I am preparing for my first speech in the Toastmaster club and was attracted by the title "George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing" in the article http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/george-orwells-5-rules-for-effective-writing. The original Orwell's essay can be found at http://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_polit. Thinking about Orwell's vision presented in his book ‘1984’ regarding the transparency of person's life and today's internet, social media channels, Google maps, makes me think that he was very imaginative and smart. Hopefully whatever he wrote in his book will not become our reality.
Back to the effective communication, I would like to capture 5 rules by this remarkable writer:
1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
And the cumulative rule:
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
I should definitely use these rules for my speech preparation.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Enterprise Architecture
Any building to survive big storms needs to have a good building foundation. The same is for any business that wants to survive any economy or competitor's challenges - there should be a good foundation for execution. Companies might have a great strategy in mind but don't have a good foundation. Then a strategy execution becomes a struggle. "A foundation for execution is the IT infrastructure and digitized business processes automating a company's core capabilities". Core capabilities are created by core business processes that company should own and do not outsource. Having a great foundation for execution increases company's agility, improves business discipline, creates business value.
One of the first steps in building the effective foundations for execution is to define an operating model, which will provide the best support for the company's strategy. Integrations and standardization are the two dimensions of the operating model. There are different types of operating models:
1. Diversification
2. Coordination
3. Replication
4. Unification
The choice of the operating model will drive the autonomy level of the business units. Each operating model provides a different way for the business growth; organic growth through expansion of the business or growth through a rip-and-replace approach for acquisition. Depends on the company, business units can apply different operating models to their activities to meet business objectives and satisfy the market reality.
To build a core diagram for an operating model existing templates can be used. The design of the enterprise architecture in many companies is done by IT, but instead it should starts from the senior management. Choosing an operating model by senior managers forces a decision on a general vision. Identifying the key customer types, core processes, shared data and technologies to be standardized and integrated demands a commitment to a particular course of action.
Benefits of Enterprise Architecture: EA maps out important processes, data, and technology enabling desired level of integration and standardization. Each stage of the EA maturity provides a new or expanded technology and business benefits.
Managements practices for realizing value from architecture it maturity: it formalizes organizational learning about how to leverage IT capabilities and adopt business process changes, defines formal roles, and managerial processes.
The evolving role of the CIO: CIO is the key driver of enterprise architecture benefits. As the company’s architecture matures, the CIO role evolves.
IT engagement model is a system of governance mechanisms assuring that business and IT projects achieve both local and company wide objectives. It has 3 ingredients:
- Company wide IT governance
- Project management
- Linking mechanisms
IT governance is about decision rights and accountability framework for encouraging desirable behavior in the use of IT. There are five major decision areas:
IT principles
Enterprise architecture
Business application needs
Prioritization
Investment
Project management is about adopting standardized project methodologies. Disciplined project management processes are a necessary condition for good engagement.
Good linking mechanisms ensure that projects incrementally build the company’s foundation and that the design of the company’s foundation is informed by projects.
It is essential to learn that there are 3 types of outsourcing: standard partnership, cosourcing,and transaction. Applying the outsourcing help companies build their foundation for execution.
The benefits of outsourcing capitalize when the right type of outsourcing is implemented to the appropriate stage of the enterprise architecture maturity. Clients and vendors in strategic partnership who refuse to adapt to the strategic needs of their partners will become embroiled in bitter contract battles. Companies managing transaction relationship like strategic partnership incur expensive and unnecessary overhead. Cousourcing that is treated like anything but a team environment is sure to sub-optimize outcomes.
Leveraging the foundation for execution for profitable growth for companies in different stages of development of enterprise architecture makes possible the future of the architecture evolution to 5th stage. The approaches for the acquisition strategies should be done by analyzing the 2 companies architectural stages and prognoses the outcome of different combination. A company’s agility increases through moving their foundation through the different stages of architectural maturity and a company’s operating model dictates the way to architecture maturity evolution.
It is possible to identify the symptoms of an ineffective foundation for execution. Using the key steps in rethinking the foundation of execution and applying the top ten leadership principles can fix the ineffective foundation for execution. While building a healthy foundation for execution it is important to understand the future value of enterprise architecture implementation in regards of customers and competitors demand, regulations, markets changes, and business processes industry-standardization.
Resource: Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, David C. Robertson. Enterprise Architecture as Strategy
One of the first steps in building the effective foundations for execution is to define an operating model, which will provide the best support for the company's strategy. Integrations and standardization are the two dimensions of the operating model. There are different types of operating models:
1. Diversification
2. Coordination
3. Replication
4. Unification
The choice of the operating model will drive the autonomy level of the business units. Each operating model provides a different way for the business growth; organic growth through expansion of the business or growth through a rip-and-replace approach for acquisition. Depends on the company, business units can apply different operating models to their activities to meet business objectives and satisfy the market reality.
