Day 1 – Futurex Conference 2007 – Roger Layton on Project Failures

by Ramon Thomas in Business/Events on 1717/050505/2007200720072007 • No Comments • , , , , ,

Topic: Project Failures Modes: Lessons from the Field

Roger Layton is a witty and inspirational speaker. The many years he spent lecturing and training comes through in the smooth delivery of his presentation. He is by far one of the best of the entire Futurex Conference speakers. In light of the eNatis failure people outside the Langlaagte Traffic Licensing stationed threatened to burn down the building. One of the major reasons is that the different stakeholders did not agree that there was a failure in the system. In that respect one could say that not communicating in itself is a failire.

So what is the basic premiss on project failures? Failure Avoidance!

Let us learn from other’s mistakes because this will improve our understanding of failure. Analysis of Google search on “Project Failure” identifies almost exclusively IT project failures. Engineering and other areas do not come up as frequently as IT project failures.

Roger’s definition of of “Failure” is the inability of the project to deliver the intended benefits to the identified stakeholders. Failure is also relative to project’s complexity. Looking at the track record of IT project the mainstream attitude or approach seems to be: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! The fear of failure of new systems overrides the need or value that can be derived from replacing old systems.

Some major failures mentioned is: MacDonald’s, IRS, National Health Service (UK) each spending hundreds of millions of dollars and in some cases billions!

Here’s my video post interview with Roger Layton:

And you can view his presentation here:


For more information contact Roger Layton and Associates via his website.

Day 1 – Futurex Conference 2007 – Lauri Elliot on Stakeholder Management

by Ramon Thomas in Business/Events on 1717/050505/2007200720072007 • No Comments • , , , , , , ,

Lauri worked for several Fortune 500 companies including Xerox. She discussed the importance of stakeholder management and relationships. There is a shift in power to the masses instead of the elite. And with this there is rising power in emerging markets instead of traditional markets. And as Stephen Covey once said, interdependence instead of independence is they way you create a culture of sharing and trust. What you want is partnership instead of domination; sharing instead of selfishness.

She emphasised the importance of Relationship. If your company does not manage relationships well you will fail. This is relates to key concepts from the Strategic Coach. Stakeholder management is all about managing these relationships. Instead of going into more details here please watch the video podcast interview with Lauri Elliot and see her presentation below for further details.

Day 1 – Futurex Conference 2007 – Elmar Roberg on Project Management

by Ramon Thomas in Business/Events on 1717/050505/2007200720072007 • No Comments • , , , , , ,

Elmar Roberg, a past president of the Computer Society, and current president of the Project Management Institute discusses Project Management the State of the Art.

Here is my 2nd video podcast interview with Elmar Roberg:

Elmar quoted Tom DeMarco as saying “people under pressure don’t think twice as fast.” Bad decisions are made when technology is ignored. Project Management is a young profession. And the first body was formed in 1965 is incidentally called Internet. Currently the Project Management Institute globally has over 230,000 members. Prince2 UK certification with 80,000 practitioners.

There is so many strategies and tools available in project management so if you just started using what you got you’ll be better off.

What is a Profession – initial education – accreditation of knowledge requirements – skills development – certification – licensing – professional development – professional societies – code of ethics – organisation certification.

Competence – basic knowledge set – you need to know what you are talking about. You need to have appropriate skills with years.

Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister did series of studies and one of they key findings in teams was that the strongest person is 10 times more productive than the weakest person. The weakest person from a quality perspective will produce 25 times more bugs or mistakes in their programming.

 

Capable project managers must be employed but just how good is your organisation as a project incubator – reference maturity models.

 

Elmar is a very vocal speaker generating great enthusiasm while speaking. I can tell for sure that he is very passionate about Project Management. And I would say that project management should be a compulsory course for all Computer Science and Information Systems student from first year through to third and fourth year. The benefits will be substantial in the long term with the quality of projects improving over time. This will bring us into a world class level of competitiveness when we contrast where we are compared to North America, Europe and Asia (especially India) for software development projects.

