Knowledge Work

Solveig Haugland has just posted a brief primer on how to use your word processor, and it should be required reading for anyone who writes as part of their job.

It’s cleverly masked as a article about how to format your documents so that they will be easier to share between word-processsing platforms, but it is, in fact, a lesson on basic word processing. (I think she didn’t want to hurt the audience’s feelings by pitching it as, “Hey, idiots… time to finally learn how to correctly use that program you’ve been using incorrectly all your life…”)

Most word processors, Word and OpenOffice included, are set up to work out-of-the-box for people who have absolutely no clue what they’re doing, and who will use the software like a virtual typewriter–inserting hard returns when they need spaces, or, horror of horrors, using tabs and hard returns when they need indentation.

Making an analogy between formatting a document and packing and labelling boxes when moving to a new house , Ms. Haugland writes:

When you use very specific formatting like tabs to indent text and carriage returns to switch to the next line, it’s like trying to control exactly where your spatulas are supposed to go in the new house [instead of putting them in box labelled “kitchen”]. No two office suites are alike, and the more manual, highly controlled items you have in your document, the more likely the formatting will get messy when you go from one office suite to another. But if you use the formatting capabilities to indent and add spacing–well, that’s more like just labeling a box Kitchen and putting the box somewhere that makes sense.

The formatting tips in this article will also give you more professional-looking documents that are easier to update when the content or formatting rules change.

Word and OpenOffice are both very powerful tools for document production. If you’d like to leave the ranks of the Clueless and learn a little about how to actually use some of the formatting features of your word processor, this is a good article to start with. Once you realize that your computer is more than a fancy electronic typewriter, a world of possibilities will open up.

Smart formatting for better compatibility between OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office (Solveig Haugland, SearchOpenSource.com)

Copyblogger is all about “how to sell with blogs, e-mail and RSS.” It looks like an excellent resource for small businessses and consultancies looking to leverage the power of the Web to market themselves.

Copywriting 101 is a set of articles about persuasive writing for the Web:

Copywriting skills are an essential element to the new conversational style of marketing. Whether you’re looking to sell something or to build traffic by earning links from others, you’ll need to tell compelling stories that grab attention and connect with people. This tutorial is designed to get you up and running with the basics of copywriting in ten easy lessons.

Copyblogger

Long seen as a method to maximize employment opportunities and salaries in the post-dot-com-bust era, a study released today finds that pay for certified IT skills falls short of the pay for non-certified skills.

The Q1 2006 Hot Technical Skills and Certifications Pay Index, released April 25 by Foote Partners, a New Canaan, Conn., IT compensation and workforce management firm, found that pay premiums for non-certified IT skills grew three times faster than for certified ones in a six-month period spanning 2005-2006.

The study suggests that there has been a change in employers’ acceptance of the value of non-certified tech skills versus certifications in maintaining competitive pay for their workers.

Sounds like employers are getting fed up with the performance of “paper MCSEs“–people who took cram courses to pass a Microsoft certification exam, but when faced with an actual server with actual problems in the real world, have no real idea of how to proceed. And they’re finding out that certifications are no substitute for experience and a proven track record.
There *are* some certifications that seem to be growing in value… and, interestingly, they are not pegged to particular products or technologies for the most part:

Fourteen certifications have grown in value, showing an 11 percent or higher growth over the last year, including SCNP (Security Certified Network Professional), CISM (Certified Information Security Manager) and MCT (Microsoft Certified Trainer).

In the New York City market, we are also seeing demand for ITIL certification (and, to a lesser extent, CMMI training) for IT specialists, developers, and managers. And, of course, PMI-certified Project Management Professionals (PMPs) are in high demand.

eWeek: The Downside of Certification

Microsoft has released Internet Explorer 7 as a public beta.

I’ve downloaded and installed it without difficulty. Still kicking the tires, but so far I haven’t seen anything that would make me leave Firefox.

Internet Explorer 7: downloads (Microsoft.com)

Robin Yearsley serves up two terrific posts this morning at the IT Service Blog.

One of them is a pointer to a white paper (in PDF format) called Root Cause Analysis for Beginners. (In a former job, I had to develop and teach a root cause analysis class to our problem resolvers, and I wish that I had known of the existence of this white paper; I would have given a copy to every student.)

