Active and Staging Build Deployment

For enterprise applications, deploying and managing the process of activation and validation can be challenging.

Ant build process helps the teams in achieving this without much hassle.

Usually the build folders are constructed as Staging and Active for reference. These folders in turn link to CodeBaseA (points to staging) and CodeBaseB (points to active)

The new build that is being constructed for release is built and moved to CodeBaseA folder and previous active codebaseB folder remains intact.

Once the new build is copied to codebaseA, the logical link for active application code base is flipped to CodeBaseA and the staging link is flipped to CodeBaseB.

If the new build validation is successful, the flipped links remain in the same manner. If the build validation fails for any reason, the logical links will be flipped again. In this second flip process, CodeBaseB (old functional build) becomes active build and CodeBaseA(new build) becomes staging build.

Amazing way of managing traffic and content delivery

This was one of the Amazing way to manage the internet traffic and content delivery. Installed the infrastructure with Akamai Server (DNS) manages the traffic based on the rules established on the server.

Example: If there is a Phased launch for a product for entire USA, the strategy will be to open the application for some less customer based state. This rule can be configured on Akamai server to process the traffic from that particular state (eg: RI) with a different URL (url for new application). If the traffic is from any other states, they get routed to the old URL (old application).

This helps in containing the launch related issues and to validate the application usage in production environment.

Akamai, also replicates the content on its distributed servers which enhances the request throughput (less response time) for content delivery.

Partnership Capitalism to Drive Performance and Culture

Partnership Capitalism to Drive Performance and Culture

Partnership - In simple terms its a combined workforce to achieve a Purpose/Goal/Objective

Capitalism - Process of growing Wealth among the community which thereby improves the country's economy.

Early days, there used to be one leader (autocratic/authoritative) who has the idea or energy to run a Company/Organization. This leader takes the majority of the profit because he is key for the origin or existence of business.

In today's world, where most of us are Knowledge Worker (Credit to Peter F Drucker) most(ALMOST ALL) of the employees in an Organization work towards the Organizations Success which translates to Dollars. This profit is being divided across the employees as Shares (ESOPs) which are disbursed based on the individual performance towards the success.

Effectively, the Organizations Performance is aligned to People Performance where these both parameters are measured and mapped against Key Performance Indicators that are baselined based on that industry.

This process gives ownership of success and drives the resources to function in challenging environment where they can WIN in the flat world of the Organization.

This process has been improved over time which has created great differential factor in the Organization Performance and Culture.

Amazing aspect of Wal-Mart

Amazing aspect of Wal-Mart

I have always wondered how a company like Wal-Mart consistently performs GREAT and consistently overtakes its previous baselined SUCCESS.

This Giant doesn't produce a product of its own. But has the power and knowledge to effectively streamline the whole retail process by effectively managing the Resources(People & Systems), Suppliers and The Supply Chain Management.

Its truly AMAZING wonder, how this consistently High Performing Engine manages this epitome of SUCCESS :

Leadership development,Systems Development, Relationship Management, Supplier Management, Logistics, Community Giving (Corporate Social Responsibility), Diversity, Analytics, Systems Integration,Technology Adaptation/Migration, Managing for Performance, Forecasting the Needs (Demand & Supply), a lot of other aspects.

The key differentiator of this Gaint when compared to others is EXECUTION. Its this miraculous way of executing all of the above mentioned parameters in a collaborative approach that yield results.

A True Admiration

By SuRaJ.

Quantitative Strategy Manager

Quantitative Strategy Manager

This person has knowledge in efficient Quantitative Models and uses them wisely along with the information provided or accessible to him to make decisions that contribute greatly towards the Organization's SUCCESS.

Based on the results arrived by using the above mentioned process, this person is efficient and effective in managing and driving the resources (People & Systems) to meet the Customer and Market Needs.

This Leader sees the areas where the society can have a Positive Impact and drives resources to create that impact which adds Value Proposition to the Organization.

By Raj Pat

Key aspect for Performance in Anything

The Key aspect for Performance in anything is Communication.

Let's take any example in our life, all those examples revolve around atleast one medium (speech, written, art, sign) of Communication.

The Art of Communication depends strongly on the motive of the Sender and Receiver. This also depends on the actual intention of delivery and the mindset of the receiver.

When the Sender's information is being interpreted by the Receiver with no error (motive and mindset are same), the probability of occurrence of a Problem/Issue between them is less.

To avoid the severity of the problem, the received information can be paraphrased for better understanding and confirming the same.

There are many ways addressing this communication challenge between individuals.

One of Key Attribute that WILL ALWAYS be a common denominator (differentiation factor) for a person from Level 0 Analyst(Entry Level) to Level n Leader (Chief) of any kind of Organization is COMMUNICATION.

To COMMUNICATE effectively, first one should LISTEN, Understand the Facts, Interpret, Act on that information effectively based on the Situation that Warrants.

By Raj Pat

Strategy + Analytics

Quantitative Strategy

Strategy - This is defining ways or means to achieve an Objective/Goal

One of the key to Strategy is understanding the Objective/Goal along with the big picture of the Organization's need.

This can be improved by measuring the processes/systems that we have currently.

We cannot improve, What we cannot Measure

Analytics - This is the process of gathering Information/Data over time and interpreting the direction of actions that yield results to the business problem. This can also help the Organization in understanding its Products/Services and show the Paths of improvement/Acceleration.

Aligning the Organization Strategy with Analytics forms the Key Logic to create differentiation to the Business. This helps in understanding the open space for the evolution of new Markets for the Organization.

Data can be gathered for the following aspects (the below mentioned list doesn't have any boundaries.... Means the list can be updated as needed)
Analyzing the Organization's emotions
How People Perform/Execute ?
How Systems are Performing ?
What are the throughput measures of People & Systems ?

What is happening with the Customer Service ? Measuring all the directions of the Customer Service realm.
What are the approaches for delivering the Product / Service to the Customer ?
Understanding the Competitors segment ? What alternatives of Product / Services are available to the Customers ? What is the Cost differentiation for them ?

Storing these data/information in a centrally accessible systems which is accessible by the Management and Analyst is crucial. Proven analytical models can be developed using this information, which will drive the effective decision making process.

Effective decision making helps in directing the resources (People & Systems) towards right direction for achieving business results.

By Raj Pat

Five Key Discovery Skills

The five key discovery skills

- A major new study has highlighted the key skills that innovative and creative entrepreneurs need to develop. According to Hal Gregersen, an INSEAD professor and co-author of a six-year-long study into disruptive innovation involving some 3,500 executives, there are five ‘discovery’ skills you need but, he says, you don’t have to be ‘great in everything.’

Associating

Creative entrepreneurs ‘connect the dots’ to make unexpected connections. They combine pieces of what may seem disparate pieces of information until “surprise - you've got this innovative new idea.” Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, was interested in calligraphy and this eventually led to his company producing user-friendly, graphics-based Macs. “Several years later, when Jobs was trying to figure out the Macintosh screen, and the 'what you see is what you get' (WYSIWG) sort of image, he connected the dots back to what he had learnt in calligraphy to what might be on the screen and it was a key component of making that whole computer work.”

Observing

Some of the most innovative entrepreneurs are “intense observers,” Gregersen says. Take for example Scott Cook, the founder of Intuit: “When we interviewed him, we talked about how he got the initial idea for Quicken software. He watched really carefully in terms of how his wife was very frustrated doing their finances. Manually it was frustrating and irritating. She purchased some software that was equally frustrating and irritating.” It was at that point that Cook thought he might be able to develop a product that could help his wife “solve that problem more effectively.”

After a ‘sneak preview’ of an early Apple computer, Cook got a “rich sense of what it might look like to have a user interface and a mouse and so on, and be able to have things like checks on the screen that looked like what they should be.” And from this observation, Gregersen says, sprang Quicken.

Experimenting

When Jeff Bezos, the founder of internet retailer Amazon, was growing up, he used to spend time on his grandfather's farm in the summer. When machinery broke down on the farm, his grandfather would try to fix it himself, with some help from Jeff. They would “experiment, trying this and that, until it would finally work again.” If the animals on the farm got sick, his grandparents wouldn’t call the vet, but rather experiment and try to fix the problem themselves.

