Advice Line | Bob Lewis
July 08, 2008
Microsoft innovation, or not
Dear Bob ...I have to take issue with your current column and the parallel it drew between Apple's use of PARC Labs' GUI and Microsoft's use of Apple's GUI ("Barbarians at the Gates," Keep the Joint Running, 7/7/2008).Apple offered PARC a million dollars' worth of Apple stock if PARC would give Apple permission to use the GUI concept in a computer. Microsoft blackmailed Apple into "licensing" the GUI concept to it, which is an entirely different matter. Not to mention which, the GUI developed by Apple had significant differences from PARC's GUI, which most agree are major improvements over PARC's... more
TAGS: General
July 07, 2008
What should be in a headhunting contract
Dear Bob ... I am looking to read over a typical contract (if there is such a thing) that Headhunters have with clients for services rendered. The reason I ask is I am going to do some recruiting and a potential client asked to see my contract. I am not sure if one needs to put in a ton of information or is it better to keep it simple. Can you help? - Recruiter-in-Waiting Dear RiW ... What's most important is probably outside what the contract can do for you: (1) Qualifying your clients; and (2) making sure your client's... more
TAGS: General
July 06, 2008
Two views of progress
Dear Bob ...In a recent column you took a shot at George Will as being against progress ("A progressive view of IT," Keep the Joint Running, 6/23/2008).Actually, I think George Will's point is not that progress itself is bad; it's that when you have something functioning, most things that you can try out on it are likely to make it worse, because the range of things that can improve it is small in comparison to the range of things which can destabilize, impede, or otherwise hinder it. In other words, progress isn't bad; it's assuming that because it's new, it... more
TAGS: General
July 02, 2008
Social networking software for business
Dear Bob ...I'd like your take on "social software" and business. Is there a place for LinkedIn-like social networking, wikis, blogs, forums, Facebook/MySpace, SecondLife, Twitter, Flickr, and so on in business? Or is this just another thing that leads to employee "not"-working? I keep thinking that in here somewhere, there is an opportunity to enable, catalyze my company's collaborative and innovation processes.- ConnectorDear Connector ...I can certainly see an internal use for social-network-like capabilities. Large companies that want to promote internal knowledge sharing have tried to create "communities of interest" for a long time before LinkedIn opened its virtual doors... more
TAGS: General
June 29, 2008
Should consultants offer a money-back guarantee?
Dear Bob ...Here's a little something from the competition. I think you'll like it: http://www.amazon.com/gp/blog/post/PLNKKJTPSMYKZKM8. [Note: It's a blog post from Gerald Weinberg in which he explains his policy of offering a no-questions-asked refund for any client that doesn't feel his work is worth what they paid. - Bob]- Stirring the potDear Stirring ...I'm not quite as trusting as Weinberg. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen that consultants accept engagements from clients that turn out to have a different sense of business ethics than they do.I can almost hear the wheels turning now: "I engage the consultant. At... more
TAGS: General
June 28, 2008
Is the worst thing about dishonesty that it's inefficient?
