I find it interesting that most projects I work on I have to rescope after the client signs on. During the first week of the engagement it is my responsibility to take the agreed scope of work and massage it into something that more closely resembles what the client really needs. This initial gap reflects…
Author: dmusic604
Building your community
Networking. Whatever, everyone does it. Community – great buzzword, but what does it mean? I started talking about it not long ago, but like with geography I’m not sure I really covered it well. With the Facebook IPO the meaning of community is back on the forefront. Is a community a list of your “friends”? …
Balancing the left and right…
Not political affiliations – but hemispheres of the brain. Most people fall somewhere on the spectrum of math/science oriented – balanced – creative oriented and their position on the scale influences how they look at problems. I’m a through and through left brainer even though I feel I have a strong ability to see the…
Making life more convenient for yourself
I’m often amazed when I fly how people don’t pick the exit rows on their own. I find it amazing how on most Delta flights I can book a ticket 10 days before traveling from Atlanta to somewhere (New York, Chicago, Columbus, Denver, Seattle, etc.) and still get an exit row aisle or window seat. …
Zuckerberg’s the “Hacker Way”
So this has been making the rounds, but I think it puts the new technology world into perspective. Only now are the old guard industries beginning to realize what the Information Revolution is all about. It’s not a digital revolution, it’s all about information. Facebook (love it or hate it) is an enabler of personal…
Why geography still matters – take 2.
I previously talked a bit about the continuing importance of where your operations are. But it’s been bothering me a bit because I didn’t really drill into it much. I’d like to break the concept into a few pieces: 1. Why do large companies look to put their HQs in large cities? This one is…
How do you make money?
I recently completed a three year analysis of all the projects that my group has performed and all of the revenue that we received. It was fascinating to align the work side and revenue side and see where things matched up and where (to put it mildly) things just went off the rails. Working in…
Customer versus Client
I find it interesting that retailers use the word customer while professional service firms refer to their buyers as clients. The only real difference is what is being sold. Both retailers and professional service firms strive to deliver wow to their buyers, achieve repeat business, and grow their base of buyers. If both groups are…
Site selection vs. location analysis
The branding of a service can often influence how people perceive it. Using classic language that’s been around says that what you do is proven and tested while your team probably has lots of experience. If you go with a new, modern statement it probably means that you solve the problem in a way that…
Real Estate and the Knapsack Problem
As an industrial engineer, part of my background is how to take normal everyday problems and solve them efficiently and quickly. I solve the same problems as others but have a set of tools at my disposal that your normal practitioners who have been doing it for years may have figured out but never formalized….