Inspect & Adapt

Have you ever come across one of those people who, even though they’ve only just arrived on the scene, is keen to tell you that, “(they) know exactly what the problem is” and “what you need to do is...”? Well I have – unfortunately on more than one occasion - and I find them extremely annoying!

I’m sorry, but it doesn’t matter what your background is and how much experience you have, you cannot possible approach a person or team in such a manner and retain your credibility.

It’s not just consultants who can fall into this trap. I’ve also seen recently hired employees make this same mistake. Let me reiterate, this is not a great first impression to leave behind! Having been on the receiving end, my immediate thoughts about the offending individual are generally extremely poor and certainly not repeatable here.

To be fair, I don’t think this is a common trait, which is why it sticks out like a sore thumb when you see it. Most of us understand how to treat people with a bit more respect.

I’m not certain it’s deliberate either. It’s more likely to be a lack of emotional intelligence in the offender. Or am I being too generous?

Anyway, you can probably tell that I’ve just had such an incident and it prompted me to write. It’s actually quite cathartic.

The question that’s just struck me of course is how do I come across when I first arrive somewhere new? OMG, do I make this mistake too? Surely not!?!?!

Perhaps now is the time to state what I actually set out to do and this is where the title for the entry comes in. I believe in the ‘inspect & adapt’ school of thought. Before expounding my opinions, I would much rather take the time to understand the situation, determine if I have any relevant experience to contribute and then tailor my thoughts and suggestions to the context at hand. Experience counts for an awful lot, but it needs to be applied to fit the current environment if it is going to make a difference.

If you read this, know me and think that I have my own challenges and opportunities to improve in this area, then please let me know. However, if that's the case, do treat me gently with your feedback as you now know that at least I think I'm doing the right thing!

Who's managing your infrastructure?

If you're spending too much time managing your own infrastructure and still not achieving the service levels you require, then it's probably time you looked at a managed service.

Unlike some forms of outsourcing, a managed service can be relatively straight-forward to set up and manage. Services and service levels can be defined and agreed quickly. Lengthy contract negotiations, asset and staff transfer are all avoided. More services can be added over time as confidence in a new partner grows.

Picking the right partner is key. A good track record is essential, but more importantly the partner should exhibit similar values to your own company if the relationship is to be successful over the long term. Cost should not be the only consideration, as the opportunity to improve existing service levels can be significant. Location may be important to you, but offshore partners are all adept at providing staff to cover 24x7 and therefore shouldn't be ruled out on this basis.

A balanced scorecard is often used to measure the quality of service received. This allows multiple dimensions to be considered as part of the overall service level. Partners can be further incentivised by having bonus payments aligned to achieving certain targets.

As with any form of outsourcing there are pros and cons that you need to consider. However, when it comes to the remote management of infrastructure, the arguments 'for' can be compelling and your time can be better spent focusing on the value-adding part of your job.

Distributed Collaborative Working

Distributed working has become the norm for most organisations over the last decade. During that time, technology has evolved through a number of iterations in order to better support geographically-dispersed teams and the latest variant, Google Wave, is on the horizon. Having the right technology in place is an important enabler, but the mindset of the individuals involved - team members and management alike - is the critical success factor in making successful distributed collaborative working a reality. For Generation Y, distributed collaboration is a very natural approach, but for the rest of us, it can be fraught with constant frustration.

Distributed collaborative working is here to stay. So, it is time to embrace it fully, adapt if necessary and harness the benefits that it truly offers.