jefgray.com

No one really saves money by shopping at a discount store.
They spend their money and use the savings to buy something else.

I joined the Air Force when I was 18. I had no idea what I was getting myself into at the time but it changed my life for the better. Basic Training was something I had a hard time understanding until I was many years beyond its reach. The idea of Air Force Basic Training, is to give you too much to do and not enough time to do it. They have some very specific tasks, like folding T-shirts in 6-inch squares, making your bed so that the mattress flexes from the tight sheets pulling it into a knot, and the usual standing in line everywhere you go, toe to heal.

It’s amazing how much personal space you can give up when forced to do things like sit on the floor because you haven’t earned the right to a chair. All of this psychology plays on your mind while you are there. If you leave a pocket unbuttoned and get caught, they treat it like it’s the end of the world and you caused it. What’s more interesting is the fact that you believe you are responsible for the end of the world and wonder how you could be so careless to not button that pocket.

Their techniques are very effective in teaching you how to understand futility. A typical scenario would be to arrive at the cafeteria, aka chow hall, and side step your way through a serpentine line that reaches for a mile throughout the bowels of the building. You finally get to the table with your mandatory glasses of water and your meal. You sit in unison with the other inmates or “airman”, and begin to eat. This is the only time of day where you can talk in public and not be shot on sight. Well maybe not shot but you get the idea. About 5 minutes into your lunch, the Technical Instructor or “TI” walks over and announces that you are done eating. You stand and head to the clipper to turn your dishes in. The idea is not to starve you, it’s to push you. I learned to eat fast and talk less, this also helped prevent choking.

The rest of the day follows the same pattern. Clean this floor until it shines and then watch as the TI walks all over it. Its hallowed ground and only he can do this. Or you can scrub the shower walls until no soap scum remains. Then 50 guys take a shower and your work is erased. Mothers probably understand this best, the laundry, the next meal; everything is accomplished only to be repeated again and again. These are exercises in futility. Some things will always be this way, but automation should not be one of them. Each time we program or improve a system, we should enable it to repeat less and answer more.

How many times have you collected some figures, typed them up in a spreadsheet and then printed it back out? Oh sure the computer did some fancy calculation formulas, but was anything really saved? Did everyone gain the benefit of the information when you placed it in the computer? Usually the answer is no. We work autonomously, alone or in small groups, breaking information and facts down into recognizable parts, and then we assimilate the information with the intention of explaining what these facts mean. All the while the answers, the conclusions are known before we ever tell the computer what to do.

For example, let’s say you pay the bills for your company. If you see a high stack of bills on your desk you can assume that you will be writing a lot of checks today. The computer will never be that smart. It will only take one check at a time, and when you have typed in everything it will give you back a list, a report, a total based on information you provided. Most systems are actually very hollow in this manner. Simply repeating back to you what you just said, and when the information comes rolling out on paper, we look at it and say, very good, nice and neat. And we go on to the next project. What did you just do? Did you accomplish anything other than establishing an audit trail?

What if the computer were designed to take the bills, analyze each one and calculate the best way to pay, the cheapest postage based on weight, if any amounts are excessive or out of the ordinary? Perhaps it could evaluate quantities and establish purchasing profiles on different departments. The computer could do all of this and never get bored or loose vigilance. Allowing the accountant to do more constructive things, like project budget requirements and simplify the purchasing process. Or they could meet with other departments and assist them in planning and managing spending.

And what about auditing, couldn’t that be done by a computer? The fact that the money trail in a company is so complicated and thus requires someone to look at it and have explanations for all the things tells us that we are doing something wrong.  Accountants like to look at bottom lines. They want a sum total for two or more columns of funds and they want them to balance. Yet today, most accounting programs can’t give a simple answer like that, without asking a lot of complex questions.

This is because we are still trying to use paper based accounting methods on machines. How many forms have you filled out on your computer that looked a lot like the paper form? Was it because it needed to be printed that way? Once again, we are using the computer like a glorified typewriter, only taking advantage of its neatness, rather than it’s mathematical and tireless statistical nature.

