Picture This

Picture This

Not long ago I attended the Aras ACE 2013 Conference.  Some of the underlying themes included 'Be Different', 'Do More', and 'Resilient PLM'.  In one of the sessions a business need requiring a change or customization to an Aras Innovator feature was presented to a group of implementation and solution providers.  A number of possible alternatives and approaches were discussed, including one that was very elegant.  All of these would have addressed the business need in various capacities.  However, none of them filled the customer's wants.  What immediately came to mind though was a tire swing cartoon that I have seen over the course of nearly thirty years of IT experiences.  I recently ran across “tree swing pictures” which I will come back to the comic in a little bit.

 

Here was a room full of well-educated individuals. Many of them true software developers.  Others were engineers.  They all understood what out-of-the-box features and functions existed.  They felt that they understood the business need.  They felt they knew where in the system a modification would need to be made.  They felt they understood the desired end result.

What they did not have was the simple solution design. They did not have a process document or a use case.  They did not have a full set of requirements to work from.  This group of individuals, I included, set off to try and build a solution without some key artifacts and project collateral.  Isn't this at the core of what all of us in consulting services are challenged with when we engage a customer (internal and/or external)?  Are we not attempting to address and solve their business needs with tools, systems and processes?  Are we not attempting to fix “it”, whatever “it” happens to be?

So now let me go back to the tire swing comic.  As I read through the comic (see image below), I was reminded of a hundred key points that I could make.  However, two very simple points really stood out;

1) many times having a list of requirements is not enough to develop the desired solution

2) everyone has their own perspective of both the need/problem and the solution (see my previous Bulldozer post)

Requirements are very important.  Even more important is a clear and complete vision, (sometimes a picture) of the whole situation.  Having a complete vision, an image, or a picture of the end solution to start with can save time, money, and even extended periods of frustration.  Being able to clearly communicate a solution can be the difference between success and failure.

Lesson: In the case of the tree swing, a picture is worth more than a thousand words.

Take Aways:

·         Spend the time up front to capture requirements, even a picture is necessary.

·         Get acknowledgement / confirmation that your picture matches the customer's picture.

·         Whatever tool you use to gather, manage, and collaborate requirements, leverage to deliver value.  For me, there is a very nice Requirements module for Aras Innovator that was developed by Nate Brown.  (Links to his presentations at ACE 2012 and ACE 2013)

Side Note:  The cost of change (time, money, and emotional capital) rises drastically the further along your development path you go and the closer you get to the end of your effort.  I came across the following graphic and felt that it (the image) gave an industry accepted visual.

Bulldozers and Different!

All of us are unique. We have a way of looking at things in life from our own perspective.  With a bulldozer at your disposal, there is no truer statement than “it is a matter of perspective.”

I have sat in countless meetings listening to attendees attempt to convince others to;

- change the way they do their job

- change the way the team or department processes information,

- change the system they are currently using

- change where they get information from

- change what information they use

- change, change, change, change, change, and change

I can list hundreds of examples, but I believe the point here has been made. Everyone has an opinion about what can be better and how their way is the better way.  You hear this at work, at sporting events, in politics, and in religion.  Interesting enough, none of us will ever have an impact on most of those things.  However, at home and at work all of us can have some level of influence on change.  A story from my childhood really brings this into perspective.

When I was younger, much younger, say pre-teen, my grandparents purchased a small farm not too far from home. Many of my weekends were spent with my grandfather clearing brush, cutting down trees, running barbed wire fence along the property lines, mowing pastures with a tractor and brush hog, building ponds, and just hanging out together.  A boy outside in nature, getting dirty, using his hands, operating big machinery.  What more could a young lad ask for?  By the way, this was before Xbox, Nintendo, PlayStation, Wii, video games, and even Atari’s Asteroids.

Anyway, for years there was not a month that went by that my grandfather didn't see a backhoe, or a front loader, or a bulldozer for sale along the road to the farm.  He was really fond of bulldozers.  And every time he saw one he would make a statement along the lines of "if I had that bulldozer, I could do this or change that or make something different".  As I said, this went on for several years.  Then one day during a family gathering, my grandfather again made mention of a bulldozer he saw for sale just up the road and what he could do with it there on the farm.  Well, my dad or my uncle chimed in on his "If I had a bulldozer" scenarios and ask him a simple question, “if you had that bulldozer, would all the things you are talking about doing make things any better?” 

Take a moment to ponder that question.  How often do we find ourselves talking about what would make thing better. Or, at the very least, we find ourselves suggesting that by doing this or that, things would be better.  Think about it for a moment.

Well, my grandfather being the calm and reserved man that he was, and still is today, pondered the question presented to him. After a timely amount of silence, he responded with some of the most profound words that I, as a young boy, had ever heard in my life.  My grandfather, with a look of professorial wisdom simply said, "I don't know if it would be any better around here, but things would sure look a whole lot different."

There is not a week that goes by that those words of wisdom my grandfather spoke many years ago do not come to mind.  They apply to so many things in my life, from home to work, from government to church, and you fill in the blanks.  I find myself extending them beyond the original setting, and applying those words with humble respect to day-to-day living, "if I were in charge, I do not know if anything would be any better, but things would sure look a whole lot different."

Mixing is some profound words from a humble clown, Red Skelton would close each of his shows with the following! "It’s a lot of fun to try and make people laugh because regardless of what your heartache might have been, while laughing for a few seconds you have forgotten about it. I personally believe that each and every one of us was put here for a purpose and that is to build and not to destroy. And if by chance someday you’re not feeling well, you should remember some silly little thing that I’ve said or done and it brings back a smile to your face and a chuckle to your heart, then my purpose as your clown has been fulfilled."

So in the spirit of a great clown, Red Skelton, and with unending respect I have for my grandfather, if there are times that you find yourself, or hear someone else, recounting the ways that they would make things better, and you remember my grandfather's words ("I don't know if it would be any better around here, but things would sure look a whole lot different"), then the message I hoped to communicate was fulfilled.

Humbly

Introduction

So with all us being bombarded with blogging and tweeting, with Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+, and with Mobile advertising, why have I decided to add another voice to this mix?  It seems that the journeyman practice has perished.  Internships are in disguise, being more of a dumping of unwanted tasks onto unsuspecting students than opportunities to be mentored in a trade.  Today, if we don't know the answer to a question, we turn to our favorite search engine to surf the Internet  for the answer.  With nearly 30 years of experience in Information Technology, I have accumulated and maintained a body of knowledge that some may find useful.  With a blogging venue, I hope to share lessons learned, tips, tricks, and some best practice / common practices that I have found helpful in my experiences.

One of my goals will be to practice the KISS principle (Keep It Short & Simple).  There will be no attempts to complicate challenges and more importantly the responses to challenges.  Another goal I hope to accomplish is to have fun with my blogging efforts.  Quite frankly, if I do not enjoy blogging, neither you the reader nor I will experience much benefit or interest.

Although this blog will focus primarily on PLM (Product Lifecycle Management), I will occasionally sprinkle some project management, business process management, and collaboration concept postings that I feel apply to any or all of these disciplines.

Enjoy.