Tag: Jeff Haden

Fresh Links Sundae – June 8, 2014 Edition

Fresh Links Sundae encapsulates information I have come across during the past week. Often they are from the people whose work I admire or resonate with me. I hope you will find these ideas thought-provoking at the minimum. Even better, I hope these ideas will, over time, help my fellow IT pros make better decisions, be awesome, and kick ass!

Many companies are struggling to add piecemeal elements to their existing IT operations in order to compete in the digital era. Some experts have suggested that reinventing the IT function may be another way to deliver the digital capability the companies need to compete. Henrik Andersson and Philip Tuddenham have identified seven elements that are critical to achieving the IT performance improvements required for the new digital world. Reinventing IT to support digitization (McKinsey & Company)

When moving towards a more “digital” enterprise, many organizations are adopting what Dion Hinchcliffe called the ‘bolt-on’ strategy, which typically means adding a few new digital channels to existing touch point. He explains why companies should consider another more transformative approach when going digital. Going Beyond ‘Bolt-On’ Digital Transformation (Enterprise Irregulars)

Today’s website and web applications contain many distributive technical components. Maintaining and diagnosing performance issues can be complex. In a five-part series, Clare Kirlin discusses the considerations and decisions required to ensure the performance of your websites and web application meets your business needs. New Blog Series: #OptimizeDigital (Part 1) 3 Miles and 14 Bottlenecks: Know Your Performance Enemies (Part 2) Optimize Measurements to Optimize Web Performance (Part 3) Real Users: A Common Web Performance Blind Spot (Part 4) The Quick and Easy Audit that Every IT Manager Should Perform (Part 5) (In the Limelight)

The technologies used in software development have changed radically in the last two decades. Mike Loukides reflects on the technology stacks in use today and describes the essential components everyone in the software development or operations team should know. Beyond the stack (O’Reilly Radar)

Leveraging his recent system migration experience, Andreas Grabner explains why by monitoring all your system components and correlating the results with deployment tasks will you be able to deploy with more confidence without disrupting your business. Web Service Monitoring 101: Identifying Bad Deployments (About: Performance)

With today’s complex projects, some are convinced that the current project management processes are obsolete for dealing with complexity on projects. Glen Alleman believes that the notion is untested and recommends ways to deal with project complexity. How to Deal With Complexity in Software Projects? (Herding Cats)

In light of what we may have read about the discovery of mismanagement at the US Veterans Administration, Bob Lewis reminds us the importance of collecting and reporting on the right metrics that truly matter to the business. Your own personal VA scandal (IS Survivor Publishing)

We all want to stand out in some way, but we also want to fit in. Reflecting from a personal experience, Jeff Haden outlines the approach for working towards fitting into a larger community. The Best Way to Fit In and Truly Become Part of…Anything (Inc.com)

Food for Thoughts…

Many schools hold graduation commencement during the month of June. Michael Schrage gives us a playful, but not implausible, look at a future commencement speech. The First Robot Commencement Address (Harvard Business Review)

Fresh Links Sundae – February 9, 2014 Edition

Successful problem management process requires KPIs and targets that can be leveraged to improve the effectiveness of the IT services. Rob England gives a list of suggested KPIs that can be incorporated into your problem management effort. Measuring problem management (The IT Skeptic)

Many IT organizations have no formalized way of communicating with the business. Thom Salo explains how instituting a Business Relationship Management (BRM) process can help to strengthen the working relationship between IT and business. ITIL’s BRM: How Business Relationship Management Shows the Love (Plexent Blog)

The speed of business change is accelerating, but IT still needs to continue its effort to transform from a cost center to value creator. Pearl Zhu examines the forces behind the changes and suggests how IT can transform itself. How to Run IT as a ‘Digital Horse’? (Future of CIO)

A majority of Software Asset Management (SAM) managers today spend the bulk of their time on inventory-related activities that should have been automated. Sean Robinson believes that is not the best use of SAM manager’s time and advocates other proactive approaches that SAM managers should consider. How do SAM managers spend their time? (The ITAM Review)