Here’s Elmar’s presentation with some more details…

How to get a women’s phone number in 2 minutes

by export in Dating/Women on 1717/050505/2007200720072007 • 6 Comments • , , ,

Ramon's new phone Sony Ericsson w880iOn Tuesday I went to the traffic department to pick-up my new drivers license. As fellow South Africans will know – this is a nightmare. The whole system is so messed up because of computer glitches and government bureaucracies and bungling…’nuff said.

Anyway while waiting in the queue I see this woman reading a Danielle Steel book. So as I walked in I immediately made a loud comment about the two guys on either side of her being losers for not talking to her. In fact I pointed to her and said “How rude! Do you guys realise she’s telling you how boring you are and her book is more interesting then whatever you have to say?”

She hit back that they had been stuck in traffic department for two days. They were there the previous day and the systems went down so they came back. Now the great Chinese sage, Lao Tzu, once said those who justify do not convince. And here she was – I hardly know her – and she is defending herself. If she did not care she would continue to read. First IOI – indicator of interest – and she asked me a question – next IOI. My name was called and picked up my drivers license card. I returned to her, asked for her cellphone, called myself and asked her name as a I left – remarking that somebody up there likes me.

So there was some warm-up conversation. Always teasing and never letting on. From the moment I sat down, asked for her phone, called my own number and returned her phone asking for her name > less than 2 mins! This has been one of my favourite ways of getting a woman’s phone number.

The next article will be reposted from David DeAngelo and his technique on email addresses and phone numbers. I’ve tried it and it causes to much of a delay so go directly for the phone number.

Day 1 – Futurex 2007: Anthony Fitzhenry on the Technology Trends

by Ramon Thomas in Business/Events on 1616/050505/2007200720072007 • No Comments • , , , , , , , ,

Anthony Fitzhenry, CEO of Axiz, and IT Personality of the Year 2006, delivered the opening address at the annual Futurex Conference. The conference is co-located with the Futurex and Equip exhibition, which is possibly the biggest ICT exhibition in Africa. This is really a stunning presentation because it is about you, the consumer and eventually leads you into the opportunities for South African entrepreneurs. The biggest one in my opinion is really creating content for mobile platforms like cellphones and also developing more sophisticated applications like MXit for business or more specifically mobile commerce – allowing consumers to pay with their phones from airtime is a huge opportunity. Just think of 2.4 billion cellphones users vs 1 billion Internet users worldwide.

Here is Anthony’s presentation which you can also download from Slideshare.net. This was one of the highlights from the Futurex Conference, where most of the presentations have been sub-par, especially given the speakers are from the technology industry. This keynote for the 2007 Futurex Conference was in fact the last one where the Futurex branding was used.

And here is a my first ever video podcast with my new Sony Ericsson w880i recorded today:

Blogging the Futurex Conference 2007

by Ramon Thomas in Business/Events on 1515/050505/2007200720072007 • No Comments • ,

Futurex ConferenceThe Futurex Exhibition is the biggest ICT event of the year. And it coincides with World Telecomms Day on 17 May. Futurex is also the merger of the old Computer Faire and Tel.Com Exhibition run by Computer Society up until the merger. And with the exhibition there is also the Futurex Conference that takes place annually. I’ll be blogging this conference over the next two day…

Here’s some more background information:

Programme Outline

A four part conference over two days, each part a stand alone, but linked by common threads: urgency – getting it right first time, on time – understanding your business without continually looking backwards – lessons learned from other scenarios and economies.

Strategic thinking, latest technologies, a business growth environment, international drive and energy combine in this year’s conference under the theme:

ICT: Foundations of the Economy

One year nearer 2010 and the pressure is on! Amidst the power failures, Gautrain disruptions and stadium cost over-runs & delays, ICT has emerged as a crucial tool to meet the promises of the future.

This year’s Conference will focus on four main issues:

Day 1: Future and current technology and management developments.

Project management using ICTs.
Business Analysis, a critical tool for business success.

Day 2: Creating an Environment for Growth with ICT.

ICT Environmental & Regulatory issues targeting growth of the ICT sector.
The Indian ICT Success Story.
Day 1: 16th May 2007
Strategic Thinkers.

