Client Integrations
There are many service companies out there that have to do client integrations so that they can best serve their clients. So what should I expect in the way of support as a client and how easy should a company make it for me to integrate?
Let’s start from the beginning. The Sales Process:
During the sales process the service company should know what types of questions to ask so they can recommend the most efficient and effective way to integrate with your company. They should already have a profile of companies that are similar in size, function, industry, technology infrastructure and revenue so they know how to recommend integration. I know I know you’re special and different and so is everyone else. For that matter so is every project I have ever work on yet somehow they always get developed through the same processes even if it’s agile, XP, or some other methodology. In the end the methodology is always get the requirements, design, build and test. So as I was saying the service company should know approximately where you will fit into their integration process. The service company should be able to explain why you fit into that integration level and approximately how much effort it will be to integrate with them based on past experience. Obviously they should also be able to explain the benefits of the integration to your organization.
Once there is agreement to move forward with the service the sales person will begin gathering a pre-defined set of data. Ideally this information will be written down on a nice check list that can be presented to the customer with definitions of the needed information and a short explanation of why the information is needed. If the service company has this information put together in this manor then you know they really have their stuff together.
The next step in the process will be for the sales person to bring back the information collected from the customer to the integration team and review what is needed for the specific customer as well as finalize on the decision of which integration is appropriate for the customer. The integration team will then put together the standard set of documentation pertaining to the defined integration level including project plans, technical documentation, communications plan, and any other supporting documentation.
It is now time to schedule a meeting with the customer and their development team. All documentation should have been provided and reviewed before the meeting begins. The goal of the meeting should be to answer any questions about the integration and build plans for implementation. There obviously may be other meetings and discussions along the way to facilitate the process but this outlines a smooth and well established path to integration.
Look for my next article on how can Social Media and Enterprise 2.0 better faciliate this process.
Wiki Considerations for Corporate Intranets
A Wiki is server-based software that enables any person to create and edit published content using only their browser.
Wiki’s supports basic HTML markup including hyperlinks to other documents in the Wiki as well as to locations within and outside of the Intranet. Most Wiki’s provide a Wiki markup language and the best Wiki’s provide WYSIWYG technology, so adding content is as simple as creating a Word document.
Wiki supports centralization and presentation of corporate data source documents in a variety of formats including spreadsheets, word processing documents, PowerPoint presentations, PDF files, e-mail files, etc. Wikis can also be configured to access and display data from databases.
While Wikipedia, the world’s largest user-maintained online encyclopedia, is a great example of a Wiki, the use in business for collaboration on a project goes far beyond simple collaboration on definition of terms.
Wiki Benefits
- Permits the rapid exchange of information between departments, teams and diverse members of the organization.
- Low technical barrier to usage promotes collaboration across users with varying technical skill sets.
- Supports collaboratively building sales presentations, documentation, knowledge bases, etc.
- Agenda and meeting management.
- Managing after action reports/lessons learned.
- Involves the entire organization in helping to build and maintain the corporate knowledge base.
Corporate Considerations
Wiki’s make a great platform for creating a corporate intranet. It is however very important to decide how the wiki can and should be used. Below is a beginning list of questions to consider:
- Is security needed?
- Do you want the credentials to be based on another application such as Active Directory?
- What types of content do you want the wiki to contain?
- What policies must be in place to ensure the content meets company standards and regulations?
- Will the Wiki be used as a company Knowledge Base?
- If so is there search criteria the wiki’s search engine must be able to meet?
- What is the structure, layout or information architecture of the wiki to best facilitate finding corporate knowledge?
- Are there Sarbanes Oxley, HIPPA or other regulations that must be followed when adding data to the wiki.
- It the wiki is used to create or host project documentation what are the procedures for editing project information?
- How should project teams communicate on a project with the wiki?
- If the wiki is used as the foundation for the entire intranet then what kind of corporate pages need to be developed and who will maintain them?
- What department will be responsible for monitoring the wiki and cleaning up old, dirty, bad, or illegal data?
The above list of questions is far from complete but it’s a start and should help you start thinking along the right lines if you’re interested in implementing a wiki in your company.
How to evaluate a business
When a leg is removed from a 3 legged stool the stool can not stand. This is an analogy often used in business and should be considered when you research a business opportunity. While evaluating any opportunity you’ll want to see that the strength of each of the legs are balanced and have the strength to hold up the stool (Business).
What are the 3 legs of the business stool?
People
The number one most important part of a business is people. The people who work for the business; the people who work in the business; the people in the industry; the people who buy the business product and the owners of the business. They are all important considerations.
You must feel comfortable with the people you are working with and believe in them and act in a manor to make them believe in you.
You must understand who your customers are, what they want and where they are located. This is traditionally called developing your target market. Additionally when your target market comes in your door you must treat them with integrity and respect, and it never hurts to smile and be friendly.
Process
Processes create efficiency. When you perform a task in your business are you completing it in the most effective manor. Do you know the order in which you do your daily activities for your business. They should be as ingrained as waking up, brushing your teeth and washing your face. I previously worked for one of the most process focused companies in the world. UPS. They measure everything from how long it takes the driver to turn off the truck, turn and get out of his seat, find the key to open the back of the truck. They run all aspects of their business by measuring efficiency and focusing on making the process improvements to improve.
By the way if your processes are that ingrained then you should step back and look at them objectively to see if they can be improved.
When evaluating a business you must validate that the processes are in place. If they don’t exist then you will have to make them up as you go. If you are new to the business or industry then you’ll see then having processes in place will tremendously decrease the cost of your learning curve. If processes aren’t in place then you should probably toss that business aside since it will be costly and overwhelming to manage.
Technology
Technology is an important piece to every business but it’s important to recognize that even the best technology can not be helped without the best people and processes in place. Automating a bad process will drain a company of money quickly. However, when processes and people are in place technology will catapult your business to the highest levels possible. Technology can be leverage to help any business no matter how small and is an absolute must if you want your business to grow over the long term.
Finally no business venture will be successful if you don’t commit. There are many opportunities out there. You need to find one that fits your personality and lifestyle. But don’t forget to consider the 3 legged stool when evaluating your next business opportunity.
Proud New member
Friend Me
