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Friday, January 29, 2010

PASSWORDS

In this age of the Internet, we have all learned the necessity of using passwords to safeguard our identity, our credit cards and bank accounts, travel planning, etc. Come to think of it, just about everything on the Internet now requires a password, even if it's free. They can get rather voluminous and difficult to remember, particularly if you have no control over the assignment of the password. Unless we are allowed to use a single password, which a lot of people do, it becomes a real headache to commit all of our passwords to memory. Consequently, we write them down on scrap paper and store the list away so we can reference it in the event we forget them (which seems to happen frequently). We don't keep them on the Internet or our own local computer as we are frightened a hacker will somehow break in and steal the list.

Selecting a password is a very personal thing. Some companies suggest using the name of a favorite pet, a mother's maiden name, a favorite movie or book, a school mascot, or whatever. I don't believe many people use such passwords though and, instead, invent some rather interesting and unique passwords, using key nicknames, dates, items close to their heart, or their favorite character in such movies as "Star Wars," "Harry Potter" or "Lord of the Rings." Sometimes a password becomes so secretive a person may actually forget it which becomes rather frustrating particularly when it involves the processing of a financial transaction.

I find it amusing when some web pages test the "strength" of a password, meaning it should be made more complicated and as idiotic as possible to memorize. Instead of something as simple as "seabiscut," they insist you change it to "SeaBiscut9xr3" which is a nightmare to remember the proper keystrokes.

It would be nice if we had only one password, but unfortunately this is not the world we live in and also explains why we have to carry so many keys with us. You would think that someone would invent a computer program to store and maintain passwords. Indeed, such programs do exist, but I don't think many people trust them with passwords for critical accounts. The thought would be that it might secretly pass the passwords and accounts off to a third party who would then be at liberty to invade your privacy and steal your money. Frankly, you would probably be better off inventing your own scheme for managing passwords and somehow encrypting them.

If we lived in a perfect world, we wouldn't need passwords. People would respect the privacy of others and wouldn't try to cheat them out of their hard earned money. Regrettably we live in an imperfect world and, as such, we will continue to write down passwords on the backs of envelopes.

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim's columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

Copyright © 2010 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

INTELLIGENCE

There are primarily three traits we admire in people: physical beauty, physical prowess (such as an athlete, musician, or someone with a specific skill set), and intelligence. Of the three, intelligence is perhaps the most awe-inspiring and perhaps the easiest to fraudulently emulate. I think I can count on one hand the number of true geniuses I've met in my walk through life, but aside from this I have met some truly intelligent people whom I greatly respect. Interestingly, not all possess a formal education, yet they exhibit signs of intelligence I admire and rely on for advice.

Some people believe a person's vocabulary is a distinguishable characteristic of intelligence. It may be an indicator, but it is certainly not proof of intelligence. I have met far too many people who have a verbosity of bullshit cloaking other shortcomings in their personality. They may be able to speak well, but so can a parrot if trained properly.

There are those who believe intelligence is distinguished by a person's ability to absorb and recite facts. I have trouble with this notion as well. To my way of thinking, the person has nothing more than a good memory which any tape recorder or computer can duplicate.

To me, intelligence is the ability to apply logic towards solving a problem. Knowing facts and possessing an articulate vocabulary is nice, but knowing how to put it all together to solve a problem or achieve a goal is the real measure of intelligence. From this perspective, I have met a lot of people with basic street smarts who are far more intelligent than a lot of college professors or savants I know. In other words, I have more respect for a person who can think clearly for himself, than a person who can do nothing more than parrot facts and figures.

Sometimes we confuse intelligence with experience. Under this scenario, a person who has lived through many experiences, and learned from them, can pass this knowledge on to others who may perceive the person as brilliant. Probably the only thing "smart" here was that the person learned from the experience.

IQ scores don't necessarily impress me either. I remember a classmate in high school who allegedly had a high IQ score. I found it rather amusing that he failed the written portion of his driver's test on more than one occasion (I think he was looking for the meaning of life in a stop sign). I've also found a lot of people like this who simply want to be paid because they are smart, but don't know how to work productively. In other words, they may know a lot, but have trouble applying it. Those who are perceived as "witty" tend to fall into this category. Most are entertainers who have an aversion to real work.

