Technical Advise Week #5 - Survival Guide

Our mentor and friend (Dad) came home last evening. He seemed a bit down and we asked why. It seems as though the client he was visiting exercised a layoff. Since we have never known anything other self-employment we could imagine what it must have been like for those people. Anytime we wanted more security or Kibbles in our bowl we simply went out and either developed a new product or sold more of what we had in our stable of products. We suggested that we take a dip in the pool to relax and to think about the situation (in somewhat of a consulting like fashion). It was too awfully long before we realized that it's a matter of domain control. Regardless of a person's position you have limited control over things. Often those things that can be controlled aren't and those things that can't be controlled consume an extensive amount of your attention. We aren't suggesting that you ignore your employment (which you can't control) but rather suggest that you involve contingency planning as a part of your employment habit. In a healthy sense, an employee shouldn't just be doing the job that they are assigned but should also be looking at ways of building intellectually wealth. Early in ones career this wealth building involves skill and intellect based strengthening. Late in ones career this foundation points are converted into specialized skill development. One might ask, how can this possibly help to shield me from the effects of right-sizing, layoffs, down-sizing or whatever you wish to call it? Actually the latter step has significant personal benefit potential. Going beyond simple understanding to specialized ownership will involve personal innovation and branding/trademarking. This is where the faceless concept is personalized by you. Many of you have done this, albeit in somewhat of a casual hidden fashion. Others have gone on to bring this front-and-center in your life through whitepapers, conference presentations, and even side business ventures. We believe that this is not only of significant importance to insulating yourself from layoffs but also contributes to increased networking, knowledge building, and affords wonderful personal satisfaction. Does this require effort? Absolutely! Do you feel that you need to do it? Probably so, because most professionals will experience at least one downsizing event during the course of their career (for Max & I this will have to happen in a small timeframe since our lives are 10-1/2 to 1 what a human's life is). However, we are hedging our bets by a) knowing that what we can control we are, b) building special technical abilities that we can convert to use should we ever face a downsizing, and c) since we are consultants we are in control of our own work. We Labor Day around the corner Max & I have decided to take a little nap and to get some much needed rest.

Technical Advise Week #4 - How Agile?

Some might say that I'm Agile & Lean (yes this is Max talking) while my sister (Mabel) is more traditional. Yet as I mature my stealth framework is starting to take on a more commonly thought of profile. In the systems world many of the sins of traditional methods, and their associated artificats, have been tweeked in order to deliver results. Agile methods take a similiar approach except the number one concern is delivery. These small incremental steps help to build confidence amongst the team and those that have an ownership interest in the final result. Thinning requires surgical precision, and a steady expert approach and this isn't always easy in those method based development companies. Dad was a perfect example that transitioning to a the Agile framework took time. His approach involve him looking at all of the various methods that he had worked with and understood, taking those elements and comparing them against the Agile paradigm, determining what the differences meant, what possible impact they had (whether they were sound and practical), and finally seeing if remedial measures had previously been exercised on those traditional methods in order to reach a similiar Agile conclusion. Once he had fully understood this, he hit his stride of understanding and endorsement of the methods. What is scary to Mabel and myself is that now he is off on a mission to convert some of those traditional aspects to an Agile framework (for example test estimation and overall project analytics). We are confident that he will be again successful in providing a solution set that will benefit the industry as a whole. How could he not succeed, look at who he is working with. Until next week, signing off as always... Max & Mabel, Sr. Technical Advisors.

