NOTE: I am in the process of moving my blog to this new system. Thus, it should be noted that this entry was originally posted on 3/24/08.
A colleague and good friend of mine approached me about assisting him in developing a somewhat major web-based application. It turns out that the application is a very good idea and I was anxious to lend a hand.
After our first meeting my friend asked me how we could get his supervisor to approve the project. This is a common problem for many subordinates when trying to approach management with a new idea. The following were my recommendations:
- Consider the circumstances – You will need to decide which of the following are necessary. For example, if its a small idea, you won’t need to develop a plan. You can decide what is necessary.
- Develop a plan – Create a plan that your supervisor will understand. This may be a simplified schedule of what needs to be planned, purchased, expensed, who is involved, etc. Or it could simply be a list of items you need from Purchasing.
- Make them a winner – Assist your supervisor in seeing how they benefit from the new system. This may be more efficient employees, cost-savings, or time-savings. Of course, this has to be tailored to the supervisor’s point of view. How does the new project affect his/her budget? Time? Effort?
- Do what you say you will do – If you say you’re going to do something, do it. If you get approval from your supervisor to create or do something, make it happen. If something occurs that prevents your project from happening, communicate this to your supervisor. Remember communicating your issues in either circumstance will aid your supervisor in being informed.
For some, its not easy selling new ideas to supervisors or even colleagues. But remember, you’re always selling something, whether you realize it or not. Encourage your selling strengths and strengthen your selling weaknesses. Good luck!
NOTE: I am in the process of moving my blog to this new system. Thus, it should be noted that this entry was originally posted on 3/22/08.
I recently attended the Utah Economic Summit in Salt Lake City. In my opinion, this is one of the best economic conferences available for entrpreneurs looking to expand their knowledge about how to further their company. Some of my impressions:
Product Development Coordination
During the first breakout, I attended the Websites and Branding session where one point they emphasized was the coordination of product development, marketing and sales. Marketing of new products occur long-before the product has finished development. Sometimes sales also happens early (similar to building and selling jet airplanes). The important part is that coordintation between all three elements will assist in a successful product release.
Governor Huntsman’s Lunch Address
I’ll be the first to admit that I like Governor Huntsman. He is a good politician (if that phrase is possible, Governor Hunstman makes it so). His address focused on Utah’s positive economic stability. Utah is a good place to do business and many large companies are moving to or new companies are starting in Utah.
Social Networks
The new hipe is social networking and interacting with those social networks. New applications and web programs are being developed all of the time to take advantage of that vast marketplace.
Allow Employees to "Do What They Want"
OK. That statement needs an explanation. I found out that some software development shops allow their engineers to work on their own projects for a certain percentage of their time. For example, Google requires their engineers to spend 20% of their time working on their own projects. Most of the products Google offers were developed by their engineers on their own time. I think that is a really good idea.
Employees as Users
As I mentioned in my blog post Implementing An Unbiased Approach to Software Development there is a disparate usability issue between programmers of a system and users of a system. Requiring (or suggesting) that employees use the systems they develop will actually harmonize what programmers build and what users need. Frankly, an obvious solution to a common problem.
Home Grown Products
The final breakout session I attended focused on Utah grown products. It was interesting to learn the stories of successful entrprepreneurs and how they started. In the end I left the session with a more determined sense of customer service, hard work, and supporting local businesses.
Overall, the conference was a huge success and I look forward to attending next year.
NOTE: I am in the process of moving my blog to this new system. Thus, it should be noted that this entry was originally posted on 2/4/08.
My father recently inquired about how to make his computer run faster. He’s been having problems with it taking several minutes to boot and even longer to start programs. While its not a new computer, I thought about how I should have mentioned a few things when he first purchased it. Here are my top 5 tips when buying and setting up a new computer.
When buying a new computer:
1) Maximize the RAM. This is probably one of the best suggestions I can make. Don’t bother buying subpar amounts of RAM because it equates to subpar performance. If your computer can handle 2GB of RAM, buy 2GB! As of this writing, you should have AT LEAST 2GB of RAM for a home desktop computer. The ideal amount to have with Windows Vista is 4GB. But you should have the same amount for Windows XP too.