To me, the real distinguishing characteristic of an intelligent person is someone who knows what they are doing, does it well, and can be counted on to deliver solutions and solve problems over and over again (reliability). I have also found they exhibit an insatiable curiosity about the world around them, not just a single area. As the Japanese like to say, such people think in terms of "360 degrees." In other words, they are always looking at the bigger picture.

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."
- Calvin Coolidge

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim's columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

Copyright © 2010 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

Friday, January 22, 2010

ESSENCE

Many years ago, when I was a youngster living in Delaware, my family was very close to another family. Our fathers worked at the same company, and the mothers acted like sisters. Both families got along famously and, as kids, we grew up together as brothers. Inevitably, the careers of our fathers took off and caused them to move the families around the United States and far from each other. So much so, we dropped off each other's radar for quite some time. Recently, we were notified the other father had passed away and, as such, I tried to make contact with one of the sons, who I had not set eyes on for nearly fifty years. Interestingly, when I finally caught up with him by telephone, we connected as if we were kids again. I could easily recognize his voice and personality and we gabbed for quite some time about the two families.

This isn't the first time this has happened to me. I have old friends from Junior High school in Chicago, High School buddies in Cincinnati, and College fraternity brothers I still am in contact with, and in all instances, we basically pick up where we left off as if time was irrelevant. I have always marveled at this phenomenon and credit it to an awareness of the other person's "essence," meaning an acute understanding of what makes the other person tick, a kind of DNA for personality traits.

I believe when we are young we are more in tune with the fundamental personality of others, such as their morality, judgment, habits, intelligence, interests, etc. Let me give you an example, years ago when I went back to Cincinnati for my 20th High School reunion, everyone had obviously grown up and moved on, but I still had an intuitive understanding of each person; with rare exception, those who were jerks back in High School were still jerks twenty years later, and those who were decent people turned out just fine. Since the reunion, I have gone on some fishing trips with some old football buddies and we kid and tease each other like we were still teenagers, but we also share heart-to-heart discussions and support each other. This wouldn't be possible if we didn't understand the essence of each other, and, as I see it, it is the single element keeping us as friends for so many years.

As we get older though, we tend to mask our personalities and become more discreet in terms of who we allow into our inner circle. I think it's because we fear someone might violate our trust which could hurt us either personally or professionally. Consequently, we become self-conscious about how we act and what we say to others. We also spend considerable time sizing people up in terms of who we can trust and confide in.

Our understanding of "essence" is also based on group dynamics. For example, in school we had to rub elbows with a lot of different people in different settings; e.g., different classes, clubs, and sports. The more closely we had to work together towards common goals, the more inclined we were to rely on each other and, as a result, came to understand our strengths and weaknesses. Those serving in the military also experience this phenomenon and develop strong bonds as well. However, it is when we are in our youth that we are more approachable and open, and less so as we grow older, particularly in companies where we are forced to become political and competitive.

I have an old friend in Atlanta I have known for 45 years now. We shared our first cigar together behind his house in Chicago, had a lot of laughs together and enjoyed many family experiences. Although I haven't seen him in quite some time, every now and then, one of us will pick up the phone and call the other and ask, "How's it hangin'?", a very old and juvenile expression, but something that has become somewhat of a term of endearment between the two of us. When we talk, it's as if we were chatting next to each other over a beer. Although we still enjoy a good laugh, we've compared notes on our life's journey and try to comfort each other accordingly, particularly in the passing of family members.

One thing I've learned as a result of all this, it is impossible to bullshit someone who understands your essence. They simply know you too well.

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim's columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

Copyright © 2010 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

PROJECT AUDITS

When you complete a major project, it is a good idea to conduct what is called a "Project Audit." The idea is to document what went right and wrong during a project and, hopefully, learn something beneficial from the experience. Surprisingly, few companies take the time to perform such an audit. If the project was successful, they want to move quickly to the next assignment. If the project was a disaster, they want to bury and forget about it as quickly as possible. This is a shame under either scenario.

