The Local Business Technologist

When Your Employees Know More Than You

2010-07-25T23:59:00.001+05:00

Written by: Marshall Goldsmith

Managing today's highly skilled professionals takes special skills — and not the ones that you may think. Oftentimes, knowledge workers know more than you do about their jobs. So, how do you manage people who know more about what they do than you do?

In such instances, you have to look at leadership through the wants and needs of the worker as opposed to the skills of the leader. Here are some quick tips for effectively managing knowledge workers.

Demonstrate passion
In days past, working 40 hours per week and taking 4-5 weeks of vacation meant that people often focused less on loving what they do. Today people work 60-80 hours a week and it's crucial that they love their work to avoid burnout. Those who lead by example and demonstrate passion for what they do make it much easier for their followers to do the same.

Strengthen abilities
With less job security and more global competition, it's critical that people update and refine their skills continuously. Leaders need to look beyond skills needed today and help their workers learn skills they will need tomorrow.

Appreciate time
People have less time today, which means the value of that time has increased. Leaders who waste their workers' time are not looked upon favorably. Leaders will be far more successful if they protect people from things that neither encourage their passions nor enhance their abilities.

Build networks
Today, job security comes from having ability, passion, and a great network. Leaders who enable people to form strong networks both inside and outside the company will gain a huge competitive advantage along with the loyalty of their workers. These professional networks allow people to expand their knowledge and bring it back to the organization.

Support growth
The best knowledge workers are working for more than money. They want to make a contribution and to grow in their fields. Leaders who ask their people, "What can our company do to help you grow and achieve your goals?" will find it comes back tenfold.

Expand happiness and meaning
No one wants to work at a meaningless job that makes them unhappy. Leaders must show their workers how the organization can help them make a contribution to the larger world and feel rewarded for doing something about which they are passionate.

Managing knowledge workers is a challenging and rewarding job. Leaders who do so must look beyond the work and think about the person who does the work if they are to be successful. By appreciating and encouraging the dedication, time, and experience of their workers, leaders help shape not only the futures of the professionals they lead but also the future of their organizations.

muskhpuri

2010-07-18T13:08:00.003+05:00

This place is an aboslute heaven on earth. A must go for everyone living in Islamabad. The trek starts from Nathia Gali near Shangrila resorts and goes all the way up. Its around 3 hours. The trek is fairly safe as compared to others I have been on. It can get slippery if its raining so I would recommend carrying a walking stick.

Operating Models of IT in an Organization

2010-06-06T15:43:00.005+05:00

Came across this very interesting framework on the four types of operating models when it comes to understanding value IT can play in an organization. The framework developed by Ross and Weill looks models with respect to the standardization and integration it can provide. You can find more details on MIT open course ware.

The CIO's Dilemma

2010-04-30T12:16:00.001+05:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

The CIO's Dilemma

View more presentations from Abbie Lundberg.

CodeSOD: Check Digit Check

2010-04-16T10:58:00.000+05:00

CodeSOD: Check Digit Check: "

Seen any absurdly bad code lately? Send it on in!

Anne K has worked in the direct mail industry for almost twenty years, and has seen a bazillion ways to put names and addresses onto paper. One thing that's common across all mailing houses is that, in order to get discounts from the postal service, a postal barcode must be printed on every piece of mail. The barcode is made up of the ZIP code, the ZIP+4 code, and a couple more digits indicating (often) the house number. There's also a check digit on the bar code, which is calculated by adding up all the digits of the barcode, modding the result by 10, and then subtracting from 10. So, if all the digits of the barcode add up to 39, (10 - (9 mod 10)) leaves a result of 1.

