One for Practice: De-risking your Large Initiative
This article describes a powerful risk reduction tactic for large, complex projects - illustrated with a practical example of success.
The Digital Project Budget: A Simple Way to Express Digital Costs
A simple but comprehensive method for defining your budget - gives a complete picture of all the costs, reduces risk by minimizing the unknown, and makes it easier to compare alternatives.
The Contrarian Truth driving Digital Business
A core truth about "digital business": we will only really succeed by understanding how to connect with people.
Who Should Own Digital Strategy?
It really doesn’t matter which functional area leads your Digital Transformation – as long as they realize that the role needs to understand this critical list of skills and experiences.
What Exactly Are You Disrupting?
What can be disrupted? How real is this threat / promise? It's not a deflection tactic - it's more about opening your eyes to the possibilities, and getting focus on the priorities.
My Ghost in the Machine, a Particular Shade (of Grey)
This story dates back to my college days, and I use it to illustrate the idea that IT people are not entirely comfortable with other functional areas of the business - and the "shades of grey" that mysteriously guide the thinking and actions of Sales & Marketing, Strategic Planning, and Upper Management (especially when those IT folks are fresh out of school). Ok, quick aside - it's been a few years since my undergraduate days, so if I get any…
The One-Sided Journal Entry
"That could be fixed in the system", I said to the weary auditor, "with a one-sided journal entry". Her brow furrowed slightly. "A what?" "A one-sided journal entry. You know, add a debit amount to one account without crediting another." Her frown deepened. "I don't understand". "Well", I said, "this system normally doesn't allow a one-sided journal entry - or at least I don't know how to do it. But it should be possible, I've seen it in other systems."…
Post-Acquisition Strategies in Tech Companies
Just a brief note on an interesting trend I am seeing with some of my technology partners ... Virtela, an international telecom / data services provider out of Denver, CO was recently acquired by NTT, a massive ($130B) international presence. At our business review meeting last week, we were assured that NTT intends to leave Virtela alone, to operate very much as they have in the past. "NTT bought our people, processes, and services as much as a customer base"…
Ten Bucks in Ten Minutes
I really do like networking events - group meetings with other with other IT professionals, discussing topics of common interest, with a reasonable amount of vendor / consultant-sponsored gentle selling, and/or some solid job networking with fellow techs looking for their next successful step along the career path. However, I admit to a wee bit of boredom with buzzword-laden presentations or war stories focused on project successes that mean so much to you (but nothing to me). We are all…
Tilt-Shift / Timelapse Artistry
Another great example of tilt-shift / time-lapse film making - thanks to Photojojo and It's Nice That ... httpv://vimeo.com/37157187 I like the helicopter rescue at about 1:20, a mini-flashback to a previous video from this guy ... http://vimeo.com/3156959 ... which was featured on the Guggenheim site (what a great site to wander through for inspiration!) Take a quick look at the filmmaker's web site - the home page has a video of samples that are just stunning!