Linking Business, Technology and Intellect

Aspiring World-Class Universities: A Snippet On Clemson

2011-06-20T18:03:00.000-04:00

As it becomes more challenging to compete in a global village, institutions of higher education look into their back pockets for ideas to differentiate and grow. These aspiring institutions do not need to replicate what top universities are doing, on the contrary their innovation in distinct new ways can unleash value and competitiveness.

A shining example is Clemson University in South Carolina. Clemson has been the traditional southern unviersity focused mostly on agriculture and mechanical engineering. Clemson has been able to transform its positioning and value proposition through a well articulated study of the regional economy. South Carolina had embarked on an economic development and conversion process to make the state one of the leading automotive regions in the US. Clemson formed a strategic alliance partnership with BMW [1] to recreate itself as the premier motor sports and automotive research and education university.

This transformation effort at Clemson was adopted and supported at all levels of the university - a key requirement for success - as was reflected in Clemson's vision statement [2], to be from among the top 20 public US universities. Clemson was 23rd in 2010 [3] up from 33rd in 2005 [4] and 74th when Clemson's President James Barker took office in 1999 [5]. Within a decade Clemson has been able to transform itself and achieve a new position through leveraging regional changes and collaboration with others outside higher education.

Each University will have a different catalyst for transformation and very different root-causes that challenges its aspirations. Leading universities are those who can carefully articulate their business challenges, understand the complexities of the societies and constituencies they serve, and apply the best strategies, approaches and frameworks to design an architecture that makes a lasting change.

______________________________________________________________

[1] BWM, Clemson and the State Begin Historic Partnership, Clemson World, Fall 2002, available at http://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/brooks/news/BMW.pdf

[2] Clemson's Vision Statement, http://www.clemson.edu/administration/president/vision.html

[3] Clemson Ranks 23rd Among Public Universities, http://www.clemson.edu/media-relations/article.php?article_id=3019

[4] Virginia Tech Undergraduate Engineering Ranked 14th in US, http://www.eng.vt.edu/newsitems/pdf/COEundergradranks05_dup.pdf

[5] Clemson Civil Engineering in Top 20, http://www.swampfox.ws/clemson-civil-engineering-program-in-top-20

[6] Picture, courtesy of Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR), http://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/cu-icar/

To Read Further:

Germany Economic Development Mission to be Fueled By Upstate Alliance, BMW and Clemson University, http://www.swampfox.ws/upstate-alliance-officials-convened-with-bmw-clemson
BMW's Shifting Strategy, http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/jun2003/nf2003069_6720_db053.htm
The Challenges of Establishing World-Class Universities, The World Bank, 2009.

New Responsibilities for Higher Education

2011-05-19T12:33:00.001-04:00

In most nations across the globe, in particular the progressive ones, higher education has been driven by the societal needs and challenges. Both public and private institutions of higher education play a paramount role in the readiness of a nation to address its needs at a strategic level. While public policy play a major role in the direction of these institutes, many institutes also are on the forefront playing major roles in shaping the progression of technology, social sciences, life sciences and other major domains of knowledge, and in some cases even influencing public policy.

Today's challenges facing societies across the globe are of a new nature. They are complex, complicated and require in many cases a complete new paradigm of thinking and problem solving. Approaches to solve the economic crisis, unemployment, social ills, resource sustainability and many other new types of challenges require a new way of thinking and responsiveness. The transformation of many societies from product development to service development has introduced a major shift and position of higher education. It is no longer an option for many. As less manufacturing jobs become available more emphasis on knowledge-based economies becomes a key success element.

Optimized learning is a new responsibility on the shoulders of higher education [1]. Learning and knowledge delivery can no longer be one-size-fits all, nor can it be at an abstract level. Optimized learning allows students to become effective learners capable of meeting new challenges they encounter and allowing them to be effective workers and members of the society. Optimized learning allows for the achievement of learning outcomes that meets not only educational standards, but also the growing needs of society.

Optimized learning means that institutes take on the responsibility for :

improving learning abilities
increasing the number of students who persist and succeed in programs
closing the gaps in achievement while raising the bar.
developing curriculum and courses that directly reflect societal needs
engaging and leading partnerships with K-12, private sector, non-profits, government and other institutes
setting and developing standards that reflect how well an institution addresses societal needs and challenges
creating learning-centered environments

In addition to optimized learning, another demanding responsibility on institutes of higher education is their public accountability and its increasing scope. For example community colleges spending has increased more than 25% between 2003 and 2009 just to keep up with state and federal mandates and reporting requirements [2]. Most of this spending is reflected in information systems expenditures and satisfying legal liability.

Despite the fact that many of the challenges facing institutes of higher education are a result of decades of poor public policy and miscalculated strategic initiatives out of their control, they realize the need and responsibility to streamline business processes and offer learning centered capabilities to maintain their position as a driving force in shaping and developing local economies.

What other challenges do you believe higher education needs to deal with? How have you seen others address these challenges?

[1] "Partnerships for Public Purposes: Engaging Higher Education in Societal Challenges of the 21st Century", National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, April 2008.

[2] "Industry Profile, Community Colleges", First Research, May 16, 2011.

High Performance Teams: Got What it Takes?

2011-05-16T18:42:00.001-04:00

Effective teams exhibit and embed in their daily activities several key elements of:

Trust and openness
Common purpose
Clear roles
Effective processes
Clear expectations
Leadership acceptance

Does your teams have these? Share with me your experiences in inculcating these elements into your team. What worked and what did not?

Achieving Team Excellence: Is an A Good Enough?

2011-04-01T16:19:00.000-04:00

All it takes for a team to malfunction is for each of its members to score an average A in the team member's task. A grade of A is 90% or higher, so if we have a team of two people each scoring 90%, then out of 10 tasks they are working on, up to two could potentially have faults or defects in them. Pretty outstanding is in it! In reality if they are working on the same tasks and each team member had a defect in a task that is different from the one his peer reported a defect, we have an overall score of a B, and not an A.

Now imagine a team of five people working on a project, and each one of them has a set of tasks to accomplish, these tasks are intertwined and interdependent. With each one of the team members experiencing just one defect out of 10 activities means we have a total of 5 or less defects out of 50. If these activities are coupled and some could be common the actual impact is equivalent to more than just 5 defects out of 50, worse case is 5 defects out of 10 if all tasks are common across the team, which equates to an F.

Teams members need to not just achieve grade A quality, but reach above and beyond an A, to allow the team to strive for an A grade satisfaction and excellence.

Effective Listening and 139 Other Tips

2011-01-18T17:08:00.001-05:00

My colleague John Estrella just published a book titled "Lessons Learned in Project Management: 140 Tips in 140 Words or Less". I contributed one of those tips in his book related to listening which I share below.

Effective listening is crucial, it avoids incorrect perceptions and ensures proper understanding. As I write this blog entry, I am part of mediating a large community fracture, the disagreements and conflicts started only because of poor listening skills by those leading this community, and that quickly developed in suspicion.

Tip 61: Listen more than you talk
Project managers are inherent leaders. You need to inspire your team to work harder to accomplish more work for less cost and
better quality. Listen to the team’s concerns, their understanding of
the value of the project, its significance and their role in the bigger
picture. Make sure your team is immersed in the mission of the
project.

Listening skills for a project manager are crucial for effective
communication across the project. Make sure messages relayed to
the team by self or others are (1) clear, (2) accurate, (3) relevant, (4)
concise, (5) at the correct level of detail and (6) transmitted using
the most effective medium.

Demand for Business Architecture

2011-01-05T12:12:00.000-05:00

As the business world and the impact of technology on our lives increases, the demand for an architecture governing how business gets done is of paramount importance.

A couple of months ago I gave a talk at the International Institute of Business Analysis on Business Architecture and one of the interesting observations I gained from the audience is that we have all become accepting of the fact that we can introduce some chaos and uncertainty to our business operations. I have seen this trend across the business spectrum recently, regardless whether the business is a startup or a multinational conglomerate. We are more accepting of delayed projects, loose guidelines, higher risks, less than optimum quality, rework, compromised rights and invalid solutions simply because we can not deal with the complexities of new challenges and complications.

Take for example the recent outcry by the public regarding the use of full body scanners across the nation's airports [1, 2, 3], or the European debt crisis [4, 5], or other failed technology and business initiatives such as the recent Indian Space Program [6] setback. All of these could have been mitigated, minimized or avoided should a business architecture existed which integrated well with other enterprise architectures of the organization.

Invite the Energy: 7 Ways

2010-11-22T22:55:00.001-05:00

It has been a while since I last wrote back in July. Between leading the leadership institute, my work, family and a long list of other things, I had to balance the energy across the various demands.

To keep this posting short and to the point here are seven different ways to being energy into your circles:

1. Setting a Realistic and Compelling Vision

A vision of what tomorrow will look like, or what the to-be will be, is a strong energy magnet. However it needs to be relevant to the audience and not overwhelming. I recall years ago, a colleague of mine who worked at Cisco Systems, once described John Chambers' motivational drive as magic. He mentioned that whatever John envisions turns into a reality rally. Managers appreciate employees who not only identify problems, but also view problems as opportunities. Employees or team members who are constantly overly critical and non-generative are energy drainers. Creating an environment that allows team members to visualize solutions, predict needs, forecast demands and articulate the future will bring exponential energy into the team's environment. Cisco's technology is not necessarily the greatest or most advanced, however the clear vision that Chamber has set for Cisco has made it a leader in its industry.

2. Making a Difference

Being part of a team is one thing, and delivering part of the vision as part of the team is a totally different thing. Contributing and producing work that directly impacts the vision is a contagious act, the more work gets developed the higher the energy levels. People like to feel that their work is of utility and is making a positive impact on the final outcome. This is one of the reasons it is advisable to do consistently little than doing much in chunks, to keep that energy level above a level where it dies out. Energized team members are those who are active on conference calls and meetings, they listen, share and speak. They provide opportunities for others to get involved in discussions, they facilitate problem solving, and take on initiatives, they are humble and respect other people's opinions and are not blinded by their own sights and perspectives. It is not necessarily the smartest in the group that energizes the group, but rather the most consistent and committed. I have always found committed people to be people who have a sense of ownership, and really care about the cause. Even when they are extremely busy, they will be able to find a few moments to keep the momentum going.

3. Separation of Ideas from Sources

Energizers are focused on accomplishing and progressing. An energizer is someone who has a passion in solving the problem at hand. We usually notice that in discussing conflicting ideas energizers focus on the idea being discussed, and not the person who suggested the idea. This separation keeps the energy level high by decoupling the value statement from the contributor, so rather than mentioning to a team member "you said this, which will not work ..", an energizer would state something like "given our goals and the proposals on the table, here is another alternative which we also might wish to consider due to it advantages .."

4. Small Steps Lead to Huge Leaps

Starting somewhere early is better than starting later, or not starting at all. In many cases small steps might seem as if they are random pieces of a puzzle in the vacuum. They really are not, they are small components of a larger foundation that has just not been complete yet. Encourage small steps and ideas, as long as they tie back to the mission of the team, even if when these steps are isolated and seem to be random or ad-hoc. These accomplishments will fortify your sense of accomplishment and keep the energy growing.

5. Passion, Compassion and Love

We are humans, not machines. Spreading passion about the cause and mission will only invite others to share the values and goodness resulting from the mission. We need to not only talk about team's progress and the difference its work has been making, but we have to explain it with passion, love and sincerity. Good people - those that you want around you after all - strive to compete in goodness. Everyone on the team will want piece of the rewards, and will not want to miss out on helping the next underprivileged group or great cause. Be the compassionate leader, clearly showing your empathy for others and appreciating the efforts and sacrifices everyone is contributing.

6. Lead with Integrity and Build Trust

Our behavior is a catalyst of how our social interactions are energized. Others are influenced by our characteristics and behavior, and integrity is on the top of the list. We are not talking about thugs that we are trying to energize, we are talking about the majority of the world out there. They will have a high appreciation of others' integrity and that will drive energy and motivation.

Energizing interactions are not only influenced by our behaviors, but also our interactions with others. Building trust is as simple as keeping a word, showing up to a meeting one is expected to be at, delivering what is expected, acting as promised and being the character we portray to others we are. Trust is making sure surprises do not happen, and others who depend on us are not left in the dark. Trustworthy people always get back to others even if the news is grim.

7. Sleep Well, Eat Good and Get Up Early

Nothing beats an early bird who gets up before the sunrise to reflect on the creation, remember the Lord of the Universe, thank the Creator, and appreciate a new day in one's life that will come only for once and never return after its sun sets.

Have other ways to invite the energy? Please share it with all of us in the comments here.

Creating Energy

2010-08-10T12:31:00.001-04:00

Creating energy within a group is a responsibility of each member of the group. The leader of the group is in the best position to facilitate the proper environment and group dynamics for the team members to bring energy. "Am I an energizer or a demotivator?" is a question each one of us should be asking each day.

Team members who walk away on the group, disappear, set the wrong priorities, can not keep up promises are big energy drains. They demotivate their entire team bringing performance and capabilities down to the bottom. Moreover, demotivators are contagious. I have witnessed entire organizations brought down to their knees because of a first demotivator, he starts to whine and complain rather than propose and solve, or she misses a deadline followed by another and another and eventually those dependent on her miss their deadlines. De-energizers are easy to spot and they suck the energy out of the whole team.

This morning a colleague sent me an email asking for advice regarding a board meeting she chairs that gradually its members started dropping off like birds on a utility pole being shot one after the other. In her latest meeting no one showed up at all.

In my next post I will share seven ways that one can bring energy into their circle. Until then enjoy the TED presentation below on first followers and the energy they bring into their domain, a demonstration that energy is created and the responsibility of the whole team and not just the leader. Just like first followers play a role in energizing a group, they also play a role in draining a group and leaving it as a dead corpse.

Social Network Analysis: Uncovering Hidden Value in Organizations

2010-08-02T16:29:00.001-04:00

Social network analysis (SNA) is a powerful method for collecting and analyzing data about patterns of relationships among people in groups, it allows an organization to become aware of invisible flows of knowledge and turn them into visible flows. SNA allows an organization to assess its relationships' distance, ties, centrality and density.

As the common say goes, "its who you know that makes a difference and not what you know". This is very true, social relationships can cross barriers and formal boundaries that typically would never exist.

A real-life example that I just witnessed this week in our community, which is a beautiful manifestation of trust in a social network is a story of a homeless lady with four children, all four of them lived in a crammed room in a run down house. The lady worked hard to support her four children one of who had medical challenges, she utilized the normal and formal sources of assistance in her society such as food stamps, housing assistance and other state provided services. However none of these services were able to put her into a state of self-sufficiency and independence. One day she was about to lose her belongings that she had to put into a rented public storage facility due to limited space in her room as a result of late rent payments. She pursued the typical and traditional approaches for financial support through her local places of worship, the support she received was minimal and inadequate. It was only when she was able to create a social network with a number of people in her community that a small group of families were able introduce new knowledge and setup an electronic process to support needy people in less than an hour and pool resources and pay off her outstanding payments on her rented storage, instead of the legacy approach used by the typical support centers. This is an example where a social network removed a bottleneck that existed in an organization, and the social network was able to work around the bottleneck to provide value for the whole network.

I have experienced the power of social network as an 18 year college student some 20 years ago. Through a family member I was able to get introduced to the president of a large university, to whom I brought to his attention my interest for a summer job. Because of the trust he had in my family member and in my skills, he connected me with the hiring manager who interviewed me and gave me the job the same day. This is an example of a social network that reduces the number of links between nodes. We have heard in the news about job seekers who communicate directly with CEOs and are able to get an interview. Social networks as a concept is not new, however technology has enabled nodes to be more easily accessible and has brought down barriers of communications.

Social networks that bring value are those that are developed at not only the same social levels but different levels. Imagine creating bridges and networks across different demographics. For example networking an ex-inmate, homeless individual or at-risk youth through a trusted relationship to networks of employment, professional development and economic development. The power of social network analysis is that it will identify new nodes, decision makers and information flow paths that do not necessarily follow the traditional paths. For example an ex-inmate will typically interface with the society through a parole officer, or an at-risk youth would interface with opportunities through a social worker, however through a social network the ex-inmate transitioning would be able to interact with a multitude of opportunities at different levels of the society through his social coach, and the same applies to the young at-risk person. Social networks can allow groups in a society or enterprise that are usually not highly connected to be closer and less isolated.

Trust is a key element in a successful social network, it is a relationship based not on need, but on mutual social benefit and sense of community.

Shoot for a Star Even if You Miss

2010-06-18T10:55:00.002-04:00

Courage and boldness, two attributes of a successful systems engineer and leader that make a difference between opportunity seizure and status quo. It is not always easy to make decisions that result in a big change, or address a big gap. Sometimes these decisions are needed. I am a big advocate of evolutionary development, meaning changes that occur in phases and evolve over time. However the decision to initiate that change and stay in the game until the end needs to be done with a sense of urgency. So lets look at an example to clarify the point.

You are a community leader and you notice that the rate of growth of your community membership exceeds your forecasted studies, and people will not be able to park their cars soon on property. The decision to expand the current parking space versus acquisition of a new satellite office for future growth is a major decision, and is not easy, but it needs to be made quickly. The solution implementation itself (parking or site acquisition) itself should be evolutionary.

So what does this have to do with courage and shooting for the moon? Well, a conservative systems engineer will propose a solution which entails the least risk. In the case above that might be to expand the parking area at a conservative rate each 5 years. A bold systems engineer might propose an immediate expansion, with a partnership with the church next door, and the charter for expanding the community center horizontally in another locality with the vision of spreading throughout the State within 5 years. That is a very different vision, one that requires commitment, radical change, motivation, dedication and courage.

Courageous leaders shoot for a shining star, and if they fail they know that their chance of landing on the moon - which is still an achievement - is high. They are willing to take the risk, to plan effectively, have a backup plan and will not settle for less than the moon.

Do you know have a vision of your star and do you know where is your moon?

More on Zero is Hero

2010-06-18T10:12:00.003-04:00

So Salah Elleithy dropped me a note ... and shared information about his intriguing blog name ... Take a guess and get a free book on job hunting !!

Something that when it is zero, it leads to prosperity, development and will prevent inflation and depreciation. What is that something? First one to get the correct answer will get a copy of my free book Pragmatic Job Hunting.

