Resonance

Report lost items, gain good karma !

2012-01-25T15:29:00.000-08:00

'Real value of a item is known only when one loses it ', was a line which I read recently in one of the books.The real value of that line can be appreciated if one has been in that situation !

A recent SITA Baggage report 2011 stated that mishandled baggage cost the airline industry an estimated US$ 2.94 billion and other survey indicated about 50,000 laptops are lost in US airports every year and 65 % of them not claimed or returned to owners.

This is where the innovative service provide by Turly Tag caught my attention.
An anonymous tagging system has been developed to prevent the permanent loss of personal possessions when they go missing.By registering online with Turly Tag, customers receive several tags and stickers with a personal ID number. If they lose an item that has been tagged, honest finders are given the opportunity to go online or call the Turly Tag hotline and find a solution for the owner to be reunited with their lost possession.

What impressed me the most about it was the tagline used to market it ,"Good Karma,a little easier '.
Can't this be used beyond just finding personal posessions ..I can think of many more uses of this concept !

Converting unused dollars: Ideas for Social Innovation

2012-01-14T22:48:00.000-08:00

Every day there are thousands of public transport travellers in cities across the world who have unused fares in their travel cards or equivalent tickets.
Is there a way to monetise these unused small currencies and use it for a noble cause ?
Recently I came across this article where few students from New York university have designed a system which can be used to convert unused dollars for social causes.

MetroChange has designed a kiosk to be placed at busy subway stations throughout the NY city — “especially those where tourists and occasional users of the subway transition out of the subway system, transferring to an airport or regional train service”. Commuters and travelers who have a small amount of unused value remaining on a card can swipe that card at one of those kiosks, where the value will be recorded and transmitted to a central fund .

MetroChange from Genevieve Hoffman on Vimeo.

For me this is a brilliant idea which could be shaped up from this basic level to several interesting applications .
My ideas on we could use this in other areas:

Sure, lot more could be achieved with things we waste !

'Way I learn is the Way I am taught..'

2012-01-01T15:52:00.000-08:00

There has been a lot of debate on how Indian education system is nothing more than rote memorization.Many tend to agree without taking the credit away on some other aspects like Mathematics learning where Indian system seems to be advanced than the Western counterparts.
A deep dive into this issue leads to the question on the way in which the subjects are/have been in schools.
But , today we have tremendous opportunity to use technology to make education highly interesting and giving the right "learning experience" to students.
The video supports my point of view ,

Museu da Vida - Interaction Cubes from Mariana Duprat on Vimeo.

The question however that needs to be answered is how can such innovative learning methods be brought to all type of students , not just the privileged ones..
Nevertheless , I would have definitely learnt Chemistry better through such methods :-)

Why this Kolaveri :' Black Swan ' theory works !

2011-12-09T13:35:00.000-08:00

In last few weeks, one of the songs which became a sensational hit in Indian music arena was the 'Why this Kolaveri di.' .
It is a song of a under-production film '3' that went viral, and got promoted by all media houses in their prime time coverage !
The song attracted national debate - on its music, sub-standard lyrics,tanglish tune and so on..
The creators dismissed it all saying it was just entertaintment and asked the purists to stay away..

All said and done no one could comprehend why it became such a sensational hit!
For me it is a classic case of another Black Swan event ; Black Swans are not restricted to banking , disasters and politics...
As it was defined Nicholas Taleb, Black Swans are events which are random ( comes as a suprise ), that has a major impact and then rationalised by hindsight.
In today's world with communication and technology in your pocket even a small idea could change the world. So,start thinking and keep singing 'Why this Kolaveri':-)!

From Miles per hour to Smiles per hour !

2011-11-28T12:08:00.001-08:00

Manytimes on my way to office I have noticed this signboard .Only last week I was so much intrigued to know what is this all about !
I found out that it is a initiative by our city council (City of Port Philip Council) in Melbourne.
Few years ago from a survey of several localities the council realised that the residents felt that their neighbourhoods are not friendly and there is a lack of bonding.
They then decided that the best way to change this was to make people smile at their neighbours and passers-by. Thus was born the Smiles per Hour project.
A 'Smile Spy' community volunteer walks on a defined section of the street (averaging 400m) for a 15-minute period keeping their faces up and their expression open. In that time everyone who passes them on their side of the street is counted. People who smile, nod, or make any kind of positive greeting are counted separately. These two numbers are converted into a percentage, and this becomes the Smiles Per Hour rating for that section of street.

I found it really fascinating ! A simple way to influence a friendly neighbourhood.
A smile can conquer many things !
Unfortunately our locality has poor Smiles per hour rating..Need to do my bit to improve it.Next time if you see me smiling at passers by , you know the reason :-) !

Resonance Newsletter : Issue 20

2011-11-20T00:00:00.001-08:00

Click here Resonance Newsletter : Issue 20

Digital Hangers :Social Proof in Visual Merchandising !

2011-10-23T00:45:00.000-07:00

How many times have you walked into a retail stores by getting attracted from a dress the mannequin wore in the store display or the digital signage that advertised about a product ?
Such touch points which helps to convert a shopper to customer is what makes the field of Visual Merchandising (VM) more interesting.
Retailers have always found it challenging to measure the impact of sales performance due to VM activities. Having said that I was fascinated to look at one of the innovations piloted by one of the japanese stores.
109 Men’s department store in Shibuya has gone hi-tec with it’s shopping experience by introducing digital interactive clothes hangers to one of it’s shops. The hangers, from Japanese company Team Lab, interact with digital displays above the products, triggering certain images and videos to be played when the hangers are picked up by a shopper.

When I think about this trend it could be well extended in so many ways by using the principles of Social Proof .Social Proof is the human characteristic that people are influenced to do something by what other people do.
It could be a excellent way to validate the positioning of the products under display and also gain intelligence on the customer preferences.
My view on how this Digital Hanger could be used as powerful VM tool :

Source:http://www.japantrends.com/shopping-goes-hi-tec-with-interactive-hangers/

Resonance Newsletter:Issue 19

2011-08-21T13:52:00.000-07:00

To read Click Here

Nalaga'at Theatre :A touching tale of deaf-blind drama troupe

2011-07-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

When it comes to innovation few countries which get top of mind recall are - Japan,Singapore,Kenya,USA.
But slowly I have been fascinated by the innovation stories from Isarel.While they are pioneers in advanced technological innovations , the story of the world's first deaf and blind drama troupe was indeed a touching one .I never expected this troupe to be on par with professional theatre artists .
Hats off not just to the differently abled artists but the translators, trainers and the director of the troupe who have made this possible.
Nothing better to explain how passion and commitment can make things happen..
Worth spending three minutes of time ...Don't miss the video !

Courtesy :http://www.israel21c.org/

Understanding Fiscal Deficit :Makes sense to US !

2011-07-16T17:51:00.000-07:00

Home Loan Interest rates,food and fuel prices,Education fees - these are few things which are competing hard to grab our wallet share.With percentage of inflation always faring better than the salary hikes by companies, it is always a challenge to balance the expenses with earnings and think of savings !

We always seem to be more worried about our EMI payments and financial planning..but just take few moments to note what's happening around the world.
Little understanding of economics and 'butterfly effect' will help you to get some rationale for every increasing cost of living...
Take a look at what the world's powerful economy is facing....
National Debt of US is approx $14.3 trillion.This is the amount of money US owes to different countries and other agencies..Analyst say , US is just sitting on a 'Debt Bomb' which could have severe impact on global markets..

Not just for US , even for us it helps to be understand certain macro trends which are influencing our day to day lives and hence this post.
Infographic Source :http://www.visualnews.com,http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com

Must See Race - Worth 157 secs of your time !

2011-05-14T02:24:00.000-07:00

Nurture your followers:Leadership from dancing guy!

2011-05-08T04:58:00.000-07:00

Was really fascinated by this video which illustrates a different dimension of Leadership - ' the need to be a good follower and how you lead a movement from there on '...Classic case to pick up some leadership lessons away from motivation books , seminars and cliched presentations..
Thanks to Derek Sivers.

Cricket DRS helps in CMMI High Maturity implementation !

2011-04-08T03:55:00.001-07:00

ICC World Cup '2011 was special - not just because of Indian victory but also because of the successful implementation of a new innovation to improve the game of cricket - Decision Review System (DRS).
Basically , it is used to judge the Leg Before Wicket (LBW)decisions given by on-field umpires.
It uses basic equation :
Wickets hitting = f ( Ball Pitching,Impact,Hitting Wickets)

It is such a simple user friendly system which makes things so objective and adds a bit of fairness to the game.
For me , this is what exactly CMMI High Maturity practices is all about.
a.Determine the sub-processes which influence the outcome.
(Pitching,Impact,Hitting)
b.Control them to determine outcome( Out, Not Out)
So, keep all your statistics (Rayleigh model , Multiple regression, Chi Square analysis etc..)at the background and use them to give the project managers a simple system like your DRS to predict performance and manage the project.
This is what CMMI level 4 practices is all about ..
Big cheers for India and DRS !

Resonance Newsletter : Issue 17

2011-03-21T13:09:00.001-07:00

Click here

Restroom experience matters !

2011-03-06T11:45:00.001-08:00

There can't be a better metric than 'Customer Feedback '.However to get the maximum value from such feedback it is important to put in efforts in designing the feedback form,communicating the importance to staff to collect objective feedback ,setting up a effecive medium to collect feedback and finally present the report in a way that it triggers some positive action.
In other words ,it is more than asking a customer to fill a form which after three months a quailty control person looks in for coming up with trend charts.
While in Singapore at the Changi airport, I was impressed with the feedback mechanism the airport authorities have set up to measure the quality of janitorial services !
While entering the restroom tt has the name of the shift attendant in the display board reads - 'Serving you today is Mr........'.
And before the exit there is digital feedback system asking customers to rate theie restroom experience ; Simple , real time, visualy appealing , present at the right spot ( when a person leaves the washroom)- some good practices to learn for designing the customer feedback systems!