To build a core diagram for an operating model existing templates can be used. The design of the enterprise architecture in many companies is done by IT, but instead it should starts from the senior management. Choosing an operating model by senior managers forces a decision on a general vision. Identifying the key customer types, core processes, shared data and technologies to be standardized and integrated demands a commitment to a particular course of action.
Benefits of Enterprise Architecture: EA maps out important processes, data, and technology enabling desired level of integration and standardization. Each stage of the EA maturity provides a new or expanded technology and business benefits.
Managements practices for realizing value from architecture it maturity: it formalizes organizational learning about how to leverage IT capabilities and adopt business process changes, defines formal roles, and managerial processes.
The evolving role of the CIO: CIO is the key driver of enterprise architecture benefits. As the company’s architecture matures, the CIO role evolves.
IT engagement model is a system of governance mechanisms assuring that business and IT projects achieve both local and company wide objectives. It has 3 ingredients:
- Company wide IT governance
- Project management
- Linking mechanisms
IT governance is about decision rights and accountability framework for encouraging desirable behavior in the use of IT. There are five major decision areas:
IT principles
Enterprise architecture
Business application needs
Prioritization
Investment
Project management is about adopting standardized project methodologies. Disciplined project management processes are a necessary condition for good engagement.
Good linking mechanisms ensure that projects incrementally build the company’s foundation and that the design of the company’s foundation is informed by projects.
It is essential to learn that there are 3 types of outsourcing: standard partnership, cosourcing,and transaction. Applying the outsourcing help companies build their foundation for execution.
The benefits of outsourcing capitalize when the right type of outsourcing is implemented to the appropriate stage of the enterprise architecture maturity. Clients and vendors in strategic partnership who refuse to adapt to the strategic needs of their partners will become embroiled in bitter contract battles. Companies managing transaction relationship like strategic partnership incur expensive and unnecessary overhead. Cousourcing that is treated like anything but a team environment is sure to sub-optimize outcomes.
Leveraging the foundation for execution for profitable growth for companies in different stages of development of enterprise architecture makes possible the future of the architecture evolution to 5th stage. The approaches for the acquisition strategies should be done by analyzing the 2 companies architectural stages and prognoses the outcome of different combination. A company’s agility increases through moving their foundation through the different stages of architectural maturity and a company’s operating model dictates the way to architecture maturity evolution.
It is possible to identify the symptoms of an ineffective foundation for execution. Using the key steps in rethinking the foundation of execution and applying the top ten leadership principles can fix the ineffective foundation for execution. While building a healthy foundation for execution it is important to understand the future value of enterprise architecture implementation in regards of customers and competitors demand, regulations, markets changes, and business processes industry-standardization.
Resource: Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, David C. Robertson. Enterprise Architecture as Strategy
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand, like the electricity grid.
In general Cloud computing customers do not own the physical infrastructure, instead avoiding capital expenditure by renting usage from a third-party provider. They consume resources as a service and pay only for resources that they use.
Amazon played a key role in the development of cloud computing by modernizing their data centers after the dot-com bubble. Cloud computing comes into focus only when you think about what IT always needs: a way to increase capacity or add capabilities on the fly without investing in new infrastructure, training new personnel, or licensing new software. Cloud computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per-use service that, in real time over the Internet, extends IT's existing capabilities. Today, for the most part, IT must plug into cloud-based services individually, but cloud computing aggregators and integrators are already emerging. There is a big battle for customers between Google (Google Apps) and Microsoft (MS Online). Microsoft products on the cloud include Window, Office, SQL Server, SharePoint, Exchange, Dynamics CRM.
Here's a rough breakdown of what cloud computing is all about:
1.SaaS – Software as a service
2.Utility computing
3.Web services in the cloud
4.Platform as a service
5.MSP (managed service providers)
6.Service commerce platforms
7.Internet integration
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing
http://www.microsoft.com/cloud
http://blogs.technet.com/b/cloudservicesexperts/archive/2010/06/30/two-more-customers-pick-microsoft-over-google.aspx
http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/what-cloud-computing-really-means-031
http://www.edlconsulting.com/newsdetail.php?id=876&headline=Cloud_computing_success_requires_change_in_operations
In general Cloud computing customers do not own the physical infrastructure, instead avoiding capital expenditure by renting usage from a third-party provider. They consume resources as a service and pay only for resources that they use.
