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2011-08-30T11:13:00.001+10:00

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Why Going to Tender is a Waste of Time

2011-08-28T21:18:00.000+10:00

Tenders are a waste of time, effort, and money. There, I've said it. Every business I've been involved with when selling a product turns tenders away (unless there has been involvement prior to the tender being released). Why?

What is a Tender?
A "tender" is a a process by which a company that is going to market in order to find a solution to a business challenge or to assist in growing the business, asks a number of vendors to submit multiple pieces of documentation in order to compare, contrast and eventually select and implement a solution presented by one vendor.

The process starts with the company performing internal requirements analysis. Typically, the tender process is championed by one internal stakeholder who then asks each department that will be involved in using the end solution to submit a list of desired functionality. This internal stakeholder then compiles these responses into one document and often a spreadsheet, the latter being kept internal for the process of later comparison. The document itself is normally a set of questions in the nature of "Can your system perform X? What is the process to perform Y?" etc. These questions are aimed at covering off each of the desired pieces of functionality that the departments involved have requested. The resulting document is then either issued on a website and available for any vendor to respond to, or the champion handpicks a few vendors to participate in the tender.

Each vendor must then compile a response document answering each of the questions (there could be dozens and dozens) in as much detail as possible, including use cases, screenshots, and anything else they feel would help win the business. The vendors then submit these responses back to prospective client. The client reviews (this is a problem in itself), updates their internal comparison spreadsheet and more often than not, a few shortlisted vendors make the next step of meeting with the prospect to discuss moving forward.

There are a number of different types of "tenders" too. One tender can follow another where the responses submitted by vendors vary in length and detail. Two common types of "tenders" are Request for Information (RFI) and Request for Proposal (RFP).

Who is Involved?
There are many people involved in the tender process. From the internal stakeholders that collect the requirements, department heads and end-users that are interviewed to discover their requirements, the accounts departments and primary decision maker(s) - this could be a CEO or the board of Directors for example. Then there is every one of the vendors and the people they employee to qualify, and document a response to the tender request, as well as the key sales representatives that perform most of the interaction. Remember, only one vendor will possibly win the tender and often no vendor is selected at all!

In reviewing the people involved, we're looking at least seven different groups of people all of at least one person. Then add at least another two groups of people for each additional vendor involved.

That is a lot of time, effort and money wasted.

Where is the Problem, Exactly?
While this process is riddled with time consuming busy-work, the problems originate at the beginning. The first step in the process is to perform internal requirements analysis. The call goes out to each department and end-users to submit their "needs". And that is the problem. Too many people misconceive a business need versus a personal "nice-to-have". A business need is the true cause for looking for new software or application. It is summarised by completing a sentence such as: "We require new IT functionality to assist the business with...". This can then be broken down into further detail. These are the true requirements. As soon as the requirements analysis ends up in the hands of the end-users, or even the group managers, the business needs are drowned out by each person's claim of "It should do 'this'", "We need it to do 'that'", "This system needs to talk to that system" etcetera. These are not business needs. These are individual people's wishlists to build a behemoth software application that solves nothing, but looks pretty. All these personal agenda's then clutter the comparison matrix and mean that no vendor will be able to meet every requirement. In the comparison matrix, the weighting (if any) is not evident and skews the judgement of the decision makers, who do not necessarily go into detail on the requirements, but only look at the results in passing and rely on someone else's interpretation as basis of their decision.

What is the Solution?
So how should requirements be determined? Simple. Start by identifying the root need. First ask yourself, "what if we did nothing, what would be the impact on the business?". Stop there and perform a high-level a cost-benefit analysis looking at the cost to the business in terms of time (man-hours) and money, taking into consideration the projected state of the business if the growth or problem continues. Compare this to the same analysis when the problem is solved. Now put a dollar value on that difference. This is the budget the business can work with. Identify the key date when latter analysis exceeds the former. This is the deadline for the implementation - be sure this is realistic given the broadness and complexity of the requirements.

