There are countless computer consultants out there. You have the geeks, the gurus, the evangelists, the computer guys, techs, nerds, network consultants, computer consultants and technologists, just to name a few. At the end of it all, regardless of what they call themselves, each provides a different level of service and technical know-how. Too many IT consultants solve every problem by asking you to throw money at it. New computers, new servers, new monitors, new printers, but every time you spend money, you are cutting into profitability. The key is for you to identify the right person for your needs. If you run a company, what you really need is a business technology expert to help you make the right decisions about your technology.
A computer consultant is usually only interested in fixing your computers. He is not versed in any business functions and is therefore incapable of assisting you with many additional services that will maximize your information technology investments. The computer guy is great when the printer breaks or when the computer goes haywire, but a business technology expert can offer you significantly more value. Large corporations hire a Chief Information Officer to fulfill this role, but a small to mid-sized business may not need that degree of full time support. In these cases, a business technology expert will serve you well.
Business Technology is any technology that serves the needs of business, including accounting, networking, and other office systems. So, while an office productivity software suite (e.g. Microsoft Office) is considered business technology, the Microsoft Xbox is not. The realization that there is a growing divide between recreational gadgets and technologies that can directly impact the business world has led to a new way of examining the direct value of technology. Business technology must add value to your company or else it is just a waste of money. There are so many products to choose from, all with competing philosophies and learning curves. More often than not, you simply accept what came with the computer when you bought it and you make due. Or, worse yet, you fall prey to that fantastic salesperson that promises the answer to all your prayers and delivers another expensive nightmare. So, the next fact you need to accept is that not all business technology is valuable to your business!
The key to modern business success is to be sure to align your business goals with your technology plans. Business and technology alignment has become a Holy Grail for large multinational corporations. Because these industrial monsters are so large, anything they can do to make themselves more flexible, more responsive to their customers, is mandatory. Fortunately, most small and medium-sized businesses are agile and fast to respond. Chances are your top customers know how to get in touch with you at any time of the day. However, just because you do not suffer from the problems of these huge dinosaur businesses does not mean you cannot benefit from business / technology alignment. A business technology expert will assist you in aligning your business goals with your technology investments.
The second benefit you can derive from a business technology expert is an understanding of your business processes. No two businesses operate exactly alike. Chances are your business practices have developed organically as your company overcomes new challenges. However, organic growth has a tendency to develop substantial inefficiencies that can impact profits. I have seen cases where companies print and mail out zero dollar invoices ($0.00) simply because the system was poorly automated. This is inefficient and expensive, and can easily be remedied. A business technology expert will analyze how you work to pinpoint and correct these inefficiencies. Download a free Business Process Optimization Case Study.
A business technology expert will then use his knowledge and understanding of your computer systems and business processes to assist you in building competitive advantage. According to a 2007 IBM study, a business technology expert should be "…engaged as a strategic partner for process and culture change."[i] This means that the lonely computer geek typing away for hours without human contact is not the right choice if you want to succeed. A business technology expert will be capable of working with others and must possess advanced communication and social skills to act as an agent of positive change. The computer geek that is incapable of communicating ideas or is lacking in social skills is not what you need.
Also, a business technology expert understands that his job is to make recommendations. Remember, you are the ultimate decision maker, so your expert needs to present you with options, instead of ultimatums. In some rare cases there is only one course of action, but in my experience I have rarely encountered them. A business technology expert will present you with multiple options to achieve your goals. However, if so instructed, your business technology expert will make decisions on your behalf based on solid experience and understanding of your objectives.
Technology is a fact of life. From cell phones to computers, technology has become a part of our everyday lives. Just about every business uses technology in some fashion. Whether it's to improve efficiency or to develop new services, companies all over the world are harnessing technology to improve the way they do business. Don't trust your technology to someone that doesn't understand business and how you work. A business technology expert can make the difference to your success.