Why do you keep your laptop plugged after it is charged ?

2011-02-12T16:41:00.000-08:00

'Pictures speaker louder then words' - it really is when it comes to the task of bringing a change in the organisation.I have seen many organisations using posters and other visual themes to communicate organisation's messages to its employees.
Though few of them are more cliched like a poster with a ladder in the air which read 'We dare to dream and reach beyond'...
However I have seen several other organisations using the visual appeal creatively to bring a change. There is no hard statistics to prove the correlation between visual messages and organisation change;but,when you go and speak to the management which went through a successful change program , the role of visual messages would figure in their top 5 influencers of change.

Today where 'eco-sustainiability ' is one of the priorities for any business , it makes sense to use the power of visual appeal to bring the change.
HU2, a UK based company provides a rich collection of stickers with a message.
Few which caught my attention.

For more check out HU2.

Resonance Newsletter : Issue 16

2011-01-22T14:59:00.001-08:00

Happy New year to you all !
After three months breadk , the new edition of Resonance is back.
Read through the diverse topics and give your feedback.

Click here to read

Data Analytics and Root cause analysis gives $12Mn profit !

2010-11-27T13:50:00.001-08:00

Here is one of the classic cases to highlight the power of data analytics and root cause analysis .Leading travel service provider
Expedia was able to increase its profit by $12Mn by simply deleting a field in application form
Case snapshot below:

It also brings into focus the importance of testing for user experience.
Reference :Silicon news
Image courtesy :blog.rpu.org/?p=522

Think Different : Inspiring Video !

2010-11-26T15:54:00.000-08:00

'Think Different' - we hear this often in professional lives, but how many really are able to think beyond the status quo make the real difference !
An inspiring video to really make us think...

Happy Diwali !

2010-11-05T15:23:00.000-07:00

It's time for celebration in India.
For folks who are inquisitive to know the reason why Diwali is celebrated the card below might help .
Let festival of lights give us all great success,prosperity and happiness.

Sprint over Swimming:Team Work concept from relay races !

2010-10-03T02:47:00.000-07:00

In one of the articles from Lean Instiute came across this interesting concept of Team work.
One critical idea was "mutual assistance teamwork" where team members support each other, as a runner waiting for the next stage of the race would react to the runner in the previous stage, who might be struggling, and reach back to provide support and execute a clean handoff. The help the next runner can provide is illustrated below in cartoons prepared by Toshiko Narusawa, co-author with John of Kaizen Express.
This is unlike swimming and other types of relays where the previous contestant must reach a specific point before the next contestant can start moving ahead.
Both is team work but the intensity differs !

All news is not Breaking News :Quality standard for Media Houses !

2010-09-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

"Now a days when bored I don't turn on any entertaintment channel but just a TV News channel .."remarked one of my friends.Hold on,it is definitely not a compliment but a remark which candidly conveys the sorry state of today's 24x7 News channels .Sensationalism, Commercialism , TRP ranking ,Trivialism,Paid News -what not !
Victim : It is you and me who end up sitting before the idiot box killing time watching the news which could be anything like 'Actor's secretary had a fall in the golf club' or 'MP's sister's cousin has bought a new villa '.
In wake of this , I saw news article whoch talked about 'Quality certification for media houses'. Yes, ISAS BCP 9001:2010 is a new standard released few months back .Media organizations that implement the standard gain new ways to improve quality through better organization, targeting of audiences and readership, appeal to advertisers, and motivation of staff.
I am not here to promote the standard but wish these standards could inject a sense of responsibility to the media houses and give viewer like me quality time to spend in a news channel.
For more details on standard visit

Chi,Koo,Bha:Strategy and Tactics !

2010-08-21T18:04:00.000-07:00

Few months back, my 7 year old nephew pulled me in to play the game which I used to play in my school days.We had the name of the game as 'Chi-Koo-Bha' !
Recently a random search landed me to know that the game is called as 'Rock-Paper-Scissors'(RPS)and there is a world championship for that !http://www.worldrps.com/
Forms of RPS can be found all over the world today, but the earliest known version of the game dates all the way back to the 1700s in Japan. The Japanese played a game called Jan-Ken-Pon, their version of RPS. This means the Japanese have been playing RPS longer than anyone else in the world.
This was considered a training to improve strategy and one's thinking on war psychology !More than anything else I found the below illustration fascinating for its clarity ,content and the way tips for winning has been articulated.
Would be nice to play some 'Chi-Koo-Bha' :-)

Customer Loyalty is like a love affair:Don't hard sell it !

2010-07-18T00:32:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, I had planned to buy a blazer.Though I have multiple options in T.Nagar, Chennai the place where I stay , I opted for Shoppers Stop . Shoppers , has been a pioneer in Indian Retail market and I have always admired their retail practices.After my purchase, in the billing section the Customer Care Associate( that is how Shoppers call their staff) requested me to join their Loyalty Program (for the great benefits it delivers!)I was not keen for that ; Soon the request started to become a hard sell. Customer Care Associate started pitching for the loyalty program and was literally forcing me to enrol in it . With sales pitch going overboard I was forced to move away from a polite refusal to give a stern ‘NO’ as response. Seeing the situation the Supervisor came in and asked the associate not to push hard. Finally, I got my bill and was greeted with a Thank you which defintely cannot be qualified to be courteous!
While on one side I understand the Associate’s interest to make me sign for the Loyalty program ,trying/forcing to build Customer Loyalty through such hard selling could turn counter productive . And for me it was surprising it came from Shoppers! Nevertheless , this incident does not dilute my respect and loyalty to Shoppers . I hope this would be addressed in their Sales training .
I feel some of the key drivers that helps in understanding Customer Loyalty are :

And my refusal came from the judgement of my buying pattern and personal preferences.

The Secret Powers of Time :Excellent animation from RSA !

2010-06-20T18:10:00.000-07:00

Excellent animation on how individual perspective on time affects our work, health and well-being. Don't miss it !

RSA Animate – The Secret Powers of Time

‘Power down for 15 minutes, we pay you 40 $ ‘ : Electrifying Customer Service !

2010-05-30T03:38:00.000-07:00

Giving the best service to customers is the motto for all organizations.There is nothing new about it. However , when Government agrees for a Service level agreement with its citizens to maintaing high standards of service it is indeed interesting.In Australia , Government regulations expects the power distribution companies to adhere to SLAs for their services.
Example :

Ref:www.jemena.com.au
This for me is real commitment to provide exceptional governance.
Will emerging economies like India reach this stage ? Mmmm - a distant reality;
However , Wow, to think of it is fabulous !
Image courtesy :un.org

Tribute to Management Guru:C.K.Prahalad

2010-04-18T17:51:00.000-07:00

Man from Coimbatore, who has advised many of the top businessmen on business strategy is no more .His death is a huge loss to the corporate world.
This blog post is tribute to him.

IPL 3: 'Paise vasool karne se hi baath banthi hai!'

2010-04-05T18:05:00.001-07:00

IPL 3 is peaking.Organizers claim that viewership is increasing .Though it gets bit boring to see repeated matches and balls getting smashed away day in and day out , there is no boredom as far as the TV ads that are featured during IPL matches.

IPL has once again innovated and introduced Live-screen ads between overs inside the cricket ground - one more avenue to increase ad revenue .

Last year it was 'ZooZoos' of Vodafone but this year clearly it is 'Airtel' which is stealing the show.ZooZoos have lost the charm but Airtel with its cool ad with the tagline 'Baat Karne Se Hi Baat Bantee Hai' has stuck the right chord.Simple and powerful ad campaign with upcoming star Sharman .With Zain acquisition coming through Airtel is really getting global.

All the sports organizations are fascinated with the successful model of IPL ; Soon IPL would catch up to the scale of NBA and NFL. IPL is all about thinking and breathing Money,Money,Money.No body is complaining !

Lean Retailing : Don't WASTE anymore time,get on to it !

2010-03-16T17:46:00.001-07:00

Currently Toyota might be going through tough times ,but the Lean Management principles which they have taught the world has benefited so many companies.
Lean Management principles are not just confined to Manufacturing anymore ;Lean Retailing - applying Lean principles in Retail is definitely an effective approach to identify , analyze and eliminate waste across the spectrum of Retail.
Starbucks , has reported bottomline benefits due to its lean initiatives.
Below is a snapshot of their Lean approach to coffee making workspace.

Read the full story in Wall Street journal
Lean Retailing should be the way to look ahead for retailers small or big.

Commitment and Involvement : Lessons from Pig,Chicken and Mahabharatha

2010-02-07T18:12:00.000-08:00

We also would have heard the story of 'Pig and Chicken' in many discussions on the topic of Involvement and Commitment.
For those who have not heard it , here it is
Think about a meal consisting of eggs and ham and consider the contributions made by a chicken and a pig. A chicken provided the eggs and a pig provided the ham. It can be said the chicken was involved, because the chicken continues to live as it lays more eggs. It can be said the pig was committed, because the pig gave its all to provide the ham and other pork products.

When I think of a Indian mythological angle to the subject ,there can be no better example for Commitment and Involvement than Lord Krishna.

Note:Mahabharatha is an Indian epic where two groups Pandavas(good) and Kauravas (evil)fight .It is reckoned to be war between good and evil and the dawn of Kali Yuga !

SPICON 2010 : Thoughts kindled !

2010-01-24T04:42:00.000-08:00

SPICON 2010 , SPIN Chennai's conference was organized in Chennai on 22,23 Jan.
It was a very good event with excellent line up of talks from experts across industries.
Key note and special address were given by Mr.K.Dinesh ,co-founder ,Infosys and Uncle Bala( this is how he was introduced), Founder of Great Lakes Institute of Management respectively .
Few thoughts which I could carry back from the conference :

It was glad to see enthusiasm of people and kudos to the organizers for making it a hugs success. Looking forward to more action from SPIN Chennai.

