Information Management Universidad del Valle de Guatemala July 23rd 2014
Hanno van Pelt CEO Promisan b.v.
The challenge for an ICT manager in 2014 •
New information exchange tools introduced over the last 17 years (Smart phones, Social Media, Search engines and also the internet itself) have helped us to reach out to each other and/or institutions faster and more direct than ever before. • But these tools have limited impact in better organizing the information needed to streamline and automate the horizontal business processes. Organizations have faced this problem the very moment Adam Smith introduced in 1776 the principle of horizontally dividing tasks between individuals in order to create Wealth
•
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Collectively we feed almost 24*7 our workforce with data (is not Information) to a level that it is becoming a growing challenge for us to keep them productive in the horizontal business process (i.e. in doing what they are hired to do).
Horizontal Information flow Systematic sharing and reuse of information serving the complete process, without a need of human interpretations other than using it
Obamacare
"So much testing of the new system was so far behind schedule, I was not confident it would work well." -RICHARD S. FOSTER, who retired as chief actuary of the Medicare program in January 2014 4
How ‘fancy’ things affected the solution to the problem as –we- forgot about ‘things that drive the project’ “Eric Gundersen, the president of Development Seed, emphasized that his company had built the home page of HealthCare.gov but had nothing
to do with what happened after a user
hit the ‘Apply
Now’ button”
NYTime October 2013
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Obamacare needs millions to be fixed… “[…] describing the award of a one-year $91 million contract to Accenture without competition. ” Ny Times January 2014
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Why do Information Technology Projects in larger organizations appear to always spiral out of your control and their costs seem to only increase ? “
And this to a level that also your parents are about to question you? �
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What do other professions do: Humans have a vast experience and ability in constructing tangible things.
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We are and have been able to construct large buildings and towers seemingly without any failure over and over again and without the theoretical knowledge about the underlying mathematics on how to do so..!!
That we realized only 700 years later !
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Timeline of construction (source wikipedia)
• • • • • • •
1160 Original cathedral is demolished. 1163 Construction begins. 1200 Work begins on western facade. 1208 Nave vaults nearing completion. 1225 Western facade completed. 1250 Western towers and north rose window completed. 1970s We determine that the construction of the church applied principles that we were only able to understand their correctness now. • Ergo :
• Go visit Paris : “I think you can justify this as a business trip now” • It is time to be skeptical on what we know and have learned so-far as Information Management theory is just a starting discipline. 10
ICT Management constructions started 60 years ago
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Information technology projects are for 80% social projects and for 20% the application of technology for as long human beings are involved in the operating of the system
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What are the main drivers of our problem (= project failure) ? • Human beings play a vital role in both the development, implementation and actual usage of the information system. • This fact adds so many variables to your project that it makes your ICT project or efforts complex from all angles.
• We tend to loose sight on what is important and what is needed simply because our product is Intangible
• We seem to think we can get away with it as no-one will see the deficiencies. • There is a natural drive in any of us (incl. myself) to not focus on what is needed but rather on fancy or obvious matters that seem to come out of-the-box.
• We happily use words like ‘Best practices’ in order to oversimplify problems as we are preparing for the project • this will hit us hard down the road without being able to hold someone accountable.
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How can YOU recognize upcoming failure • Information Technology vendors promoted the use of ‘best practices’ in order to make quick progress and management is buying it !! As a result: • Business users do not participate in giving suggestions to defined processes from vendors as, at the end, ‘best practices’ are to prevail for good reason.
• More than 16 people involved in a single automation process. • A feeling that you spend more time communicating and doing internal reporting as opposed to actually work on the solution. • Your IT professionals seem to be always working very hard behind their computer • They need to be out there talking and working with the business people.
• Internal discussions in which different groups start to rally for their thoughts. • You as ICT manager do not really have a clue anymore what a certain person is doing so you become subject of his/her manipulation. 14
Now what? • Handle it so the profession will survive the next 20 years. or • Look for another job as your failure will hamper your colleague's in trying to prevail.
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1. Position yourself within the Business Operations Your ability to position yourself and your staff in the organization is the most important activity that will lead to your success
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• Who do I work with on the business side ?
• Work with people that seem to embrace your idea the moment to propose it ? or • Work with people that appear unwilling to participate in a project and are critical of your idea and ask you to open up your eyes ? • ICT managers have to know about the business process on a level as if he/she has to manage that process him/herself. • Show utmost respect for the way people are doing things as they do them until you proof otherwise -> then be persistent in changing the practice.. and do it today as tomorrow there are other priorities. • Understand the current situation and then make an argument. 17
• You have to gain credibility through facts and then your goodwill will allow you to make impact. • If you know the process better, prove it and demonstrate it. • It is about ‘Information Business Models’ and following ‘Logical Steps’. This is far more important than looking at ‘screens’ or ‘tools’ And for all ICT projects you always remember
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1+1=2
2. Define the Problem Problem definition is the most important thing for Information Management
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• A well-defined problem is 50% of the solution. • Make sure you are after the problem, not symptoms of the problem.
• A consultant hired from the street can NOT make you a valid problem definition or plan for resolve. You have to do this in-house and if you skip it, you are in trouble. • Who of you ever produced an information plan?
• What is an information plan and how would you see its contents ? 20
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Information Plan
• Preparation • Current Situation • Organization, Object and Information element and relationship : Business Model • Stake holders • The PROBLEM
the
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NOW
the
NEW
• Revised Business Model • Object and Main entity model • Available Technologies and their costs • Financial constraints • Uncertainties • Stake holders
• Requirements • Modules • Phases • Financial constraints • Interaction and dependencies • Decisions • Stake holders
The
Plan
3. Ensure business users understand what Information Technology professionals are doing They are not as ignorant as you might think, your staff can learn from them to become a better analyst, designer or programmer etc.
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• A business user needs to understand what you mean with an Entity Relationship (ER) or Process/Object diagram. • And I ask you to have one ready in your mind for any information problem you face.
• Focus on the beef, not on all the other ingredients that can be put on your plate. • Focusing on what is important for business users will result that your solution is used for ‘a valuable purpose’ that will last and not just for requirement of the day which will change tomorrow; that I will promise you.
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4. Enforce business users to work side-by-side ‘if they do not want to do that, you are doing something wrong’
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• Your Information specialists will always (‘no exceptions here’) tend to simplify the business processes in their conceptualization. • Business people want to believe that your Information specialists know all about their business (..so their time will not be consumed..) • Do not allow business people to even suggest you know it all (if you want to do it right, you are not their instant hero). • Enforce and look for the right business people to work with you on the project, otherwise the project will fail.
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IN SUMMARY :
There is no-thing so practical as a good theory
• What you have learned over these years do keep it close with you. • However 80% of your work is your ability to plan, motivate, correct and separate nice-to-have from need-to-have. • Make sure that you do not drop the 20% as well and become a fulltime manager
• To determine what is the need-to-have is YOUR responsibility to get it on the table. • Make a (written or intangible) information plan for any of your problems, anytime. • Then execute, oversee the progress (and adjust your plan as you move ahead) and take responsibility ‘Make it happen’ 27
Final quote of the day : “As long as computers by themselves do not produce and deliver the bread we eat the very moment we wake up in the morning but rely on human intervention to make that happen, we better be realistic on the role ICT plays in this world”. • Hanno van Pelt, CEO, Promisan b.v.
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Contact us +502 2269-8000 www.promisan.com information@promisan.com