[i] IBM Global Services "The New CIO: Change Partner and Business Leader". © IBM Corporation 2007
Copyright 2008 by Louis Rosas-Guyon III. All rights reserved worldwide.
View Louis' LinkedIn profile at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/louisrosas
Louis Rosas-Guyon III is a business technology expert who writes about technology on his blog and digital soapbox. Louis is President of R-Squared Computing, a company that understands the challenges of modern business and seeks to ease your technology pains. You need a partner that will let you conduct business while helping you become more efficient.
R-Squared Computing: Business Technology Experts : www.r2computing.com
Lou's Blog: http://r2computing.blogspot.com/
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Published to Ole Cram's Business Connections Network blog at OCBusinessConnectionsNetwork.blogspot.com.
Ole Cram and Marcobe Investments, Inc. are not responsible for the accuracy of claims made in this article. Article is provided for informational and sharing purposes as one of Ole Cram's business connections on LinkedIn (see blog site for more information).
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Structural Integrity – A Step In The Competitive Direction
You’ve been hearing about lean management to increase productivity, increase profits, and save production costs and time. You’re well aware of the importance of structural integrity in your building and your corporate structure. Structural integrity is also the key to effective communication – a step in the right direction for lean management, a step in the competitive direction.
Whether you’re trying to keep jobs here and still be profitable or have decided to outsource or offshore all or part of your operation, clear concise communication is absolutely necessary for your success. Ineffective communication costs businesses billions of dollars every year.
A company that is no longer with us had a CEO who used voice mails to reach more than 3,400 employees in global facilities. Those voice mails lasted 15-20 minutes and required a response to verify that you had paid attention. Multiplying 3,400 employees by 15 minutes, that’s more than 850 hours of lost production for each phone call. With phone calls at least weekly, that 850 is more than 40,000 lost hours a year. When you add in factors like these, the 40,000 lost hours grows quickly:
· Lack of focus in the message
· Distractions (like the pile of work on your desk or at your workstation)
· Having to replay the message to know what the call to action was
· Language differences
· Cultural differences
This kind of ineffective communication happens every day in every company and costs time and money – lots of it! In some companies, workers spend more time trying to figure out what they are supposed to be doing than doing it. So, what can you do? How do you take a step in the competitive direction?
1. Start your communication with a single clear objective. In email, the subject line is the objective. In a speech, the Title tells what the objective is. In a manual, the Title is the objective and the Table of Contents is the structure. In a procedure, the document title defines the objective.
2. Develop the structure, whether it’s the single point in an email or a voicemail, main points in a speech, multiple chapters that match input screens, or the sequential steps needed to build a product, and stick to it. Maintain the structural integrity.
3. Measure everything against your objective. If a word, phrase, or topic doesn’t support your objective, leave it out. In an email or a voicemail, don’t bring up other subjects or something will fall through the cracks and it might be your main objective. In a speech, don’t get sidetracked or sidetrack your audience. In a manual, an overview is an overview, a chapter about the second input screen or the installation is just that, nothing more and nothing less.
4. Deliver your straightforward message. Resist the temptation to include facts about the elegant code behind your product, the evolution of the product, or the history of your company.
5. Get feedback so you can use continuous improvement in your communication as you do in your production.
Once you get your communication clean, you’re well on your way to an operation that’s lean.
= = = = = = = = = = = =
© 2008 Joy Montgomery
Submitted by Joy Montgomery of Structural Integrity (http://www.structural-integrity.com/).
View her LinkedIn profile at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/joymontgomery
Joy Montgomery is a procedure analyst. She uses common sense and constraints management to help businesses do things better, faster, and cheaper. She wants to help you succeed! Joy is a speaker. She has been a conference presenter for APICS and Toastmasters. Her presentation at the APICS 2006 International Conference, "Reality Check - Improving Productivity with Effective Communication," drew a standing room only crowd. Joy is a writer. Her work ranges from ISO 9000 procedures to short stories, an attempt at a novel, speeches, user’s guides, and white papers. She has won awards from the Society for Technical Communication. Her book, "Hand It to ‘em on a Platter," is available on Amazon.com or at one of her presentations. She is currently working on a second book about clear, concise communication. The key to that clear, concise communication is structural integrity.