Dear Bob ...Overall, I think you wrote a good article ("No excuse," Keep the Joint Running, 6/16/2008). However, I have to wonder about your statement, "It's worse than immoral. It's inefficient."It seems to me that, in the grand scheme of things, morality is a higher value than efficiency, Some pretty terrible things have been done in the name of efficiency, including telling salaried employees that mandatory long hours is a way of life. (The typical reasons given for requiring long hours are often a cover for the boss wanting more hours of work without paying for them.)Stating that something is... more
TAGS: General
June 25, 2008
Invited to a work-related after-hours social outing
Dear Bob ...A few higher-ups in my department frequently go on outings to social events. They are all part of the "inner-circle" of team members who have similar interests and get along well. They also like to call these outings "business meetings."I know what goes on at these "business meetings." It involves drinking and crude behavior but rarely involves any discussion resembling work related topics. The higher-ups are also compensated for their time when they go on these trips because they don't put in the day. Well, I was recently invited to one of these business meetings and I know... more
TAGS: General
June 24, 2008
Generalists and specialists in the consulting and contracting world
Dear Bob ...I have seen two types of IT professionals. The first type is expert at something, e.g. business intelligence systems, or database administration. The second type is a "Jack of all trades but master of none"; an arguable example is an IT architect who is business domain/technical platform agnostic.The first type appears to command more respect in the eye of the client and higher pay in the marketplace. They usually have more knowledge and experience in their focus area than their clients, which is not the case typically for the second type. The first type can be consultants. The... more
TAGS: General
June 23, 2008
When your boss reneges on a promised promotion and raise
Dear Bob ...I recently started working as a mid-level manager at a small company. My boss initially ran my department and another department, however she was in over her head and making a lot of mistakes. I was asked to run my department and she was moved to only run the other department. At the time I expressed my concern that I did not want to take on this position until there had been some discussion of a salary change. In any case, I now report to the owner/CEO of the company. My new boss has recently contracted a part... more
TAGS: General
June 20, 2008
When to blow the whistle on a security violation
Dear Bob ...I recently started a new position as a contractor. I've only been here for a month and so am still learning the environment, the people, and so on. I'm not in a position where it would be wise to rock the boat.However, another tech on the team has been engaging in a particular behavior that I'm greatly alarmed about. When troubleshooting a problem, he will sometimes give the domain administrator password to the user so the user can follow his instructions in getting the problem cleared up. He also "jokingly" says things like, "OK, to work on this,... more
TAGS: General
June 17, 2008
Ed Foster isn't the only one allowed to gripe
No questions, no answers, just some griping:1. This shouldn't annoy me but it does: Every time I go to Microsoft's site it invites me to install Silverlight. Can't someone invent a "No" cookie to respond to all offers unless I decide I'm in the mood?Today I was trying to figure out whether to go with a Vista Home Premium pre-install on a new laptop or buy Vista Business Edition. I can't call Vista Business Edition an upgrade because Home Premium has features Business edition lacks, and vice versa.Call it a side-grade.Anyway, I'm was doing my research (after rejecting Silverlight one... more
TAGS: General
June 14, 2008
ABC vs kaizen
Dear Bob ...You've written recently about the desirability of "chunking" business change into small increments, including coining a new name -- "Agile Business Change" (ABC) -- for a methodology you haven't fully developed yet. [See "Fruitful business change," 5/26/2008 and "A business change cornucopicolumn," 6/2/2008 in Keep the Joint Running - Bob.]My question: Haven't you simply reinvented kaizen -- Toyota's business practice of encouraging continuous, incremental improvement? Why the big fuss over an old idea?- SkepticDear Skeptic ...You're right that they're similar. I don't think they're the same thing though: Kaizen is about improving the current state. I'm looking for... more
TAGS: General
June 11, 2008
Employees who want jobs vs those who want careers
Dear Bob ...Are career minded people necessary at professional level jobs? For instance, if a Security Systems Administrator has no career direction or desire to enhance his or her career, can he or she be effective long term? When a person takes a stance that his or her career is not important and a job is just a way to pay bills, that concerns me with this type of position. Technology changes fast and being reactive all the time can get companies in trouble, not to mention the person will become complacent.- Staffing strategistDear Strategist ...Beats me. For the most... more
TAGS: General
June 09, 2008
MDI, WinForm, and other user interface questions
Dear Bob ...We are in the process of starting a project to rewrite our legacy applications into .NET. Because of our business situation, we have a requirement to maintain a rich client experience. One of the difficulties in managing technology is the ever-changing toolset that developers use. We want to be able to attract solid talent, but we also need to choose technologies that actually work and have a long shelf life.We thought that all we had to do was pick a language in .NET (C# in our case) and find a solid experienced architect to help us get started.... more
TAGS: General
June 08, 2008
Blind blogs as a way of facilitating Agile Business Change?
Dear Bob ...I'd like your opinion about something Management could have the IT department do to bring ideas to the table and start the coordination process: A blind blog.A concept or problem is put on a company message board ... then it is kicked around by management or the team (depending on what level the idea is posted at) with no names being posted. You can have your ideas put out there without worry of looking like an idiot or being challenged by a company rival.Rules:The board is regulated by the CFO at company Level, department head at department level.Comments... more
TAGS: General
