Although we’ve had great news regarding a vaccine that is stated to be 90% effective fighting the COVID virus, we are still months away from delivering this vaccine to the American public. Small businesses need help NOW and our local and federal governments should and could help them out!
Since it is known that COVID-19 is mainly spread through person-to-person and virus-laden droplet contact, it makes sense to provide government funds for small businesses to install HEPA filtration systems, UV Lighting, and humidifiers.
This would dramatically aid in fighting the virus indoors at a relatively small cost.
The costs to install a new filtration and humidification systems seems to average around $4,000 to $5,000 USD.
The government could grant small businesses these funds to update their business with HEPA filtration, UV systems, and humidifiers. Also, fund employers employees for the time it takes to install the systems, and then follow a process to confirm a successful installation. A simple installation/confirmation process could be:
This small business opening grant/process should be added to the current COVID-19 phased plans that many states are using to combat the Corona virus. It would also help boost infrastructure through the construction, installation, project management, and operation of these systems. Considered a win-win!!! To me this seems like an efficient, effective, and economical way to get our small businesses up and running to capacity during the winter months.
Back in 2017, I was fortunate to manage the BMO Harris Bank / 1871 Fintech Partnership Program where we would mentor up to eight fintech companies. The program was setup to give Fintech companies a good understanding of how to work with large Financial institutions. Also, it gave BMO Harris the opportunity to work with up and coming technical rising stars. We worked with 1871 to announce the program and to setup an online application that allowed Fintech’s consideration to be part of the mentorship program.
Working with stakeholders, it was determined that the program would run for 3 months with a final judging contest that awarded cash prizes. We worked with 1871 to announce the program and to setup an online application that allowed Chicago FinTech's an opportunity to be consider for the mentorship program. A selection committee was created to review the applications and to select the startup companies that we wanted to possibly work with as mentees.
At an 1871 TGIF, the program was announced on April 21, 2017. BMO would accept applications and interview technical startup companies with a Fintech product or service to be part of the mentorship program. From the identified applications, 6 startups were selected to move forward as part of the mentorship program. Each startup was matched with FI experts from BMO Harris Bank which acted as mentors for a three-month period. At the end of the mentorship period, each mentee gave a 10 to 20-minute presentation in front of several BMO Harris Bank leaders who in turn selected a first, second, and third place winner.
The program was a huge success as BMO Harris Bank selected two Fintech companies, Genivity and SpringFour, partnering with the tech startups to bring their products and services to specific customers.
Due to the overwhelming success of the program, I was asked to manage this program every year until the department I worked in was disbanded in 2019.
If you are an organization that is looking to enter or solidify your presence in the digital and technical world, please feel free to contact me so we can discuss how I can aid you in your success in the digital or fintech world. https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-m-kottke/
If you are in the medical profession you are most likely on the front line with first responders — the guardian angles that work extremely hard to keep us healthy! For the rest of us, we continue to manage projects.
I, along with most Americans, find myself in very unfamiliar water. With a pandemic seizing our country, an unemployment rate as high as 14 percent with 20 plus million people out of work, and an economy that is in recession, there seems to be no chance of a turnaround in the near future. So, what do great project managers do during this type of crisis?
Although there are a lot of jobs listed on social media and jobs sites, the business in my area of expertise are replying with messages such as the following, “Unfortunately, due to unforeseen business circumstances, hiring for this position has been cancelled.”
My background is in program, project, and product management, manufacturing, software development, consulting, and the finance industry. So what do great project managers do during a pandemic or crisis?
Outside of collaboration on possible new business, self-development, non-profit, or academic projects with others, friends, and colleagues, I have endeavored to tackle, learn from, and complete projects outside of my background industries! Great project managers can manage projects in any industry, from finance, to medical, and to construction. As proof of this, I offer a few projects that I managed outside of my normal areas of expertise during the pandemic. I am a great project manager!
Project One (Boat pad retaining wall)
Problem to be solved – The boat pad was built two years prior with the intent to allow me to store and work on the boat when the boat was out of the water. It was on the side of the house which allowed for easy access to the boat and trailer, but it proved was difficult to work on as there was little room between the boat and the forest. Also, this forest side had small hill which dumped mud onto the pad when it rained.
Requirements
The list of requirements include and must:
Set back 4 to 5 feet from the existing boat pad
Made up of a strong enough material to hold back three to four feet of soil and forest
Keep dirt and debris off boat pad
Look pleasant and appealing
Budget
Sponsor allocated 750 dollars to the project or about half the expected cost of hiring a vendor to complete the project.