Then ask, "Why are we looking into this?" and, "What are we hoping to solve". With the management team, prepare two short answers to these questions - very brief, less than half a page. This is now the basis for your requirements. Combine these responses with some details about your current business and IT state and you now have a document of no more than three pages, the high-level requirements. Compiling the requirements has taken no more than one day and has taken the time of only a handful of key people. Quick, effective, and inexpensive.

The next step is to go shopping. Pick out a few key words from your description of what the business is hoping to solve and throw them into Google. You'll find a number of companies that attempt to solve the business problem in varying ways. Do some research, read some reviews from other users. If it reads well, shortlist the company. Don't end up in analysis paralysis. Shortlist no more than three possibilities. Contact these companies by phone and discuss your project and business state. You should always contact these companies by phone - you will quickly get a feeling for how the company operates by how they deal with your enquiry. And, more importantly, you will experience the communication and interaction that company provides. This is key to the final decision made.

If there is a good feeling from the conversation send them your requirements document and invite them to discuss the project and what they offer in more detail. The vendor will, at this point, perform further discovery of their own. Huge benefit here is that the companies you involve perform their own discovery, using their own time and resources.

The rest of the process is simple. However, do not ask for a trial of the solution. The business will then start to evaluate features and functionality rather than the overall solution to the business need. A demo is advisable, if for nothing else, to get a better understanding of the user interface layout. (Side note - if the vendor has done their homework, the demo will be more of a confirmation of what you already know, rather then showing areas that have never been discussed).

Make sure the solution solves the business need, as already discovered and documented internally. And ultimately, make sure the key stakeholders have a good working relationship with the key contacts at the vendor. It is always amazing to see how much extra assistance the business will get when stakeholders and vendor are considered "people" and "friends", not "dollars" and "that software company".

Summary
Going to tender wastes time, energy and money of both the business and each of the vendors. Vendors will often turn down a tender request without even looking at it. The key to finding the solution that is right for your business is in keeping things simple. Identify the key business need, find a company that will work with you, not just for you to make that need a reality. The "bells and whistles" are just that, and should not be taken into consideration then making a decision. Throw out comparison charts and spreadsheets and talk to people. A lot more will get done after a conversation than reviewing cumbersome tables for days to decide based on numbers rather than true value.

Have you had experience with "tenders"? What happened? Leave your thoughts below.

The "Do it Now!" Mentality

2011-08-22T22:16:00.000+10:00

There are many different types of productivity plans and programs. They all take a somewhat similar approach to getting things done. Most of these systems require planning and diligence in order to execute a predefined set of tasks. However, there is one, very old, very simple system that doesn't require this and still means you will get a whole lot done. It is the "Do It Now" mentality.

The system is simple. Think of a task. Do it. Now.

No planning. No software. Just action.

As simple as it sounds, there is but one rule - finish it. So perhaps, the Do It Now mantra could be better understood as "Start it now. Finish it now.". This productivity mentality has it's place in the world of getting things done, and it shouldn't necessarily be used everywhere at all times. "Do It Now" is best suited at tasks that take no more than one hour from start to finish. No planning.

It's easy. If you see something that needs doing, or one of your colleagues asks you to work on something, take action, straight away. No hesitation, no delays, no procrastination.

Here's how to use this system mentality.

Identify
Know what needs to be done. It should have a measurable start and measurable finish. It can be some smaller activity of a larger group activities. For example, you couldn't tackle "repair car" as a Do It Now activity, but you could tackle "Check Oil". If it helps, write down the task, to make it real. One of the biggest enemies of any todo system is procrastination. It's that big ugly monster with pointy teeth. The act of writing down the next action you need to take, gives your mind a goal, something that it needs to finish in order to achieve a sense of completeness. Writing the task down also helps narrow down the task into something that can be achieved.

