world of the twitterati with foursquare and facebook - ties seem so last millenium.
Ties are also appropriate in certain scenarios (weddings, funerals and the like) where a lack of a tie may be disrespectful. Ties bring a sense of decorum perhaps, solemnity and dignity to an occasion or event.
Consider perhaps that the tie, in this most modern of times, has been devalued for the wrong reasons: School children who have to master quadratics but cannot master a Windsor knot; weddings and corporate black tie events that often turn into late night revellry for some, boring hand-shaking for others and embarrassment for a hopefully smaller portion (P45's for a few too!); interviews and sales meetings only bring feelings of anxiety, nervousness and sweaty palms. And I needn't mention emotions and funerals.
I don't think the tie is dead. I think it is alive and well - just surviving quietly. It's fallen out of favour, like the fashion item that it is... but likely all fashion items (including neon leg-warmers and puffer jackets) it will make a return. Maybe not like it exists now... but after all what started as a cravat, gained popularity as a tie.
To me, it is the only bastion of male fashion differentiation left on this planet. Let's face it, every suit is the same - blue or black mainly, but some grey ones out there. Shirts are fairly standard unless you want to attract a swarm of bees (or worse - birds) on your lunch break walk. And who looks at your shoes... really?!?
To some, the tie exudes a sense of professionalism, decency and a working attitude. Professionals wear ties. They convey that you are trustworthy, upstanding and worthy of respect. Why? I am not sure, but I know that there aren't many people who are the opposite of that wearing ties. Not to say that absence of evidence implies truth, that would be a foolhardy error to make. After all... bankers and lawyers wear ties.
To others, ties are a ball and chain. A sign of oppression by a manager over a worker - like school uniform - a way to be told that you are just like everyone else. It may be that ties are uncomfortable to some people, however it is rare that a tie is uncomfortable... people just need bigger shirt collars. Ties are also a link to the past. A past of Taylorist managers and workers - metrics, accountants and the world of non-creatives... juxtaposed against the 21st century world of the twitterati with foursquare and facebook - ties seem so last millenium.
Ties are also appropriate in certain scenarios (weddings, funerals and the like) where a lack of a tie may be disrespectful. Ties bring a sense of decorum perhaps, solemnity and dignity to an occasion or event.
Consider perhaps that the tie, in this most modern of times, has been devalued for the wrong reasons: School children who have to master quadratics but cannot master a Windsor knot; weddings and corporate black tie events that often turn into late night revellry for some, boring hand-shaking for others and embarrassment for a hopefully smaller portion (P45's for a few too!); interviews and sales meetings only bring feelings of anxiety, nervousness and sweaty palms. And I needn't mention emotions and funerals.
I don't think the tie is dead. I think it is alive and well - just surviving quietly. It's fallen out of favour, like the fashion item that it is... but likely all fashion items (including neon leg-warmers and puffer jackets) it will make a return. Maybe not like it exists now... but after all what started as a cravat, gained popularity as a tie.
Monday, 21 February 2011
Progress of life without a smartphone
Follow thoughts, musings and pains of my life without a smartphone on Twitter: @stugom :)
Life without a smartphone?
An interesting thing happened to me, well several interesting things happened actually, that have made me think about mobile connectivity, my life and mobile connectivity's intrusion into my life. Like most things, it took an observation of someone else's life for me to realise my own behaviours and habits were becoming quite anti-social to say the least.
Firstly, I observed a middle aged couple board the train to Gatwick on Christmas Eve 2010. After boarding the train and him taking out both BlackBerry and iPhone, a "conversation" ensued something like the following:
Him [whilst face in smartphone]: Jeff says the heating is broken...Her: Tell him to call and get it fixed. He's a handyman isn't he?Him [whilst face in smartphone]: I will email him instead... [starts email]Him [whilst face in smartphone]: It's easier, the connection may drop on the train...... [a short time passes] ...Her: Shoot, I know what I forgot...Him [whilst face in smartphone]: What's that?Her: My iPod touch, oh well.Him [whilst face in smartphone]: You only have some music on there, what else to do need it for?Her: There are some games, it's just something to do when you are ignoring me.
