purpose
Principles of Information Technology 4 of 5
September 29, 2014
Have you ever felt like your data was being held hostage by your information system? You know your data is in there, but you just can't get the information system to give it to you.
In this fourth episode in a series on the five principles Business Information Technology Deployment, Martin Ramsay discusses how we get information OUT of our systems. The third principle focused on capturing data IN to the system. The fourth principle focuses on obtaining access to that data in useful ways to better support business strategies and decision-making. The idea is to turn raw data, locked away inside an information system, into information we can use.
Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries. And be sure and sign up to receive notifications when a new video is released. Fill out the Sign Me Up! box and you'll never miss another video.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
In this fourth episode in a series on the five principles Business Information Technology Deployment, Martin Ramsay discusses how we get information OUT of our systems. The third principle focused on capturing data IN to the system. The fourth principle focuses on obtaining access to that data in useful ways to better support business strategies and decision-making. The idea is to turn raw data, locked away inside an information system, into information we can use.
Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries. And be sure and sign up to receive notifications when a new video is released. Fill out the Sign Me Up! box and you'll never miss another video.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
The Secret Life of Hummingbirds
August 18, 2014
Do you get all worked up over things that, in the long run, are just not that important? The secret life of hummingbirds can shed some light on having a broader perspective.
Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
Three Ways to Think Like a Consultant
July 28, 2014
Opportunities to "think like a consultant" abound. Using an example from a family reunion, Martin Ramsay discusses the three keys to thinking like a consultant:
1. Observe the client's pain
2. Identify the tool(s) that will help
3. Offer your service
Everyone should think like a consultant, even in unexpected places like a family reunion.
Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
1. Observe the client's pain
2. Identify the tool(s) that will help
3. Offer your service
Everyone should think like a consultant, even in unexpected places like a family reunion.
Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
Contracts Done Right
July 21, 2014
How do you view contracts? Many people seem to view contracts as the basis upon which they might sue the other party should there be a breach of the agreement. But Martin Ramsay sees it differently. He make the case in this video blog that a contract is actually an opportunity for transparency. By putting down on paper, with as much clarity as possible, what both parties intend to bring to the business relationship, participants in a contract can come to a much better understanding of their expectations of each other.
A contract shouldn't be seen as a method for legal action, but as an opportunity for clarity and understanding.
Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
A contract shouldn't be seen as a method for legal action, but as an opportunity for clarity and understanding.
Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
Reminders from the Resilient Robins
July 07, 2014
Are you feeling discouraged? Are things not going quite your way?
Learn a lessons from a pair of robins in the backyard who suffered some rather serious setbacks, but showed real grit and tenacity in overcoming adversity.
Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
Learn a lessons from a pair of robins in the backyard who suffered some rather serious setbacks, but showed real grit and tenacity in overcoming adversity.
Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
Check Your Customer Attitude
June 30, 2014
How do you view your customers? Do you see them as intelligent and informed, as people who you want to help make the right purchasing decision for them? Or do you view them with veiled distain, hoping to push them into purchasing something they may or may not want to buy?
The availability of information on the internet about our products and services is viewed by many with alarm: our customers know too much! But that point of view reveals how poorly we view our customers. In this video blog, Martin Ramsay uses the example of a small arts and crafts retailer to dig into the issue of our attitude toward our customers.
Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
The availability of information on the internet about our products and services is viewed by many with alarm: our customers know too much! But that point of view reveals how poorly we view our customers. In this video blog, Martin Ramsay uses the example of a small arts and crafts retailer to dig into the issue of our attitude toward our customers.
Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
Build Internal Capabilities
June 23, 2014
One of CEATH Company's dozen or so basic operating principles involves "building internal capabilities." We want to see our clients better able to solve their own problems after an engagement with us than they were before we came. If we fail in that regard, then we have failed as consultants.
So many consultants don't understand this principle. They prefer to build a culture of dependency, one in which it becomes necessary for the client to call the consultant back, again and again. That may be good for business in the short term, but it is not good for the health of the client nor for the overall relationship in the long term.
The same thinking could be applied to companies and customers, governments and citizens, therapists and patients, and more. Watch this week's video blog to get Martin Ramsay's thoughts on building internal capability.
Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
So many consultants don't understand this principle. They prefer to build a culture of dependency, one in which it becomes necessary for the client to call the consultant back, again and again. That may be good for business in the short term, but it is not good for the health of the client nor for the overall relationship in the long term.
The same thinking could be applied to companies and customers, governments and citizens, therapists and patients, and more. Watch this week's video blog to get Martin Ramsay's thoughts on building internal capability.
Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
Unintended Consequences
June 09, 2014
"Be careful what you measure, because you may actually get it." In this video blog, Martin Ramsay counters conventional wisdom that says you should measure what you hope to accomplish.
There is truth in the idea of measuring what you expect to achieve, that you should "inspect what you expect." But sometimes the result has unintended consequence. Using a very real example from a CEATH Company manufacturing client, Martin suggests that measurements that are not extremely well thought out do not always achieve the desired goal and instead, drive organizational behavior toward something than is unintended, even counterproductive.
