What is your primary information focus? Are you the executive of the company? Are you a person working in one of the different business areas?
Either way, your information has a primary focus. That focus may be changing as the company needs to transform to the new business model. Some of this is being instigated by the government with its emphasis on changing healthcare, green incentives, and financial instruments.
How do these trends affect the core of your information? Here are a few examples:
In healthcare, the switch is from procedure to patient wellness.
In green energy, the concentration is changing the pricing and measuring of energy units.
In financial, restrictions eliminate previous money making opportunities.
These are just examples that have a profound impact the way the data is organized. The core, with all other information dependent upon the core, is changing.
Before you talk to your geeks about a new business model, determine if you have a change in primary focus. That will be the new center in which all data is organized.
Next, ask your chief information officer (CIO) what the impact will be to convert the existing data organization to realign to the new primary focus for your department or company. The CIO will provide you some information about how long it will take to convert to the new business model.
If your company hasn’t started yet, it’s time to think about how you are going to be a pheonix out of the ashes. It’s time to start thinking strategically and determine if your current business model can support the economic shift.
It is more likely that you will need to change your business model. When the economy is in transition, it’s the easiest time for you to make a change, and begin to execute new ideas. Each department will need to take a new look and see how they can help facilitate the change. It doesn’t matter if you are for- or not-for-profit organization…the change has to identify how to bring additional revenue to the business in the new economy.
Start now because it takes the most efficient and organized company 2 to 5 years to morph into a new business model. The two toughest areas of change will be organizational positioning and information technology flexibility. The latter requires communicating effectively with the geeks.
I recently attended a reunion of of IBMers that I worked with over 20 years ago! Though many faces looked familiar (perhaps a little older), I’m thrilled everyone had name tags (with previous names if married, divorced, etc). Many had retired. A few had changed careers. Most still had careers at IBM. The group consisted of sales people, administrative people, and technical support.
I took this opportunity to watch how people networked. This was a great opportunity to rekindle relationships and find additional opportunties. I watched for:
How many people tried to talk to as many people as possible. Not many. Most talked to about 5 people out of the 162 that attended.
How many people talked about what they do before being asked. Most. I was the rare person that asked what others did and try to find a means of offering value first.
How many had non-traditional (boring) business cards? All but one…mine!
How many provided their business card without being asked. Most (even I made this mistake occasionally)
How many people walked away with something of value to pursue from someone else. Few. Not even a website, a book, or a contact for them to check out the next day.
Reunions are networking events. You never know who knows who. The goal of any networking event is to be remembered as a person of value to as many people as possible. You want to be someone that others talk about in a positive way (being remark-able).
To be remembered in a sea of re-connected individuals you need to be different in three ways:
Talk to as many people as possible. I set a limit of spending 5 minutes with a person. If I recognized the person, I made sure I shook the person’s hand and introduced myself. I gracefully exited a conversation explaining that this is a GREAT networking event and that we should all talk to as many people as possible.
Be a person of value first. I asked questions to uncover how I could HELP someone. I provided a lead to someone that he or she can check out when he or she gets home. The next day, I sent additional emails with additional information to be helpful.
Be rememberable. I handed out the brightest business card I had (I have several different business cards to match the occasion and potential client). I didn’t hand a card out to all 162 people. I asked questions to see if I could be of value to him or her in the future or to someone he or she knew. The best way to hand out a business card is to be asked for one. Second best is to offer it. I never just handed the card to someone. (OK, I did once to someone that knew that I was being trained by a guru he knew.)
I never knew how to handle networking events when I worked for IBM. Now, I have a game plan. One that requires me to see who is attending, google specific people, identify ways to help BEFORE I walk in the door. Now I have business cards that stand out, I talk with people for about 5-10 minutes max, and I listen for opportunties to provide value first. Now…I’m memorable and remark-able.
I recently read a book (sitting in the world famous Presby Memorial Iris Gardens) that is helpful for any one involved in looking at the business and company and industry as a whole. The process of understanding the artifacts of the business and how they fit together falls under the category of Enterprise Architecture. Developing and documenting an Enterprise Architecture is not for the faint of heart. It is a time-consuming and intellectual effort that could uncover roadblocks to change, the impact of a different or modified business model, a view of where the company stands in the industry. It is an extremely valuable exercise … again … not for the faint of heart.