Wow. Just wow. Well summarised Mrs 11:47AM Southern Service from CLJ to LGW.
The second such observation, this time with a friend of mine - has been bugging me for a while, but seeing as though it is such "normal" behaviour, I suppose I tolerated, in fact even copied... but he is constantly engrossed in his iPhone. Morning, noon and night. I enjoyed conversations with him - now he's here, but not here. Where? I don't know.
But I find myself doing the same... it pains me.
So on Friday, I sent myself to the Vodafone store... and bought a new non-smartphone. Here goes life without a smartphone.
Monday, 6 December 2010
Time to review the year
It's a perfect time of year to reflect, in front of the fire, glass of port on hand, on the past year and what I feel I have taken away from the distributed development projects I have worked on, conferences that I have attended and text-bytes that I have come across.
Some I have shared via twitter @stugom and others I have yet to share at all. In the coming weeks, I plan to put some of these lessons learnt and snippets down for my own benefit as well as yours.
Here's to a happy festive season and happy reflection on a successful and growing year.
Some I have shared via twitter @stugom and others I have yet to share at all. In the coming weeks, I plan to put some of these lessons learnt and snippets down for my own benefit as well as yours.
Here's to a happy festive season and happy reflection on a successful and growing year.
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Back in the game
I am back working on distributed development projects again... after a hiatus doing admin, sales and business development work - oh and some strategic IT work for a global electronic manufacturer, I am back working with a development team based off-shore again. More randomness and thoughts on the process soonest.
Friday, 5 December 2008
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
Making your distributed offering sensible
When working in a distributed manner, the one thing to bear in mind is the applicability and/or sensibility of what you are trying to offer online in a distributed context. The best model will mean you will need to spend some time with your client. There is an ancient tangible nature to business and I feel there always will be... it is a good thing. The relationship between supplier and customer is important and it needs to be physically re-inforced at some point in the engagement.
Getting back to the sensibility of your value to the market - the medium needs to be appropriate and sensible. Don't deliver ice to eskimo's type thing. Similarly - the latest offender in this regard: www.pleasehelpme.com - an online PC helpline; which is great, but only when you PC is not broken. Delivery of an online solution will require you to be online. And if your PC is broken and you cannot get online... how can you seek help?
Getting back to the sensibility of your value to the market - the medium needs to be appropriate and sensible. Don't deliver ice to eskimo's type thing. Similarly - the latest offender in this regard: www.pleasehelpme.com - an online PC helpline; which is great, but only when you PC is not broken. Delivery of an online solution will require you to be online. And if your PC is broken and you cannot get online... how can you seek help?
Tuesday, 12 August 2008
So what does the BBC Olympic coverage have to do with this?
Having the flat to myself this weekend - I took the opportunity to "veg" on the couch and channel hop - I came across the BBC Olympic coverage presented pretty much 24/7 on several channels showing all the sports in which Britons had qualified to compete in Beijing representing their nation.
This still seems to be going no-where, but wait... The presenters were talking about the time of day according to the time of day IN ENGLAND - not in Beijing - as if in some alternate reality. So the point of this entry to is to talk about the need to localise delivery - ensure that your message is tailored to the audience and their environment. This is particularly important to make the intended recipient of the information to feel comfortable. Or maybe the BBC presenters feel at home too.
Indian companies have been known to work during your working day rather than their own - so right now at 12:11pm in New York, USA... half way through the work day, it is actually 21:41 (they have a half zone there) in Mumbai, India. Talk about night shift. Global commerce in a 24/7 business... in fact so firms now offer a 24 hours working day at centres in the States, India and China effectively getting through two man days "while you were sleeping" (to quote Tom Friedman in "The World Is Flat").
