BI and Data Management
May 10 2010
I’ve always been drawn to activities that stress team interaction over individual achievement. Maybe that’s why application development appeals to me. Success relies on integration of diverse skill sets and perspectives. Project failure often results from failure of one or more specialists to fully integrate into the team. Projects exceed expectations often because individuals subsume skills and achievements in support of team efforts. Maybe that’s why Adrian Cho’s “Jazz Process” piqued my interest.
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.
Apr 30 2010
The terms data and information are often used interchangeably. However, in the data warehousing world they are quite different from each other. Remembering the difference is as simple as the difference between Charlie and Raymond Babbitt. You may remember these two characters from the movie Rainman. Charlie is the younger brother of austitic savant Raymond.
Apr 12 2010
Fulfilling client requirements, not good enough
I have participated over many years as a successful BI Consultant, but still the true nature of consulting seems elusive to me. Simply put, "Consulting" means providing expertise, advice or recommendations to someone else whose responsibility it is to act. Good consultants solve problems for their clients. Good consultants have some sort of expertise that their clients don't have.
Before going any further let me share a joke about consultants - A nuclear power plant was about to blow, so a consultant was called in. The consultant came in, punched a few buttons in the control room and the situation was fixed. When the consultant presented the client with a bill for $10,000, they said, "You were only there for 5 minutes and you're charging $10,000? That's outrageous!" To which the consultant replied, "The 5 minutes of my time only cost $5. Knowing which buttons to push to avoid disaster costs $9,995."
Apr 12 2010
Defaulting data integration to customers = risky business
Here’s a little-recognized fact about data integration: if you run a business or any sizable chunk of one, someone is integrating your data.
In my professional life I have, on occasion, suggested data integration efforts. Sometimes my suggestions have been accepted and sometimes not. As an IT professional I understand that different managers have different priorities, and in a given business situation sometimes other things may be more important than, for example, having a single, consistent source for all customer records, or making sure production data matches financial data.
But as a customer? That’s different.