Tom Krieger
May 31 2011
Data, Information, Knowledge and Wisdom
In my reading I recently came across the concept of the Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom (DIKW) hierarchy. While it is perhaps loosely defined, I see the concept as a helpful way to illustrate the progression from raw data to actionable information (requiring wisdom to handle it correctly). There are valid criticisms of this model, but it does reflect the goal of collecting and managing data - turning it into something that allows business users to make wise decisions.
So how do we get our business customers from data (which is available in quantities so big they are difficult to grasp) to knowledge and wisdom? Let's consider the illustration of buying a house.
Feb 28 2011
The soft skills revolution?
Information Management Newsletters recently posted an article by Tony Hotko entitled "The Evolving Skill Set of the Information Worker." The article explains how industry trends and the ripple effects the global financial crisis are changing the skills requirements for knowledge workers. The focus, according to Mr. Hotko, is shifting from technical aptitude to adding value via business knowledge and soft skills.
Oct 13 2010
The "Us vs. Them" approach to IT: Is there a better way?
As IT consultants, we often find ourselves aligned to (read: paid by) either business or IT, but to implement successful technology solutions we have to work in concert with both business and IT stakeholders. We have to avoid the mistakes that follow from putting IT at the center of the universe to the detriment of the business users. IT supports business, and we always have to work with that at the forefront of our minds. Below are a few tips that I've found that are helpful in putting the needs of the business first.
1. No IT project is ever and end to itself
Aug 03 2010
Three Tips for Better Data Definitions
If business or IT users insist that their definition is good and everyone knows what they mean when in fact that is not the case, the strategies below may help.
1. Provide examples of unclear
vs. clear definitions
Users who are intimately familiar with their business process and
supporting systems may not understand the point of specifying exactly what they need. To them "the ID of the customer" is a 
perfectly acceptable
definition of "Customer ID." Or, the IT representative may give a
definition that works for them but no one else, such as "the primary key
of the customer table". It will help both to see examples of what is
needed in order to have a workable definition to support data warehouse
population and use of the data.
May 04 2010
Agile vs. PMBOK: Oil and water or delicious salad dressing?
The Richmond SPIN group recently hosted a workshop entitled “Oil and Water” that invited Agile Richmond to discuss how Agile methodology does or does not align with the Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). As someone working on an Agile project, studying for my PMP certification, and having a waterfall development background, I was intrigued to participate in an open forum for Agile and PMBOK practitioners to discuss if/how both are used together in the real world.
At first glance, it may seem that there is no need to compare Agile to the PMBOK. One is an approach to software development (see the Agile Manifesto) while the other is a set of project management best practices.