Archive for the ‘Finance’ Category
Sunday, March 16th, 2008
I was perusing BPM Strategies magazine and came across the term “applistructure “. Applistructure has to do with the convention of combining enterprise infrastructure and enterprise business applications. Service-oriented architecture (SOA) refers to a web centric / web focused approach to technology. According to the “SOA and Application Infrastructure” article by Mike Rosen, this applistructure trend was hot a couple of years ago. Can you relax? Or, as Mr. Rosen suggests, can you take comfort in knowing that solving management and business process issues are more critical to enterprise success than the actual technology?
I attended the Atlanta AFCEA (Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association) February 2008 meeting. The speaker, Mr. Joe Capps talked about the subject of moving to enterprise level systems and procurement processes. Instead of haphazardly developing technology in an “after the fact” manner, he advocated a more proactive approach – as in developing a strategy to move toward enterprise infrastructure, enterprise business applications and enterprise technology in general.
Additionally, a key imperative of the Department of Defense (DoD) is to change and accelerate the requirement to solution process. What’s known as Moore’s Law (based on Gordon Moore’s predictions about semiconductors), says that technology is rapidly changing. Probably about every 18 months. Where there is a need for the latest technology, Moore’s Law has financial, logistical and feasibility implications. The government and the DoD are known for red tape and cumbersome processes. But our country’s ability to respond to immediate threats requires current, accurate information delivered to those needing it in a timely fashion. He suggested the criticality of providing our war fighters with decision making data on how to even respond to five guys running down a street in Iraq. Wow!
Moore’s Law has implications in the private sector as well. Large scale technology projects often take 18 months or more to implement. That time is in addition to the time required to budget for, select and procure the software, hardware, and implementation partners. While ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), CRM (Customer Relationship Management), MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) and the like, may not be obsolete, there are sure to be upgrades, patches (corrections and fixes to software problems) and new feature by the time the system is finally rolled out.
So, what can be done? Knowledgeable consultants with system expertise can help companies and public sector entities develop a strategy and select the right software in the first place. Then, the right implementation partners can accelerate and provide Independent Verification and Validations (IV&V), project management and governance throughout the implementation process. If none of these things were in place or addressed during the course of the technology project, then you’ll probably need the cure for the “Post Implementation Distress” that is sure to occur.
You’re spending millions of dollars for enterprise initiatives. Wouldn’t it be worth spending a small percentage on ensuring that you get what you paid for? Perhaps you need a technical advocate to help you navigate through the planning and implementation process.
Sandra Noble
NOBLE FINANCES
NOBLE & ASSOCIATES CONSULTING, INC
Tags: AFCEA, applistructure, Atlanta, blog, BPM, Business, Business Over 50, businessover50.com, Change, Consultant, consulting, CRM, Department of Defense, DoD, enterprise, ERP, Finance, Implementation, infrastructure, IV&V, MES, Moore's Law, Noble & Associates Consulting, Noble Finances, Post Implementation Distress, Process, Process Improvement, Requirements, Sandra Noble, SOA, Software, Strategy, Technology
Posted in Business, Finance, Process, Requirements, Software, Strategy, Technology | 2 Comments »
Monday, March 10th, 2008
What’s wrong with talking to a human? Apparently it costs too much to talk to a human. And companies are about reducing costs. Companies focus on the bottom line – profits. Businesses don’t consider the fact that the top line, revenues, might be enhanced if their customers had better experiences when interacting with the company.
I recently had another birthday. Thus I’ve even further distanced myself from the working people pack. When you consider that most people work for about 40 years, those over 50 are in the last quarter of their working lives. And, with all the early retirements, there are not many people older than me still working. Or some, as one lady I know, are focused on counting the months and days until retirement.
But let’s consider those who retired 10 or more years ago. Most of them are impacted by technology because their children and grandchildren are “keeping up with technology”. The teens of today have never been without computers and cell phone technology and satellite TV and the list goes on. They are totally comfortable with technology.