Authority and Influence Through Servant Leadership

2010-06-17T10:30:00.003-04:00

Many leaders miss the whole point of leadership. It is simply to serve. An effective leader is one who can serve and has the influence to make things happen to allow him/her to serve. Unfortunately many leaders believe that their role is to control and police. That is a fallacy. Leadership is not about enforcement, it is about strategy, vision, developing others and sustainability. Enforcement is a tactical task and does not need a leader, it needs an executor in the form of an employee.

Servant leadership was introduced in 1970 by Robert Greenleaf, however the concept is not new to humanity. God through his revelations to Ibrahim (Abraham), Moses, Jesus and Mohammad (peace be upon all of them) guided mankind to the true understanding of leadership. When God addressed Ibrahim (pbuh) he informed him that he is making him a leader to all of the human race. Ibrahim asked God to give leadership to his offspring and generations to come, but God corrected Ibrahim and clarified that leadership is not to be given to transgressors. Those who go over the boundaries of God. God wants the human race to follow Ibrahim. The question then becomes what is it that Ibrahim possessed that made him required by God to carry the burden of leadership on his shoulders? The answer is submission. In the Quran, in the chapter of the Cow, God shares with us a beautiful conversation that took place between God and Ibrahim and it ends showing us that Ibrahim confirmed his submission to God, this submission encompassed compassion, love, service to God and care for mankind through his building the Holy Kaaba, making prayers and supplications that God accept from him and his son, make them remain submitters, and that God give the best of bounties, guidance, to his offspring, and send a messenger from among themselves that guides them and purifies them.

"the answer is submission, followed by compassion"

God teaches Mohammad (pbuh) that should he been harsh and difficult people would have walked away from him. After submission (belief), compassion is positioned at the heart of being a servant leader. We have many examples of the Prophet being a compassionate servant leader; spending long hours of time with the youth of his community, joking with the elders, caring for the orphans, looking after the needy, serving the neighbors and coaching the young to take over responsibility and leadership. Mohammad (pbuh) was an empathetic listener, when talking with others he would give them his full attention, and fully turn towards the speaker, he would never get go of a handshake until the other party did first, he would always smile in the face of others and be an attentive listener, reflecting on what is being said to him, analyzing it, acknowledging and sharing the feelings of the speaker. The Prophet (pbuh) always recognized others' needs and feelings. He was well aware of their issues and acknowledged their concerns and needs.

A servant leader is one that is able to accept criticism, just like Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, when a woman from among the audience one day jumped up and recited a verse from the Quran which contradicted Omar and strongly corrected him. Omar was accepting the advice and smiled. A servant leader is one who endures, and is courageous, such a leader is courageous to take risks to serve others with what pleases God. A servant leader will make sure policies and procedures are flexible and efficient to serve the people, the servant leader will take risks to try new things and will be courageous to stand next to his/her decision. Servant leaders do not hide behind bureaucracies and policies that are handicapping and find them as shelters for excuses for not serving the followers. Mohammad was a courageous leader, taking risks when signing treaties with his enemies, accepting behavior from others at times of distress. Omar was risk taking as well, he stopped the application of Hudud (Islamic rulings on major crimes) at times of poverty and economic downturns.

A servant leader is one who transforms an experience and a follower, a leader who not only embraces change, trust, delegation and integration, but also one who acts in a powerful way to transform the behavior of his followers. Mohammad (pbuh) has many instances when he transformed Omar from the angry disbeliever who was after killing him to the submissive crying believer. He transformed the ruthless thug and disbeliever who attacked him under the tree while sleeping into a humble, compassionate believer. He transformed Arabia, he transformed the world. Ghandi is another modern example of a servant leader who exhibited transformation in our times.

"A servant leader is one who transforms an experience and a follower, a leader who not only embraces change, trust, delegation and integration, but also one who acts in a powerful way to transform the behavior of his followers."

Servant leaders humble themselves and work for serving the cause of God through serving the people with wisdom and best of advice. They build bridges of cooperation, trust and compassion. They care for others more than they care for themselves.

Servant leaders are leaders who are hard to spot in the middle of a crowd, they are easy going, cheerful, accepting and trustworthy. They have authority not through control, but rather through love and admiration. They respect others, the can not sleep the nights when they know that one of their followers is hungry, has a problem or is in need.

A servant leader is one who cares that each young person under his responsibility is protected in his deen (way of life, religion) and has the means to get closer to his/her Lord. A servant leader is one who cares that each elder person under his responsibility has their needs fulfilled and the capabilities to look forward to a bright tomorrow.

"Ibn-Al-Khattab did, .. ask yourself did I cry today because I fell short in my leadership responsibility?"

Servant leaders care about the core and not the surface. They care that the hearts are satisfied and the minds are at peace. They do not care too much about what people say about them, or how they view them, or whether people see them following policies and rules. After all policies and rules are to benefit and assist in growth, not to block success and impede progress.

To every leader out there, I remind myself and you if you want to lead, then be a servant. Put your face in the dirt and humble yourself just like Omar Ibn-Al-Khattab did, and ask yourself did I cry today because I fell short in my leadership responsibility?

"I follow the footsteps of Omar when coaching leaders .... and I follow the footsteps of Abu Bakr when I coach followers"

When I coach leaders I follow the footsteps of Omar when it comes to coaching leaders, I bang on them real hard. I do not just criticize, I send them a blow into their face. Call it a wake up call, call it a reality check. No sugar coating, no sweet talk, direct dump of feedback from the heart. Coaching a follower is very different. I follow the footsteps of Abu Bakr when it comes to dealing with followers.

In 2000 Larry Spears summarized Greenleaf's servant leadership writings into ten characteristics:

Listening
Empathy
Healing
Awareness
Persuasion
Conceptualization
Foresight
Stewardship
Commitment to Growth
Building Community

Servant leadership is deeply rooted in the Islamic way of life. Traits of compassion, submission, patience, generosity, frugal life-style, humility, humbleness, love, caring, sincerity, integrity, courage, honesty, dedication, commitment, perseverance, steadfastness and ihsan are all components of a servant leader.

"compassion, submission, patience, generosity, frugal life-style, humility, humbleness, love, caring, sincerity, integrity, courage, honesty, dedication, commitment, perseverance, steadfastness and ihsan"

I share this little knowledge I have with every leader out there, whether a member of the board of a non-profit, a county executive, a country president, a teacher, a parent, a principal, a CEO, a head of class or a self-leader.

_________________________
pbuh = peace be upon him

Zero is Hero, A blog by Salah Elleithy

2010-06-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

My friend Salah launched a blog a few months ago, Zero is Hero. It can be reached at http://selleithy.blogspot.com/

Zero is a very interesting number. Mankind has been using numbers from the days of the Babylonians. However we never knew about the number zero until much later in history, sometime around 458 AD. Zero comes from arabic term "Sifr" and indicates two very different meanings. The first meaning being empty, and the second a place holder in a larger number to indicate a multiple of ten. Zero did revolutionize the numbering system and provided more meaning to a positional concept of numbers. The positional concept of numbers was introduced around 500 AD by Al-Khawarizmi.

To read more about zero check the links below, and do not forget to drop by Salah's blog

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/0_%28number%29
[2] http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Indexes/Arabs.html
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_mathematics
[4] http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/980422/1998042208.html
[5] http://www.al-bab.com/arab/science.htm#Mathematics
[6] "1001 Inventions: Muslim Heritage in Our World", Second Edition, Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilization, p. 66, 67.

Rare But Catastrophic

2010-06-04T11:58:00.001-04:00

Accidents are a fact of life, simply because we are humans and have been created with two key characteristics; (1) decision-making, and (2) limited abilities. Only the creator of the universe has full control over every single element in the universe, ranging from the smallest part of an atom to the largest galaxy.

Personal accidents are very common and their impacts could be trivial to severe, and are usually local. Examples are simple fender benders, a child pushing another one while reaching out for a toy doll, and a house fire.

Organizational accidents on the other hand are less common and their impacts are more significant, and usually devastating and affecting others not related to the organization or its services. The root cause of an organizational impact can be due to an individual choice, a group decision, or a larger organizational error. However, at the end it is within the context of an organization. Individual accidents could also have origins in organizations. Hence, the line of separation between individual and organizational accidents is subtle and often quite not clear. Examples of organizational accidents are aircraft crashes like Air India's recent crash 1, 2, 3, and BP's oil well leak 4, 5, 6.

Key differences between individual and organizational accidents are listed below:

	Individual	Organizational
Root Cause	Individual or personal error, negligence; poor decision-making; poor personal quality.	Accumulated errors; altered relationships between systems and human elements; altered states of the environment due to technological innovations
Impact	Local, usually agent and victim could be the same; small to devastating	Wide-spread, reaches to uninvolved populations; small to devastating.
Frequency	High	Low
Predictability	Easy	Medium
Complexity	Low	Medium - High
Survival Rate	Medium – High	Low – Medium
Defenses	Weak or lacking	Medium to strong

A main challenge in understanding organizational accidents is defining where the boundaries of the accident end. Both time and causality are seamless and do not have natural boundaries. To best analyze an accident, to prevent it from happening again, one may limit the scope of interest to things that people in the organization can manage. Accidents are usually triggered when some weakness in a defense system appears, the weakness could be a latent condition that exists and turned into an active failure. Latent conditions are similar to pathogens in a human body, they can be present for a long time and might not be detectable, however once triggered they turn into failures leading to immediate accidents. All organizations young and mature, simple and complex include latent conditions within their boundaries. More about latent conditions and active failures in my next post.

Dedication and Commitment: What if They Existed on a Project or the Workplace?

2010-05-09T22:49:00.004-04:00

I had an opportunity to listen to Michael Phelps this week in Baltimore at a convention. He shared factors leading to his success. The one that intrigued me the most was when he mentioned that he worked with his coach following his guidance and advice, and for five full years he practiced every single day, not a single day off. When you think about it that is really something. For a 13 year old to practice every single day for four hours between workouts and being soaked in the pool, add to it his school hours, homework, family life and hanging out with friends, until he is 18. That is effective time utilization to say the least.

Michael had a clear vision, he wanted to have gold medals around his neck, and he wanted to hear the national anthem of his country being broadcast across the world while he receives the medal. His objective was clear, the path was direct and he needed to execute. His execution would not be possible without guidance. Michael understood that his coach is his guidance, he followed his leader in every foot step. They practiced together, ate together, had fun together, worked together, persevered together, talked together, and did everything together. Michael was committed and so was his coach, and together they had a winning team. Michael shadowed his leader, to become a leader. I consider Michael a leader, he is the world leader in swimming, and his coach is even a greater leader as he developed a leader out of Michael.

There are many beautiful lessons for project teams, volunteer teams, young people, experienced people and almost everyone in the few experiences that Michael Phelps shared on Tuesday. I will list some below,

1. Great leaders make leaders.
2. Leaders need mentors and coaches.
3. A vision is created by a leader, it is the spark that starts the passion.
4. A success story is created by a team, turning the spark into a wild fire.
5. A coach is more than just a teacher, a coach is a partner.
6. Commitment and dedication are not for anyone, they are invaluable and only the patient will realize the reward.
7. Leaders persevere and steadfast.
8. Humility and Humbleness can not be absent for dedication and commitment to flourish.

Imagine applying all of this on your ailing project, now add to it a solid methodology. With confidence, you can expect your project to get back on track sooner than you thought.

5 Signs of a Dysfunctional Attitude in Your Organization

2010-03-30T09:52:00.001-04:00

The Baldrige National Quality Program covers all functional components of a business. An effective organization will exhibit strong interacting processes across the various functional units. Many organization however lack such strong interactions among its functional groups. How to know if yours is one of them? Five common symptoms are:

Hiding mistakes and keeping them internal to the functional unit.
Selfishness and attempting to get all the resources we need for our unit, regardless of the needs of other units.
Making sure we spend all the budget before the fiscal year is over, to avoid reduction in next year's allotment.
Focusing on own unit's work and not supportive of initiatives outside the unit.
Ignoring the external customer unless we are in a sales or marketing role.

Organizations which structure internal operations based on end-to-end processes have been able to offer their customers a more comprehensive and integrated value proposition. Moreover the organizations are more streamlined and efficient. A leading example is IBM's Enterprise Process Framework (EPF) 1, 2. IBM transformed its operations across multiple end-to-end levels, each level represents one enterprise process area, for example product ordering, IT services or HR services.

A process optimized organization is a mid-stage organization in between a business unit optimized organization and an enterprise optimized organization. Optimized business units are silos of work centers and processing units, process optimized are definitely a step above where waste is reduced, processing is automated end-to-end and economies of scale can be achieved. If your organization is exhibiting any of the five signs above, then know that you are still way far from a process optimized organization.

Read more here:
- Streamlining Business Processes, IBM
- The Business Shrink The Dysfunctional Workplace
- Top Ten Reasons Teams Become Dysfunctional

Getting Over the Project Bifurcation Point

2010-03-14T23:43:00.001-04:00

So we are already there. We reached the bifurcation point on the project I am currently managing. It is a $3.5 million software development project to automate and speed up the ordering and provisioning of several telecom services at a major operator. The project is due to deploy in June 2010 but is behind schedule by more than six months. So how do we get out of this dilemma? (see post on 2/19/10 for symptoms of project bifurcation).

Along with two of my colleagues we have come up with a simple straight forward process to stop the bleeding and deliver something over the next three months. The process is summarized as follows:

1. Enforce an immediate stop on all activities.
2. Rescope the project to deliver the core capabilities in the time available.
3. Ensure all project documents are baselined and a strict change control process is enforced to avoid creep
4. Introduce an agile approach to realize some leaps in project delivery
5. Evaluate open issues on the project and close any ones that are no longer applicable to the rescoped project.
6. Prioritize the issues that remain open and ensure all architectural and user requirement related issues are resolved first.
7. Ensure end to end traceability starting from business objectives to test results including all the various requirement level, design artifacts and test cases.
8. Ensure all interfaces are well understood and interface requirements are documented.
9. Hold at least one technical review at some reasonable point to assess the integrity and soundness of the work developed and processes followed.

These simple steps if done, at the bare minimum will guarantee that you will deliver something, that will most probably work. When projects reach bifurcation salvage is the top priority and salvaging means focusing on the key capabilities and ensuring that they will operate as expected. Do not try to get too fancy and deliver everything, it will not work and the project will fail.

Change Agent Strategies: A Need for Survivability

2010-03-05T22:31:00.007-05:00

The only constant in this world are the rules of the Creator. The world we live in has been created in accordance to precise measures and in adherence to strict laws. Laws of physics, chemistry and biology are a few examples. Another clear example is the earth's rotation around itself and the sun, a phenomena we experience every moment and take for granted. So does this mean we live in a constant world with no changes. Absolutely not, change is the norm of our lives. People's interests change, impacting business dynamics, which impacts economies and society which in turn impacts people's behaviors and the cycle goes on.

Organizations which wish to survive must adapt to change, in other words must change themselves. Healthy change however has to be founded by a certain set of values which a person, organization and society treasures and takes as sacred.

Hence, there are two main points we need to consider when we talk about change. The first is a stable unchanging framework that defines the boundaries that we operate and live within. We can not exceed these boundaries, either due to inherent limitations in our capabilities or due to a conflict with laws of the Creator, manifested in how the creation behaves. The second point is that for change to be of utility it must be controlled and understood. So lets look at an example to understand these two points better.

Considering the sun, moon and earth. These are Creations of the All-Mighty God. Their behavior does not change, and adhere to a precise set of laws, and we are unable to change their behavior. The sun rises from the east every morning and sets in the west every evening. This is our framework of light, heat and energy. Now we might decide that during summer season we do not want too much sun light, so we place barriers between us and the sun in the form of hat, canopy, umbrella or some other structure that we develop. We can change the configuration of this barrier as the sun rotates and moves around, and during winter months we can remove it all-together.

"a stable unchanging framework that defines the boundaries that we operate and live within is needed for a viable environment"

What we are able to do is only change the impact of the behavior of the framework, but not the framework itself. When mankind starts to attempt to change the framework itself, unpredictable results occur which could be devastating, if we are even able to do so. Change within the framework is healthy and recommended, as it leads to innovation and growth. Going back to the example of the sun's heat and protecting one self from it, we realize that the simple shield of a ceiling made of straws thousands of years ago has turned into advanced engineering structures with air cooling and filtering systems and sensor controlled sky lights.

" controlled change leads to innovation, growth and opportunities"

Of course man made frameworks are not perfect, and could have limitations that require changes and improvements. This is also healthy as long as we can control the changes and understand the impact of the change on what is inside that framework and on other frameworks that communicate with our framework.

So how can one implement change agents that are healthy and valuable? Lets say an organization wishes to change its bylaws. The bylaws to the organization is the same as the sun to people living on earth. It is the framework by which this organization runs its affairs and the binding contract among its members. Lets look at some practical steps for introducing the change into the bylaws.

1. The need for the change must be clearly understood. This includes documenting the need for the change. Assessing its feasibility, its pros and cons, its urgency, its importance and its impact. This is must be followed by an assessment to study the readiness of the organization for change. Once the need is understood, the need must be communicated to all impacted parties and awareness must be established.

2. Organize a team or project with required authority to guide the process and formulate methods, policies and plans to control and guide the change process; and visualize it.

3. Remove obstacles that prevent others from acting on the vision, and create a sense of urgency to ensure buy-in and support. It is crucial to ensure that all parties involved are empowered. An empowered organization is one whose main focus is on its constituents that it serves and the role of its leadership is one of a facilitator and coach, rather than a controller and monitor. Relationships across the organization are peer-based rather than top-down and every individual in the organization has the ability to make decisions and take responsibility within a clear framework without lack of power and authority.

4. Coach, train and educate top management on the technical aspects involved in the change.

5. Collect all ideas and points of view to each proposed change. Measure, control and report progress of the implementation of the change.

6. Be ready to utilize emotional intelligence, and to handle behavioral issues effectively. Control the complexities of change which are a result of the intangible areas involved in change such as beliefs, behaviors and perceptions of people through constraint management, scenario forecasting, motivation, negotiation and collaboration.

7. Guide the assessment of the results of change, and ensure the implementation of clear acceptance criteria and metrics to accept the change as measured or to make further improvements to it. Capture lessons learned and evaluate comprehensively the impact of the change; economically, socially, and otherwise.