It couldn't be simpler, right? It takes a teeny little loop and a mod. At least, that's what Anne thought. When she was doing developer training at a certain mailhouse, she just happened to be looking into the program that printed a simple name and address block on the piece. Curious as to why it was thousands of lines of code, she dove in and saw this.


counter=0;
if (zipcode >= 34200 AND zipcode <= 34299){
 zzipcode = zipcode - 34200
 counter = counter + 3 + 4 + 2;
}

if (zipcode >= 34600 AND zipcode <= 34799){
 zzipcode = zipcode - 34600
 if (zzipcode > 99){
   counter = counter + 1
 }
 counter = counter + 3 + 4 + 6;
}

... snip ...

if (zzipcode < 10){
 counter = counter + zzipcode;
}
if (zzipcode = 10) counter = counter + 1
if (zzipcode = 20) counter = counter + 2
if (zzipcode = 30) counter = counter + 3
if (zzipcode = 40) counter = counter + 4
... snip ...
if (zzipcode = 98) counter = counter + 17
if (zzipcode = 99) counter = counter + 18

Naturally, this is just a small subsection of the code (with proper indentation added). The original programmer apparently didn't realize there were math or, at the very least, string manipulation functions.

As for the most wondrous thing about this program? The coder took special care to find out exactly what ZIP code ranges aren't used by the postal service, so as to avoid unnecessary coding for those ranges.

The Corruption of Dennis

2010-04-15T13:25:00.000+05:00

The Corruption of Dennis: "

During water cooler conversation with his co-workers, whenever Dennis mentioned that he was responsible for supporting the Month End Closing system, reaction varied from a wide-eyed, agape look to a snide chuckle.

The Month End Closing system had a reputation throughout the department of being an ancient and legacy application that management had refused to upgrade over the years. Some of the comments put its true age at somewhere in the late 80’s early 90’s era which had earned it nicknames like “Ol’ Bertha” or “Methuselah” but most simply called it the “Legacy Dung Heap”.

Month-End Madness

Lady luck was not on Dennis's side that one fateful morning of his first month-end.

"OHMIGOSH! I JUST RAN MONTH END AND GOT AN ERROR CODE 40" panted the frantic caller, "IT...THE SYSTEM WON'T LET ME, OR ANYONE IN THE OFFICE, DO ANYTHING...CAN YOU GET US AN UNLOCK KEY???"

Dennis reassured the user that everything would be fine and to hang on literally for a minute while he investigated. While it was compeletely owned in-house, the Month End system harbored a funny quirk left over from when it was originally written by an outside software firm.

When the system hit certain conditions, usually catastrophic data problems, everything would be frozen until a support person could provide the "Hex Key of the Day." A secret value derived from the Error Code, Current Date, and software license key. Dennis opened the web form to generate the daily Hex Key but was surprised at the result:

CANNOT GENERATE HEX KEY FOR ERROR CODE - PLEASE INFORM
TIER 1 SUPPORT TO REFERENCE G-A24456

This bothered Dennis greatly as he was in the Tier 1 support group.

WTF is a G-A24456?

After re-assuring the customer that the solution was still only another minute away, Dennis knew that he would have to think fast. Desperate, he simultaneously searched the source code repository, documentation portal, and the department's shared network drive hoping that G-A24456 was unique enough to find a result and ended up hitting pay dirt.

In the source, G-A24456 was a function called from the section of the code responsible for handling month-end receipts and was shocked to find out what an Error 40 really stood for.

The error was a division by zero error.

Dennis quickly scoffed at the programmer who couldn't add a quick logic check to see if the number being used as the divisor was in fact zero. Then, Dennis looked at the source again.

There on the screen was a FORCED division by zero to stop program execution. No message, no exiting of a loop, nothing that would allow the user to self corrects and retry:


x=1/0; ## (DIVZEROHALT) Unprocessed receipts exist, instruct
      ## user to run the receipt register. Generate Hex Key
      ## using Error Code 99 (MISC) to unlock system.
      ## SNK 10/05/92

After picking his chin up off the floor, Dennis gave the hex key, instructed the user to process any outstanding receipts to get everything moving again, and immediately booked an appointment with his supervisor.

Leftover Secrets

In his meeting, Dennis relayed his findings – the forced division by zero, the developer note, and for good measure, a rant on the use of the Hex Key in general. Why not just show a pop-up window saying “You didn’t process the damned receipts – go do that and come back”? he argued.

"Close the door, Dennis. I have something to talk with you about."