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Published to Ole Cram's Business Connections Network blog at OCBusinessConnectionsNetwork.blogspot.com.
Ole Cram and Marcobe Investments, Inc. are not responsible for the accuracy of claims made in this article. Article is provided for informational and sharing purposes as one of Ole Cram's business connections on LinkedIn (see blog site for more information).
Monday, April 28, 2008
Effective Strategic Planning - An Abstract
The following abstract is taken from a 15-page whitepaper on strategic planning, copyright 2008 by Boyer Management Group.
Executive Summary
“Strategic planning is critical to the continued success of any organization, yet fewer that half of the executives who responded to an online survey conducted by The McKinsey Quarterly say that they are satisfied with their company’s approach to planning strategy.” source: The McKinsey Quarterly online article, Improving Strategic Planning Autumn 2006
Formal strategic planning is widely accepted as a best practice conducted by a majority of organizations. Yet, over the past several years enterprises across the globe have increasingly experienced frustration with the effectiveness of strategic planning. Our analysis of why these organizations are not able to achieve the results they expect indicates ineffective but correctable approaches to the strategic planning process.
Key findings by the McKinsey Quarterlyand others confirm that most executives have significant concerns about the way their organization:
- Uses the strategic planning process to make key decisions,
- Executes the strategy once planned,
- Aligns itself with the agreed-upon strategy, and
- Measures its performance against the strategic plan.
These concerns can be alleviated with a more holistic approach to the strategic planning process, leading to consistently successful outcomes. We recommend that organizations consider adopting an approach to strategic planning which incorporates the following approaches and tactics:
- Involving the right participants in the planning process to assure needed perspective and buy-in,
- Research by all participants prior to the planning event to enhance the planning discussions,
- Assuring participants align at the start of the planning event interpersonally and around the organization’s vision and key performance indicators, to foster open and effective communications,
- Creating of a series of project plans to advance the organization towards its objectives, and
- Implementing a structured top-driven program to assure the plan is properly implemented, progress is monitored and results are reported.
The purpose of this whitepaper is to explore specific aspects of the approaches outlined above and provide practical ways organizations can improve their strategic planning process.
Final Thoughts: Our Top Ten Reasons Strategic Planning Fails
While not exhaustive, our list of reasons why strategic planning fails in an organization provides insight into the steps your organization should consider taking to assure that your strategic planning efforts yield success.
1. There is no actual plan created – the planning effort produces objectives, mission statements, goals, good discussion and ideas, but not actionable plans.
2. There is no alignment among participants, so ‘business as usual silos,’ departmental agendas and the like occurred following the planning event, instead of aligning around a common set of agreed upon action plans.
3. There is a missing level of specificity in the action plans themselves, which could lead to many interpretations and confusion over the actual work to be done.
4. There is no leadership follow-up on action plans to hold assigned participants accountable for the execution of the plans.
5. There is limited buy-in to the plans among those tasked with their execution, if the project leaders do not participate.
6. Not all the right participants were included in the process, causing missing or biased perspectives, leading to incomplete analysis and less than optimal action plans and reduced buy-in.
7. There is little or no pre-work prior to the planning event, leading to hasty decisions with incomplete data.
8. There is no planning event agenda to move the planning activities to productive and timely conclusions.
9. Senior leadership does not play an effective role in the process. Ineffective roles include: not being a ‘regular participant’ in the process; missing in action (either not there, or there but not participating); or having a chilling effect on open dialog.
10. No use of a facilitator to keep the meeting, discussions, and outcomes productive and on track. A participant cannot effectively facilitate, and a facilitator cannot effectively participate!