When change agents hit road blocks the points above could help move the process forward safely and effectively. Each of these points is an exercise in itself and needs to be executed carefully and comprehensively. However once the need for change can be justified and plans developed, execution needs to be quick.

More on changing the state of an ailing project that reached bifurcation next week.

** The above image has been developed using Wordle at http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/1748011/Change_Agents_Strategies

Project Bifurcation: Are We There Yet?

2010-02-19T09:21:00.003-05:00

Bifurcation is a sudden qualitative change in a system's behavior. The change can be for good or worse, and could be small or large. A subtle change in a project usually has negligible impact initially, however it could quickly multiply following some patterns such as period-doubling or subharmonic bifurcation. These developments in the magnitude of changes in a project could be devastating and lead to chaos and eventually total failure or collapse.

One key challenge is identifying these reflection points and be prepared to deal with them. However, fortunately there are signs that can help the project manager forecast and determine that the project is approaching one of these points that cause a huge negative impact on the project health.

A few examples of projects that are at a bifurcation point and approaching a chaotic state are:

Escalation of issues to upper management
Project documents not being baselined due to lack of agreement of stakeholders
Project documents changing too often
Teams not agreeing on technical approaches, processes or solution architectures

I have recently been asked to join one of my client's ailing projects. The day I joined the project there were over 300 technical issues logged, over 200 which were open issues. I quickly noticed that these issues are not being closed. The reason chaos. The project had reached a bifurcation point where closure of issues was not only a challenge due to the reasons listed above, but also the issues were becoming redundant, reproducing off-shoot issues, and duplicating as a result of bifurcation of problems, and the non-linear growth in issue dependencies.

Other symptoms of a project reaching a negative bifurcation point is sudden scope changes, descoping of work without having a clear documented baseline for the fear of not being able to meet deadlines. The project team's rework skyrockets, and effectiveness of team members drops to almost nil. This is a point of not only chaos but also paralysis. Paralysis could exhibit itself in paralysis of leadership decision making, paralysis of technical work productivity, and paralysis of stakeholder status reporting and performance assessment. Projects that reach this point will exhibit the following:

Work performed out of order resulting in errors and omissions
Large volumes of rework
Sudden decisions for scope change
Project teams on hold, awaiting for others to provide input
High rates of change in technical direction and documentation
Change requests out of order

Next week I will talk more about ways to mitigate the impact of a crisis on a project that has went beyond major negative bifurcation points as part of efforts to bring it back to order.

Leadership Lessons Through Project Management from Around - India 2025

2010-02-12T08:41:00.001-05:00

After about 60 years of independence India is still considered a country developing itself. Since the 1990s India has embarked on a serious transformation initiative and has not turned its face back. The Indians understand their mission, its significance and are committed to making it a reality.

Today India, the world's second largest populous country and the 10th largest economy is expected to be the 3rd largest economy in the world by 2025. Indians are making use of many factors to reach this expectation, among them is project management. How are Indians using project management principles to avoid a business as usual status, and become a global leader bringing inspiration to other nations?

Unfortunately many successful organizations and growing institutions focus on the immediate gains, although immediate gains are important and required to ensure positive cash flow and growth, it can in some cases make longer term goals, issues and actions less clear and understood.

Indians have invested heavily in promoting project management concepts, knowledge and practice. A surge in project management certification has been witnessed in the last decade. Indians have been keen on bringing project management conferences to their country, this was noticed by holding the first International Project Management Association (IPMA) world conference outside of Europe in forty years, in New Delhi.

Applying project management principles to the business process outsourcing (BPO) sectors has resulted in the abundance of best practices and streamlined approaches. Heavy investment into various sectors such as transportation, construction, energy and healthcare is resulting in the abundance of projects requiring even further application of project management skills and knowledge. The Indians have been successful in applying lessons learned in the these sectors to other areas of the society which has traditionally not applied project management such as tourism, education and research.

Cross industry lessons and critical thinking are key success factors for institutional leadership. The ability of an institution to apply project management concepts across industries could result in huge economies of scale and growth opportunities

Indians have not only used project management for capital projects, but also its application is expanding into the management of operations, training, competence development, new product development and services. This has been assisted by the introduction of project management into educational curriculum at institutes of higher education [1, 2]. Moreover the Indian government has provided incentives to businesses [3, 4, 5] to establish training centers and to develop competency in core competence areas including project management.

Interestingly, although India ranks lowest in a study published by the International Growth Centre analyzing management practices at firms. India scores above the US when it comes to the percentage of firms applying sound management practices.

We learn several lessons from the Indian experience, most important are:

Institutions which wish to accelerate their growth need to look at experiences not only within industry, but across industries.
Project management brings scalability benefits and allows the institution to take on larger loads of work and initiatives in a streamlined approach.
Project management for services, and managing operations as projects could bring in order, improve quality, and enhance performance.
Investing is project management education and competence development in younger generations and introducing project management as a field of study is critical to skills development.

Stakeholder Analysis: Are We Doing Enough?

2010-02-07T21:37:00.000-05:00

Many organizations and individuals focus on satisfying the customer, which is of course one of the basic rules of business. After all, no customer equals no business. However the majority of us do not have a comprehensive look at all stakeholders. Stakeholders include not only customers, but suppliers, partners, customers' suppliers, policy makers, our own management, investors and the list goes on.

If you are a non-profit school your students and their parents are your customers, and you ought to make sure the services they are receiving are top notch quality. However your donors are also key stakeholders. They have high interest in what you do, otherwise they would not have donated their hard earned dollars, and they have high power in supporting your mission. Maybe even more than the customer. Does you school stay in continuous touch with the donors? Does it constantly solicit feedback from them? Do they have representation at your various governance bodies?

One useful tool to analyze stakeholders is to look at their power and their interest, we call that a power/interest grid. Power can be mapped on one dimension and interest on another, as shown in the top figure.

Another tool is a matrix linking stakeholder groups and their interests to an entity's capabilities allowing the identification of value gap to be addressed. A sample of such a simple stakeholder alignment matrix is on the right. It allows us to align our capabilities to our stakeholder's interest and needs.

How Effective is Your PMO

2010-01-30T19:44:00.000-05:00

Project Management Offices come in all shapes and forms. Some are there to support the various projects in the organization, others provide oversight and control, and quite a few offer direction and expertise. A good PMO can make all the difference in the world to project performance and return on invesment at a company.

Effective PMOs share some key attributes which are:

Ensure standardized terminology and process across projects
Ensure best practices are propogated across the projects
Instill a culture of innovation and allow project teams to provide ideas for improvements to process and templates
Automate and streamline project reporting and project tools, for repeatability and efficiency

It is all too common to witness PMOs that stifle innovation and productivity through very rigid templates, or exhaustive processes that add overhead. PMOs must allow project managers and teams the flexibility to adapt processes and guidance the unique attributes and constraints of their project.

Pragmatic Hob Hunting: Book Proof Arrived

2010-01-25T17:37:00.002-05:00

With the grace of the Lord, my new book's proof arrived today. One final adjustment and its on the market inshaa Allah... Want a free copy?

Leave a comment below and email me your snail mail address to anassar at anassar.net, and will send you a free copy. Offer valid only in 48 States.

Learning Centered Education

2009-12-21T17:43:00.000-05:00

A learning-centered environment is one that focuses on the needs of the student rather than others involved in the educational process. Student needs range from administrative services, to tutoring and instruction, and include everything in between such as life services.

A learning centered environment ensures that the student is empowered to learn through a balanced power in the classroom, critical thinking, student research and discovery, improved modeling of learning by educators, learning conducive environments, acting on feedback and tight institutional integration with the mission of realizing mastery learning rather than curve grading and ensuring that learning is positioned in a well-applied context to retain and utilize the knowledge learned.

Business Agility: Do You Have Some?

2009-12-21T17:22:00.011-05:00

There have been various attempts to define business agility out there. Many are bogus definitions and very incorrect, so I thought I shed some light on the proper meaning of being agile, and what it means to an enterprise. Michael Hugos defines agility to be a product of visibility, motivation and training. I do not fully agree with his point of view, it is too specific and focused on enablers rather than the definition of agility. Agility needs enablers, and these could be some of the required enablers, but not necessarily all, moreover, each environment and enterprise might require different enablers.

According to Webster's College Dictionary, agility is being in a quick and well coordinated state, or nimble, active and lively. So agility is a state when one is able to act quickly and to the extent needed. Over-acting is not agility, its actually exerting more than needed, and under-acting is low performance.

So applying this to an enterprise means that it is able to act quickly and in a lean way. The terms quickly and lean are a little vague, so its not a bad idea to add some context to them.

Quick is being able to respond to a stimulus in a time-frame that allows the enterprise to capture an opportunity or mitigate a threat.
Lean is being able to respond with only what is needed to accomplish the point above, no more and no less.

An agile enterprise is one that has the capabilities to execute and realize what needs to be accomplished, without overstretching itself or wasting resources.

Some close definitions to mine are Brad Appleton's, which is a little too specific by listing energy and also specifying it along with economy and efficiency; and Wikipedia's definition which ties it specifically to cost. There are many ways to enable agility in your enterprise. Nicholas Evans promotes mobility solutions as one approach. I believe cloud computing will also make possible many enablers for an agile business. An example of how cloud can make telecom providers agile is illustrated in my recent patent.

Agile = Quick + Lean

Some examples of lean enterprises are those that:

Can quickly change their website to respond to a trend, or customer need
Can easily and without introducing additional cost reposition a product line
Can enter a new market area with no additional overhead
Can serve new types of customers with no impact on its customer support resources

Developing an agile enterprise is an on-going process, and it pulls from many areas of the enterprise architecture. An agile enterprise has agile business, technology and governance, reflected in its operations, systems, infrastructure and competitive abilities.

Do Not Undermine Your Most Valuable Asset: The Soft Assets

2009-12-17T11:42:00.002-05:00

A couple of decades ago software was provided almost as a possible freebie to encourage buyers to purchase computer hardware. Today both hardware and software are available for free. With services such as Google's App, IBM's Symphony Suite, Sun's Open Office, G.ho.st and others software applications and hardware platforms are available for free. The competitive difference between two organizations is not what assets (capital, resources, technology, etc..) they have but rather how they utilize these assets. In other words their capabilities and in particular their soft capabilities.

Soft capabilities is becoming increasing important. As discussed in a past blog entry soft skills of individuals are things like a person's interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence. The question on the table is what defines an organization's soft assets? We can state that soft assets of your organization include its agility, culture, values, alignment to its mission, sustainability. The reason they are soft is because we usually can not measure them easily. This might change in the future. Today we can measure an organization's performance through monitoring its financial reports and deriving some measures that reflect its level of success in managing its capital and financial resources. However this performance measure is very narrow-sighted, it only addresses one stakeholder of the business, the investor, and does not include all aspects of a business' mission, or maybe none of it at all.

Take for example a company whose mission statement is "preserving and improving human life". To effectively measure the delivery of its mission, measuring return on investment and debt / equity ratios will not provide a true picture. Rather measurements of soft aspects of the business are needed. Examples would be return on educating customers about diseases, adoption of good practices by patients, healing rates, impact of side-effects on the health of patients, economies and other aspects of human life, and the list goes on. Our lack of solid approaches and well-defined techniques makes measuring these performance indicators difficult, and hence we call them soft.

Businesses need to focus on these soft areas, whether they are soft outcomes of the business, soft assets, or soft capabilities; simply because this is where true value lies. True value of a business is its ability to achieve its mission. I consider any business metric that can not be measured in a standardized approach across business borders to be part of the soft side of the business. For example, a business' performance is a soft attribute, simply because true performance is not simply financial return on investment (which has very standard approaches of calculating and measuring), but could include customer satisfaction, and other metrics that most people today do not have standard way of measuring across autonomous domains. The first step of understanding a business's soft-side is to include it as part of the business architecture.

The concept of soft extends beyond businesses and organizations and is also considered at country level, an example is discussed on the Foreign Policy Blog which is seen to be an emerging component in valuation of nations.

In summary, (1) the soft-side is where value is located, and its is usually hidden simply because we do not attempt to measure it, and those who do attempt to measure do not have sound approaches. (2) anything that a business has difficulty in measuring will be defined as soft.

Three Fatal Mistakes Leaders Do

2009-11-18T11:45:00.007-05:00

Everyone makes mistakes, including leaders. We are all human and its part of how we are. However some mistakes are more fatal than others. These three killers below can diminish a leader's effectiveness.

1. Lack of Consistency
These leaders are not consistent in their performance. They are not involved on a continuous basis and their work habits are sporadic. They also demand more than they give, and are not easily accessible or available, even though they might be working very hard. Their messages are confusing and do not have a clear vision or strategy. Our Creator tells us in the Quran about these types of people in a couple of places,

وَيْلٌ لِّلْمُطَفِّفِينَ (83:1)
WOE UNTO THOSE who give short measure

الَّذِينَ إِذَا اكْتَالُواْ عَلَى النَّاسِ يَسْتَوْفُونَ83:2)
those who, when they are to receive their due from [other] people, demand that it be given in full

وَإِذَا كَالُوهُمْ أَو وَّزَنُوهُمْ يُخْسِرُونَ(83:3
but when they have to measure or weigh whatever they owe to others, give less than what is due!

"These leaders lack loyalty, vision, commitment and respect to their followers and the cause they are leading"

2. Lack of Action
These leaders love to visualize, strategize and come up with ideas, but they never deliver. They miss deadlines, they don't keep up promises, and might even always critique others without providing a solution or alternative. They set standards of behavior or quality and don't abide or ignore them. These types of leaders are also discussed in the Quran,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ (61:2)
O YOU who have attained to faith! Why do you say one thing and do another?

كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِندَ اللَّهِ أَن تَقُولُوا مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ (61:3
Most loathsome is it in the sight of God that you say what you do not do!

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِهِ صَفًّا كَأَنَّهُم بُنيَانٌ مَّرْصُوصٌ
Verily, God loves those who fight in His cause in [solid] ranks, as though they were a building firm and compact.

"These leaders are usually not team players, are not serious about other team members' opinions, are not responsible, nor reliable, are perceived as not sincere, and provide limited value"

3. Fail to Develop Others
These leaders do not include coaching or mentoring thoughts into their directives. They do not think of providing opportunities for growth and development of their followers. Their main focus is on self-development. Opportunities for learning, development, responsibility and taking initiative are limited in their organizations. Teams are disengaged and clusters of groups exist. Succession planning is not on the radar screen, and sustainability is weak.

Allah (SWT) shares with us many stories of leaders who developed others such as Al-Khider and Musa (PBUH), Mohammad (PBUH) teaching his companions through the revelation from Allah (SWT) in the numerous statements of قُلْ throughout the Quran, Ibrahim and Ismail (PBUH) and many others.

"Leaders who fail to develop others are perceived to lack confidence, vision, loyalty, trust, courage, motivation, teaching and compassion"

Leaders need to constantly revisit where they stand and if they are approaching any of these three killers.

Strategy and its Role in Becoming Capable

2009-11-11T09:42:00.006-05:00

Strategy is focused on the matching of an enterprise's opportunities and threats (external factors) to the enterprise's capabilities.

In some cases an organization might not have a capability in place that allows it to benefit from an opportunity. In such cases the capability will need to be realized otherwise the opportunity will be missed. The realization of such absent capability is part of the enterprise strategy, and will require enablers from across the enterprise such as technology, locations, roles, processes, intellectual property and more.

__________________________________________
Robert Grant, "Contemporary strategy analysis: concepts, techniques, applications", Blackwell Publishing, 2002.

Harvey Thompson, "The Customer-Centered Enterprise: How IBM and Other World-Class Companies Achieve Extraordinary Results", Mc Graw-Hill, 2000.

Getting Capable

2009-11-10T16:03:00.002-05:00

Institutions vary widely in their capabilities to achieve their mission. You could find two organizations in the exact same line of business, with very similar strategies and business drivers, yet very different results due to the differences in their capabilities. Lets take an example of two airlines. Both airlines share the same mission, transporting humans across the globe safely and in an enjoyable manner. Airline A always takes off on time, lands on time and does not lose luggage. Airline B always takes off late and loses luggage.

Their business requirement is the same, yet their outcomes are very different, which is due to differences in their capabilities.

A capability is a realized requirement, it could also be said that a capability is a business requirement added to some value acquisition process. The value acquisition process should span the entire enterprise to ensure that is picked from all strengths of the enterprise and also did not bring along any unnecessary baggage.

Organizational Capabilities in Less than 100 Words

2009-10-28T16:37:00.004-04:00

How quick can your organization respond to its constituents needs. How effective can it adapt to changing dynamics in the environment surrounding it? How efficient can it deliver its mission? The answer to these questions depends on what we call organizational capabilities.

Similar to an individual's ability, organizations have abilities to do certain things, these abilities combined with resources, assets, processes and skills form an organizational capability. A few examples of strategic capabilities are (1) The ability to innovate and be creative, (2) the ability to develop and deploy products in a compressed cycle, and (3) the ability to educate and train young people.

Are your capabilities well defined? Do you know how to improve them, and how to measure where these capabilities are enabling your stakeholders to realize the value proposition you are offering?

Know Thy Business Events

2009-10-26T15:32:00.002-04:00

A business event is a valuable building block in an enterprise's business architecture. Business events provide insights to triggers and decision points in the business domain. Business events could be classified into three types: External events such as a customer service request, internal events such as closing a project or an employee time sheet submission, and finally temporal events which occur based on the elapse of a given time-frame such as end of month.

There are many important questions to ask oneself about events when building a business architecture or when defining events. Examples are:

1. How are these events identified?
2. Are they unique?
3. Can they be repeatable?
4. How can we structure events in the context of a business architecture?
5. How can events be modular?
6. What processes are related to events?
7. What business capabilities are impacted by events?
8. What impact does the event have on the business services, operations and other areas?
9. Who reacts (which roles) to an event and in what way?
10. How often does an event occur and what is its significance?

Step By Step Business Architecture

2009-09-08T15:21:00.005-04:00

Developing a business architecture for an enterprise can be a daunting task. However following a systematic approach makes it a bit easier, or at the very least organized.

1. Develop a description of the existing business architecture if it exists. The description should include as much of the AS-IS architecture as needed for the development of the TO-BE architecture.