“So Jeff grew up with that kind of attitude and mindset, that if I am confronted with a challenge, I can figure out a solution,” Gregersen says. “That kind of experimentation spilled over into Amazon.” At first, the idea had been to sell books via the internet without inventory. “That was the initial idea. We sometimes forget that it took him seven, eight, nine years of experimentation to build the capacity to have warehouses full of books.” As a consequence of his experimentation, Bezos “built this business model that we now call Amazon today.”

Questioning

Questions are at the core of what we do. We can be observing the world or experimenting, “but if I have no questions in my mind, I'm pretty unlikely to get any observations or insights or ‘ahas’ that I never saw or thought about,” Gregersen says.

“And this kind of questioning attitude and mentality is just rampant in these folks.” Some may be better than others in observing, but when it comes to questioning, “all were powerful.”

“I'll never forget when I sat down with A.G. Lafley (the former CEO of Procter & Gamble) to talk with him about his world of leadership. I had a series of questions related to research about global leadership and I swear he asked me far more questions in that interview than I asked him because he was just simply curious about what was going on in the research.”

Another was Michael Dell. “I had the naivete to ask Michael if he had any favourite questions he likes to ask when he wanders around the world. And he instantly responded with a quizzical look, like ‘That's a dumb question.’ Then he said : “Hal if I had some favourite questions, everybody would know the answers. Instead, when I'm wandering the world, I try to construct a question for every conversation that might generate information that I never had before’. And for most of these innovative entrepreneurs, that's just how they think."

Networking

Typically, when we think of networking, we think of this in terms of jobs, a career or maybe social life. But when it comes to creativity, it takes on a different meaning. “Innovators are intentional about finding diverse people who are just the opposites of who they are, that they talk to, to get ideas that seriously challenge their own,” Gregersen says. Creative and innovative entrepreneurs look for people who are “completely different in terms of perspective” and regularly discuss ideas and options with them “to get divergent viewpoints.” There could be differences in gender, industry, age, country of origin, or even politics. “If I'm on the right, they're on the left, that kind of notion. And those sorts of diverse inputs in terms of conversations enabled them to get new ideas,” he says.

“Now it doesn't come instantly. Sometimes the conversations provide their own insights.” David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue Airways and now CEO of Azul Airlines in Brazil, got the idea for paperless ticketing or e-ticketing, Gregersen says, by talking to one of his employees about the frustration of having to carry around paper tickets in order to give them to passengers flying on their planes. “So that conversation then led to a new idea and a way of doing things differently.”

Disruptive innovation

Another of the co-authors of the study, Clayton Christensen, is an expert in disruptive innovation and this led Gregersen to wonder what the origin was of “those disruptive organisations that changed whole industries.” They then drew up a list of the world’s most innovative companies based in part on BusinessWeek’s ”Most Innovative Company” ranking and began interviewing the CEOs or founders.

They got access to the likes of Dell, asking him and others: "Tell us about what was going on when you got the initial idea that led to this innovative business called Dell computer (or Amazon in the case of Bezos)." They then realised, when looking at the responses to this question, that innovative entrepreneurs are “doing a lot of the same things -- there’s a little bit of variation but a lot of the same things.”

At that stage, they developed a self assessment and 360 degree survey based on the concepts of experimenting and so on, and assessed ‘thousands of executives and entrepreneurs.’ “And what we discovered was that those engaging in these behaviours and this thinking pattern, were actually the ones who delivered breakthrough processes, new products and services, new business lines within companies, corporate entrepreneurship, and new businesses outside of companies—all of which were financially profitable and successful.”

“At the core of this, all these these folks were driven by a fundamental bias against the status quo. They were absolutely uncomfortable with things being the way they are. They wanted to make things change ... They wanted to change the world. And they're going to risk failure in order to make that a reality.”

Corporate decision-making, he says, does “not usually value or support innovative actions.” Yet, some companies do. P&G’s marketers, for example, spend more than 12 hours on average each month just observing customers. “They value the behaviour and they get the innovative results. So one of the surprises for me is that even though these are relatively straightforward things that we could do, most of us have lost the capability to do them.”

Practising and developing the skills

Gregersen says the five discovery skills may seem ‘intuitive’ but when it comes to the actual practice, “doing them is counterintuitive.” That’s because the adult world in which we live “does not value these actions.”

Gregersen’s advice? Start acting like a child again: “Not 100 per cent of the time, that would be absurd. We're adults and we have to run businesses. But 20 per cent, 25 per cent of our time, act like a four-year-old again,” Gregersen told INSEAD Knowledge. “Because all these skills are what four-year-olds do. They ask thousands of questions: ‘Why?’ ‘Why not?’ This and that. They're always asking those questions ... They observe intensely and they'll talk to just about anybody.”

“These are the things that we all did as four-year-olds. We all did this stuff. And if we happened to attend a Montessori-type school like many innovative entrepreneurs did, then we still might be doing this stuff. But most school and corporate systems consistently say: ‘Don't do it, stop doing it’ ... and we lose our innate creative capacity.”

But this ability is not lost forever. “We can get it back and that's where, if I want to become better at questioning, I start asking more questions.”

His suggestion is to get a journal and, if you've got a problem, take a few minutes each day to write down questions about that problem. After a month or so, “your questions will change and it's by changing the question that we change our fundamental understanding about the problem that leads us to a solution that we never thought of before.”

Take notes when observing others. “Step back from (the problem or situation), talk to people: ‘What did you learn? What surprised you? What was interesting?’ If you like to talk to people, talk to somebody different: maybe on another floor, a different building, a different office, another country, but talk to somebody who's 180 degrees different from you. These are things that we can do and they don't take a lot of time to do them.”

“Innovation is a habit,” Gregersen says. “And for these innovative entrepreneurs it's a way of life. It's the fabric of who they are. And for others who aren't that way, they could be: if they choose to act different to think different.”

IT Re-engineering - BPR

Any IT System re-engineering or a Business Process Re-engineering can be done following ways :

1. Big-Bang Approach : This approach is the once where the current system is replaced with NEW SYSTEM and NEW PROCESSES all at once. Eg: Current systems A1 ...Z1 is being replaced with A2....Z2 with change in systems and processes.

2. Incremental Approach : This approach is to improve or replace the existing system one small piece at a time.

3. Modular Infrastructure Approach : In this approach, the modular infrastructure that at first would function in parallel with but eventually would supersede the current infrastructure

By designing and deploying enterprise systems in a different way, Japan’s Shinsei Bank turned IT from a constraint into a launchpad for growth.

How much do we observe ?

How many times have you noticed a change in the engine noise ? change in tire pressure ? slight scratches ? simple or small changes around us


Most of us don't look at these until they cause troubles or breakdown. Paying attention to these kinda things contributes towards personal management.

One of the Key Triangle for Leadership

The below mentioned is one of the Key Triangle for Leadership :

1. TRUST

2. RELATIONSHIP

3. ACCOUNTABILITY


Best Painting of Leadership : (Thoughts from Manfred F.R Kets de Vries)

1. Painting of Ouroboros. Its a serpent or dragon swallowing its own tail and forming a circle. Its means reinventing itself.

A True leader should reinvent himself always.

Difference b/w Manager and Leader

In his 1989 book “On Becoming a Leader,” Warren Bennis composed a list of the differences:

– The manager administers; the leader innovates.

– The manager is a copy; the leader is an original.

– The manager maintains; the leader develops.

– The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people.

– The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust.

– The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective.

– The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.

– The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line; the leader’s eye is on the horizon.

– The manager imitates; the leader originates.

– The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.

– The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his or her own person.

– The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.

Conflict Resolution and Controlling Anger

Conflict resolution is such an important issue that organizations exist, whose sole function is to provide training in conflict resolution. Conflict resolution is about teaching people new ways to work through and resolve disputes that don't involve violence, and is an immediate priority for many organizations today.

Conflict resolution is being used with increasing frequency to supplement, and in some cases, supplant traditional decision-making processes at all levels of government. Conflict resolution is tricky because from the very beginning it takes setting aside the ego and listening to the other party, which does not usually come naturally to most of us.