Top trends in Retail for the year 2010 !

2010-01-10T05:56:00.000-08:00

2010 is looked upon with great optimism by Retailers all over the world.After a great dip in consumer spending for most part of 2009,sales picked up towards Christmas.With global economies recovering this year should see lot of action in retail segment.Retail organizations too are looking at all possible opportunities to grab the valet share of the customer.
Mind Map shows the Top trends to watch out in Retail for the year 2010.

This is a collection of themes from several research reports and analyst opinion.

New Version 4.3 of Function Point Manual !

2009-12-31T18:49:00.001-08:00

IFPUG has released Version 4.3 of Function Point Counting Practices Manual(CPM).
CPM 4.3 comes into effect from 01-Jan-2010
IFPUG press release states that "
Part 1 of the CPM is a copy of the Functional Size Measurement Method (FSM), the ISO standard, which describes the process, definitions, and rules. The existing Part 1 material has been moved to Part 2 - The Bridge. Parts 2, 3, 4 and the Appendices have been updated and enhanced with additional examples and guidance."
It looks like more clarity is brought in the counting rules.
For more info refer IFPUG site .

Top 10 online tools

2009-12-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

Online applications / tools / devices has now become an integral part of everyone’s personal and professional lives.
This is my TOP 10 list of the Online applications / tools / devices :

The Trusted Advisor !

2009-12-20T00:34:00.000-08:00

After a while I got a chance to read a good management book.

Though the book is not a new one , the relevance of it makes it an interesting read.Yes the book I am referring is 'The Trusted Advisor '.I would really suggest this for all consultants, QA professionals , any manager interested to build relationships with client.

The book in all about building trust with clients to succeed in profession.

Some of the interesting snippets are :

' An advisor's job is to be helpful not just professionally correct'

'Develop the skill of telling clients that they were wrong in a way that they would thank you for giving helpful advice'

'Earn the right to speak , to be heard'

'Successful advisor assumes responsibility for proper mutual understanding'

'Use socratic way of questioning '

The book is authored by David Maister,Charles Green and Robert Galford.

Definitely a must read !

Japan :Waste Management Best Practices

2009-11-14T14:45:00.000-08:00

Today when "Green Business" is the theme adopted by all industries , one of the fundamental aspects in green is Waste Management.
When it comes to day to day waste in homes,offices and shops there is a need for great amount of innovation and discipline that is needed.

While countries like Singapore have their 3R programs (Reduce, Reuse,Recycle) there are few best practices observed in Japan.

1.Everywhere in Japan ,there is lot of emphasis given on waste segregation at source

2.Clear labels and instructions signs are placed on different waste collection boxes at aprtments,hotels and public places

3.Lot of public awareness campaigns are conducted on waste management

4.In schools,students are taught not to waste food

5.Recycling and reusability of components are well organized

6.More than all these, people are disciplined

Lot to learn to make atleast our home and workplace clean !

Customer Experience in bus travel : Miles to go !

2009-10-25T18:01:00.000-07:00

Recently , I had taken a bus to Bangalore from Chennai. It was a full-berth AC bus which definitely made my travel comfortable.

But the other aspects of the travel was not pleasing:

- in Koyambedu bus terminal where the private buses are stationed , there is no seating facility for passengers to wait

- the boarding point is such a 'chaos' with all passengers made to stand in a small platform space

- even if you find a place to stand ( which itself is a great achievement !) you have to really encounter the challenges posed by other passengers who would walk by with swinging bag and baggage testing your muscle strength ; don't ever expect someone would say 'sorry ' even if they stamp your leg in the melee

-and once the bus arrives there is a mike announcement ; there is a mad rush to know if that is the correct bus to board; remember ,bus numbers or any sort of ID's is a glaring miss in the bus ticket !

- bus ticket instructs you to be present 30 mins before departure time and its truly a testing time

-if you are seeking any information with driver about the time it would reach a particular stop , the tone of reply and the responses you get is never a point of delight (but there are some good drivers who are receptive to answer your queries)

As a passenger who pays a price to have a comfortable journey , the 'customer experience' is pathetic. I don't even have a choice but to accept the service levels and travel .

There is huge potential for process improvement in the complete system and I hope some company takes the lead and listens to the voice of the customers.

Resonance Newsletter : Issue 08

2009-10-19T18:14:00.000-07:00

Click here to see Resonance Newsletter : Issue 08

Handshake Hypothesis !

2009-10-04T04:26:00.001-07:00

I enjoyed reading this small hypothesis test on 'Getting introduced'.

" Arriving at a cocktail party one evening, the famed editor Maxwell Perkins, in an endeavor to test the hypothesis that no one listens to what anyone says on such occasions, greeted his hostess with a polite handshake and the following words:
"Sorry I'm late, but it took me longer to strangle my aunt than I expected."
"Yes, indeed," his hostess replied, "I'm so happy you came."
Perkins, Maxwell Evarts (1884-1947) American editor [noted for his mentorship of such writers as Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and Wolfe] "

I am sure it happens to all of us :-)

We never tend to pay attention to the words said while doing an handshake.

Some best practices recommended by memory experts to overcome this situation:

- Greet the person looking at their eyes

- If a person introduces himself/herself , ensure you repeat the name of the person or check the way the name is pronounced

- Try to link the person's face with some abstract figure you can recollect

Nextime when you are in a party,remember this Handshake hypothesis,

US Debt Clock !

2009-09-25T20:49:00.000-07:00

Recently one of my friend refered this site as an example of Real time monitoring and communication.Indeed it was ;an interesting site(http://www.usdebtclock.org/) which projects US debt situation in real time.

Not sure of ,who maintains this site !

Resonance Newsletter : Issue 07

2009-08-31T18:05:00.001-07:00

Click here to view Resonance Newsletter Issue -07

IT Dashboard on Government spending !

2009-07-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

"Is there a dashboard where I can see the overall performance ", is the most often asked question by the senior management of organizations.
Dashboards play a critical role in summarizing and giving a birds eye info on key parameters of any project.
One of the dashboards which impressed me was the IT Dashboard by the US Government on spending.

As the website says ,''The IT Dashboard provides the public with an online window into the details of Federal information technology investments and provides users with the ability to track the progress of investments over time.The Dashboard contains a subset of data from agency Exhibits 53 and 300, and agencies will update cost, schedule, and performance figures, agency CIO ratings, and other collected investment information on a monthly basis". It looks to be a bold initiative aimed at bringing transparency on government spendings.Will other countries follow suit ? Reference :http://it.usaspending.gov/

Resonance Newsletter : Issue 06

2009-07-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

Click to see Resonance Newsletter Edition 6

TRP : Employment,Revenue and Convenience !

2009-07-11T23:15:00.000-07:00

It's time to be a dutiful citizen! Yes,'Cometh July,Cometh the Income Tax returns';
For the working class in India , paying Income tax is a significant act to claim that they are responsible and honest citizens.
In this regard, the Tax Return Preparers Scheme (TRP) launched last year by Indian Government is a laudable effort.
About TRPs
The Government of India Tax Return Preparers Scheme to train unemployed and partially employed persons to assist small and medium taxpayers in preparing their returns of income has now entered its Second Phase. During its launch year, on a pilot basis, close to 5,000 TRPs at 100 centers in around 80 cities across the country were trained. 3737 TRPs were certified by the Income Tax Department to act as Tax Return Preparers, who assisted various people in filing their IT Returns. The Government has now decided to increase their area of operations by including training on TDS returns and Service Tax returns to these TRPs.
Its an initiative supported by NIIT .
For me this scheme benefits many : employment to youth,revenue to government and convenience to tax payers .It's another great example of simplifying processes through involvement of people and aid of technology.
For more detail visit :http://www.trpscheme.com
By the way ,have you file your tax returns ? :-)

Want to know the right day to ask for a hike !

2009-06-26T18:41:00.000-07:00

Are you bored with tracking defects,production rates and customer complaints ?For a change why don't you track your mood!
Yes, Mood chart is one of the tools recommended by psychiatrists to help patients keep track of their mood.
This is a sample Mood chart plotted on a daily basis..

May be Mood chart could be used to keep a watch on the mood of your boss :-)The data could reveal that 'Wednesday' is the right day to approach your boss to ask for an vacation, a company sponsored foreign training or even a hike !
One of my friends has sent me this and you can check out his creative site http://www.anuraags.com

Real-time monitoring : Metrics for masses!

2009-06-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

In corporate world we stress lot of importance on metrics,KPIs,business analytics.With so much advancements in the area of Business Intelligence the buzzword is 'Real-time Monitoring'.

One such system that was installed recently in US looks really fascinating.
Like the National Debt Clock - the new number to watch is the Carbon Counter, which tracks the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.A 70-foot-high billboard was erected yesterday on Newyork across the street from the debt clock.
As of yesterday, the sign clocked more than 3.6 trillion metric tons
Climate change is the topic that is of concern to the whole world.To have a real time measurement system that could make atleast one person a day think about effects of Greenhouse gases and climate change is a small step in right direction.
Agile and Visual factory concepts embraces these practices very much.
How about having a Visual counter in office entrance stating about the total unproductive time used in a day especially in meetings :-)

Source:http://www.nydailynews.com/

Indian Elections:Perfect case study on Program Management !

2009-06-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

Of late there was has been huge hue and cry about the tampering of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) in the recently held Indian elections.We need to wait until the facts of it are revealed to public.

Nevertheless, Indian elections has been a great event that is keenly followed across all greatest democracies including US and UK for its size and complexity.

To cite some statistics ,the Indian general election is the biggest single organised event in the world, involving 714 million voters, 800,000 polling stations, 7 million election officials and 1.2 million electronic voting machines.

It lends itself as a great study to understand large scale 'Program Management'.

It is generally said for a successful implementation of a program in any organization ,we need the right combination of -Process,People and Technology.