Commit
Focus. Committing to your task and don't let distractions gain your attention. If you're working or studying, turn off the television and music and find a quiet place. However, if you're stuck in a noisy environment and you are working on a computer, such as I have been in some workplaces, simply plugging in some earphones is a great way gain focus. You don't even need to put any sound through them, let them act like earplugs. I've found that tuning into some very soft and calm background music, with no lyrics, can block out even more surrounding noise, and give your mind something to focus on when you need to realign with your objective. Focusing on your objective is the surest way to ensure the best quality result and in the smallest amount of time.

Execute
Do it. Now. Get stuck into the activity that you've identified. However, unless you under significant time pressure, there is no need to rush through the activity. Taking the time to do it right will render a better quality result. If the task you're doing is to be given back to someone else (such as a colleague), ensuring you spend your time producing quality results will definitely be in your favour. It shows you are careful, methodical, and are more than capable of getting the job done, without having to re-edit numerous times.

Track
You need to track your activities and achievements in order to improve. If you didn't write down your task when you identified it, write it down as soon as you've completed it. Now, either put a nice big tick in front of it, or cross it out. It feels good. As you go through your day and complete your "Do It Now" tasks, keep adding them to the same list and cross them out. Mark a line or write the date at the start of each day and watch the number of tasks you're able to finish every day increase as you become more focused on your objectives and train yourself to take action right away.

Getting things done is easy when you take action. Being a procrastinator myself, I've been implementing a number of ways to get things done. The "Do It Now" mentality is one of the most effective. By mentally taking charge of what needs to be done, and being aware of the ever lurking procrastination monster, you can get focused on the objective, jump in, and get it done. The resulting sense of achievement is fuel. It's like adrenalin. The more you get things done, the more you want to get done.

How do you use the "Do It Now" mentality. Leave your comments below.

Data Storage with Dropbox

2011-08-13T15:07:00.001+10:00

The Hard Drive is Dead

File sizes are getting bigger. Security is always a big concern. Sharing and collaboration gets things done. It used to be that as computer programs evolved, the size of the files they produced (that is, that you could save and load) grew in size too. This meant that you would constantly be looking out for a bigger hard drive so that you would keep using the programs you love and not have to delete anything to avoid running out of space on your computer.

And if you wanted to access a file (be it a document, spreadsheet, photo, movie, or anything else) on another computer, you would have to first copy the file from your own hard drive to a either a USB stick or thumb drive, a CD/DVD, or external hard drive, and then carry that device around with you, connect it to the other computer and hope it recognized the device and the file would open ok for you.

I was part of this cycle and was a big advocate of CD/DVD storage, especially as a backup medium. I would backup my photos, copy files and take them around with me. There was definitely problems with this solution, many of which are obvious:

Devices are fragile
Devices can be lost
CD/DVDs were a pain to use multiple times and re-writable discs were always messy

And of course, they have a limited lifespan. And who could forget the constant worry of a hard drive clicking it's way to death.

Now, services are popping up on the internet that act as your hard drive. There's services from Amazon, box.net, Syncplicity, Ubuntu One, Google Docs, SugarSync and more. One that I've found very powerful and flexible, is Dropbox.

What Is Dropbox?

Dropbox is a storage service that allows you to sync your files up to the cloud. Dropbox is a small application that adds a new folder to your computer. Anything you put in that folder will automatically be synchronized up to the Dropbox Cloud.

Dropbox has a web application too so you can get to your document, photos, videos and anything else from the web. There's absolutely no need to use USB devices, CDs or DVDs or anything else. Simply save to the Dropbox folder and it'll be available from anywhere!

What's more is that they have an app for everything: Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and, Blackberry. Open up the app on your mobile device and you can view just about any file you have in your Dropbox. Imagine being able to browse photos, videos and documents, on your phone, without have to actually transfer any files anywhere. It all seems too easy.

