Since I also achieved the PMP certification several years ago, the CBAP process was quite enlightening. IIBA seems to be where PMI was 20 years ago. They’re just getting their methodology fully defined, just getting the kinks worked out of the exam and application process, and just breaking through as a “required” certification for professionals in the field.

To me, the certifications are not terribly valuable by themselves. Sure, they get added to the resume, the website, LinkedIn, etc., and they might one day help get my name through the initial HR screeners for some positions. But I’ve been doing BA and PM work for long enough to know that the real world does not generally operate as the academic structures of the two methodologies suggest.

So why did I bother subjecting myself to the ridiculous application and testing process required to get the CBAP certification?

When people want to know what I do, I most often tell them I’m a project manager / business analyst with some technical skills in database development and business intelligence.  Simply put, when you are an IT practitioner working for small to mid-size businesses in Montana, project management and business analysis are very complementary skills. In this market, companies don’t usually hire distinct project managers or business analysts. In my experience, if a company is big enough to start hiring an IT staff, they go first for networking and desktop support and then they hire will programming skills. They’ll usually hire several people with technical skills well before they ever hire someone who thinks about the business side of IT. By then, they’ve had a number of problematic experiences where their IT staff (however talented they may be) has failed to deliver in a number of key areas.

I work with these companies. They need people who can understand their business, translate their business requirements into technical terminology, and then procure (if necessary) and manage the technical resources to get the job done.

That’s my niche.

The PMP and CBAP certifications designate me as someone who designs, builds and delivers high quality IT solutions. They don’t prove I can do it, but the successes I’ve had with my clients and employers over the years do.

Over the years, I’ve been lucky to establish strong relationships with a number of highly skilled contractors. So Brian McDonough from oDesk interviewed me to find out what I think makes a contractor great. I think it’s an interesting article and one that’s relevant to me personally in my role as a consultant.

http://www.odesk.com/blog/2011/05/finding-the-right-long-term-contractor/

Business Solves Unique Problems With Unique Software

First, make sure you define your project with the right people. In the beginning of this project, I was working based on a series of conversations with my client’s top executive. The top executive and I were on the same page, but the two directors were confused about what the project was doing. When I re-defined the project with the three of them together, we all started working towards the same goals.

Secondly, pick the smallest team that can be effective to meet your goals. This client has a very strong team based culture. While this leads to a high degree of staff empowerment, it also sometimes means that everyone expects to be involved in every decision. Knowing that previous projects had become bogged down in this bureaucracy, we comprised our core team of the strongest subject matter experts available. As we worked through various components of the system, we pulled in additional resources where necessary and made sure all the team members were communicating well to their colleagues. This allowed us to move rapidly through requirements definition, application testing, and finally projet approval.

Third, make sure you have clear expectations for your team. This may involve teaching your team how to do their work since they may not have participated in a similar project before. Even worse, they may have participated in a similar project that didn’t function well and have developed bad habits. On our team, we stressed that the team members were not expected to know everything. But they were expected to know who needed to be involved in each piece of the project and to pull those people in as appropriate. They were also expected to keep their supervisors and colleagues informed about project progress and to use their supervisors and colleagues to help resolve any issues.

Fourth, it is imperative to get the right technical skills on board. In Billings, there is a serious shortage of experienced programmers. So we used remote programmers through a service called oDesk. I managed the requirements definition, communication with the programmers, and primary quality assurance. This ensured that the client’s staff on the team were focused on their responsibilities…the functional aspects of the system. The approach allowed me to tap into the global talent pool to find the right skills, and helped my client keep development costs under control.

Finally, consistently confirm your understandings of your projects priorities (Cost vs. Time vs. Scope). In this case, the client strongly preferred a consistent monthly cost and a full set of application features to delivering on a specific date. As a result, we moved a little slower than was technically possible. When we had to adjust the schedule, I confirmed again with the client that their preferences had not changed. In the end, we delivered within a few weeks of our best estimate (on a 14 month project) and the client was very satisfied.

Most of these learnings weren’t necessarily new to me and they may not be new to you. But looking back, they were probably the key items that made the project successful. Hopefully, they’ll help you in your next project.

To start a remote support session, you simply login to your account on the Copilot website and enter the person’s email address. Then you click a button to install a little application and the other person clicks the link in their email. Within seconds you are viewing their desktop and able to work on their machine just like you were there.