Take our Indian election scenario - so many states,different geographies,different languages,challenges in the form of political parties influences,corruption,terrorism,casteism , the list goes on.Given all this constraints to conduct election in five phases and declare the results in one day is indeed a achievement.

Though there are lot of flaws in the process , Indian election process and Election commission needs a pat . Next time why don't we use this as case study in our Project Management trainings ?

Image courtesy :http://news.bbc.co.uk

Public Speaking Skills : US President shows the way !

2009-06-13T02:47:00.001-07:00

One of the remarkable speeches ,which I heard in recent times was President Obama's address to the Muslim world in Cairo University at Egypt.

Without commenting on the message delivered,the point which I would like to share is on the quality of presentation.

President Obama is a great orator which was evident in all his election campaigns.

But on this occasion at Egypt ,he caught the attention of the entire world ,that too on an important topic of US relations with Muslim world.

Few points which really impressed me about his speech - style of presentation , conviction in message,positive body language , speed of delivery and the ability to retain the attention of the listeners.

Though several books teach us the principles of Effective Public Speaking , following great speakers would definitely help to pick up the tricks of trade faster.

In this context ,President Obama's speeches are worth following to learn quite a lot on public speaking .

If you have missed this speech , check out http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/NewBeginning/

Resonance Newsletter : Issue 05

2009-06-06T18:16:00.000-07:00

View Resonance Newsletter Issue:05

Railways on SMS:Railways gets closer to Customers!

2009-05-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

" 14 million passengers

2.4 million employees

63,327 km of route length

18000 trains a day

Revenue of 18 Billion USD (approx) "

- Indian railways success is no underachievement.

Railways ministry is the plum portfolio every political party wants to grab in its kitty after the elections .In recent years , Indian railways have brought about significant process changes aimed at improving customer satisfaction and improving brand equity.
One of the recent initiative is 'Railways on SMS'.

Under this scheme - customers can track train status,ticket status,fares and accommodation availability.Its a good step that would be of great value add to customers given the fact that mobile telephones has reached out to nook and corner of India.To roll out an initiative covering such a huge customer base and rail network is no mean task.

There are definitely quite a few best practices which we could pick up from our own railways !

British Council Library : Innovation in Customer Service

2009-05-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite places in Chennai is the British Council Library (BCL).BCL has always maintained high quality with respect collection of

Books,ambience,interiors ,visual display and customer service. Being a regular visitor and member for nearly 7 years , I have been closely following the improvements and innovation they bring about in their processes.

Recently , one innovation that impressed me was the RFID enabled Self Check out counters.

In this system, Library members can place the books and membership card ,check out the books ,collect the automated receipt and walk out. No hassles of queue or waiting time.

To add to this , they have introduced round the clock 'Book drop facilities' to enable book returns. IT Systems are also well interlinked check out system to take care of late return fee charges.

In a nut shell, BCL is a not jsut another library but a great organization to learn lot of innovative practices in customer service.

If you are in Chennai,try to visit BCL .

http://library.britishcouncil.org.in/

India Election 2009 : Analysing the Analysis!

2009-05-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

Indian elections are over and results are out.Yesterday all the top TV channels of India had a field day.

As political parties settle down to analyze the gains and loses ,here's quick thoughts on the election results show by TV channels.

Clearly NDTV and CNN-IBN did a great job.

What really impressed me was the TOUCH SCREENs used by both the channels to analyze state by state position.

According to me , NDTVs graphics and touch screen analysis scored a shade higher than CNN-IBN.While NDTV had its complete team of Prannoy Roy,Burkha,Vishnu with elite panel CNN-IBN pulled it off with its ever star performers Rajdeep and Karan Thapar.

Definitely the data presentation took care of several aspects like : key information communication,visually pleasing graphics,data stratification,good legends,no data overload.

Its not just celebration time for Congress,this time pollsters too have reasons to celebrate as their predictions of UPA victory came true.

Resonance Newsletter : Issue 04

2009-05-15T22:55:00.000-07:00

View Resonance Newsletter Edition -04

Resonance Newsletter : Issue 03

2009-04-21T18:37:00.000-07:00

View Resonance Newsletter -03 edition

Technology Trends :Jargon buster

2009-04-21T05:40:00.000-07:00

Of late the technology landscape is flooded with many jargons.
Just thought of compiling the definitions of latest Technology trends.

Software as a Service, SaaS is a software delivery method that provides access to software and its functions remotely as a Web-based service. SaaS allows organizations to access business functionality at a cost typically less than paying for licensed applications since SaaS pricing is based on usage fee. Also, because the software is hosted remotely, users don't need to invest in additional hardware. SaaS removes the need for organizations to handle the installation, set-up and often daily upkeep and maintenance.

Service-oriented architecture (SOA) unifies business processes by structuring large applications as collection of smaller modules called "services".
SOA is a group of services that communicate with each other. The process of communication involves either simple data-passing or two or more services coordinating some activity. Intercommunication implies the need for some means of connecting two or more services to each other. SOA provides a design framework with a view to realizing rapid and low-cost system development and to improving total system-quality.

Green IT means operating in a way that uses the least amount of resources for the greatest gain; Green IT starts with manufacturers producing environmentally friendly products and encouraging IT departments to consider more friendly options like virtualization, power management and proper recycling habits. The government has also recently proposed new compliance regulations which would work towards certifying data centers as green. Some criteria include using low-emission building materials, recycling, using alternative energy technologies, and other green technologies

Cloud Computing means “Internet-based” development, where ‘Cloud’ here, is a metaphor for ‘Internet’ and ‘Computing’ meaning, the use of “Computer technology”. It is a style of computing in which IT-related capabilities are provided “as a service”, allowing users to access technology-enabled services from the Internet ("in the cloud") without knowledge of, expertise with, or control over the technology infrastructure that supports them.
Some of the associated terms are Infrastructure as a Service,
Private cloud etc.

Take it Free :Give me Business!

2009-04-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

Recession or otherwise ,Marketing folks cannot tend to relax.Innovation in Marketing is quintessence to see through these tough recessionary times .
One such interesting marketing move that I recently spotted was Freecups.
FreePaperCups works with advertisers to provide the cups to companies for free in exchange for branding them with sponsors' messages. The result? Advertisers get their brands in front of consumers and business decision makers in offices, conference rooms, break rooms and corporate dining facilities across the nation; companies get to eliminate the expense of buying the cups themselves; and participating coffee services get to offer more competitive pricing.
Its definitely a effective,clean and green idea !
Source :www.freepapercups.com

Credit Crisis Video :One of the best !

2009-04-05T05:23:00.000-07:00

I am sure by know everyone would have figured out what caused the credit crisis .
Nevertheless,check out this amazing video which explains the sequence of events that has left the economies in jeopardy.

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Resonance Newsletter :Issue 02

2009-03-30T18:20:00.001-07:00

View Resonance Newsletter :Issue 02

Resonance Newsletter : Issue 01

2009-03-30T18:07:00.000-07:00

View Resonance Newsletter :Issue 01

Aligning Ferret : Book Review

2009-03-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend I happened to read a book/business novel -

' Aligning Ferret'.

Written by Rajesh Naik and Swapna Kishore , the story of the book is set up in an software organization 'Ferret'.

The story is narrated through the hero of the book ,'Sunny' alias ' Sunil Chinnappa' , who after successfully leading a CMM initiative is entrusted the job of charting out a robust organization strategy .With a parallel track narrating ' Sunny's ' personal life challenges the story maintains the right tempo and sustains the readers interest .

Definitely inspired by one of the greatest business novels 'The Goal' for its structure , 'Aligning Ferret' brings about the management challenges which an IT organization goes through.

Without diving deep , it touches upon CMM,PCMM and Balanced Scorecard ;this however could have been given more detailed focus when Sunny tries to go about charting out Ferret's strategy.

Day to day work pressure in the IT world, employee's varied expectation's and need to survive in a competing business is well etched out through interesting events.

Characters like Sheri(always loaded HR ) ,Rajiv ( ever demanding Sunny's boss),Raman(methodical project manager) and Sunny's wife Shubhangi are people one would come across day in day out.

Overall, the book is definitely a very good read both for its informative content and excellent narrative style.

"You can get more information about the book and order copies from its website http://www.postscript-impressions.com"

Chennai's retail power !

2009-03-13T18:36:00.000-07:00

Chennai, one of the metro cities of South India , has always been a great hub for retail.

Be it Parry's,Mylapore,Purasawalkam or the buzzling T.Nagar , its always been a scene of high action for retail sales.

Recently when I spoke to few retailers and retail corporate heads , the current recession definitely has had an impact on the sales .The impact however is more pronounced in malls and bigger stores where the footfalls have come down.

However for an Indian consumer who is extremely price conscious, retailers seem to have the right answers by charting out marketing campaigns which delivers value for money .

Known as 'Walmart of Chennai'- 'Saravana Stores' never seems to have a dip in sales , as everyday when I pass by the store in T.Nagar, I could just see enthusiastic shoppers coming out with atleast three to four plastic covers full of goods.

Yet another store which has drawn inspiration from Saravana Stores and grown across India is the 'The Big Bazaar'.Last week I happen to visit their store and was impressed by their Great Exchange Sale.Was fascinated to see customers coming in cars with loads of old goods to get them exchanged for coupons, which could be used for buying fresh goods in Big Bazaar.

Definitely Indian retailers seem to have the right answers for boosting sales - recession or otherwise !

Guru Speak !

2009-03-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

One of the interesting piece that I came across..

Lipstick Effect !

2009-02-15T17:04:00.000-08:00

During recession , all sectors take a bad hit and sales slump.

But its interesting to note that there is a phenonmenon that emerges in business during these dull times.

It's the famous 'Lipstick Effect'.

The "lipstick effect" can be traced back to the Great Depression of the 1930s. In the four years from 1929 to 1933, industrial production in the US halved, but sales of cosmetics rose.