Dennis's supervisor explained that whole idea of the hex keys were originally created long ago by the original developers with a dual purpose. The first was to force the user to stop everything if the system had some major mess-up, and second, to provide a steady stream of income for their support desk in the form of long-term support contracts.

“The way that our corporation works is that the number of hours we bill to our users for support directly impacts our funding for the next year,” explained Dennis’s supervisor,

"Why do you think that we are able to attend various conferences, have free coffee service, or enjoy our delightfully ergonomic work stations? All this is a result of our department's ability to bill for support."

He continued, "Frankly, if we remove all of the DIVZEROHALT statements and the concept of hex keys in general, we'll all probably have to be laid off!"

Dennis nodded to the supervisor's point while pondering his next move - go downstairs for some of that great free coffee or return to his desk or start work on polishing up his resume.

Millennials

2010-02-16T00:21:00.001+05:00

5 Things in 10 Years. A Practical Guide to SocialSphere, Millennials and Social Media Strategy.

View more presentations from John Della Volpe.

Empire State Of Mind

2010-01-24T12:37:00.002+05:00

I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.

2009-12-28T12:28:00.001+05:00

This is a very good poem I came across.

An amazing poem and a true source of inspiration

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

(William Ernest Henley)

EBook Reader

2009-12-01T23:05:00.003+05:00

The other day I got hold of Sony's E-Book reader an older version then the current touch screen one and I must say, I have never touchen any thing more sexy. This sleek device has this amazing e-ink technology which makes you feel as if your reading a book. When playing with the device I kind of thought on how the iPod came up and took over the music lovers by storm replacing the old CD players and pocket radios. So should we expect the ebook reader to the same? I think it would. Amazon with its Kindle is currently among the top 10 gift items for Christmas this year and with more and more books coming on digital format its bound to make a difference. But what I would like to see is more companies coming out with there own version, there is still a lot more room for improvement. But then I am sure other companies are already working on this as I write this...

Amazing ..Ragestan in Sammarkand

2009-11-30T13:20:00.005+05:00

ROI In IT Planning

2009-09-28T11:51:00.000+06:00

Why projects are always dealyed?

2009-09-07T16:11:00.002+06:00

There is a myth that runs around in the technology world that no matter what project you do, it is bound to be delayed. What I don't understand is why this is so? why cant they be finished on time. Is it because we don't plan well or its just the nature of project itself that tend to make it delayed.

Is CSR just a gimmick marketing tool?

2009-08-15T13:54:00.003+06:00

I was flying down from Karachi to Lahore and as always had the luxury of sitting in one of those cramped seats of PIA. Anyways, the most interesting part of flying in a jam packed 8 am flight is that you get to see and interact with a lot of professionals from various industries. Just two seats besides me there was this mid aged lady who had the most intense perfume on. Just by looking at her one would sense that she in from an NGO who is running after corporations so that they can give away some of its profit to charity. Interestingly I was reading a very old article written by Milton Friedman, " The Social Responsibility of Business", a 1970 article that got published in the Time Magazine. Friedman is considered to be one of the greatest American economist of all times. He is also famous for being a hard critic of how corporations should or should not give their profit to charity. His main premise is that, a firm is a functioning organ with the CEO running the affairs. His job is to maximize share holders value and if that is his main objective, than who has given him the right to take money of that profit and give it away for free? That led me to the question that is CSR just a gimmick marketing tool for companies? Is Creative Capitalism pointed by Bill Gates the answer to this? For now, do read this article.

Creative Capitalism

2009-07-19T22:46:00.002+06:00

With corporations becoming larger and larger, and having a greater impact on mankind it is essential that we start thinking on the lines of Creative Capitalism. Interestingly this idea of companies other than making money and investing in the wider good of man kind is becoming very popular in boardrooms. Topics such as social entrepreneur or the SROI (social return on investment) are buzz words in various CSR meetings. It is even more interesting to see that technology today is permitting us to reach out to a wider set of people (bottom of the pyramid) and make a difference in their lives. Check out Bill Gates article which came in the time magazine and the speach he gave in Davos last year on this subject.