I hear some of the process-challenged among you asking, “What’s root cause analysis?”  Here, let authors James J. Rooney and Lee N. Vanden Heuvel of the American Society for Quality break it down for you:

• Root cause analysis helps identify what, how and why something happened, thus preventing recurrence.
• Root causes are underlying, are reasonably identifiable, can be controlled by management and allow for generation of recommendations.
• The process involves data collection, cause charting, root cause identification and recommendation generation and implementation.

If you’re not doing root cause analysis on identified problems, then you’re not really doing problem management (as a generic concept) and you’re certainly not doing Problem Management in the ITIL sense.

The second gem is a pointer to an article from CIO, comparing ITIL, COBIT, and ISO 17799 (a standard for information security) with respect to their requirements for security and controls. (This is an area of particular interest to CIOs around the world, due to regulatory laws like Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA in the U.S. and similar legislation elsewhere.)

It turns out that the three standards work well together:

ISO 17999 provides security controls. It does not provide implementation guidance and does not specifically address how these processes fit into the overall IT management processes.

ITIL is strong on delivery and support processes. It describes how to structure operational processes but is weak on security controls and processes.

COBIT is focused on controls and metrics. It also lacks a security component but provides a more global view of IT processes at the IT organization management principles than ITIL.

Root Cause Analysis For Beginners (IT Service Blog)
ITIL, CoBIT and ISO: Overlap or Complement? (IT Service Blog)

If you’re an aggregator “harnessing collective intelligence”, what are you aggregating? If it’s data and information, you’re competing with just about everything–Google searches, reference docs both online and printed, the majority of tech books and articles, etc. But if you’re aggregating up the hierarchy through knowledge, and especially understanding and wisdom, you’re adding huge value to someone’s life.

If you’re in knowledge management, what exactly are you capturing and managing?

If you’re a teacher, what are you teaching? Facts and information, or practical knowledge and understanding? Are you teaching the What and the How but without the Why and the When? More importantly, what are you testing? (Not that in the US most public school teachers have a huge say in this, unfortuntately)

If you’re a tech writer, what are you writing?

Creating Passionate Users: Moving up the wisdom hierarchy

If you’re a frequent Googler (and who isn’t?) then you’ll definitely want to grab the newly-updated, two-page PDF version of the Google Cheat Sheets (Version 1.02).

Print them out, stick them in a plastic sheet protector and keep them near your PC.

The concept of the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is not exceedingly difficult to comprehend, particularly as it applies to the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL).

However, the actual implementation of a CMDB and clearly demonstrating value can introduce subtle complexities as a result of competing business objectives and internal IT requirements.

But as a standard and trusted data source, even the simplest of CMDBs can provide a means for improving internal communications and dialogue with IT customers. Even small-scale CMDB deployments could potentially help IT yield measurable benefits in operational effectiveness, cost efficiencies and improve the overall quality of service.

ITSM Watch: ITIL and the CMDB: Think Small? (April 10, 2006)

Blogging is good for your career. A well-executed blog sets you apart as an expert in your field.

Ben Day blogged his way into a career as a high-earning software consultant while maintaining the freedom to schedule frequent jam sessions and performances as a keyboard player.

Blogging gave him the opportunity to stand out enough to support the life he envisioned for himself. ‘’For your career, a blog is essential,” says Phil van Allen, a faculty member of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.

‘’It’s the new public relations and it’s the new home page. Instead of a static home page, you have your blog,” he said. It’s a way to let people know what you are thinking about the field that interests you.

Blogs ‘essential’ to a good career - The Boston Globe (April 16, 2006)

An article geared towards tech support staff, but one that most of us who work in technology would do well to read:

You think you’re a good communicator: You keep your users informed and you listen to their problems. So why is it that no one appears to read your e-mails or seems capable of following your instructions? Are you surprised to learn that the users have been living with computer issues rather than ask you for help? These are all signs of a breakdown in communication–which we, as support techs, frequently misinterpret as user indifference or even stupidity. Before long, we find ourselves on a downward spiral toward complete communications failure.

The 10 worst ways to communicate with end users (TechRepublic)

I have seen the future of management, and it is Indian. Vineet Nayar, president of India’s 30,000-employee HCL Technologies, is creating an IT outsourcing firm where, he says, employees come first and customers second.