One pet peeve of many people, irrespective of age, is dealing with telephone voice prompts. It’s difficult to get through to a person. When I’m calling for help, I never seem to fit into any of the options numbers. There are still people with rotary phones, as in my uncle. I admit I sometimes cheat and follow the rotary phone option. But many times I just tough it out. After all, my career has been in and my company, Noble & Associates Consulting is focused on Information Technology. Technology does not scare me. So, I can do this.
Nevertheless, I was delighted to know there is a website that has the secret to getting to a living, breathing person – without punching 50 buttons. Check out http://www.gethuman.com/.
Sandra Noble
President/CEO
NOBLE FINANCES
NOBLE & ASSOCIATES CONSULTING, INC
Tags: Atlanta, blog, Business, Business Over 50, businessover50.com, cell phone, computer, Consultant, Finance, information technology, Noble & Associates Consulting, Noble Finances, Profit, retirement, Revenue, Sandra Noble, Senior citizen, Technology, telecommunications, telephone
Posted in Business, Finance, Technology | 2 Comments »
Friday, February 29th, 2008
It’s pronounced “Web two dot oh“. And, it seems I’m on track in exploring this Web 2.0 stuff. Web 2.0 is impacting the government as well as the presidential campaign. Many feel that embracing this new technology paradigm is one of the keys to the success of Barack Obama’s campaign. I think it was part of his strategy to implement and use Web 2.0 for competitive advantage.
As I mentioned in a prior article, all are impacted by this new internet / technology revolution. It may be directly by you accessing blogs, joining online social networks or accepting networking connection invitations. It may be indirect by your children or grandchildren helping you to do google and yahoo searches and researches. Or it could just be a societal impact. Whether you like it or not, those who embrace Web 2.0 and other internet features are affecting the way we run our businesses, purchase goods and services, donate money and run political campaigns.
This phenomenon is even being reported in government newsletters and government related article. It was reported that the U.S. Joint Forces Command’s (JFCOM) has set up a website to facilitate Web 2.0 activity. The membership of AFCEA (Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association) provides communications, IT, intelligence, and global security solutions to the military. The article “AFCEA Solutions Series Blazes New E-Trails” is all about Web 2.0.
A recent title in the Government Technology hnewletter was “E-Vote: Tapscott Says Web 2.0 Will Determine Presidential Campaign Advantage”. And who is Tapscott? Don Tapscott is author of Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything (Portfolio 2006). In my “What’s a Wiki” article on February 10th, I tried to put mind energy around the concept of a Wiki. Suffice it to say, a Wiki is one of those Web 2.0 things. Tapscott’s “Wikinomics” terms suggests that there is an economic impact to the use of Wiki’s.
Watch out for Wiki’s and Web 2.0.
WWW – It’s what’s happening now!
Sandra Noble
NOBLE FINANCES
NOBLE & ASSOCIATES CONSULTING, INC
Tags: 2008 presidential election, AFCEA, Atlanta, Barack Obama, blog, Business, Business Over 50, businessover50.com, consulting, Finance, Implementation, Noble & Associates Consulting, Noble Finances, political, Process, Process Improvement, Sandra Noble, Senior citizen, Social Network, Strategy, Technology, web 2.0, Wiki
Posted in Business, Finance, Marketing, Process, Strategy, Technology | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
Linkedin is a social networking and connection forum for business people. If you’re in business, check it out. You might be surprised who’s already signed up.
Invite me to join your LinkedIn network. Every opportunity you have to network and build your sphere of influence is important to your success. When you add me as a connection use president@NobleAdvantage.com for the email.
Click the above icon or go to http://www.linkedin.com/in/SandraNoble.
If not already member, then click “Join Now” on the right.
If you’re already linkedin, then click “Contact Directly” on the right.
Let’s look for ways we can help each other have more successful
businesses and make more money!
Sandra Noble
President / CEO
Noble & Associates Consulting, Inc.
Noble Finances
Tags: Atlanta, blog, Business, Business Over 50, businessover50.com, Consultant, consulting, Linkedin, Noble & Associates Consulting, Noble Finances, Sandra Noble, Senior citizen, Social Network
Posted in Business, Business People Over 50 - Who are we?, Finance, Marketing | No Comments »
Friday, February 22nd, 2008
I was recently on an airplane perusing the in flight catalog. Have you ever seen anyone actually order something on a domestic flight? I haven’t. But the fact that these books continue to appear in seat back pockets, is evidence that they are effective revenue generators. And, they have a lot of neat gadgets and things.