Conflict resolution is a very important topic under the key knowledge area of Human Resource Management in Project Management. Conflict resolution is a skill based in good communication practices and an understanding of interpersonal dynamics, therefore, successful implementation of conflict resolution policies and procedures is often contingent on providing supervisors with appropriate training and coaching on the policy, procedures and interpersonal skills.

Stress

Stress happens to all of us -- deadlines, conflicting demands, constant interruptions, financial pressures, our kids, other people's kids, and often the unpredictable actions of the people who work with us who are also suffering from stress. Stress is merely a load on the system -- anything that gets our hearts going and our breathing rate up.

Stress, like exercise, can make us stronger if we take it in regular, increasing doses, but if stress is allowed to take over our lives, then it can affect our personal physical health and could even lead to a fatal heart attack.

Many men who batter their wives use anger as an excuse for their abuse, much as they blame alcohol, stress, or other individuals.

Communication in Management

Communication in management is a vital part of running a successful company. Communication involves more than the words that come out of your mouth; good communication in management involves managers talking to their workers on an equal basis and finding out what problems the worker might be experiencing (either personal or to do with them doing their job efficiently), and trying to find a good compromising solution.

Heavy-handed management that doesn't consider the workers' problems will inevitably result in a badly run company, low morale, and bad customer relations. Communication enhancement and anger or stress management techniques are often used especially in Japanese firms in order to control anger.

Relationships

The key to a successful relationship lies in communication. Anger destroys relationships, leads to violence against others and ourselves, makes us depressed, and generates chemicals that eat away at us at the cellular level.

For a good relationship, we need to control the effects of anger on our finances, our health, our relationships, our work, the way we drive, the way we react to our children and pets, and the way that we react to authorities, people in customer support areas, Doctors, teachers, etc.

If you need medical attention, GET IT, otherwise you jeopardize your mental health, your physical health, your relationships and your life by your anger. We may not be able to change our mental capacity and personality but everyone can learn good communication skills to improve the way they get along in all relationships, not just marital type ones. Often relationships fall apart due to things people say to each other in anger.

Anger Control

The behavioral skills promoted by anger control include:
Arousal reduction,
Communication enhancement, and
Problem-solving.

Anger control is designed to make the individual more aware of this process and enable him or her to intervene in it. Anger control no doubt contributes to the redirection or reduction of anger and of aggression in many individuals. However, anger control fails to account for the premeditated controlling behaviors associated with abuse.

Anger control is often misrepresented as a quick-fix solution that may endanger battered women. However it tends to consider the abuse from the psychological point of view rather than accept the more uncomfortable task of confronting the economic, social and political injustices that perpetuate the problem. Anger control is possible once you decide you want to control the anger and not let it control you.

Anger Treatment

Cognitive behavioral treatment is sometimes used to try and overcome severe anger in posttraumatic stress disorder cases. The cognitive aspect is therefore emphasized in treatment, as is improved assertiveness and communication skills.

Arousal reduction uses stress management techniques such as progressive relaxation exercises and calming visualizations.

Conclusion

95% of the time, anger makes things worse instead of better. Thus some of the benefits of anger control are:
- You will be able to calmly handle stressful situations that otherwise would put you "over the edge".
- You'll be happier and more relaxed at home, at work and whilst driving.
- Your health will improve, as well as your relationships.
- A person you love could have been badly hurt if your anger had got out of control.

Earned Value Information

Earned Value InformationUse the EV fields to track work performance to account for cost and schedule variances. The following earned value data fields are included and can be displayed on list pages and portlets:

ACWP
Read-only. Displays the system-calculated value of Actual Cost Of Work Performed (ACWP), which is the total direct and indirect cost incurred in performing work during a given period of time based on posted actuals.
Calculations are made based on the level at which the calculation is being made. ACWP is calculated at the following levels:
Detail-task. The calculation is based on the following formula:
ACWP = Actuals Work Units * Billing Rate
Summary-task. The calculation is based on the following formula:
ACWP = Sum of ACWP for all detail tasks in project
Project. The calculation is based on the following formula:
ACWP = Sum of ACWP for all WBS Level 1 tasks in project

BAC
Read-only. Displays the system-calculated value of Budget at Completion (BAC), which is the budgeted total cost at the time of the baseline, based on the following formula:
((Actuals + Remaining Work) x Billing Rate) taken at time of baseline

BCWP
Displays the system-calculated value of Budgeted Cost of Work Performed (BCWP). This value is calculated and recorded when you baseline your project or when you update earned value totals and is based on the cost and rate matrices associated at the project level. BCWP is also referred to as the earned value (EV).
Calculations are made based on the level at which the calculation is being made. BCWP is calculated at the following levels:
Task. BCWP is based on the selected EV calculation method.
Project. BCWP is the sum of BCWP for all WBS Level 1 tasks in the project.

BCWS
Read-only. Displays the system-calculated value of Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled (BCWS), which is the budgeted amount to be spent on the project in a given period of time. This point is either the project's as of date or the system date if the project's as of date is not defined. BCWS is also referred to as the planned value (PV).
The BCWS is calculated based on the following formula:
BCWS = Sum of BAC through a point in time

CPI
Displays the system-calculated value of Cost Performance Index (CPI), which is an efficiency rating for work accomplished, based on the following formula:
CPI = BCWP / ACWP
Note: A value greater than one indicates the costs are running over budget.

CV
Displays the system-calculated value of Cost Variance (CV), which is the value of what has been accomplished to date versus what has been spent to date, based on the following formula:
CV = BCWP - ACWP

EAC
Read-only. Displays the system-calculated value of estimate at completion (EAC), which is the total cost of all actual work completed to date plus the predicted cost finishing the remaining work, based on the following formula:
EAC = ACWP + ((BAC - BCWP)/CPIc)

EAC (T)
Read-only. Displays the system-calculated value of estimate at completion (EAC). This calculation is most often used when current variances are seen as typical of future variances, and is based on the following formula:
EAC (T) = ACWP + ETC

EAC (AT)
Read-only. Displays the system-calculated value of estimate at completion (EAC). This calculation is most often used when current variances are seen as atypical and the project management team expectations are that similar variances will not occur in the future. This value is calculated based on the following formula:
EAC (AT) = (ACWP + (BAC - BCWP))

ETC (Cost)
Read-only. Displays the system-calculated value of estimate at completion (ETC). This value is calculated based on the following formula:
ETC (Cost) = remaining labor cost + remaining non-labor cost

ETC (T)
Read-only. Displays the system-calculated value of estimate at completion (ETC) using earned value data. This calculation is most often used when current variances are seen as typical of future variances. This value is calculated based on the following formula:
ETC (T) = ((BAC – BCWPc)/CPIc

ETC (AT)
Read-only. Displays the system-calculated value of estimate at completion (ETC) using earned value data. This calculation is most often used when current variances are seen as atypical and the project management team expectations are that similar variances will not occur in the future. This value is calculated based on the following formula:
ETC (AT) = BAC – BCWPc

SPI
Displays the system-calculated value of Schedule Performance Index (CPI), which is the ratio of work performed to work scheduled, based on the following formula:
SPI = BCWP / BCWS
Note: A value less than one indicates the work is behind schedule.

SV
Displays the system-calculated value of Schedule Variance (CV), which is the value of what has been scheduled to date versus what has been performed to date, based on the following formula:
CV = BCWP - BCWS

Risk and Issue - Thoughts

Schedule Creation
Schedule, resources, and product definition have all been dictated by the customer or upper management and are not in balance.
Schedule is optimistic, "best case," rather than realistic, "expected case."
Schedule omits necessary tasks.
Schedule was based on the use of specific team members, but those team members were not available.
Cannot build a product of the size specified in the time allocated.
Product is larger than estimated (in lines of code, function points, or percentage of previous project’s size).
Effort is greater than estimated (per line of code, function point, module, etc.).
Re-estimation in response to schedule slips is overly optimistic or ignores project history
Excessive schedule pressure reduces productivity.
Target date is moved up with no corresponding adjustment to the product scope or available resources.
A delay in one task causes cascading delays in dependent tasks.
Unfamiliar areas of the product take more time than expected to design and implement.

