Minimise the tentacles on the OctopOSS. Keep it simple
“Graph databases are based on graph theory. Graph databases employ nodes, properties, and edges. Nodes are very similar in nature to the objects that object-oriented programmers will be familiar with.” Wikipedia entry on Graph Databases. I believe that Graph data models represent the likely future for OSS. And I’ve long held the belief that flexible […]
“It is my belief that it is not possible to invent truly original ideas if you absorb too much of that that you wish to differentiate yourself from. As I said, don’t overly study the competition. Study instead the behaviours, needs and frustrations belonging to your customers. Build a culture and environment that nurtures creativity […]
“Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward. They may be beaten, but they may start a winning game.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. At the top of the following web link, I talk about the chess-board analogy. In a regular game of chess, each of the pieces are isolated from one another, meaning that if one […]
“I’ve always challenged myself and the people who work with me to take new approaches to traditional business challenges, to push the envelope and constantly ask whether our sacred cows are still producing great milk.” Irene Rosenfeld. In an earlier blog, entitled Ruthless Simplification, the topic of being ruthless in your simplification was discussed. Further […]
“I have never believed in the Wizard of Oz theory of consulting, that I am all-knowing and all-seeing, and that everyone around me is kind of a backbencher.” David Axelrod. Today I’ll give away my model for delivering consultancy on any OSS project, no matter what shape or size. Promise not to tell anyone else, […]
“Data – there sure is a lot of it and looking forward there is going to be increasingly more. The Ericsson Mobility Report found that mobile data traffic is expected to grow by 12 times between 2012 and 2018. That’s huge! So what makes data fresh? It’s the ability to use it in real time, […]
“Fear stifles our thinking and actions. It creates indecisiveness that results in stagnation. I have known talented people who procrastinate indefinitely rather than risk failure. Lost opportunities cause erosion of confidence, and the downward spiral begins.” Charles Stanley. When implementing an OSS, or most projects for that matter, it seems that there are four types […]
“Out of intense complexities intense simplicities emerge.” Winston Churchill. Dear reader, let me ask you a question…. or maybe more than one. If you engaged a consultant on a $1m assignment and they gave you a report on a single sheet of paper, would you feel aggrieved? Now what if that single sheet held a […]
“Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think there are no little things.” Bruce Barton. Having built multi-domain OSS from the ground up I know how daunting a green-fields OSS can be. So many things to get done. So many inter-dependencies. So many facts and figures to […]
Small companies “are uncluttered, simple informal. They thrive on passion and ridicule bureaucracy. Small companies grow on good ideas – regardless of their source. They need everyone, involve everyone, and reward or remove people based on their contribution to winning. Small companies dream big dreams and set the bar high – increments and fractions don’t […]
“Self-confident people don’t need to wrap themselves in complexity and all that clutter that passes for sophistication in business. Self-confident leaders produce simple plans, speak simply, and propose big clear targets.” Jack Welch. In any line of business, have you ever noticed how the most knowledgeable exponents are also able to break concepts down into […]
Two quotes, one orator, one message today. 1. “Managers muddle – leaders inspire. Leaders inspire with clear vision of how things can be done better.” 2. To empower your people is “to turn them loose, and get the management layers off their backs, the bureaucratic shackles off their feet and the functional barriers out of […]
“The principles of modularity, simplicity, or orthogonality, insofar as they contribute to overall simplicity, are an excellent means to an end; but as a substitute for simplicity they are very questionable” C.A.R. Hoare. There are now hundreds of vendors offering COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) OSS tools, many of which are listed on our vendors/products […]
“Gamification enables you to drive, measure, and reward high-value behaviors by customers or employees. Game mechanics leverage design and behavioral psychology principles inherent in today’s social games to drive and reward specific user behaviors in business environments. Smart gamification elements—such as points, achievements, levels, leaderboards, missions, and contests—can be employed to drive desired behaviors on […]
“People are very reluctant to talk about their private lives but then you go to the internet and they’re much more open.” Paulo Coelho. In this article, the insight from Cisco’s Chief Futurist, David Evans provides a view of the future of personal health monitoring. In the future of IoE, the device count will be […]
“An online consumer survey of more than 2,000 smartphone users in the UK and Germany, carried out by billing firm Mach and research agency Opinium in April, found significant demand for direct operator billing, suggesting it could be the preferred payment method of choice for apps and in-app purchases.” James Middleton. Carrier billing is an […]
“Simply providing a voice-and-data pipe out to a customer and collecting a monthly fee no longer is a viable business model. Savvy mobile operators realize this and are deploying OSS/BSS solutions that enable them to analyze how prepaid, postpaid and hybrid customers are using their network and then creating tailored promotions and tariffs tailored to […]
“Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability.” Edsger Dijkstra. Regular readers will note my stance on seeking simplicity in OSS. OSS have many moving parts – hardware, software, processes, people, interfaces, etc all have inherent complexity. But put them all together and you have the main reason why so many OSS projects go over time, over budget and/or […]
“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” Benjamin Franklin. ITSM’s most oft-used framework, ITIL, is built around a service lifecycle which includes: Service strategy, Service design, Service transition, Service operation and Continual service improvement. There are certainly parallels in OSS. However in my years in OSS, it is the […]
“III. Must-Have Implementation Steps Locate your biggest wins. Educate and get buy-in. Map out one process or practice at a time. IV. The Golden Rules for Maximizing ITIL’s Competitive Advantage Use your tools to understand the customer. Understand your overall strategy and your goals as an organization. Ground everything in configuration management. Use ITIL modularly” […]