Women who could not buy expensive fashion wear cut back on thier spending and instead looked upon lipsticks to keep their fashion quotient up!

Here's one of the definition I found :

lipstick effect n. During a recession, the tendency for consumers to purchase small, comforting items such as lipstick rather than large luxury items.

Its been validated from the sales of some of the big cosmetics major like L'oreal,Avon,Beiersdorf etc. during recession times.

Resonance Newsletter

2009-02-01T04:33:00.000-08:00

Hi folks
Greetings!
Ancient saying goes , ‘ Knowledge is knowing that we cannot know everything ‘.In this ‘googled’ world ,where we are drowned in information and starved for knowledge , collective learning through sharing of experiences and wisdom is the need of the day .

I have been thinking of creating a newsletter for quite a while and finally with dawn of 2009 , decided its time for it !!

This newsletter titled ' RESONANCE ' is aimed to bring the community together to leverage the knowledge and experience of professionals in various domains.
This newsletter is a medium to share topics and themes on various business processes presented through collection of concepts, practical cases, expert opinions and happenings around the world.
I look forward to your suggestions, feedback and most importantly contributions to take this medium of knowledge sharing with community more effectively.
In this newsletter :
· Sighted & Spotted - Happenings in world of quality & process
· Event Buzz - Upcoming events in the coming months
· Sharpener - Techniques of Root Cause Analysis
· Insight - 7 waste in software development
· Just a Charla - Chat with Mark McGregor ,BPM Guru
· @ Action - New service option from SUBWAY
· KIKP - Know a Industry , Know a Process

To get a copy of newsletter, I appreciate if you could subscribe to this blog .

You can see the subscription if you scroll down on right side or just drop in a mail..

Think fresh: Sewage Infoway !

2009-01-16T06:09:00.000-08:00

Its no more just food,clothing and shelter that matters ;in today's world Internet too is a necessity for most of the educated folks.
Don't agree with me ?
Try living your life without internet for a day,a week or a month.
If you are bold enough and trythe experiment for a month, soon you will find that you are living in a prehistoric world with information explosion just sweeping you away.
Backbone for all connected world today is the infrastructure to obtain high internet speeds.But given the population explosion , cramped spaces and chaotic cities , how does one sustain and grow the internet connectivity !!

This is when I came across an amazing fact that the intenet in most parts of France is carried through its 'Sewage system'.
Wow,this is engineering and innovation at its best!
SO how does it work ?
In France, tunnels meant for sewage is also utilized to carry fibre optic cables and the complete process of laying cables and managing them is backed with excellent technology .
This is not just in France, Japan,UK to are catching up to leverage the power of their sewage systems!

No digging of roads , amazing speeds ,shared resources and effective way to meet the objectives - what more do we need !!
For me this is fascinating work and really has made me realize that even trivial,small and insignificant things could be leveraged to do wonders.
Most of the times we think in a narrow traditional way looking for solutions that are time tested and 'just meets my needs'.Creativity and willingness to experiment is what distinguishes the best from the rest..
How many countries have thought about things in different way or have the ability to execute such acts !
Every small thing in world has a story ...Inspiration is everywhere...!
If in France, don't miss out the Paris Sewage system visit from your itinerary !
Definitely , I am waiting for it ...
Sewage System Photo courtesy:Roy Tennant

Big 'I' of CMMI !

2008-11-22T03:13:00.000-08:00

While writing CMMI , I have noticed many people using small 'i' i.e CMMi.
My observation is everywhere in SEI website and in CMMI model book Acronymns page,
CMMI is wriiten only with big 'I' in it.
Indeed CMMI is BIG :-)
Though its a trivial issue , I have seen people who are conscious enough to make 'i' as smaller one,even it is written correctly as CMMI!And to be honest it becomes topic for a amusing debate !
I really don't know the origin for this practice ,though I use the notation - CMMI.

As I was going through the CMMI model book, one thing that struck me was ,in the project members list for the CMMI project it was surprising that there is not a single Indian name/company !!!
The recent statistics published by SEI clearly indicates India in third position after USA and China in the most number of CMMI adopted companies.

Point to ponder..
If someone has views over this , I am eager to hear ...
Statistics Source :SEI website

'Salik' way to drive process compliance !!

2008-11-02T17:30:00.000-08:00

Entire universe is such a fascinating place to learn without any limits.
I firmly believe there can be lot of interesting learning's when you look into the happenings in a related /unrelated discipline.
Drawing up analogies and deducing things is a effective way to look upon a problem.
This is what I call as 'Conceptual Cross Fertilization (CCF)'.
One such thing that caught my eye was the 'Salik' road toll system implemented in Dubai.In many places like in India, the road toll is collected through manual tolls, where the vehicles need to pass through the toll gate ,pay the toll amount and proceed.
However in several advanced countries electronic tolls do the job.Leveraging the RFID technology , toll process is completely automated and well regulated .
This is where the power of technology works.And indeed works more effectively justifying the costs involved.
The Dubai 'Salik' Road tag system is depicted below :
'Salik' means 'clear' in arabic.
'Salik' utilizes the latest technology to achieve free flow operation with no toll booths, no toll collectors, and no impact to traffic flow, allowing vehicles to move freely through the tolling point at highway speeds. Each time you pass through a Salik tolling point, a preset toll fee will be deducted from your prepaid toll account using advanced Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.
About Salik Tag

Salik tag represents the latest generation technology in tolling, operates with no battery or moving parts, and it should last the life of your windshield.
It works in all weather conditions and speeds, and provides highly accurate and reliable identification of your vehicle to the system.
Your Salik tag must be affixed to your windshield to operate properly and cannot be removed from your vehicle windshield without damaging the tag.
So, whats the CCF component from 'Salik' ?

Driving process compliance !

Many times in Software organizations,making the practitioners to adhere to all process elements is a process challenge.
Audit is one mechanism which acts as a toll gate where the QA staff check the projects compliance to process.
But most of the cases,there is a high level of manual intervention required to streamline this process.
I am sure there would be QA folks complaining that 'Project Managers do not clearly say when a release is going to happen '.I too need to do some planning'.
'There is pressure from customer for release and and that neck of moment the process issues I find are put on hold to be fixed after release.So whats the value add I bring in ?'.
Taking cue from ' Salik' , there can be different proactive ,inbuilt robust mechanisms to drive in process compliance the way the Salik meets its objective!
It could be thought out in the way processes are defined,how they are implemented, how they are regulated and if violated how they are introspected !
So 'Salik' way may not be just for traffic management but also for process management !!Time to do some 'Salik' thinking !!
Salik Details : http://www.salik.ae/english

Marketing rule for process #1:Hey man,products dont sell by themselves,they need to be sold !

2008-10-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

Lessons on communication teach us that,"How you communicate is equally important as what you communicate !".Its very true in all aspects of life and its no different when it comesto communicating process initiatives across organizations.
Its unfortunate that in all such initatives so much emphasis is given on standards,templates,procedures,compliance etc..several critical finer points
are missed.

Process is a "Product" that needs to be sold.
Like in any product management scenario,it needs proper marketing and branding.
There needs to be a buzz,branding and a noise created to convey what are the processes meant for and what do they deliver.
The models and quality standards assume that once we have excellent processes
there are going to be excellent results.They are passive in addressing how do you communicate your processes to the internal crowd.Whats your marketing startegy !
Most importantly when it comes to software processes,its all about PEOPLE driving it unlike a manufacturing or service business process where processes get embedded as part of their routine business transactions.
So first firm up a process,to market your process before you roll out..else like any product lifecyle,your processes too will go through the phases of introduction,growth,saturation and then a silent death!!
If you dont agree with me , just take a peep into some lessons on Branding or think what comes to your mind when you think of TOYOTA,BENZ or check out with your chef of your restaurant on how mush importance he gives to presenting his recipe to the customers !
Image courtesy :http://www.flickr.com/photos/creativeabubot/

Business Case for Software Assurance

2008-10-07T19:34:00.001-07:00

Had a chance to present in "Business Case for Software Assurance " conference
at Carnegie Mellon University,Pittsburg.My paper was about a ROI framework on process improvements titled "PIVR framework for measuring returns on process improvement".Was a good experience to be part of the elite community.
Some of the interesting points discussed were :
integrating security in SDLC, need for CMMI to explicitly address security issues
of application in its practices,code quality audit,tackling offshoring quality issues.Few discussion points that pondered my thoughts were :
across organizations commitment to process and frameworks,
abuse and assurance cases to ensure asssurance of applications,
importance of risk management.
You can download all the action of the proceedings in :
SEI website link.

Image Courtesy :http://www.flickr.com/photos/micke-fi/

Stop Talking,Start Doing !!

2008-08-23T07:53:00.000-07:00

One of the recent TV Commercials which attracted me was the
"Stop Talking,Stop Doing" theme from IBM.
I realized it was such a powerful message well shot into a TV commercial.
Today in every corporate strategy,Innovation related topics are a 'MUST-BE' line item.But reality presents a different picture altogether.
Many fail to pull up their investments on innovation and translate them to competitive advantage.
If you are interested in comparing orgnaization's performance,have a look as to how successful organization's have been in the area of INNOVATION.
Dynamism is business makes INNOVATION a quintessence !
IBM commercial triggered in me ,lot of thoughts;
Really much more needs to be done to differentiate oneself, rather than just talking.
Actions speak louder than words !
Its time to 'Stop Talking and Start Doing', atleast for me!
For commercial and related news check out IBM website.
Also have a look at this blog on INNOVATION by one of my colleague Pavan Soni.

BPM in Gartner's Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2008 !

