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Some people depend on the process for making results. I was involved in a situation recently where a software defect was found after the production release. A team member was quick to analyze the situation and indicated that the team had not followed all the steps in the process. They stated that this resulted in increased risk and was the root cause of the defect.
Don’t be afraid to fail. It appeared to me that their behavior was driven from a fear of failure which often results in blame. If we work in environments that place blame for failures then how do we expect people to learn and correct mistakes? …Continue reading >>
If your company doesn’t use social media tools to interact directly with customers now, it’s only delaying the inevitable.
Every day there are news stories, blog posts, television commercials, radio ads, and print pieces about consumers and businesses using the internet and rich media to communicate with each other. Some consumers and businesses are still on the sidelines whether out of apathy, denial, or ignorance because they claim these tools are not relevant to their lives or business. For business, sitting on the sidelines often lasts as long as the first brand or public opinion crisis. Check how active BP was on twitter, facebook, etc. before the oil spill of …Continue reading >>
I met with members of a project management office this week to plan an upcoming software project. Do understand that this is not an agile software shop. So when I suggested we create use cases in lieu of a more formal requirement document suite I received some inquisitive stares. Really more like stares that silently said ‘huh?’
This particular software release does not include any new functional capabilities. It’s more targeted for user interface and site flow types of enhancements. I wanted a set of project artifacts that were more focused on context, flow, and results rather than something filled with sections of pre-written project governance language. The point of …Continue reading >>
Starting a new year is the most popular time to create and install plans. This is true within our personal lives and within our businesses. In business, we spend hours creating plans for how to meet financial and operational goals for the year. Then we spend more time rolling out these plans to employees so that everyone is aligned and can work together towards the stated goals. It’s business version of the new year resolutions list.
But then unplanned things happen As well intentioned plans go, there is always the unexpected to disrupt them. Customers leave, new customers start, the government imposes new laws/regulations, certification requirements change, equipment fails, customers …Continue reading >>
Statistically speaking, the posts I’ve written about the organizational aspects of an eCommerce operation get more views on the Merchant Stand than any other posts. It’s telling me that people are interested in ideas for how they can structure an eCommerce team and what areas of responsibility they should cover. I think the greater interest is that people are looking for ideas and ways that their teams can operate more efficiently to be more agile. I plan to explore more thoughts around organizational layout in an eCommerce operation in future posts. To help with that, and to invite others in the community to discuss this with me, I’ve captured my …Continue reading >>
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