World record in tree plantation set at Keti Bandar

2009-07-16T10:26:00.005+06:00

DAWN.COM | Sci-Tech | World record in tree plantation set at Keti Bandar

Shared via AddThis

Nikola Tesla - The Forgotten Wizard

2009-07-10T23:56:00.000+06:00

Resource leveling in a project..a useful task or a pain in the ass

2009-06-11T12:12:00.002+06:00

The past few days have been extremely frustrating as I am trying to fix and plan my resources in a 400+ task with numerous swim wires connecting them. Managing resources in MS project is not a simple task. You can put in the names but when it comes to leveling them to the respective capacities, you have to go through a lot of pain and trust me the tool which MS project provides for auto leveling messes up the project big time..so should we put effort in leveling resources in detail? considering most project plans are never followed as they are made. What I believe is that we should do resource leveling!! but not in depth to the lowest detail. A more high level for the core team should be good enough so that the PM is aware of the challenges he/she might face in executing the phases. The rest should be left when the task is about to be started. Its as simple as following the thumb rule..." don't cross the bridge until you have reached it..but do figure out where the bridges are"

Setting up a project networking site

2009-06-08T14:26:00.004+06:00

Updating stakeholders or team members on the status of a project is an important task for a PM. I have seen numerous PMs adding a recurring task in there project plan (MS project of course) on sending weekly emails or reports to the relevant team members. Thinking of this, the age we are living in is of collaboration, with every hooked to Facebook, Twitter and other networking sites. So why don't we have a collaboration/networking/wiki for our projects? Their are numerous tools on the Internet like wordpress or Google Sites that let you set up collaboration sites in a Giffy by which team members can keep track on anouncements, project calendar, events and other goofy things that are happening.

A New Business Strategy: Give Up the Core

2009-05-22T10:20:00.002+06:00

One of the reason I find this article very interesting is that it applies to a lot of local IT divisions who are constantly cramped by looking after technology and other operational issues, and in the mist of all this they forget and loose customer focus. I am not suggesting that you give up every operational activity you perform but be smart in what you need to do.

In making outsourcing decisions, companies are very careful to hold onto the core--those activities and competences that are at the heart of the business. The core represents its very being; it tells its employees and customers what it does.

That's why Sprint's plans to outsource the management of its cellular network is unusual. In the mobile phone industry, letting go of the network is akin to cutting out the heart of the company. But according to an article in Monday's Wall Street Journal, the company is in talks with Ericsson to hand over the maintenance of its cell towers and transfer thousands of employees to the equipment vendor. The deal would cut Sprint's costs by about 20%, according to the Journal. And it would free resources for product innovation and the development of partnerships, as the company seeks new sources of revenue growth.

But when it starts to give up core competencies, what will Sprint be? The answer will become less clear over time but, ironically, Sprint is finally onto something that companies in emerging markets have jumped onto already.

In my research into how companies are fighting commoditization and shrinking markets, I spent some time with Bharti Airtel, a fast-growing telecom network based in India. (VG Narayanan and Asis Martinez of HBS worked with me on this research). Way back in 2003, CEO Sunil Mittal signed away the operation of the firm's telecommunications network to Ericsson, Siemens, and Nokia, in the belief that they could better solve the problem of meeting mounting demand, leaving him to focus on solving customer issues. The move was shocking at the time, and represented a philosophical shift--from protecting the core to solving customer problems, without regard to company boundaries. From a bunker mentality to a kind of near-agnosticism. It's the ultimate step toward becoming customer-centric, adopting a mindset that begins with the customer and then moves to the particulars of who will deliver the right products or services.

So what exactly is Bharti now? Previously, Bharti knew for certain what it was and what it did, with management of the network an essential component to its being. Now, it's the sum total of its on-going arrangements, a shape-shifting enterprise that slips into market crevices. It's far less certain what it is, but it's been rewarded with both revenues and market share.