Organization and Management
Project lacks an effective top-management sponsor.
Project languishes too long in fuzzy front end.
Layoffs and cutbacks reduce team’s capacity.
Management or marketing insists on technical decisions that lengthen the schedule.
Inefficient team structure reduces productivity.
Management review/decision cycle is slower than expected.
Budget cuts upset project plans.
Management makes decisions that reduce the development team’s motivation.
Non-technical third-party tasks take longer than expected (budget approval, equipment purchase approval, legal reviews, security clearances, etc.).
Planning is too poor to support the desired development speed.
Project plans are abandoned under pressure, resulting in chaotic, inefficient development.
Management places more emphasis on heroics than accurate status reporting, which undercuts its ability to detect and correct problems.

Development Environment
Facilities are not available on time.
Facilities are available but inadequate (e.g., no telephone, network wiring, furniture, office supplies, etc.)
Facilities are crowded, noisy, or disruptive.
Development tools are not in place by the desired time.
Development tools do not work as expected; developers need time to create workarounds or to switch to new tools.
Development tools are not chosen based on their technical merits, and do not provide the planned productivity.

End Users
End user insists on new requirements.
End user ultimately finds product to be unsatisfactory, requiring redesign and rework.
End user does not buy into the project and consequently does not provide needed support.
End user input is not solicited, so product ultimately fails to meet user expectations and must be reworked.

Customer
Customer insists on new requirements.
Customer review/decision cycles for plans, prototypes, and specifications are slower than expected.
Customer will not participate in review cycles for plans, prototypes, and specifications or is incapable of doing so—resulting in unstable requirements and time-consuming changes.
Customer communication time (e.g., time to answer requirements-clarification questions) is slower than expected.
Customer insists on technical decisions that lengthen the schedule.
Customer micro-manages the development process, resulting in slower progress than planned.
Customer-furnished components are a poor match for the product under development, resulting in extra design and integration work.
Customer-furnished components are poor quality, resulting in extra testing, design, and integration work and in extra customer-relationship management.
Customer-mandated support tools and environments are incompatible, have poor performance, or have inadequate functionality, resulting in reduced productivity.
Customer will not accept the software as delivered even though it meets all specifications.
Customer has expectations for development speed that developers cannot meet.

Contractors
Contractor does not deliver components when promised.
Contractor delivers components of unacceptably low quality, and time must be added to improve quality.
Contractor does not buy into the project and consequently does not provide the level of performance needed.

Requirements
Requirements have been base lined but continue to change.
Requirements are poorly defined, and further definition expands the scope of the project.
Additional requirements are added.
Vaguely specified areas of the product are more time-consuming than expected.

Product
Error-prone modules require more testing, design, and implementation work than expected.
Unacceptably low quality requires more testing, design, and implementation work to correct than expected.
Development of the wrong software functions requires redesign and implementation.
Development of the wrong user interface results in redesign and implementation.
Development of extra software functions that are not required (gold plating) extends the schedule.
Meeting product’s size or speed constraints requires more time than expected, including time for redesign and re-implementation.
Strict requirements for compatibility with existing system require more testing, design, and implementation than expected.
Requirements for interfacing with other systems, other complex systems, or other systems that are not under the team’s control result in unforeseen design, implementation, and testing.
Pushing the computer science state-of-the-art lengthens the schedule unpredictably.
Requirement to operate under multiple operating systems takes longer to satisfy than expected.
Operation in an unfamiliar or unproved software environment causes unforeseen problems.
Operation in an unfamiliar or unproved hardware environment causes unforeseen problems.
Development of a kind of component that is brand new to the organization takes longer than expected.
Dependency on a technology that is still under development lengthens the schedule.

External Environment
Product depends on government regulations, which change unexpectedly.
Product depends on draft technical standards, which change unexpectedly.

Personnel
Hiring takes longer than expected.
Task prerequisites (e.g., training, completion of other projects, acquisition of work permit) cannot be completed on time.
Poor relationships between developers and management slow decision-making and follow through.
Team members do not buy into the project and consequently does not provide the level of performance needed.
Low motivation and morale reduce productivity.
Lack of needed specialization increases defects and rework.
Personnel need extra time to learn unfamiliar software tools or environment.
Personnel need extra time to learn unfamiliar hardware environment.
Personnel need extra time to learn unfamiliar programming language.
Contract personnel leave before project is complete.
Permanent employees leave before project is complete.
New development personnel are added late in the project and additional training and communications overhead reduces existing team members’ effectiveness.
Team members do not work together efficiently.
Conflicts among team members result in poor communication, poor designs, interface errors and extra rework.
Problem team members are not removed from the team, damaging overall team motivation.
The personnel most qualified to work on the project are not available for the project.
The personnel most qualified to work on the project are available for the project but are not used for political or other reasons.
Personnel with critical skills needed for the project cannot be found.
Key personnel are available only part time.
Not enough personnel are available for the project.
People’s assignments do not match their strengths.
Personnel work slower than expected.
Sabotage by project management results in inefficient scheduling and ineffective planning.
Sabotage by technical personnel results in lost work or poor quality and requires rework.

Design and Implementation
Overly simple design fails to address major issues and leads to redesign and re-implementation.
Overly complicated design requires unnecessary and unproductive implementation overhead.
Inappropriate design leads to redesign and re-implementation.
Use of unfamiliar methodology results in extra training time and in rework to fix first-time misuses of the methodology.
Product is implemented in a low-level language (e.g., assembler), and productivity is lower than expected.
Necessary functionality cannot be implemented using the selected code or class libraries; developers must switch to new libraries or custom-build the necessary functionality.
Code or class libraries have poor quality, causing extra testing, defect correction and rework.
Schedule savings from productivity enhancing tools are overestimated.
Components developed separately cannot be integrated easily, requiring redesign and rework.

Process
Amount of paperwork results in slower progress than expected.
Inaccurate progress tracking results in not knowing the project is behind schedule until late in the project.
Upstream quality-assurance activities are shortchanged, resulting in time-consuming rework downstream.
Inaccurate quality tracking results in not knowing about quality problems that affect the schedule until late in the project.
Too little formality (lack of adherence to software policies and standards) results in miscommunications, quality problems, and rework).
Too much formality (bureaucratic adherence to software policies and standards) results in unnecessary, time-consuming overhead).
Management-level progress reporting takes more developer time than expected.
Half-hearted risk management fails to detect major project risks.
Software project risk management takes more time than expected.

Project Management

I. Are the cost/benefits clearly defined with a documented write-up?
1. Yes, a cost/benefit analysis has been performed by a qualified, experienced resource
2. Yes, a cost/benefit analysis has been performed by an entity not necessarily having experience
3. Cost/benefits have been informally derived but not clearly documented
4. No cost/benefit analysis has been performed yet

II. Have metrics been established to verify the successful completion of each project phase?
1. Metrics have been established for each phase of the project
2. Metrics have been established for the first phase of the project
3. Metrics to determine the success of the total project have been established but not specific to a phase
4. No metrics have been established to ensure successful project completion

III. Have scope changes occurred which appear to exert pressure on schedule demands?
1. No scope changes have occurred
2. Yes, but only small changes have been made and have been well documented
3. Yes, significant scope changes have been made and have been well documented
4. Yes, significant changes have been made and have not been clearly documented

IV. How clearly are the expected project outcomes defined?
1. Expected outcomes are well defined
2. Expected outcomes are minimally defined
3. Overall project outcomes are broadly defined
4. Outcomes are not clearly defined or contain little detail

V. How is the training plan being developed?
1. Training plan is being developed with comprehensive input from stakeholder and vendor experts
2. Training planning is being developed with limited input from stakeholder and vendor experts
3. Training planning is being developed based upon prior experiences but no formal methodology
4. Training planning has not yet been completed

VI. How is the testing plan being developed?
1. Test planning is being developed with comprehensive input from stakeholder and vendor experts
2. Test planning is being developed with limited input from stakeholder and vendor experts
3. Test planning is being developed based upon prior experiences but no formal methodology
4. Test planning has not yet been completed

VII. How much control does IT have over the schedule?
1. Start/end dates are flexible & established by project plan
2. Start/end dates established mutually by vendor & BHS IT
3. Start/end dates established mutually by vendor & BHS IT
4. Start/end dates set by vendor; penalty clauses exist

VIII. How much input did BHS IT have in developing the deliverables?
1. We developed the deliverables for the shareholder
2. We guided the shareholder in developing deliverables
3. We were asked for comments after deliverables were developed
4. We had no involvement in developing deliverables