The headline for one product talked about boosting your prestige and your hearing at the same time. This product was basically a hearing aid which looked like a Bluetooth mobile phone headset. So the implication was that it is cool and prestigious to walk around with a phone headset in and on your ear. Once again I was reminded that I am probably out of step with mainstream thinking.
Am I the only one who thinks it is sometimes in poor taste to be wearing those “things”. I’ve seen people posing for pictures and even speaking in front of an audience with the above mentioned head gear. Now I know I’m over 50. And I go back to rotary dial phones where you had to stick your finger in a circle slot and rotate for each number. In those days wireless and cordless was unheard of. But, most people who need hearing assistance are over 50 like me. (Although that may change, since the younger generation is ruining their ears with loud music.) I’d be interested to know if the effectiveness of that particular advertisement for hearing aids. Someone thought that was a good idea.
Do babyboomers think Bluetooth is a status symbol? And, do we need to be that connected, where we don’t miss a call? With all these communications & telecommunications, are we really communicating better? Or, just faster and more frequently?
Sandra Noble
NOBLE FINANCES
NOBLE & ASSOCIATES CONSULTING, INC
Tags: Atlanta, blog, Business, Business Over 50, businessover50.com, Consultant, consulting, Implementation, Noble & Associates Consulting, Noble Finances, Process, Process Improvement, Sandra Noble, Senior citizen, Technology, telecom, telecommunications
Posted in Business, Finance, Marketing, Technology | No Comments »
Thursday, February 21st, 2008
I attended the Atlanta APICS meeting the other day. Juergen Meyer from Step 3 Consulting spoke about Lean in administrative processes. Now APICS, The Association for Operations Management, offers three certification programs, Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM), Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP), and Certified in Integrated Resource Management (CIRM). As a result, much of the audience and much of the membership is from the manufacturing arena. I’m a CPIM member of APICS Atlanta. And, I’m a bit of an oddball in the group, since I’ve had a long career in information technology. But, I’ve also earned Six Sigma certification to assist in the process improvement and re-engineering activities that often take place in technology projects. Six Sigma utilizes data and statistical analysis to measure and reduce variations in processes and ultimately eliminate defects. More and more, Six Sigma and Lean are spoken of together.
In Juergen’s talk, there was much mention of process improvement, although Six Sigma was not mentioned by name. The goal of Lean is to eliminate waste and non-value added activities. And the byproduct of waste elimination is lower costs resulting in higher profits. The eight types of waste are: over production, waiting, transportation, over-processing, inventory, motion, defects, rework. Parallels were given between manufacturing waste and administrative waste.
And, how to attack the waste? You Define, Measure, Analyze and Improve the process – key steps in the Six Sigma DMAIC methodology. Often the implementation of the Six Sigma methodology or its use in projects is considered costly and time consuming. But the principles can be simplified. After all over-processing is a waste. The goal is a Lean Six Sigma.
Bottom line, improving and streamlining processes reduces defects, eliminates waste, decreases costs, improves efficiency, increases profits and provides competitive advantages.
Sandra Noble
NOBLE FINANCES
NOBLE & ASSOCIATES CONSULTING, INC
Tags: APICS, Atlanta, blog, Business, Business Over 50, businessover50.com, Change, CIRM, Consultant, consulting, CPIM, CSCP, defects, DMAIC, Finance, Implementation, Lean, Noble & Associates Consulting, Noble Finances, Post Implementation Distress, Process, Process Improvement, project, re-engineering, Sandra Noble, Six Sigma, Software, Strategy, Technology, waste
Posted in Business, Finance, Process, Process Improvement, Strategy, Technology | 2 Comments »
Monday, February 18th, 2008
I worked for the telecommunications superstar, Lucent Technologies, right before it’s big fall from financial grace. I was fortunate to be in the CIO organization which was lead by a very visionary executive, Earnestine Barnes-Linder. She encouraged us to prepare for the changes that she so wisely foresaw. Earnestine even distributed copies of the book “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Dr. Spencer Johnson. I attended a workshop by the author and was less than impressed. But, when I finally took the time to read the book, it was indeed outstanding. Mr. Johnson is an expert on individual and organizational change. The book gave insight into how to recognize that your cheese or goal had moved and provided suggestions on how to work through the feelings and adjust to change. However, there are other books that provide more substance and detail on stress and change management techniques.