To purchase a complete copy of this whitepaper, please contact Boyer Management Group by emailing hank@boyermanagement.com. Cost is $149 US
Full whitepaper contents:
- Executive Summary (page 1)
- Your Strategic Planning ‘Team’ (page 2)
- Participant Pre-Work (page 3)
- Alignment (page 4)
- Planning Event Methodology (page 7)
- Implementing the Plan (page 10)
- Final Thoughts (page 13)
- For More Information (page 14)
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Submitted by Hank Boyer, CEO of Boyer Management Group (http://www.boyermanagement.com/).
View Hank's LinkedIn profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/hboyer
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Published to Ole Cram's Business Connections Network blog at OCBusinessConnectionsNetwork.blogspot.com. Ole Cram and Marcobe Investments, Inc. are not responsible for the accuracy of claims made in this article. Article is provided for informational and sharing purposes as one of Ole Cram's business connections on LinkedIn (see blog site for more information).
Executive Summary
“Strategic planning is critical to the continued success of any organization, yet fewer that half of the executives who responded to an online survey conducted by The McKinsey Quarterly say that they are satisfied with their company’s approach to planning strategy.” source: The McKinsey Quarterly online article, Improving Strategic Planning Autumn 2006
Formal strategic planning is widely accepted as a best practice conducted by a majority of organizations. Yet, over the past several years enterprises across the globe have increasingly experienced frustration with the effectiveness of strategic planning. Our analysis of why these organizations are not able to achieve the results they expect indicates ineffective but correctable approaches to the strategic planning process.
Key findings by the McKinsey Quarterlyand others confirm that most executives have significant concerns about the way their organization:
- Uses the strategic planning process to make key decisions,
- Executes the strategy once planned,
- Aligns itself with the agreed-upon strategy, and
- Measures its performance against the strategic plan.
These concerns can be alleviated with a more holistic approach to the strategic planning process, leading to consistently successful outcomes. We recommend that organizations consider adopting an approach to strategic planning which incorporates the following approaches and tactics:
- Involving the right participants in the planning process to assure needed perspective and buy-in,
- Research by all participants prior to the planning event to enhance the planning discussions,
- Assuring participants align at the start of the planning event interpersonally and around the organization’s vision and key performance indicators, to foster open and effective communications,
- Creating of a series of project plans to advance the organization towards its objectives, and
- Implementing a structured top-driven program to assure the plan is properly implemented, progress is monitored and results are reported.
The purpose of this whitepaper is to explore specific aspects of the approaches outlined above and provide practical ways organizations can improve their strategic planning process.
Final Thoughts: Our Top Ten Reasons Strategic Planning Fails
While not exhaustive, our list of reasons why strategic planning fails in an organization provides insight into the steps your organization should consider taking to assure that your strategic planning efforts yield success.
1. There is no actual plan created – the planning effort produces objectives, mission statements, goals, good discussion and ideas, but not actionable plans.
2. There is no alignment among participants, so ‘business as usual silos,’ departmental agendas and the like occurred following the planning event, instead of aligning around a common set of agreed upon action plans.
3. There is a missing level of specificity in the action plans themselves, which could lead to many interpretations and confusion over the actual work to be done.
4. There is no leadership follow-up on action plans to hold assigned participants accountable for the execution of the plans.
5. There is limited buy-in to the plans among those tasked with their execution, if the project leaders do not participate.
6. Not all the right participants were included in the process, causing missing or biased perspectives, leading to incomplete analysis and less than optimal action plans and reduced buy-in.
7. There is little or no pre-work prior to the planning event, leading to hasty decisions with incomplete data.
8. There is no planning event agenda to move the planning activities to productive and timely conclusions.
9. Senior leadership does not play an effective role in the process. Ineffective roles include: not being a ‘regular participant’ in the process; missing in action (either not there, or there but not participating); or having a chilling effect on open dialog.
10. No use of a facilitator to keep the meeting, discussions, and outcomes productive and on track. A participant cannot effectively facilitate, and a facilitator cannot effectively participate!
