Blowing Your Own Trumpet!!

Being good at your work counts but being able to showcase that work is equally important too. This is especially true when your job is your art or vice-versa – your art is your job.

Consider an artist who creates mind-blowing work in a dungeon but never displays it to anyone. If that art is also his livelihood he will never sell anything and soon run out of money and possibly cease to exist and so will his art.

Compare this to a scenario where a person creates good work (not low quality) and knows how to sell it. The good worker may get only half of what a mind-blowing artist would get (if he sold) but he will live to create more art, learn and improve upon it.

Not trying to undermine the importance of great work, but showcasing your work is part of the Genius. You may create the sharpest knives in the world but if you are not able to convince somebody to use them they will eventually rust and become useless.

The Genius not only does great work but takes pride in showcasing it equally well.

Inspiration From A Cardboard Arcade

There are only a few blogs that I truly read and follow like this and this. Mainly because instances of useful, interesting and really inspirational stuff on the internet are very few and far between like needles in a haystack; rest all is just clutter. Sometimes when you feel exasperated after of hours of surfing, sifting through the noise to find something worthwhile; you stumble upon something that is both heartwarming and inspirational.

This is the story of 9 year old Caine Monroy who created his own Game Arcade using cardboards in his father’s shop. I am not sure what made me feel good – the creative genius of the kid, his enterprise or the knowledge of the fact that he has managed to collect  $205997.2, when last checked, in donations for his effort. When even grown-ups feel reluctant to go ahead and start their own gig and follow their dreams, here’s a small kid who believed in his idea, persevered and worked hard.

Here’s to the kid in all of us – Let’s follow our dreams as they sure come true!!

Data Governance, Stewardship and Management

Data governance, stewardship and management are more often than not mentioned in the same breath but are all three the same? If not, what is the difference between the three? How to determine what function belongs to which area?

All three are closely related often with blurring boundaries and sometimes have overlapping functions and at the very least need to work closely with each other to reach their end goals. But still there is a need to understand the basic difference between the three to be able to perform whatever role you have, more effectively. Based on my understanding I will layout what each means and how they are related to each other at a very high level.

Data Management, I believe, encompasses the broadest scope of the three - governance and stewardship being the sub-functions. It encompasses everything related to the data that an organization has – right from definition, delivery, quality to security and access. As per DAMA Data Management Body of Knowledge (DAMA-DMBOK):

"Data management is the development, execution and supervision of plans, policies, programs and practices that control, protect, deliver and enhance the value of data and information assets.”

Options and Excuses

Does having more options mean more excuses and more failures?

Does having the comfort of knowing that even if you fail you have something else to fall back on, prevent you from giving a chance that you have your all?

Does having multiple options and the luxury of choosing what you like take away the killer instinct?

Is it the options or the attitude that determine whether you look for excuses for your failures or look to learn from it?

I know most of you would instantaneously say in unison it’s the attitude. But I am interested in understanding the role of availability of options in shaping a person’s behavior and attitude.

A professional who knows he is and deserves much better than what he is getting at his current job doesn’t do anything about it and continues at the same job, cribbing about it every other day because he has the option of staying back in an environment which he is not happy with but has known for years and hence gives him a sense of security.

How Can Personalization Add Value To Your Customer Service?

Recently I had two very different experiences even though I was delivered the same incentive for using the same service at the same business.

Scenario-1

The car rental company that I use gave me a loyalty card that would be punched every time I rent with them. Once I had taken five rentals, it was promised that the sixth one would be free. Since I rent quite often the D-day presented itself pretty soon enough. So I happily presented my card in anticipation of my free rental. The customer care representative Mr. A looked surprised at first, as if I was the only one ever to have achieved that feat but he was polite enough to say that the company would honor the offer and they would take care of it once I return the car.

I went ahead with my business and on the day of return, I handed the contract papers to another representative, she quickly made some entries on her computer and said your bill is ‘x’ dollars. I had to remind her that it was my sixth rental at their location and Mr. A had assured me, it’s free and will be taken care of at return. She appeared clueless and then informed that Mr. A was not in the office that day so she would check with him and take care of it as required.

Discussion: Do Indian IT companies need to be more innovative to remain successful in future?

This started as generic discussion on a recent article published in The Economic Times regarding relevance of Bangalore as the IT Hub in the future but very soon we were discussing relevance of innovation for Indian IT companies.

Me: Here is something that you might find interesting :)

Has Bangalore lost track of its success curve?  

@Varun: I beg to disagree partially with Mr. Debashish Roy.. I believe he is misled by what he has been watching on television in last 3-4months, and if I am not mistaken he would have been one of the first few to sell Infy shares after last quarter results were declared.. :) But everyone is entitled to his/her opinion.. So no further comments on his blog!! :)

Me: I don't agree with the entire piece either but I do agree with concentrating on Product versus the services part :)

What the Skype deal means for Microsoft?

Microsoft snapped an 8.5 billion USD deal to acquire Skype. The deal sure has raised a lot of eyebrows - what is Microsoft up to? How and where are they planning to use Skype? Is it a game-changer or is Skype doomed forever? I have a couple of observations regarding the deal but first the casual conversation that triggered the thought process.