Project forecast
The budget was based on the following numbers:
Estimated Project Cost (If a vendor is used to complete the project)
Qty
Unit
Description
Price
Extended
10
Bags
Paver base
2.5
25.00
300
lbs
Backfill
0.89
267.00
10
bags
Leveling sand
2.45
24.50
105
ea
Bricks
1.4
147.00
22
ea
Caps
1.8
39.60
8
Tubes
adhesive
8
64.00
25
hrs
Labor
40
1000.00
$1,567.10
Milestones
Milestone
Included Activities
Area Identification
Mark area, call Julie
Purchase Material
Calculate needed material, Setup Delivery
Excavation
Digging, picking, sawing, leveling, removing
Foundation
Prep, leveling, placing
Wall Build
Pattern decision, laying bricks, cutting
Caps
Cutting, pattern decisions, placing
Backfill
Digging and filling, planting
Risks and Issues
Short Description
Type
Description
Impact
Decision
Tree Roots
Issue
During excavation a tree root was found in foundation path
Critical
dig 6 inches back and around root and cut root
Boulders
Issue
During excavation a 3ft boulder was found in foundation path
Critical
Remove 450 pound bolder
Lot Line
Risk
Risk of building the retaining wall over the property lotline
High
Confirm lotline location
Buried lines
Risk
Risk of hitting a buried cable during excavation
Critical
Contact Julie to locate buried cable
Project Completion
Actual Project Cost
Qty
Unit
Description
Price
Extended
10
Bags
Paver base
2.3
23.00
300
lbs
Backfill
0.5
150.00
10
bags
Leveling sand
2.3
23.00
105
ea
Bricks
1.4
147.00
22
ea
Caps
1.8
39.60
10
Tubes
Adhesive
7
70.00
25
hrs
Labor
0
0.00
$452.60
Project completed under budget and on time, another project well done!
Project Two (the Garden)
Problem – Garden is too large for a working family to manage. There are too many critters eating the garden, it is overgrown with weeds, and small trees. The garden is completely unmanageable by the owners. The garden required an entire rethink and redo.
Requirements
Working with the sponsor and other stakeholders it was determined that a self-contained which could provide a minimal, viable product for growing organic fruits and vegetables with as little maintenance as possible for a busy lifestyle was desirable. Working with all stakeholders, it was determined that a small greenhouse would be the proper solution to complete this project.
Current garden and fencing must be removed
Temporary garden sites must be erected for 2020 garden
Greenhouse must be secured to a stable foundation
Site location must be marked and approved by stakeholders
Greenhouse floor is expected to be filled with organic material that resists weeds
Budget
Sponsor allocated 900 dollars to the project as a gift to her spouse for his birthday and Father’s Day.
Project Forecast (if a vendor is used to complete)
Qty
Unit
Description
Price
Extended
4
ea
4 x 4 lumber
45
180.00
2
Yard
Gravel
50
100.00
4
ea
Masonry bolts
2.45
9.80
1
ea
Greenhouse
600
600.00
2
ea
8″ deck footing
1.8
3.60
6
ea
Quick set cement
7
42.00
60
hrs
Labor
40
2400.00
$3,335.40
Milestones
Milestones
Included Activities
Fence removal
Remove small trees and dig out roots. Dismantle old fencing.
Greenhouse Purchase
Review product in expected size, quality, and price
Purchase Material
Locate and purchase greenhouse and foundation material
Excavation
Digging, site identification, picking, sawing, leveling, removal
Foundation
Prep, leveling, placing, and installation
Build
Erect purchased greenhouse
Fill
Fill in floor and foundation with gravel
Risks and Issues
Short Description
Type
Description
Impact
Decision
Bird Nests
Issue
A cardinal built a nest in one of the trees that was entwined in the garden fence
Critical
Cut fence around the tree. Leave tree alone until birds leave the nest.
Impact to established plants
Issue
Grapevines and berry bushes are established, must not be harmed
Critical
Site location must be approved.
Greenhouse placement
Risk
Risk of reduced sunlight during various times of the year
High
Study solar location for spring, summer, and fall months for optimal location.
Project Completion
Actual Project Cost
Qty
Unit
Description
Price
Extended
4
ea
4 x 4 lumber
45
180.00
2
Yard
Gravel
50
100.00
4
ea
Masonry bolts
2.45
9.80
1
ea
Greenhouse
600
600.00
2
ea
8″ deck footing
1.8
3.60
6
ea
Quick set cement
7
42.00
0
hrs
Labor
40
0.00
$935.40
Project completed at close to budget. All risks and issues were mediated and closed prior to completion. Phase 1 of this project is complete, but phase 2 and 3 are to be completed in subsequent years.