2008-08-17T03:07:00.000-07:00

As business keeps spreading across geopgraphies and when newer technologies revolutionalizes the way business is run,the complexity in organizations
tend to increase.
This is where , efficient business processes plays a critical role in
providing competitive advantage to and organization.
Think for a moment a simple activity of ,depositing a cheque in your bank.It involves a series of steps right before an SMS could give you a confirmation
that your cheque has been credited.
As a customer , you would like this to happen at the earliest so that your bank
balance is healthy.So to make this happen , there needs to be well defined
process to facilitate a chain of activities that could go on smoothly and error free.
Once this is laid down well , IT systems are more a enabler to execute this process.
So everytime you find there is a delay in cheque processing or errors in your bank acoount, its just a PROCESS problem that needs to be fixed.
In this context its heartening to see that "Business Process Management",is being identified as one of the Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2008by Gartner.
It is unfortunate that there is a misconception among several folks that,
process means its something to do with quality department!
Next time if you find your customer shouting over a software product you delivered,
don't go and fix the developers and testers,instead fix your PROCESS!
Click here to read the full report on Gartner Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2008

CMMI,Subprocess and your heart !

2008-07-31T18:31:00.000-07:00

When it comes to high maturity practices in CMMI,the subject
of 'Subprocess'control fascinates everyone.
One of the simpler ways to understand this concept is with an
analogy to human body, the most complicated system than any software
built in this universe !
For a good functioning of human body there are critical parts
that need to work well - eg : Cardiac system,Respiratory-Breathing ,
E-N-T (Ear , Nose,Throat).
They are akin to the key processes of requirements,design,coding,testing
in a software lifecycle.
Based on the inherent variations that are individualistic,
always few parts needs special attention due to genetic problems ,
complications developed , occupational need etc.
i.e for a singer vocal system needs special focus, for a manual labourer
good physique gains prominence,for a young girl- good facial looks is the
spot light .
This is the intent of one of the spcific practices in OPP at CMMI Level 4 says, 'Select Processes'.Organizations have many processes and like a human
body all parts haveto work well.Still few processes are critical to be more
aligned to business objectives;they need special focus.
For everyone healty cardiac system is critical, as many people suffer
from cardiac arrests.
To ensure we have a good cardiac system , doctors advice that one needs
to control cholestrol , keep a tab on sugar level , have a daily brisk
walk for a kilometre.So all these aspects have a direct say on cardiac system.
In other words these are the subprocesses if taken care well will have
a positive impact and prevent one form cardiac arrest.
This is what is the sub process control spoken about in Level 4.
If Design activity is critical to your operations , you may very well
focus on Design review as sub process.If your design reviews are stronger,
your design might meet the requirements and ensure the overall quality
satisfies the customer.
And when a doctor advises to control blood sugar to certain level its
all based on measurements and data .The same applies when we talk about
sub process measurement using statistical techniques.

So may be if you start taking up sub process control seriously in
your projects, projects might be delivered on time , no more will
customer give you sleepless nights, your blood pressure will not
shoot up like increasing barrel prices and eventually fees you spend on
doctor visits is reduced !
Oh is CMMI - Cardiac Maintenance Made sImple !

Can you change me ?

2008-07-21T18:02:00.000-07:00

Whether it is Indian upanishad 'Bhagavad Gita' or western philosophy,
all the management concepts,embrace that 'Change is the eternal and
permanent thing in the universe'.
Change Management is always an intersesting topic in business circles.
Differences in people psycology, culture,language and attitude spices up
'Change Management '.
Agility in business is definitely a critical success factor,and
case studies of successful companies evidences the fact they
are all open to change.
In this context, a wonderful resource to know various aspects of
change management can be referenced at Changing Minds

People issues in your agile teams ?

2008-07-02T04:39:00.000-07:00

Search on Agile in 'Web God '(Google :-)),leaves you with
hundreds of informative material.Navigating through I landed up in
this fantastic presentation by Dr.Venkat Subramaniam.
Dr.Venkat is one of the renowned personalities in Agile arena.
In this presentation he talks about various techniques to handle
people issues involved in agile teams.
Dont miss out this webcast on
Pragmatic Factors for Agile Success.
Though its more than a hour's presentation, worth looking at it.

A-Z of Agile Leader

2008-06-25T02:22:00.000-07:00

When there is a team , then there is a Leader
Traits of the leader has a great influence on how he /she steers the
team.In case of agile where pre-requisite for success is
'self-organized' teams,the leadership plays a key role.
Whatever we call the role ,Scrum Master /Team Lead/Agile Coach,
certain fundamental qualitities for the role remains the same.
Given below is A-Z traits for such role.

FOund them in Patric Kua's article on 'The Agile Coach, from A to Z'

AGILE Chart

2008-06-19T05:56:00.000-07:00

Globally , while organizations are moving on to adopt
'Agile' practices for software development , it is very
essential to thoroughly analyze the pros and cons of Iterative
development vis -a-vis Waterfall approach, from an
organizational perspective.
Found the following chart in http://blogs.numbersix.com/interesting,

Y-axis depicts the level of agility
X-axis represents the activity workload

7 Waste :' Waiting Time' the Leader !!

2008-06-04T04:36:00.000-07:00

Any activity either its day to day chore or the ones done
in business has mix of value add and non value adds in it.
Entire idea of process improvements is to minimze and eliminate
the non-value add avtivities.
WASTE in different forms major chunk in the non value added list.
The WASTES are classified generally in & categories.

Deeper observation would leave one to agree that anywhere
and everywhere , Waiting time is the major culprit in any process.
Waiting time in Airport,bus stations , Check out counter in supermarket,
in reception area of hospital,in the park for your girlfriend(debatable topic though :-) )
the list goes on.......

Learning from GURU...

2008-04-21T18:19:00.000-07:00

Regular visitors to the management sections of bookstalls
would have never missed the title ,
"Toyota Production System"(TPS).
Its a great collection of the best practices in manufacturing
and plant management of one of the worlds best autombile
company.

The snapshot below summarizes the Macro level process flow of TPS.
The Toyota Production System (TPS) was established based on two
concepts:
The first is called "jidoka"(which can be loosely
translated as "automation with a human touch") which means that
when a problem occurs, the equipment stops immediately, preventing
defective products from being produced; The second is the concept
of "Just-in-Time," in which each process produces
only what is needed by the next process in a continuous flow.
For organizations looking for process improvements,without any doubt,
Toyota Production System(TPS),has plethora of good practices.
Source :http://www.toyota.co.jp

Think the constraints way ...

2008-04-16T18:34:00.000-07:00

'Consultant is a person who sees your watch and tells you
the time', a anonymous quote which I had enjoyed being in
that profession !
Though it looks bit sardonic at first glance, it isnt.
A consultant should be a person who is able to find
solution by involving the customer and help them
understand their pain.
Once the fundamentals are clear it is just 'Common sense'.
Whatever tags we attach to it by calling it Scorecard,Lean,
systems thinking or anyother end of day they are just
'Labels' for the common sense approach beneath it.
One such book which has given me a strong sense of this feel is,
'The Goal' by Goldratt and Jeff COx.
Any problem (business/personal/project) try to hover around
three questions :
1.What is the end goal ?
2.What do we need to change ?
3.How do we change ?
Though looks simple , application of these in complex
environment (self made !!) filled with so much information
and dynamics isnt easy.
The art of questioning ,the socrates way is indeed a focussed approach.
And now donning the role of influencer , I recommend the book'The Goal'. 'The Goal' is definitely a MUST READ for any person in business operations function
in particular if you are a QA guy !

Process without Documentation : Are you joking !!!

2008-02-20T17:11:00.000-08:00

How many times we would have heard " Quality or
process work,its too much documentation man .."
But most of the times thats used more as an excuse to
keep away from adopting process.
looking at other perspective , is adopting process really a pain
due to documentation..
Just read my article published in CM Crossroads on this topic..

Risk Management :Thou shall not dare to do !

2008-02-08T17:56:00.000-08:00

"Nothing will ever be attempted, if all possible objections must be first overcome." said,Samuel Johnson.
In essence this is how we get along and live our lives.
The subject which evolves around this concept is
"Risk Management".Irrespective of any type of business
Managing risks is both an art and science.
Its a science, when one learns the structured way of
managing risks, by learning to quantify the impacts ;
its a art when one needs to foresee the challenges that
may arise at any point of execution in business.
Risk Management is one common subject that is taught
in all disciplines whether it is IT,Construction ,Medicine,
Security or Service .

One interesting way to get the essence of any subject is
through 'Mind Maps'.

Given here is Mind Map on Risk Management.
If you are interested in such Mind Maps of any Management topic,
do write to me at osbalaji@gmail.com.
If you are interested to learn more about Risk management ,
these sources are good place to start:
http://www.risk-management-basics.com/
http://www.ruleworks.co.uk/riskguide/manage-risk.htm

People Practices Deployment

2008-01-04T19:50:00.000-08:00

'Managing people ' is indeed a serious business and
no body could deny the fact that Human Resources Management is both an
art and science.
How does an organization align people practices with
its business objectives..
How to drive in People practices more effectively..
How can Kano model help to deploy effective people practices?
VAIM framweork could help you out..
Read the article on VAIM Framework for People practices deployment
Its all about ALIGNMENT..

As I Spot :Usability Matters !!

2007-11-08T20:54:00.000-08:00

The modern essentialities of life is not just Roti,
Kapda aur Makaan (Food,Clothing and Shelter).
In this world there are several other direct qualifiers -
Mobile, TV,Vehicle.. Political parties distributing free TV
sets to poor apart from regular rations ,speaks volumes
about the need for products either its simple machine
or a hitech gizmo.
So with such widgets becoming part of everyone's life , it
becomes highly critical that they have Ease of Use.!
How many times you would have fumbled with your
USB flashdisk figuring out which side you need to insert
in a PC,Laptop or how many times you would do a test
stamp before you put a rubber stamp just to ensure you
don't put it upside down !!
Usability in process and products is the key to success of
any new product or process.
So a group which promotes the Usability awareness is
http://www.usabilitymatters.org/.
Just Check out the presentations on day to day usability
issues. Lets remember the old adage :
KISS - 'Keep it Simple, Stupid !'