Computers are great at the things we hate to do. Balance the checkbook, analyze charts or reports (assuming they are digital) and we find new uses for their high calculations power everyday, from gaming to medicine. What should happen as a result of this power is not the common result. The machine takes over and the employee does their work on the machine. If this were a calculator or typewriter, it would make sense. But a computer can remember even project calculations and information for us. This should free us up to do more constructive things with our time. Obviously the software and hardware need to be aligned to make this an efficient process, but who really needs to simply clock their work into a box and then spit out a report to show they did it?  If this represents the common job in a corporation, then futility is alive and well.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Star Trek

“Very funny Scotty, now beam my clothes down!”

I know you hear anything about “Star Trek” and think; oh boy he has really lost it on this one. Hear me out, give this chance and then if you don’t agree, you will at least understand why so many cherish every episode. I am not a huge Star Trek fan. I don’t collect the memorabilia, or go to conventions hoping to beam up. I don’t even watch the newer shows; I just appreciate what Star Trek represents:  People embracing IT as an acceptable part of everyday life and decision-making.

You won’t see anyone rebooting on the show, and the system rarely ever crashes. They don’t get viruses or need to upgrade every 6 months. What you will see though is, in my opinion, the true future of technology in the workplace and even the home. They don’t spend hours laboring at screens like we do today, it’s more like they just consult the computer and then decide what to do. Most of their interaction with the computer is voice based, or just a few key combinations. The computer analyzes tons of information, breaks it down and reports the significant events to the analysts.

What we do today is the reverse. We input tons of information in the computer after breaking it down into known parts, (Marketing, Accounting, Customer Service or Work Orders) each person doing their part to automate, and then we analyze what we just did.

This is why departments don’t talk. They are too busy breaking information apart so that it fits in the applicable hole. If the IT department buys a computer, that’s a purchase record that goes to accounting. It’s also a warranty card that might be handled by admin. The computer has to be set-up and that will be done by IT. Of course, the computer is for a new employee, so they call HR and ask what his or her name will be for access privileges.

The new employee will also need a phone, maybe a pager, an email address, a desk, a chair, benefits, parking space; the list just runs on forever. And this guy hasn’t even started yet. What does all of this have in common? The information (A new hire in customer service) is sent in 20 directions and affects several more processes.

It seems like we could simplify that. HR hires someone and poof the computer sends the notifications out to the affected departments. Everyone is instantly aware of the new person and they have a detailed list of what he will need from them. They can even reply back when it is all completed. The computer will then advise the HR manager on matters of concern. The new guy does not have a desk yet. Another employee is due for a review and hasn’t gotten one. You can see how the computer does the tracking, and the HR manager simply refers to it and then makes a decision. This is only the beginning of efficiency.

What about voice controlled systems? Will they ever be more common? I’m sure they will, but not soon enough! Wouldn’t it be nice to be sitting in a meeting and have all of the information in your company waiting, ready to be retrieved at your beck and call? A sales person or consultant asks, how many phones do you have? You speak in the air, repeating the question and the system answers you immediately or prompts you to be more specific. “Did you want the number of pay phones with that?”

You have to see that the computer is going to become more important but less visual. Who really wants to sit and type at a desk all day? Wouldn’t we rather be solving problems or creating ideas to make the business better?

When the captain of the ship on Star Trek, needs to decide a course of action, he almost always asks questions first. How many of these do we have? How far is that place? When will arrive based on our speed? He uses the computer for all of 5 minutes a day, and the rest of the time he is making decisions.

When we learn that embracing technology, programming a computer to be a tool rather than an end to a means, we will take the first step forward.

Popularity: 3% [?]

“Who run Bartertown?”

I worked in food service for several years while in high school and college. It was some of the hardest work I ever did next to scraping paint off my uncle’s house one summer. The hours were long; managers were jerks and the work never ended. I had done some dish washing in my time, and if you like pruney hands and touching other people’s plates, I guess it could be kind of fun? They did have the squirt gun hose, which on a slow day made for some great kitchen fights. But I digress, what does this have to do with computers?