Technical Advise Week #3 - Lies & Cheats

Dad must have raised us well because he holds a low tolerance for liers and cheats. According to him, people who aren't honest with others often aren't truthful to themselves. Allot of truth telling has to do with self confidence, tempered with proper upbring and using good judgement. Take Max (Max says.... "Thanks allot Mabel!") as an example, he doesn't have a lieing bone in his body, yet he isn't the most fearless beast in the woods, in fact he is sometimes downright timid. Yet he is honest because he has self-confidenced, proper care and for the most part exercises good judgement. When he goes astray on judgement that is when I step in (say Mabel). On the other hand, I am self confident, even tempered and exercise empecible judgement. I have no reason to lie because it I know that I am the 'queen bee', Dad even told me so this past week. The reason why we chose to write about this topic, vs. something to do with SOA, or outsourcing, or web technologies is because none of those things matter if you don't have your pride and integrity. Dad was lamenting the other day when he got a conference brochure and saw one of the people's profile that described them as being the first (he has known this person personnaly for over 20 years!!!). Maybe they thought enough time had passed, and enough people had left the profession, to sneak in what they might refer to as a 'little white lie" (I didn't know that lies came in different sizes). On the other hand maybe the risk would give them an edge. Regardless, a lie is a lie is a lie, and the person doing the lieing raises suspicion about themselves, the technologies they promote, the work they do, and the capabilities that they have. In short, one lie = a total loss of integrity (and for an enternity). Max points out that if they lied and others fell for it... doesn't that make them lazy liers too and you know, he might actually be on to something. Unfortunately people will be drawn to the laziness and ignore/overlook the lies.

Well that's it for this week. Dad got home yesterday afternoon after a long red-eye flight from Seattle that was detoured to Salt Lake city because of a cardiac episode on board. Next week we p dad's travels are less interrupted by these sorts of things. It looks pretty busy for him going to Birmingham, AL and Boston, MA. We will let you know how things transpire.

Wishing you the best,,

- Mabel & Max

Technical Advise Week #2 - Exercising Unconditional Love

Hi this is Mabel & Max, welcome back. While you are enjoying your weekend we are hard at work delivering you a bit of sage advise to think about. We have been reading recently about the lack of recognition and access to the top posts by CIO/CTOs. At first, we thought that maybe there might be just something to the lament, until we started to look at how some CIOs & CTOs came into power. Many started like us all, at the very bottom of the technology food chain. With each successive accomplishment, we got promoted to a more responsible position. Eventually, if we spent enough time in place we became the head of technology. While it is unfair to over characterize the people and the position, it is fair to say that some of the traits have not necessarily been acquired through formal channels. Heavens, we would be simply happied if some of what is practiced actually came from published materials. In short, allot of the skills and behavior has been acquired from deep inside the personalities of the individuals. Not all of these are good, and sometimes the CIO/CTO prefers to continue an intense involvement in technology (safe zone with suspect), rather than opt for people or visionary issues. We have also notice that there has been one aspect that has been a commonality that the CIO/CTO has shared with the CEO. Once they are ousted from their positions they often show up in a similiar role in another important organization. One would think that if it doesn't work at one place, then maybe there is a likelihood that it might occur again. I'm sure all of you have heard the definition of insanity, "doing something again and expecting a different outcome". We are all for forgiveness, but really... do you wish to give way to optimism when so much is at stake?

Both Max and I are really big into unconditional love. We ask absolutely nothing of Mom & Dad, in fact it nice to see kindness be given to us without having to ask or expected to give something in return. We see allot of conditional love in technology. Like the CIO/CTO, they expect that this is a right of passage that they might be given a chance at the CEO/Chairman's post. At the sametime consultants expected conditional love through their "community" of common thinkers. Dad remains in contact with some of the leaders in the maturing of the software engineering discipline; Beizer, Miller, Hetzel, Quentin, Graham, Pope... to name a few. They share lively conversations but at the same time it's not with motive, it's out of love for the cranial (... this is Mabel, I listen as an advisor to this group too because I'm cranial) experience and not as a source for building business. In fact, all of these have done quite nicely, not of what they expect but for what they deliver (and continue to deliver).

As technologies pursue your dreams with unconditional expectations, this will release you from the things that bind your creativity and your capabilities. Enjoy the company of colleagues, not for what you can get out of the relationship or in terms of new business, but for the joy of expanding knowledge and capabilities. Max and I feel that we have to do this because our future is dependent upon capability, not based upon expectation of favors.

Until next week we bid you well.