2. Identify any reference models, tools, patterns and techniques that should be used to develop the TO-BE architecture based on the context, complexity and scope of your business requirements.

3. Select viewpoints of the business architecture to be utilized to illustrate the architecture, according to the business requirements. Common business architecture view points are operational, systems, technology, governance, financial and functional viewpoints.

4. Develop an architecture model for your TO-BE business requirements. Ensure that you perform each of these,

Create the model for the specific view point. For example create the activity model for an operational view point of the business architecture. Common models are activity models, use-case models, class models, node connectivity diagrams and information exchange matrices.
Verify that all stakeholder requirements and concerns are included.
Ensure you have models for business goals and objectives, business functions, business services, business processes, roles, business data,
Ensure your architecture has captured the interlocking of organization and functions, and interlocking of processes and systems.
For each business function identify when, where, where, how often and by whom will the function be performed. Identify the inputs to the function and the expected outputs.
Identify dependencies and assumptions for each business function.
Conduct trade-off analysis if any conflict exist among the different views.
Validate and verify the developed model against requirements for completeness and scope

5. Select the business architecture building blocks. Reuse blocks as applicable, and develop new ones to add to the BA library.

6. Hold a formal architectural review of the developed model and building blocks with the stakeholders.

7. Review the non-functional requirements and service level agreements. Common non-functional requirements are scalability, performance, availability, costs, reliability and capacity.

8. Complete the documentation for the business architecture by ensuring that you,

Have a completed requiements traceability report.
Identified requirements that are driving the architecture.
Mapped the architecture to reference architectures and models in the organization.
Identified new vs. reused building blocks.
Documented rationale for architectural decisions.
Completed the business architecture report including the business footprint, detailed description of business functions, and their information needs.
Outlined the governance footprint as related to the business needs and scope of the TO-BE
Included a table of standards, rules, guidelines, assumptions, dependencies, and measures used.

Business and Enterprise Architectures: Differences and Commonalities

2009-09-08T12:45:00.004-04:00

Business architecture is a unifying structure that enables the execution of business strategies through initiatives to achieve business results. The business architecture could also be viewed as the relationships and connectivity among the various value streams and the inputs that feed these value steams, the processing centers that enable the value streams and the value realized.

Business architecture is only one component of enterprise architecture. In an enterprise there are business objectives, technology and infrastructure assets, organizational units, security concerns information handling and processing and various other components, each of which can be defined as a separate architecture and part of a defined framework.

The business architecture encompasses the business flows, activity models, use cases, user models, class models, node connectivity diagrams and business information exchange matrices. Business architectures usually reflect a baseline known as the AS-IS architecture and defines a future aspiration known as the TO-BE architecture.

Enterprise architectures explain all aspects of an enterprise; its data, business processes, infrastructure, technology and business

Patterns: What Are They? Part 1

2009-08-12T15:29:00.007-04:00

Literally patterns are defined as a combination of qualities, items, objects, behaviors, or other which form a consistent or characteristic arrangement. We observe dozens of daily patterns every day. Examples are teen behavior, the movement of the earth around the sun, the blooming of flowers and hundreds more.

"A combination of qualities, items, objects, behaviors, or other which form a consistent or characteristic arrangement"

Patterns are not new to man-kind, the Creator has informed us about patterns in the Quran and other earlier revelations. Recently system developers started to analyze the concept of patterns, pioneered by Christopher Alexander in his book, " A Timeless Way of Building", he defines a pattern as a three-part rule, expressing a relation between a certain context, a problem and a solution.

Patterns are a first step in understanding root causes of the problem within a specific context. It also allows the development of architectural and solution building blocks.

"In systems realization, patterns express a relationship between a problem and its solution within a given context"

For a software designer some pattern examples are: Message Translators, Process Managers, and Proxies to mention a few. A process manager pattern for example will comprise of a sensor to detect an incoming message which initializes the process manager. The process manager in turn executes a set of rules stored in the process manager memory implementing the processing rules, and detects the subsequent steps through a status feedback detector/analyzer.

Considering a different domain, take the example of a group that does youth trips, examples of patterns could be: Headcount Process, Critical Supplies, Meal Managers, Activity Itinerary Manager and many more. An Activity Itinerary Manager pattern will comprise of an input process to capture developmental and coaching themes/needs of the youth trip, a search process to match the theme to a group of activities that meet the objectives of the theme from a repository of activities, the selected lists of activities could then pass by the activity processor which breaks down the activity into steps, each assigned to resources, a lead, a cost structure, risk factor and plan of action. Feedback from the actual deployed activity is then finally fed back into the activity manager for updates to the activity definitions and other relevant areas, within quality expectations.

_____________To Read More _______________

(1) Hohpe and Woolfe, "Enterprise Integration Patterns: Designing, Building and Deploying Messaging Solutions", Addison Wesley signature Series, 2004.

(2) Haskins and Raveh, "Introduction to Patterns Through Writing Systems Engineering Patterns", 16th Annual International Symposium, 2006.

(3) Gross and Yu, "From Non-Functional Requirements to Design Through Patterns".

The Spark ...

2009-08-04T12:41:00.009-04:00

Teamwork is touted as the driver behind progress. This is not necessarily true. There is no doubt that teamwork is a fact of life. As humans we have to interact with one another to satisfy our human needs and desires such as socializing, belonging to a group identity, sustaining needs of life among many others.

Effective teams need leaders to align them and give them direction and motivation. The spark that makes groups and societies move is the outcome of individuals. These sparks ignite the team and thrust its members forward, but the team members do not necessarily produce any starting sparks. As Igor Sikorsky once said,

"The work of the individual still remains the spark that moves mankind ahead, even more than teamwork"

If you find yourself on a team, organization or society, with higher levels of motivation, vision and commitment than others, don't despair, that means you are a leader. As a leader you can not work alone, sparks don't develop into fire without a catalyst, and your team is your catalyst. Nurture, coach, and develop the team, and it will be a strong catalyst.

It was once said that a small group are the ones carrying the ambitions of the nation, and a group of those are the ones who sacrifice their time and wealth to accomplish these ambitions, and a group of that smaller group are the ones who sacrifice their lives for the sake of succeeding in the accomplishment of these ambitions. A small group, from a small group, from a small group.

"A small group, from a small group, from a small group"

______________________

Picture: Courtesy of NASA: The formation of a star, A molecular cloud is a region containing cool interstellar gas and dust left over from the formation of the galaxy and mostly contains molecular hydrogen. The Spitzer data, in red, green and blue shows the molecular cloud (in the bottom part of the image) plus young stars in and around Cepheus B, and the Chandra data in violet shows the young stars in the field. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/multimedia/photo09-062.html.

10 Attributes of a Learning Oganization

2009-07-16T10:40:00.005-04:00

Communications is a key component of effective leadership. Leaders don't sit in their offices behind their desk, they are out in the field dealing with customers, suppliers, employees and other constituencies of their organization. This interaction between the leader and these other groups and individuals yields tremendous amounts of experience and knowledge. An organization which shares knowledge and learns from its members is a learning organization.

Learning organizations are characterized by the following:

1. Possess solid systems for communications among its members.
2. Knowledge and intellect is respected and appreciated.
3. Team work and collaboration is the norm.
4. Members consult one another on a continuous basis.
5. Members update others on a continuous basis.
6. Teams learn from past experiences, and mistakes are rarely repeated.
7. Information, knowledge storage and retrieval is efficient and effective.
8. Team members are accessible and known for their expertise, contributing to centers of competence.
9. Realizes continuous growth and innovation.
10. Encourages diversity and systems-based thinking.

Is your organization a learning one? How can you assess its learning capabilities?

Instilling Change: A Key Component of Leadership

2009-07-14T00:47:00.006-04:00

Leading change is by no means a trivial job. Only the experienced leaders with astute vision can lead their teams to change. The Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) is a role model for not only change, but transformation.

Our Creator informs us that no group of people will change unless they take initiative to embrace change themselves. Indeed the only things that is constant is change itself, or as Muslims know it as the sunnah of Allah (ways of Allah).

Scholars of management [1] define a few steps which are key for successfully leading change. I summarize these points [2] and provide references from the Quran and teachings of the Prophet (PBUH).

1. Intention:
Quran: Indeed Allah does not change the condition of a group unless they change themselves.
Hadith: Indeed deeds are based on their intentions

2. Urgency:
Quran: So flee to Allah quickly indeed I am to you from him a clear warning
Quran: And hasten to a forgiveness from your Lord and a paradise the width of the skies and earth

3. Clear Vision:
Quran: And Indeed Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship him, this is the straight path (Mary 36)

4. Stick to a Good Team:
Quran: And seek patience in your soul with the ones who remember their Lord in the early morning, and the evening late at night, seeking his pleasure and acceptance (Cave 28)
Quran: Wow to me, I wish I have not taken him/her a close companion (friend) (Al-Furqan 28)

5. Self Critique Self:
Quran: Oh you who believe fear Allah, and shall a soul see what it has prepared for its tomorrow (hereafter), and fear Allah, indeed Allah is with what you have performed all knowing
Hadith: Seek forgiveness, for indeed I seek forgiveness 70 times in a day

6. Take Action and Perfect it:
Hadith: Indeed Allah loves if one of you do an action, that you perfect it

7. Be Consistent:
Hadith: The best of deeds are the continuous, even if they are little

8. Take Small Steps:
Hadith: This way of life (Islam) is deep so get in it slowly and gently

9. Don't Give Up:
Quran: Tell my servants who have transgressed upon themselves to not despair from the mercy of Allah, indeed Allah forgives all the sins.

10. Offer Value and Increase Benefit:
Good deeds wipe out bad deeds

11. Ensure You are Working on a Sound Foundation:
Fix your beliefs and values
Quran: And Satin said when the matter was over (life on earth, and the day of judgment), indeed Allah promised you the promise of truth, and I promised you and broke my promise, and I had no power over you, except that I invited you and you accepted, so do not blame me, and blam yourselves. (Ibrahim 22)

12. Set and Realize Realistic Goals
Quran: Indeed Allah does not burden a soul with more than what it can handle

13. Stay Away from Distractions
Quran: Do not even come near fornication
Quran: So flee to Allah

14. Remember Your Mission in Life:
Quran: I have only created jinn and mankind to worship me
Quran: Is it not that with the rememberance of Allah that hearts have tranquility and content

15. Remember Life-cycles End:
Hadith: Remember the destroyer of all pleasures (death)

16. Never Execute Trivial Work:
Hadith: A human's accountability on the day of judgement will not be over until he is asked about four things, from among them is his time and how he utilized it

17. Forecast Risks:
Quran: Indeed the plotting of Satin is weak
Be vigilant and forecast problems and risks

[1] Dan Cohen and John Kotter, "The Heart of Change Field Guide", Harvard Business Press, 2005.
[2] Ayman Nassar, "Implementing Change", Friday Khutbah, Hanover, PA, July 10th, 2009

The Demise of Quality - My Wife's Friend, British Airways and Air France

2009-06-22T08:32:00.003-04:00

I was vacuuming the living room last evening, when my wife told me that her friend arrived safely in Egypt after a long flight from Washington with a connection in London. She then added that her 10 year old son is walking around in his swimsuit at home and her friend is wearing some old maternity clothes she had from a decade ago. I asked my wife "Did they lost their luggage?", she replied that no a single bag of the eight pieces her friend and her three kids had arrived.

It has been two days since my wife's friend family had arrived on board British Airways with no luggage. I mentioned to my wife that her friend should request a compensation of some sort, may $100 per passenger, so they can use this modest pocket money to go buy some clothes until their bags appear. My wife's response was "we are thankful that they arrived safely". Well, yes of course compared to Air France's latest flight that plunged in the Atlantic, the losses and inconvenience is minimal, and one should always be thankful, regardless of what one goes through". The point however is that the passenger's (customer) expectation is be transported safely along with his luggage from point A to point B. If customer's start changing their expectations, quality will automatically by definition change.

An attorney would seize the opportunity and ask the passenger to file a suit against the airline asking for some ridiculous amount of money as a compensation for damages. Maybe $1 million dollars per lost bag, or the highest that the court will allow. We have various mindsets of customers when it comes to settling disputes with a service provider. At one extreme a client will say no problem, just get me my bags if you can, when you can. On another extreme another customer will say meet me at court, and then there are infinite of perspectives in between.

What would you do? What would a good system's engineer do? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Probability Distributions for Business Events - Binomial

2009-06-03T21:00:00.005-04:00

System engineers and technical managers need to make decisions based on the probability of certain events occurring. For example during a risk assessment practice, the systems engineering might be calculating the risk value of an event, and based on the value of the risk level the organization will take certain steps to respond to the risk.

To accurately calculate the risk value which is calculated as the (impact level * probability of occurrence), the probability distribution selected needs to be accurate.

In some events outcomes could be binary, for example: good or bad, correct or incorrect, successful or failed, conforming or non-conforming. A suitable probability distribution would be a binomial probability distribution, using a binomial calculator the system engineer can calculate the probability of occurrence of one of the two possible events knowing the sample size (n), the rate of good versus bad, or correct versus incorrect (p) and the number of items (x) fitting a particular outcome. For example if we select a sample of six items from a batch which has a defect rate of 3%, we can find the probability that the sample has one defective item using the binomial formula

P(x) = [n! / x! (n-x)! ] p^x (1-p)^(n-x)

In the above example, n=6, p=0.03, x=1

Using the formula above or the binomial calculator available at Texas A&M, we get that P(1) = 0.1546

Stay tuned for other probability distributions that are also common in business environments.

Two Approaches to Use Statistics on Your Project

2009-06-01T19:53:00.005-04:00

Most people don't like statistics, and most decision-makers make wild guesses when they need to take a decision. Statistics might not be the most straight-forward science during the college years, but it has tremendous value in providing insights and guidance for making rational decisions.

Using statistics one can show various properties of a set of data such as the mean, mode, median, dispersion and distribution. These parameters can be represented graphically using histograms, charts and other visual illustrations.

Another approach using statistics is to develop inferences, test hypothesis and develop forecasts through the use of sample data from a bigger population. Relationships between variables can be developed and illustrated using a scatter diagram or a regression equation.

Six Sigma's DMAIC vs. Design for Six Sigma's IDOV / DMADV

2009-05-31T11:44:00.006-04:00

Six sigma's success is mainly contributed to its DMAIC model. The DMAIC model focuses on defining an issue with an existing process or product, measuring the deviation from the expected behavior, analyzing the data for insights to root causes, improve the current process or product through minimization of deviations or improvements and finally controlling the system to sustain the gains achieved.

IDOV and DMADV which are two design-based models slightly differ from DMAIC as follows.

Objective and Approach: DMAIC views the current process or product as correct and economical, but needs to minimize some gap leading to inefficiencies. IDOV / DMADV view the current process or product as in need of redesign or design change to achieve customer satisfaction.

Process Capability: DMAIC views current process as capable of satisfying customer needs, whereas IDOV / DMADV views current processes as a candidate for improved yield regardless of volume and complexity.

Design: DMAIC views the current design as satisfactory for the client's needs, whereas IDOV / DMADV views the need to consider various drivers for design, such as cost, manufacturing, producibility, maintainability, robustness, usability, efficiency, security, agility, compliance and testability.

Flexibility: DMAIC assumes that the current design and processes are flexible to meet customer demands and needs, whereas IDOV / DMADV highly considers potential customer demands and forecasts newly developed needs

Validation: IDOV and DMADV both consider validation and verification of the outcomes of a design or process in meeting objectives.

To read more:
[1] Chrisitian Madu, "The House of Quality in a Minute", Chi Publishers, 2006.
[2] Rod Munro, "The Certified Six Sigma Green Belt Handbook", Quality Press, 2008.

3 Practices to Becoming an Agile and Lean Enterprise

2009-05-20T10:53:00.008-04:00

About a month ago I was approached by a client asking to give advice regarding some organizational changes and major layoffs they were embarking upon. The client sent me an email with about six or seven different options to pursue to cut on their operating expenses.

I noticed that all the options were focused on eliminating employees. My question to myself, if eliminating employees seems the favorable and only approach that comes to mind, why were these employees present in the first place? There must have been a need for them in the organization, otherwise why were they hired in the first place? What operations will suffer when these folks are let go?

Many businesses fail to realize that a lot could be done way in advance to avoid shedding off employees. Letting go of your most valuable resources, your staff, should be the last thing to do, before closing shop. I list ten actions that can be done months before the crunch becomes severe to be forced to shut down.

1. Reduce non-valuable activities, a.k.a trivial work.
Non-valuable activities are those which your customers are not willing to pay for, they do not change the form or function of the product or service they are interested in. An example is rework, due to defects in a process used to produce the end product or service. Other examples are wait-time during the process. For example if you order a book online, you are willing to pay for the book to be shipped from the publisher to your location, you are interested in how much time it takes the book to wait at each regional hub for its next pickup. If there is a cost to the shipper to pay for the time spent at each shipping hub it will increase the cost of your book shipment and will not provide you any value. The only value you realize is the book being shipped to you as fast as possible. Instead of focusing on accelerating valuable processes, one should first eliminate non-valuable processes, as the effort of work will probably be less and the outcomes more effective.

Muslims also know non-valuable activities as "Lagow", an Arabic term mentioned in the Quran in several places, as deeds that have no benefit, or are a mere waste of time. These are deeds that keeps one's focus away from his purpose in life, which is the success in the hereafter.

Before improving valuable processes, it is important to get rid of as many non-valuable processes as possible. In the case of my client, they were focussing on products that yielded low profit margins, were difficult to market, promote and sell, and required large staffing and overhead.

2. Reduce waste
Waste is all around us in our activities. It is imperative that before we develop new processes to improve deficiencies we actually reduce waste as much as possible. Waste could be due to over production, excessive steps due to complexities of processes, queuing and idle time, defect correction and rework, poor organizational and planning processes, lack of controls and creativity stagnation.

Through some auditing and analysis it was found that my client had opportunities to reduce expenses of photocopying, utilities, rent and other non-valuable activities prior to let go of employees who were driving valuable activities for the end user.

3. Use facilitation to reduce cycle time and enhance efficiencies
A facilitator who is neutral to the different entities in your enterprise, and who has no authority or decision-making control, can bring tremendous value to your organization. The facilitator can apply collaboration concepts, systemic approaches and architectural thinking to decompose problems, address impacts in all areas of interest, and ensure a collaborative environment exists where the various team members can share ideas, brainstorm and foster creativity.

