Just wanted to ask readers a question: do you use the email capability (posts go directly to you)? If so, do you ever go back to the blog and read other pages? I’m trying to figure out why there are so many links and possibly emails going out, but I’m not seeing the page view traffic.
This is purely an operational issue- but it is crucial to future blog project management! So, your participation will greatly enhance my future efforts at getting information out to YOU! Besides if you respond I’ll be jumping like the kid in the photo- woooohooooo! 
Image source: …read more

PM411 Alert! Two guest posts on www.homebiznotes.com about on-line self-publishing reveal my experience writing books and articles. Check them out:
http://www.homebiznotes.com/the-basics-of-self-publishing-with-guest-author-bob-turek/
http://www.homebiznotes.com/why-write-a-book-leveraging-your-business-guest-post/
For an example of a book and article web page go to www.lulu.com/workingtheplan.
For you writers out there this is a great way to get your content on the web.
 
Image source: stockxchng.com

The McKinsey Quarterly is good for saying the obvious:

Why do many companies competing in supposedly high-growth sectors fare so poorly? Bad execution is one obvious possibility, but McKinsey research into the recent growth histories of more than 200 large corporations around the world shows that while the ability to execute is essential, it isn’t the key differentiator between companies that are growing quickly and slowly. The most critical thing is to compete not only in a fast-growing sector but also—at a more granular level—in a fast-growing part of that sector. Gaining new revenues through M&A is important as well. Market …read more

Microsoft’s CFO Chirs Liddell’s CFO magazine interview hit on some background items of interest:

CFO: Can you think of another CFO who has an undergraduate degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in philosophy?
Mr. Liddell: I have to be honest, I can’t! But it’s been very useful for me, a combination of the mainstream analytical skills you need as an engineer and the more creative problem-solving that philosophy encourages. It has been incredibly useful to me, certainly at a company like Microsoft, which is innovative and diverse and where very few things happen in a linear fashion.

My own undergrad work …read more

The Czech Republic is one of the top reading groups on my blog. I’m very curious as to why- is it my name, Turek? or the topics ringing true? More importantly, I want to learn and be influenced by what is going on in your country.
My personal heritage is Czechoslovakian with great grandparents and one grandfather (at the age of 8) migrating to the United States. I’m very interested in the business climate and how the US economy is affecting your economy. Is the business culture an innovative one in terms of business processes and executing strategies? Are PMOs in …read more

I noticed a marked uptick in my Australian readers. I admittedly am not tuned into the business climate there and would appreciate any and all suggestions as to sources of information about innovation and executing business strategies in your country. In particular, how do the United States economic forces and expectations affect your economy? Is there a recognition of the importance of PMOs in general? I would expect Australia to generally be an innovative, competitive business culture- how would you compare your business culture to the US and/or Indian or Chinese business cultures?
Your sharing will stimulate us all!
Don’t miss a …read more

What frustrates me about most surveys and studies is the lack of definition of the terms. The result is a survey that means virtually nothing. CIO Insight uses the phrase “strategic mindset” when discussing responses to one of it’s survey statements to CIOs:
“There are some companies where the head of the information technology department is considered a leader on par with other C-level execs. But those companies are the exceptions, not the rule.”
Strongly Agree 19%
Agree 51%
Disagree 27%
Strongly Disagree 3%
Doubts about CIOs’ strategic mindset have led many business leaders to consider the role of CIOs as less important than that of …read more

CIO magazine seems to think that comparing TCO (total cost of ownership) and ROI measures reflects on the maturity of a company:
“When you think TCO you don’t see IT as a business driver or an asset that can increase revenue, profit or customer value,” says Anthony Giannino, a consultant at Cornerstone Solutions , a value-added reseller in Chicago. Giannino was CIO at pharmaceutical distributor Alliance Wholesale from 2002 to 2007.
TCO seems to be a way to compare alternative technology projects whose scope is the same. I heard a lot of this in the selling of hardware because the comparisons of …read more

I attended a user conference put on by my employer last week. Fascinating stories from clients using our enterprise software. One CFO, who also plays the IT role in his company, made an excellent comment about using technology as a differentiator. The key is to determine which business processes are going to give you an edge. It could be collaboration with suppliers that gives you an edge in timing and cost of raw materials. The realization that his company had come to was that they could no longer rely on differentiating on quality of their food product. They are actively …read more

Jim Lee’s APICS e-news article on being creative in hard times (sorry no direct link- go to www.apics.org for subscription) deals with the “innovation” of investing in hard times:

When an economy weakens, inflation and interest rates also tend to decline. Lower interest rates reduce the costs of capital expansion. However, because of increased uncertainty over the economic future, most companies would rather hold off investment projects despite lower financing costs. Businesses aiming for the long term should instead take advantage of the lower capital costs.

I’ve seen this type of creativity in the best companies over and over again in my …read more