Amazon played a key role in the development of cloud computing by modernizing their data centers after the dot-com bubble. Cloud computing comes into focus only when you think about what IT always needs: a way to increase capacity or add capabilities on the fly without investing in new infrastructure, training new personnel, or licensing new software. Cloud computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per-use service that, in real time over the Internet, extends IT's existing capabilities. Today, for the most part, IT must plug into cloud-based services individually, but cloud computing aggregators and integrators are already emerging. There is a big battle for customers between Google (Google Apps) and Microsoft (MS Online). Microsoft products on the cloud include Window, Office, SQL Server, SharePoint, Exchange, Dynamics CRM.
Here's a rough breakdown of what cloud computing is all about:
1.SaaS – Software as a service
2.Utility computing
3.Web services in the cloud
4.Platform as a service
5.MSP (managed service providers)
6.Service commerce platforms
7.Internet integration
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing
http://www.microsoft.com/cloud
http://blogs.technet.com/b/cloudservicesexperts/archive/2010/06/30/two-more-customers-pick-microsoft-over-google.aspx
http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/what-cloud-computing-really-means-031
http://www.edlconsulting.com/newsdetail.php?id=876&headline=Cloud_computing_success_requires_change_in_operations
Friday, June 4, 2010
Going through the book "Enterprise Architecture as Strategy" by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, David C. Robertson, I have found an answer to the question that I had for a while: who is the first: business or IT (egg or chicken) in regards of the product definition. From the personal experience, when choosing/developing a new application, collecting requirements from the business users and implementing it in the product it is not always the best way to go, because business users can be unaware of the industry standards and trends.
Stages of enterprise architecture maturity explain who defines application in organization. It depends on organization's maturity stage. There are 4 stages of maturity: business silos, standardized technology, optimized core, business modularity.
In business silos local business leaders are the decision makers, in standardized technology - IT and business unit leader, in optimized core - senior management and process leaders, and in business modularity - IT, business and industry leaders.
Interesting is that even if IT understands the "nearsightedness" of the business decision makers, there is no much that IT can do to increase the organizational speedup in it's learning towards a higher stage of the architecture maturity. It takes time, educating and learning!
Stages of enterprise architecture maturity explain who defines application in organization. It depends on organization's maturity stage. There are 4 stages of maturity: business silos, standardized technology, optimized core, business modularity.
In business silos local business leaders are the decision makers, in standardized technology - IT and business unit leader, in optimized core - senior management and process leaders, and in business modularity - IT, business and industry leaders.
Interesting is that even if IT understands the "nearsightedness" of the business decision makers, there is no much that IT can do to increase the organizational speedup in it's learning towards a higher stage of the architecture maturity. It takes time, educating and learning!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Enterprise Architecture as a Strategy - Foundation for Execution and Operating Model
Any building to survive big storms needs to have a good building foundation. The same is for any business that wants to survive any economy or competitors challenges - there should be a good foundation for execution.
Companies might have a great strategy in mind but don't have a good foundation. Then a strategy execution becomes a struggle. "A foundation for execution is the IT infrastructure and digitized business processes automating a company's core capabilities". Core capabilities are created by core business processes that company should own and do not outsource. Having a great foundation for execution increases company's agility, improves business discipline, and creates business value.
One of the first steps in building the effective foundations for execution is to define an operating model which will provide the best support for the company's strategy. Integrations and standardization are the two dimensions of the operating model. There are four operating models
1. Diversification
2. Coordination
3. Replication
4. Unification
The choice of the operating model will drive the level of the business unit autonomy. Each operating model provides a different way for the business growth:
- organic growth through expansion of the business or
- growth through a rip-and replace approach for acquisition.
Depends on the company, business units can apply different operating models to their activities to meet business objectives and satisfy the market reality.
Companies might have a great strategy in mind but don't have a good foundation. Then a strategy execution becomes a struggle. "A foundation for execution is the IT infrastructure and digitized business processes automating a company's core capabilities". Core capabilities are created by core business processes that company should own and do not outsource. Having a great foundation for execution increases company's agility, improves business discipline, and creates business value.
One of the first steps in building the effective foundations for execution is to define an operating model which will provide the best support for the company's strategy. Integrations and standardization are the two dimensions of the operating model. There are four operating models
1. Diversification
2. Coordination
3. Replication
4. Unification
The choice of the operating model will drive the level of the business unit autonomy. Each operating model provides a different way for the business growth:
- organic growth through expansion of the business or
- growth through a rip-and replace approach for acquisition.
Depends on the company, business units can apply different operating models to their activities to meet business objectives and satisfy the market reality.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Project Management Templates to Create a Communications Plan
http://www.method123.com/articles/2007/01/29/Communications-Plan/
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Google Aps links
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/tips-and-tricks-for-deploying-google.html
http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2009/12/tips-and-tricks-on-deploying-google.html
http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2009/12/tips-and-tricks-on-deploying-google.html
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