When you try to improve your IT services, regular review of certain activities are critical. Ryan Ogilvie recommends some practical examples which we should be reviewing with some regularity. What Happened? Performing Service Management Reviews (Service Management Journey)

Sometimes, there is a significant difference whether your boss is a micromanager, or is micromanaging you. Bob Lewis explains the difference and suggests approaches that can be taken to deal with the situation. Dealing with a micromanaging boss (IS Survivor Publishing)

When designing your organizational processes around agile, a number of structure-related considerations have to be taken into account. Mike Cottmeyer explains what those structural considerations are and shares his experience. How to Structure Your Agile Enterprise (LeadingAgile)

When use cases are not clear, business stakeholders, developers, and testers cannot do an effective job. Laura Brandenburg outlines the most common use case mistakes that can lead to ambiguity. 7 Use Case Mistakes That Confuse Your Stakeholders (Bridging the Gap)

Marshall Goldsmith believes an incorrect assumption of almost all leadership development programs is “if they understand, they will do.” He explains why that assumption is not valid in leadership development and offers recommendations on what changes a leader should consider making. If They Understand, They Will Do (Marshall Goldsmith Personal Blog)

Many of us set noble goals but often find it difficult to reach them. Jeff Haden suggests that you need to pay more attention to the systems you deploy than simply focusing on the goals themselves. An Almost Foolproof Way to Achieve Every Goal You Set (Inc.com)

Fresh Links Sundae – 2014 New Year Edition

A number of reflections from 2013 and what to look forward to in 2014.

The Ideas that Shaped Management in 2013 by Katherine Bell (Harvard Business Review)

Predictions for 2014 by David Wagner (Enterprise Efficiency)

Predictions for 2014: Computing Technologies In The Age Of The Customer by JP Gownder (Forrester Research)

Predictions for 2014: Mind the (R & D IT) Gap by Michael Shanler (Gartner Blog)

Cloud Computing Predictions for 2014: Cloud Joins the Formal IT Portfolio by James Staten (Forrester Research)

Enterprise WAN Connectivity & Optimization – 2014 Snapshot of Evolution by Tracy Corbo (EMA Blog Community)

The 5 mobile technologies to watch in 2014 by Galen Gruman (InfoWorld)

25 Game-Changing Trends That Will Create Disruption & Opportunity (Part I) 25 Game-Changing Trends That Will Create Disruption & Opportunity (Part 2) by Daniel Burrus (Daniel Burrus)

The Top 10 Technology Trends for 2014 by Dawn Kawamoto (Dice News)

The Top 25 Recruiting Trends, Problems, and Opportunities for 2014, Part 1 of 2 The Top 25 Recruiting Trends, Problems and Opportunities for 2014, Part 2 of 2 by John Sullivan (ERE.net)

Big but Underreported Tech Stories of 2013 by Brian Sommer (Enterprise Irregulars)

14 Inspirational Quotes for 2014 by Jeff Haden (Inc.com)

Fresh Links Sundae – December 8, 2013 Edition

In spite of its negative connotations, politics can be viewed as the art of finding a way forward when people disagree about the best path forward. Bob Lewis explains how a manager can manage his/her political capital and work with the system effectively. Political Capital Management (IS Survivor Publishing)

For 2014, itSMF UK has decided to focus on four key topics that will drive its agenda, and those four key topics (referred to as the “ITSM Big 4”) were chosen based on the input from the ITSM community. Sophie Danby interviewed four ITSM Review regular contributors and practitioners to obtain their views on the ITSM Big 4. ITSM Big 4 – the practitioner view (The ITSM Review)

Maintaining a Supported Software Catalogue can immensely benefit the audit and reconciliation of Software Asset Management (SAM) data and facilitate activities at the Service Desk. Rory Canavan recommends a process for maintaining a Supported Software Catalogue. Process of the Month – Maintain a Supported Software Catalogue Process (The ITAM Review)

