Mark Schneider's SharePoint Taxonomy and Governance Blog

WWSD - What Would Steve Jobs Do?

Steve Jobs is a remarkable man, and his impact on the world is enormous.  The man was the original high-tech "rock star."  He managed to be the coolest guy on the planet and an underdog at the same time.  He was unapologetically arrogant, demanding, and hard to work with, but he was also almost always right.  He had an uncanny ability to get the best out of people.  He was a visionary.  His rags to riches, to rags to riches, to rags to super-riches story is the stuff of American folklore and legend.  I'm proud that he was part of my generation, and I his.  He was Apples' greatest advantage and his absence is Apple's greatest weakness.

The problem Apple faces right now, is that Steve was THE guy at Apple.  It was all about his vision, his hunches, his dreams, his decisions and his leadership.  The people at Apple went through their professional lives thinking, more or less, "What Would Steve Do?" in every situation.  He was the gold standard and his way was right.  Those that didn't understand this probably didn't last long at Apple.  So, a new generation of visionary leaders has almost certainly NOT been developed at Apple.  The iPhone 4S launch this week was, to me, a clear indication that the folk at Apple don't have a clue what to do next.

Steve Jobs led his people brilliantly, but he didn't develop them to think and lead in their own right.  Good governance is not about controlling people, it is about guiding and developing them.  I don't know first hand, but I'm willing to bet there isn't a lot of governance structure in place at Apple right now.

If I am not mistaken, there are a number of people at Apple vying to step into Steve Job's rock star spotlight.  They would do well to see the movie Moneyball and learn that the answer isn't in finding a new rock star, but in establishing a team that fits together and works.  Good governance means making the whole more amazing than the sum of the parts.

I love Apple computer and I hope they find their way.

SharePoint, Apple, Google and Governance

This blog is not about hardware and software, so much as it is about "peopleware."  I think the chief purpose of governance is to focus on the needs and wants of the people served, and find ways to bend technology to meet those requirements.  Sadly, governance usually means getting together and deciding what people can't do, and finding ways to prevent them from making choices.

So, although I think that SharePoint offers the very best collaboration layer for any organization, let's not forget Google and Apple.  I think it is just plain foolish to marginalize Apple and Google just because one is sold on SharePoint and its associated products.

A truly world-class governance strategy will provide the people with the opportunity to use various technologies in the pursuit of their business goals, while maintaining enough structure and best practice to keep things under control.

So, how do the various technologies fit together in a robust governance environment?  Well, I consider myself a pretty good source for solving that problem since I've been contributing author on two Microsoft Press SharePoint books, used to run an Apple Store, have a cousin who is a Google "rock star", and am primarily concerned with making organizations run smoothly.  The real world is not a sole source environment.  I am currently writing this on a Mac Book Air 13" that runs Windows and Mac OS in parallel, because the Mac Air is the best hardware platform on the planet right now, IMHO.

So, when do you use various technologies?

1. SharePoint.  SharePoint is, in my opinion, the only viable foundation technology for the modern organization.  It offers collaboration, flexibility, data mining, workflow management, code-free customization and does so in a manner that allows people to work in a natural manner.  It has a very robust security layer, and it is built to be deployed and maintianed by a real world IT shop under real world conditions.  So, in my world, if you are trying to provide maximum flexibility, collaboration, adaptability, security and sustainability in an organization, SharePoint is the only show in town.

2. Office365.  Not everybody has the staff, drive or interest in implementing SharePoint and bringing it up to its full potential, and yet even the smallest organization needs what SharePoint has to offer.  So, Microsoft has launched a very useable and effective "by the drink" model for small to mid-sized organizations.  At $6/month/user, the price is pretty amazing.  It offers SharePoint, Exchange email services, and online MS Office applications. I use Office365 for my personal business needs.

3. Google Docs and Google Sites.  Google is a strong player in most things digital.  Their tools are free, powerful, and appeal to tech-savy users.  The problem is that Google's tools are more like Legos than a finished turn-key product.  It is more like a tool kit than an integrated solution.  So if you like putzing around with your computer for the fun of it, then Google is a great source of entertainment and free applications.

4. Apple's iCloud.  This is a great tool for the individual who wants to share music, photographs, individual documents and other consumer applications across their personal devices.  If you want to buy a song on iTunes and have it available on your iPad, iPod, Mac Air, and iPhone (all of which I own) then this is the way to go.  There is no putzing around, and no hassle.  It just works.  I currently use MobileMe and will definitely upgrade to iCloud when it is available--for my personal stuff.

A truly robust and mature governance approach needs to recognize and make provision for all these technologies, and perhaps EverNote, DropBox and others as well.  IT is simply not able to meet all of the demands the users have, at least not in a timely fashion.  So, as a matter of self preservation, IT and Business Governance need to think well outside the box in solving user problems.