“Everybody was aghast the first time I said that,” admits Nayar.

Here are some things I can say about him with confidence: He is good at motivating employees, very committed to building a great team, but a little shaky on getting things done on time. These are not my observations. They are what his employees told him in an extraordinary process of upward evaluation he implemented last year at HCL.

Every employee rates their boss, their boss’ boss, and any three other company managers they choose, on 18 questions using a 1-5 scale. Such 360-degree evaluations are not uncommon, but at HCL all results are posted online for every employee to see.

Fast Forward: The world’s most modern management is in India - Apr. 14, 2006

A group of systems and software vendors (led by BMC, Fujitsu, IBM and HP) are pushing for standards for the databases that track IT assets and how their configurations change over time:

Such a repository, called a Change and Configuration Management Database (CMDB), is called for by ITIL (IT Infrastructure Libraries), a framework that provides terminology and a way to organize best practices around IT service delivery. CMDBs have been among the most elusive holy grails in optimizing delivery of IT service.The dilemma is that in most companies if these data are stored at all, chances are they reside in multiple, vendor-specific repositories that are difficult, if not impossible, to synchronize. For instance, one system may store desktop and laptop client images or configurations, while other systems may be devoted to servers, storage pools or networks.

Furthermore, existing asset management systems, where they exist, may not always be up to date with the latest changes to infrastructure. The result is that admins and beleaguered help desk representatives may be dealing with dated information when they try to resolve trouble tickets or operational issues.

BMC, Fujitsu, IBM, HP launch CMDB initiative - Computer Business Review

The Big Four accounting firms are rapidly rebuilding their consulting divisions, though these days they’re calling them “business advisory” groups. In the wake of the Andersen scandal, and fearing repercussions from crackdowns on conflicts of interest, three of the Big Four sold their consulting arms to outsiders: PriceWaterhouse sold out to IBM, Ernst & Young sold their consultancy unit to Capgemini, and KPMG sold its European consulting business to Atos Origin. Of the Big Four, only Deloitte fully retained its consulting arm.

And now that it appears that the feared crackdown may not come, the accountants are staffing up with consultants again.

Not surprisingly, they’re going after people who used to work for them in the first place. (Ah, the comfort of familiarity.)

KPMG has poached the head of Atos Consulting, the French group that bought its advisory business in 2002, as part of a concerted new push into the consulting market.

Bernard Brown, a former KPMG partner, is to rejoin the accounting giant in October. He left when the firm sold its British and Dutch consulting business to Atos Origin for £420m.

Mr Brown’s defection is the latest in a series of senior departures at Atos, many of whom are former KPMG partners returning to the firm. Atos has been so rocked it has agreed to waive a non-compete agreement due to stand until August on the condition that KPMG does not hire any more of its staff.

Daily Telegraph (UK): Big Four rebuild advisory divisions

Outsourcing of information technology and business services delivers average cost savings of 15 percent, a survey found on Thursday, disproving market claims that outsourcing can reduce costs by more than 60 percent.

After professional fees, severance pay and governance costs, savings range between 10 percent and 39 percent, with the average level at 15 percent when contracts are first let, according to outsourcing advisory firm TPI.

“This research proves that the promise of massive operational savings is unrealistic when you take into account the costs of procurement and ongoing contract management,” Duncan Aitchison, TPI’s managing director, said in a statement.

Survey: Outsourcing saves less than claimed | Tech News on ZDNet

MONEY Magazine’s Best Jobs: #13 - Technical writer

When a Sunnyvale tech company laid off the manager and most of his colleagues in its reliability testing group a year and a half ago, the manager said a few employees were spared — younger, foreign workers on H-1B visas.

The laid-off manager was infuriated that as an American citizen, he wasn’t given priority over the H-1B employees. The H-1B visa program allows employers to hire skilled foreign workers when there’s a shortage of available American workers.

“The law does not protect American workers at all,'’ said Frank, a 45-year-old Chinese-American who was out of work for five months, and who insisted his last name and the name of his former company not be published because he fears repercussions from potential employers. “It only helps American businesses and technology companies keep their costs low while sacrificing American workforce. That’s not right.'’

