REINVENTING THE WHEEL

BRYCE ON BUSINESS

- And why we should avoid doing so.

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I'm a big believer or reusing things, particularly if I know something has already proven itself to be a viable solution. As a small example, I maintain a library of templates for such things as word processing and desktop publishing documents, web pages, and simple data base designs. I select a template, and then fine tune it until I get what I want. I find this saves me a lot of time as opposed to developing something from scratch. If I find something else useful along the way, I add it to my library. In the systems world, I have always advocated the sharing and reusing of information resources, such as data and processing components, which I often refer to as "building blocks" for developing systems. It's just a smarter way of operating and, frankly, I don't like to reinvent the wheel with every project I'm working on. Instead, I want to get the job done. If that means reusing something, so be it, regardless of its age; if it works, it works.

I'm not much of a proponent of "throwing the baby out with the bath water," but I know a lot of people who are just the antithesis of this and are constantly reinventing the wheel. I don't know why this is, but I suspect it probably has something to do with human ego. It's kind of like someone saying, "Well, if I didn't think of it, it can't be any good and I'll go and invent one myself." We saw this for years when we sold our "PRIDE" methodology for systems design. We met several people who thought our methodology was nice, but thought they could do it better themselves and invested thousands of dollars trying to reinvent our wheel. Inevitably, such undertakings ended up as disasters and we sold them our product in the end. I always marveled at the amount of time and money these companies wasted in the process though; all because of ego.

Years ago General Motors took some heat for slipping a Pontiac engine into an Oldsmobile chassis. People thought they were getting gypped by getting a "cheap" engine. To me, I thought GM was brilliant. Here we had a company who designed products with interchangeable parts in mind. This allowed them to reduce inventory overhead, integrate their product lines, and still produce quality products less expensively. And I can tell you, there is nothing "cheap" about a Pontiac engine. Nonetheless, the public didn't see it this way.

In the systems world, I think you would be surprised to see how much computer software is thrown out with each release of a product. Instead of reusing program code, a lot of companies simply reinvent the wheel with each release. I find this rather strange and a huge waste of money. Maybe it's because people don't know how to share and reuse component parts; either that or they simply don't want to. Either way, the human tendency to avoid sharing and reusing anything, and reinventing the wheel each go around, leads to increased development costs, which, of course, is inflationary.

Another reason for not sharing is I believe we no longer have a sense of history anymore. We do not study what worked or what didn't years ago, we are only interested in the present. Consequently, this leads people into reinventing a wheel that was invented some time ago.

There have been plenty of tools introduced over the years for standardizing and sharing components; everything from Bill of Material Processors (BOMP) in the manufacturing sector, to Repositories in the I.T. field. You can find such tools in just about every field of endeavor. The technology is certainly available to share and reuse components, but the desire and discipline to do so is not. I can tell you this, sharing and reusing things doesn't happen by itself. It requires a concerted management effort to make it happen. However, if management is oblivious to the problem and doesn't care about the amount of money they waste year after year, then I guess we will be "reinventing the wheel" for a long time to come.

First published: October 29, 2007

Keep the Faith!

P.S. - For a listing of my books, click HERE.

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Tim Bryce is an author, freelance writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 40 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb1557@gmail.com

For Tim's columns, see:   timbryce.com

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TELL THEM WHAT YOU NEED, NOT WHAT YOU WANT

BRYCE ON BUSINESS

- Getting to the root of an I.T. problem.

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When a person visits a doctor to complain about an ailment, it is not uncommon for the patient to try and diagnose the problem himself and prescribe a cure. The doctor listens politely but then asks a series of questions aimed at analyzing the patient's symptoms, for example, "When and where did you first notice this?" "How often does this happen?" "What medication are you currently taking?," etc. By analyzing the symptoms, the physician is trying to diagnose the problem. If he cannot ascertain the problem through questioning or a basic examination, he may order additional tests, such as an MRI, X-rays, a CAT scan, blood tests, urine samples, etc. The point is, the doctor is more interested in attacking the root cause, not just the symptoms.

We see this same type of phenomenon in Information Technology (I.T.) related projects where the end-user approaches the I.T. manager with a request for service whereby he sincerely believes he knows the right technical solution to solve his business problems. Two things may result from this request: either the I.T. department will treat the users symptoms, and give him what he wants, thereby not really solving his business problem correctly, or; the I.T. department will study the user's problem more closely, possibly order some tests, and prescribe a solution that properly addresses his problems. Regrettably, this latter approach is rarely performed in companies anymore.

