One of Todd’s recent blogs “Good Estimates Only Have a 50% Chance of Being Made” ( http://ecaminc.com/index.php/blog/59-generalblog/217-2010-09-13) is an interesting discussion of why, from a purely theoretically perspective, project estimates only have a 50% chance of being met. His argument is that we shouldn’t assign positive or negative assessments to meeting individual estimates. This aligns with my experience that the law of large numbers argues that things balance out in the end. My experience is and was that it’s the task you forget to estimate that are the problem as they represent a 100% negative variance to plan.

In a comment to this specific blog, Peter Kretzsman (someone who will definitely make my who’s worth following list) points out “An IT organization which fails to deliver to expectations half of the time, as you suggest, will be regarded as hopelessly unreliable and flaky, all mathematical protestations aside”. These types of discussions, which I would really like to encourage, are where real learning takes place. Two points emerge. First, people who prepare and use estimates need to understand they are most like wrong and that their estimates need to be updated as more is learned about the project and second, what’s really important is how estimates are communicated.

Here is Todd’s information to add to your list of “Who’s Worth Following”:
• Twitter – @ BackFromRed
• Facebook – Todd C. Williams
• Web Site – http://ecaminc.com/index.php
• Blog Site – http://ecaminc.com/index.php/blog

Let me know if you think this is a valuable service and helps you define a set of useful people to follow on the social media of your choice. Also, if you think of someone I should add to the list let me know.

Footnote – Todd and I just connected today through a relationship with Michael Krigsman and his company Asuret. It’s a very small world.

William A. Crowell
wcrowell@asuret.com
Twitter: billcio
Facebook: William A Crowell
LinkedIn: Bill Crowell

Paul wrote CRM at the Speed of Light back in 2001 and it became known as the “Bible of the Industry”. This itself should make Paul worth following, but I would add that he is a very good writer and provides excellent commentary that is easy to read. For example in a recent blog entitled “The Naked Tweeter: Traditional v. Contemporary Channels of Influence or is it AND Contemporary….?” (http://the56group.typepad.com/pgreenblog/2010/08/the-naked-tweeter-traditional-v-contemporary-channels-of-influence-or-is-it-and-contemporary.html), Paul presents background on how he became a thought leader on CRM and the important role of both traditional and new social media.

In another blog on his web site, “Coolness AND Content – SCRM Goes Global in the Same Room” (http://the56group.typepad.com/pgreenblog/2010/07/coolness-and-content—scrm-goes-global-in-the-same-room.html) he has a podcast in which he presents how SCRM should fit into an organization’s strategy. His theme is first to define what your trying to accomplish by creating an online community and then develop a plan that accomplishes those goals. It’s one of the first descriptions about how SCRM fits that I’ve understood and got me thinking more about the subject.

In another blog he presents a list of people in various fields that he thinks are worth following in the area of CRM and SCRM “Following On More Than Friday: The Experts Worth Checking Out” (http://the56group.typepad.com/pgreenblog/2010/06/following-on-more-than-friday-the-experts-worth-checking-out.html).

Paul is definitely someone worth following. Here is what you need to know to follow Paul:

Twitter – @pgreenbe
Facebook – Paul Greenberg
LinkedIn – Paul Greenberg
Web Site – www.bptpartners.com
Blog Site -http://the56group.typepad.com/

Let me know if you think this is a valuable service and helps you define a set of useful people to follow on the social media of your choice. Also, if you think of someone I should add to the list let me know.

William A. Crowell

wcrowell@asuret.com
Twitter: billcio
Facebook: William A Crowell
LinkedIn: Bill Crowell

So I’ve decided to provide a service to my fellow CIO’s by developing a list of people worth following on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. My first recommendation is Chris Curran who is the CTO of Diamond Management and Technology Consulting and his web site www.ciodashboard.com. Chris and his Diamond associates cover a broad range of topics of interest to CIO’s that are focused on the management of Information Technology (IT) to provide optimum value to the organization. What I like best about Chris’ site is it’s tag line “cutting through the noise”. This is exactly what CIO’s want.

Here is what you need to know to follow Chris:

Twitter – @cbcurran, #ciodashboard
Facebook – Chris Curran
LinkedIn – Chris Curran
Web Site – www.ciodashboard.com

Let me know if you think this is a valuable service and helps you define a set of useful people to follow on the social media of your choice. Also, if you think of someone I should add to the list let me know.

William A. Crowell
wcrowell@asuret.com
Twitter: billcio
Facebook: William A Crowell
LinkedIn: Bill Crowell

This in and of itself is not surprising in a large bureaucracy, but it does cause one to wonder who is running the show. There is an overall Department CIO and most likely many Command level CIO’s. I’m sure they all want to protect their turf but there is a more important public service responsibility to run IT in as cost effective a manor as possible using the technologies available today.

Addressing this problem requires that senior management at all levels understand two basic principles of managing IT. First, the value of IT is delivered through applications and the design, development or purchase of these applications needs to be close to and under the control of the end users. Second, the technology tools supporting these applications (data centers, servers, networks, desktops, mobile devices and most support functions) need to be managed at the enterprise level of the organization. The reason is simply that there are enormous economies of scale in acquiring and managing these resources.

One additional reality is that end user demands drive the need for IT resources and this demand needs to be controlled in two ways. First, the enterprise needs to make sure the capability being requested doesn’t already exist within the organization to avoid duplication. Second, truly new capabilities need to be justified by a strong business case.

So what does DOD need to do to get it’s hands around the issues it faces? Here are some ideas:

1. Consolidate data centers into an overall DOD network. EDS and all the major outsourcers have known for years that there is an optimal size for a data center, and all suboptimal centers should be closed and their functions transferred to the enterprise’s data centers. I’d did exactly this years ago at McGraw Hill and we generate substantial savings, though I admit it was a difficult political job. I also supported doing this in Oregon’s state government, proving the politics can be overcome if the rational is strong enough.

2. Consolidate networks which are a major IT expense and in most cases duplicative and overlapping.

3. Virtualize servers where ever possible. We all know that servers dedicated to a single application are typically underutilized and that the technology now exists for servers to support multiple applications.

4. Centralize the purchase of desktops and mobile devices to gain the purchasing economies of scale.

5. Centralize all support functions into centers of excellence.

I would not be surprised if DOD could cut it’s IT cost by as much as 50% without negatively impacting service. This was exactly my experience at McGraw Hill when I was asked to rationalize the IT organization in the early 1980’s.

The principles for effectively managing IT in large organizations is not a mystery and they have been proven over and over again. Unfortunately, there have been classic failures in applying these principles, the Texas and Virginia debacles come to mind. It’s essential that leadership at all levels clearly understand they are wasting valuable resources that as Secretary Gates said can and should be redeployed to meet the organization’s primary mission, goals and objectives. Selling these principles to the organization’s leadership and then executing these principles is the primary mission of the Department’s CIO.

I would appreciate your thoughts on this blog through your comments or you can contact me direct at any of venues below.

William A. Crowell
Wcrowell@asuret.com
LinkedIn: Bill Crowell
Twitter: billcio