Such agnosticism isn't limited to the mobile phone industry. Apple, for instance, relies on many other companies to produce and accessorize its phenomenally successful products. Shortly after the iPhone was launched on June 29, 2007, a third party ― iSuppli Corp. ― took the phone apart and found that a large portion of the innards of the device were made by third-party companies such as German semiconductor supplier Infineon, Epson, and Samsung. Five percent of the accessories available in Apple stores are made by Apple, and the goal is to bring it to zero. At Cisco, employees are expected to embrace a "no-technology-religion," meaning that they are agnostic about platforms and standards and will consider supporting any technology endeavor that meets customer needs.

Being agnostic or customer-centric does not mean blindly following customers' instructions. Customers themselves may not be able to articulate their needs precisely. Instead, it involves a creative process driven by a deep and holistic understanding of the problems that the organization's customers are facing, together with a careful consideration of the capabilities both inside and outside the organization needed to solve those problems. The goal isn't to push your offerings onto customer, but to immerse yourself in customers' problems to offer up unique solutions. To make it, you need to be willing to give up some of your being and live with a little nothingness.

Why IT Solutions Are Never Simple

2009-04-03T12:47:00.004+05:00

via Susan Cramm by Susan Cramm on 4/1/09

Without concerted effort, what was once neat and tidy becomes marred and messy. Just finding something in the garage feels like an archaeological expedition. Periodically, when someone dies, or relocates, or becomes disgusted, there's a whirlwind of activity to purge and reorganize. This cathartic experience is followed by a brief period of exhilaration, until time passes and entropy exerts itself once again.

So of course the airlines didn't intend to build "multiple old computer systems that don't share information well." When these systems were initially constructed (in the 60s and 70s), they were neat and tidy. Application requirements were defined from the point of view of a department and the needs of the people within it. The approach to programming reflected a simple and static world where it was the norm to embed data and business rules together with the logic necessary to support a business function — for example, to book and manage reservations. No one conceived that customers would book their own travel, that airlines would merge and spin off, that competing airlines would sell seats through code share agreements, or that competition would become so fierce as to necessitate greeting them by name and remembering their favorite drink.

To respond to these demands in a timely manner, IT did what we all do. They packed as much as they could in the existing "application" garages. When it became impossible to enter them without breaking something, they built new ones to store additional, but redundant, data, business rules, and logic. In an attempt to coordinate these applications to support business processes, they built a myriad of point-to-point interfaces between the applications. As a result of these seemingly efficient but short-sighted approaches, the systems architecture of the average 20+ year company looks something like this (aptly named, the "scare" diagram):

Because of this complexity, many companies don't have a definitive understanding of their customers, products, and performance and have difficulty modifying business processes in response to new opportunities and competitive realities. Furthermore, they devote the lion's share of their IT spend to maintaining existing systems rather than innovating new capabilities.

This isn't new news, of course. During the 1990's, we started to realize that IT systems often inhibited rather than enabled change. Since then, IT and business leaders have been working hard to increase agility by replacing systems and using new approaches to promote integration and commonality. Along the way, we have learned that:

Across-the-board "scrape and rebuild" of systems usually doesn't make sense because often the gain isn't worth the pain. This approach is like knocking down your garage and throwing out everything in it. There's a lot of good stuff in your existing applications and there is no guarantee that the new systems will be that much better, less complex, or cheaper than the old ones.
Hiding existing systems complexity using a "layer and leave" approach makes it easier to use and integrate existing systems, but doesn't reduce the costs of supporting inflexible and redundant systems. This approach is like hiring a garage "concierge" to find things and put them away. Unfortunately, you have to pay for the concierge service as well as the costs of maintaining the garages.
The best way to manage complexity is to "clean as you go". This is a combination of the two approaches — implemented on a project-by-project basis. Each project is defined in a way that moves the enterprise closer to the desired "to be" architecture. Using our garage analogy, to move something in, one or two things must be reorganized or moved out. This approach includes layering, but also extracting critical data and functionality out from applications and rebuilding them so that they can be managed as an enterprise asset.

"Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly." To be altered for the better requires that everyone agree on what "better" is. "Better" for the enterprise over the long term is often at odds with short-term business goals and profitability. The "clean as you go" approach will always entail additional time, effort, and resources.