Maiden Voyage - Technical Advise Week #1

Mabel's Tech Advise for the Week:
"Have meaning and purpose and don't allow complacy to rule"

Hi I'm Mabel (Fawn Colored Beauty). Dad says that "I'm Cranial" because I study things, whether it be the TV or human behavior. I get great joy from acting out of the ordinary. Take for example Cows & Horses (not to be confused with the Agile Pig & Chicken parody). On a good day I don't usually give much care to cows as they go about their business being productive. Horses on the other hand really aren't much good for anything, with the exception of entertainment for humans. There was a time when they had a purpose but as with many things in life matters changed and their purpose was severely deminished. The lack of meaningful purpose seems absurd to me (why would they allow themselves to become obsolete?). There seems to be allot of similiarities to software, and even American free enterprise. Not only has the importance been allowed to slip by but now we face a meaningless existance.

Max's Tech Advise for the Week:
"Commitment, Dedication and Search of Excellence is for You Alone"

Hi I'm Max (Black Stealth Manly Beast!). My sole purpose in life is to please and I especially enjoy making Dad happy. Each time he comes home from making a living for us and putting food in my dish, I meet him with a prized possession. No matter how late, he smiles and gives me a pat of approval. Mabel would probably say that I'm like that horse she is now lamenting about. But I do have purpose, I am goal oriented and focused. Not every beast retains focused and builds a base of dependability. Consistency is my game and reliability is my fame! Technologists love talking the talk but when it comes to walking the walk... well even I shine above the consistent and reliable commitment that is necessary for producing world class systems/software solutions.

Notes of Introduction

Hi, we are Mabel and Max, Sr. Technical Advisors at Certellus Corporation. One might ask how two pugs could possibly offer real advise. Well it's like this, how have you felt about the advise that you have been receiving from your colleagues? Get our point?

Each week we will offer you a piece of sage advise to clear your mind and to open up new possiblities. The Chairman of Certellus Corporation [and our father] calls upon us on a regular basis to lend our opinion. While we don't always get our way, at least we are consulted, and that is what really counts.

So.... look forward to hearing from us in upcoming entries to our Blog.

- Mabel & Max

Making Hard Transitions

No matter whether you are young or old, transitioning is difficult. Moving from comfort zone to unfamiliar surroundings can be gut wrenching, frustrating and brings out personal virtues that may be viewed by some as humiliating. Looking back across my career, and many years of technology change, process introductions, I sometime bawk at things new. It really doesn't matter whether it is well endorsed, supported, promoted and the lips of everyone involved with technology... it still is something that I must absorb. My process involves understanding the roots of the technology, how it is different from what we do today. All the time, I'm thinking about how to transition from one paradigm to another. I found myself this as we moved through and around waterfall, v-model, rational unified processes, rapid application development, joint application design, and now Agile. At last I am there, some might view this as obstance, but others might have characterized this as an age related disorder. The reason why someone young is less apt to take this approach is they have little in their history and techical repository to replace something new with. The good news is that once my process has gone full circle, I am either going to solidly embrace or reject the science. In those cases where rejection has occurred it has been because a flaw(s) have been encountered in the technology. When it's been embraced, it isn't just because it's solid but also because I can help provide an answer to transition clients and friends. Transitioning is an important part of maturity and vital in full understanding of new solutions to lingering problems. I fell in love with Agile technologies in the latter part of 2006, but it took me a much longer time to fully understand the transitioning, the virtues and how to get the big bang from the framework. So although I might be viewed as a late arrival, my depth of understanding and transitioning knowledge now provides me what I need in order to be effective. For this reason, let the late arrival be a solid one, viva Agile!

Lost and Misdirected

It is nice to see and hear what others are doing. This provides a wonderful sound check for realigning ones view on matters. If you have ever traveled on a regular basis you know how disoriented one becomes when outside of your native surroundings. What comes to mind is how some truly wonderful innovations fail to gain traction, and are often discounted because they lack the tenants of fundamental application. Yet in the same breath there are companies who rapidly embrace something, not because of proof but because of who is promoting. To make matters worse that are those who implement things with blind conviction. On more than one occassion I have had the unpleasant experience of having to turn a client around and suggest that they might wish to return from where they came (because things simply weren't that bad and to continue on their present path had the potential of resulting in failure). With the recent events in Minneapolis (bridge collapse - August 1st, 2007) I can't help but wonder if some where, some how, someone, was trying to better something rather than leave matters along. Once we hear what caused the catastrophy we will be coming back to this topic in the blog. In the meantime, make frequent stops, adjust your orientation, and try hard to remember why you are taking the journey that you are on!