In years past, I consulted with a large information technology company in the banking industry.  No hotter topic in a software development organization than scope creep.    Management was constantly trying to either limit scope creep or charge for it.  Better requirements were demanded or tighter contracts -addressing the symptom won't stop the cause. I decided ...»

There was an election recently in Indianapolis between incumbent Mayor Greg Ballard (R) and challenger Melina Kennedy.  A reporter for the Indianapolis Star (and the Star) put their endorsement behind the challenger because she had better vision . . . and we aren't talking about eyesight. I consider myself an independent, so there things I ...»

I am reading two books right now.  One by Governor Daniels of Indiana and another by former Governor Jennifer Granholm of Michigan.  Governor Granholm talks quite a bit about the loss of jobs in manufacturing in her State to outsourcing.  In fact, her last election against Dick DeVos - the former Amway CEO - she ...»

I recently read an article from Governing, Human Services by the Batch.  I felt a familiar pain associated with the "answer" for social services - process management, modernization, automation - the Greek trilogy and tragedy. I posted a comment at Governing that explains why process or task management is NOT the way of the future.  ...»

I follow a l0t of the conversations going around on the web comments pages.  An article about contract labor and outsourcing for government showed up on CNBC's site.  The high wages of government workers are cited as a reason for our deficits . . . can't be the politicians. These governments workers are making the ...»

Probably better to say curiosity starts us down a different path and innovation follows, but assumptions block the path to curiosity.  Grabbing or copying the first best practice or tool to make improvements ends any chance at innovation.  We want to check a problem off the to-do list not have to think about what options ...»

There is  a growing trend of backlash in America and around the world.  The Tea Party wants a balanced budget and less government, Occupy Wall Street wants equality in business and government and now the consumer is taking action against $5 debit card fees.  We are in a new age. Caveat Venditor!!! "Let the seller ...»

Earlier this year, I went to India on behalf of a client that had outsourced their software development.  I met with architects, project managers, business analysts, testers and developers.  What they had to say about software development was astonishing, but revealing. I have nothing against any country.  Outsourcing is not always bad and the worse ...»

One out of every Six IT projects is identified as a "black swan" project.   A "black swan" project was coined by Nassim Nicholas Taleb and desribes "high impact events that are rare and unpredictable but in retrospect seem not so improbable." Large IT projects are staples in companies and government.  John Seddon (Managing Director at ...»

Most organizations understand that when systems (not just IT systems) aren't improved or maintained that they entropy.  And so it is with management too.  Just like an untrained or little used muscle . . . management becomes weaker. Open door policies are a facade to the real attitude of some management hierarchies.  "Tell me any ...»

The New York Daily News has reported the cheating going on by NYPD narcotics detectives.  Police feared their being demoted or being paid attention to by superiors by not achieving quotas set by the department.  Targets, quotas or arbitrary numerical goals as W. Edwards Deming called them will always lead to bad behavior. This is ...»

"How much improvement can be accomplished by using a systemic approach (like the Vanguard Method)?"  I get this question on phone calls, emails and questions from interviewers.  .4 is my best guess . . . Take your current expenses and multiply times .4.  How close you come to this figure depends on your ability to ...»

The funny thing about change is that management wants all the change, but doesn't want to change themselves. The biggest hurdles to improvement are management.  This is not referencing how to do things better to the front-line . . . it is management by itself.  The problem is in the mirror. Recent events have allowed ...»

In my last article to Quality Digest, I gave a description of the management factory.  More often than not, the management factory has been put in place with lots of bureaucratic, non-value adding roles.  The value work has literally been buried by all the policies, rules and political BS.  Customers and front-line workers get in ...»

I still consider myself neutral because the on-going war between Democrats and Republicans is counter-productive.  Although, I am happy to report that many of the Republican presidential candidates have proposed that they would shut down the US Department of Education. Why stop at the stop at the Federal level? I first proposed last summer that ...»