Project Three (Patio extension)
Problem – The original deck to the back of the house was built over a hill that would not grow any type of vegetation due to lack of sunlight. Plus, every time it rained a couple of issues would arise to the deck and the walkout patio below. The ground underneath the deck eroded, spilling mud on the deck below and exposing the deck foundation; this could eventually cause a weakness to the structure of the deck! Plus the mud ended up on the current, existing paver patio which houses a hot tub; this was a muddy mess.
Although there are several solutions to the problem. The request of the sponsor was to create a three-tiered retaining wall and an extension to the paved patio. My part of this project is to manage and complete the extended patio.
Requirements
New pavers must be a close match or complement the existing patio pavers
New area will cover entire dirt and pea gravel under the deck on the lowest level
Costs to be kept to a minimal
Pavers must border up to retaining wall and be a level surface
Budget
Total budget for the project is estimated at $2,000 if a vendor is used to complete the project. This was based on the following estimated costs.
Qty
Unit
Description
Price
Extended
20
Bags
Paver base
5
100.00
20
bags
Leveling sand
5
100.00
78
ea
Bricks
1.4
109.20
1
ea
Bonding Sand
40
40.00
40
hrs
Labor
40
1600.00
$1,949.20
Milestones
Milestones
Included Activities
Confirm site
Confirm the size and placement of the patio, notify JULIE
Purchase Material
Locate and purchase patio material
Excavation
Digging, site identification, picking, sawing, leveling, removal
Fill
Paverbase and leveling sand
Level
Level area for pavers
Placement
Placement and cutting
Seal
Add bonding sand and seal
Risks and Issues
Short Description
Type
Description
Impact
Decision
Utility Placement
Risk
Possibility of buried cable or other items
Low
None found
Existing Obstacles
Risk
Existing patio and hot tub
Low
Existing items were not a hindrance
Project Completion
Since the work was completed in-house the labor estimate was eliminated and saved us about $1,600 dollars and cutting the estimated costs by about 90%.
Actual Cost
Qty
Unit
Description
Price
Extended
20
Bags
Paver base
2.3
46.00
20
bags
Leveling sand
2.3
46.00
78
ea
Bricks
0.7
54.60
1
ea
adhesive
30
30.00
40
hrs
Labor
0
0.00
$176.60
Conclusion
The above projects are only a few examples of the projects that I have completed or continue to work on as I look for new corporate, software development, or manufacturing opportunities. Although I have been impacted by the latest economic recession and a 100 year pandemic, I continue to do what great Project Managers do; projects! It doesn’t matter what industry the project is in, I have a proven track record of successfully completing projects, programs, and products that I have managed. I am a thinker, a doer, and a go-getter. I can successfully manage any program, project, or product in any industry.
I am the great person that you want to manage your projects, programs, or products!
According to Wikipedia, Product Management is an organizational lifecycle function within a company dealing with the planning, forecasting and production, or marketing of a product or products at all stages of the product lifecycle. Similarly, product lifecycle management (PLM) integrates people, data, processes and business systems. It provides product information for companies and their extended supply chain enterprise.
As a product manager, I manage the strategic and tactical support of product, process and services. Also, I manage product budgets and costs, work with resources and vendors, provide status on products, produce gap analysis, and perform win/loss analyses. I provide strategic planning through the use of competitor analysis, business cases, and key performance indicators. I build internal product awareness and support from key stakeholders, and work through the product funding process with leadership. I also provide coordination with risk management to ensure proper risk mitigation, avoidance, or acceptance, and work with organizational leadership to plan, define, market, and launch product and services.
From building business cases to developing products, below is a list of some of the FI Products that I’ve managed:
New Debit Chip Card
IFTTT Savings
Mobile peer-to-peer transfers
Online Account to Account transfers
Managing these products involved creating business cases, identifying and confirming metrics, developing business plans, completing business analyses, marketing analyses, and product/service benefits. I work directly with and manage resources & vendor manager, support and operations. I perform product planning, testing, and implementation.
Portfolio Management
Mark Langley of the PMI states, “Portfolio management is the centralized management of one or more portfolios that enable executive management to meet organizational goals and objectives through efficient decision making on portfolios, projects, programs and operations.”
Portfolio Management, what I do…
I work with organizational leadership to understand organizational strategy, priority, and allocation. I am in charge of portfolio governance, making policy, identifying strategic goals that align with organizational needs.
I compare ongoing products, programs, and projects to aid in reporting, prioritizing, balancing, and managing portfolio strategic change. I work with Program and Project Managers to schedule, allocate resources, and track performance for projects and programs that are housed within the portfolio. I work with PM’s to understand, monitor, and control risk and track performance within the portfolio.