Controling Many Small Changes: Taming the Culprit for Most Accidents or Failures

2009-05-18T23:17:00.006-04:00

As changes creep upon our processes, methods and systems; we accumulate little bits of inefficiencies which eventually become large and cripple the system.

Six Sigma helps ensure continuous improvement, through the use of data collection to analyze and understand how a process works or changes. The focus in this case is to reduce variations to processes or design ultimately leading to less defects. Common approaches to identify these variations or deltas is through the voice of the customer (VOC), quality function deployment (QFD), failure mode effect analysis (FMEA) among many others.

Lean improvement approaches can also help address change creep consequences. The focus in this case is more on waste minimization and elimination. Common approaches are value stream analysis, the five S, Kaizen events, just in time, work standardization and error proofing.

__________________________

Picture: The Nile Delta in Northern Egypt. Image depicts delta erosion.

Feedback: A Core Component of a Successful Process

2009-05-18T18:31:00.008-04:00

Processes comprise of a functions which operate on inputs to produce outputs. Data associated with the inputs and outputs can be used to further enhance the process quality. The data related to the process outputs could include important elements that when fed back to the input within a solid analytical framework could offer valuable insights and impacts on the process improvement.

Several key steps in designing the appropriate data collection, analysis and feedback system are summarized below:

1. Decide where to collect the data
Data can be collected at the input, various processing points, decision-points, at the output or any combination of all of these locations.

2. Decide what measurement systems to use
Various techniques exist to collect and measure data. Decisions need to be made on best statistical approaches, summarization techniques, collection methods and the levels of accuracy and precision needed.

3. Decide how to analyze the data
Approaches of data analysis need to be determined. It is important to determine cause and effects, root causes, correlation, regression dependencies and other relationships among the various variables and factors.

4. Decide on how to use the information resulting from the data analysis
Decisions related to the application of the information learned is important. For example will information be applied in real-time, or after process reengineering is brainstormed.

The Cruiseterminal - The World's Floating Dock

2009-05-18T09:22:00.004-04:00

Even by Dubai's standards the Cruiseterminal is an extravagant project. Rigged to a foundation in the Persian Gulf it can host three of the largest cruise ships. Its an integrated system comprising of its own photovoltaic electricity generation subsystem, an entertainment and retail subsystem, a 180 room lodging subsystem, docks for tens of smaller boats.

A system such as the cruiseterminal brings new challenges not only to system design and development, but also system operations, support and maintainability.

To check pictures of the Dubai floating Cruiseterminal among other structures, check De51gn at http://de51gn.com/design/the-floating-world-of-koen-olthuis/

Using the Theory of Constraints & Six Sigma to Fix Critical Components of the Economy

2009-04-29T10:02:00.012-04:00

Constraints are all around us. The theory of constraints is a lean problem-solving concept based on a simple concept, that a process can not move faster than the slowest part of the process.

Our economy as a complex enclosed system has constraints and it will respond to stimulus as quick as the slowest link in the economy. The chart on the left illustrates some major components of the economy. They all need to be improved for the stimulus to realize benefits, otherwise it will be a temporary patch.

The root of the problem lies in three areas:

1. The concept of printing money and the process followed to release cash into the market. The Federal Reserve Bank - which is not a government entity - is provided the authority to distribute the nation's currency and supervise banks which are members in the system. When the US releases currency into the market it requests the Federal Reserve Bank to print dollar bills in return for an interest payment on the amount. No real assets are provided as collateral to backup the value of the printed currency. The value of the currency is only backed up by the reputation and promise of the US government to accept the currency as a form of payment. As users of the currency lose faith in the governments ability to keep the promise the value can drop significantly. One reason for the poor confidence in the currency, is the automatic depreciation of the currency the day it was printed. For every US dollar printed a small percentage is due to the Federal Reserve Bank as interest on that printed dollar, in a sense every dollar released into the market is really worth 0.98 of a dollar, if we assume an interest rate of 2%. Add onto this, the fact that the US government is running into a non-stop deficit in social security, and other areas leading to increase in bond issuing to countries such as China and India, further diminishing the value of the US currency.

2. Interest rate or usury is another problem in the overall system. The fact that currency value depreciates today based on some future value determined by an interest rate automatically leads to inflation, and future depreciation of natural resources. Charging interest is like pumping steroids into a body builder, eventually at some point the body will collapse.

3. Selling what we don't own. The idea that goods and services can be sold without actually owning them creates a virtual commodity system, not backed up by real commodities or assets.

Unless these areas are fixed no stimulus package can work on the long term. Some simple steps to address this issue are:

a. Identify the constraints of the financial and monetary systems
b. Exploit the constraint or re-engineer
c. Subordinate other steps in the overall process to the improved constraint
d. Revise the constraint if it has not been eliminated by steps b and c
e. Repeat the steps above for other constraints

Applying this into practice can be as follows:

a. Identify the constraints of the financial and monetary systems
- Currency not backed by a true tangible asset (some natural resource like gold or silver)
- Currency being depreciated the day it is printed, solely due to interest
- Distribution and sale of products that do not exist (example lending money to a business when the bank does not have the exact cash reserved, selling a commodity that one does not own and has not yet paid for)
- Using interest rates to discount projects, assets and commodities to a future value, leading to valueless future assets, commodities, natural resources

b. Exploit the constraint or re-engineer
- Re-engineer the monetary system that issues a currency based on a true asset and not just a promise
- Re-engineer the concept of future valuation
- Re-engineer the concept of wealth circulation

c. Subordinate other steps in the overall process to the improved constraint
- Use a sustainable natural resource to backup the value of an issued currency
- Use joint partnerships, gifting (0% loans) and entrepreneurship, moving away from interest bearing loans of money that is not owned by lenders.
- Base future valuation on true-value (value proposition) provided to global society rather than a discounted interest rate.

d. Revise the constraint if it has not been eliminated by steps b and c
e. Repeat the steps above for other constraints

One Way to Ruin a Great Product Idea - When Design and Implementation Miss

2009-04-27T14:59:00.010-04:00

A friend of mine sent me some interesting pictures for projects that might have seemed successful on paper, when in implementation they failed. This is where a systems engineer comes in handy, in cases like these.

A Financing System for Prosperity, Growth and Social Justice

2009-04-18T14:45:00.005-04:00

My dear friend Mohamed El Habashy sent me a link to an interview that he was part of on PBS. He was one of several experts interviewed on hot topic of Islamic financing. It seems that the World suddenly woke up to realize that a system that was revealed to mankind some 1430 years ago is now all the sudden a good choice.

The Islamic financing system is based on one of three main models:

- Mosharaka (joint ownership through stocks, capital partnerships)
- Qard Hasan (good lending, a loan with no interest (0%) regardless of amount and maturity date)
- Mudaraba (entrepreneurship or partnership with effort and experience)

Several key concepts in Islamic financing are

1. Joint sharing in risk and reward (property/asset price increase and decrease) - is part of the definition of ownership in Islam, and it provides responsibility and fairness to all parties.

2. The concept of selling money (lending with interest) is prohibited. In Islam lending money as a form of investment is prohibited and not in compliance with the Islamic Shariyah.

3. Sales are only acceptable on items owned. This means someone can not sell an item (product, service, shares, commodity, etc..) unless he has paid for it in full and has full control on it. In Islam a person selling stocks that he never paid for is prohibited and not in compliance with the Shariyah.

As of today there are no 100% Islamic compliant financing vehicles in the US, the efforts mentioned above in the PBS article are good and trying to strive to get close to the fair and just Islamic financing. However due to regulations and other factors there are some gaps, such as the joint risk sharing in a partnership model. Islamic financing has been around for 1430 years from the days of Prophet Mohamed and it is implemented in many parts of the World (UK Links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) we in the US are just behind. There is a US institution that has started offering some Islamic vehicles.

There is no question that Islamic financing is fair, just and solid, providing fair social rewards to all parties involved, unlike other means of financing. Islamic financing can be used by non-Muslims as well whether they decide to fund or use the system.

Usury/interest was prohibited not only in the Quran, but Jesus and Moses were ordered to tell the people to not engage in usury. (proverbs 28:8, Ezekiel 18:8, Exodus 22:25)

Finally America Might See a High Speed Rail System, or Might It Not

2009-04-17T15:47:00.008-04:00

It's not about time that America gets a high speed rail. It is way past due. Japan had one for decades, and Europe has been there, did that ages ago.

These days there are discussions about two impressive high rail initiatives worth mentioning. In the West Obama is pushing for $13 billion ($30 billion total cost) high speed rail system (links 1) in California and the heart of America's Mid-West, Chicago, my favorite city. In the East King Abdullah is launching a high speed rail route between Makkah and Madinah.

Wikipedia has compiled a list of high speed rail projects across the globe. The Saudi project is impressive as it has the least cost / mile worldwide. The American is impressive because it is the first in the Western Hemisphere and second fastest worldwide reaching a little over 150 miles / hr.

Now here is the big project. China's high speed rail, the longest worldwide reaching over 800 miles and exceeding the American train speed. A really neat chart showing the world's top high speed projects can be found at infrastructurist.com by Yonah Freemark.

So the questions that pop up are: Why did it take America too long to initiate such a project? Will it be a success or another Acela (links 1, 2) Successful system development is contingent on many factors some of the critical ones are policies, supporting infrastructure, overall cost, stakeholder value proposition.

So why do I consider Acela a failure (1) Well, for one it was a very expensive system, secondly, it did not take away much volume from other modes of transportation. If it takes me an hr to drive from my home to get to an Acela station in Washington DC so that I can get to New York City in a couple of hrs, I might be better off driving up to New York in 2.5 hrs and pay less in gas and have the convienence of my own transportation in all the other pockets of cities and suburbs that lack public transportation. Just one of many aspects of the overall system that needs to be considered.

The boundary of a high speed rail system does NOT stop at the tracks, it goes beyond the tracks and stations to the supporting infrastructure that will allow people to get to the high speed stations, use the facilities and services within the service levels and value proposition a stakeholder will expect.

New PMP Practice Book Released Today

2009-04-16T17:26:00.009-04:00

I just received a proof copy of my new PMP practice book today. The book is a great tool for those who prefer the self-study route. It comprises of 15 chapters covering the concepts of project management, a project's life cycle phases, process groups and project domain areas (scope, schedule, cost, risk, communications, risk, procurement, quality, human resources and integration). It also includes a chapter on professional responsibility, and a chapter with extra 130+ questions. The whole book offers over 420 practice questions very similar to the exam. The book is not a study guide (it does not have content to study, just problems to practice), it does have a chapter on how to prepare for the exam and various tips ranging from "how to get to the test center" to "how to respond to questions"

It can be purchased online from https://www.createspace.com/3380201 or from Amazon.com

Tools Alone Produce Fools

2009-04-15T11:41:00.003-04:00

Managing a project or defining a complex system requires the knowledge and skills of appropriate methodologies and processes to realize the objectives. An individual who only knows how to use a project management tool (see selected list of tools in the sidebar), but lacks the understanding of the iterative and progressive nature of projects and how to manage the different processes within each phase will not be able to lead a successful project.

There is a big difference between developing a schedule that works and a schedule that looks good in a tool. Expert project managers need nothing more than a pencil and sheet of paper to lead a project. Tools help automate calculations and enable updates and corrections easily, allow tracking of changes and ensure a controlled environment that is agile and flexible. Tools do not defie methodologies, approaches, strategies, or plans. Tools do not execute, monitor or control and tools do not communicate, coach, inspire, motivate and collaborate. Only project managers do.

Are your pencils sharpened?

High Availability Systems Failure

2009-04-03T08:26:00.004-04:00

Does your business require availability capabilities? In today's complex business landscape and the demand for high accountability and transparency, high availability becomes a basic requirement in operations, information access and decision-making.

Interestingly most high availability environments that fail are unable to deliver the expected results no because of technology immaturity, but mostly due to poor management and oversight. A publicly known example is the State of Texas data loss as a result of invalid checks and balances and inappropriate technical management. In this particular case according to the article in the Dallas Morning News IBM has been fined $5.4 million. Of that, $2.7 million was for failing to resolve problems quickly and $1.2 million was for server outages. Data backup breaches, missed mail deadlines and taking more than 15 minutes to respond to serious incidents accounted for the rest, according to department records released this week.

Next time you implement a high availability solution, do not get fooled by the latest server technology, data backup system or disaster recovery tools. A high availability technology with a staff member who can not use it makes it useless.

Maryland is First in the Nation to Reach Recovery and Reinvestment Act Milestone

2009-04-02T09:29:00.005-04:00

States are required to meet certain federal guidelines and requirements to be eligible to use recovery funds allocated to the State. On March 23rd, Maryland reached this milestone. According to the State of Maryland Governor's website, "Phase I of Maryland’s ARRA funded highway projects totals more than $224 million and has the potential to support up to 10,000 jobs".

On the top of President Obama's priorities are business integrity and fiscal responsibility. Vice President Biden has been assigned this responsibility. This will drive the need for certified project managers and professionals by contractors to ensure best compliance possible with sound business practices and accountability standards.

This is a great time to get PMP certified for professionals interested in pursuing recovery act projects. I am offering several workshops soon.

Risk Management Through Coaching

2009-03-31T09:23:00.005-04:00

To manage risks on a project we tend to follow various processes such as planning for risk management, conducting qualitative and quantitative analysis, and responding to risk. These processes include specific details such as the definition of a risk, risk triggers and thresholds, steps the team will take to identify risks, the classification and groups of risks, risk prioritization and many other little details. These processes work very well - when implemented correctly of course - and are successful in avoiding the negative consequences of a potential risk should it occur.

Besides these well known and understood project management, agility or systems engineering processes, coaching and mentoring is another powerful tool for risk management. Having another project manager as your coach allows you to get a fresh insight on project health and can hold you accountable in an informal manner to project goals and aspirations. Your coach acts as a friendly auditor and makes collaboration even fun.

Next time you manage a project don't forget to have a coach or buddy, whom you trust. You will not only gain some insights on your progress, but you will also be motivated to raise the bar.

External Project Risks More Important than Ever

2009-03-30T08:57:00.005-04:00

As the economy becomes more challenging and the impact of globalization increases project risks become more in number and impact. Moreover external risks are closer than before. Examples of external project risks that have become much more visible during the downturn and that project managers should start accounting for if they haven't already are:

- Fluctuating currency exchange rates
- Labor issues (strikes, layoffs)
- Regulation changes
- Customer investment and purchasing changes
- Contract breaches
- Financing and investment opportunities

3 Ways To Guarantee a Failed Product

2009-03-26T08:37:00.012-04:00

I was at the county jail a few weeks ago coaching a group of young men on strategies to transition back into society. I asked them two questions, the first list 3 goals you would like to accomplish during your lifetime, things you will be proud of in the hereafter. They jotted down some goals on 4*6 cards. The second question was list 3 things that if you do, you are 100% sure that there is no way you can achieve these goals, it will be impossible to achieve them. I gave them a few minutes and they all had a few points to share.

One example of a goal that was shared was to get back to education and enroll in college, get a degree and be a productive member of the society. The young man noted involvement with illegal substance to be a factor not allowing him to realize this goal.

Developing successful systems follow the same pattern. We need to understand user requirements, the utility of the system, why is the system needed, what value is the system offering, the gap it is filling. Once that goal is clear and understood, we need to make sure we protect these requirements from "outside noise", what is also known as scope creep. Scope creep is for sure a main reason why projects fail, it is when we add requirements, remove requirements, or just change requirements in an uncontrolled fashion, without going back to understanding the rationale and true value for doing so and relating it to the project's objective, cost and schedule.

Reason 1: Low Quality Requirements and Scope Creep - Uncontrolled Changes

A second young man in the group shared his goal was to be a successful businessman offering valuable services to the society. He noted down that unethical dealings would be a reason to ensure he never accomplishes his dream. I advised him that to overcome this hurdle he needs to continuously gauge his relationship with his Lord and measure his values and ethics. If he notices that his relationship is getting weaker, he needs to take corrective actions.

In the domain of systems development we call that validation and verification. Is the project still valid? i.e. is it still delivering what it was originally intended to deliver. And is the work correct? Can we verify that the work is what was expected earlier at the beginning of the project, through testing, and if it is not correct, can we take corrective actions to resolve defects. This validation and verification needs to be conducted throughout the whole life cycle of the product, and not just near the time we turn it over to the client, otherwise the deviations from the expected results could be huge, leading to costly modifications, schedule slippage and possibly a failed product.

Reason 2: Not Considering Validation and Verification Early in the life cycle of the product - Developing the wrong product, or developing the right product incorrectly

A third person shared that his goal was to be a teacher, nurturing young minds not only with knowledge but the application of the knowledge and its purpose. I reminded him to share with his future students trace back the purpose of the knowledge they learn from him, to the purpose for which we were created. Everything we do needs to serve the purpose for which our Lord created us.

Similarly, in the domain of product development, we can that requirements traceability. How do the original requirements defined by the client relate to design work, development work, testing and final product features. It is important that throughout the life cycle of a product we maintain a clear trace of how the work we are currently involved in relates back to what the customer needs.

Reason 3: Poor Requirements Traceability - Missing some Requirements in Implementation, adding Features not Needed, or both

Make sure if your customer asks for a mule, you deliver a mule as expected, and not a cow. Although a cow has plenty of benefits and utility, it might not serve the need satisfied by a mule.

7 Tips for Engineering Students

2009-03-25T09:34:00.005-04:00

I often get questions or concerns from engineering students about studying and being able to pull through college to reach their goals of becoming engineers. I have to admit going through engineering school is no light challenge, but at the same time it is an enjoyable experience.

Common comments are concerns of not being able to understand the questions in an exam, or not able to go through the needed steps, or just finding subject matter too complicated.

Here is my advice for of these folks and other future engineers.

1. Understand that engineering is all about problem solving for the betterment of humanity, through the use of scientific facts. This means that a good engineer must,

understand what the problem is (how it happens, why it happens, when it happens, where it happens)
analyze the problem - visualize it (use a pencil and paper to sketch, engineers are born to sketch)
determine its scope - (how big is the problem, who does it affect, under which conditions)
determine what information is given to us (data, assumptions, facts)
learn the sciences (calculus, physics, chemistry, etc..) to use in problem solving
apply these sciences to the appropriate solutions for the relevant problems

2. Never memorize, engineers are thinkers. Anything you learn must make sense to you. You must understand why a theorem or rule is the way it is, how it came to be so, this will help with critical thinking, and will enhance information retention.