There is still a huge frustration factor between users and I.T. developers. On the one hand, users claim, "They (the I.T. people) don't understand me," and on the other hand, the I.T. people contend the users "don't know what they want." This void between the two groups is unhealthy and not conducive for solving the company's problems. Frustrated, I.T. management tells developers not to ask questions, "Just give them what they want." This scenario is obviously counterproductive, yet commonplace in the corporate world today.

When I am asked how to deal with this situation, I emphasize the doctor-patient analogy as mentioned above. First, the I.T. people have to learn to ask more questions and differentiate symptoms from problems. In other words, let's not be in such a hurry to program a solution before we truly understand the problem. I.T. has a horrible track record in this regard. The idea of specifying user information requirements is the Achilles' Heel of every development project. If it is performed superficially, the wrong solution will inevitably be delivered. Second, the user should play the role of a patient, meaning don't try to prescribe a solution but concentrate on what you truly need and let the doctor (the I.T. department) prescribe a suitable solution. After all, who has more training in this regard, the doctor or the patient? Let the I.T. people do what they're trained to do (and are paid for).

As long as we know our roles and do not try to do the other person's job, we'll get along just fine. 

Now turn your head and cough.

Keep the Faith!

P.S. - Also, I have a NEW book, "Before You Vote: Know How Your Government Works", What American youth should know about government, available in Printed, PDF and eBook form. DON'T FORGET GRADUATION DAY. This is the perfect gift!

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

Tim Bryce is an author, freelance writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 40 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb1557@gmail.com

For Tim's columns, see:   timbryce.com

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Copyright © 2020 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

Listen to Tim on WZIG-FM (104.1) in Palm Harbor,FL; Or tune-in to Tim's channel on YouTube. Click for TIM'S LIBRARY OF AUDIO CLIPS.

VoIP NOW MEANS BUSINESS

Having been actively involved with the Internet for a number of years, I have followed the progress of VoIP technology. In a nutshell, VoIP stands for "Voice over Internet Protocol," which means using the Internet to place and receive telephone calls. The concept is legitimate and ultimately represents considerable savings, yet it has been relatively slow to catch on due to the perception that it is too complicated to use. Actually, it is a lot easier than you might imagine. Fortunately, there have been companies who have made considerable progress overcoming this stigma of complexity, such as Vonage, Skype, and Yahoo! Messenger who have made it palatable for the consumer to use, thereby creating mindshare and acceptance of the concept. Whereas these offerings are predominantly aimed at personal or residential use, implementing VoIP in business can best be described as spotty at best, until now.

I recently attended a seminar by Broadview Networks of Rye Brook, NY, a communications provider who was showcasing their VoIP based "OfficeSuite" product for small to medium sized businesses. There are many other regional based VoIP providers, but Broadview appears to be the first national provider who can offer a viable and legitimate solution for business in this country.

"OfficeSuite" represents a VoIP hardware/software solution, meaning they provide the customer with handsets and Internet based software to control the customer's settings. Whether or not a company has Internet access is immaterial as it can accommodate customers who already have service, as well as those who do not.

The product has some rather slick features for companies:

"Hot Desking" - place and receive calls from anywhere, not just your office.

"Call Coverage" - direct calls to anyone, meaning you can redirect your calls to another number (even outside the network).

"Auto Attendant" - allow callers to select from a menu.

"Mobile Twinning" - calls are simultaneously sent to your desk phone and cell phone.

There are also the many other creature comforts we have grown familiar with in telephones, such as three way calling, voice mail, 911 access, messaging, intercom, call forwarding, and much more. There is also some useful disaster recovery services included which can keep your company up and running even if the building has blown away. In terms of software, there are some easy to use administrative menus as well as menus for each worker to modify his/her own settings. It has been very well thought out.

The company claims, "It offers small and medium-sized businesses the functionality of an enterprise-grade PBX or key system without any capital investment or expensive maintenance contracts," and I believe it.

The best thing about "OfficeSuite" though is its ease of use and simplicity thereby overcoming the fear of esoteric technology, as well as saving companies 30% or more in telephone costs. It's stable, cost effective, and easy to use. As the company says, "Never miss a call again." Frankly, it's a no-brainer for business.

Now if Broadview can only do something about filtering out the spammers who call me.

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.