“Doing Enterprise Architecture” is a must-have reference book. Tom Graves provides great information and advice on what needs to be captured when building an enterprise architecture for a company or industry. His framework is partitioned into logical pieces, each of which clearly explains what is needed. He provides thought-provoking questions on what to ask to uncover the necessary information (in concept and detail).
Though the book assumes the reader has exposure to other frameworks and libraries (BMM, FEAF, SEMPER, BRM, PRM, TOGAF, Zachman), I do not believe it is a necessary requirement. You can skip over the comparisons and jump right into capturing the essence and the nuts and bolts of the business or industry.
Tom knows what he is talking about. He concentrates on what needs to be captured, and leaves to you the choice of preferred techniques to model the information. To me, he provides the more important part of the process: although the ways in which information is captured has changed more over my life as a Business Architect, what needs to be known and captured rarely changes. Once the core architecture is complete, Tom provides additional information to keep the Enterprise Architecture living…to uncover information that will lead to changing the architecture and company.
This brings me to a final point: Who should read this book? Anyone that is interested in understanding the business. Anyone that is involved in transforming the business from one business model to another. Anyone assigned the task to help the enterprise understand its components (organizational, business, technical,.etc). This book, as enterprise
should never be, is NOT technology focused. Technology is a piece of the enterprise and should never be the driving force to documenting an enterprise architecture from the start. For this, I’m greatful for Tom’s book. This book looks at the whole of the enterprise. Anyone following his book will add real value to the corporation (or association, etc). I look forward to reading more of his material on Enterprise Architecture.
Let’s face it. Times are tough. The competition for entry level jobs reaches globally across the ages. Yes, those with years of experience are competing for the same jobs at the same wages.
You have a choice on what you can do with your time…you can invest it in yourself (without paying a dime) or you can waste it and become even less marketable!
Here is Seth’s list:
Spend twenty hours a week running a project for a non-profit.
Teach yourself Java, HTML, Flash, PHP and SQL. Not a little, but mastery.
Volunteer to coach or assistant coach a kids sports team.
Start, run and grow an online community.
Give a speech a week to local organizations.
Write a regular newsletter or blog about an industry you care about.
Learn a foreign language fluently.
Write three detailed business plans for projects in the industry you care about.
Self-publish a book.
Run a marathon.
The list will build on your skill set. You may not master them to the level that others have studied (such as HTML, Java, and other geek skills) but they will help you to understand those that you will need to lead. Learning the technical skills will help you to communicate with geeks!
Join Toastmasters (it will teach you about public speaking, leadership, organization, and networking)
Develop a marketing strategy for yourself using twitter, facebook, linkedin, blogs, website
If you have already read these books, do not fall in the trap of thining “You Know This Already.” I read and reread these classics over and over again. Each time I read it, I absorb or trigger a different profit making thought. That is why I still listen to Earl Nightingales The Strangest Secret at least once a month.
You can do this! Just turn off the TV, read business-type books, be internet-social in a business sense!
Oh…this advice isn’t just for graduates…it’s for EVERYONE!
Knowledge Management isn’t just for techies. It is for anyone that is interested in managing the knowledge within the corporation. Knowledge Management (KM)(Wikipedia Definition) comprises a range of practices used in an organisation to identify, create, represent, distribute and enable adoption of insights and experiences. Such insights and experiences comprise knowledge, either embodied in individuals or embedded in organisational processes or practice.
A colleague that I respect very much is chairing the 2009 Knowledge Management Symposium.
Here is the information …
~~~~~~~~~~
One of the most significant issues facing organizations everywhere is the loss of organizational knowledge. People are retiring, moving to new positions or changing jobs. When you add to that the business complexity of new technology, changing markets, globalized economies and challenging finances, the result is threatening the existence of many organizations.
Knowledge Management focuses directly on how to establish a culture of knowledge transfer, retention and use. For the past four years, Tulsa has hosted a conference that examines the synergies between Knowledge Management and naturally occurring projects. The Knowledge and Project Management (KPM) Symposium has become the premier event of its type.
The University of Oklahoma Tulsa Campus will host the 2009 edition on August 12 and 13. Exciting keynote speakers will open each day, followed by speaker tracks that feature Knowledge Management Foundations, Project Management Foundations and Innovation. The afternoon sessions will pursue advanced presentations on Project Management, Knowledge Management and a special blended PM/KM track that explains how some organizations are taking advantage of what we have learned so far.
