Archive for the ‘Observations’ Category
NCMA World Congress 2010
We recently arrived back in Houston from the NCMA World Congress held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Part of me wishes I could report that Pete and I played on the beach all day and came back with beautiful tans, but instead of skipping the conference and getting a tan, Pete and I spent time at NCMA talking with some very interesting people and learning about the challenges of their jobs.
The majority of the people attending the conference were in procurement, and most worked in government, therefore they had a lot in common. We noted several common challenges among the people we talked to: Read the rest of this entry »
Server and Computer Device Naming Conventions
LEGOLAS? JEDI? JAKARTA? UHURU? What was your systems admin thinking when he named those servers? A question I’m sure many of us have asked ourselves at work. In this post, I’ll attempt to answer the question of “Why are all of the servers named after Snow White Dwarves?”
Recreating the Wheel – Based on a True Story
Last week, I bought an iPad for my wife and spent most of the day “setting it up for her”. It came ready to use, which meant, despite a full calendar or appointments and tasks, I spent the rest of the day playing with it and testing its capabilities…I have to say that I love it!!!
Now I recognize I’m late to the iWhatever game, and by that I mean I haven’t personally owned an iPod or iPhone, so this new found fascination might be “old news” for some out there. What impressed me the most about the iPad was Apple’s accomplishment in making a complex technology straightforward for the end user. From the moment you take it out of the box and turn it on, you realize that you are holding something that has a lot of power and functionality but it was so simple to access. The iPad gives you the ability to do so much without even opening up a user guide. Need to take notes during a conference…there is a built in notepad with a handy keyboard; want to quietly read the paper at a coffee shop…you can do so with ease and without the hassle of flimsy pages; you-tube videos (or any video) – you can watch easily and clearly on the big screen; need to make changes to the presentation that was just emailed to you – you can do it without logging on to a computer. Apple was able to take many different features and literally put them right at your fingertips, giving me and any other iPad user a simple power that is hard to describe.
What is your Earth Day Resolution?
Earth Day Resolution?…what is that? Oh…It’s just a little something I’ve done every year, since I was in 5th grade. It hasn’t caught on quite like its big Brother the New Year’s Resolution, but it’s the same concept. Let me explain.
The New Year’s Resolution works like this, every year at the stroke of midnight you kiss your partner and declare something you are going to change…usually something that will better YOU in some way – exercise more, drink less soda/beer, eat baked potato chips instead of fried, etc.
Earth Day Resolutions work the same way, except there is no kissing (I guess you could go kiss a tree, or a baby seal if there is one lying close to you…but that might be weird) and instead of doing something that will better you, you make a change that will better the Earth…or at least the part of Earth in which you live in. It doesn’t have to be something extravagant, just something simple that you can work into your daily life and keep up. The goal is by Earth Day 2011 you are still doing your 2010 resolution and are ready to add on to it!
Conversation in the Workplace
Do the events we have on work time always have to be obviously synonymous with the work we do (i.e. meetings to discuss upcoming projects or meetings to brainstorm solutions to problems)? And should meetings always take on the same form – PowerPoint presentation with one or two speakers while everyone else takes notes, a 10 minute discussion period, then back to your desks?
While traditional meetings and brainstorming sessions are both important and efficient, it is also important to schedule time to kick back a little, with a gathering that doesn’t have the traditional protocol of a “company meeting”. The reasons to schedule these kick back times can range from presenting new and exciting company news, to calling attention to a team effort that was well done.
What does Spinal Tap have in common with Google?
I was recently amazed at the story behind orkut.com, a Google owned social media website similar to Facebook and MySpace. According to Wikipedia, Orkut started as an independent project by a Google developer namedOrkut Büyükkökten. While not very popular in the United States, the website is extremely popular in Brazil. It’s success in an unexpected place reminded me of the fictional rock band, Spinal Tap, and how they found success in Japan of all places.
Google launched orkut.com in 2004, and like many Google beta web applications membership was by invitation only. The initial membership base was primarily American, but largely due to word of mouth more and more Brazilians became members. By 2010 close to 50% of Orkut traffic was Brazilian while only 2.6% was from the USA. This dramatic yet organic (membership was invitation only) shift of the user base from the US to Brazil resulted in Google actually moving the Orkut operations completely to Brazil.
Dude, Where’s my Next Trendy AP Word?
I am a giver; a man of the people. A problem solver of sorts. I have come to the realization that the latest trendy word or acronym has not been coined by a “professional” in the Accounts Payable space in a long time. We all know the easy ones like Automation, Touchless Transactions, OCR, Content Management, etc…….Snore. Well I am here to give the people what they want; a term to be used when credibility is paramount. I Brandon Henderson will deliver the next Trendy AP word. How about “Simplicity”. It’s a good word, no? We all want simplicity in our life. Unfortunately we all know that invoices are not simple, the idea of an invoice is simple, but the 120 line item non po invoice, not so simple. Ok, so simplicity is out. But is it? Can someone provide a method that provides a simple way to process invoices? That’s a different topic for another day. I am here to brain storm, to provide Controllers across the this great country of ours the ability to use a word that makes them seem smarter than their CFO. I am not here to talk about providing less complex technology that provides a real time view of expenditures and liabilities. I am not here to talk about the ability monitor invoice approval times and enforce compliance measures. I am here to summarize. I am here to vocalize a word that will flip the AP world upside down. I am….drawing a blank right now. If “Simplicity” isn’t fitting, there is bound to be another word better suited for this task. Maybe I’ll think of something in the next few days…
Save the Stamps – Go Electronic
With the cost of stamps going up and the postal service talking about halting Saturday delivery, it is a wonder that any money-conscientious business would regularly use the postal service to deliver monthly items such as bills or invoices when those items could be handled more efficiently and securely through on-line services. Whether you are mailing out invoices or mailing in a payment, there are options that will allow your business to handle these things electronically, saving both time and money.
The USPS is planning to raise rates, meaning the costs associated with mailing paper invoices and bills are going to increase. Add to that the cost of paper to print the invoices and people to handle and mail the invoice or bill; what you are left with are a lot of unnecessary costs that increase your bottom line. On the flip-side, if you and your suppliers have a way to submit invoices and receive payments electronically, rising USPS rates will not effect to your bottom line, cost of paper will decrease, and the employees that once spent time handling and mailing invoices and bills can use their time more efficiently elsewhere.
Keys to Project Success
I was having a conversation with some of the team the other day talking about the keys to a successful implementation. Things had been going smoothly so we wanted to capture what had been going “right”. People were suggesting things like “active, engaged business sponsor” and “supportive, engaged technical staff” as well as a number of others.
The conversation went on around the group and a lot of good points and ideas were suggested. The conversation came around to me and the question was asked – “what do you think is the key to a successful implementation?”. I thought for a minute and said simply “communication”
Let me elaborate (just like the rest of group asked me to do) – all aspects of any implementation require successful collaboration, coordination and execution. This requires communication. Whether we are defining requirements, planning the deployment or implementing a configuration, communication is the key. If subject matter experts do not clearly communicate their requirements, if IT resources do not clearly communicate the details of their technical environment, if project mangers do not clearly communicate plans, expectations, activities etc…. well, you can see where I would say communication is key.
I am not suggesting that all the other ideas put forward were not valid or insightful, just for me it boils down to communication. As long as open, honest, two-way communication is happening and happening consistently, I believe every implementation will be successful.
Space Shuttle Endeavour Visits Our Office
It was a rare treat to see Endeavour fly over the office on its way back from California. In this case, some bad weather in Florida provided this rare glimpse of the Shuttle enjoying first-class service atop a 747.