Leading international and local strategic thinkers discuss technologies and management theories to create thought channels for South African entrepreneurs and corporates.

Experts agree: two key business practices working together with Information Technology can assist you in making a success of your activities:

Morning:
Project Managing our Future with ICT.

Project Management is a complex mix of inter-related actions & outcomes. Applicable from Bridge building to software stabilization, today’s sophisticated methodologies are project processes.

In partnership with the Project Management Institute PMSA and the CSSA Special Interest Group for Project Management

Speakers:

Keynote: Looking Forward – Anthony Fitzhenry, CEO Axiz, IT Personality of the Year 2006
Lead Speaker: Elmar Roberg, President Project Management Institute SA PMSA: Making project management work.

Panel Discussion: Project management and IT.

Afternoon:
Business Analysis/ Systems Analysis: the keys to organizational & business success.

Is IT looking after your business processes? Is it aligned to them? Are there gaps?

Business Analysts can sort through the chaos and extract a concise description of the business. They work with business users and IT professionals as a business problem solver, acting as a liaison between the technical and business worlds. They are capable of analysing the business to identify problems and/or opportunities and to define solution characteristics, but are not intoxicated by technology.

See and hear how the analysts can keep their cool whilst all around others are losing theirs!

In partnership with the CSSA Special Interest Group for Systems Analysis/Business Analysis.

Speakers:

International speaker (waiting confirmation)
Lead Speaker: Mr. Robin Grace – Software Futures: Where business analysis stops and systems analysis starts

Panel Discussion: Business Analysis or system analysis: which comes first?
Day 2: 17th May 2007
World Telecoms Day.

Morning:
Environment Update.

2006 saw the EC Act; Neotel started operations as the 2nd network operator; Virgin Mobile flew into the market; number portability was implemented; international calls got cheaper as call back card usage spread….but telecoms costs changed little if at all, and a reported shortage of ICT skills hampered development. What does the rest of the decade hold for us as we prepare for 2010.

Speakers:

A number of industry leaders will be speaking, details to be confirmed

Panel Discussion: The future of Telecoms in SA

Afternoon:
India @ Futurex.

In partnership with the India Consulate General.

The phenomenal growth of India’s ICT industry – software development, call centres and more…will be explored by top executives from that country.

Session 1:

Opening: Speakers will include the Deputy Minister of Communications Roy Padayachie.

Session 2:

Indian Industry at work: Leaders from the Indian IT Industry will give examples of their success stories.

Evening:

Cocktail, Invitations courtesy Indian Consulate General @ 7pm

Leykis 101 – No Means No!

by Ramon Thomas in Dating on 1414/050505/2007200720072007 • No Comments • , ,

Tom Leykis 101Now this is a Leykis rule which I think everybody can 100% agree with. It’s important to keep in mind that this rule is especially important with the rise of violent crimes against women. Many men are not able to express themselves and have a warped sense of reality i.e. they want to believe in the fantasy that a women who says “no” is playing hard to get. In reality it’s just not worth it…

Here’s the rule…

Regardless of the situation, when a woman says NO, stop whatever you are doing or about to do and get out. Even if you are in the middle hot steamy sex and she says No, you stop what you’re doing and get out.

  • No does not mean she is playing.
  • No does not mean just this one time.
  • No does not mean she consents to sex.

The laws mostly favour woman and will very rarely will it protect a man’s right. Men do not have the same luxury as innocent until proven guilty. Men are tried, labelled, and accused with little discretion.

If a woman cries out rape you will not past GO, you will not collect $200.00, but you will go directly to jail. It is not worth spending the next 10 years in jail and living the rest of your life as a sex offender.

For more Tenents of Leykis 101 please go here.

Interracial dating advice from Asian Playboy

by Ramon Thomas in Dating on 1313/050505/2007200720072007 • No Comments • ,

http://theasianplayboy.blogspot.com/Many people think I am Asian and in many cases I just go with it. Discussing racial issues in South Africa often leaves a bitter taste in my mouth because I grew up toward the end of Apartheid. So I saw the end of a great evil and growing up in a very isolated community I was never exposed to other races that much. And all that I know is what I have learnt on my own. Today I’m not going to write about my observations but rather share some existing advice which I certainly can relate with and maybe you can as well.