MercuryNews.com | 04/07/2006 | H-1B visa law criticized

NASA project manager Jerry Madden, the Associate Director of the Flight Projects Directorate at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, was a legend in his field. He began collecting and assembling a set of rules for project managers early in his career; after Jerry retired in 1995, others maintained and updated the list.

Two caveats:

(1) Much of this stuff is what a friend of mine calls “advanced common sense,” and most experienced managers wouldn’t find much to disagree with here.
(2) Some of it deals specifically with government-contracting situations, and may not be directly applicable to what you do (if you do something else.)

As a quick, readable reminder of What’s Really Important, though, it almost can’t be beat.

A few of Mr. Madden’s rules:

Rule #12: Don’t get too egotistical so that you can’t change your position, especially if your personnel tell you that you are wrong. You should cultivate an attitude on the project where your personnel know they can tell you of wrong decisions.

Rule #24: One must pay close attention to workaholics—if they get going in the wrong direction, they can do a lot of damage in a short time. It is possible to overload them and cause premature burnout but hard to determine if the load is too much, since much of it is self generated. It is important to make sure such people take enough time off and that the workload does not exceed 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 times what is normal.

Rule #33: If you have a problem that requires additional people to solve, you should approach putting people on like a cook who has under-salted the food.

Rule #40: A working meeting has about six people attending. Meetings larger than this are for information transfer (management science has shown that, in a group greater than twelve, some are wasting their time).

Rule #66: Don’t assume you know why senior management has done something. If you feel you need to know, ask. You get some amazing answers that will astonish you.

Rule #83: Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing. It is also occasionally the best help you can give. Just listening is all that is needed on many occasions. You may be the boss, but if you constantly have to solve someone’s problems, you are working for him.

Rule #89: Whoever said beggars can’t be choosers doesn’t understand project management, although many times it is better to trust to luck than to get poor support.

One Hundred Rules for NASA Project Managers

(Note: The version of “100 Rules” at the NASA site is different, and is now up to 128!)

“If you do not assume responsibility for breaking the system in the way you want it broken and then integrating it to a better plateau, it will break by itself to a worse plateau. So inaction does not save you; it gives the power of your demise to outside forces.”

Ichak Adizes, Managing Corporate Lifecycles

Pink Elephant today announced it has become the first organisation to receive worldwide accreditation for a new integrated ITIL® certification course that will enable practitioners to effectively manage, organise and optimise the Support and Restore processes, and minimise the adverse effects of Incidents and Problems, within the Service Desk function.

Pink Elephant was the first in the industry to introduce specialised, role-based certification courses and its ITIL Practitioner: Service Desk, Incident and Problem Management course has been designed for process managers, co-ordinators and other specialists operating in the Service Desk function, as well as IT, Network and System Managers.

Awarded by EXIN, the Netherlands-based Examination Institute for Information Science, the accreditation is intended to guarantee and promote the quality of ITIL courses and the companies who deliver them. EXIN is one of two independent examination bodies responsible for managing ITIL accreditation.

Some major acquisitions activity, possibly presaging a trend towards consolidation, in the Indian offshore/outsourcing space.  EDS has apparently just picked up a big chunk (in excess of 40%) of Mphasis:

The EDS-Mphasis deal is part of an ongoing trend that has software and BPO firms shifting large parts of their operations to India. IBM Global, in the last four years, has built its India base from scratch to 40,000 employees—more than a quarter of its estimated 150,000 US workforce. Accenture’s count of its India hands is at 20,000.

The rest among the industry leaders have lagged behind. EDS, Capgemini and Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) had 3,000 to 5,000-strong offshore teams in India. “Apart from IBM and Accenture, all of them took their eyes off the ball,” says Ganesh Natarajan, deputy chairman and managing director at Zensar Technologies.

If the EDS buy of Mphasis goes through, it will grow its India presence nearly four times adding the target’s 11,000 workers in India and another 1,000 elsewhere to its rolls. “This helps our service delivery and brings in new software application development skills,” says an EDS spokesman In addition, having Mphasis in its stable will allow to bid for contracts less than $100 million, a size it has traditionally stayed away from.

The Great Indian Tech Sale (Financial Express, Bombay, India)