My Portfolio work has been focused in Retail and Treasury Management. I worked with the executive leadership and direct reports to map out each fiscal year plan for building new products and services across the US enterprise. I sat with direct reports to create business cases, planned and scheduled project implementation, and worked directly with procurement and vendors in assigning resources. I established communication policies, provided training, kept project documentation current, and interfaced with EPMO to ensure projects followed enterprise standards.
I prioritize project work for sequencing, funding, and implementation; review project scope; and track work breakdown structures to timelines, as well as budgets, to ensure schedule and project success. Also, I validate all milestones and deliverables through completion to meet their sponsors’ requirements.
Program Management
What is a program – The PMI defines a program as a group of related projects managed in a coordinated manner to obtain benefits not available from managing them individually. Program management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to meet program requirements. Organizations with mature program management are far more successful than those without it, according to their research.
Programs differ from projects such that projects are of narrow and focused scope and programs are over-arching from departmental to organizational scope. The program is much broader and has a broad impact to the organization.
Programs are expected to follow the organizational mission and are measured on how much value is returned to the organization based upon the investment made into the program.
Program Manager Responsibility
As a program manager, I am a leader who mentors and provides direction, guidance and a means for success to all of the program projects and teams. I provide overall reporting of each project within the program which includes providing updates on project metrics, project status and performance, and ensuring the projects remain on track to successfully meet the organizations goals.
As part of my program responsibilities, I work with C-level executives to determine, plan for, and confirm organizational goals are met.
I provide governance for each project within the program by setting policy, providing guidance, and giving project direction.
I am responsible for program communication addressing progress, status, and alignment to corporate goals. Additionally, I oversee projects within the program, providing control and monitoring progress, and manage the program budget, forecast, and actuals.
Back in 2011 through 2012, I had the privilege of managing the GTM integration of the M&I treasury management products, services, customers and accounts into BMO Harris Bank. This included the following products and services – ACH, Lockbox, Remote Capture, File Transfer, Wires, Customer Experience, Collections, Disbursements, Correspondent Banking, Healthcare, OLBB, and Liquidity Management. Each of these products/services was a project in itself and wrapped up to me as the Program Manager.
In 2016 and 2017, I managed the Retail Strategy Product and Segments from inception to implementation; this included the following projects:
CD and Money Market Products, New Checking Products, New Lending partners (Freddie Mac), New Investors, New Lending Products, HMDA updates, Addition to ATM Network, Electronic Deposit Account opening, and update to retail promo-codes.
From 2017 to 2019, I managed the BMO Harris Bank/1871 Partnership Program, small business account conversions to new systems, updates to SalesForce CRM, introduction of contactless debit cards (to the US market), and system updates to move from LIBOR to prime rates.
Project Management
I deliver products and services to market.
Delivering projects is not about using a single software development methodology, it’s about using the best development method that suits your project, the stakeholders, the organization, and the client need. I have successfully managed many types of software development projects using methodologies from Waterfall to Iterative and Incremental Development.
I am the person that takes leadership ideas, dreams, and strategies to fruition. The execution of a new product into the market is done through me. The PM is the person that works with organizational, customer, and procured stakeholders to ensure that the product meets requirements, budget, time, and quality expectations.
The PM is the resource that raises risks, issues, possibilities, solutions, corrections and actions to leadership for a final decision.
It’s not always about the project methodology — please keep in mind that methods are only tools — it’s how the tools are used to make the final product that counts.
I am the person that is accountable for the project meeting organizational objectives. I am considered the voice of the client and am responsible for meeting the client needs within moral and ethical constraints. I will not do anything that is considered illegal, immoral, or unjust.
I work with project constraints – Resources, time, cost, and scope. I follow the corporate organizational process and enterprise environmental factors which is a fancy way of saying that I follow an organization’s plans, policies, procedures, guidelines, values, mission, and objectives.
Project managers are usually responsible for planning, executing, monitoring, controlling and closing a project. Since projects, by definition, have a beginning and an end, they are not permanent in length and are handed off to a customer, Operations, or Product Manager as part of final delivery.
All this work must be expertly managed to deliver the on-time, on-budget results, learning, and integration that organizations need.
My tenure with Project Management goes back to 1997 when I managed part of the US version of Canada’s mBanx, the virtual online bank which has evolved into BMO Harris Bank’s online banking presence.
Recent projects that I’ve successfully managed include:
Branch Activity Board – Bring unified activities across the US enterprise
Retail product projects – New Savings products
Updates to Online Banking
Small Business Online Banking
Standardization of credit facility risk types
EMV Debit Cards
Customer Credit Pre-approvals
Integration of M&I Global Treasury Customers, Accounts,s Products and Services into BMO Harris Bank
Customer account alignment – (numerous from M&As)
Credit Streamlining
Past Due Remediation and reporting
Over Draft Litigation
How I Can Help
I am passionate about success, clarity, leadership, direction, and full service management to an organization. Some managers focus only on technology and forget about things like change management, customer impact, communication management, and employee impact. I’m a full service resource who is customer focused and success driven. I work well in either waterfall or iterative and incremental life cycles.