IX. Is the project required before other projects can proceed?
1. Not at all
2. Indirectly
3. Directly at < 50% units or departments
4. Directly at >50% units or departments

X. Is there a plan for ensuring that deliverables meet the need of the users?
1. There is a plan to ensure that the needs of the users are thoroughly met
2. The plan for verification of user deliverables is nearly complete
3. The plan for ensuring user deliverables is in the conceptual phase
4. There is no plan for ensuring that deliverables meet users needs

XI. What are the IT and Technical project coordinators' overall opinion of project risk?
1. Risk is minimal
2. Risk is moderate
3. Risk is significant
4. Risk is major

XII. To what degree are changes to the current business processes being managed?
1. There is a well-documented plan in place for the redesign of the changed processes with a detailed rollout schedule
2. There is a well-documented plan in place for the redesign of the changed processes but a detailed rollout schedule has not yet been developed
3. New process changes have been considered but are not clearly defined and documented
4. Process changes have not yet been considered

XIII. To what degree are changes to the current IT processes being managed?
1. There is a well-documented plan in place for the redesign of the changed processes with a detailed rollout schedule
2. There is a well-documented plan in place for the redesign of the changed processes but a detailed rollout schedule has not yet been developed
3. New process changes have been considered but are not clearly defined and documented
4. Process changes have not yet been considered

XIV. To what degree are changes to the current patient care processes being managed?
1. There is a well-documented plan in place for the redesign of the changed processes with a detailed rollout schedule
2. There is a well-documented plan in place for the redesign of the changed processes but a detailed rollout schedule has not yet been developed
3. New process changes have been considered but are not clearly defined and documented
4. Process changes have not yet been considered

XV. To what degree are the project team and stakeholder skill requirements well defined?
1. Skill requirements with corresponding time frame requirements have been clearly documented for all phases of the project
2. Skill requirements have been clearly documented for all phases of the project but do not include corresponding time frame requirements
3. Skill requirements are loosely defined for the project
4. Skill requirements are vague or not well defined for the project

XVI. To what degree have critical milestones been established for this project?
1. Clearly measurable and achievable milestones with firm dates have been created throughout the entire project lifecycle
2. Milestones, although not clearly measurable, with firm dates have been set for part of the project
3. Milestones have been created for the project but dates are not firmly set
4. No milestones exist at this time

XVII. To what degree have 'open issues' been tracked and included as part of ongoing management processes?
1. There is proven method of issue tracking and resolution currently in place and is widely used by all parties
2. There is a method of issue tracking and resolution currently in place and is generally used by all parties
3. Open issues are dealt with on an item by item basis and are not tracked using a standard method
4. There is no clear issue tracking or resolution approach in use on the project

XVIII. To what extent has a project plan been developed for the entire project lifecycle?
1. A detailed project plan has been created using an industry accepted methodology and experience from projects of similar size and scope
2. A project plan has been created using detailed project estimates; but not based on a comparable project
3. A project plan has been created using general areas of the project lifecycle, but there is not a clear understanding yet of the needed resources
4. No project plan exists at this time.

Project Resources
I. Does the project management team have relevant experience?
1. Members of the project management team have experience leading projects of similar size and complexity
2. Members of the project management team have had exposure to projects of similar size and complexity but not in lead roles
3. Members of the project management team have had limited exposure to projects of similar size and complexity and generally lack detailed knowledge
4. Members of the project management team have no experience with projects of similar size and complexity

II. How complex is coordination of internal resources?
1. Internal project - no hospital resources
2. Small project - internal and few hospital resources
3. Medium project - internal and multiple hospital resources
4. Large project - significant internal and hospital resources

III. Is the project team organized and deployed to a single location?
1. All team members are together with daily interactions with the users
2. All team members are located together but have limited user contact
3. Team members are in multiple locations but meet regularly
4. Team is located off site and rarely gets together as a whole

Project Size and Duration
I. How severe would be the result of late delivery?
1. No noticeable disruption of the business
2. Some disruption to limited, non-critical areas of the business
3. Some disruption to critical, time-valued areas of the business
4. Major disruption to the business because the new system is critical to the core business functions

II. What are the number of affected stakeholders per facility?
1. <10
2. >10 and < 50
3. > 50 and < 100
4. > 100

III. What is the Project Priority?
1. Minimal
2. Moderate
3. Significant
4. Major

IV. What is the amount of time the SPO can spend on the project?
1. 50% or greater
2. <50% and > 35%
3. < 35% and > 25%
4. < 25%

V. What is the impact of Go Live date(s) on other projects?
1. No projects are affected
2. A minimum number of projects and related resources are affected
3. A minimum number of projects are affected, but there are resource allocation conflicts
4. There are conflicts with other projects and resource allocations

VI. What is the number of affected facilities?
1. 1
2. 2 to 3
3. 3 to 4
4. All

VII. What is the total elapsed time of the project from start to finish?
1. < 3 months
2. > 3 months and < 6 months
3. > 6 months and < 1 year
4. One year or more

VIII. Will multiple business units be affected by the new system?
1. There will only be one business unit affected
2. Multiple business units within the same hospital will be affected
3. One business unit (each) in several hospitals will be affected
4. Multiple business units in several hospitals will be affected

IX. Will multiple patient care units be affected by the new system?
1. There will only be one patient care unit affected
2. Multiple patient care units within the same hospital will be affected
3. One patient care unit (each) in several hospitals will be affected
4. Multiple patient care units in several hospitals will be affected

Project Stakeholders
I. Are affected stakeholders willing to accept change created by this project?
1. Stakeholders are well informed about the change and show strong enthusiasm
2. Probably, stakeholders seems enthusiastic but there has been no formal evaluation of their enthusiasm or detailed knowledge of the change
3. Unclear, only limited or informal feedback from stakeholders have been received
4. No, firsthand feedback clearly indicates reluctance to the change

II. How committed is the hospital to the project?
1. All affected hospitals have assigned people and budgeted time
2. All affected hospitals have assigned people but has not budgeted time
3. More than half of affected hospitals have assigned people and budgeted time
4. Less than half of affected hospitals have assigned people and budgeted time

III. How does the project affect financial systems?
1. Not at all
2. Indirectly
3. Directly at < 50% units or departments
4. Directly at > 50% units or departments

IV. How does the project affect human resource systems?
1. Not at all
2. Indirectly
3. Directly at < 50% units or departments
4. Directly at > 50% units or departments

V. How does the project affect patient care systems?
1. Not at all
2. Indirectly
3. Directly at < 50% units or departments
4. Directly at > 50% units or departments

VI. What is the level of stakeholders involvement in the project?
1. The stakeholders are involved and have a permanent representative presence on the project team
2. The stakeholders are available for consultation and to provide functional advice
3. The stakeholders are minimally engaged on the project and clarification of requirements is difficult
4. The stakeholders are not involved in the project

VII. What will be the magnitude of change that the new system will impose upon the business stakeholders?
1. The new system will impose very little change, if any, upon the stakeholders
2. The new system will change slightly the current daily operations of the stakeholders
3. The new system will require significant changes by the stakeholders and will require training
4. The new system will present an entirely new way for the stakeholders to complete daily operations

VIII. What will be the magnitude of change that the new system will impose upon the patient care stakeholders?
1. The new system will impose very little change, if any, upon the stakeholders
2. The new system will change slightly the current daily operations of the stakeholders
3. The new system will require significant changes by the stakeholders and will require training
4. The new system will present an entirely new way for the stakeholders to complete daily operations

IX. Will staff numbers be reduced as a result of implementing the system?
1. There will not be a reduction in staff as a result of the new system
2. A small number of reductions are expected to isolated areas of the organization
3. Numerous reductions are expected to several levels of the organization
4. Staffing projections have not been completed

Project Support
I. Is the current Client Server and Operating Systems structure prepared to support the new system?
1. C/S and OS have significant experience in managing similar environments and will require little or no training
2. C/S and OS have experience with similar environments, but will probably require some degree of training
3. C/S and OS have limited or no experience with the environment and will require extensive training to be effective
4. C/S and OS does not have the expertise required to manage the operations and new resources will have to be hired or contracted