If the project was successful, the elements for success should be clearly identified and become a part of a company's "best practices," thereby others can emulate and achieve similar success. If the project was a disaster, the elements leading to failure should likewise be documented so others can avoid similar pitfalls. Either way, a Project Audit is a valuable document, which is why I'm puzzled when companies avoid performing them. It is certainly not a waste of time and money. As the old saying goes, "We learn from our mistakes as well as our successes."

Frankly, I think people are more inclined to feel embarrassed about a Project Audit, as you hear of too many project failures in corporate America these days, particularly in the I.T. sector. It seems people have trouble finishing projects on time and within budget. In fact, project overruns seem to be the norm. Consequently, people do not want to have their name associated with a disaster and will go out of their way to cover it up. I guess it is human nature to think this way.

Companies avoid performing Project Audits so much, many of them have forgotten how to prepare one. First, the person performing the audit should not be the project manager or lead designer. Rather, it should be a neutral observer who doesn't have any problem judging both right and wrong. The Project Auditor should analyze the following:

1. Estimated versus Actual schedules and estimates (both costs and time).

2. A final Cost/Benefit Analysis should be prepared which, hopefully, can be compared to one prepared in the initial Feasibility Study.

3. If the project is product oriented (to design and develop something), an analysis of the finished product versus its design specifications should be prepared.

4. Conduct interviews with project participants to gather insight as to what went right and wrong.

The final report should be professionally prepared and presented to pertinent managers and executives to study. The presentation should be somewhat clinical in nature as the presenter should avoid both disparaging and complimentary remarks as they may offend someone. Just be matter-of-fact in the presentation and let the reviewers come to their own conclusions.

Years ago, we were asked to perform a Project Audit for a company in Wisconsin, it's part of what we do as a consulting company. Two projects were observed; Project "A" was executed smoothly and professionally, so much so that the project team wasn't recognized for their accomplishment, thereby creating a morale problem. Project "B" was the antithesis of "A" and went out of control almost from its inception. Remarkably the Project Manager and team leaders of Project "B" were well recognized and often complimented for their ability to put out fires during the project. We made note of this in our Audit report but went on to say that the only problem with rewarding their "fire fighters" was they also happened to be the company's chief arsonists. Whereas the "fire fighters" were recognized for screwing up, the Project "A" team went virtually unnoticed for doing a good job. In other words, our report revealed shortcomings in how people were rewarded in the company.

Maybe that's the real reason why people don't like to perform Project Audits; they plain and simply don't want to hear the truth.

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim's columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

Copyright © 2010 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

Friday, January 15, 2010

YARD SALES

I don't think my neighborhood is much different than anyone else's in suburbia, we have our share of feuding neighbors, an obnoxious and overbearing homeowner association, an army of Spanish-speaking landscapers who take care of the lawns, and yard sales, lot's of yard sales. I'm not sure why they call it a "yard" sale as they are primarily held in driveways and garages. I prefer to call them "garage gridlocks" as they tend to tie up traffic in the community or "Walmart wannabes" for their inclination to attract strange looking people searching for rock bottom bargains.

People typically host a yard sale whenever their junk exceeds the storage capacity of their garages, attics or basements, usually once every other year. This is junk which should have been thrown out twenty years ago, but is retained in the hopes it will be worth something some day which, of course, never comes. There are also the "professional" people who routinely host a yard sale once a month. These are the same people who also enjoy the sport of dumpster diving whereby they fish for the next piece of junk to sell to the public. Just wipe it off with a sponge, claim it is a family heirloom, and some poor slob will pay dearly for it.

Here in Florida, a yard sale typically lasts from 7:00am to 12 noon. The hard core shoppers are there bright and early (some will even camp out in your driveway like they're waiting to buy a hot ticket to something). These are the professional shoppers and are looking to swoop in and buy the best stuff before anyone else arrives. With great finesse, they graciously offer to take the goods off your hands (at a fraction of the asking price). They will then turn around and sell the merchandise on eBay at a considerable profit.

It's bad enough when one person holds a yard sale, but it's bedlam when your neighborhood hosts a community event where everyone is selling something, thereby turning a quiet and pristine neighborhood into a grungy flea market, complete with people who come down with a bad case of the stupids. My neighborhood hosted such an event one time. I didn't participate, but my garage was open while I was preparing to cut my grass. By God, if I didn't get a few people walk into my garage and ask me how much I wanted for the lawnmower (no joke). I also had to yell at people to move their vehicles off the edge of my lawn. To make matters worse, we couldn't escape our neighborhood as the roads were clogged with clods. I've found the best thing to do when a community yard sale is scheduled is to close up the house tight as a drum, run the lawn sprinklers (thereby discouraging people from parking on your property), and wait until the mayhem has subsided.