You can also use all your files, like you normally would, without being online. Dropbox will simply queue up your changes and upload them when you're next online.

Getting Started

It's super easy to get started with Dropbox, and it's free. You can sign up here for a free 2GB account. This is the perfect size to get started and you can upgrade to a 50GB or 100GB account with a couple of clicks (refer a friend and you can get up to 16GB of extra space too!). Once you've registered, you can download the application for your computer. Once it's installed, a new 'Dropbox' folder will be created inside your Documents folder (Windows), or inside your User folder (Mac).

To start using Dropbox, simply drag a drop a file or folder into the Dropbox folder. The icon in your system tray (Windows) or menu bar (Mac) will show a rotating arrow to indicate that Dropbox is syncing your files. Once the sync process is finished, the icon will show a green tick. You can continue using your files while they are syncing. Just forget about the synchronization process and use the folder just like any other. If you need to install the application on any other computer, you can download it again from inside the Dropbox web application.

Should you find yourself in need of opening a file when you don't have one of you're own computers handy, use the web application to download the file, work on it and upload it again. The next time you get back to your computer, the updated file will be there too!

Don't forget to download Dropbox for iPhone, iPad, Android or Blackberry too. The applications are completely free!

It might seem like I'm really plugging Dropbox here, and I guess I am, but I'm not getting any kickbacks at all. I've been using it for a few years now and would never look back. I would highly recommend you give Dropbox a try. It's very easy to integrate into your workflow and you'll reap the benefits right away. How do you use Dropbox? Leave your comments below.

What is the Cloud?

2011-08-04T14:53:00.001+10:00

Definition and History of the Cloud

The are many version of the history of the term "cloud" as it relates to computing. In my university days, the "cloud" was called the "internet". The "Cloud" is basically another term for a network of machines. I think the best way to explain this is with the graphic below. In it, all machines and devices that do certain functions, outside of the devices we know and care about, are collected into a cloud shape - usually the big fluffy thing in the middle.

Traditionally, computing has been done with applications installed on a local machine and in more corporate situations, these applications may talk to, and store data on a centralised server inside the corporate network. Cloud computing throws all of that out the window. As shown in the graphic, the only device that people actually use is the screen, the interface. The entire application, storage, processing and communication between interconnected services, is handled by some other device, somewhere else. And that really is the basis behind the "cloud". It's data being processed and loaded for you, by a machine that you don't necessarily know where it is, what it is, or even if it's doing anything else at the same time.

The concept of cloud computing was first coined back in the 1960's as a way of time-sharing technology. Professor John McCarthy believed that computing applications could be served in a similar way to utilities such as water and electricity. Unfortunately, the technology of the day was a little big, cumbersome and expensive, so this idea didn't really gain any momentum. It wasn't until the late 1990's and early 2000's, when technology was leaping forwards, that this idea was revisited. Today, you can do everything you would normally do on your computer, but do it in the cloud.

Are there many Clouds?

So, if the cloud is essentially the "internet", can there be more than one cloud? Well, yes. If we break down the concept of the "cloud" even further, a "cloud" is nothing more than a network of computers or machines. There are millions upon millions of networks around the world today - chances are you have one in your house and you are using one right now to read this article. Each and every network is essentially a "cloud" in it's own right. The network has data storage available, applications available, other interconnected devices and might even be connected to other networks. After all, this is exactly how the internet started - it is a network of networks. Each cloud, or network, is independently owned, but collectively (at least for the most-part), they serve the entire world with the internet websites and applications we've come to love. Each of these smaller "clouds" are collected together into the behemoth cloud of the "internet".