3. Do not depend on calculators too much, understand how calculations occur, understand how the value for the various engineering functions are calculated, the meaning behind a differential, or integral, etc.. Then use the calculator to just speed up calculations - remember a fool with a tool is still a fool.

4. Develop mini-processes for yourself of things to do when you analyze engineering problems, make these processes adaptive to suit your thinking styles, analytical abilities and memory capabilities.

5. Practice makes perfect. Just like spending ours in the gym pumping those muscles up, or on the court perfecting those slam dunks. Engineers need to practice solving various types of problems (easy one, long, ones, short ones, complex ones, complicated ones, straight-forward ones, etc...).

6. Be organized - learn how to manage real-estate space on your paper. Organize data, analysis, scratch notes, results, conclusion in clear separate sections of your sheet. Be a good communicator, improve your writing and verbal skills, to allow you to effectively communicate your solutions to others.

7. Love the subject matter. You can never solve a problem, you don't care about. A good engineer can never design a bridge if he cares more or less of the importance of crossing the river. Love it, adore it, live it, immerse in it... be the engineer !!

Iterative and Incremental - We Have Something to Show

2009-03-18T11:53:00.005-04:00

On projects which follow a waterfall methodology and run into project delays, usually there is nothing to demonstrate to the client. This is a little different with iterative and incremental methodologies. Iterative meaning we repeat the life cycle processes over and over, with an incremental addition in each run. With iterative and incremental development a delayed project can demonstrate an artifact to the client. It might not be everything the client wished for, but it is there.

Iterative and incremental methodologies provide higher levels of confidence to project sponsors, who would be more willing to extend investment in a troubled project than a project with no output at all.

Agile methodologies embed iterative and incremental approaches. Examples are Rational Unified Process (RUP), SCRUM, XP and others.

Great leaders know how to scope these increments and how often should they come out. For example lets consider a generic problem well know to everyone, the current economy down fall. This problem does not have a one shot solution. A $700 billion stimulus plan will not solve it for once and for all. It is just an iteration that will yield some results in 18-24 months, to keep things afloat. Most probably another iteration will be needed to sustain some of the new initiatives started in increment 1, and so on.

We apply iteration and increment processes in our daily lives as well. When we go to the grocery store to purchase soup, we don't purchase 100 cans of soup for the full year, even if we could successfully store them and pay for them. We purchase maybe 5 or 10 cans for a week or two, we then repeat the grocery purchasing process in one or two weeks.

Reasons for iteration are many,
(a) gain confidence in an experience to decide whether to repeat it or sustain it or not
(b) streamline cash flow
(c) simplicity
(d) effective time utilization
(e) limitation in resources
(f) shorter demand cycles (time to market, constituent demand, etc..)

Effective Project Management in a Snipit

2009-03-05T13:37:00.007-05:00

What are projects all about? A project is about delivering capabilities on time and within budget. So you are hired as a project manager at company ABC to ensure that their new product can be developed within the next six months and within budget as defined by the product team.

To ensure the delivery you need to accomplish a few basic items. Most people don't even do this bare minimal checklist below.. and guess what they wonder why their projects are among the 60%+ statistics of failed projects.

a) Understand the problem/gap the product is offering to solve (ie understand the value of the end product)
b) Define the project scope (schedule, cost, capabilities, stakeholders, assumptions, dependencies and risks)
c) Put together a good team that compliments each others skills, abilities and knowledge.
d) Define all work items that are needed to make the capabilities (product) delivered, in a hierarchical format (aka work breakdown structure - WBS), detailed to a level that can allow weekly reporting on the status of work completed
e) Define activities and their duration and resources needed to accomplish the work defined in the WBS, and come up with a schedule and cost budget.
f) Track the work completed relative to the cost and time spent to date and as planned. Are your cost and schedule variances healthy?
g) Know and track your risks throughout the project and mitigate as your move forward.
h) Ensure changes are controlled and tracked along with risks, issues, cost and schedule health.

You can be comfortable that you have a good chance of delivering your end product. Of course there are other details, but for the most part this is the backbone, if its solid, your project should be able to make it to the finish line.

Volunteer Team Members on Your Project?

2009-03-05T13:15:00.008-05:00

Have you ever run a project that is solely or mostly running on a project team of volunteers? I was presenting to a group of program directors in the research field. Their dilemma is that they manage projects which have team members fully run by volunteer researchers from other organizations.

After comforting them that they are not the only people in the world that run projects fully dependent on volunteers, but rather they are part of the millions of teachers, religious groups, social service groups, civil rights, good citizens, and dozens of professionals who donate their time and expertise for the good cause of the World .. they became more relaxed.

So back to their challenge... How to get a volunteer - someone who is not paid, not officially or legally bound, not under your authority or control - to do their part on the project as a team member?

Answer is simple: Motivate and ensure the value they are interested in by doing this good will is present and did not disappear.

I have managed and coordinated tons of projects such as the one we are talking about. I also participated in tons where I was a team member. Bottom line --- as long as there is volunteer value. They will not only stick around, but will produce exceptional value... let it evaporate and before you know, they are all gone.

Example: Project X: Goal is to initiate, launch, implement and supervise a series of monthly community dinner at a Muslim community. Volunteers who are interested in being part of this project will most probably join for one or more of the following reasons,

a) they like food, food events, cooking, or have some passion to food
b) they like social gathering and chatting with others, like to be part of a group, or big family
c) they respect organization and like to see these events well organized and a god experience for every one
d) they just want to help out a community they belong to and enjoy being part of

So as a project manager, you know that all these volunteers are not getting paid, have very limited time, might live far away, but are interested in helping out, because they told you. As long as those 4 items above are maintained, they will keep coming. Now when something happens and for example these volunteers are no longer allowed to cook and bring in their own meals to share with others... they will not come because point a) is not longer available. Or if they feel that participants dont get along together and some tensions arise then they will stop again because point b) is no longer available... and so on.. you get the point.

So in a nutshell project manager need to have strong emotional intelligence skills and keep their eyes and ears open to what the volunteer team members are interested in and how much of it is on their projects.

Back to the volunteer researchers from all across the country that are on Bob's project (not real name). As long as the researcher's can add their work to their tenure requirements, paper portfolio, get academic recognition, be known as a participant, be respected for their knowledge and ideas, be able to have open communications with other scientists..... they should stick around.

Successful teams develop because they strive for the carrot, regardless what form the carrot takes.

Enterprise Architect vs. Service Architect

2009-01-29T14:21:00.009-05:00

If you open any book on SOA you find it defined as an architecture which offers a framework for improved business - technology alignment. In [1] SOA is defined as "a framework for integrating business processes and supporting IT infrastructure as secure, standardized components - services - that can be resused and combined to address changing business priorities". The IBM SOA Foundation [2] defines SOA as "the practice of deriving an information system design from a business design".

I find both definitions to be confusing and incomplete. The first definition is basically an enterprise architecture (EA) framework, right? The definition that it is a framework means that it defines governance, perspectives (views) and/or some methodology. Similar to TOGAF, or Zachman (does not have a methodology) or other well known architectural frameworks. TOGAF which is a framework for enabling the design, evaluation and build of the right architecture for an organization [3] offers an enterprise macro level architectural definition. TOGAF defines four main domains - business, data, application and technology. Well, the answer is not quite right. SOA is not EA, SOA is applicable at a level lower than the enterprise, it is focused on the service level, wherever it might be. In some cases services could be enterprise-wide and high level, but most of the time it is local.

Lets think of SOA as the "service instantiated" architecture for an enterprise architecture. To make it easier to understand lets take the example of a small non-profit community center. An enterprise architecture for this community center is the evaluation, definition, design and build of an integrated structure unifying the community center to allow it to achieve its mission. For example an enterprise staff appraisal system as part of that architecture. On the other hand SOA will define how the various services related to a staff performance system can be designed in IT resources and aligned to the business goals. Services could be "Staff Feedback Solicitation", "Performance Appraisal Metrics Definition", "Performance Appraisal Metrics Assessment", and several more. So in a sense SOA is addressing the question of "now we have an enterprise wide structure and method to appraise staff performance, how can we actually turn it on, and customize it for different departments, with optimum reusability of approaches and resources.

Other definitions of SOA is that is it is "a methodology and approach that can be utilized to deliver or to support an enterprise architecture initiative" [4].

______________________________________________________________
[1] Norbert Bieberstein, Sanjay Bose, Marc Fiammante, Keith Jones and Rawn Shah, " Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) Compass: Business Value, Planning and Enterprise Roadmap, IBM Press, 2006.

[2] Rob High, Stephen Kinder and Steve Graham, "IBM's SOA Foundation: An Architectural Introduction and Overview", IBM Business Consulting Services, Version 1.0, Nov 2005.

[3] The Open Group, "The Open Group Architectural Framework (TOGAF)", Version 8.1.1, Enterprise Edition, 2007.

[4] Niel Maehiter, Quote in an Article titled, "What's the difference between SOA and enterprise architect?" by Joe McKendrick, June 11th, 2007. (link)

Metrics for Defining the Complexity Level

2009-01-21T13:39:00.003-05:00

I was sitting in a meeting when a whole bunch of folks started sharing ideas on how to assess the level of risk associated with a project or system under development (SUD). Some thoughts were to consider the number of requirements, others the number of change requests needed, and some suggested the level of engineering support needed for a requirement to be realized, for example does the requirement call for an architectural change, design change, development change, or just test or only support during testing.

I agree with the last proposal, analyzing the scope of changes is a good way of defining the complexity and hence the risk of the project, then we can create metrics that reflect these different levels of engineering support. Merely looking a total number of requirement, change requests or development teams involved might not provide the most accurate assessment. Instead, the system architecture needs to analyze and study the requirements impact and assess design complications, development challenges, testing validity and deployment issues. This integrated view can provide a more objective feel for the level of complexity involved in the SUD. A system might have only two system level requirements that drive the whole architecture change and hence brings in large design, development, testing, deployment and support efforts, compared to another system which has 2 dozen requirements which marginally impact development and will hence have a much lower effort in other areas and less overall complexity and risk.

I came across some interesting articles and papers on this topic.

A Complexity Assessment Methodology for Programmable Electronic Mining Systems
Software Complexity Measurement
Design Complexity Measurement and Testing
A Function Point Method for Software Complexity Measurement

How do you assess the complexity of a project in your environment?

A System for Complex Event Management

2009-01-19T12:24:00.009-05:00

It is expected that about 2 million individuals will visit Washington DC on Jan 20th. This will not be the largest event that draws pedestrian traffic. Each year Saudi Arabia hosts over 3 million pilgrims in Makkah and its surrounding areas for the Hajj worship activities. The Saudi's can attest that is is by no means an easy job, to keep the crowds safe, moving and able to do what needs to be done with ease.

The inauguration is a little different and less complex that Hajj in a sense that the largest part of the event is confined to the Mall and mostly static - i.e. folks are sitting or standing to witness the President as he gives his speech. Whereas, the Hajj is a more dynamic experience. Pilgrims move back and forth between Makkah, and the nearby mountain of Arafat and the valley of Mina on the outskirts of Makkah, 8 km away. Among the pilgrims are also celebrities such as Presidents and leaders of Muslim countries, businessmen, athletes, scholars and other well-known public Muslim figures who have intended to perform their pilgrimage. So the complexities of the inauguration might be much simpler than that of Haj, yet the organizers and teams overlooking its management have put a great deal of effort in organizing it that is worth discussion.

I share a few images - courtesy of the Washington Post - of how the event is organized illustrating security checkpoints, seating areas, entrances, exits, rest areas, vending, etc.. You can call these mission diagrams or context diagrams, at the end of the day the represent the high level architectural overview, which is worth appreciating as it reflects the amount of effort out into managing an event effectively.

The Saudi Government as well has recently taken extra ordinary measures to control the Hajj traffic and ensure safe experiences for the pilgrims. What is interesting is that the Hajj planning never required the closure of any streets in Makkah near or around the Holy Kaaba, unlike the inauguration plan, nor has it required security checkpoints such as those in the inauguration, other than guards at the entrance of the Grand Sacred Mosque for visual inspection.

This is a very interesting domain that is worth research, and I am sure there is a lot to learn from both the Saudi and American experiences.

Update: 3/22/09 - There is a discussion on linkedin related to major event management, you can follow it here, if you are member of "Project Manager Link" group.

Is there a difference between a SOA repository and a SOA registry?

2008-12-23T08:48:00.003-05:00

Generally speaking a registry is a location that stores information about registered entities. A few of examples of registries could be a town's birth registry which records all births in the town, a College class registration office, and an annual article index of a publication which lists all articles that appeared in the publication during a particular year.

Registry is defined in the Webster's College Dictionary as the "place where a register is kept", and the dictionary defines register as "a book in which records of events, names, etc., are kept".

In the examples provided above we see that the birth registry will contain a list of all names of people who were born in the town, their dates of birth and maybe some other information like the address at the time of birth, ages of parents, names of parents, etc. We do not expect to see the actual people in the registry ! The people will be in their offices, homes or wherever else.

Similarly, in the case of the annual article index, which is another form of registry we expect to see the titles and dates of publication of articles that appeared in the publication during that year. We do not expect to find the articles themselves in the index of articles.

A repository on the other hand is a location where actual artifacts are stored. We can guess that for the example of the birth registry, the actual repository would be hospitals, delivery clinics and places where people give birth. This is where we can actually find the babies.

Similarly in the case of the article index, the actual articles would be find in the various issues of the publication throughout the year, and would be stored in a library.

Repository is defined in the Webster's College Dictionary as " a place where things are deposited, stored or offered".

So now in the context of SOA, we can define the Service Registry and Service Repository as follows.

Service Registry
A comprehensive list of all SOA services available to an enterprise to achieve a business objective. The list would include the service identification information, location of the service, service classification (purpose), and information about how to interact with the service.

Service Repository
A storage location that houses the SOA service and its components, is involved in controlling access to the service and the presentation of the service to its users

If we ponder for a moment we notice that some key areas of a SOA service are neither part of a service registry or service repository - at least by defintion. For example a service's history, statistics about the the service, performance reports, etc.. by definition are not part of the repository. Some SOA implementations or frameworks might decide to store such service management reports and information in the repository, others might wish to develop a SOA Service Management Repository which will house that kind of informaton.

Systemic Reflections from the Obama - McCain Race

2008-11-06T21:16:00.007-05:00

There is no doubt that Obama not only won the elections, but also smashed his opposition. Looking at the Electoral votes we see a torrent gap 349/163 and a popular vote of 53%/46%... what a surprise... totally unpredictable... I personally thought he might win 51%/49% and maybe an electoral vote ratio of 1.1/1... not 2.14/1..

So this tells us that human systems are totally unpredictable.. engineering a system with a human as part of it might be suicidal in some cases. So lets take the example of engineering a commercial aircraft, is the pilot part of the system or not? Most system engineers will say.. not really ... the system is the plane (structure, mechanical, electrical, etc..) we can model those, but we can't model the pilot, what if the pilot is too slow to land, or fell asleep during take off.. so many soft factors to model, so lets take the pilot out of the picture.. and then we test (verify) out plane with an average pilot... that is a pilot who did not have a bad day, did not lose a loved one the week before, is not tired, has no spousal problems, etc.. So the test passes, aircraft declared ready for production, sold and used for years, without a hitch...

We recall the Egypt Air flight than mysteriously dropped out of the Eastern US skies on Halloween night 1999, until our date we have theories and thoughts of why the sky bus blew up and perished in the air... some say the pilots walked out of the cabin to stretch, when the senior pilot walked in and committed suicide, other theories are cracks in the wing, a third fuel leakage, and a fourth contribute the root cause to a strike 10 yrs ago when that batch of 747s where in Seattle on the assembly line, and that because they were not in a good mood the quality of manufacturing standards was below nominal.. who knows.. it could be all the above, or none of the above.. bottom line is that many of these root causes include a human factor.. totally unpredictable .. just like the American voters.. the time has come to include soft factors into engineering problems -- Point 1... we can't ignore soft factors

Now, wasn't it the McCain campaign that distributed those millions of DVDs in swing states to tell them about how radical Islam is? Covering up truth, and smearing others does not work anymore... the people are more educated nowadays than the 80s, 70s, and 60s.. thanks to the so called Internet, and its myriad of facebook, you tube, google and countless other applications.. --- Point 2... Fooling customers never works, eventually they will know that you are marketing a 747 and selling a prop.

Finally, end users buy and use what they want, not what you tell them they need... Americans don't want their daughters and sons in Iraq, Americans don't want their 401Ks wiped out, they don't want to lose their jobs, telling them that pulling out of Iraq is not only stupid, but irrelevant.. regardless whether it is a good idea or not, its not what they want to hear. End users want to hear solutions to their problems, they don't want solutions to other problems, and they are not smart enough to know where root causes come from, you where there when the plane crashed.. then you must be involved. --- Point 3... It doesn't matter how brilliant or great your idea is, if it does not solve my problem, its worthless in my perspective [1], also I don't care why the system crashed, the point is that you did not do a good job designing it. Don't blame the storm, blame the plane [2]

We can wish as much as we want, model as much as we want, take the means, but at the end whatever Allah ordains will happen...

Now whether Obama will deliver on his promises is a completely different story, history will let us know.

SOA Programming Allows Independence

2008-11-05T12:35:00.003-05:00

The SOA programming model is to embrace underlying programming languages that are already deployed in the enterprise. It does not mater whether applications are .NET, CICS, Java, SAP based, or based on any other technology, these technologies are all transparent to SOA.

SOA allows the architect to hide any variations or differences between languages and programs to maximize reuse. Additionally we can drill down into unique aspects of a specific language or program only when needed, without exposing the details.

One of the major benefits of this programming model followed by SOA is to program and develop business and service design rather than a technology. For example the programming focus would be on a student grade verification process, rather than a .NET session.

Any experiences to share?