This advice is a series of posts on the Asian Playboy dating blog discussing how Asian Males must or should approach White Females.

I have dated Coloured girls, Indian girls, Black girls and White girls. There is some differences between them and they are almost always linked to culture, upbringing and education levels. For example the higher the education levels the more the Coloured girls, Black girls behave like White girls. The lower the education levels the more they behave like stereotypes of their respective cultural backgrounds.

Social Media pilot at AAA School of Advertising

by Ramon Thomas in Training on 1111/050505/2007200720072007 • 2 Comments •

This week I was in Cape Town to give two talks at two private schools on MXit. Even more exciting news was how well received my Social Media seminar went down at the AAA School of Advertising.

Social media in my opinion is both the combination of blogging, podcasting, vlogging, RSS technology and how it is used to generate content. Social networking is part of social media. Social bookmarking is part of social media. And much, much more. In the end it is a shift in how media is created and consumed.

Why did I create this social media seminar (2 hours) – because in 2006 I attended a meeting of Advertising Media Association of South Africa (AMASA) at the JSE in Sandton, and it seemed every time new media was mentioned the old guard would go into a panic. Now it does not have to be like this. If you become aware of the big picture and then focus on understanding how social media can compliment your traditional media planning activities you can still play a role as an advertising agency advising your clients on creative ways to get their marketing message out there. What’s really different when it comes to Internet technologies is that they can be much more accurately measured than broadcasting or print.

If you are in a marketing or advertising agency this seminar will bring you up to speed in a few short hours. You can download the presentation from here. If you are interested in my seminars please view my training page here.

How to use charm not flattery

by Ramon Thomas in Advice/Society on 1111/050505/2007200720072007 • No Comments • , , ,

The last few days I’ve been in beautiful Cape Town, South Africa. Now I visit this wonderful city about once every two or three months and whenever I am here it feels like home – that is another story. I’d like to share with a lesson in charm school.

A few days before leaving Joburg I booked my car rental through Avis – the “we try harder company.” I got the best deal and was content. First thing I realised after checking in at the newly renamed OR Tambo International (Johannesburg International) airport is that I forgot my drivers license in my car. This was parked at the long term parking so there was no way I’m going to run out to the parking lot to retrieve it before taking off from Cape Town.

The little voice in my head told me “don’t worry you’re a damn charming fellow and whomever you speak to at Avis in Cape Town will help you out.” This is where I first programmed the belief into my own mind.

Now let’s skip to Cape Town airport and my arrival at the Avis desk. I am a “preferred member” but left my damn card also back at my place in Jozi. So with only slight hesitation I headed over to the Preferred Customer section (always a shorter queue and all for filling in a form to get a loyalty card.) I stood up straight and in my most authentically charming voice told the woman behind the counter I have a special situation , she must please try to help me out.

Read the above again – I basically issued an instruction, not a request. You see the human brain is the most programmable computer ever invented. And the great school system prepares you to become an automaton who listen to commands much more than questioning them – just look at how people around you behave. If you studies any NLP at all you’ll be smiling by now.

So as she looked at me I also looked deep into her eyes. I used a technique called “Sending” recently learned from Dr Paul Dobransky to send her good feelings. Next thing is I assumed rapport and treated her like an old friend. Smiling but not to much and always keeping very good body language – meaning confident body language. You loose more by poor body language and bad voice tone then any crap you may speak.

Anyway the end result here was that I used charm instead of flattery. I did not compliment this woman except in the end and it was sincere. Now most people in my situation would have tried to be overly nice – this is flattery. And most guys when meeting a new girl they find attractive dish out the compliments without the women doing one thing to deserve it. This woman from Avis deserved a compliment. And I may just send her some flowers before my next trip in June – this will secure continued excellent and preferential service. I like to see this as building goodwill for the future.

What’s your experience with charming people to help you out of problematic situations?

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