The ultimate goal is to reduce the difference (distance, time, language) between people. So next time you see Sue Barker saying good morning to you when the brunch team take over at 11am on BBC1; say good evening - because it's 6pm there!
This still seems to be going no-where, but wait... The presenters were talking about the time of day according to the time of day IN ENGLAND - not in Beijing - as if in some alternate reality. So the point of this entry to is to talk about the need to localise delivery - ensure that your message is tailored to the audience and their environment. This is particularly important to make the intended recipient of the information to feel comfortable. Or maybe the BBC presenters feel at home too.
Indian companies have been known to work during your working day rather than their own - so right now at 12:11pm in New York, USA... half way through the work day, it is actually 21:41 (they have a half zone there) in Mumbai, India. Talk about night shift. Global commerce in a 24/7 business... in fact so firms now offer a 24 hours working day at centres in the States, India and China effectively getting through two man days "while you were sleeping" (to quote Tom Friedman in "The World Is Flat").
The ultimate goal is to reduce the difference (distance, time, language) between people. So next time you see Sue Barker saying good morning to you when the brunch team take over at 11am on BBC1; say good evening - because it's 6pm there!
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Gap analysis
Tricky thing this gap analysis. It is quite an obvious process by definition - analyse the gap between two things. Simple right? Surely? Um... no.
Having recently been asked to conduct such an exercise, I found myself flummoxed at the simplicity of the statement of work - yet the sheer complexity of the task itself. Even in itself - there is a gap between the theory and the practice.
Simple life's lessons phrases abound - let me try and use some of them to illustrate the point.
"Establish a level playing field" (no-one likes to run uphill, even in the second half)
You see, it's all about metrics and creating a relativity to the gap - making it quantifiable. I could ask you to do a gap analysis between life in London and Spain. Like things you will look at are cost of living, standard of living (measured by pollution, green space, education, etc), exchange rates, job opportunities, etc. You have a common ("level") set of metrics ("playing field") to work with.
"Compare apples wth apples" (cos apples are good for you)
I won't ask you to do a gap analysis on sea levels and the coffee temperature. Unless you are Dr Seuss in which case it may be amusing, but uninformative as the gap is not measureable. But even apples don't have to be compared with apples - this is a stupid phrase; you cannot compare the life in London with life in London. That's nonsense. Stupid phrase.
"Do not wearing rose-tinted glass" (cos only Elton John looks good in them)
Besides the fact that this is a general rule anyway, how can you look objectively at a gap? Are requirements not met if there is a workaround - it depends on your point of view really. The metrics again must be commonly accepted and agreed - like using fahrenheit or celsius to measure heat. But when it comes down to feet and inches; some people's feet are bigger than others! The human element tends to creep in - and so do hidden agendas (but that's big dark glasses not rose-tinted spectacles).
In short - I have been working in between writing this - so it's likely that it is unstructured... glib in parts, deep in others. Or just drivel all round. It should provide some insight, Insallah.
Having recently been asked to conduct such an exercise, I found myself flummoxed at the simplicity of the statement of work - yet the sheer complexity of the task itself. Even in itself - there is a gap between the theory and the practice.
Simple life's lessons phrases abound - let me try and use some of them to illustrate the point.
"Establish a level playing field" (no-one likes to run uphill, even in the second half)
You see, it's all about metrics and creating a relativity to the gap - making it quantifiable. I could ask you to do a gap analysis between life in London and Spain. Like things you will look at are cost of living, standard of living (measured by pollution, green space, education, etc), exchange rates, job opportunities, etc. You have a common ("level") set of metrics ("playing field") to work with.
"Compare apples wth apples" (cos apples are good for you)
I won't ask you to do a gap analysis on sea levels and the coffee temperature. Unless you are Dr Seuss in which case it may be amusing, but uninformative as the gap is not measureable. But even apples don't have to be compared with apples - this is a stupid phrase; you cannot compare the life in London with life in London. That's nonsense. Stupid phrase.