II. Is the current Clinical Support structure prepared to support the new system?
1. Clinical Support has significant experience in managing similar environments and will require little or no training
2. Clinical Support has experience with similar environments, but will probably require some degree of training
3. Clinical Support has limited or no experience with the environment and will require extensive training to be effective
4. Clinical Support does not have the expertise required to manage the operations and new resources will have to be hired or contracted

III. Is the current Data Base & Integration structure prepared to support the new system?
1. Data Base & Integration has significant experience in managing similar environments and will require little or no training
2. Data Base & Integration has experience with similar environments, but will probably require some degree of training
3. Data Base & Integration has limited or no experience with the environment and will require extensive training to be effective
4. Data Base & Integration does not have the expertise required to manage the operations and new resources will have to be hired or contracted

IV. Is the current Financial Support structure prepared to support the new system?
1. Financial Support has significant experience in managing similar environments and will require little or no training
2. Financial Support has experience with similar environments, but will probably require some degree of training
3. Financial Support has limited or no experience with the environment and will require extensive training to be effective
4. Financial Support does not have the expertise required to manage the operations and new resources will have to be hired or contracted

V. Is the current Help Desk structure prepared to support the new system?
1. The Help Desk has significant experience in managing similar environments and will require little or no training
2. The Help Desk has experience with similar environments, but will probably require some degree of training
3. The Help Desk has limited or no experience with the environment and will require extensive training to be effective
4. The Help Desk does not have the expertise required to manage the operations and new resources will have to be hired or contracted

VI. Is the current Networking and Telecom structure prepared to support the new system?
1. Networking has significant experience in managing similar environments and will require little or no training
2. Networking has experience with similar environments, but will probably require some degree of training
3. Networking has limited or no experience with the environment and will require extensive training to be effective
4. Networking does not have the expertise required to manage the operations and new resources will have to be hired or contracted

VII. Is the current Operations structure prepared to support the new system?
1. Operations has significant experience in managing similar environments and will require little or no training
2. Operations has experience with similar environments, but will probably require some degree of training
3. Operations has limited or no experience with the environment and will require extensive training to be effective
4. Operations does not have the expertise required to manage the operations and new resources will have to be hired or contracted

VIII. Is the current Web Development structure prepared to support the new system?
1. Web Development has significant experience in managing similar environments and will require little or no training
2. Web Development has experience with similar environments, but will probably require some degree of training
3. Web Development has limited or no experience with the environment and will require extensive training to be effective
4. Web Development does not have the expertise required to manage the operations and new resources will have to be hired or contracted

Technological
I. Do the key technologies appear to be the appropriate foundation given the system design?
1. There is every reason to believe that the proposed technology represents a solid foundation for the foreseeable future.
2. Certain components may reach the end of their lifecycle before the system does, but there is a high probability that there will be an upgrade path for replacement
3. Certain components may reach the end of their lifecycle before the system does and there does not appear to be a logical upgrade path
4. Various components appear to have reached the end of their lifecycle and more advanced technology exists in the market or technology foundation has yet to be determined

II. Does the project replace current system hardware?
1. No
2. Unknown
3. Yes


III. Does the project require conversions of current data systems?
1. No
2. Unknown

3. Yes

IV. Does the project’s technology (software, hardware, etc.) conflict with current BHS technology?
1. No
2. Unknown
3. Yes


V. Has (or will) the functionality of software be tested?
1. No
2. Unknown
3. Yes


VI. How clearly defined are the system operating procedures (backups, restart/recovery, etc.)?
1. Well defined with easy, well-documented, legible procedures
2. Maintenance procedures exist and some documentation exists
3. Maintenance procedures exist but documentation is limited
4. System maintenance procedures are not clearly defined or documented

VII. How many existing computer systems must the project system interact with?
1. A limited number of interfaces
2. A moderate number of interfaces
3. A large number of interfaces
4. The number of interfaces is not known

VIII. How mature are the technologies & products in this project?
1. All technologies/products are mature
2. Few technologies/products are new
3. Many (30-69%) of technologies/products are new
4. Most (70% or more) technologies/products are new

IX. How severely would business be impacted by a system failure?
1. Minimal impact-system is not critical to daily patient care or business functions
2. Moderate impact-system is critical to patient care or business, but a well-documented, automated contingency approach exists
3. Significant impact-system is critical to patient care or business and contingency plan relies on work-around
4. Severe impact-system is critical to patient care or business and there is no well-documented contingency plan

X. How thoroughly have the technology options been evaluated?
1. Experienced technical specialists performed a comprehensive evaluation of options using a proven methodology
2. Experienced technical specialists made recommendations based on prior experiences
3. Key functional personnel made recommendations for the options
4. A detailed evaluation has not yet been performed

XI. Is the project required to update old technology?
1. No
2. Unknown
3. Yes


XII. Is the proposed hardware/software environment in production already within the organization? (i.e. mainframe, client server, middleware, etc.)
1. The environment is in production and well established
2. The environment is currently in use in production but not well-established and subject to changes
3. The environment is currently in use for development efforts but has not yet been established in production
4. Hardware/software environment is not currently in use

XIII. Is there a system load test or other measures to ensure good system performance (i.e. measures to test response time, system efficiency, etc.)?
1. There is a load test for system performance in accordance with accepted industry standards
2. There is a methodology for load testing but some phases are not complete
3. The load testing plans have been discussed, but are not in place at this time
4. There are no plans for load testing the system.

XIV. To what extent will the new system enable de-installation of the existing system?
1. The new system will completely replace an existing system or an existing system does not exist
2. The new system will be a new layer that will lead to the eventual replacement of an existing system
3. The new system will be a new layer and there is not a business case for the elimination of any existing systems
4. The new system will be run in parallel to an existing system

XV. What knowledge level does the Technical project team members have for the proposed technology environment?
1. The proposed platform is well understood by the project team and any technical difficulties that emerge are likely to be handled in-house
2. There are parts of the platform that are very clearly understood, however, aspects of the new platform will be seen for the first time.
3. The platform is not well known to the project team but specialized expertise is readily available from vendors
4. The platform is not well know to the project team and specialized expertise is not easily available

Project Vendors
I. Does the vendor project management team have relevant experience?
1. Members of the vendor project management team have experience leading projects of similar size and complexity
2. Members of the vendor project management team have had exposure to projects of similar size and complexity but not in lead roles
3. Members of the vendor project management team have had limited exposure to projects of similar size and complexity and generally lack detailed knowledge
4. Members of the vendor project management team have no experience with projects of similar size and complexity

II. How complex is coordination of external resources?
1. No subcontractors or vendors to manage
2. One or two subcontractors / vendors to manage
3. Three to five subcontractors / vendors to manage
4. Six or more subcontractors / vendors to manage

III. Is the vendor well established in the business community with a strong financial background?
1. The vendor is well established and in good financial condition
2. The vendor is well established, but financial condition is unknown
3. The vendor has been established for less than two years
4. The vendor is a startup business with little financial history

IV. What is the vendor's ability to implement the technology?
1. The vendor has successfully completed a number of previous implementations
2. The vendor has successfully completed some previous implementations (1 3)
3. The vendor has limited experience with this technology
4. The vendor has not previously implemented this technology


Financial Opportinity
I. How many components of the IT Strategic Plan does the project support?
1. Project objectives have been clearly documented and can be linked to specific components of the IT Strategic Plan
2. The project direction is consistent with the IT Strategic Plan but the relationship has not been clearly documented
3. Project objectives are not clearly related to the IT Strategic Plan
4. Some or all project objectives may be in conflict with the IT Strategic Plan

II. Is the project required to meet regulatory or legal requirements?
1. Not at all
2. Indirectly
3. Directly at < 50% of units or departments
4. Directly at >50% of units or departments

III. How will project impact utilization of resources?
1. Will pull significant resources of other projects
2. Will pull some resources of other projects
3. Will have a normal impact on resources
4 . Will put currently under-utilized resources to work

IV. To what extent are senior management committed to the project and its outcomes?
1. The consensus of senior management is that the project is not warranted
2. Senior management does not have a consensus regarding the project
3. Senior management agree with the need for the project, but it does not represent their highest priority
4. Senior management is fully committed and have openly endorsed the project