Noble & Associates Consulting and its consultants have years of experience with software and technology implementations. The whole point of any new system is to change or improve some process, capability or results. Since there is always change and people are stressed by change, then change management should always be a consideration in project funding, planning and management.
So what’s the cheese?
- For an individual, it might have been owning a home. The current mortgage crisis may be moving that cheese.
- For others, it might be life long employment with a company paid pension. The economy and corporate mergers, acquisitions and downsizing may have changed that cheese.
- For production managers the cheese may be efficient operations and on-time deliveries. Disruptions in the supply chain, broken processes and quality problems may be crumbling that cheese.
- The corporate executive may have thought that the latest and greatest system or technology was the cheese. However, cost overruns, unrealized functionality and out of sync processes could be slicing away at that cheese.
- For the average employee, the cheese may be to feel like they are competent and even expert at doing the job. The introduction of a new system or technology, and the need to learn new ways of doing things, could be the last straw.
In the final analysis, it doesn’t matter what caused your cheese to change. Change happens. Stress happens. Deal with it.
Consider implementing stress management and change management programs.
Sandra Noble
NOBLE FINANCES
NOBLE & ASSOCIATES CONSULTING, INC
Tags: Atlanta, blog, Business, Business Over 50, businessover50.com, Change, Change Management, Consultant, consulting, Finance, funding, Implementation, Noble & Associates Consulting, Noble Finances, Post Implementation Distress, Process, Process Improvement, project, project management, re-engineering, Sandra Noble, Software, Strategy, Stress, Stress Management, Technology, telecom
Posted in Business, Finance, Process, Requirements, Strategy, Technology | No Comments »
Sunday, February 17th, 2008
GOD, grant me the Serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and Wisdom to know the difference.
The Serenity Prayer
In software and technology implementation projects, there needs to be something called “Change Control”. And why is this needed? No matter how thorough the business analysis job or how complete the project plan, there’s always something that needs to be changed or added after the fact. Users and potential users of the system or technology change their minds. Or think of something that they absolutely cannot live without. Then from the technical side, the developers, programmers and implementers discover things that are incorrect or just won’t work. Programmers or testers find things called “bugs” – which is techie talk for errors or system glitches. After all, that’s what quality, quality control and testing is supposed to do – Find things that will cause less than desired results.
Testing and quality is key. And it needs to start at the beginning. Once the technology requirements are finalized, you have the basis for test scripts that can be used throughout the implementation process. There will be change. So, there needs to be an orderly process for incorporating changes and corrections / fixes.
One reason is that it helps insure that everyone on the project is in sync. It avoids duplication of effort. And, it’s less disruptive when there are multiple environments (development / test versus live / production) or multiple release versions. It’s an essential piece of the communications plan. Change control is a recipe for success. And, back to the Serenity Prayer: the introduction of new systems, features or functionality is something that can be controlled. And the smart project manager has the courage to mandate a change control process.
What we cannot change is people and how they react to change. Change, even positive change, creates stress – another thing we can’t change. What we can control is the implementation and use of programs and techniques that ease the pain and stress of change. And that’s called Change Management.
Sandra Noble
NOBLE FINANCES
NOBLE & ASSOCIATES CONSULTING, INC
Tags: blog, Business, Business Over 50, businessover50.com, Change, Change Management, Consultant, consulting, Finance, Implementation, Noble & Associates Consulting, Noble Finances, Post Implementation Distress, Process, Process Improvement, project, project management, Quality, re-engineering, Requirements, Sandra Noble, Software, Strategy, Tags: Atlanta, Technology, Testing
Posted in Business, Finance, Process, Process Improvement, Software, Strategy, Technology | No Comments »
Friday, February 15th, 2008
Barack Obama is campaigning on the theme of being the candidate for change. That’s a message which is resonating with many. And then there is Mike Huckabee who is promoting the fair Tax (not the flat tax). That’s one concrete measure, which if implemented, would cause a dramatic change in the United States. It would eliminate the IRS and more importantly put an end to tax code manipulation by Congress. One drawback to the fair tax is that the transition would be painful.