To purchase a complete copy of this whitepaper, please contact Boyer Management Group by emailing hank@boyermanagement.com. Cost is $149 US
Full whitepaper contents:
- Executive Summary (page 1)
- Your Strategic Planning ‘Team’ (page 2)
- Participant Pre-Work (page 3)
- Alignment (page 4)
- Planning Event Methodology (page 7)
- Implementing the Plan (page 10)
- Final Thoughts (page 13)
- For More Information (page 14)
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Submitted by Hank Boyer, CEO of Boyer Management Group (http://www.boyermanagement.com/).
View Hank's LinkedIn profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/hboyer
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Published to Ole Cram's Business Connections Network blog at OCBusinessConnectionsNetwork.blogspot.com. Ole Cram and Marcobe Investments, Inc. are not responsible for the accuracy of claims made in this article. Article is provided for informational and sharing purposes as one of Ole Cram's business connections on LinkedIn (see blog site for more information).
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Welcome! Participate in my network of business contacts
Background:
- Welcome to this unique business resource blog site.
- I am a member of LinkedIn.com and have created this blog for my LinkedIn connections to network in support of each other.
- Many of my LinkedIn connections are strong leaders and experts in the area of helping businesses start, grow, expand, and mature. This blog is a way for them to share their expertise and support with each other.
Subscribing to this blog:
- If you want to receive the periodic blog postings via email, simply click on the subscribe link on this blog site site. When a new post is published, you will get the article in your email inbox.
- The frequency of postings will depend on the number of quality articles received.
Who can submit an article for this blog?:
- You must be a LinkedIn.com member and you must invite me to be a connection using TopLinked.com or "LinkedIn" as a common group between us. My LinkeIn profile is found at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/olecram
- Only members of my connections on LinkedIn will be allowed to submit articles for this blog. My reasons for restricting the postings is to reward those who chose to be part of my LinkedIn connections.
- If you are not yet a member of LinkedIn.com and you are in business of supporting businesses, business owners, and business investors, you should consider joining. It is a wonderful way to network with others in the industry and finding quality leads. LinkedIn does a wonderful job screening out spam and questionable members. What remains are strong business people who want to let others know about who they are and what they have to offer the rest of us.
Where to submit an article for this blog:
- Once you are a connection, then feel free to submit an original article to me at OCBusinessConnections@gmail.com. I may not use all articles provided, but will select the ones deemed strongest for our members.
- Submitted articles must be your own work, not copyrighted material from another source.
Submissions must answer the following numbered statements:
1. - Your contact information if I have further questions about the article:
(Name, phone number, email address. This will not be shared on the blog with readers. Another statement will ask what contact info you do wish published with the article.)
2. - The URL to your LinkedIn profile:
(I may need to contact you using LinkedIn to verify the story came from you and not someone using your email address who is claiming to be a connection in my network.)
3. - Do you agree I will have unrestricted use of your posted article on this blog, irregardless of any copyright you may have. I can share the article in any marketing campaign to increase visibility for the blog. (yes or no)
4. - You agree your article is completely original, that the content and every hyperlink is permitted for publishing by you through me? (yes or no)
Suggested content within the article:
- The headline of your article:
- URL you wish linked to your headline (if any):
(Perhaps your website or your blogsite posting of this article, or any other permitted link.)
- An optional copyright notice:
- A footnote:
( Give a short bio of yourself including your company, services, experience, etc. You may also include contact info to be shared on the Internet with your article. Consider providing your LinkedIn URL so people can view your profile.)
- Provide five key search words/labels for this article:
- The body of your article:
(The body may include permitted appropriate hyperlinks to support your statements.)
Help make this a valuable resource for businesses, business owners, and investors:
- Submit articles that really provide valuable information to this group of professionals.
- Be patient as we build this into a real quality business connection network resource.