V. Will the project improve skills or provide new experience?
1. Little improvement is expected in existing skills
2. Significant improvement expected in existing skills
3. Little improvement in existing skills but some new skills will be developed
4. Significant improvement in existing and new skills will be developed as well

VI. Will Clinical Outcomes be improved by this project?
1. Not at all
2. Little change
3. Directly at < 50% of units or departments
4. Directly at >50% of units or departments

VII. Will customer service be improved by this project?
1. Not at all
2. Little change
3. Increased customer service to patients, or stakeholders, or physicians
4. Increased customer service to patients, and/or stakeholders, and/or physicians

VIII. Will Delivery of Services be improved by this project?
1. Not at all
2. Little change
3. Directly at < 50% of units or departments
4. Directly at >50% of units or departments

IX. Will productivity be improved by this project?
1. Not at all
2. Little change
3. Increased productivity for stakeholders, or physicians
4. Increased productivity for stakeholders and physicians

X. What are the IT and Technical project coordinators' opinion of the need to win this opportunity?
1. There is no compelling need to win this project
2. The need to win this project is low
3. The need to win this project is moderate
4. This project is vital; we must win it

XI. What is the project's political visibility?
1. Major
2. Significant
3. Moderate
4. Minimal

XII. How do margins compare to annual company goals?
1. Negative margins or breakeven
2. Margins up to 50% of company plan
3. Margins > 50% but < 100% of company plan
4. Margins equal or exceed company plan

XIII. How likely is future business as a result of this project?
1. Project has little or no bearing on future business
2. Future business is possible
3. Future business is likely
4. Future business is assured

XIV. Is there a clearly defined payback for this system?
1. There is neither a payback period nor apparent justification on the basis of patient safety
2. There is a payback period but it is not clearly defined
3. There is not a clearly defined payback but the system is necessary regardless (i.e.for patient safety)
4. There is a clearly defined payback and it is fully justified

XV. What is the estimated revenue for this project?
1. < $500,000
2. > $500,000 and < $2.5 million
3. > $2.5 million and < $5 million
4. > $5 million

XVI. What is the payback time for the project?
1. The payback period has not been quantified
2. The payback period will be greater than 4 years
3. The payback period exceeds 2 years but less than 4 years
4. The payback period is within 2 years

XVII. To what degree have existing expenditures met budgeted amounts?
1. Existing expenditures have consistently exceeded budget amounts or clear budgets have not yet been established
2. Some significant expenditures have exceeded budget amounts with others remaining within budget
3. Most expenditures have been within the budget amounts with a small percentage exceeding budget amounts
4. Existing expenditures have consistently been within budget amounts

XVIII. What is the end-to-end expenditure that this project will require?
1. > $2 Million
2. < $2 Million and > $500,000
3. < $500,000 and > $50,000
4. < $50,000

Here are some more potential sources of risk

1. Use Project Initiation and Requirements documents
2. If you have access to a Risk Assessment list…use it
3. Turn the WBS into a Risk Breakdown Schedule (RBS) and review Project Schedule for:
a. Tasks which your team has no expertise
b. Duration and cost estimates that are aggressive
c. Tasks with numerous or constrained resources
d. Tasks with several predecessors or long durations
4. Brainstorm and talk with the experts
5. Historical Information
a. Project Files (Risk Management Plans from previous projects)
b. Published Information

Risk Options

For negative risks:
• Avoid
• Transfer
• Mitigate
• Accept

For positive risks:
• Exploit
• Share
• Enhance
• Accept

Biz - Good One

Return on Execution (RoX) = Net Gain from Improved Execution / Net Execution Investment

Need to choose right passengers in the Bus (organization), Important thing to this aspect having right people on the right seat. Eg: Having the driver to drive the bus. Passenger knowing where to go and knowing what they are supposed to do in the bus. Aligning Strategy and Execution.

Sports analogy - "the manager can only put players on the field, But the players have to execute" Manager gets to define the strategy, Players will be executing strategy provided the manager and players align together for common cause bounded the organizations objectives, goals, mission and vision for success.

Have X Resources spending Y% of time towards completing Z% of task.

ROI

“Marketing ROI is NOT an increase in market share, click-throughs to your web site or even revenue generated from your marketing communications. ROI is the profits generated over and above the initial investment and expressed as a percent of the investment. There’s a formula, but you really need to understand the nuances of how ROI is calculated in your company because there are multiple ways to interpret concepts like gross margin, net present value or discount rate, just for starters. You need to know your own company’s standards.”

GROSS PROFIT MARGIN

From About: The Gross Profit Margin is a measurement of a company’s manufacturing and distribution efficiency during the production process. The gross profit tells an investor the percentage of revenue/sales left after subtracting the cost of goods sold. A company that boasts a higher gross profit margin than its competitors and industry is more efficient.

From InvestorWords: Gross Profit Margins reveal how much a company earns taking into consideration the costs that it incurs for producing its products and/or services.

It can be expressed in absolute terms:

Gross Profit = Revenue − Cost of Sales

$89,250.00 = $109,250.00 – $20,000

Gross margin is expressed in the form of a percentage:

Gross Margin % = Gross Profit / Revenue

81.69% = $89,250.00 / $109,250.00

Note: Gross Margins of 82% rarely exist. The example does not take into consideration costs that are continually increasing to pay for overhead and marketing, thus lowering Gross Profit Margin.

As example, a company makes 100 widgets in their first year and sells them for $1,000 each. With tax of 9.25% the Revenue or Net Sales is $109,250.00, which is the amount generated after the deduction of returns, allowances for damaged or missing goods, any discounts allowed, freight, and any other expenses (in this case, $0).

The Cost of Sales or Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) is $200 each or $20,000. COGS is the beginning inventory, in this case $0, plus the Cost of Goods Purchased during some period, $20,000, minus the ending inventory, $0, in this case. Gross Profit or Gross Income then is $89,250.00.

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

Now that we have the Gross Margin, we can generate the ROI in the first year (it typically is done on an annual basis).

ROI = ((Revenue – Expenses*) / Investment)

*namely, business, depreciation, interest, and taxes

To get the figure in percentage format, multiply ROI by 100%.

To further the example, when the company went into the widget-making business, they spent $5,000 as their initial investment in setup costs, plus $200 for every widget produced ($20,000), plus $9,250 in taxes. On a sale of 1,000 widgets their ROI is 300%

300% = ($109,250.00 – $34,250) / $25,000

It would be wise to calculate how many widgets they had to sell at pre-tax $1,000 to break even. According to my calculations, when they sold widget #22 they broke even on their current plus future investments.

Furthermore, the investment of $25,000 is likely a loan. If the company borrowed this amount on a 3 year plan at a rate of 20%, by my calculations it would cost them $33,447.24 if compounded annually. Monthly payments, therefore, would be $929.09. As we are just talking about the first year of operations, the first year amount due would be $11,149.08 with the remaining $32,050.92 due in years 2 and 3. Total first year expenses also increase by $2,815.75, which is one third the total interest: $33,447.24 – $25,000 = $8,447.24

Realized Gross Profit (first year): $78,100.92 = $89,250.00 – $11,149.08

Realized Gross Margin (first year): 71.48% = $78,100.92 / $109,250.00

Realized ROI (first year): 289% = ($109,250.00 – $37,065.75) / $25,000

From these results, we can conclude that it would not be a bad investment. However, as more and more details of the reality of costs are added into the equation, profit, margin and ROI will all decrease.

NET PRESENT VALUE

The good business person will then decide if making widgets has the best ROI for the outlay of $25,000 or if some other opportunity – including an investment in financial markets – may yield a higher return. To evaluate this, calculate the Net Present Value, which takes a look at the current value and timing of cash flows, comparing it to the discount rate – the rate of return that could be earned in the financial markets – currently 0.75% as of September 20, 2009. Another name for discount rate is the IRR rate (Internal Rate of Return).

SUMMARY

When we talk about marketing ROI we’re often looking at things like the results of a campaign (purchases, new subscribers, click-throughs), but we have to keep in mind that those results roll up into the real ROI, which calculates return on an overall investment. To do this, we have to calculate three things: Gross Profit, Gross Profit Margin, and ROI.