Relax:Yours Lovingly..CMMI

2007-10-27T22:15:00.000-07:00

Note:Knowledge of CMMI Process areas could make this a interesting reading.let me know if any process areas of CMMI are missed out !!

Dear Charl…
It was three years ago..I still remember the day when we
first met in a Interview for a job , where you came in
drenched in rain.We started dating;
your Character Made Me Irresistible and I fel in love
with you. We soon became soulmates and started our lives.
We had agreed upon some common objectives and
goals and decided to align our personal
and professional lives towards them.Just to quote a few :
a home in year 2008 ,Spend Variance <10%, Home
availability rate of 80 % in weekends etc.. Unfortunately
over the past years, our Love and Life Database (L& L) has
been populated with bad experiences and sour memories.
Looking back at past data it reveals :Spend Variance : 35 %
( data from last 7 data points collected from past 7 months)
Home availability in weekends : 45 % ( in weekends)
Deeper analysis of all data and correlating them indicates there have
been both Chance and Assignable causes.
Looking at the Spend variance, the assignable causes have been:
increased spending in clothing ,partying, Smoking.Your Smoking
limit has crossed more than 2 % of Upper Specification Limit that
was decided in our Life -Ahead Capability Baseline (LCB) .
In fact in the new version which we baselined on last august I had
agreed for a increase from 1 % just not to disappoint you. The
tailoring guidelines clearly stated.’ drinking only in Social occasions’
but there has been lot of deviations to it. I prefer not to
quote the day when I caught you red handed in the pub
partying with couple of girls!!Nevertheless , all along I had
tried to understand your needs , aspirations
and gave all my care and affection.To make things work ,
I had planned up mini projects and tried to monitor and control
them to see some improvements.
I capture your needs and requirements come up with a
technical solution to bring you back to shape so that we
integrate our lives and carry on. But before I could test and validate
the effect of the solution your interests and mind
swings, which throws my project out of gear. It becomes difficult to
capture your ever changing requirements and reinitiate a project.
To quote a example, your cutting down on partying and replacing with
your new found interests on collecting old perfume bottles. Everyday
I had to clean and arrange that cupboard of 1345 bottles leaving me
with dizziness and loss of smell sensation .
Oof !!So , I guess its time for me to appraise strengths and weaknesses of a
life with you and take an decision to split.So let me know your comments
on this..

Yours
Linda

Dearest Linda…
I appreciate your initiatives and your pointing of my non
conformances. Though there has been lots of bad decisions
where I had gone about without a formal decision making
exercise, I am sure my decision to have a life with you
was well thought of .Doing a causal analysis, I could
understand the root causes of all issues.
Like it was calculated risk ,when I partied with two girls
on the pub when you spotted me.It had totally gone out of
mind that you had your office conference in the same hotel!!!
But it was just one such incident in every man’s life and
you couldn’t deny that now I hardly go out with any girls
and even give my Mobile for a audit every day to check
my SMS and Call history. That incident
has taught me to manage risks better !!Also your analysis
on spend variance crossing > 35 % has a flaw in it. If you
remember , in our Spend measurement guidelines ,
I had agreed upon to bear all your cosmetic spends in my
account because of the commitment I gave you
during our love making days that , ‘I would give all my
money to see your face glowing like this’. And you had used
that moment to seal a deal with me!!
Past in past and I don’t mind to do that but that spend
contributes to around 18 % of that 35 % spend variance !!!
If need be I can train you again on the
Measurement guidelines.Honey , after all life is not all about
money !!Leaving all that aside, I propose lets put up a
‘Life-Ahead Improvement Request’ and pilot few new
things to get along. I am sure at end of the piloting phase
we would have a redefined understanding to take us along
in the rest of our life .
If your not for it , I need to innovate and do a
Cost – Benefit analysis to find a new partner for me ,
which my heart would not allow at any point.With a
collection of Lessons Learnt , lets look forward to
fill the Love and Life Database with best practices
and evergreen memories.

Your everloving
Charl

Six months after pilot
Things worked for Charl and Linda and soon they were awaiting their new baby!!

Global Brands :Missing Indian name !!

2007-09-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

Brand Game...
Branding is a key component for any business whether

ita about products or services .
Possession of a 'Rolex' watch , , a 'Benz ' Car ,a 'Sony' TV ,

a 'Nokia' mobile ,a ' Nike' shoe is still a proud statement

for a customer in his/her social group.
Its really a vintage thing to know what brand equity

could do to one's business..
A list of world's top 100 brands of 2007 makes an interesting

reading with top 10 been occupied by the known powerhouses .
Top 10 Global Brands :
1.Coca Cola
2.Microsoft
3.IBM
4.GE
5.Nokia
6.Toyota
7.Intel
8.McDonalds
9.Disney
10.Mercedes-Benz
Google has sky rocketed in just few years of its existence

and occupies a prestigous Rank :24.
Its very surprising to know that , India being one of the

world's growing economies with global players does not have

a single entry in the global list.
Its a testimony to fact that are still miles to go for Indian

companies to establish themselves as a global brand to reckon with.
Lets hope atleast couple of Indian Brands make it in the next year listing..
Lets wait and watch.. !!

Reference :Business Week Brands 2007 survey

QFD for Process Improvement

2007-08-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

Business Strategy and Process Alignment

'Getting the Strategy right ' is what the top honchos of an organization would always strive for.Its no different in case of initiating a Process Improvement program.
As it is said 'Process Improvements are carried out for business needs not done for the sake of it', it is indeed a serious job!
Balanced Scorecard is one great way to go about , aligning these initiatives with the overall business strategy.However in this article , use of Quality Function Deployment(QFD) as a tool for Process Improvement Program is discussed.
Alignment of business needs and process initiatives is the key...
Just read on QFD for Process Improvement.

As I Spot :Theory of Constraints

2007-05-27T04:54:00.000-07:00

End of the day Quality and processes is all about one thing in common -Improvement.Improvement in terms of efficiency and effectiveness that adds value and growth to the business.

To address these are the vast number of tools and techniques like :Lean,Six Sigma,Kaizen,Poka Yoke .One such interesting concept on 'Cause and Effect' relationship is the Theory of Constraints.(TOC).

Interested more on TOC, dont miss the book 'The Goal' by Eliyahu M. Goldratt.

Just look at this excellent animation to get a feel of TOC http://www.tocca.com.au/Services/demomanufacturing.htm

Courtesy :TOCCA ,http://www.clarkeching.com/

Process :WIIFM

2007-05-17T06:19:00.000-07:00

What is in it for me (WIIFM)?

Location: IT organization with clients all over the globe
Scenario: Project team busy in getting things ready for code delivery to client. They are infuriated when Quality Auditor comes for audit.
Background: Project facing schedule overrun
Actors: Developers, Testers and Team Leader

Sounds like a familiar situation...

What is in it for me in following the processes..

Just Read on..

Mr.Q !! Numero One..

2007-01-31T17:50:00.000-08:00

Going Agile !...

2007-01-15T23:57:00.000-08:00

Going Agile in Software Development

With lot of community talk happening on Agile and how it aids/counters CMMI, here’s the crux of what Agile offers for software development :

1.Be Practical Boss:No one can hit bull’s eye !
When one knows the dynamics involved in

real time software development with frequent changes evolving requirements ,

don’t stick to a detailed plan and end up tracking and saying ,

”We couldn’t stick to the plan”.
Prepare a high level plan but plan broadly for all activities.
Plan in detail as project matures.

2.Dont lose your life sticking to Waterfall model
Customers give you more requirements when you give them a little idea

of what’s coming up.
So develop a core functional low version working model with key requirements

and get the real expectations of customer.

3.SW development is not Rocket Science

Iterate your work and freeze requirements , followed by design as you

develop .
Leave the military mantra :Design only after requirements , coding only

after design !

4.Fail early !!!
Develop test cases upfront ;use them to develop; defects early in the

low version model make final acceptance clear as requirements are

spelled out more clearly after that

5.No surprises ..
Do not try to get ‘WOW’ feeling from customer by showing the working

software only at the end. Murphys law has it that , 9/10 times you will

only get a response “Actually , I wanted something different “ !!

6. Documents make sense
Without documentation , success in SW development is a fluke.

Remember Abraham Lincoln words ‘You cant fool all of the people

all of the time ‘!.
Be professional and ensure ‘Just – fit ‘ documentation and

measures are collected to measure our agile moves.

Relax !! - SQA Nursery ..

2006-12-28T01:55:00.000-08:00

Software Quality Assurance Nursery School
( As a Software Quality Assurance person thinks about work life..)

Twinkle, twinkle little star
I just wonder what we are?

Said to be the Management’s eyes and ears
We don’t have value all these years!
I plan my work and go to PM
He just says come after 6 p.m
Quality work is pushed to last
As the PM feels without it nothing is lost!

Twinkle, twinkle little star
I just wonder what we are?

Just for boasting we got CMMI !!
But after that Who am I?
No body wants to listen to us
Are we here to make a fuss?
Metrics, Goals and Data sheet
Moment I ask these I am shown the street!

Twinkle, twinkle little star
I just wonder what we are.

I also think is quality a fad,
As with no work to do I go mad;
Whom to blame what to blame
But year on year many quality models came
As one more day comes to an end
I just wonder how much to bend

Twinkle, twinkle little star
I just wonder what we are?

Relax !!!

2006-12-08T20:16:00.000-08:00

Troubleshoot Heart @ Cupid Inc ..

Dear Ms.Software,

The moment you hit my heart screen , my system brokedown.

I tried to reboot my system ,but after troubleshooting

found that , it has been attacked completely by Love virus.
All these years the firewall I had in my heart against intrusion

of any girl , was hacked by your powerful sight and

now I am left with no anti –virus protection.
As data packets of love spreads across my entire network ,

it throws out the message ‘I Love You,I Love You’.