Your Own Cloud

Since a cloud is a network, or network or networks, it is of course possible to have your very own cloud. In fact, many businesses today use this principle. A Private Cloud is a network, similar to the internet, but scaled way down and constructed for very specific purposes. A Private Cloud is more or less cut off from the rest of the outside world and there may be reasons this might be a good idea. The network and connected computers are essentially much, much more secure and immune to viruses and malicious attacks if they are not part of the wider internet. However, a Private Cloud is generally not completely cut off from the wider internet. Email still needs to be able to travel in and out of the Private Cloud. In this case, the email gateway is configured to bridge the Private Cloud to the internet and only allow scanned email to travel between the two. There are many more security issues here than we don't need to deal with right now, so we'll leave Private Clouds there.

Some business build their own public cloud for a specific application and offer it to other business and consumers as a service. These applications are known as Software-as-a-Service, or SaaS.

Using the Cloud

We know you're already using the Cloud to read this article, but cloud computing isn't really browsing websites. Cloud Computing is the concept of taking all of the processing and data crunching your computer would normally do, and letting one or more computers out there on the internet, specifically built to do the kind of data crunching you need, process the data very, very quickly. This allows your computer to simply ask a question of a remote service, and give you the answer, without your computer actually doing any thinking on its own. How does this effect you? Remember trying to multitask on your desktop? If you were say, using a particular program that needed a fair bit of computing power, then everything on your desktop would slow right down, and the hourglass (Windows/Linux) or spinny wheel (Mac) would stop you from doing anything else until your computer caught up with what you had asked it to do. Moving these tasks out into the Cloud, on different machines specifically built to handle them, all concurrently, gives you incredible freedom to work/play/stream/edit at phenomenal speeds, all while letting you listen to your favourite music, which is streamed from the cloud too, of course. Also, since all your applications and data are stored in the cloud, you are no longer tied to using a specific computer. You have the freedom to use any computer, anywhere in the world, and access and use your music, files, videos and everything else, instantly.

Cloud Computing is proving to be a natural progression of technology. As applications become more intensive, more powerful computers are needed to run them well. The cloud provides the perfect solution to this by combining very high computing power, with the easy of access of a web browser.

How is your business using Cloud Computing technology? Leave your comments below.

SugarCRM 6.2.1 is Social CRM Made Simple

2011-07-29T17:26:00.003+10:00

When is it available

SugarCRM, the company behind the most intuitive, flexible and open Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system available, released version 6.2.1 of their product suite on July 15, 2011 to much anticipation and relief. While the company released the highly anticipated version 6.2.0 earlier this year, it came with a great deal of anguish for customers upgrading from previous versions and many others were advised to avoid the 6.2.0 release in favour of the impending 6.2.1 revision, which would have the upgrade issues resolved.

What is Social CRM

Let's first recap what "Social CRM" is, as it is a very loose term and can be interpreted in many, many ways. Social CRM, as with any CRM, is an activity. CRM system vendors provide tools to help people perform this activity. The same can be said for Social CRM. Social CRM however, is an outward-in approach to customer relations rather than the traditional inward-out view. Social CRM looks at a customer or prospect and how that person interacts with their social and professional networks both online and offline, their influence and influencers. The goal of Social CRM is to better understand the customer and what influences their decisions and habits. With this, you can evolve from a standardized interaction methodology to one which is all about the customer, and on their terms. Once the customer is fully understood, you are in a much better position to close deals.

SugarCRM 6.2 Social Integrations

SugarCRM was one of the first professional platforms to embrace the concept of Social CRM. As early as SugarCRM 5.1 back in August 2007 SugarCRM had the capability to engage in Social CRM with the simple ability to embed third-party websites and applications directly inside the application. This provided the ability to reference and research a customer's social influence and interactions without moving away from the resources available inside the application. SInce then, SugarCRM Inc. has continued to invest heavily in Social CRM and has added the ability to, dynamically change the content of third-party websites based on information known about the customer; bringing information that is known about a customer straight into the CRM system, ensuring the data you are working from is up-to-date and providing valuable insight into the activities of the individual and company you are dealing with. SugarCRM 6.2 introduces a framework to connect to and integrate with just about any other system around, both internal and external. The platform has productised or included integrations with the following services:

