Tag: Rob England

Fresh Links Sundae – March 9, 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 think of operational checklists as the script or work instructions, but they actually are not. Rob England explains how checklist should be leveraged to increase the effectiveness of any IT organization. The one top tip for IT operations and support: Checklists (The IT Skeptic)

While IT continues to be recognized as the expert for applying technologies to support business processes, a trend is becoming clear that many non-IT groups or individuals are also becoming proficient at leveraging technologies to improve their own productivity. Jon Hall believes that the trend should be leveraged to better connect with its user end and to improve its own effectiveness. The myth of trust: why consumer feedback is making us rethink IT (ServiceDesk360)

IT is well positioned to make positive contributions to many aspects of the business operations. Michael Hugos suggests how a CIO can collaborate effective with the CFO in the organization through risk management. The CIO Relationship With the CFO Is Based on Managing Risk (Enterprise Efficiency) Michael Hugos

Many organizations are evaluating how the DevOps practice can be integrated its own IT departments. Gene Kim describes the concepts behind the DevOps thinking and how the DevOps and ITSM practices are decidedly complementary to each other. Trust me: The DevOps Movement fits perfectly with ITSM (The ITSM Review)

Most business leaders still perceive IT as an operational, tactical role. Pearl Zhu suggests approaches that IT leaders can leverage to turn around the reputation and to transform into a strategic partner. CIO as Respected Business Leader (Future of CIO)

Many organizations spend training dollars to build individual knowledge and performance. Julie Montgomery and Gordon Brown recommend ways to spending training resources not just add individual knowledge but also to improve organizational capability. Quit Spending Money on ITIL Training (Plexent Blog)

After attending the recent annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, Michael Schrage shares his thinking and observations on why leaders need to pay attention to how we identify and blend individual talents to perform measurably greater than simply the sum of their individual results. Team Chemistry Is the New Holy Grail of Performance Analytics (Harvard Business Review)

Many organizations use internal audits to assess potential deficiencies and improvement areas. Laszlo Gonc outlines six ways for internal audits to improve organizational effectiveness and to deliver value. 6 Success Factors for Better Internal Audits (Intreis)

Many of us have dreams of becoming someone who is much more of whom we are today. While all opportunities involves risks, Marshall Goldsmith recommends that making a decision to do something will be a much better option than simply wasting time debating contemplating about a future that will never come. Who Are You Arguing With? (Marshall Goldsmith Personal Blog)

Based on the findings of their own and other reputable researchers, Bob Sutton talks about what is considered the appropriate team size for most tasks and explains the dynamics of a team. Why Big Teams Suck: Seven (Plus or Minus Two) Is the Magical Number Once Again (Work Matters)

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 – October 27, 2013 Edition

With the on-going difficulties experienced at the national healthcare website, some people have attributed the difficulties to technology missteps. Michael Schrage believes that successful IT systems demand serious IT governance, and effective governance is not in place at this time. Don’t Blame IT for Obamacare’s Tech Troubles (Harvard Business Review)

With the cloud, BYOD, and other recent trends, some believe internal IT is no longer a necessity. Bob Lewis suggests that, instead of fighting the trends, IT should lead the effort in shaping how the new trends can be leveraged for the organization’s advantage. Time to decommission IT? Lead the charge. (IS Survivor Publishing)

Many software asset management (SAM) systems have been designed to serve the singular nature of software inventory control function. Peter Bjorkman believes that is an outdated design. A multi-stakeholder approach is needed, and it will be beneficial for SAM. Shaking off SAM’s ‘solitary’ stereotype (The ITAM Review)

In response to a call for tips on building a service catalogue, Rob England explains the difference between service catalogue and request catalogue and how they should be apply in your environment. #SMFlashbook My top tip for building a service catalogue (The IT Skeptic)

For years, IT executives have had to deal with stealth technology or shadow IT set-up that could put their company’s security — and maybe their authority — at risk. Today, Tom Kaneshige suggests that IT executives see the world differently and are quick to explain that they should be ambassadors between tech vendors and business users. CIOs Want to Be Allies, Not Adversaries, With Business Users (CIO.com)

Technical debt can be defined as having unfinished tasks in an IT project. Technical debt is also a significant problem for many organizations and can contribute to considerable development issues. Russ Miller talks about the best ways to deal with technical debt. Technical Debt – Q&A With Russ Miller, CTO, SunView Software (ITSM Lens)

As work moves through the organization, it can reach a point where the whole process slows down or halts. When that happens, Sasha Dichter believes those choke points provide excellent learning opportunities. Choke points (Sasha Dichter’s Blog)

Global competition has changed the employment game. A gap has been created within the employee-employer relationship and driven largely by fear. Ted Rubin suggests that employers should start thinking of employees as an investment, instead of treating them like a commodity. Empower Your Employees… and They Will Power Your Brand! (Ted Rubin)

Marshall Goldsmith suggests that we can all increase our own interpersonal effectiveness by better understanding the powerful concept of referent groups. He explains what the concept is and how it can be a useful tool for understanding differences in organizations. Referent Groups and Diversity (Marshall Goldsmith Personal Blog)

Tom Asacker believes that complicated, time-consuming, and costly processes can kill value. Organizing simple, powerful creative undertakings can do the opposite. Kill the matrix. (Tom Asacker)

Fresh Links Sundae – October 13, 2013 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. More importantly, I picked these articles to help my fellow IT professionals be more successful. 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!