"Do not wearing rose-tinted glass" (cos only Elton John looks good in them)
Besides the fact that this is a general rule anyway, how can you look objectively at a gap? Are requirements not met if there is a workaround - it depends on your point of view really. The metrics again must be commonly accepted and agreed - like using fahrenheit or celsius to measure heat. But when it comes down to feet and inches; some people's feet are bigger than others! The human element tends to creep in - and so do hidden agendas (but that's big dark glasses not rose-tinted spectacles).
In short - I have been working in between writing this - so it's likely that it is unstructured... glib in parts, deep in others. Or just drivel all round. It should provide some insight, Insallah.
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Distributed Teams and Delivery Apathy
Organisational behaviour topic could be the impact of lack of 'face time' with the client and the delivery focus from the distributed teams. Not being located in the same place as the client and having someone else managing the relationship with the client could lead to less focus/concern being placed on quality deliverables (in content, timeliness or otherwise) by the distributed team as they may not have to face the music should delivery not meet expectations.
Strong ownership by the distributed team, clear and concise expectations management and a sense of diligence with regards to meeting the needs of the client should be pervasive in the organisational culture.
Also, penalty clauses in contracts may help ;)
Strong ownership by the distributed team, clear and concise expectations management and a sense of diligence with regards to meeting the needs of the client should be pervasive in the organisational culture.
Also, penalty clauses in contracts may help ;)
Wednesday, 11 June 2008
Application Support and Service Desks
In a distributed environment, this topic is a tricky one. The efficiency gains of using a cost-friendly resource base in a distributed location during the development stage needs to be assessed against the long term impact on the ability to service/support the application post-implementation.
Without having an agreed partnership with a distributed vendor, there is no obligation to support the application once development is complete. In fact, even if you are partnering with a vendor, there is no obligation to support the application unless the support is agreed up front or is there as an option in the contract between oneself and the vendor.
If the goal is a solid application and good post-implementation support, then the application support and service desk deliverable is a key for all companies that engage with suppliers that use distributed vendors for solution delivery. Customers will need to ensure that they are getting the whole "product" from their supplier - which is not stage-focussed but geared around the actual lifespan of the application in an organisation.
This is, therefore, a critical success factor for the long term customer-supplier relationship and the success of the project post-implementation.
Without having an agreed partnership with a distributed vendor, there is no obligation to support the application once development is complete. In fact, even if you are partnering with a vendor, there is no obligation to support the application unless the support is agreed up front or is there as an option in the contract between oneself and the vendor.
If the goal is a solid application and good post-implementation support, then the application support and service desk deliverable is a key for all companies that engage with suppliers that use distributed vendors for solution delivery. Customers will need to ensure that they are getting the whole "product" from their supplier - which is not stage-focussed but geared around the actual lifespan of the application in an organisation.
This is, therefore, a critical success factor for the long term customer-supplier relationship and the success of the project post-implementation.
Tuesday, 3 June 2008
What has been your largest project management issue from your most successful project?
I would suggest that the most complex issue to manage in projects that I have managed, being part of as well as being the client is expectations management. It is something that a project manager must be cognisant of, but is an issie borne of delivery.
I feel that wihout effective delivery tools and methodologies, clear and concise communication is not possible with regards to the expectations of the project stakeholders. Ambiguity exists in so many places in projects. Project managers need to ensure that the client (and the delivery resources) understand the project and the detail that they are agreeing to at the various project sign-off stages.
Only a project manager who understands the project deliverables and has the trust of the client and the delivery team can hope to be able to manage their expectations.
The first way to resolve this issue is to really work with the teams in the project, understand the deliverables as more than just work packages and facilitate success in a project, not just manage the work pacakge and try to obtain sign-off.
The second way is to use the right tools to manage people's expectations and to strike a balance between cost (effort, duration, complexity) and clairty of requirements.