- Encourage other business related professionals to join my LinkeIn connections to submit quality articles for all our benefit.
- My desire is for LinkeIn connections to benefit by finding quality leads for their business related products/services. Together we can keep capitalism alive and well.
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Copyright 2008 Ole Cram, President, Marcobe Investments, Inc.
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Posted on OCBusinessConnectionsNetwork.blogspot.com.
Ole Cram and Marcobe Investments, Inc. are not responsible for the accuracy of claims made in this article. Article was provided for informational purposes to Ole Cram's connections on LinkedIn (see blog site for more information).
- Welcome to this unique business resource blog site.
- I am a member of LinkedIn.com and have created this blog for my LinkedIn connections to network in support of each other.
- Many of my LinkedIn connections are strong leaders and experts in the area of helping businesses start, grow, expand, and mature. This blog is a way for them to share their expertise and support with each other.
Subscribing to this blog:
- If you want to receive the periodic blog postings via email, simply click on the subscribe link on this blog site site. When a new post is published, you will get the article in your email inbox.
- The frequency of postings will depend on the number of quality articles received.
Who can submit an article for this blog?:
- You must be a LinkedIn.com member and you must invite me to be a connection using TopLinked.com or "LinkedIn" as a common group between us. My LinkeIn profile is found at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/olecram
- Only members of my connections on LinkedIn will be allowed to submit articles for this blog. My reasons for restricting the postings is to reward those who chose to be part of my LinkedIn connections.
- If you are not yet a member of LinkedIn.com and you are in business of supporting businesses, business owners, and business investors, you should consider joining. It is a wonderful way to network with others in the industry and finding quality leads. LinkedIn does a wonderful job screening out spam and questionable members. What remains are strong business people who want to let others know about who they are and what they have to offer the rest of us.
Where to submit an article for this blog:
- Once you are a connection, then feel free to submit an original article to me at OCBusinessConnections@gmail.com. I may not use all articles provided, but will select the ones deemed strongest for our members.
- Submitted articles must be your own work, not copyrighted material from another source.
Submissions must answer the following numbered statements:
1. - Your contact information if I have further questions about the article:
(Name, phone number, email address. This will not be shared on the blog with readers. Another statement will ask what contact info you do wish published with the article.)
2. - The URL to your LinkedIn profile:
(I may need to contact you using LinkedIn to verify the story came from you and not someone using your email address who is claiming to be a connection in my network.)
3. - Do you agree I will have unrestricted use of your posted article on this blog, irregardless of any copyright you may have. I can share the article in any marketing campaign to increase visibility for the blog. (yes or no)
4. - You agree your article is completely original, that the content and every hyperlink is permitted for publishing by you through me? (yes or no)
Suggested content within the article:
- The headline of your article:
- URL you wish linked to your headline (if any):
(Perhaps your website or your blogsite posting of this article, or any other permitted link.)
- An optional copyright notice:
- A footnote:
( Give a short bio of yourself including your company, services, experience, etc. You may also include contact info to be shared on the Internet with your article. Consider providing your LinkedIn URL so people can view your profile.)
- Provide five key search words/labels for this article:
- The body of your article:
(The body may include permitted appropriate hyperlinks to support your statements.)
Help make this a valuable resource for businesses, business owners, and investors:
- Submit articles that really provide valuable information to this group of professionals.
- Be patient as we build this into a real quality business connection network resource.
- Encourage other business related professionals to join my LinkeIn connections to submit quality articles for all our benefit.
- My desire is for LinkeIn connections to benefit by finding quality leads for their business related products/services. Together we can keep capitalism alive and well.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Copyright 2008 Ole Cram, President, Marcobe Investments, Inc.
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Posted on OCBusinessConnectionsNetwork.blogspot.com.
Ole Cram and Marcobe Investments, Inc. are not responsible for the accuracy of claims made in this article. Article was provided for informational purposes to Ole Cram's connections on LinkedIn (see blog site for more information).
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