XML's role to SOA

2008-11-05T10:41:00.004-05:00

SOA leverages the standard XML data representation to reduce underlying complexity of application environments. Some are examples are;

- Passing XML documents and schemas between applications allows for the standardization of data format and type, which this improves predictability and performance.

- XML documents are easily understood by different stakeholders such as architects, analysts, developers and users, leading to enhanced data maintenance, traceability and clarity.

- XML allows the support of standardized vocabularies across the enterprise, hence reducing mis-interpretation of corporate data and data models.

- XML allows a SOA based system to realize a foundation data representation and data management layer.

For SOA to leverage the benefits of XML, a solid XML architecture should be developed and implemented. Such architecture should include architectural components for data transport, structure, validation, verification and modeling. Accommodations for RPC-style messaging needs to also be considered if an environment does not support document-style messaging (SOAP). In such cases we need to ensure no conflicts exist between usage of RPC-style SOAP messages (from shaping XML documents around a parameter data exchange model).

A Slotting System for Misery, Poverty and Crime

2008-11-05T10:01:00.004-05:00

It was a bit of a shock to see that Marylanders favored bringing slot machines to Charm City, and its suburbs. It is no more than a call to bring crime, prostituition, and long term economic failure. This is not just my opinion as a Muslim Systems Engineer, but that of any person who has some basic knowledge of economics and social reform will have the same opinion.

What comes easy goes easy. Slots brings a system of vapor to Maryland. No true productivity, no true growth and no true value proposition, other than greed to the operators.

We should not be surprised to see more bankruptcies, shattered households, and chaos similar to the global financial crash pretty soon in the Free State.

Should Systems Engineers Study Psychology?

2008-10-22T07:41:00.003-04:00

Given the fact that systems engineers deal with systems, and most systems comprise of a human element in it, it seems to make sens that systems engineers need to know a little about how people act.

Humans are very complex system components, they can be viewed as a system in themselves (human system), or even a system of systems (SoS) (digestive, neural, circulatory, psychological, muscular, etc..)

So maybe after all those biology classes we used to study in middle school do have some benefit to enterprise architecture. I guess systems engineers who are involved in soft system should study not only psychology, but maybe also other human systems of interest to the largest SoS.

I came across an interesting article at http://www.techjournalsouth.com/news/article.html?item_id=6299 which discusses cognitive systems engineering, which is defined as, "A combination of psychology, anthropology, computer science, design and systems engineering, the field of cognitive systems engineering is the understanding and designing of systems that require human intellectual work".

Got to go dig those science books..

So What are the Services in SOA?

2008-10-21T23:49:00.006-04:00

Service-oriented architecture has gained heavy adoption over the past few years. The next several postings will provide a high level SOA introduction. I am hoping the posting could serve as a basic primer for systems and project professionals working on a SOA project.

What is service-oriented architecture?
An architecture that allows the alignment of business processes and objectives to Information Systems in a flexible and adaptive manner, through the defintion of services.

What are these services?
Services are modular and repeatable business processes. A service could be defined at different levels of the organization. for example, a "customer update" could be a service that allows a customer to update their profile. On another level, a subscriber authentication process - to allow customer to gain access to her profile to update it - could be a service.

What are the main characteristics of a SOA service?
Services are also loosely coupled, maintaining a relationship that minimizes dependencies and only requires the awareness of connected services. Services are stateless and minimize information related to a specific activity.

So some examples of simple services in a sales department of a business could be; "collect customer information", "collect product /service information", collect payment terms". Each of these services could be broken down further as needed

Good Engineers are Managers and Leaders

2008-09-14T16:10:00.005-04:00

Many schools of thought separate between leadership and management. While I agree they are different they are intertwined constructs. Read more here.

Lets take a simple example, one of that of a sales manager. Most people will agree that a sales manager is primarily a management role. However in the case of a small travel agency serving the air travel needs of its clients, the sales manager on a daily basis finds herself performing tasks such as establishing new relationship with potential suppliers (leadership), negotiating contracts and deals (leadership), motivating her sales staff (leadership), developing sales target plans (management), performing forecasts (leadership), reviewing sales reports (management), training employees (management(, coaching high school interns (leadership), addressing customer complaints (management) and calculating sales team commission (management). This is another example of how a sales manager role in a small business deploys leadership skills to remain highly competitive and ensure superior client value.

How much of your time as a systems engineer do you spend managing, leading and engineering?

Perfection Never Ends... KISS brings us closer

2008-08-21T11:40:00.006-04:00

Last night I was chatting with a friend of mine who is working on the launch of a new project. I asked, "How far are you from launching?" His unexpected reply was "We will miss this year's launch and do it next year, I want to make sure everything is complete and people get to say wow"

The question we need to consider "Is it better to launch today when there is need, but have a modest service offering?, or to spend another year perfecting the service offering and miss the boat on this year's demand?"

KISS (Keep it Simple & Short) brings us closer to deployment and reality.. apply agility... get something working out the door, serve the need, use the opportunity to make further improvements in later releases... perfection never ends.

The Assertive Systems Engineer

2008-08-21T11:23:00.003-04:00

So you are on a project to help the team develop a successful system. You notice things that don't make sense, or are not they way they should be. You raise your concern, "Hey, team we need a process to automate testing". Everyone looks at you as if you are some wacko, and then moves on with their business. Two weeks later and after 4 more team meetings you raise the concern again, and again. Finally one team member says "We always did testing this way, and we don't have the money or time to develop the automation, so don't keep repeating this".

What do you do? Shut up? Go with the flow? or be stubborn, resist to work in a chaotic environment? Actually the reaction should be neither. Smart systems engineers need to be adaptive, flexible and understanding of the business constraints and technical limitations. They also need to be assertive and counselors of best practices and approaches.

Document your technical opinion, the problem as you see it, the proposed solution, the rationale for the solution and consequences of not addressing the problem. Be assertive about your technical opinion, and also flexible to adjust the solution as needed to meet the laws of physics and constraints the team must abide with.

Remember systems engineering is all about engineering a system with the most optimum means, in accordance to sound decisions and rationale

ISO IEC 15288 / INCOSE SEBoK v3.0 Life Cycle Stages

2008-08-18T14:09:00.004-04:00

Life-cycle definition is an important aspect of any system. By defining a life-cycle we can establish a framework for meeting stakeholder needs in an orderly fashion.

This order comes from the presence of stages in the life-cycle, and decision-making at the end of each stage to determine the readiness to move on. Stakeholders are concerned with the business case, funding and capability of a system at each stage.

INCOSE SEBoK ver 3.0 defines seven life-cycle phases. Each of these phases are listed below. Phases 2 - 7 are the same as the six phases defined in ISO 15288.

Pre-concept Phase:
Inputs: New ideas
Process: Creative systems engineering and requirements definition
Outputs: Identified enabling technologies

Concept Phase:
Inputs: Studies, experiments, models
Process: Requirements identification (if not done in pre-concept), indepth feasibility studies, prototypes, risk evaluation, early validation
Outputs: System requirements, feasible design solution

Development Phase:
Input: System requirements
Process: Development, integration, verification and validation
Outputs: Developed, verified and validated system

Production Phase:
Input: Tested system
Process: Modifications, re-verification, cost reduction
Output: Manufactured product

Utilization Stage:
Input: Performance reports, change requests, operational work orders
Process: Operations, change management
Output: Operational product, upgrades

Support Stage:
Inputs: Modifications, change requests
Process: Change control, maintenance, cost reduction, support
Output: Sustainable service and supported mission

Retirement Stage:
Inputs: change requests, competing systems
Process: System migration, removal, disposal
Output: Disposed system

System Sustainability: No Longer an Option

2008-08-12T09:26:00.006-04:00

System developers rarely analyze or even worry about the long term sustainability of a system. The main focus is usually on today's and the near future's needs. The client says "I need to consolidate these two billing systems by next January".

Everyone on the projects starts to focus on this requirement. It becomes an architectural driving requirement, functions and operations of the new system will be based on this requirement and dependencies will start appearing, which if traced will be found to have largely come from that main requirement - consolidate by January.

No one gives thoughts to what happens after January. How and what will the new consolidated system look like and need to do to remain sustainable and not turn obsolete in a year or two and require another consolidation project with something else at the time.

Last year I was fortunate to do some research work under the supervision of Dr. Peter Sandborn of the University of Maryland. We looked into this topic - how to create sustainable software - and have come up with a model that might help extend the life-cycle of software systems.

With news that countries like Oman will run out of oil in 40 years popping up, sustainability in all aspects is no longer an option, but a requirement.

Agile In a Nutshell

2008-08-08T10:57:00.003-04:00

Agile development is all about short iterations. Using what is known as a scrum process requirements are iterated and turned into use cases which are tested and so on.

The goal in agile is to test early, to identify early defects; and use continuous stakeholder feedback to deliver high-quality consumable code through use cases, and a series of short time-boxed iterations.

A New Buzzword in Town - Cloud Computing

2008-08-07T17:11:00.004-04:00

So first it was Application Service Providers (ASPs) then Utility Computing and now comes Cloud Computing... It seems that every couple of years the industry needs a new set of buzzwords to keep the PR machine running.

Well there might be some slight differences between utility and cloud computing, but I would not really identify them as differences, I would just note them as the same with a slightly different scope. Instead of renting computing resources - utility computing - cloud computing rents applications and IT services.

So what is this cloud computing after all? Reading through various articles it seems to be nothing more than an application service provider hosting enterprise IT services for its clients. Its just technology improved from what was available in the mid-nineties, and vendor are looking for a way to get over the unsuccessful connotation of ASPs by relabeling the concept into cloud computing.

Some links on the topic from various trade rags for those interested:

http://gigaom.com/2008/02/28/how-cloud-utility-computing-are-different/
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_52/b4064048925836.htm
http://www.gartner.com/it/products/research/cloud_computing/cloud_computing.jsp
http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19397/?a=f
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2007/tc20071116_379585.htm

What is RUP?

2008-08-07T16:37:00.003-04:00

RUP short for Rational Unified Process is a process for software engineering. Originally develped by Rational Software, Inc. - now acquired by IBM.

RUP focuses on the following best practices:

1. Four major phases in a software development cycle (inception, elaboration, construction and transition)

2. Within each phase RUP allows for iteration and incremental development. this supports refined requirements, risk reduction and results oriented management.

3. Disciplines which group activities by nature. There are nine disciplines defined (business modeling, requirements, analysis and design, implementation, test, deployment, configuration management, project management and environment). These disciplines spread across the four phases of a software project.

4. Manage requirements using tools that support traceability, prioritization, validation and quality management.

5. Develop component-based architectures, where components are primary concepts for design. They are self-contained modules with clear interfaces that can provide a well-defined function.

6. Visually model software using languages such as UML, or SysML. Numerous tools on the market support these languages such as IBM's Rational Suite, IBM's Telelogic DOORS, iRise, Visual Use Case, Visual Paradigm and many others.

7. Verify software quality, especially in the areas of functional, performance and reliability compliance.

8. Control changes to software through a traceable and end-to-end approach.

An Enterprise as a System of Systems

2008-06-24T16:20:00.002-04:00

Sometimes it hard to identify whether a system is really a system of systems (SoS) or just a system. INCOSE defines seven challenges that a system engineer could use to identify a SoS [1]. I find two of them of particular value. The first test condition is that each system can operate independently. The second is that each system has a different life-cycle.

Looking at an enterprise we can see that in a well optimized, stream-lined and modular enterprise (as if this exists!) , the various business units or divisions could operate independently. Also we notice that the various programs, services or products offered by the enterprise have different life-cycles.

Requirements: Engineering vs. Management

2008-05-15T15:46:00.002-04:00

Which is a subset of the other, is the process of requirements management a subset of requirements engineering or the other way around?

To best answer this question lets get back to the basics. What is "engineering" and what is "management".

The term engineering is used to indicate an activity whereby an engineer utilizes findings of sciences to realize solutions which solve problems. To provide an example, a society which has a problem crossing a river asks a civil engineer to realize a solution to this problem. The engineer based on his readings and input from scientists in the fields of chemistry, physics and materials suggests using a steel structure which can withstand corrosion from the environment, and hot summer temperatures as well as extremely low winter temperatures. The engineer performs calculations to detemine bridge loads and how the structure will behave to cross winds and othe environmental elements.

So back to requirements engineering, it is the process used to determine how to best engineer (recognize, analyze and synthesis) a requirement.

Generally speaking management is defined as the activity of controlling, organizing, planning, and directing. It can be argued that planning and analysis do overlap and hence both requirements engineering and management overlap to some degree, and I would agree with this. However requirements management has a much broader scope than engineering, requirements management plans, organizes, controls and directs the processes related to requirements "handling", this handling includes engineering, development, maintenance and obsolecence. Changes to requirements are considered part of requirements maintenance which is part of reqs mgmt.

Requirements management involves developing a database to store requirements, a report from this database could be the RTVM, a list of configurable items (CIs), requirements management could also include tracing requirements to business requirements upward and to test and verification results downwards, it also ensures that the synthesis process in requirements engineering is sound and consistent and traceable to project work packages in the work breakdown structure (WBS) and eventually the statement of work (SOW). It involves establishing requirements baselines, negotiation with stake-holders and prioritization of requirements and changes.

We should not assume requirements management to be a phase in the system life-cycle, but rather a continuous process overseeing all the phases of the system, nor is it a subset of requirements engineering but rather a superset of the various system phases. This is illustrated in the chart below.

A few papers related to requirements management are listed,

[1] Ian Somerville and Pete Sawyer, "Viewpoints: Principles, Problems and a Practical Approach to Requirements Engineering", Lancaster University, 1997.

[2] James Martin, "A Process for Requirements Definition and Architecture Definition", Texas Instruments.

[3] James Martin, "Systems Engineering Guidebook: A Process for Developing Systems and Products", CRC Press, 1997.

Daring and Leading

2008-05-08T09:59:00.005-04:00

A good engineer is one who is daring and leading the stakeholders towards a solution. Younger engineers tend to be more risk taking, which is not always bad. As Pearl Buck once stated "The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible -- and achieve it, generation after generation."

Daring and risk taking is not wrong and should never be, as long as we manage it. Thats where the whole idea of risk management comes in. Risk management and innovation work hand in hand, and will produce exceptional results if led correctly.

As Eudora Welty once said, "All serious daring starts from within", a good engineer is one who loves what is being worked on, what is being innovated and what is being risked.

Allah (glory be to him) states in the Quran, "Indeed Allah will not change what has been bestowed on a group of people, until they change what is inside of them".

It all starts in the heart and the passion to lead and succeed.

SOA in a Nutshell

2008-04-28T13:00:00.004-04:00

Service-oriented architecture has emerged as the means to improve business intelligence, innovation and agility, through developing loosely coupled distinct automation logic units. These loosely coupled automation logic units allow an abstraction of business logic and technology.

SOA encourages units of logic to exist autonomously yet not isolated from each other. In SOA the units of logic are known as "services".

Automation Logic

The automation logic components used by SOA comprise of:

1. Messages: which represent the data required to complete some or parts of a unit of work.

2. Operations: which represent the logic required to process messages to complete a unit of work

3. Services: which represent logically grouped set of operations capable of performing related units of work.

4. Processes: which contain and define the business rules that determine which service operations are used to complete a unit of automation. Instances of processes wherein a group of services follow a particular path through the process logic to complete a task are known as activities.

SOA Principles

Key principles in SOA are:

Autonomous services
Loosely coupled services
Services abstract underlying logic
Composable services
Formal contracts to define information exchange between services
Reusable services
Stateless services
Discoverable services

Software Components

2008-04-09T14:34:00.003-04:00

Systems engineers define requirements at various levels, the highest of those levels is the business level, then comes the enterprise level, then the system level, then the component level. For a physical system a component could be easy to identify, how about software?

One way of defining a component in the software world is an active object with clear self-defined interfaces [1]. Active objects are objects with have their own thread of control.

Another definition is that a component is an object written to specification. Components are defined to meet several criteria namely; multi-use, non-context-specific, composable, contained and of independent versioning [2].

So a component level requirement is a requirement that tells the developer the needs that the code shall be able to accomplish.

[1] Hassan Gomma, "Designing Concurrent, Distributed, and Real-Time Applications with UML", Addison Wesley, 2000

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_componentry

Applying the Learning-Teaching Style Process to Jump Start Your Novice Engineers

2008-04-02T11:14:00.006-04:00

Working as an elementary school teacher is not an easy job. One of the biggest challenges facing an educator is activating and sustaining the student's motivation.

Richard Lavoie in his book "The Motivation Breakthrough" discusses a four-step process which has been effective with children during challenging times. The process is summarized as follows:

1. Do it for the student - By explaining to the student what needs to be done, we then ask questions about next steps. Using common sense and logic the student should be able to explain what needs to be done to solve the problem. During this step the student is not asked to do the work himself, but only be responsive to questions, actively listening and asking questions.

2. Do it with the student - In this step the educator allows the student the opportunity to do part or all of the work with the assistance of his coach. Upon the completion of this step the student will be able to perform the task, or solve the problem on his own.

3. Observe the student - In this step the educator observes the student doing the work. It allows the educator to evaluate the process of the problem solution and not just the final result. It is a great opportunity for the educator or coach to offer suggestions, praise, clarifications and guidance. Upon completion of this step the student becomes a master in the problem or task.

4. Have the student do it - The student is completely independent and not supervised during the problem solving or task implementation. It provides the student extra confidence and the ability to innovate and improve the process and skills involved.

As Chief Systems Engineers we can apply these concepts to novice team members or new graduates. New members could shadow experienced systems engineers and achieve step 1 and 2 through direct interactions during the shadowing process. Delegation allows the senior team member to observe the junior team member and finally a complete turn-over allows the realization of the fourth step.

Hello I am Your Systems Engineer. How Can I Serve You?

2008-02-18T23:21:00.003-05:00

The last thing a systems engineer wants to ask a client during a requirements gathering process or JAD session is "So what features or capabilities do you need?". If the client knows what they need, there is no reason to hire a systems engineer.... right?

So how can an SE find out what a client needs? Asking for what the problems are is probably the first questions an SE needs to bring up. Identifying the problems, the root-cause for these problems, the severity, history and impact are the questions the clients need to hear. Clients understand very well their problems, they usually have a slight idea or thought on potential solutions, and in many cases don't. But all clients will know what their problems are, or at least will be able to explain the manifestations of a problem.