Be sure to use the cloud of tags to the right to find other related videos. For example, The Catfish Principle discusses being clear about your organization's purpose and Is Your Mission Your North Star? points out the role of an organization's mission in achieving its goals.
Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
There is truth in the idea of measuring what you expect to achieve, that you should "inspect what you expect." But sometimes the result has unintended consequence. Using a very real example from a CEATH Company manufacturing client, Martin suggests that measurements that are not extremely well thought out do not always achieve the desired goal and instead, drive organizational behavior toward something than is unintended, even counterproductive.
Be sure to use the cloud of tags to the right to find other related videos. For example, The Catfish Principle discusses being clear about your organization's purpose and Is Your Mission Your North Star? points out the role of an organization's mission in achieving its goals.
Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
A Cat is a Process
June 02, 2014
A cat is a process, right? Well ... yes and no. In a way, everything is a process. But is that really being fair to the cat?
In this video blog, Martin reflects on an amusing cartoon he saw years ago and draws some conclusions about process as he does so.
Be sure to use the cloud of tags to the right to find other related videos. For example, The Woodshed is a Process and More Details about Process both help us understand processes better.
Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
In this video blog, Martin reflects on an amusing cartoon he saw years ago and draws some conclusions about process as he does so.
Be sure to use the cloud of tags to the right to find other related videos. For example, The Woodshed is a Process and More Details about Process both help us understand processes better.
Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
Force Field Analysis
May 19, 2014
The Force Field Analysis tool is a simple yet powerful technique for analyzing the forces for and against a change. When beginning any change journey, it is wise to look at all the forces that will help you implement the change, and all those forces that are arrayed agains it. In this blog, Martin Ramsay shows us how to construct a Force Field Analysis and discusses some of the ways to use the analysis for making change.
Other video blogs that discuss change and the tools for change include Do People Resist Change?, The Merlin Technique, and The Factory on a Desk-Top™.
Be sure and check out other blog entries from the list on the right.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
Other video blogs that discuss change and the tools for change include Do People Resist Change?, The Merlin Technique, and The Factory on a Desk-Top™.
Be sure and check out other blog entries from the list on the right.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
Efficiency and Effectiveness
March 24, 2014
This is the second of a two-part series about processes. In this video blog, Martin Ramsay ask whether efficiency is the same a effectiveness in a process. The answer is "no" -- the two are not the same. Martin explains why, which leads to a discussion again about the importance of purpose and knowing where your processes are going.
This video blog is part two of two parts. Review Video Blog 20 for a discussion of processes in general and the components that go into making a process.
Also, be sure and check out earlier blog entries from the list on the right.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
This video blog is part two of two parts. Review Video Blog 20 for a discussion of processes in general and the components that go into making a process.
Also, be sure and check out earlier blog entries from the list on the right.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
Is Your Mission Your North Star?
March 10, 2014
In this video blog, Martin Ramsay asks a fundamental question: is your mission your north star? In other words, does your mission statement guide your organization in times of crisis, or when an important strategic decision needs to be made?
If the answer is, "Not really," or even, "I'm not sure," then maybe it is time to take a hard look at your mission statement. If your mission statement doesn't guide you through the rough waters of organizational change, then perhaps it isn't providing a mission for you at all.
If your organization's culture is not to use your mission statement to guide you in making the tough calls, then either you need a new mission statement, or you need to get back to what really matters for your organization. You need to find your organization's "Catfish Principle."
Be sure and check out earlier blog entries from the list on the right.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
If the answer is, "Not really," or even, "I'm not sure," then maybe it is time to take a hard look at your mission statement. If your mission statement doesn't guide you through the rough waters of organizational change, then perhaps it isn't providing a mission for you at all.
If your organization's culture is not to use your mission statement to guide you in making the tough calls, then either you need a new mission statement, or you need to get back to what really matters for your organization. You need to find your organization's "Catfish Principle."
Be sure and check out earlier blog entries from the list on the right.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
The Catfish Principle
March 03, 2014
The "catfish principle" is being very clear about your organization's purpose.
In earlier blogs, Martin Ramsay has discussed the importance of knowing where you're going, of having a vision for the future, of being clear about your organizational mission. While traveling on business in central Florida, Martin and his wife, the fabulous redhead, stumbled across a locally owned restaurant that demonstrates this concept clearly. The Catfish Place in Kissimmee, Florida is very clear about its purpose, and states that purpose right on its menu.
Watch this video blog to see the "catfish principle" in action.
Be sure and check out earlier blog entries from the list on the right.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.
In earlier blogs, Martin Ramsay has discussed the importance of knowing where you're going, of having a vision for the future, of being clear about your organizational mission. While traveling on business in central Florida, Martin and his wife, the fabulous redhead, stumbled across a locally owned restaurant that demonstrates this concept clearly. The Catfish Place in Kissimmee, Florida is very clear about its purpose, and states that purpose right on its menu.
Watch this video blog to see the "catfish principle" in action.
Be sure and check out earlier blog entries from the list on the right.
Sponsored by CEATH Company.