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! 

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Post from: EveryJoe

Hey Everybody- Let Me Know How You Interact

PM411 Alert!

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.

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Post from: EveryJoe

Self-Publishing Projects Are Extremely Satisfying

The McKinsey Quarterly is good for saying the

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 share, the third main growth driver, is less significant. Executives should assess a company’s performance on all three, for all are actionable, and the more of them companies excel in, the greater the rewards.

In other words, DO THE RIGHT PROJECT! I think it would be more accurate to say that companies have a problem because they are working on the wrong projects- all this consulting talk (”granular level”, etc.) just confuses the issue. The one about “market share” being less significant than picking the right fast-growing sector and the right acquisition is also painfully obvious.

What do you think? Are McKinsey research projects that unearth these types of “revelations” worth the time to read them?

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Post from: EveryJoe

Picking the Right Projects is Key to Fast Growth

Microsoft’s CFO Chirs Liddell’s CFO magazine

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 was in Economics, Psychology and Philosophy. I always felt well served by the combination of analytical and creative disciplines. For those of you in college, think this through and see how a multi-faceted education can fit with your strengths. On top of all this, Chris came to Microsoft from the forest products industry! He felt confident enough to change industries based on his basic analytical/creative skill set.

Are you struggling with direction in career or college? Why not pursue a multi-faceted approach, or even design your own major(s) or innovative career path?

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Post from: EveryJoe

Microsoft CFO is An Engineer and Philosopher

The Czech Republic is one of the top reading groups on my blog

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 play- possibly by another name?

This is a world-wide blog. We have a lot to learn from each other. Let me know what is important to you.

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Post from: EveryJoe

Czech Republic! Thanks for Reading!

I noticed a marked uptick in my Australian readers

Your sharing will stimulate us all!

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Post from: EveryJoe

Australia! Thanks for Reading!

What frustrates me about most surveys and studies is the lack of definition of the terms

“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 other top executives. Some CIOs have a seat at the table, but the dynamic changes from business to business, so there’s no telling whether this sentiment will change in the near future.

CIO Insight seems to believe that a “strategic mindset” is the key. As I said in my previous post, strategy development should not be required of a CIO, but strategy understanding is a requirement. The statement that is responded to should be reworked to include this nuance- otherwise it is gives us worthless information. By the way, I do believe that the role of the CIO is LESS important than that of other top executives.

What do you think? Are most surveys worthless because they fail to define their terms? What about this survey statement? Am I splitting hairs by considering the difference between strategy development and strategy understanding? Let me know how you feel.

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Post from: EveryJoe

“Strategic” Role for CIOs is the Exception

CIO magazine seems to think that

“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 the product were more easily arrived at. I don’t think TCO is useful when the “product” becomes more of a technology solution which has variations in scope, software cost, services costs, and solution fit with the business that tend to cloud comparisons. In these cases I think that a clear criteria ought to be the vendors ability to do a “hard dollar” value assessment that means something to the company. This should be done with plenty of ownership by the potential client and agreement on the business processes that are technology enabled along with the value.

It doesn’t take any fancy calcultation or a mountain of value points to make the financial point. The best value statements are those that focus on a few key bottom line areas that are high value- a simple cost versus benefit analysis over time is all that is needed as long as the project is relatively short – 1-2 years.

What do you think? Can you give an example of a simple value assessment and value statement that you worked with a technology vendor on? Did the vendor’s ability to do this with you score points? Let me know about your technology solution evaluation experiences.

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Post from: EveryJoe

Test Your Tech Vendor’s Ability to Value Their Solution

I attended a user conference put on by my employer last week.

How do you seek out new ways of improving your business processes to get an edge over your competition? One way is to have a group research innovative business processes outside your company, industry and country for the best of the best. What are you doing to innovate?

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Post from: EveryJoe

Using Technology As A Differentiator When Quality Is Not Enough

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 business- technology enablement of business processes. When the going gets rough, we go to the innovative companies who see reduced financing costs and lulls in demand as opportunities to upgrade their technology and get ahead of the competition. This requires that you think in terms of economic cycles (we always come out of a dip, usually much stronger) and understand what will change and what won’t change (oil prices for example).

Do your executives simply reign in improvement projects in hard times? Does this make sense? Why or why not?

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Post from: EveryJoe

Hard Times? Time to Invest!