This is a year to “Make it Real, Take it Home.” The entire focus of the conference is how you can use the concepts presented in the conference. Each lunchtime will offer attendees a chance to join with others to discuss challenging, real-world problems. Topic leaders will report back to the total group at the close of the second day in a Knowledge Café. The first afternoon ends with a round table discussion on how to overcome the fear, real or imagined, that some people have when asked to share what they know.
It is my honor to co-chair and act as moderator for this conference. I have participated with two dozen people for the past six months as we planned this event. I promise you, this is this finest list of speakers I have seen assembled for a conference of this type. A tentative schedule is posted on the http://www.kipanet.org website. We have finalized almost all of the speaker slots and are working on the final line-up. Updates are being made to the conference daily.
Early registration for both days of the conference is $200 for PMI and KIPA members, $250 for others. Special pricing is available for retirees and active students. We also have a corporate registration plan for any company planning to send more than 5 people to the event. Contact me if you are interested in this program and become a conference sponsor for the discounted price of group registrations.
Whether you are a practitioner, manager, executive or educator, this conference has something for you. It is jointly sponsored by the Tulsa Project Management Institute (PMI) Chapter, the Knowledge and Information Professionals Association (KIPA), the University of Oklahoma, University of Tulsa and Oklahoma State University.
I speak at many conferences during the year. None have the significance of topic and depth of expertise you will find at the 2009 KPM Symposium. I have attached the conference flyer. Please forward this on to other people you believe might be interested. You are also welcome to print it off and display it in an appropriate area at your business.
If you have any questions or observations, feel free to contact me at the number listed below or by sending me an email. I hope to see you at the Schusterman Learning Center in August.
Many IT projects take a long time to implement. It is the nature of the beast. Sure, you can implement some of the work with short deliverables. Most of the time, it takes time to see real payback from the amount of work and effort you have contributed to the success of the project.
Seth Godin had great advice on a recent post about nostalgia that will help you stay focused…
When you’re doing something important, like launching a big project, or a new company, or running some sort of campaign designed to change things, keep a scrapbook. Not a note book, a tool for writing down facts. A scrapbook. Include photos and quotes and clippings and events. Two reasons. First, you’ll be glad later (I still have scrapbooks from some of my previous projects) and more important, because it will remind you that you’re doing something important and that time is precious.
Remind yourself when the going gets tough of your business and career goals that will be benefited by the project.
Here is a video from Gartner. A discussion on how CFOs need to work with Enterprise Architects. My only disagreement in Brian Burkes definition is that Enterprise Architecture is IT focused. It isn’t.
For CFOs to succeed, elicite the help of a business architect and an enterprise architect. New models can be found that are profitable and have significant growth potential
In a recent post by Seth Godin titled: A Clean Sheet of Paper, he described how disappointment and wasted time, energy, and money occurs when you do not set boundaries. This is so true when dealing with technologists. Given the choice, technologists will want to develop from scratch using all the latest tools, techniques, methods and so forth. It improves his or her resume.
If you want to be happy with what is delivered, it is important to set boundaries that the technologist must work within. Examples include:
budget and time frame for maximum revenue opportunties
purpose and scope
strategy and mission
environment restrictions
To quote Seth:
The strategic mission takes more preparation, more discipline and more difficult meetings internally. It involves thinking hard without knowing it when you see it. It’s also the act of a mature individual, earning his salary.
The clean sheet of paper is amazing when it works, but involves so much waste, anxiety and pain that I have a hard time recommending it to most people. If you’re going to do this, you have an obligation to use what you get, because your choice was hiring this person, not in judging the work you got when you didn’t have the insight to give them clear direction in the first place.
Don’t tell the technologist how to do his or her job … do control the options of what he or she can use. Set boundaries!
Posted by Pat Ferdinandi 
Posted by Pat Ferdinandi 
Posted by Pat Ferdinandi 
Helping all size businesses find growth opportunities and demolish internal roadblocks to success. 
I'll help your business communicate what you want from Information Technology through mentoring, consulting, speaking and training. 
Subscribe to the Communicate with Geeks feed