It's also interesting to see how the same junk sold at one yard sale reappears at another. Either junk is recycled between neighbors or the dumpster divers are working overtime, or maybe there is some junk you simply cannot throw away. I suspect the latter. I think most of the items sold at yard sales has been circulating since the 1920's and has actually traversed the United States several times.

At the end of the day, you finally count the money you collected from the yard sale. Although you had envisioned making hundreds of dollars, you are disappointed when you discover you only made $52.65. You then have to cleanup after the sale, put the rest of your junk either back in the basement or the dumpster (where the divers are eagerly awaiting), and pour yourself a strong drink to relax. Let's see now, hmm... You worked your tail off, watched filthy people run their grubby hands through your stuff, listened to insulting offers, and yelled at people to move their cars. Yep, for $52.65, it was all worth it.

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim's columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

Copyright © 2010 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE

Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium was opened in 1970. At the time, it was considered "state-of-the-art" and easily accommodated two professional teams as their home, the Cincinnati Reds (MLB) and Bengals (NFL). I lived in Cincinnati at the time and vividly remember the sales pitch presented to the public. Not only would the stadium be large and spacious with ample parking, the structure would also be easy to maintain and modify to accommodate future considerations. For example, it was claimed the roof could be enclosed, thereby offering an indoor stadium safe from inclement weather. Guess what? The roof was never added, nor much of anything else. Although the stadium was structurally fine and in good shape, it was closed in 2002 and replaced by two separate stadiums, one for baseball and another for football, both at considerable expense to the taxpayer. Whereas Riverfront lasted just 32 years, its predecessor, Crosley Field, a stadium which was certainly no engineering marvel, lasted 58 years. The point is, Riverfront was an excellent example of planned obsolescence. Architects knew the stadium would be demolished and replaced before a nickel would ever be spent on its modification.

We see other examples of planned obsolescence just about everywhere: in our automobiles, where everything expires when the warranty times out; in our homes, which require constant upkeep, and; most noticeably in our electronic devices, particularly computers and cell phones which seem to be designed to self-destruct in about two years. Maybe we don't know how to design things to last anymore, but I tend to believe the consumers have been conditioned to think with a disposable mentality. We no longer try to build anything for the future, just for the almighty buck. It's no small wonder "quick and dirty" has replaced craftsmanship in the workplace.

Although we like to brag about our technology, I seriously doubt we could build anything as durable as the Great Pyramids of Egypt, the Great wall of China, Stonehenge, the Roman Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, or the Taj Mahal of India. Even the great Hoover Dam, the Empire State Building, and the Golden Gate Bridge are under 80 years of age (the Brooklyn Bridge though is 126 years old). Is it because we lack the knowledge to build things to last? No, we simply lack the desire to do so as it is all about economics.

The classic 1951 comedy, "The Man in the White Suit," starring Alec Guinness, drives this point forcefully home. Guiness plays a researcher at a textile mill who invents a new type of thread that is indestructible and repels dirt. When both the mill's managers and the union workers realize Guiness' invention would ultimately cost them money in the long run (as people would not need to constantly buy new clothing), they go out of their way to undermine his discovery and sabotage his work. It's an excellent movie, and I particularly liked the ending.

Interestingly, even our movies are not meant to last as they are remade every few years; consider, for example, "Mutiny on the Bounty" which was made into motion pictures in 1916, 1933, 1935, 1962, and 1984. Even our movies and music are not meant to stand the test of time.

I don't know about you, but it bothers me that we lack the ability to build anything of substance anymore. It sure doesn't instill any confidence in our civilization. As an aside, wouldn't it be funny if we learned that Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium and the Great American Ball Park, the two stadiums replacing Riverfront, were designed complete with places to plant dynamite charges to implode the structures at the end of their usefulness? I'm betting by 2030, the City of Cincinnati will pull the trigger on both stadiums. Boom! I guess it's "easy come, easy go" (with the taxpayer picking up the tab).