I hope you would press ‘Accept’ for this message and

make it compatible with my Operating System.
I am just sending this mail with the subject as ‘Service Request ‘

so that my request as a customer is fulfilled upon which I

will sign in a life agreement and handover the total maintenance

of my Operating system to you.
Please respond to the request with in 24 hours.
--Soft hearted Hardware..

Dear Mr.Hardware,
While debugging the code related to your service request ,

I had to put the issue under ‘Need Clarification’ as

I suspect it had been raised against a wrong person.

If it is the case,please close the issue and log out of this

software.

Else proceed further ,
From the request I could judge that requirements

are not clear and your current application is throwing

junk values as thoughts , I suggest you migrate to

SOA –Self lOve Assessment .
When you migrate to SOA , you will get the following results :
BASICally VISUAL Cing a person should not call

the love function.There is more to Cing.It is C+ ..+.. .

You have to validate what are those other + + things ,

before calling the love function to execute the loop.
Don’t get DOT Netted by this rejection as there are

lot of other girls you can find out from Open Source junctions

like JAVA Café , Sybase Disco or COGNOS d-mall.
I am sure you will find a good software to run your

Operating System.
So I am closing the service request and you will not be

allowed to ‘Reopen’ the issue. Thanks.
--Hardhearted Software

.........................................................................

On reading the response ,
System Crashed. Not Responding !!!

2006-07-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

By the People, For the People , Of the People !

Technology has revolutionalized the way today's business is run - whether its SOA, RFID or webcasts.What may be the breakthrough innovations in technology ,the soul of business are the 'PEOPLE'.
Its very interesting to note that,the global giant Microsoft promotes its products and services with a recently launched 'People - Ready Business' campaign.Its the people who make the difference not the systems or technology.In this context how does one view process compliance with people perspective.
Read the article P-P Matrix for panoramic view of Process Compliance published in CM Crossroads journal.

Security in Software applications

2006-05-27T11:29:00.000-07:00

On Alert ..
Software applications developed are nowadays exposed to multitude of attacks. Try to match few of the attack strategies with their modus operandi.

Also read the article http://www.securitydocs.com/library/3314
Interested to know how Information security Management practices had its presence in 'The Ramayana".Read the post.http://osbalaji.blogspot.com/2005/10/relax.html

Learn @speed of Mach

2006-05-14T18:33:00.000-07:00

Learning Libro :Practical Learning
In the present knowledge driven era , 'learning' for/in organizations in indispensable. In other words only learning organizations , hold on and strive in the strong current of competition and change .When E-learning holds sway in all corporates today , its' also time to structure our learning process to be more practical and real time oriented rather than just knowing concepts and theory. Correlate and learn some Quality concepts from case study published in http://thequalityportal.com/quiz/jsh.htm
Image: Michael Jastremski http://openphoto.net

NUTS & BOLTS

2006-05-12T19:18:00.000-07:00

Various problem solving techniques like TRIZ , Analogy Mapping, Six Thinking hats and many more fundamentally revolve around the concept of channelizing and formulating a though process in thinker’s mind .When seen critically , one could discover that it all boils down to just ‘cause-effect’ ,’it happened – how to get out’ analysis .
But all these techniques go beyond these and help us to structure our reasoning to delve deep into problems. One such technique is the FORCE FIELD analysis where , we look at any problems/issue as being made of two kinds of forces –Positive Vs Negative or Driving or Restraining . An example of force field analysis thinking given here.
Now with the broken dwon reasons in hand the technique helps the team to sort out ways to overcome the restraining forces.

2006-05-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

Just a Charla....
Hi Tarun...You look to be exhausted…
Hey Linda. You got it right I just attended a conference in Chennai, India .I just wanted to get out from the scorching heat. You wont believe on couple of days it soared past forty plus. It was a hot oven…
Sure...then you need a time to cool off…Alas , then I cant put your hot brains to work more..
‘Mm nothing like that. Mine is not as hot as young women professionals like you. Anyway put across whatever you wanted..but not more than three questions…’
“Oh that’s so nice of you. here’s my first one…
When is CMMI v1.2 got to be released?
CMMI v1.2 is expected in August 2006, so already its sunset period of CMMI v1.1.Don’t ask me on the changes in v1.2.hold on for a while to know that…

“Ok boss…fine I heard CMMI is coming up with a new model for Services industry”
“Yeah..you have authentic information. New CMMI services model is more focused towards services industry .Its more aligned towards ITIL and BS15000 standards...”

‘Fine tell me something …what’s all this blended learning, rapid learning etc...”
‘Linda when did you switch your plane to e-learning business. Slowly you seem to grow versatile! All these are terms related to the changes and newer business patterns that seem to be happening in the elearning market. E-learning as a segment has lots of potential to be unearthed .May be will detail you out in next meet.
“Oof..you are giving me all half baked answers. I shouldn't be troubling you too much..”
‘No only such incomplete answers may propel you to learn more and comeback next time with some with quality questions ‘
“Ha ha...your consulting coaxes not entertained here. anyway next time be charged up to detail out more on the topics discussed. See you later then..
‘Sure..will have a more productive chat next time …Catch up later. Bye”

Looking beyond

2006-04-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

Want to master the tricks of facing competition and challenges in business environment – Learn from the Chinese warfare treatise ‘The Art of War ‘ by Sun Tzu….
Want to know how to handle pressure – Study Sports psychology ….
Yes.. Welcome to the world of ‘Conceptual Cross fertilization ‘ , a way to look at things from a different utility perspective.
To get a glimpse of it ,read article Software Configuration Management - Embracing the principles of ‘5S’ , on how the principles of 5S (Seiri,Seiton,Seiso,Seiketsu,Shitsuke) could be looked into for deploying Configuration Management practices in Software development environment.

CMMI's day out ....

2006-02-20T18:00:00.000-08:00

After a two day session on CMMI, Sanjeev’s mind was just ringing with the names of CMMI process areas... !
As he was returning home, he got a feeling that the conversations at various places somehow related themselves to one or other process areas of CMMI.
Here are few dialogues he came across... Can you relate these day to day discussions to process areas of CMMI …?
At Bus station …. ‘Mishit’
‘The film even with the magnetic presence of Jo Ryan could not attract big crowds and bombed at box office ...How is that possible ..?’
“Hey dude. A single person’s presence does not ensure success..!! Right from beginning the film has run into all sorts of trouble – change of actors, financial debts, release dates, copyright violation, producer –director public spat..and on…”
‘Oh yeah...looks like the unit had no idea or plan of what they are going to do ...!’
CMMI helpline – Process area _ _ ( Level 2)

Two men walking out of a pub ‘Deadly Stats’..
‘Hey .you knows. from 2003 the number of causalities from Iraq war has crossed 35000 though the official figures would put it less by 50 %.At the same time revenue of TV channels covering Iraq war shot by 30-40% .Still there is daily death rate of 2 per day !’
“Wow... what a correlation analysis…One man’s loss is other man’s gain!!”
‘But the irony is the loss is life and the gain is money ...God bless the innocent …‘
CMMI helpline – Process area _ _ _( Level 2)

A young soccer fan listening to radio….” Kick out “
‘What’s the problem… our soccer team never learnt lessons from its past mistakes. Only last match that move to replace Tuelo , weakened our defence.Still the coach does the same thing …Better I go and tell him what happened last time..and create a database of past performances!!!
CMMI helpline – Process area _ _ _ ( Level 3)

Old couple at a street shop …”Cupid Outsourcing!! “
‘Gone are the days when guys would spend sleepless nights to write a letter to his girlfriend …Now it’s the world of outsourcing .I have seen business houses innovating themselves with a new business model targeted at the ‘hi –tech , no time to think youth ‘..
“Oh what’s that!!?”
‘LMS – Love Message Servicing , now one could outsource the activity of sending messages and letters to his/her mate to a service provider; who inturn would customize the messages and letters based on your needs and send it in the frequency you say…’
“Ooo no that’s a hard kill innovation ...”
CMMI helpline – Process area - _ _ _ (Level 5)

At his home ‘Control Chaos ‘...
‘Vinu , don’t make me say this everyday!!…Your room is a complete chaos ..Can’t you just set things properly? All the books are strewn around. I couldn’t locate the magazine that was kept there in the cupboard. My old files are also missing .Can’t you just keep them arranged? ‘
CMMI helpline – Process area _ _ (Level 2)

Check out the comments section soon for answers!!

2005-12-25T05:59:00.000-08:00

Just a Charla ..

‘Hi Tarun, you look very energetic today ?’

“Yes Linda , pretty much I just had a contract signed off for Process consulting for one of the IT services major”
‘That’s great news.. I presume in the present wave of offshoring
and outsourcing ,process consciousness has shot up a lot among organizations

Image :Darren Hester , http:://openphoto.net
“Very true. Now business demands it . Quality systems, processes and certifications are no more differentiators as they have become a necessity for survival in this hyper competitive world”
‘Ya Tarun…..By the way did you get a chance to look into the new ISO 27001:2005 standard ?How different it is from BS7799-2:2002 ?
“Not much . The key changes are
- 10 domains of BS7799 has been reshuffled into 11 domains with controls related to security incidents clubbed into a new ‘Information Security Incident Management’ domain
- Reallocation of few controls into more appropriate domains , to bring in more clarity
- New controls have been added and few sparsely used controls like Duress alarm, node authentication etc. have been removed
- The Clauses requirements are now more synchronized to ISO 9001:2000 , with rearrangement of Internal ISMS audits as a separate section
- Metrics is now a necessity even for ISMS
‘ Ok..That doesn’t seem to be much of change ‘
“ Sure..for companies already holding BS7799 certification it’s just a little extra effort to migrate to ISO 27001:2005 “
‘ Hope will all these standards bring back ROI in either tangible or intangible way …...
Ok Tarun , need to catch the 6o’clock train .So let me make a move ..’
“ Oh…fine ..its nearly time …trains service in our country work at six sigma levels .So better rush out to be on time ..”
‘Mm. Bye Tarun …’