They Did What?

1. They Did What? March 19, 2007 2:00pm EST, 11:00am PST George Spafford, Principal Consultant Pepperweed Consulting, LLC “Optimizing The Business Value of IT” www.pepperweed.com

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3. Main Presentation

4. Agenda • The Need for Communication • Information Logistics • A Mental Model for Relevancy • Tactical Considerations • Continuous Improvement Note: This presentation is available by either emailing: George at George.Spafford@Pepperweed.com Kendra at webcasts@jupitermedia.com

5. This isn’t about negotiating, how to win, be assertive, etc. This presentation is about the quality of communications

6. “I get so tired talking down to them” – CIO speaking of his talks with the Board Oh really …

7. “Those business people just don’t get it.” Oh really …

8. “Those IT people just don’t get it. Let’s outsource them.” Oh no …

9. Communication • It’s the exchange of information for a purpose • Studied and trained since 3500 BC • 75% of an average person’s day is spent in some form of communication • It’s definitely a prized trait by employers • Vital for efficient and effective outcomes • Yet we often aren’t good at it • Social psychologists estimate 40-60% loss of meaning during transfer • Why?

10. In describing today's accelerating changes, the media fire blips of unrelated information at us. Experts bury us under mountains of narrowly specialized monographs. Popular forecasters present lists of unrelated trends, without any model to show us their interconnections or the forces likely to reverse them. As a result, change itself comes to be seen as anarchic, even lunatic.-- Alvin Toffler This is what we must avoid

11. Information Logistics Let’s establish a baseline about Information It’s a product that must be managed

12. Data • A unit of data is the factual representation of an event or property without the bias of interpretation • Data is pure fact independent of language or other forms of noise • 2 + 2 = 4 • A child was born • Data is, by definition, historical • What is really is “real time” data acquisition? • In some cases, the faster we try to acquire, the costs increase exponentially

13. Noise • Noise is interference mixed in with the data during acquisition, storage or repurposing/presentation • Intentional • Disinformation campaigns • Unintentional • The color is red • There is snow outside • Sampling rates missing data • 1 second sampling interval and .05 second spikes • Sensor capabilities / accuracy • Is it 22 degrees or 22.2511 degrees?

14. Content • Data + Noise = Content • We are drowning in a sea of content, not information • Volume <> Information!! • Need to apply Quality Management • We must understand requirements • We must deliver information that meets those requirements • Our ideal target is the individual consumer • Even if the audience is thousands

15. Information • Information is content that has been filtered, prepared and is immediately deemed valuable by the recipient • Judged as “information” from the recipient’s perspective & no other • Delivering content that meets customer requirements so as to be considered information requires a quality management mindset • If this consumer must ask questions in order to interpret the content then it is no longer pure information

16. Logistical Aspects Information is an intangible product

17. Place Value • Information must be delivered to the correct place • Physical Location • Books, reports, memos, FAXes, etc. • Logical Location • Server, folder, document management system, output device • No value if content can’t be found • Could even lose value if stolen

18. Distribution • How are we going to get it there? • Delivery mediums: • Internet / Web Browser • Cell Phone • Personal Digital Assistant • Traditional Print • Another application (XML, etc.) • Multiple channels?

19. Time Value • Information has time value – some more than others • The recipient(s) of the information need it on time • Investments • Planning Mergers and Acquisitions • National Security / Defense • Is it really “information” until the point in time of need? • Can the value of data grow over time? • Consider one piece of data collected five years ago • And then another and then another • Pretty soon a trend is discernable and a solution generated

20. Format • Consumers can be people or applications • They need the information to be in the right format to be usable • File Format • A contract delivered in pure XML may have little value to a person but be immediately valuable to an application that needs to parse it • The needs of the recipient drive the format • What good is a PPT file if the recipient can’t open it? • Presentation Format • Which format is better of a senior manager • “They have used X MIPS and Y GB of Storage” • “They have consumed 25% of the IT budget, which amounted to $1.34 million year to date” “Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after” – Anne Morrow Lindbergh

21. Cost • It may be an information age but it is a capitalist world • Costs are always a factor • We can learn a great deal by applying principles of logistics to our information delivery systems • Information must arrive at the right time, to the right place and in the right format for the right cost! • We never want to spend more capturing, processing and delivering information than what that information is worth

22. Quality • To deliver quality means we must understand requirements, meet them and strive to reduce error • Stages • Acquisition, Storage, Processing • Distribution, Presentation • How can quality be improved at each stage? • Multiple Sensors • Fault Tolerant Storage and Processing • Reliable and Timely Distribution • Optimized / Personalized Presentation

23. Information is a product that we must manage and dare not leave to chance But how do we achieve relevancy in the proper context? We need a mental model

24. There’s a Key Question the Consumer Must Understand “Why does this matter to me?” The “Ah ha” moment that we must try to create

25. An Organization Is a System

26. Functional Area Objectives

27. Tactical Considerations

28. Establish Audience Requirements • Who will we be speaking to? • What are they interested in? • What terminology will they understand? • IT must avoid “Geekinese” • How do we make our communication relevant to them? • If we want the recipient to truly have information, we must tailor what we delivery to meet his/her/their respective needs • This is the cardinal rule

29. Use the Right Venue In Person • Rich with non-verbals • Able to use props • Able to talk at breaks • Video conferencing • Fewer non-verbals • Some props • Phone / Audio Conferencing • Can listen for intonation, pauses, etc. • No props1 • Email • Isolated context • Potential for diagrams, documents, audio and video attachments • Can exacerbate emotions • Extremely slow

30. Use the Right Tools • Technology should support or enhance the message and not detract • How many Powerpoints truly help? • Need to focus on the audience, not the technology • Reliable • Secure • Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability “The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.” – Joseph Priestly

31. Additional Tips • Avoid • Acronyms • Technical jargon • Needless Volume • “Sorry my letter is so long. I didn’t have time to write a short one” • Assumptions – when in doubt ask! • Do • Keep your audience in mind always – strive to meet there needs • Listen!! • Provide appropriate context • Paraphrase / Restate • Stay focused on your objective • Use multiple formats when appropriate • Take cultural differences into account “When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” – Ernest Hemingway

32. Continuous Improvement Is Key • Needs will change over time • Ask stakeholders what they need routinely and listen • Strive to deliver information not content • Be aware and always look for means to improve * Adapted from ITIL Service Support Graphic

33. It’s not about talking up or talking down. It’s about communicating in a manner that delivers what is needed.

34. Thank you for the privilege of facilitating this webcast George Spafford George.Spafford@Pepperweed.com http://www.pepperweed.com Daily News Archive and Subscription Instructions http://www.spaffordconsulting.com/dailynews.html

35. Questions?

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