Getting the Right Support
There is no shortage of individuals and companies ready to step up and provide you advice about how to run your business. Indeed, there is likely more than ever, as many skilled people that have been downsized over the past couple of years have decided to put up their shingle – consulting is a growth industry. If you are in a management or executive position in your company, the unsolicited suggestions that someone can help you run your business may outnumber the spam you receive requesting your help to get money out of Africa or telling you how to make money on EBay. For many, the glut has created a standard response: “We don’t need any of whatever it is you are selling.” Read more
A Good Auditor is Your Friend
There was a time in my career where I was naïve enough to think that everyone was always focused on improving their job performance whenever possible. Read more
Design for the Ages
The design phase of a software system, assuming it is done at all, is your major opportunity to ensure that you translate the system needs into a product that can adequately address all of those needs in a predictable fashion. If this phase is neglected, the likelihood of achieving the projects goals diminish dramatically – there is no cohesive architecture on which to place all the required functionality, there is no coordination in design that simplifies and streamlines the development, and there will be surprises downstream that threaten the completion of the project itself. Done well, a design takes into account the past, present, and future of the product. Read more