I was on vacation beautiful Orlando, Florida one summer. My family and I had spent the days going to theme parks, seeing the sights and having a great time being tourists. One night we walked over to a local restaurant that didn’t look too crowded, and decided this was the place for dinner. From the moment we walked in, I knew I should have sensed the embargo that was taking place and left quickly, but that’s the thing about an Embargo, you find out about it after you are stuck.

Let me explain this concept by way of scenario. We waited and finally were seated. It took 15 minutes for the waitress to bring us a menu, and 15 more minutes to return for our order. We finally ended up with drinks, but I think they were ordered by another table that sensed my pain. People pull together in an Embargo; it’s a true testament of the human spirit. Anyway, we asked for silverware, and the much frazzled waitress rushed to get some. It was obvious the tension was high. The manager was serving food and no one was waiting on tables but this waitress. I had to ask, so I tried to sound like I had some background in how things worked.

“Did the cook call in sick tonight?” I asked. The waitress rolled her eyes and said, “No he’s back there, but the dishwasher quit, so I’m waiting tables and cooking, while he gets the dishes done!” The manager walked by with a scorned look of frustration. It’s the same look you see when an accountant looses a spreadsheet and swears the IT guys did it.

One dishwasher brought this restaurant to its knees. The least paying job, with no glamour or hype was obviously the most important function in the business. I have no idea what dishwashers make in terms of pay, but if they knew the power they yield, they would be dangerous.

I doubt the guy ever knew the value of his job or how key his role was in the success of the business. But this is very true of the IT shops in any corporation. A computer professional can walk in and assimilate your systems in a short period of time; He can learn a lot about your business and make dramatic improvements quickly. He can tie previously unknown data to disparate departments, and build a network that brings order to chaos. He can also walk out the door at the drop of a hat and leave you completely vulnerable for a host of issues you never knew existed: like data security, system design, corporate knowledge, communication flow and many more. He can “wash dishes” anywhere, so there is no loss on his part, he has only learned more and become more valuable to other companies. You on the other hand are about to buss tables and sort silverware. Why? Because, you are going to feel the loss at almost every turn. Everyone will use the loss of your IT professional as a golden ticket excuse for anything they cannot get done. It’s not like the guy did all of this, but without him, it doesn’t flow.

In the movie “Mad Max, Beyond Thunderdome” there is a little man who is highly intelligent. He is at odds with the town leadership, played by Tina Turner. To assert his authority, the little man starts an embargo on the city, while narrating his actions over the town PA system.

He built their electrical system and knew precisely how to regulate it. He slides the throttle back and dims the lights all over town. He then asks Tina Turner’s character, “Who run’s Barter Town?” She hesitates and he says, “Start Embargo” and he cuts the power. He asks her again and again until she repeats his name loud enough for all to hear. At this moment he declares, “Lift Embargo” and the power is restored. In the end the man was marked for death and he barely escapes with his life. How many companies have felt an embargo from the little guy in the computer room who needed to reboot a server in mid day’s business? Or thought, we don’t need to worry about retention in our computer department, those folks love their job-only to see them leave for more pay, better benefits or better opportunities. In reality, they keep their jobs; they just do it somewhere else.

This line of power is growing stronger as more automated systems take their place in business centers. As we grow dependant on those services, we must realize that the computer systems are just dishes until someone quits.

The days of annual reviews and job description changes that get looked at every 5 years are over. Technology moves too fast to accommodate a stagnant position. Reviews should be based on performance in completing jobs, and any pay increases should be based on how quickly things were done. Time is the enemy, if an IT pro works slow and can’t keep up, he is not as valuable as someone who can.

To keep good talented IT staff, you have to get to the heart of what they want, “Progress”.  Rather than hiring an expensive wiz kid who will be gone in 6 months, consider hiring from within and building a wiz kid. It will take longer, but it wont cost as much. You will also have a track record of this employee and know what his habits already are. You can build his skills in a directly related way to the job.

The results are impressive:

Longer time in position

Increased internal opportunities for existing personnel

An inside edge into how things work in the company

Who do you hire? One common denominator in talented IT folks: quick learning ability. Find the people who exemplify this and go from there.

Popularity: 12% [?]