Mansi: Microsoft paid 8.5 Billion USD for Skype? Did someone not tell them that they can download it from the website for free???

me:  Actually they want to put it on their website for everyone to download after shelling out some bucks instead of just free ;)

Mansi:  lol  I’ll be amazed if they get 50 bucks back out of 8.5 billion USD.

me:  yes, the deal has surprised everyone ..let's see what Microsoft has planned

Mansi:  yeah..Skype walo ki to nikal padi (Skype people hit upon a lottery though). Offices mein champagne chhalak rahi hogi (They must be enjoying they Champagne in their offices)

Man vs Machine

As the Bahrain GP stands cancelled and the Formula 1 season is postponed for the first time in 21st century, I hear that the Bahrain economy would have to absorb a loss of estimated $100mn due to this decision and it might spurt equally severe repercussions for the Formula 1 teams and committees alike. But even with such alarming figures/discussions circumventing the sports world, I can’t stop but notice the awe-inspiring similarities between a human being and a formula 1 race car.

Both need proper fuel (weight and type) to propel properly
We all know that F1 racing cars can’t run on kerosene, they need a special high octane gas to make them fly on the race track. A follower of F1 would also tell you how it’s important to not fill tank till the brink and why it’s important to in F1 to leave a little in fuel tanks (in order to lower the car weight). In the same fashion the human body can’t just carry-on on a low fat, high fiber diet forever. And being over-weight or under-weight can cause problems.

Communication and roles

Another one received as an email forward. Communication is an essential ingredient of any Business Analysis process. Here is an excellent example of how it changes as we move up the Org hierarchy. A good scenario & role based communication example. Interesting read!



Engineer to Team Leader:
"We can't do this proposed project. It will involve a major design change and no one in our team knows the design of this system. And above that, no body in our company knows the formulation in which this application has been written. So even if somebody wants to work on it, they can't. If you ask my personal opinion, the company should never take these types of projects."


Team Leader to Project Manager:
"This project will involve a design change. Currently, we don't have any staff that has experience in this type of work. Also, the language is unfamiliar to us, so we will have to arrange for some training if we take this project. In my personal opinion, we are not ready to take on a project of this nature."

Project Manager to General Manager:
"This project involves a design change in the system and we don't have much experience in that area. Also, not many people in our company are appropriately trained for it. In my personal opinion, we might be able to do the project but we would need more time than usual to complete it."


General Manager to Vice President:
"This project involves design re-engineering. We have some people who have worked in this area and others who know the implementation language. So they can train other people. In my personal opinion we should take this project, but with caution."


Vice President to CEO:
"This project will demonstrate to the industry our capabilities in re-modelling the design of a complete legacy system. We have all the necessary skills and people to execute this project successfully. Some people have already given in house training in this area to other staff members. In my personal opinion, we should not let this project slip by us under any circumstances."


CEO to Client:
"This is the type of project in which our company specializes. We have executed many projects of the same nature for many large clients. Trust me when I say that we are the most competent firm in the industry for doing this kind of work. It is my personal opinion that we can execute this project successfully and well within the given time frame.

Bangalored ... oops.. Bengaluru'ed yet again..

..Life is so full of surprises; you can never say you have seen enough or are done with something. I thought of never visiting Bangalore again and here I was.. back in Bangalore…oops…Bengaluru yet again, after almost three years. A lot has changed about the city and a lot hasn't. During my short stay of 3 weeks here are a few changes that were noticeable:

1. The condition of roads is much better now. A lot of new fly overs, underpasses have been built, the roads have been widened, and the Hosur road elevated roadlink is now complete. A lot has been done in the span of less than 3 years to the credit of the administration. But it still didn't seem good enough, the traffic situation seems a tad better but probably roads have been stretched to their limits and maybe it's time for alternate means of transport.

2. Heard that a new metro (Namma Metro) is coming up soon. They recently had a test run on one of the routes. The sooner it comes, the better it would be for Bengaluru. The good news is that the bus fleet seems to have been replaced and you can see some shiny new buses on the roads. The highlight being the Bangalore International Airport (BIAL) service, the buses are beautiful, comfortable, the staff polite and the fares seem to be reasonable for the distance and service. But since the roads are already bursting at their seams I believe Bangaluru seriously needs a well connected metro/light rail system dearly.

3. Visited the new Bangalore International Airport for the first time – it’s much better than before but nothing great. But one good thing that it has done to the city is that it has given it more space to expand between the main city and airport. You can see a lot construction going on both sides of the road enroute the airport.

A Signage in Koramangla for Taco Bell.

4. Tens of new malls and cineplexes have cropped up all over the city but irrespective of which one I visited, each one was crowded to the limit with hardly any space to lay your foot on as if bearing a testimony to the booming economy that India is. Many US brands like Staples, Ikea, Taco Bell have opened shop in the city recently. There might be many more but these are the ones I came across.

5. A lot of new eating places have opened now. Most of them are chains with multiple branches throughout the city. They are a little expensive and the quality is not uniform. Paying Rs.125 for a thali (full serving) is common place and considered nominal but the size and the number of dishes is not uniform. One place though which surprised and delighted me was Khandani Rajdhani, they have several branches serving Rajasthani food with thalis ranging from Rs 125-325. But the service is very good although you may have to wait for up to an hour at most branches (they are immensely popular). It's unlimited all you can eat food with good service from smiling servers that is the USP of the place. Thanks Prady for introducing me to this Gem :)

6. Another good thing I noticed is the presence of lot of mobile services (not the cell phone) including mobile saloons, mobile car services, mobile pet care. In a city where getting out is tough and time consuming because of the traffic, these services will reach you at your place and provide the service you need. And people are being innovative; a certain city mall drops you home via a shuttle service if you shop with them :). These are smart moves by people who understand that customers are willing to pay a little extra in case you save them time and travel.

These are some of the things that I found interesting, positive and that caught my eye. A lot of things are still unchanged but I decided to concentrate at the brighter side :). And I am never saying never for visiting Bangalore again as I am sure it will call me again to continue the love-hate relationship I have with the city, but I hope it is long enough before I do that.