I have proven track record of project work and products that remain in today’s markets. I work on and build cutting edge systems to support the business, and participate and partner with the business in planning, requirements definition, project management, and external team development. I evaluate and aid in decision making around the use of new or existing technologies and tools. I work as an entrepreneur to deliver value incrementally and frequently.
I drive direction of the larger Fiscal Year projects and programs, and constantly and consistently engage with other programs, projects and teams in the company. I build relationships and partnerships, helping to identify existing components and technologies that can be leveraged to deliver on organizational goals. I represent both the technical and business teams to senior leadership across the organization. I am a self-starter who works well in fast-paced and ambiguous environments, and I’m a fast learner who quickly understands the business as well as the businesses systems. I work with the line of business, legal, compliance, finance, and risk teams to assess and prioritize requirements. I act as problem solver, manager, analyst, reporter, deliverer, and leader. I work with leadership, sponsor, key stakeholders to ensure we move forward. I report both summary and detailed status to leadership and raise risks and issues as needed.
I look forward to my next corporate family.
Don’t take my word for it, hear from a few of the colleagues I worked for and with:
I’ve been asked several times about the differences between centralized and decentralized resource project management and which do I feel is more effective.
Centralized Resource Project Management – All project, program, and portfolio managers are in one group within the organization, usually under the EPMO. The thought here is that all resources are pooled under one group and any project, program, or portfolio manager can work on or manage any project, program, or portfolio within the organization since the management life cycle or process is very similar throughout the firm. This lends itself to an agnostic approach to project management. It does have its pros and cons.
Pros:
All under one PMO following a single standard
A single enterprise source or repository for
project and program management talent
Provides for easy rotation between business
segments
Consistent work inputs and outputs
Cons:
Not aligned specifically to business unit
More difficult to become a Subject Matter Expert
for the business unit
PM usually doesn’t report directly to the Business
Leader
Normally works in functional or matrixed
environment with less authority
Additional overhead of a PMO
Decentralized Resource Project Management – Project, program, and portfolio managers work directly for a Line of Business. They will most likely become functional or projectized managers. They work directly under a Line of Business and are usually considered experts in their respective field. Usually reports directly to a director, VP, or CEO.
Pros:
Typically, a projectized environment, so the PM
has more authority over the project(s) and associated resources
The PM is most likely a subject matter expert
(SME) in the line of business
PMs usually report into Line of Business
managers so there is not as much overhead as a PMO
Cons:
Siloed to one business unit; more ramp-up time is needed if the PM moves to a different business unit
Business unit may not follow a standard PM methodology
Lack of an adherence or cooperation to project management best practices
My answer to this question is that it depends on what the organization is looking to accomplish. Both approaches work well in most organizations depending on how the firm determines to use their PMO and resources.
If the organization is looking to standardize their approach to Project management and would like to ensure that the PMO standards are used company wide, are looking for their PM resources to work in any segment or channel in the firm, and wants a single point of contact for PM resources. The centralized approach works to the benefit of everyone within the organization. The centralized approach offers the one shop stop and standardized approach to project and program management.
However, the decentralized approach is better for an organization that is contemplating their PMs to be become an expert in segmented field of work or as a functional manager. Also, this approach is better if the enterprise is not looking for a standardized management approach or doesn’t want the overhead of running a PMO as part of the enterprise. The decentralized approach can be very effective if the segment specializes in an operational discipline.
Back in 1977 George Lucas and 20th Century Fox released one of the greatest movies that I have ever seen. To this date, Star Wars: A new hope has made more money for Fox studios than any other film of its time; kudos to you Mr. Lucas! This movie gave us a glimpse of what we might expect in the future and I loved it.
Now-a-day, we enjoy some of the devices as shown on Sci-Fi movies and shows such as mobile phones, self-driving cars, and personal computers; but I was hoping for much more. For example, in the Star Wars movies, they had holographic communicators; by now we should at least have see through phones.
Why are manufactures having trouble building the products people want?
I get it, there are a lot of reasons as to why certain products can’t be built, such as cost, delivery, legal and regulatory rules. However, I have some thoughts on cool apps or products that would be great to have now. Even those that are currently in the works or out in the market aren’t necessarily user friendly or intuitive to the user.
This is why I miss Steve Jobs, although I’m not an apple product person, I loved his thinking. Basically, you shouldn’t need instructions, the product should be intuitive on its own.