LinkedIn
Twitter
Facebook
IBM Lotus Live
IBM Lotus Notes
IBM Lotus Domino
GoToMeeting
Cisco Webex
Citrix Online
Google Docs
InsideView
Hoovers
JigSaw
ZoomInfo
Microsoft Office Outlook
Microsoft Office Word
Microsoft Office Excel
Any IMAP compatible email service

On top of these integrations which are available through SugarCRM Inc. there is a vast partner and community network that can design and build highly tailored applications right into the SugarCRM platform, giving you even greater insight into the information systems you need to do business, all through one intuitive user experience. You can also build your own applications into the platform and it's easy to learn how.

SugarCRM 6.2.1 is a fantastic application, hosted in the Cloud, that provides your business with the resources, knowledge, and ability to act on information from a wide variety of sources, in order to achieve the best possible relationships with your customers, and, as a result, close as many deals as possible.

For local Australian hosting, customised implementations, service and support, I highly recommend InsightfulCRM, based in Sydney, Australia.

How will you be using Social CRM? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Hardware, Software and the Cloud

2011-07-22T23:42:00.005+10:00

Today's technology is bridging the gap on what is an "application" and what is a "web site". Traditionally, an application was a piece of software that was installed on your desktop or on a server in your office. These applications had strict system requirements which would degrade, or prevent, performance if not met. Applications were very rarely "fun". Rarely did someone say, "hey, did you check out that new application...". This was because it all took time to get from point A to point B. In order to "check out" an application, you had to go through the following steps:

Find the application - normally physically - either at a store or from a vendor
Determine if your current systems met the system requirements of the application and if not, upgrade your current system (this is a whole other issue on its own!).
Acquire the application - either through simple transaction or lengthy sales process (again, a whole other discussion).
Install the application on the required hardware (usually a server and a client (desktop/workstation) machine).
1. Resolve any unforeseen hardware or software conflicts for each machine
Configure any additional services such as network connectivity
Start the application
... wait for the hour-glass to stop spinning...
Go through the licensing and activation screens
... and then, ta-da! The application!
Oh wait, now you need to read the manual to figure out what all the buttons and menus do and when.

This, is no easy process. And it consistently grew more and more difficult with the ever increasing rate at which technology is developed. After spending months assessing hardware requirements for your company and more months rolling it out, the applications you want to run tomorrow will likely not be compatible with the hardware you now have. Back to the drawing board and months of reviewing additional hardware upgrades, rolling them out, etc. To roll-out a single application could send the IT investment cost into the hundreds of thousands, or millions with hardware, licensing, compatibility testing and more.

Finally, you could answer your friend with a "yes, I've just managed to install it". By which time your friend has moved on to three other new interests and doesn't have any idea what application you're talking about.

While this whole "application acquisition and implementation" process continues to keep a great many IT Professionals busy, it simply doesn't add value to the business and is not a good use of IT's knowledge or time.

The traditional method of implementing software is outdated. The Cloud is the new platform for business.

More and more business application are turning into web-applications. A web application is basically an application that is accessed over a network (or the internet) and managed through a web browser, such as Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and others. Typically, these applications are managed in the cloud. The cloud is a loose term for "somewhere on the network that we don't need to know about". This means that someone else can worry about the hardware requirements, compatibilty issues, security, updates and upgrades. And all we need to do is use it. This means that when someone says "have you checked out that new application" we can now go through these steps:

Search the application name in Google
Registers on the main page
Log in
Use

There's no need to roll-out the application and install it on hundreds of user's machines, or configure complex server rules. All you need to do is distribute login credentials to those people who should have access. And since web applications are run completely from within a web browser, they get to take advantage of all that fun technology such as video, audio, and, most importantly, an intuitive user experience. People that can get around the web should, more or less, be able to get around inside a web application.

What has been your experience with using the Cloud so far? Share your thoughts in the comments below.