Although people may say they want change, its human nature to resist it. We’re creatures of habit. We like ease and comfort. Many people stay in jobs they hate because of fear of the unknown and fear of change. How many do not stop smoking or shed excess pounds because the process of getting to the goal is uncomfortable, painful, or downright scary.
My good friend, Rev. Angela Harrington Rice, just announced “Life Designs 2008″ which facilitates change and self actualization on a personal level. Angela’s announcements included the statement “Change is good and inevitable”. I think all would agree with the inevitable part, but there may be some debate about how good it is. And, most would agree that there are many things that other people, our country, and the world should change. I love the saying by Mahatma Gandhi “Be the change you want to see”. It puts the onus back on us.
Companies putting in new technology, software or systems would do well to incorporate change management programs. People like to feel like they’re an expert in their jobs. A change in new systems and technology will inevitably require employees to learn new skills or to do things in a different way. So, another consideration when implementing software is business process re-engineering / improvement / management. New systems may have great potential benefits. But if it is not used, circumvented or resisted, companies have wasted time and money to implement. My announcement about the cure for “Post Implementation Distress” service, highlights these issues.
Noble & Associates Consulting, Inc’s cure for “Post Implementation Distress” is an assessment, diagnosis, and remediation service. Key parts of the cure and healing process are change management, process improvement, documentation and training.
If you had good project management and governance (Independent Verification and Validation -IV&V) on the front end, you probably avoid “Post Implementation Distress”. And if you budgeted for resolving people issues at the beginning of the project, there may be some stress, but no “Post Implementation Distress”. However, if you’ve already implemented and things have gone awry, wouldn’t it be prudent for your organization to get the cure for “Post Implementation Distress”? Or, at least incorporate a change management program?
Call Noble & Associates Consulting to the rescue!
Sandra Noble
NOBLE FINANCES
NOBLE & ASSOCIATES CONSULTING, INC
Tags: 2008 presidential election, Atlanta, Barack Obama, Business, Business Over 50, businessover50.com, Change, Change Management, consulting, Fair Tax, Finance, Implementation, Mike Huckabee, Noble & Associates Consulting, Noble Finances, Post Implementation Distress, Process, Process Improvement, re-engineering, Sandra Noble, Software, Strategy, Technology
Posted in Business, Finance, Process, Process Improvement, Strategy, Technology | 2 Comments »
Monday, February 11th, 2008
As I mentioned previously, I’m currently on Facebook, MySpace, Linkedin, Plaxo Pulse, TAG TEAM Marketing, DirectMatches, and CollectiveX (BDPA). If you happen to want to find me, try sannoble.
Once again I made an attempt to actually use the networks. My initial experience with DirectMatches was horrendous. I got all these emails saying “I’m just introducing myself” and by the way, they had an eBook to sell. This network also has a network marketing flavor to it. I was told by my “upline” that there were people out there with real businesses. I’m interested in business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) business prospects. Preferably with annual gross revenues of at least $200k. Don’t have time for DirectMatches training on how to use the network.
The assumption is that the network is composed of like minded people. Many are consulting their social networks for advice and recommendations. I was hoping that joining network would somehow save me time and/or facilitate marketing and closing deals. Am I misguided?
Sandra Noble
NOBLE FINANCES
NOBLE & ASSOCIATES CONSULTING, INC
Tags: Atlanta, Business, Business Over 50, businessover50.com, CollectiveX, consulting, DirectMatches, Facebook, Finance, Linkedin, Marketing, MySpace, Noble & Associates Consulting, Noble Finances, Plaxo Pulse, Sandra Noble, Software, Strategy, TagTeamMarketing, Technology
Posted in Business, Finance, Marketing | No Comments »