Deliver Business Results

Since the discussion board focused on the three C’s, (Collaboration, Communication, and Culture) I would like to expand more on the concept of the three C’s covered in this chapter. All three C’s are very important but I would like to concentrate on one of the C’s. In my area of work and in any other area, I believe communication is the most important C of all. Without communication nothing will occur, I read somewhere that the key to success is effective communication. I have worked in various positions at the university level and I have notice that this is the one factor that will make or break a project or a department. The lack of communication amongst co-workers can create extremely hostile environments. I have witness numerous outbreaks of rumors and gossip due to the lack of communication. In a previous chapter, the author mentioned that the lack of effective communications produces vacuums and that these vacuums are filled with gossip. This is so true, in the absence of communication, the void gets filled by, “well I heard this” or “someone told me that” and of course the most popular, “they said” and trust me, “they” say a lot. This extremely simple concept can make any organization run smooth; it’s just human nature to want to know what is going on around you. Up until this day, I do not understand why a supervisor would want to keep important information from their employees. As a supervisor, I think this is the last thing you want, keeping people in the dark, the more your employees know about their jobs; the better they can be at what they do.

Collaborate to Select Solutions

I really like the concept of the opening lines in chapter eight, lines I wish I could use as an advisor, “You advise, they decide,” this would not sit well in my profession. Unfortunately our students are “pampered” throughout their school years that when they reach our university, they expect the same treatment. Sadly, we give them that type of treatment, unlike a consultant; we advise and decide for our students. Another quote that made things a lot clearer is the “bicycle, car or limousine” comparison. It reminds me of something the author mentioned in chapter four; it went something like this,
If the client wants it good and fast, it won’t be cheap.
If the client wants it good and cheap, it won’t be fast.
If the client wants it cheap and fast, it won’t be good.
Here you have the choice of a bike, a car or a limousine, obviously, the bike would be a cheaper version and of course the limousine would be top of the line. A subject that was discussed in chapter eight that made a great deal of sense is presenting. Everything that was planned rides on how the material is presented. Days, weeks, maybe even months of work can be jeopardized by a bad presentation. The author made it clear; the presentation makes or breaks the relations between the client and the consultant. Yet, another very important point that the author makes is the use of technical jargon. I recently got assigned to maintain our webpage, during our first training sessions about the only thing I understood from the presenter was his name and the department he worked for. He gave the presentation as thought everyone in the room was a computer science major and did nothing but web paging. I sometimes think people use this type of language to feel like they know more than the rest of the world. Needless to say, we did not learn much more about web paging than what we already knew. I think that giving a good, clear and understandable presentation is the key to getting across to your audience.

Project 2; Interviewing an Expert

Hello, I am interviewing Mr. Paul Olsen, Senior Consultant for Datatel. What is Datatel?
For over 25 years, Datatel Incorporated has focused exclusively on helping colleges and universities manage their business processes. With flexible, single-source technology, professional services, and people who are passionate about education, Datatel continues to be an innovative leader for higher education.
Datatel offers the most advanced and comprehensive information technology solution for higher education – Datatel Colleague. Incorporating five key integrated components – Student, Finance, Financial Aid, HR, and Advancement – Colleague provides the tools and capabilities colleges and universities need to meet their business objectives. Datatel offers an unmatched level of expertise in higher education. More than 60 percent of Datatel's Professional Services Consultants have held positions in higher education, offering your institution a wealth of knowledge to develop sound business practices and maximize your return on investments.
The University of Texas at Brownsville/TSC utilizes Datatel, so I have had the privilege of working with Mr. Olsen. Mr. Olsen has assisted several of our departments with the implementation of Degree Audit.

click here for interview

Design Solution Options

So far, I believe this has been one of the most difficult chapters to read. The IDS and the IT model seem to make great sense. Both models follow a very structural method but not everything in life follows a straight path. The models leave very little room for error, and we all know that things happen. Things are not always going to flow as planed, on the ISD model, one stage is designed for Formative Evaluation and a sub stage that allows room for revision. Once again, this is well designed but what if the problems occur earlier in the model, why not have a similar stage towards the middle of the design, have a Pre-Formative Evaluation, then later in the project, conduct the final evaluation. On the other hand, the IT consulting framework does not have a testing area, from designing the solution, it jumps to selecting solutions but there is no stage to test the selected solution. What if these selected solutions do not function, what if the program still runs as slow as it did before or even slower; what then. Something I like about the IT framework is that it’s direct and to the point. It guides you step by step in what needs to be done to solve the issues at hand.