Gross Profit = Total Revenue minus Cost of Sales or Cost of Goods Sold, which is inventory plus the Cost of Goods Purchased during some period minus the ending inventory.

Gross Profit Margin % = Gross Profit divided by Revenue or Net Sales, which is the amount generated after the deduction of returns, allowances for damaged or missing goods, any discounts allowed, freight, and any other expenses.

ROI = Total Revenue minus Total Expenses, divided by the Total Investment. The result can be calculated across different scenarios and it can then be decided where the investment can be best spent, taking into consider the Net Present Value of the differing cash flows that are created.

Quick Agile Knowledge

Today’s typical Agile process, no matter what name you call it, takes the best from the buffet of Agile practices to create a typical process where:

1. Project needs or requirements are expressed in user stories placed in a backlog, and ideally written by Product owners (in Scrum), or customers (in XP) in collaboration with the development team. (Sometimes they magically appear.)
2. Developers give high-level estimates saying how long user stories will take to complete.
3. Product owners arrange user stories into incremental releases that take typically 6 weeks to 6 months.
4. Product owners choose the next stories, highest value first, for each development time-box. The stories chosen need to “fit” into the time-box based on how quickly the team can produce software.
5. At the end of each development time-box the team should have incrementally built some of the product. The team (proudly) demonstrates the finished product to product owners and other stakeholders.
6. The team adds up the development estimates for the user stories completed during the time-box. This is the velocity (from XP) that’ll be used to estimate the amount that can be completed in the next time-box.
7. The team holds a retrospective to evaluate how well they’ve done and what changes could be made to the process to allow things to go better, then the next time-boxed development cycle is planned.
8. Time-boxed development continues through to release — which is a short way of saying “rinse and repeat.”

There’s more common practices, such as daily standup meetings to synchronize the team, and burn-down charts to show development progress, but that’s enough to make my point: Today’s Agile process is a mash-up of a variety of good ideas from a variety of sources.

Winning and Losing

Matt Damon (as a card player in the movie Rounders) said it best: You can’t lose what you don’t put in the middle. But you can’t win much either. So, I hope that life presents you with many opportunities; that you have the wisdom to balance the risks and rewards, and that you have the courage to pursue great challenges.

Excellent demo of using Hibernate

Excellent demo of using Hibernate

Excellent Article about Methodology

Excellent Article about Methodology

Increase the Effectiveness of Learning

From : http://psychology.about.com/od/educationalpsychology/tp/effective-learning.htm


How to Become a More Effective Learner
Tips from Psychology to Improve Learning Effectiveness & Efficiency

By Kendra Van Wagner, About.com
See More About:

* memory
* learning
* educational psychology

I'm always interested in finding new ways to learn better and faster. As a graduate student who is also a full-time science writer, the amount of time I have to spend learning new things is limited. It's important to get the most educational value out of my time as possible. However, retention, recall and transfer are also critical. I need to be able to accurately remember the information I learn, recall it at a later time and utilize it effectively in a wide variety of situations.

1. Memory Improvement Basics
I've written before about some of the best ways to improve memory. Basic tips such as improving focus, avoiding cram sessions and structuring your study time are a good place to start, but there are even more lessons from psychology that can dramatically improve your learning efficiency.

2. Keep Learning (and Practicing) New Things
"Learning is good for your brain. "Learning and practicing new skills helps your brain retain new information. Image by Mysid.

One sure-fire way to become a more effective learner is to simply keep learning. A 2004 Nature article reported that people who learned how to juggle increased the amount of gray matter in their occipital lobes, the area of the brain is associated with visual memory.1 When these individuals stopped practicing their new skill, this gray matter vanished.

So if you're learning a new language, it is important to keep practicing the language in order to maintain the gains you have achieved. This "use-it-or-lose-it" phenomenon involves a brain process known as "pruning." Certain pathways in the brain are maintained, while other are eliminated. If you want the new information you just learned to stay put, keep practicing and rehearsing it.

3. Learn in Multiple Ways
Focus on learning in more than one way. Instead of just listening to a podcast, which involves auditory learning, find a way to rehearse the information both verbally and visually. This might involve describing what you learned to a friend, taking notes or drawing a mind map. By learning in more than one way, you’re further cementing the knowledge in your mind. According to Judy Willis, “The more regions of the brain that store data about a subject, the more interconnection there is. This redundancy means students will have more opportunities to pull up all of those related bits of data from their multiple storage areas in response to a single cue. This cross-referencing of data means we have learned, rather than just memorized.”2

4. Teach What You've Learned to Another Person
""Teaching can improve your learning. ©René Mansi/iStockPhoto

Educators have long noted that one of the best ways to learn something is to teach it to someone else. Remember your seventh-grade presentation on Costa Rica? By teaching to the rest of the class, your teacher hoped you would gain even more from the assignment. You can apply the same principle today by sharing your newly learned skills and knowledge with others.

Start by translating the information into your own words. This process alone helps solidify new knowledge in your brain. Next, find some way to share what you’ve learned. Some ideas include writing a blog post, creating a podcast or participating in a group discussion.

5. Utilize Previous Learning to Promote New Learning
Another great way to become a more effective learner is to use relational learning, which involves relating new information to things that you already know. For example, if you are learning about Romeo and Juliet, you might associate what you learn about the play with prior knowledge you have about Shakespeare, the historical period in which the author lived and other relevant information.

6. Gain Practical Experience
For many of us, learning typically involves reading textbooks, attending lectures or doing research in the library or on the Web. While seeing information and then writing it down is important, actually putting new knowledge and skills into practice can be one of the best ways to improve learning. If you are trying to acquire a new skill or ability, focus on gaining practical experience. If it is a sport or athletic skill, perform the activity on a regular basis. If you are learning a new language, practice speaking with another person and surround yourself with immersive experiences.

7. Look Up Answers Rather Than Struggle to Remember
Of course, learning isn’t a perfect process. Sometimes, we forget the details of things that we have already learned. If you find yourself struggling to recall some tidbit of information, research suggests that you are better offer simply looking up the correct answer. One study found that the longer you spend trying to remember the answer, the more likely you will be to forget the answer again in the future. Why? Because these attempts to recall previously learned information actually results in learning the "error state" instead of the correct response.

8. Understand How You Learn Best
Another great strategy for improving your learning efficiency is to recognize your learning habits and styles. There are a number of different theories about learning styles, which can all help you gain a better understanding of how you learn best. Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences describes eight different types of intelligence that can help reveal your individual strengths. Looking at Carl Jung’s learning style dimensions can also help you better see which learning strategies might work best for you.

9. Use Testing to Boost Learning
"Testing can be more effective than studying."Testing can be more beneficial than studying alone. Image by Clinton Cardozo.
While it may seem that spending more time studying is one of the best ways to maximize learning, research has demonstrated that taking tests actually helps you better remember what you've learned, even if it wasn't covered on the test.3 The study revealed that students who studied and were then tested had better long-term recall of the materials, even on information that was not covered by the tests. Students who had extra time to study but were not tested had significantly lower recall of the materials.

10. Stop Multitasking
"Multitasking can hurt learning effectiveness"Multitasking can hurt learning effectiveness. ©Paul Kline/iStockPhoto
For many years, it was thought that people who multitask, or perform more than one activity at once, had an edge over those who did not. However, research now suggests that multitasking can actually make learning less effective. In the study, participants lost significant amounts of time as they switched between multiple tasks and lost even more time as the tasks became increasingly complex.4 By switching from one activity to another, you will learn more slowly, become less efficient and make more errors. How can you avoid the dangers of multitasking? Start by focusing your attention on the task at hand and continue working for a predetermined amount of time.
11. References

1 Draganski, B., Gaser, C., Busch, V., & Schuierer, G. (2004). Neuroplasticity: Changes in grey matter induced by training. Nature, 427(22), 311-312.

2 Willis, J. (2008). Brain-based teaching strategies for improving students' memory, learning, and test-taking success.(Review of Research). Childhood Education, 83(5), 31-316.

3 Chan, J.C., McDermott, K.B., & Roediger, H.L. (2007). Retrieval-induced facilitation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 135(4), 553-571.

4 Rubinstein, Joshua S.; Meyer, David E.; Evans, Jeffrey E. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 27(4), 763-797.