IT isn't alone in the need to simplify. As Rosabeth Moss Kanter pointed out, "Companies sow the seeds of their own decline in adding too many things — product variations, business units, independent subsidiaries — without integrating them." Keep in mind that, since IT architectures mirror the inherent complexity of the businesses that they support, it's impossible to have a truly agile and cost-effective technical architecture without simplified business architecture.

It's hard to say "no" to the extra product line, merger, reporting package or, for that matter, bicycle. Simplicity's just not that simple. How are you doing getting there?

change management

2009-03-23T13:35:00.002+05:00

One of the most important elements of project management, especially in Pakistan is to manage change and expectations. Expectations is something which I feel is up to the PM on how he or she does it considering the overall organizational culture, but change management is something which can be learned a lot from existing theories. Propably on of the best books I have read on it is Kotters: Leading Change. Its a materpiece in my opinon and a must read for all proffesioanls, especialy those who are into intense IT projects which will dramaticaly change the working culture and exising processes.

Karachi the new flag store

2009-03-20T10:21:00.001+05:00

A lot has changed over the past few weeks in Pakistan. The ineligibility of the Sharif brothers to the rise of the long march and ultimately the restoration of the chief justice not to forget the popularity of Nawaz Shareef as the hero and savior of the nation (damn it..why does history repeat itself)...one thing which I have personally noticed a lot in Karachi especially when driving down on Share e Faisal, is the new concept of using street light stands as flag polls. Over the months, I have seen various political parties and religious groups trying to portray their strengths on the street of Karachi...which to be honest looks very dirty. I can't understand that at one place our city Nazim Mustafa Kamal comes on television and compares us with the west and says that they have gone to the moon and we still have no civic sense bla bla and on the other permits these groups and parties to display their strength by putting flags pretty much everywhere. Why can’t he see that these flags on the street of Karachi just don’t look very clean, not to forget it portrays the intense group culture in the city...is this something we should worry about?

Milking It To The Max

2009-03-04T12:56:00.001+05:00

Engro Foods is a 3-year old company and started in 2006 with one brand of Olper’s. In a market space where Nestle was ruling the world and Haleeb was very close behind, the company started off as a local group with all the energies possible. In a short span of 3 years, Olper’s captured over 30% of the packaged milk market share and rapidly climbed to number two in the market.

How does a company having such limited experience in the food business, manage to pose such a challenge to the market leader? There’s quite a story about the role technology has to play in making this local ‘multi-national’ the company to watch out for ........

http://ciopakistan.com/2009/03/milking-it-to-the-max/

ROI for a blog

2009-02-02T10:28:00.003+05:00

Over my short career I have seen that any technology project taken to a board or management committee without sufficient financial backing is as dangerous as going for a roller coaster ride without a seat belt. One of the most critical element within the financial package is IRR or ROI part. I personal feel that finding a financial justification to most technology projects is very very difficult. For instance, in one company the Manager IS wanted to replace an older version of Maximo with a newer version, but failed to convince the board because he did not have an ROI, even though from the technology perspective it made perfect sense. All my sympathy for the person ... now this whole problem bought me to think that currently companies (in the west) are making a lot of effort to create official blogs or get involved in social networks so that they can get closer to there consumers who are actually living on the web. How does a CIO convince a board who are hungry for numbers and financial justification that they should be out there on the web interacting with there consumers in one way or the other. Li and Bernoff book, groundswell gives a very interesting insight on how to do it . According to them, blogging is a modern concept of PR relations. Many scholars over the years have tried to find ways to justify having a PR department by finical means, and a lot of them have been successful beinggirl.com being one of them. Considering, we take it as a PR tool, the following CAPEX, OPEX and value addition heads could be defined:

CAPEX:

- Web site creation this would include an agency for art works etc
- Hosting
- dedicated personnel to monitor or scan the web and promote blog

OPEX:

- annual hosting charges

Quantifiable Benefits:

- Reduction in classical PR cost
- Saving from standard research tools
- Saving from standard marketing campaigns

There is one benefit which i cant figure out how it can be quantified, and i.e. conversion of traffic to sales. Feel free to add more on the quantifiable benefits, and lets see how many heads can we make?