Training for Value
It would be naive to suggest that I don’t generate a good percentage of revenue from training engagements. Unfortunately, it would also be naive to suggest that these engagements consistently provide the most value for my clients. In fact, the opposite is true in many cases. Not because the training provided is bad (as there is plenty of objective evidence to the contrary), but because most organizations bring in training for the wrong reasons. Read more
When the Going Gets Tough
In many sectors, 2008 has been a tough year. There are very few people that expect that 2009 will be much better, and most indications are that the foreseeable future will be at least as challenging, if not worse. How people and organizations deal with these difficult times is a strong indicator of how well off they will be as the situation improves – or whether they are still around at all. Read more
Case Study: Fostering Meaningful Change with the Large Format Printer Division at HP
(PDF: 102KB / 11 pages) Sustaining meaningful, strategic change in any organization can be difficult, particularly when there are strong personalities and established practices in place. Most initiatives are either too broad in their changes, or fail to address the needs of participants.
Within the Large Format Printer Division at Hewlett‐Packard in Barcelona, despite some of the strongest front‐end analysis practices in the industry, projects continued to face delivery challenges similar to those in many other companies.
Management decided to take action and revert the trend in declining product development efficiency. The authors collaborated with the specific intent to provide lasting and meaningful change for the group.
We describe the initial situation within the group, and the approach to selecting and implementing appropriate changes. We will reveal the deceptively simple viewpoint that was the core of the changes, the effect on the culture and project results that have taken place since.
This paper was presented at the 2009 PNSQC in Portland, Oregon by Jim Brosseau and Carolina Altafulla of HP.
Pinballed
There are as many opinions about how to improve your business as there are consultants – likely more. While it may appear on the surface that there are large groups with the same message, you will find that as you dig deeper, everyone’s message is nuanced with their own experiences and biases. There is a right answer for you out there, but you need to watch that you don’t get bounced around like a pinball. Read more
Overcoming Resistance
It never ceases to amaze me how many different ways we can come up to fight change. Whether it is dropping a few pounds, kicking that nasty smoking habit, shutting off the lights as we leave a room or getting better at developing software, we are clearly at our most inventive in finding ways to just stay put. Read more
Core Change Principles
What we often call process improvement is actually change management. The fact that most process improvement initiatives fail or disappoint is primarily due to the lack of appreciation for what matters when attempting to drive change in an organization. It has nothing to do with suggesting new practices or telling people what to do. Read more
The Complexity of Change
I participated in the AYE (Amplify Your Effectiveness) Conference in Phoenix this week, which is clearly not your run of the mill conference. No PowerPoint allowed, no stodgy rows of chairs facing a lone speaker in the front, very little nodding off, and only the people with iPhones were distracted from the sessions. Indeed, the line between audience and speaker is intentionally blurred and engagement is increased significantly. A highly recommended conference. The topic of change comes up frequently, and these discussions are often centered around the Satir Model for Change. We all deal with change in our lives, generally doing so by avoiding it at all costs. Change is not trivial topic to deal with, which is likely one of the reasons it is so intimidating to all of us. Read more
Erosion
It seems to be pretty rare for people to consciously undermine any established system that has been put in place to develop software. At least, few will admit doing so. What usually happens is more subtle, an erosion over time of the good practices that make the software development machine tick. Read more
Software Evolution
We can learn a lot about software development by observing how people manage their e-mail inboxes. For years, even though I would diligently move important information into specific folders for later retrieval, control of my inbox had escaped me. Despite all my best efforts, it was almost impossible to cull it down below a threshold of hundreds of messages. The effort required to regain control was beyond me. I’ve seen others that don’t manage their mail at all, and the number of messages in their inboxes number into the thousands – retrieval of any relevant information is a daunting task. Read more
Heed the Standard Disclaimer
We have all read and heard (and largely ignored) the disclaimer that resides in the fine print at the bottom of mutual fund ads, or is quickly whisked past us at the end of a 30 second radio-spot: “Please remember that past performance is not necessarily an indication of future performance.” Certainly valid for mutual funds these days, it is a disclaimer that is also applicable for software companies. Read more
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