Minimise the tentacles on the OctopOSS. Keep it simple
Have you ever worked on an OSS where a COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) solution has been so heavily customised that implementing the product’s next version upgrade has become a massive challenge? The solution has become so entangled that if the product was upgraded, it would break the customisations and/or integrations that are dependent upon that product. […]
This is the sixth and final post in a series about the four styles of RPA (Robotic Process Automation) in OSS. Over the last few days, we’ve looked into the following styles of RPA used in OSS, their implementation approaches, pros / cons and the types of automation they’re best suited to: Automating repeatable tasks […]
This is the fourth in a series about the four styles of RPA (Robotic Process Automation) in OSS. The third style is Decision Support. I refer to this style as the parrot on the shoulder because the parrot (RPA) guides the operator through their daily activities. It isn’t true automation but it can provide one […]
This is the third in a series about the four styles of RPA (Robotic Process Automation) in OSS. The second of those styles is Streamlining processes / tasks by following an algorithmic approach to simplify processes for operators. These can be particularly helpful during swivel-chair processes where multiple disparate systems are partially integrated but each […]
This is the second in a series about the four styles of RPA (Robotic Process Automation) in OSS. The first of those styles is automating repeatable tasks by following an algorithmic approach to complete regular, mundane tasks. Running an OSS has many high value, challenging tasks for operators to perform. Unfortunately, they also have many […]
“…it’s hard to do big things in a small way, so I suspect incumbents have more of an advantage than they do in most industries.” Nic Brisbourne. The quote above came from a piece about the rise of ConstructTech (ie building houses via means such as 3D printing). However, it is equally true of the […]
OSS is an industry that’s undergoing constant, and massive change. But it still hasn’t been disrupted in the modern sense of that term. It’s still waiting to have its Uber/AirBnB-moment, where the old way becomes almost obsoleted by the introduction of a new way. OSS is not just waiting, but primed for disruption. It’s a […]
Let’s admit it; we’ve all worked on an OSS project that has gone into a period of extended stagnation because of a fear of the unknown. I call them “What if?” scenarios. They’re the scenarios where someone asks, “What if x happens?” and then the team gets side-tracked whilst finding an answer / resolution. The problem with […]
Root cause analysis (RCA) is one of the great challenges of OSS. As you know, it aims to identify the probable cause of an alarm-storm, where all alarms are actually related to a single fault. In the past, my go-to approach was to start with a circuit hierarchy-based algorithm. If you had an awareness of […]
Experts know a lot…. obviously. They have lots of answers… obviously. There are lots of OSS experts. Combined, they know A LOT!! Powerful indeed, but not sure if that’s what we need right now. I feel like we’re in a bit of an OSS innovation funk. The biggest improvements in OSS are coming from outside […]
“An organisation buys an OSS, not because it wants an Operational Support System, but because it wants Operational Support.” So if our customers are not investing in our OSS, what are they actually investing in? Easy! They’re investing in the ability to solve their own problems and opportunities in future. If we don’t actually understand […]
“It’s not unusual for something to be positioned as the high performance alternative. The car that can go 0 to 60 in three seconds, the corkscrew that’s five times faster, the punch press that’s incredibly efficient… The thing is, though, that the high performance vs. low performance debate misses something. High at what? That corkscrew […]
“…good argument for a merged OSS/BSS, wouldn’t you say?” John Malecki. The question above was posed in relation to Friday’s post about the currency and relevance of OSS compared with research reports, analyses and strategic plans as well as how to extend OSS longevity. This is a brilliant, multi-faceted question from John. My belief is […]
“A long, long time ago Dennis Haslinger told me that most of the most serious mistakes I would make in life would be bad ego decisions. I have found that to be true.” Gary Halbert. OSS is an industry filled with highly intelligent people. In every country I’ve visited to work on OSS assignments, perhaps […]
Dark data is the name for data that is collected but never used. lt’s said that 96-98% of all data is dark data (not that I can confirm or deny those claims). Dark data forms the bottom layer in the DIKW hierarchy below (image sourced from here). What would the dark data percentage be within […]
“There’s some things that I’ve challenged my team to do. We have to be faster than the web scale players and that sounds audacious. I tell them you can’t you can’t go to the bus station and catch a bus that’s already left the station by getting on a bus. We have to be faster […]
Yesterday’s post spoke of how the accumulation of features was limiting us to small, incremental change. The diagram below re-tells that story: You’ve probably noticed that microservices are the big buzz in our industry. They’re perceived as being the big white hope for our future. I have my reservations though. If you’re at t0 in […]
The diagram below provides a time-sequence view of how tech-debt accumulation eventually strangles new OSS feature releases unless the drastic measures described are taken. At start-up (t0), the system is brand new and has no legacy to maintain, so all effort can be dedicated to delivering new features (or products) as well as testing to […]
Are your OSS better today than they were 5 years ago? (or 10, 15, 20 years depending on how long you’ve been in the industry) Your immediate reaction to this question is probably going to be, “Yes!” After all, you and your peers have put so much effort into your OSS in the last 5 […]
Omnichannel will remain full of holes until we figure out a way of tracking user journeys rather than trying to prescribe (design, document, maintain) process flows. As a customer jumps between the various channels, they move between systems. In doing so, we tend to lose the ability to watch customer’s journey as a single continuous […]