For example – Wouldn’t it be great if you could unlock your PC, your car, apartment, or house by using your finger print from your phone? At a minimum, this option should be embedded in every windows OS. Doing a quick search for this type of technology on the internet it looks as if this was available through a product called BTProximity, but the product is discontinued. This should not be a difficult product to create, it would require a simple architecture like the depiction below:
The first time you setup the PC/Laptop/tablet this feature would be available to imprint your phone and finger, no brainier right?! So, why hasn’t Microsoft given this to us? Well, I don’t think they thought of it yet. Instead they decided to work with a USB device that recognizes you through face or finger recognition. But come on, most of us already have a device that securely identifies us, our cell phone or our watch. Or better yet, wouldn’t be great to ask your device’s AI to unlock the computer, door, car, instead of using your finger. The AI should recognize you and do as you have requested.
It would be awesome if Alexia/Google/Siri would work like Onstar works in your car. It would be great if today’s AIs were intelligent like C3PO and could talk or text to people as C3PO did in Star Wars. It would be very helpful if you could use your device’s AI to make a call on your behalf. If only your phone could place a food order on your behalf at restaurants or grocery stores. The AI would ask if you’ll be dining-in at the restaurant, pick it up, or if the order should be delivered. If you select dining-in, the AI would ask where you would like to dine, how many people will be joining you, and the approximate time for a reservation. If you select delivery, it would track the order to your door and tell you it has arrived. If you select pick-up, it would track the order and let you know that the order will be ready in the X amount of minutes it will take you to get to that location. Wouldn’t that be great?! What we need is for Android Auto, Google Android, and the Onstar AI to merge and add some minor functions to make an awesome AI that talks and texts for the customer.
Example 1: “Maihnn, please call Rosati’s and order 2 large Pizza’s, one pizza with cheese only and the other with half sausage and the other half mushrooms and onions.”
Maihnn response… Did you say call Rosati’s Pizza and order 2 large Pizza’s, one with cheese only and the other pizza one half sausage the other half Mushroom and onion; is that correct? “Yes” Calling…
“Hi Rick, your Rosati’s pizza order total came to $32.80 and the pizzas will be ready in thirty minutes. Is there anything else that you need?”
Example 2: “Maihnn, I would like to eat at Squires tonight.”
Maihnn response… Did you say you would like to make a reservation to eat at The Village Squire tonight? “Yes”
“Sir, which location would you like to eat at, how many people will be joining you and at what day and time would you like this reservation?” “I would like to eat in McHenry, there will be 3 others joining me, and make it for tonight at 7 pm.”
“Sir, just to confirm, you would like me to make your McHenry Village Squire reservation for four people at 7:00 PM tonight, is that correct?” “Yes, that is correct” Calling… “Sir, they can’t seat you until 7:30, would that be okay?” “Yes, that would work”
“Sir, your reservation is set for tonight at 7:30 PM for four people under the name Rick Kottke. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Wouldn’t it be awesome if this and other similar apps really worked this way?
The AI to make calls and place orders is not that difficult to program, Apple, Amazon, Google Android and GM Onstar have already completed half the work. The other half should be just as easy by using the customer’s voice or the AI’s to place the actual order and then receive a confirmation from the retailer/restaurant host as feedback to the customer. Hey, Samsung, Apple, Motorola, Microsoft, Intel, Amazon, Google, GM, or VC’s, are you listening? If you need a Portfolio/Program/Software manager to create, design, architect, and manage this, just drop me a note.
Some retailers get it, for example, Starbucks has an app that allows you to place your order from your device and pick it up at a specified location. You should be able to do that same thing at all retail stores/restaurants.
You should be able to use your device to pay for your purchases at any retail location. Currently, American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa offer a point-to-pay app for Android and iPhone’s but this is not available everywhere from every POS device. Also, setting this app up should be automatic. Although the Android Pay and Apple pay install and setup is pretty much the same from either app, I had to contact my bank to complete the account linkage.
It is a shame that these apps don’t allow me to order and pick-up the way the Starbucks app does. To me, it is a game changer!
Wouldn’t be great to withdraw money from an ATM via your phone and have it dispense the funds when you arrive at the ATM. You don’t have to enter a PIN, the ATM would know you and that you were there to pick-up your withdrawal.
It would be amazing to have an app that looks at spending habits and suggests financial funds to invest in – and if you agree to the suggestions, would actually invest in them on your behalf. Apps that will buy and sell equities based on your ranges and requirements. This would not only include information on dividends, volatility, average shares traded, and cycles; but in equities of your interest based on your spending habits, books and news that you read, searches you perform, and sites that you visit.