A recommended "thumbnail strategy" for leveraging the various technologies available is as follows.

1.  Enterprise Collaboration and Document Management = SharePoint.  I HIGHLY recommend using SharePoint as your in-house solution architecture for your organization.

2. Office365 for potential use in regional offices and other "small staff" locations.

3. Although I wouldn't encourage it, people are going to use iCloud, Google Docs, Evernote, DropBox and the like (I do).  Set up policies explaining that they are taking responsibility for protecting those documents, just as they would if they put paper copies in their brief case and took them home.  Establish procedures for checking these documents into the SharePoint environment.

4. Consider the possibility of "opening up" the desktop to user modification.  If you are keeping your documents and applications within the browser, you may find that there is wisdom in letting people police their own desktops.  Establish a base installation image, and if they crash their system then you will re-image their machine.  It is up to them to manage their own ad-hoc apps and keep their documents someplace safe. 

 

Mixed emotions on the Apple 4S rollout today. The 4S is a nice evolutionary bump up in technology, but it is not a revolution.

* Dual channel communications is cool and promises to double download speeds. Apple is quite right that "4G" is more of a buzz word than a reality. The 4G providers don't even agree amongst themselves what "4G" means and there is no definition, so Apple has focused on throughput rather than technology.

* The new camera optics and software should be a real plus. There is far more to good photography and video than ratcheting up the Mega Pixel count, and Apple seems to be focusing on the right factors- Optics, software and integration.

* Siri voice recognition shows great promise, but it is still beta. Nothing like faulty voice recognition to make you want to fling your phone violently out the car window, so we'll see how this works. Apple led the voice recognition revolution a good fifteen+ years ago, and then didn't keep moving on it. Hopefully they can make good now. Siri's parser seems to be quite amazing, but it is probably picking out certain key words and ignoring the grammatical markers like determiners in the stream. This will work fine for voice command but not so well for the voice recognition needed for true dictation. As someone who has engineered a few parsers in the past, I don't envy Apple/Siri the task of making a true natural-language parser based on audio recognition!

* I am speechless that they are integrating Twitter deeply into the system! How bizarre is that? To me Twitter is a footnote in digital history. The only reason they chose Twitter is because, frankly, it isn't Google+

* iCloud should be an excellent OS layer for personal users. It would be great if it had a seamless conduit to the more robust Microsoft SharePoint. Gearheads might like Google Docs/Sites integration as well.

* The new dual-core chip sounds great.

* Turn-by-turn navigation is the 800 pound gorilla in the room, and Apple doesn't have an answer. They rely upon Google for base layer maps, and their contract states that they can't use it for GPS navigation (or legalese to that affect). Since this is Google's main advantage in the marketplace, I don't see Google sharing any time soon.

* HOPEFULLY Apple will at least leave the Siri API open so that third-party turn-by-turn navigation vendors can smoothly integrate their apps into Siri's voice command system.

I am definitely an "early adopter" when it comes to innovative technology, and I doubt I will use one of my Verizon upgrade credits to move from the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 4S. I mean "Twitter?" Seriously?

What Does Governance Do?

Governance is a very broad concept, as is the word "design."  Many things are designed, we all know what design means, but it is pretty tough to isolate the concept of design.  To really have meaning, design has to be defined in terms of the object it affects.  The statement "I design" begs the question, "what do you design?"   There is a big difference between designing a heart pacemaker and designing the interior motif of a restaurant.  Although both involve the ordered and planful application of best practices to an object, the object itself dictates the skill, talent and experience of the designer.  It is a rare interior decorator who can also design cardiac pacemakers, and vice versa.

Similarly, the statement "I am on the Governance Board" begs the question, "What do you govern?" So the word governance also has no real meaning, unless it is paired with the object to be governed.  A prison population is governed by a warden, a state is governed by a governor, and a corporation is ostensibly governed by a board of directors.  So what is IT Governance?

On September 21, my post A Purely Theoretical Problem presented four guaranteed project-killers that IT Governance can help solve.

Coming up, how to use governance to make sure your technology investments, projects and corporate objectives are all aligned.

Trying to save a business by implementing new technology is like trying to save a marriage by having a baby

You will still fail, but you will lose a lot of sleep and money in the process.

A Purely Theoretical Problem

Let's say you were asked to build up a project management practice, but:

• You are not allowed to track project times
• There is no mechanism for tracking project costs
• You have no input in project deadlines
• All projects are considered vital and non-negotiable

How do you think it would go?

(Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental)

It's all about Peopleware

All technology personnel should strive to develop their skills and presence in three distinct areas:

1. Technological Expertise
2. Business Savvy
3. Leadership and Communication Skills

Technological Expertise is an obvious requirement for technical personnel.  Technology is a tool for solving organizational and business problems, and the better you are with technology the more problems you can solve.

