“How is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. Remember when I took that home winemaking course, and I forgot how to drive?” Homer Simpson I just realised that a really serious oversight needed to be fixed. I hadn't quoted Homer Simpson even once on this blog until today's 125th…
Read More »"Augmented Reality (AR) represents a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input, that enrich the user's perception of the real world." MindCommerce.com Smart-phones have already generated significant changes in the way we work and play. OSS tools are starting to be developed that harness the power of these personal computing devices. A rudimentary example includes…
Read More »“Go oft to the house of thy friend, for weeds choke the unused path.” Ralph Waldo Emerson As an OSS consultant, it sometimes* saddens me to see powerful OSS systems being abandoned by organisations who have invested so much, but are now unable or unwilling to make use of their systems. There are so many reasons why the weeds may have grown around each OctopOSS -…
Read More »“We are addicted to our thoughts. We cannot change anything if we cannot change our thinking.” Santosh Kalwar Drug dealers have enough faith in the addictive nature of their product that they can offer a free trial, knowing their customers will be back. Without having the deadly effects, can a free trial of your OSS make your customers addicted, wanting to come back for more? Would…
Read More »"You need to feel frustration and discomfort before you can really learn." Jamie on 37signals.com blog How did you feel when starting out on your first OSS project? Frustration and discomfort were definitely two of the many feelings that I felt. The learning curve was definitely steep. And the more I learnt, the more obvious it became that there was so much more that I needed…
Read More »"When you’re building a new product, you’re often thinking about all the new things people are going to be able to do with it. Now they can do this, now they can do that. Exciting! But there’s a better question to ask: What are people going to stop doing once they start using your product?" Jason Fried on 37signals.com blog Implementing your new OctopOSS is exciting…
Read More »"A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others." Frank Morgan The same is true of OSS products. You may love your product and your customers. But do your customers love you and your products? There are many products in many CSPs around the world that are certainly "less than loved" to put it bluntly. If…
Read More »“The question of whether computers can think is like the question of whether submarines can swim.” Edsger W. Dijkstra Artificial intelligence (AI) and fuzzy logic is a field that has fascinated me since being taught the topic as part of an Electronic Engineering subject at University. The concept of machines/software that can measure, analyse, refine their logic (ie learning) and then provide feedback into the system…
Read More »“You can see a lot by looking around” Yogi Berra When working on one part of an OctopOSS, it might seem obvious that you should narrow your field of view to that aspect of the project. But an OSS adds value by sifting through all of the available information and making enlightening connections. Widen your field of view, look at what's happening outside your domain and…
Read More »"A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them." John C. Maxwell If you work on an OctopOSS of any significant size, you will get whacked by an unexpected tentacle at some point in time. Do you and your team have a process for fixing problems when they arise? Gerald A. Michaelson suggests…
Read More »“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” Albert Einstein There are many things that spawn my passion for OSS, but the strongest reason is brilliantly encapsulated in Einstein's quote above. There are a loooooong list of difficulties with OSS in their current form: They have many layers of complexity They are time consuming to implement They are expensive to implement They often don't deliver on desired outcomes…
Read More »"The fun stuff comes when someone is not so strict on sticking to the script. You're allowed the spontaneity, and great moments can happen." Jennifer Aniston A continual improvement exponent will tell you to "Repeat the script for things that work well. Re-write the script for things that don't." Sage advice in many situations and also demonstrated by the fact that there are many Pre-defined OSS…
Read More »“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it ... he who doesn't ... pays it.” Albert Einstein As Einstein stated, compound interest is a powerful force. I'm also a big believer that learning also compounds. The more you learn, the more you're able expand that learning and the broader connections you're then able to make. The earlier you start,…
Read More »"One man's transparency is another's humiliation." Gerry Adams Social media gives everyone's voice a loud-speaker. Sites like Wikileaks take the exposition of secrets to a new level. There is almost nowhere left to hide. But why hide? Transparency and honesty make customers and employees more comfortable and trusting in what you have to offer. The CSPs have traditionally not wanted to expose any issues effecting service…
Read More »"Screw it, let's do it" Richard Branson Whether you're representing a CSP, a vendor or an enterprise organisation, your OSS probably has some flaws that need to be beaten into shape. Or maybe you have a particular module that needs to be added or heavily modified. Many companies have tried to implement change in their OSS but have been whacked by the OctopOSS and are scared…
Read More »"I've concluded a great message at its essence packs four complementary purposes into one powerful whole: It connects with other people based on their values (C), rewards (R) them with a benefit they seek, asks for a specific action (A) to get that benefit, and sticks with us in a memorable (M) way." Katya Andresen on LinkedIn When it comes to OSS consultancy, implementation, sales, etc…
Read More »"There is so much anger, distrust, greed, and pettiness that we are losing our capacity to work well together." Margaret J. Wheatley An entrepreneur can have a level of greed - the desire to bring a new product to market and see it used by as many customers as possible, without being exploitative. There is a justified but greedy desire to churn as many users as…
Read More »"Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature's inexorable imperative." H. G. Wells The theory of evolution states not survival of the strongest, but survival of the most adaptable, like the crocodile. Most broad-featured OSS products are highly adaptable/customisable straight out of their shrink-wrapping. A CSP must be careful not to implement highly specialised customisations that reduce the amount of adaptability available. The customisations may tailor…
Read More »"The person who knows how will always have job. The person who knows why will always be his boss" Alanis Morissette The world of an OSS has many compartments. If you know how (ie you become proficient) in one of those compartments, you probably have a niche that not many people will share, reducing competition for that job. But if you have a broad enough understanding…
Read More »"The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious." John Scully Many recent runaway success stories have built upon the co-creation model and the associated network effect. Organisations such as Twitter, Facebook, Ebay, Wikipedia and many others have not built the content, but have built platforms on which many people can contribute and create their own "customer" experiences. Like megaphones spreading their own…
Read More »"My greatest strength as a consultant is to be ignorant and ask a few questions." Peter Drucker. Whether working for the OSS vendor, the CSP or the enterprise, the best OSS consultants share many commonalities with innovators. In The Innovator's DNA, five “discovery skills” are identified that distinguished innovators from non-innovators. These same five traits are necessary for OSS Consultants. Innovators ask questions that challenge the…
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