Archive for category openinsights
Path Dependence is a technical term which basically means the further along a given path you go, the more pressure there is to “stay the course”. In this months open insights issue, we discuss this phenomenon in consulting, and suggest some ways to help eliminate or reduce that dependence and make you more nimble and flexible in tight budgets, and trying economic times.Open Insights 54 – Avoiding Path Dependence
Our latest issue of Open Insights #53 for March 2009, we discuss the idea “focus on results on process”. From buying technology hardware, to buying licenses, hiring consultants, to upgrading enterprise software, this simple maxim can provide some new insights into our decision making processes, and hopefully save us time and money in the process.Open Insights 53 – Focus on Results
Over the holidays I had the chance to catch up on some podcasts I hadn’t listened to. In particular Financial Times has an excellent weekly one called “Digital Business”. In the last one for 2008, Peter Whitehead interviews a few people to get their forcasts for 2009.
Of particular interest to our readers was his mention that Open Source will continue to grow in importance, as budgets get squeezed. Limited budgets mean looking at every dollar, so this month’s Open Insights issue 51, we talk about stretching your database dollar, and where and when open source database technologies may be right for you.
Our 50th issue of Open Insights Newsletter is out. We think you’ll enjoy the analogy!!
Our latest newsletter Open Insights is out. Issue 49 – Things Fall Apart takes a stab a discussing the recent economic meltdown, and paralleling how all complex systems, particularly computing systems, have a tendency to fail as well.
This point is not made to be cynical. Rather it asks us to take a hard look at complicated and interconnected pieces, accept that sometimes there are things hidden in that complexity that we can’t know about, and to plan for that. Plan for trouble, monitor (ie regulate) things as best you can, but not so much that the system doesn’t function. And be as proactive as possible.
These truths probably hold for all complex relationships, whether they are financial, or complex technical systems.
In this month’s newsletter Open Insights 48 – Balancing Time & Money, we talk about the important and delicate balancing act of using your time wisely. One simple equation to evaluate a project, or use of your time can sometimes shed a lot of light on how much effort and energy you may want to put in that direction.
Our recent issue of Open Insights was a little delayed by a much needed vacation, but we’re finally back.
This month we discuss difficult, and intractible problems, and how sometimes if you can’t find a solution, you might consider changing the problem!
In our newest issue of Open Insights, Issue 46 Interests Aligned we talk a bit about interests. Whether you’re a nation state, or a company looking to hire a new resource, you have interests, and you naturally try to improve or maximize them. But the best situation in business is not opposing interests, where the trickiest or wiliest wins out. The ideal situation is when interests of both parties are aligned, and thus everyone wins.