The true art of automation is not to do more with less, In fact the opposite is truer.

Enable the company or client to do less and get more done,
and you will have built a better mousetrap.

Has anyone ever really done more with less? I’d like to meet the guy who coined that phrase, I think he was being sarcastic and they took him seriously. Who really does more with less? Is it like the small chips at the bottom of a Doritos bag? You pick at them until you can hold 40 or 50 between your fingers and then spill half on the way to your mouth? You figure it all tastes the same, so the numbers of chips in the bag are infinite as long as you are willing to fish around for them in the airtight corners. This is the illusion we present when we say we are doing more with less.

The introduction of the personal computer in the early 1980’s was considered to be the companion for those who had to do more with less. For the first time you could store work, quickly regenerate letters, calculations, or presentations. You could make changes without starting over. Everyone said it would speed things up, but it didn’t. The ability to generate perfect documents had people printing a dozen versions of a letter, where before they only revised it once or twice. Perfection was not the goal, getting it done on time was. Eventually the computer grew up and things began to move quicker. E-mail, the Internet and other applications started to change how business was transacted.

The computer was becoming the enemy to those who saw it from afar. It would replace the jobs of many, just look at what ATM’s had done to banking tellers. A computer has rarely ever replaced a person’s job, and if it did, it wasn’t much of a job worth saving. Computers run programs; they do the mundane and repetitive tasks so that the user can be more efficient. The result is not what you would expect. A marketing program might convince someone that buying a computer will get their work done for them, quickly. They will have more free time and be less taxed by their duties. And for the first two weeks or so, they see how this magical box is truly changing their work practice.

About this time, they find out a few things that come with the computer that they didn’t expect. Software upgrades, maintenance problems, connectivity issues, and lost files. The intimidation factor rises, and they seek help, take classes or make friends with the nerd they picked on High School.

And in time, the learning curve subsides and they use the computer to accomplish everything. The time savings is measurable and impressive. The boss notices and gives them something they also weren’t expecting. More work. The computer revolution made everyone do more in less time. The gradual increase in expected efficiency has reached a saturation point and we need programs to be more intuitive, faster systems and more services to sell, buy or connect with.

This is why there are a half million unfilled IT related positions in the United States today. Everywhere you look automation is a given fact of life. Who will run, repair and install all of this hardware? Companies throw loads of money at problems and end up with a system that has the “cure world hunger” solution to all of its problems. Unfortunately the system requires constant attention, adjustments, maintenance, back-ups and preventive maintenance. More jobs, not less.

Imagine the ripple effect now in motion, as we become more dependants on the machine, we become more indebted to those who can keep it running. In the future computer specialists will be more valued than the professionals of today, because a professional person can call in sick and everyone understands. If a main computer system fails, no one understands and wants to know how long until it will be back up! One person can call in sick and the workers adjust to fill the void. If the computer system fails, all services, functions and business can slow to a halt until it is restored. How often has that happened by one person on a sick day? Unless of course it’s your IT pro who called in.

Popularity: 3% [?]

One of the rituals of being in the Air National Guard comes each Saturday and Sunday around 11:15AM. You might call it lunch, but it is reminiscent of getting your plates renewed at the DMV. The line stretches around the room, and everyone has the same look in their eyes when they join in at the rear. It’s a sense of half futility and half desperation. You wonder if you should drive off the base to a local sandwich shop under the guise that it would be quicker. But by the time you get there, you would be through this line, so you stay. And if you are lucky, you can strike up a conversation with a person nearby who is asking the same question. Eventually the line does move and for the price of a signature, you receive a hot meal. It’s not gourmet, but it keeps you going for the rest of the day.

My friends and I would make the most of being in the line. We traded tech tips, talked about vacations and discussed our latest career strategy in the ever booming marketplace of IT. Some days the line goes quick, but usually we have solved the world hunger problem by the time we get up to “the desk”.

One weekend things went a bit different. The line was slow as usual but there was a new guy supervisinghe sign-in list at the desk. We had not seen him before, but judging from his age and the numerous stripes on his sleeve, he was a guy who was about to retire. We figured he had been put there to ride out his 20 years and would probably not be there for long. Everything went fine until I got up to the desk to sign for my ration of food for the day.