I don’t generally do desktop support so I’ve signed up for the pay-as-you-go plan. This only costs me $0.25 per minute. There are also unlimited use plans starting at $19.95/month. Those plans allow you to setup computers you might regularly access with one-click access so you don’t have to get a new access code every time.If you ever need to access remote computer, I’d highly recommend giving Copilot a try.

Wireless network operators have historically offered phones on the cheap with the stipulation that you sign a 1-2 year contract for their service. In addition to that lock-in period, the operator typically cripples the phone in areas that may compete with their own offerings. For example, Verizon cripples the Bluetooth features on their phones so that you can’t move pictures back and forth between your phone and your PC without going over their data network. And their Wi-Fi enabled phones certainly wouldn’t support calls over a VOIP service such as Skype.

So how will this affect the typical business owner?

• You will pick your phone based on the features that you need (not that the operator wants you to have).
• You will pick your wireless operator based on the best service available in your area.
• Phones may cost more since they’re not being subsidized by a service plan. But if other carriers follow suit, you will see manufacturers producing various editions of the same phone for different types of users.
• Service plans should cost less since they’re not being used to subsidize handsets (yeah, right!). But you may see operators trying to lock you into longer contract periods, exploring plans with differing service levels, or even completely divesting themselves of certain lines (e.g., VCAST won’t survive that long).

I’m ecstatic about this change. I think the wireless network operators have impeded progress for too long. It’s about to change.

As you know, I’m a fan of Microsoft products. There are tons of Vista detractors out there, and the “horror stories” of incompatible printers and other devices are well publicized. These complaints usually come from Apple and Linux fans that like to think their preferred platforms are the best. But while Microsoft has to build software that everyone can use and for which any vendor can provide hardware, the reality is that Apple and Linux can’t (or choose not to) live up to that mission.

So since last Monday, I’ve been using Microsoft’s Windows Vista Business. And I have to say that I honestly don’t know what people are so up in arms about. My machine operates much faster under Vista, and I like most parts of the new interface. The sidebar is nice, but not really a game changer. I do like how it’s there on the main screen instead of hiding like Apple’s version does. The one piece of software I had that was designed pre-Vista (QuickBooks) runs just fine in compatibility mode.

I have had a few problems:

• The backup and restore wizard is poor. Vista only allows you to select types of files to backup, not specific locations. So I’m using the software that comes with my external hard drive to backup only those files that I don’t have redirected to my server.
• My remote desktop connection to one client was REALLY slow. Here’s a great explanation of the problem and the fix.
• Symantec’s pcAnywhere 12.0 wouldn’t install on Vista. Kudos to Symantec for not only getting me the version 12.1 with no hassle at all, but following up a few days later to make sure it was running ok.

And there are a few annoyances:

• User account control was distracting. Prompting me two times every time I do some type of file operation is a little retarded. I’ve turned that off.
• There is now a Contacts folder as part of the user profile. It’s meant to be used with the new Windows Mail client (previously Outlook Express). But there’s no integration with Outlook so it’s just an extra empty folder.
• The new Windows Explorer doesn’t have an “up folder” navigation button.

Overall, nothing to really be alarmed about. Given the improved performance I get while working all day, I’m actually happy I did the upgrade.

Question: You run a destination type SMB like Starbucks.  How do you use the WiFi service you are offering them to build a community of your customers?  Do you allow them to engage each other a la Facebook or MySpace?  Do you give them the opportunity to "speak" to you directly?

But I recommended they hold on the custom development.  They needed to evaluate MS Sharepoint’s capabilities before proceeding.  Why?  The basic corporate intranet portal has been built 100+ times already.  Sharepoint, Plone, Liferay, JBoss, DotNetNuke and many others are decent out-of-the-box foundations for an internal site.  So there’s just no reason to pursue custom development for this type of project. 

But why Sharepoint?  This client is also upgrading their core enterprise system.  Turns out that the system based on a MS platform and uses Sharepoint for document management.  Doesn’t it make a lot of sense to evaluate whether or not the platform used by your core enterprise system will work for the rest of your needs as well?

Right now, they seem to like Sharepoint and we’re now doing a test project to prove it to the company.  If the test fails, there are other options.  But custom development for an intranet should be a last resort.