In the November 25, 2010 online edition of SupplyManagement.com I was quoted by journalist Nick Martindale in his article titled Work and Play: Social networking tools are helping buyers to research suppliers and markets, raise their profiles and keep in touch with vendors.
All in Collaboration
This morning U.S. Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra released his ambitious 25 Point Implementation Plan to Reform Federal Information Technology Management. Here’s number 10:
Gene L. Dodaro, Acting Comptroller General, U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) gave a presentation on November 2010 titled Acquisition Reform Challenges Facing Government. Referring to GAO’s strategic plan, Dodaro’s presentation addressed large-scale acquisitions as “targets of opportunity,” repeating the often-heard criticism that “… much of the government’s major investments have faced persistent cost and schedule growth.” His analysis is a very intelligent review of the challenges involved in reducing acquisition costs. Here I suggest an approach he doesn’t discuss but which is based on concepts he presents.
I’m wondering if the huge Federal deficit in the U.S. will help or hinder the adoption of collaboration and social networking technologies by Federal agencies.
According to the FederalTimes.com report 5 teams to tackle Gates call to improve efficiency, five Pentagon teams will focus on identification of Pentagon cost savings based on affordability, incentives, contract terms, metrics, and service contracts
Getting Real about Project Management, Collaboration, and Communication
I’ve recently learned — and re-learned — some useful lessons while working with clients and teams on projects and large proposals. These include:
Needed: Managing Variety in Technology Adoption Rates
I wrote Sometimes a phone is just a phone and a web site is just a web site because different people adopt different technologies at different rates. Those rates depend on need, cost, peer influence, job responsibilities, and many other factors.
Managing Collaboration Throughout the Acquisition Process: A Project Management Perspective
I’ve been researching how to measure the impact of improved collaboration on Federal procurement processes, starting with development of a “concept map” that organizes the major issues.
On Attempting an Updated Definition of "Web 2.0"
I recently had an opportunity to provide an updated definition of “web 2.0” for a project I’m consulting on. The project, managed by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), is called Changing the Conversation: From Research to Action. “Web 2.0” is one of those terms that just won’t die. Even as some have tried to invent and sell newer-sounding terms like “web 3.0,” there are still many for whom the underlying concepts of “web 2.0” and social media are new, unfamiliar, or ready to be revisited after an initial or limited exposure.
As a consultant one of the things I do is help people plan on how to use collaboration systems and social media.
I’ve updated the model of “acquisition collaboration” I first presented in Justifying Collaboration in Complex Programs such as Federal Acquisitions based on some additional research and interviews.
I found Going overboard with Social CRM by Gartner’s Michael Maoz to be a discouraging read.
Justifying Collaboration in Complex Programs such as Federal Acquisitions
I’m having an interesting discussion with colleagues about how to justify investments in collaboration-supporting technologies (e.g., blogs, wikis, and private social networks) when the business processes they support are numerous and spread across multiple participants who may not always share common goals.
Okay, I don’t have an iPhone and I don’t use Lotus Connections, but I think this demo of Lotus Connections on the iPhone is really cool:
In How the Trends of 2000-2009 Will Shape Performance Improvement in This New Decade, Debashis Sarkar, a writer for Six Sigma & Process Excellence, lists as number 1 the following trend:
I’m optimistic. I’m beginning to think that second-nature use of collaborative technologies by non-technologists, both for social engagement as well as for work, could reach a tipping point much sooner than I had thought. It’s not going to be completely smooth sailing, though.
It’s fashionable these days to point out that email really sucks as a tool for collaboration.
Promoting Technology Enabled Collaboration in Complex R&D Environments
An important element in a successful R&D effort is effective collaboration. As the complexity of the research, development, and eventual adoption environments increases — as it does with large Federally funded R&D efforts — the importance of the sharing of information, ideas, and goals increases as well.
Social Networks and Serendipity: "Luck favors the prepared, darling."
Anyone who studies scientific communication, creativity, and innovation will understand the value of “being in the right place at the right time.”
That’s one of the reasons I’m concerned about how President Obama’s proposed changes to Federal procurement rules might tip the scales even more in favor of the issuance of fixed price contracts in situations where insufficient detail on requirements and available budget aren’t readily available to potential bidders.