With the influx of mobile devices into the workplace, it will have a visible impact on what service desks have to do to provide support to the end-users. Stuart Facey recommends several planning approaches that service desk managers and ITSM professionals should consider. Service management for a more mobile world – is anything different? (The ITSM Review)

A number of organizations are struggling to find the balance between productivity and security when supporting IT initiatives such as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). Rob Enderle cautions that IT needs to scrutinize its BYOD approach and not put organizations and employees at risk by trying to be overly accommodating. IT’s BYOD Approach Is Wrongheaded (Unfiltered Opinion)

More and more IT support centers are paying close attention to customer satisfaction. Roy Atkinson explains what support managers can do to gain additional insight into their customers’ perceptions. Customer Conversations: One Thing (HDIConnect)

Diagrams and matrices can help to communicate complex ideas. Laura Brandenburg shows us how visual models can make business analysis work more productive with plenty of examples. How to Make the Requirements Process Faster With Visual Models 22 Visual Models Used by Business Analysts (Bridging the Gap)

Reflecting from the book “Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty,” Jim Taggart talks about how an organization can meet today’s challenges by sharing power and enrolling its people to help find solutions. The Payoff from Sharing Power (ChangingWinds)

On those occasions when we are about to do something incredibly vital, we can get incredibly nervous. Jeff Haden suggests five things we can do to prepare ourselves mentally with a quick shot of confidence. 5 Ways to Get a Confidence Boost (Inc.com)

Most of us don’t like or fear public speaking because we believe the audience is focusing on us and constantly judging our presence. Seth Godin explains why those fears are simply misplaced. Speaking in public: two errors that lead to fear (Seth’s Blog)

Fresh Links Sundae – November 17, 2013 Edition

When tackling a very large initiative, most of us will attempt to divide up the effort into multiple smaller projects to reduce complexity. When large projects get divided into chunks, it’s possible to lose coherence. Bob Lewis suggests ways to keep the projects coherent and focused. When organizing large programs, don’t be incoherent (IS Survivor Publishing)

Deploying and managing IT in the developing countries can be decidedly different from managing technologies in the western world. Bright Simons describes his experience deploying enterprise IT in Africa and the lessons that IT organizations should consider. What’s Different About Enterprise IT in Africa (Harvard Business Review)

Many IT organizations work hard to improve their working relationships with the business. Peter Lijnse outlines four Business Relationship Management activities that IT can leverage to improve its effectiveness when working with business. The Business and IT Love Requires Lubrication (The ITSM Review)

When organizations execute major IT initiatives, conflict or duplication of effort can arise if the PMO and the IT service management team are not in sync. David Cole recommends ways for both organizational functions to work together. A Loving Co-Existence: When ITSM Overlaps With the PMO (Plexent Blog)

IT is one field where the gender gap issue is often discussed. Aprill Allen suggests ways where we can work together to address the imbalance. Redressing the balance: women in IT(Service Management) (Knowledge Bird)

Many experts have opinions and suggestions for supervising, managing, and leading female employees. Jeff Haden would suggest that the first thing a leader should do is to look past the gender differences and focus on the individual employees. Groundbreaking New Way to Lead Female Employees (Inc.com)

Leaders in large companies face a number of side-effects that can come up as a result of the complex structure. Julian Birkinshaw explains what forces are shaping these complex organizations and recommends approaches leaders can take to keep their organizations on track. Managing Complexity Is the Epic Battle Between Emergence and Entropy (Harvard Business Review)

When individuals become exceedingly rigid with their thinking or positions, it can create communication obstacles for the organization. Len Lagestee offers his suggestions on how to overcome the obstacle. Defending Your Position (Illustrated Agile)

When an organization leverages the Agile framework, the product owner plays a crucial role in the successful execution of the development effort. Peter Saddington provides a list answers to the commonly asked questions about the product owner role. FAQ on Most Common Product Owner Questions for Management (Agile ScoutAgile Scout)

Anna Farmery believes happiness and meaning do matter and are crucial to success in life and in business. She offers her tips on creating more of both. An Ocean Rower’s Top Tips for Happiness and Meaning (The Engaging Brand)