Mint.com is close to what I would want in a financial app, but it isn’t close enough. The app will look for savings vehicles but not in equities where one can make a lot more money, especially since current savings interest rates are so low.
Devices should suggest dinner ideas based on your purchasing habits and they should know what you like and don’t like. However, the app should only do this when you are looking for something to eat. The app should alert you in an android’s voice, “Sir, may I suggest blah, blah, blah”. It would be great to have that Star Wars effect.
A device should tell you whether it would be better to walk instead of taking a cab to your next meeting. And if you walk, whether or not you should bring an umbrella.
Your device should know if you forgot your train pass or wallet, or know where your keys are – why don’t we have these apps? Alexa, where are my keys? Yes, one could use “Tile”, but why don’t we have transmitters in our current keys?
As you can tell by this post, I want more out of the apps and technology that are supported on my phone and other devices. I haven’t even begun to discuss how a new AI app could aid businesses, back-office operations, and employees. There’s a gold mine here.
I am passionate about this type of AI, if you are a corporation that is seriously interested in hearing more about or looking to be that next product/app big thing, please drop me a line and we can talk about it in detail.
I wrote this guide to provide business partners with thoughts on an easy and efficient way to engage their technology partners. It’s not always easy to embrace technology as it can be rather complex, my aim was to provide a simple guide to working with technology in order to drive project success. Although the post is long, I’m hoping that you find it useful and will share it with others.
A blog for success by Richard Kottke
Business to Technology Engagement History
Just as there are several ways to manage a project, there are many ways to engage in technical projects.
In the early to mid 20th century the modern computer was developed. This gave us the advantage of a computational machine that would complete business related tasks in a fraction of the time that it took a human resource to complete. At nearly the same time, computer science related project management became recognized as a discipline instead of the ad-hoc process of managing projects through a scheduled number of tasks.
Prior to this time, formal technology engagement was virtually non-existent. An assigned business lead would reach out directly to the technologist and provide them with spec’s on what was to be built. Most of the time the Research and Development group fulfilled the role of the technology group. There were no PC’s at that time and most main frame computers were leased from the major computer manufacturers or universities.
As the costs and size of computers came down, the need for project manager engagement with technology began to rise. Organizations discovered the numerous reporting capabilities of systems and requested technical projects from these systems. However, the engagement was undisciplined and unruly causing many delays and setbacks in project completion.
History of Advanced Computing Technology
Advanced Computing Technology – starts with the evolution of computing machines and software
Although there are several methodologies, programming languages, and hardware not included in the above timeline, the items listed have had a significant impact on today’s technological advances. With the innovation of the of the modern computer (CPU, memory, and peripherals), technology has moved forward in an unprecedented pace.
Technology has the ability to meet business needs at a much faster pace than it did in past. However, the ability to harness that power has been a challenge over the last 60+ years. Machines don’t speak a “human” language, nor do they comprehend human abstract thought. Thus, we rely on human technologists to explain/relay human thoughts to technology. The problem with that is we are all individuals and have unique ideas on how things should work. Applications developed through technology must be carefully planned in order to deliver expected results. Some of this is seen through the business use of methods that were developed specifically for building software applications, i.e. – Waterfall, Spiral, RAD, and Agile methods. Although these methods have their origins in software development, they have become ingrained in project management and are frequently discussed with business partners to ensure that the business receives expected product.
Technology
Through the 50’s to 70’s the need for a separate Technology team for the average to large company was rare. The equipment was expensive and the technologist were specialized and limited in ability. The existence of business administrative applications were also limited and those that did exist were mainly financial in nature. Because of these limitations, the technology teams that existed were managed and reported to the finance department.
The need for technical teams within an organization came about with the mass production of smaller hardware, faster software, the creation of online/mobile applications, and the ability of computers to perform complex tasks.
With the rise of modern computing systems, leadership redefined their organizations similar to the image below. Several new departments were created to handle the technical needs.
In most current environments, these departments don’t report to business management. This would suggest that these resources are viewed as performing a separate function within the organization and thus work under a separate agenda. This may differ from the businesses itinerary.
Business, Technology, and Others…
Technology has a symbiotic relationship with other parts of an organization. It must work hand-in-hand with others to complete finished products.
Technology is responsible for producing products based on Business specifications.
The Business is responsible for creating products that meet the organization’s objectives.
Other parts of the organization are responsible for the guidelines and quality that are used to manage technology and confirm a quality product
Easy things to remember when working with Technology
The organizational funding process can be complex as it involves the entire organization. Since it is organization wide, the funding request from each group differs and may lead to disorder between the groups looking for funds. This misalignment usually causes a number of problems for both the business and technology groups, examples of these ‘direct impact’ issues are listed to the right.