2) Speaking of Windows Vista, buy Windows XP. I’m not saying Vista is crap, I’m saying give it a little more time. A lot of programs are still not supported on Vista, but they will soon enough. There is no need to rush out and get the latest and greatest if all you do is surf the web and use MS Word here and there. Give it time to mature and work out the bugs and then buy it.
3) Purchase a robust anti-virus package. The cost is well worth the security. If you’re looking for a good package without the cost, try <a href="http://www.clamwin.com/">ClamWin</a>. Its free and is as good an antivirus as anything out there.
4) When setting up your new computer, or if you haven’t already done so, make sure you DO NOT USE AN ADMINISTRATOR ACCOUNT to do everyday tasks. In other words, your computer should have AT LEAST two user accounts: one administrator and one limited user. Use the limited user to do everything except install programs. NEVER surf the internet with an administrator account. Virus programs and hackers generally need one thing to take over your computer and steal your information: access to an admin account. Using a limited user account significantly reduces your computer’s risk to being compromised by hackers, viruses and spyware.
5) Regularly and diligently update the operating system. Windows Vista and Windows XP have automatic update capabilities of which you should take advantage. This is another suggestion that significantly reduces the risk of being attacked by hackers, viruses and spyware.
Those are the basics. They are nothing new and I’m not claiming to be the first to have said them, but at least my family will think I’m somewhat smart.
NOTE: I am in the process of moving my blog to this new system. T Thus, it should be noted that this entry was originally posted on 12/17/07.
This is the premise I’ve lived by during my career as an employee for various institutions. From this statement one could possibly infer that I’m not very loyal to a company. But there are many subjects to which I’m loyal and the two most important are myself and my family.
Employment would come in third or fourth depending on the value of the current context. If its pay then employment usually ranks lower on the loyalty list because you never seem to get enough pay for the job(s) you do.
Since I keep my options open, I apply for jobs that I feel would give me a good challenge for valuable pay. Such was one job I applied for at the local University. Now, applying for jobs around Cache Valley is nothing new to me, but applying for this job presented some challenging problems.
First, my current employment at Dynamic Screening Solutions is more than just work. Its my company; partly. I own a generous percentage of the company which puts me in a difficult position if I have to tell corporate executives that I’m leaving.
Second, all of that is nothing compared to what I’d be giving up if I left Dynamic Screening Solutions: my baby. My software baby, to be more exact. Our product The ONE Application is a web-based software product that I developed. OK, not by myself, that’s impossible. But I was there from nearly the beginning of its development on to production with our current clients. I know everything there is to know about that software and I’m the only person who does in the entire company. Which isn’t necessarily good because if I get hit by a bus tomorrow, DSS would have a very difficult time. But as DSS grows this won’t be such a major problem.
Third, flexibility. I love the flexibility of being my own boss.
So, while I received a generous offer from the University, I respectfully declined. I was a little disappointed about not being able to join them and try new challenges. But the horizons are much brighter here at DSS. So, I’ll keep heading in this direction… Until I reach another fork in the road because “I always keep my options open.”
We recently learned that the company I’m partnering in, Dynamic Screening Solutions, Inc., is not receiving a continuation of a grant to assist us with moving the company forward. This was through the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development, more specifically through the Center of Excellence program.
The COE funding provides grants to startup companies in the form of matching dollars for every dollar of revenue up to a maximum of around $150,000 to $200,000. Its a fantastic program that has helped some fantastic companies.
DSS was very fortunate to receive $150,000 funding for 2007-2008. This funding was invaluable in helping us get off the ground and into a working company. While we are disappointed that we did not get approved for it this year, we have several other funding options to look at.
Is this the end of DSS? I doubt it. I remain optimistic that we can find other funding. This is one of those hard times that helps us savor the good times.
For the past several years, a local joint has morphed itself from an Arctic Circle to a taco joint, to new management, to the most recent advent: a new restaurant name. I often wonder if they’re still serving Actic Circle burgers, and morphing them into tacos? While I doubt that’s possible or even tasteful, unless you like your Mexican tacos tasting like quasi-American burgers, I’m wondering what is going on there.
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