Systems Engineering - Various Perspectives

2008-01-23T12:29:00.000-05:00

We are familiar with civil engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and the many other engineering disciplines. Engineering generally speaking is the application of science and its concepts to solve society's problems. For example a problem of crossing a river can be solved using the sciences of materials, welding, concrete pouring, etc.. through civil engineering which makes it possible to realize a civil solution. Also we can develop a product that lifts people up into the air and cross the river - called a helicopter - through aerospace engineering which makes it possible to realize an aerospace solution. Similarly, systems engineering attempts to solve problems through the realization of a systems solution using the concepts of systems sciences. One difference in the case of systems engineering from other engineering disciplines is that systems engineerings is not only based on sciences of systems, but also on the art of systems thinking.

Here are some perspectives on what systems engineering is,

1. An Engineering discipline focusing on system realization using well developed scientific approaches such as requirements definition, engineering and management; feasibility and trade studies; system interfacing and integration; technical risk control and management; system optimization; system life-cycle management and system modeling and simulation. Systems Engineering has been offered as a post graduate degree in many institutions around the world, mostly at the Masters level. A handful of Universities also offer PhD degrees in Systems Engineering. I expect in the next 10 years we will see B.Sc. degrees offered in systems engineering as a new engineering branch of study, it could also be offered in specializations or as a minor at the undergraduate level.

2. An Engineering approach which combines both art and science. The science of rigorous well-defined engineering theories, processes and approaches, and the science of problem solving using systemic approaches. The art of systems thinking.

3. A management discipline controlling the total system life-cycle. In this case systems engineering is viewed as the interaction of science, organization and the environment and their impact on the system throughout all phases of its life-cycle. It is also viewed as the application of methods, tools and technologies across the life-cycle of the system products.

Performance: An attribute or a behavior?

2007-12-10T21:23:00.000-05:00

Is performance of a system an attribute or a behavior? I guess the answer to this question depends on the perspective you are considering. Lets take the example of a Nissan Quest Minivan as a system.

According to its data sheet it has a performance of 235 hp @ 5,800 rpm and a 240 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm. This data could be considered a system attribute at the time of design. These are the performance goals the design engineers are targeting in the product that rolls off the assembly line. One can argue that once the minivan hits the road and a driver presses on the gas pedal these numbers no longer become attributes but rather operational behaviors. As the system ages the numbers would change.

Enterprise Architecture

2007-11-05T12:58:00.001-05:00

Enterprise Architecture is the organizing of logic for business processes to reflect the integration requirements of an enterprise's operating model.

It is important to identify the processes, data, technologies and interfaces that are core to the definition of the operating model. Different enterprises will have different operating models and hence the focus on each of those mentioned areas would be different. For example a wholesaler in the oil industry will focus on processes and data more than a retailer in the finance industry whose focus would be on client data and interfaces.

Some artifacts that could be used as starting points to define an enterprise architecture could be functional architectural diagrams, which would highlight the main functional processes. Another artifact is an external interface diagram. A list of shared data and key technologies linking the various applications also serves as a good defining artifact.

Daddy I Want a Cat Now: A Real-Time System Delimma

2007-09-06T23:52:00.000-04:00

It was the first week of school when my daughter came back from school and dashed through the door to remind me of the promise I made last school year. I promised her that in the fall we can buy the cat she always wanted. I was faced with a real-time problem. I had to make a decision on the spot to accommodate her request. The 8 year old has been patiently waiting for 3 long months to invite that little creature into our home. Opposed to the idea of having one, I had to delay until she can prove herself responsible to care for little kitty.

So as humans we get faced with real-time problems, and we need to deal with them in intelligent ways to avoid long term damage, and short term devastation. The human real-time system shares some similarities with a real-time software system processing delay-sensitive service requests.

So what are the key attributes of a real-time system? In a nutshell it is a system that must produce accurate computational results and these computations must conclude within a predefined period. These two attributes are known as the functional correctness and timing correctness of the system, and both have equal importance.

Another key aspect of a real-time system is that is has awareness of the environment in which it exists and applications it hosts, hence it is considered deterministic as the responses to service requests are time bound. This deterministic response behavior makes a real-time system less adaptive to changes in the environment. We can easily see the dilemma faced by real-time systems operated in highly dynamic environments. A balance needs to occur between the deterministic response and the adaptiveness of the system.

The same applies to a parent's situation with his/her child, a deterministic response is needed and expected by the child. After waiting all these months for kitty and behaving well during the summer break, the child expects a real-time response. The child will not expect "ok, let me think about it". A decision has to be made on the spot, hence the time boundness. Additionally the parent is aware of the consequences of denying or approving the request. In the former case the child will be devastated and will accuse parent of not holding on to promises, in the latter case kitty will go on hunger as the child is still not responsible enough to care for kitty.

This kitty real-time system involves (1) a service request initiated by the child to own a cat, (2) a decision-maker processor - the parent - and (3) the external environment - the child's attitude. Do the laws of embedded real time systems apply here? They probably do, however it is a lot more complex than a technology real-time system such as a missile defense system and involves psychology, social behavior and various other domains of art. A missile defense system involves a human element in the decision-maker process to fire or not to fire, however the system element expecting the real-time response is not a human, it is a missile launch pad, and its behavior is well understood. In the example of the kitty, the child's behavior to the parent's real-time response is not clearly understood, it could manifest itself in a sudden outburst of tears and crying, an acceptance accompanied with long term dissatisfaction, short term happiness, etc... modeling and predicting human factors is a whole other story...

Common Software System Development Methodologies

2007-09-06T23:19:00.000-04:00

There are 4 common software system development methodologies. These methodologies comprise of:

(1) A process - to define activities or tasks to achieve the goal of the methodology
(2) A vocabulary - to describe the process and work products created during the process application.
(3) Rules and guidelines - to define the quality of the process and the work products

The four methodologies are shown in the table below along with their strengths and weaknesses.

Domain	RUP	Shlaer-Mellar	CRC	XP
Emphasis	- Incremental and iteration	- Execution for verification	Scenarios and simplicity	Simplicity, design through integration and refactoring
Strengths	- Comprehensive - Well Defined artifacts and roles - Incremental deliveries	- Simulation capability - Well defined testing rules - Well defined transition from one step in the process to another - Real-time system support	- Simplicity - Easy to use to transition from procedural to object oriented concepts - Focuses on object value, leading to optimized system	- Focuses and cares about the programming environment - Supports and requires close relationship between clients and developers - Accounts for changes in the development process
Weakness	- Large and difficult - Complicated rules - Customization is not straight-forward - Limited vendors supporting the process	- Considerable learning curve - Focuses too much on state modeling. - Limited vendors supporting the process	- Supports primarily classes - Requires a facilitator	- Relies on an ideal development environment - Depends extensively on client commitments - Requires high quality human interaction among development team - The system is in a constant state of maintenance

A System for Innovation

2007-08-04T14:44:00.001-04:00

Diversity in our lives brings a wealth of knowledge and experience at unexpected ways. There are many facets to diversity; examples are age diversity, education diversity, background diversity, interest diversity and the list can go on.

Imagine if all people were interested in playing basketball, then all what the world will know is basketball. Now with the presence of soccer, one can think and say, what if we come up with a game that has some attributes of basketball and some of soccer, and call that game handball, just an example. This diversity in the athletic domain can yield new types of games. Not only that, but also consider for a moment how a team can lead innovation based on experiences from basketball as a knowledge domain. There are many areas, team work, flexibility, adaptability, endurance, and probably a dozen other areas of knowledge.

This weekend I had the privilege of hosting a couple of my friends' teens at home. Being a married professional my late 30s, most people I deal with are professionals around my age or a bit older or younger, as well as my spouse and young girls. How often do I interact with a 14 or 16 year old? The answer is not very often. Spending an evening together pondering on the creation of Allah (SWT), and reading from his book, and then hanging out at the gym together the next morning has given me a very interesting insight. "Strong nations need and must communicate across all sections of the society". The old and the young, the senior and the junior, the poor and the rich, and so on ...

This should be no surprise to a systems engineer, as Allah (God) tells us in the Quran that God has created us from a male and female and make us into tribes and nations to know one another and to know that verily the most honorable among you are ones who have the most piety.

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ

Allah has created diversity. Diversity in gender - men and women - as well as in color, demographics and place of origin. This diversity if put to action correctly in compliance and adherence to the guidance of Allah, we will not only succeed in this life but also in the hereafter.

On the other hand, we are also diverse in levels of piety and belief. As humans we can recognize this through contrast and comparison to other groups and nations. Someone who is not on the right path can easily identify so by seeing or dealing with someone who obeys his Lord and fears the consequences.

In just less than 30 minutes with two teens, I was able to learn about every single piece of workout equipment in a room the size of about 70' by 40'. In an hour we tried out almost 75% of the equipment. So you probably ask now, whats so interesting about this? What is interesting is the unexpected power of knowledge developed by mixing the teen and the 30 year old ideas, thoughts and passions. My younger friends provided a blend of motivation, risk assumption, willingness to explore and hastiness. I pitched in with risk control, analysis, prioritization and feedback. Now lets consider on the other hand that I went to same gym with the parents of my young friends - i.e. my friends - would we have explored those dozens of equipment? Would we have attempted to try half of what we tried out? Would we have motivated each other and encouraged one another to try out equipment... I can guess probably not. Imagine going with a newly retired friend who is in his 60s .. what experiences can we expect and imagine ?? Probably a lot more that are different from those discussed above, adding even further wealth. Humans need to mix across generations, not only for social purposes but also for strength and growth purposes...

This is definitely a complex topic, involving tens if not hundreds of factors... The main point to take out of this discussion is that "Diversity leads to new experiences, these experiences could be good or bad. In either case the experiences tends to be of large dynamic nature", and we should understand its implications very well to better control it, and leverage it to innovate and grow stronger.

Organize Your System: Architecture versus Framework

2007-07-24T16:36:00.000-04:00

Architectures and frameworks are among many other artifacts that could be used for organization. So what is the difference between an architecture and a framework?

Architectures define a unified structure of a system. It is concened with the purpose determination, concept, structure, use and behavior of the system. Architectures could be physical, operational, technical or functional.

Frameworks define the data and information that needs to go into an Architecture. For example a framework will define that a functional architecture will include functions, inputs and outputs of these functional blocks, controls and maybe actors performing these functions.

Common frameworks are DOD Architecture Framework (DODAF), The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF), Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework (FEAF), and they define what needs to be in a C4ISR Architecture, Enterprise Architecture and a Federal Enterprise Architecture respectively.

More to come on this topic soon...

Which Soft Skills Do You Consider the Most Important?

2007-06-15T11:48:00.000-04:00

The discussion about soft skills and their significance in engineering fields is getting more attention. Soft skills such as active listening, interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, negotiation, and the list goes on... are becoming increasingly important and strategic. Engineers are no longer confined to their cubicles within reams of sheets of drawings and calculations.

Engineers are out in the field discussing needs and capabilities with clients, leading technical meetings, discussing details with suppliers and vendors and communicating with other professionals across the globe using collaboration tools such as instant messaging, IP conferencing and real-time audio and video communications.

Which ones in your opinion are more important than others?

Software Systems: What is Your Type?

2007-06-11T12:11:00.000-04:00

Software systems are all around us. In the car, microwave machine, washing machine, traffic lights, bank, Internet, and just about every place we go to. The big question is how different are these software systems from one another?

Some software systems mission is to store data so other systems can retrieve it and process it. The Internet and a complex database cluster system are two examples. Other systems process data and provide results such as credit card processing systems and airline reservation systems. A third software system is one embedded in some control logic on an appliance like a microwave program or washing machine, and the list goes on...

We have heard of the terms pervasive computing and pervasive networking. They refer to distributed computing elements connected via a complex communication network allowing tight integration into our lives. An example would be a network of sensors communicating with one another and a number of management nodes.

Can we define a new type of software system called the pervasive software system? One which is deployed on a large number of computational devices across a complex network, each device performing a custom computational task - dependent on the devices location and mission, which could be time dependent - and sending the results to a larger "master" computer.

Note the difference between the pervasive computing and pervasive software is that in a pervasive computing environment the various nodes are dispersed, but each has a fixed computing configuration - fixed hardware and software. The pervasive software system on the other hand is a software system broken into pieces each running remotely on its own pervasive computer, and these software pieces could be reconfigurable and dynamic according to where the pervasive computer is and what its mission at a particular point in time is ...

Technical Arguments

2007-05-31T16:53:00.000-04:00

In order for a systems engineer to come up with a decision, there has to be a solid argument. Arguments are not conflicts, but rather expressions of ideas with evidence and facts. Arguments should be verifiable and are not based on emotions.

I am teaching a debate class for middle schoolers this weekend. So what is the link between that and this blog. Well, everyone needs to debate. Debate is not just for politicians, attorneys and TV host shows. Engineers need to debate technical ideas, requirements and design constraints. the systems engineer needs to ensure that technical arguments are backed up by solid facts. These facts need to be verifiable, just like requirements.

Teaching engineers how to debate is as important as teaching attorneys how to present a case in court. Dealing effectively with complicated and complex systems requires no only engineering and science, but also art in the form of architecture, soft skills and critical thinking.

Decision Making and Systems Engineering

2007-05-31T16:27:00.000-04:00

Systems engineering is an interdisiplinary approach to enable the successful realization of systems. Learning the systems engineering process is not a complex task. The tough part of systems engineering is making decisions related to trade-off studies, and balancing among the different requirements, which could at many times be orthogonal and conflicting.

An effective systems engineer is one who can provide insights and advice related to technical decisions. This would occur as follows,

1. Ensuring requirements are clear, well understood, correctly prioritized, and motivation well understood
2. Modeling and simulation and developing what-if scenarios
3. Conducting trade studies and parametric analysis
4. Clearly defining interfaces and boundaries, their requirements and impacts
5. Comprehensive risk management and optimum risk handling
6. Justify changes to requirements, design, scope, resource demands and technology
7. System optimization to develop a best solution in situation where multiple aspects of a system can be optimized
8. clearly defining dependencies, integration constraints and alternatives

The value of the system engineer is not only implementing the systems engineering capability pattern, but also ensuring that true value is being realized through the implementation of the SE capability patten. This true value will be achieved through solid decision-making.

A World of Decisions

2007-05-30T13:11:00.000-04:00

Very often we get challenged to make decisions on problems which have more than one criteria. This decision making process is referred to as "Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM)".

MCDM defines two major classes for determining optimal decisions. The first known as Multi-Objective Decision Making (MODM), and the second Multi-Attribute Decision Making (MADM). Both classes could support single or multiple decision makers as well as multiple data types -deterministic, stochastic, or fuzzy.

MODM deals with problems in which the decision space is continuous. MADM on the other hand is used when solutions are discrete.

The key point in making decisions is not what one is deciding, but rather how the decision is made. The ability to make sound decisions is a fundamental life skill, each one of us experiences everyday.

To read further:
1. Tryantaphyllou, Shu, Sanchez, and Ray, "Multi-Criteria Decision Making: An Operations Research Approach", Encylopedia of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, John Wiley, 1998, pp. 175-186.

2. Hammond, Keeney, Raiffa, "Smart Choices: A Practical Guide to Making Better Life Decisions", Broadway Books, 2002

Squeezing the Last Bit out of a Technical Review

2007-04-03T19:37:00.000-04:00

Often times on projects with extremely tight schedules and very short durations, the project team does not have the time to document kep aspects of a system. For example external interface specification may not be documented in the form of an Interface Configuration Document. However the designer might have opened change requests/engineering changes and documented what the impact on the interface would be. This practice could lead to missing some requirements, or not looking into all interface design issues.

In situations such as the above (you have a 4 week project to develop a large system, no time or resources to develop a true "ICD") the system engineer feel helpless. One key authority the system engineer has is to use the critical design review to gather these requirements which are all over the place. For example, using the ICD example above, the SE can ask questions like, 'What impact will this CR have on the external interfaces?", or "What test requirements are needed to verify this CR". Capturing this information into a table, the SE can then later reverse engineer a systems interface requirement document, or an ICD.

Technical / Scientific Reviews Leadership

2007-03-28T22:58:00.001-04:00

We had a guest speaker come in from Johns Hopkins APL to our leadership class at UMBC last night. He shared with us his career experiences and some tips.

One thought I got from his visit was the importance of teaching technical/scientific review meetings leadership. I did a search on the Internet quickly to see what is out there, but there is very little literature in how to successfully run and conduct a technical review.

I am not talking from a process perspective, like what the process for an SRR should be. These processes are well known and understood. But rather I am talking from the leadership perspective. Areas like

1. Tools
- What are the best tools to use during the review, slideware, spreadsheets, technical documents, etc..
- Can reviews be conducted remotely over collaboration S/W like NetMeeting, Notes
- What is more effective in-person or remote meetings? I did both each has it pros and cons

2. Negotiation schemes
- So the client PM takes over the meeting, how do you as the lead SE on the contractor side react?
- Just got into a project yesterday, you need to do a walk-thru tomorrow, who are players? how to run the review smoothly?

3. Time control
- Mr. chatter loves to chat, and whiner complains about each requirement, and repeater has to make sure we all memorize his statements before we leave, how to filter and weed out the garbage talk and retain the technical meat you are looking for?
- One big 8 hr meeting with 1 hr lunch and 2 15-min breaks, or 4 2-hr meetings over 4 days?

4. Scope control
- Ok, we are doing a use case review, but lets quickly go over the architecture, 60/40 opposition, what do you do?

I attended a workshop by Edward Tufte, the professor at Yale last Spring, he discussed some very interesting thoughts about how some organizations fail to conduct reviews simply because they use poor tools. He gave the example of NASA and the shuttle explosion. In his opinion as well as the many experts who evaluated the crash, the failure in the shuttle started not at launch, but rather way back in the technical review process. NASA was too heavily dependent on power point fluff. It was very easy to lose focus of the strategic technical issues and questions during the reviews.

This all needs more research...

Have You Looked at the 2 F Words? Five Factors !

2007-03-28T22:21:00.000-04:00

Developing a new product in no easy job. The uncertainity that looms around you seems endless. This uncertainity can be broken down into 5 areas as explained by Michael Porter, in his book "Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance".

1. Potential entrants

2. Supplier Power

3. Buyer Power

4. Substitutes

5. Industry competitors