Projects are expensive, not having startup funds to investigate, the time-frame, requirements, and resources to develop a new product can lead to problems. The business would like to create new products that not only meet customer needs, but follow the organizations direction and turn a profit for the organization. In order to realize the project’s cost benefit, there is a need for a high-level estimate of what the product will cost to build and get into production. There may be a thought that the tech partners will provide such a high-level estimate for free, that is not always the case.
Why, because in most cases technology is considered a profit center. This means that the business will need a cost center to bill tech project work, this includes providing high level estimates. If the project has a technical component, the business team will need to engage technology to get an initial project cost estimate.
The lack of required project approvals will slow down if not stop project work. Without these approvals, in most cases the project will be doomed for lack of support from stakeholders within the organization.
It is key to ensure that those stakeholders impacted by the project support the project. Stakeholders that have a perception the project will negatively impact their world must be notified of the project. They must have a good understanding of how the project will benefit them and the organization. Without stakeholder buy-in, the project is likely to fail. Getting approval up front will aid in project support, even from the nay-sayers.
The usual required approvals:
Business case and benefits
Stakeholder approval
Funding
Risks, issues, and changes
Project Charter – PM authority to work on the project
Governance Document – project resources
Project Management Plan
In order to succeed, Technology must work with all parts of an organization. However, as part of that success it must not be tied directly to one specific part of the business. Technology must manage it’s own resources independently to be successful. It shouldn’t be aligned directly with others.
Technology uses a complex series of actions and steps to build product. This process has at least five phases and is used as the foundation to successfully meet customer’s requirements. The process includes steps for initiating, planning, designing, estimating, developing, managing, testing, and delivering the final expect product. The process is used to control project budget, risks, issues, resources, and communication.
Incorrectly engaging the technology group can lead to many problems such as cost overruns, unidentified risks and issues, project delays, incorrect estimates and so on.
Engaging Technology too early can lead to scope creep, funding issues, time delay and additional project costs. You may encounter project bias, early project spend, unneeded resourcing, and unwanted features.
Business product managers spend a lot of time researching and developing the right product. The product analysis should be complete prior to engaging technology. Allowing technical influences at this time would cause a deviation from the planned product.
Direct impacts to the product/project would include:
Additional Time
Stagnate or additional resources
Monies spent on non-project work
If engaged too early in the process, Technology partners may want to impose their thoughts on the finished product. This is not within their realm and can lead to a product that is not usable in the market…
SDLC is a process for working through the development of a new product.
The process starts with an initiation phase to confirm requirements and to get ready for design
Once design is complete, development or the build phase begins
After development is confirmed to be complete the project moves to the testing
This is where the Business will do UAT testing and approve the project to move forward into production
The final piece is approval and acceptance of the completed product.
Once approved, the product moves to production and the team moves on to the next technical project
In past years, technology would perform testing. This included such groups that supported the testing effort. In modern times, testing is managed by test management. This team is responsible for testing the product to ensure the final product meets approved requirements.
Testing Management – the Technology PM works with the testing management team to assign a Test Manager. The Test Manager provides the Test Management Plan.
Test Managers – Test Managers create the test schedule, review the plan and schedule with the project team, and obtain test planning approvals. Once approved, the testing team will move on to building test cases that tie back to requirements.
Project Testing – Testing is usually broken down into testing types such as:
Unit Testing – Testing done during development
System Integration Testing – a testing process to test coexistence with other apps or systems
User Acceptance testing – UAT is the last performed testing prior to acceptance. The results are usually used to secure product acceptance and approval
Developing and implementing new products may have a direct impact on the current organization systems. Depending on the product, the impact can be so great as to impede existing organizational products in production and lead to higher than expected errors and defects. The Test Manager or Project team should have a plan to manage and control cross system project impacts, most larger organizations have a separate group that manages the cross-system impacts.
Business partners may be unaware of a department within the organization known as Release Management. Release Management is the team that identifies, manages, and controls project implementation as well as cross-system impacts. Without this type of management, a project may impact another organizational system in such a way as to cause it to fail. Obviously, this would have a negative impact to the organization and needs to be avoided.
The RMO:
Monitors and controls all implementation activities
Confirms System Cross Dependencies
Plans and Schedules release work on a yearly basis
The inability to hold your technology accountable for their work will cause project delivery issues.
Impacts include:
Missed deadlines
Delays
Rising costs
Unclear expectation
Additional risks
Unclear design
Not getting the product you want.
Keep in mind, your Technology Partners are there to help you.
Questions?
If you have any questions, need clarification, or want to learn more…
Contact your IT Director or Program Manager if you have any questions about working with Technology. These resources can aid in pulling in other technological groups (the PMO, Technology, Leadership) as required.