More and more workplaces are demanding more hours from the employees far beyond the typical 40-hour week. If you are in one of those organizations and need to cope with it, Bob Lewis has some insight to share. Escaping the toxic workplace (IS Survivor Publishing)

With enterprises being more software driven than ever, George Colony believes that technology management leaders must not only continue to manage the traditional IT but also need to make large strides on managing BT (business technology). Tech Management in the Age of the Customer (Forrester Blogs)

With ITSM concepts and frameworks in existence for over 20 years, most people thought we probably have reached a plateau in term of squeezing more productivity out of ITSM efforts. Allen Houpt advocates that more productivity can still be had and suggests 10 tips to reduce service costs in a webcast. The Little “ITSM” Engine That Could (CA Service Management)

As a follow-up to a recent discussion in the Software Asset Management group on LinkedIn, Rory Canavan presents a detailed process model for Corporate Governance for a successful SAM implementation. Process of the Month – Corporate Governance Process (The ITAM Review)

As the cloud and big data trends develop, jargons and buzzwords have made them difficult for people to understand the real issues behind those trends. Jeremy Bergsman talks about how data protection and third-party risk management should be addressed in order to master the cloud and big data trends. Are Buzzwords Clouding Your Judgment? (CEB’s IT Blog)

When it comes to creating a strong foundation for customer loyalty management, Ted Rubin believes that your customer service department plays the most important role. He recommends four approaches to leverage your customer service team for effectively turning customers into fans. Customer Loyalty Management via the Customer Service Silo [] (Straight Talk)

Empowerment is a noble notion where people are given the opportunity to fully leverage their capability and contribute to their organizations. For some under-performing individuals, Rob England suggests that “empowering” people can sometime means setting them up for failure. Empowering the hopeless (The IT Skeptic)

In an IT project, a business analyst will often need to create a functional specification. Laura Brandenburg explains what a functional specification is and what information goes into it. What Goes Into a Functional Specification? (Bridging the Gap)

Mitch Joel believes that many people are doing it wrong when it comes to preparing for a public speech. He recommends a 22-step approach on how to prepare for one. How To Give A Great Presentation (Seriously) (Six Pixels of Separation)

After spending three years managing a recent start-up, Jeff Nolan wrote a series of blog posts to document the lessons learned as well as what worked and did not. Startup Lessons Learned: Hiring; Startup Lessons: Dynamic Org Structures; Startups Lessons: Product First; Startup Lessons: Marketing; Startup Lessons: Board Management; Startup Lessons: Tough Decisions (Enterprise Irregulars)

Fresh Links Sundae – August 25, 2013 Edition

When it comes to providing IT services, Barclay Rae believes that we do need to be consistent, accountable, reliable and able to deliver and demonstrate value. He outlines 7 simple, positive, and practical tips on how to be successful with IT service management. Start from the beginning: Introduction, Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, Step 4, Step 5, Step 6, ITSM Goodness Step 7: Change and Sell the Pitch (HDIConnect)

There are people who advocate that, while IT is essential, IT is also commodity like utilities. Robert Plant believes that company leaders should create stronger, progressive IT positions. He also suggests three areas where companies can take actions. IT Doesn’t Matter (to CEOs) (Harvard Business Review)

Many IT organizations have the tendency to rip-and-replace and constantly use new solutions to look for quick wins. Recalling a lesson he learned from his father 20 years ago, Jarod Greene thinks we should pay more attention to what we already have and not overlook any obvious value that is already there. You Can Read the Magic Quadrant, After You Finish Cleaning Your Room (Gartner)

With the large number of business blogs out on the Internet, the mediocre blogs probably outnumber the successful ones by a huge margin. Patsi Krakoff outlines what a successful business blog should have and what you can do to make yours better. Is Your Business Blog “Just Okay?” Here’s How to Change It (Writing On The Web)

When we extend deadlines, research suggests that we have difficulty using the newly-found time wisely. Heidi Grant Halvorson explains why do we squander the extra time and what can we do about it. Here’s What Happens When You Extend Deadlines (Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson)

Often we are trained to focus on the end goal and not letting things detract us from the ultimate objective, but that focus along is not sufficient. Kathy Simmons recommends what successful executive should do. Are You a Results Oriented Executive? (The Executive Update)

Hiring the right people is probably the most valuable contribution a manager can make for his/her organization. Rob England recommends how we can do a better job hiring for our organizations. How to Hire (The IT Skeptic)

Taking a chapter from Professor Rita Gunther McGrath’s most recent book, The End of Competitive Advantage: How To Keep Your Strategy Moving As Fast As Your Business; Theodore Kinni points out how the effect that transience on corporate strategy may have on our careers. Can Your Career Survive Transient Competitive Advantage? (Strategy+Business)

While we all claim to hate suck-ups, we seem to surround ourselves with them. Marshall Goldsmith shows how we unknowingly encourage sucking up and what we can do to change our behavior. All of Us Are Stuck on Suck-Ups (Marshall Goldsmith Personal Blog)

Rachel Martin believes there is a list of living intentional type things we should do with our child. She suggests what her list looks like. 20 Things I Will Not Regret Doing With My Kid. (finding joy)