I reached for the pen and started to fill in the next blank, and he stopped me. “What are you doing?” He asked. I thought he was joking, so I continued to write my name and said, “Signing for my lunch..?” He reached and held the pen. I gave him a look of surprise (and anger) and said, “What?!”

His reply set the tone for every line I would stand in from then on: “The line isn’t moving yet; you are signing before you can move up…You should wait until there is a space for you to stand in, and then sign!” He barked. I paused for effect so my friends could anticipate my next move. About the time he finished his sermon on efficiency, the line moved and he released the pen, “now, see?-you can sign in”. He said condescendingly.  He then  pointed to the opening in front of me as if a light would go on and I would feel grateful for the wisdom he had imparted. Needless to say, I scribbled my name, moved up and looked back at my friends, knowing what was about to happen.

They had not caught the entire briefing, and naturally had to endure it like I did. I waited until we were out of ear shot and asked them, “Hey did you make it past the Line Nazi?” We laughed, we repeated the instructions several times, and all agreed that tomorrow we would bring broken pens, play deaf, and jump in and out of place to confuse he Line Nazi.

Slow lines do this to people; they reach a level of futility that demands some sort of reasoning. A line in itself is a circle, but I digress. A line is not a bad thing, it explains a process. Start here, end there. We stand in many lines in life. And not all of them make sense or have clear destinations.

How many times have you done something because everyone recommended it, or expected it?  Only to find a Line Nazi at the front who demanded you do things their way or else?! Wasn’t this what grade school was about? Start in kindergarten and come out as a senior?

In his book, “A whack on the Side of the Head” the author references a simple dot on a chalkboard. He asked a group of kindergarten children what it was and got almost 50 different ideas. “A squashed bug!”, “A bird’s eye view of a telephone pole!” on and on with ideas, the list was impressive.

He then asked the same question to a group of seniors and got three replies. None of them ventured far from the obvious, “A dot.” “A period”, etc. His conclusion, “We begin as question marks and finish as periods”. That is, there is only one right answer, so look no further than the obvious.

Like my buddy the Line Nazi, you don’t do anything until the process moves a notch. This mentality is pervasive in corporate cultures today. How many departments spend their time waiting for another to move up a space (do their job) so that they can do their part in the process of work? Accounting is waiting on Customer Service. Marketing is waiting on Accounting, and so it goes.

In this model, there is only one way to get things done, and those who step outside the lines are criticized for being creative. The process applauds the Line Nazi, ever vigilant, never questioned and quick to isolate those who do things outside the lines.

How many companies have found that paradigms like this are the true enemy? A report that everyone rushes to finish and get distributed was only needed for a contingency 5 years ago. No one even reads it, but they all file it just in case they have to refer to it later. The Line Nazi said it was important!

A PC replaced an antiquated system that required 220volt power, and a raised floor. Yet we have the air filters and halon fire extinguishers checked regularly because that is “required for the computers”. Everyone has the sense that the old way is the right way without question. One answer and one answer only!

Legacy network servers continue to run today simply because they have been so vital in the past. At one time, these were the flagships of the enterprise, able to run programs that needed massive power and storage. A desktop PC could not even open the programs without the server assisting. Yet today, the power on the desktop is cheaper and faster than most servers. In fact the server may only authenticate a log-in and deliver your email; the rest is done by the desktop. A complete reverse of the original client-server network! While everyone rushes to improve server performance in the name of speed, the desktop did something unheard of-it got faster, better and cheaper. Is there still just one answer?

Obviously the questions need to change before the answers will. For example, rather than asking how the computer can do more work for “me” maybe I should ask what the purpose of the work is. Is there a better way? Can I automate it, and who else uses the products I generate? How can they share in the process so that we don’t reinvent the wheel at each stage?

There will always be a line and you will stand in it. But, ask why you are in the line and what you hope to achieve by going through it. The line should be questioned each time you join in. The report you look for, the file you review, the form you sign, each of these are a line, a beginning and ending called work.

Popularity: 4% [?]