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim's columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

Copyright © 2010 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

Friday, January 8, 2010

BRYCETITIZED

I went looking for a word in the dictionary and couldn't seem to find what I wanted. Consequently, I invented my own, "brycetitized," to describe a common situation we all experience from time to time, particularly in the workplace. Let me explain...

We all know there are right ways and wrong ways for doing things, such as designing a new building or bridge, producing a new model automobile, preparing a full course dinner, designing a major information system, or whatever. There are certain steps that must be followed in a precise order to achieve the desired end result. For example, when constructing a building, you must first layout the site plan before you pour the foundation, before you assemble the superstructure, before you put on the roof, etc. If the work is performed in the wrong sequence, disaster will naturally occur.

Sometimes we're lazy and elect to cut a few corners as we know the correct process may take too long or is perceived as too laborious. This is called taking a "calculated risk" and sometimes we get lucky, but most of the time we fall flat on our faces. We know what the correct process is, but we just don't want to follow it.

We even go so far as to invent new processes to execute the work which is perceived as a radical departure from the correct way, but only achieving mixed results at best. These new processes attract considerable attention and start a trend in the industry which others try to emulate. Even though people know what the correct process is, they elect to overlook it in favor of the new fashionable approach, which brings me to the necessity of a new word to describe this phenomenon. Consequently, I introduce you to...

"brycetitized"


bryce-ti-tize
tr.v. bryce-ti-tized, bryce-ti-tiz-ing, bryce-ti-tizes

To overlook a correct course of action to take because it is not currently in vogue.
bryce-ti-tizer n.

Example:
"Smith bryceticized the company's methodology in favor of his own agile process which failed and cost him his job."

You'll have to forgive the vanity of using my name as part of it, but I have observed this situation on too many occasions in the information systems industry alone. Analysts and programmers commonly forego the important planning and design stages of a project in order to rush to programming. This is like having a group of carpenters trying to build a building without a set of blueprints. They may possess some powerful tools and techniques to do the work, but without a clear understanding of what is to be built, and the proper steps to perform the work, they will inevitably produce junk.

Just remember, it's "Ready, aim, fire." Any other sequence will be counterproductive.

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim's columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

Copyright © 2010 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

Monday, January 4, 2010

POLICY MANUALS

I don't think anyone really likes to read corporate policy manuals (aka, "Employee Manuals/Handbooks"). They're thick, they're boring, and usually written in such a way as to satisfy lawyers as opposed to the average Joe. As I advise young people, policy manuals are, unfortunately, a necessary evil and shouldn't be glossed over. Instead, they should be carefully studied as they contain the fundamental "do's and don'ts" of the business.

Even though MBA is a small company, we found it necessary to write our own policy manual years ago. Some people might think it's overkill for a small business to have such a manual, we didn't. Just like any large company, we found it important to keep everyone operating on the same wavelength. In our early stages, when we were particularly busy, we inevitably had employees who wanted to abuse the system when their manager was preoccupied, such as frequent tardiness, excessive reports of health problems (particularly on Friday afternoons), and improperly prepared expense accounts. From this we learned a policy manual is vital to control people who are inclined to break the rules, not for those who follow them. Consequently, we developed our own manual and had our corporate attorney review it for clarity. Following this, we had all employees study it and sign a statement they had read and understood it.

Since then, I have seen a lot of policy manuals in my travels through corporate America but very few in small businesses. Quite often, when I talk to small business owners, they see little value in such a manual. They fail to realize it will actually save them time if everyone understands the rules of the business and the owner will have to spend less time supervising people, and get on with their business. Further, I tell them they should think of it as an insurance policy to help prevent litigation with potentially disgruntled employees. Nonetheless, most like to throw the dice and take their chances. I consider this strange, particularly in these hard economic times where juries are awarding large awards to employees for such things as sexual harassment and discrimination issues.

Until such time as this country implements laws for "tort reform," (which may be never) I'm afraid such things as policy manuals are not just a luxury, they should be considered a prerequisite for running a business. Operating without one is foolishly reckless, plain and simple.

For more information on this subject, see my article, "Why we need Policy Manuals."

Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week.

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim's columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

Copyright © 2010 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.