Business Savvy is often overlooked.  Google, as an example, enjoys breathtaking technological depth, but they seem to have almost no understanding of their target markets.  Google technologies are often brilliant, but clunky to use and disjointed.  Google technologies are rarely smoothe to operate.  My understanding is that they are taking steps to correct this, and I wish them well because they really have a lot to offer.

Leadership and Communication Skills are last but certainly not least.  Brilliant minds need to influence, communicate, listen, persuade, and align if they are to have a meaningful impact.  All too often technology professionals are accurately described as aloof, isolated, irrelevant, uncooperative, confusing and ineffective.  Always remember that even technology is ultimately not about hardware and software, but "peopleware."

These skills used in concert are the hallmark of a world-class technology team.

 

Why isn't IT more like a Machine Shop?

When a machine shop buys a drill press, management knows how many parts an hour they expect to produce, how often the press will require maintenance, the skills needed to both run and maintain the equipment, and they know how precise the tool needs to be.  If the shop produces high-precision parts then an expensive drill press will be needed.  If the shop produces high-volume, commodity parts then the drill press probably doesn't need to be an expensive, high-precision tool.  A well-run shop will even have mapped out the life-cycle of the press, and know when it should be retired.  Having done this, they have a "roadmap" that shows them how much the press will cost, how it will be used, how long it will last and who will be needed to operate it.  The drill press is being purchased to solve a business problem, and so the governance of the press is framed in business terms.

So what can IT learn from a machine shop?

• If you can't measure it, then don't try to govern it.
• If you aren't willing to enforce it, then don't try to govern it.
• If it ultimately doesn't result in business profits, then don't do it.
• Keep it simple
• Find a way to objectively measure each employee's performance in terms of business success.
• Don't over-engineer your technology.  If a certain accuracy, availability, and reliability is good enough for the business then don't carry it any farther.

Above all else, keep it very simple.  Track the smallest amount of information necessary to get the job done, no more and no less.

Information Technology and Dementia

Dementia is interesting.  I was writing in a coffee shop when a distinguished  gentleman sat down across from me.  Although I didn't know him, he started showing me a financial report.  He expertly talked me through a blizzard of facts and figures.  Since brilliant minds are often unconventional, I listened intently without judging.  After a half hour I realized that everything he said was gibberish.   I didn't have the heart to hurt his feelings, so I listened for quite a while before gently excusing myself.  Losing his audience was only a minor inconvenience, and so he talked on into thin air as I left the room.  So expert was his delivery, that you would swear he was making sense.  You would swear that you were the problem.  It took time and effort to realize that his damaged mind was still going through the motions, but the data was garbled.

Information technology is often like a demented executive.  It looks impressive and produces expertly formatted data, which in the end proves to be useless. The reason is that many organizations implement new technology without first deciding what it is they are really trying to accomplish.  Before information can be successfully managed, the organization has to decide which types of information matter most and how they will be used.

Before you can create a technology roadmap you first need to decide where the business is going, and how it intends to get there.  The "Process Arcs" included in this blog are examples of the first steps in keeping your workforce sane.  A Process Arc is a very simple way of describing what your organization does, and separating out different kinds of information.  Once you've done this, you can begin to describe the policies that govern those information categories.  You can then establish a governance strategy to manage the information and make sure it isn't just gibberish.  Otherwise your governance team will very likely spew out impressive, well formatted, expertly phrased gibberish.  Everyone will pretend to understand what it means, but it will actually be of no use at all.

For the past year I have been on medical leave. It wouldn't be any fun to contract a regular illness, so I thought I'd come down with one of the rarest auto-immune diseases on the planet. Wegener's Granulomatosis nearly cost me my life, but now, thanks to the Mayo Clinic, Fairview Healthcare, University of Minnesota Physicians, Park Nicollet, and Allina Healthcare, I'm in remission and making a come back.

When you face the end of your own personal world, you get a rare chance to consider what really matters. Faith, family, friends, a sunny day, waking up in the morning all take on a sacred value.

I've never been one to sit around and twiddle my fingers, so I am very eager to jump back into the career I've loved so much.

In the last two years, the market seems to have caught up to what I have been writing and speaking about. If you put your information in the cloud, you are still going to be responsible for finding it, managing it, protecting it, and distributing it. So how in the world do you do that?

The answer is, I believe, found here. It isn't a product and it isn't something you have to buy. It is a way of thinking about your information so that you can describe what behaviors (policies) should follow that kind of information around.

Now that I'm back in the saddle, so to speak, I'll be helping you make sense out of the business and organizational aspects of life in the cloud.