Question Details:--------------------
What has been your largest project management issue from your most successful project?Please share what you believe to be the largest project management issue (positive or negative) you faced during what you believe to be your most important (successful or unsuccessful) project and how you resolved it.
I feel that wihout effective delivery tools and methodologies, clear and concise communication is not possible with regards to the expectations of the project stakeholders. Ambiguity exists in so many places in projects. Project managers need to ensure that the client (and the delivery resources) understand the project and the detail that they are agreeing to at the various project sign-off stages.
Only a project manager who understands the project deliverables and has the trust of the client and the delivery team can hope to be able to manage their expectations.
The first way to resolve this issue is to really work with the teams in the project, understand the deliverables as more than just work packages and facilitate success in a project, not just manage the work pacakge and try to obtain sign-off.
The second way is to use the right tools to manage people's expectations and to strike a balance between cost (effort, duration, complexity) and clairty of requirements.
Question Details:--------------------
What has been your largest project management issue from your most successful project?Please share what you believe to be the largest project management issue (positive or negative) you faced during what you believe to be your most important (successful or unsuccessful) project and how you resolved it.
For what purpose do you use a Wiki within your organization?
Internally, we use our wiki everyday and are encouraged to do so as an international organization as it is light-weight and easy to use; whilst being available to the entire company. We tend to keep away from using it for storing project deliverables, but do use it for storing snippets of information about a project - the stakeholders, who's who internally, etc on a project as well as the FAQ's for development builds, releases and testing. For our project artefacts and deliverables, we are using our own bespoke Java applications alongside regular Microsoft products like Office and Project. From a company administration perspective, we use it to keep track of internal initiatives; people's professional experiences outside of our company and their skills (wiki's search capabilities help us find internal knowledgeable resources when we have questions); as well as internal function processes such as expense claims and HR, etc. PS - currently within our organization we use docuWiki.
Question Details:--------------------
For what purpose do you use a Wiki within your organization?How often and for what purpose do you use an internal company Wiki within your Software Development Organization? Do you use it to share knowledge, describe processes, document your developed Software, make plans and estimates, etc. Or do you use another system for such things? Also, which Wiki do you use?
Question Details:--------------------
For what purpose do you use a Wiki within your organization?How often and for what purpose do you use an internal company Wiki within your Software Development Organization? Do you use it to share knowledge, describe processes, document your developed Software, make plans and estimates, etc. Or do you use another system for such things? Also, which Wiki do you use?
Configuration Management Tools
The team has always used some form of issue tracking and configuration management tool - currently, we are using JIRA to track and manage features, releases, changes and bugs.
This tool has allowed the team to be able to refer back to releases or issues and confidently answer questions posed by the client. If used properly, it represents a key informational cog in the wheel of project and configuration management.
Like many information sources though, it is only as good as the information going into it. Therefore, it is vital to enforce mandatory data requirements to assist in efficient issue resolution.
All of the above are of heightened importance in a distributed project environment due to the ambiguity of informal requirement communication such as email and instant messaging.
This tool has allowed the team to be able to refer back to releases or issues and confidently answer questions posed by the client. If used properly, it represents a key informational cog in the wheel of project and configuration management.
Like many information sources though, it is only as good as the information going into it. Therefore, it is vital to enforce mandatory data requirements to assist in efficient issue resolution.
All of the above are of heightened importance in a distributed project environment due to the ambiguity of informal requirement communication such as email and instant messaging.
Introduction
Hi,
This is the first post. I intend to periodically add articles or notes to this blog to help capture some thinking around the pains, reservations, risks, issues and challenges of distributed development projects as well as the joys, success stories, rewards and gone-wells that myself and the teams I work with have experienced.
This is the first post. I intend to periodically add articles or notes to this blog to help capture some thinking around the pains, reservations, risks, issues and challenges of distributed development projects as well as the joys, success stories, rewards and gone-wells that myself and the teams I work with have experienced.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)