Common Sense Analysis

There are a lot of frameworks out there to help us define, categorise, structure and deliver. The issue I see here, is that in most cases, a lot of knowledge is required to actually understand the work done.

Also, assuming that your company/client hired you to 'augment' their skills, they probably dont have the experience/interest to build their expertise in your field. So, then, how do we add value using methodologies, frameworks and other tools while not over-complicating issues?

For me, at the moment, a lot of this is a bit of a soft-skill. I try to:

understand my audience

identify their preferred communication styles

review the most relavent work that exists

outline high level plans and gauge buy-in

That should give one a good 'feel' for what is appropriate.

I have been called many things in my life, but one particular bug-bear is 'the documentation dude'. It irritates me because it shows a particular lack of understanding of what i do.

Granted, the end result is documentation, but the documentation is just tip of the iceberg. What is the point of documentation, then?

Within the context of enterprise business transformation, documentation can:

help illustrate a common goal

document the common understanding

highlight and reduce assumptions

clarify roles and responsibilities

With more thought I am sure i can come up with more, but the point I want to make is that the real value of documentation is the journey required to gain approval. A document without approval or ratification, then is useless.

The journey that should be undertaken when defining any document is the real value in defining common views. These views are written in black and white and should be unambiguous answers to specific questions.

There is a propensity in our industry to get confused between process, workflows and procedures. There are a lot of words out there describing this, but here is the way my mind works. This mental model has held up pretty well when used in anger, so see if it helps you...

There are very few places where a narrative wont help. one example i can think of is a dictionary... and... nothing else comes to mind...

In my role of consultant, I come across a great many documents... most of them dry, badly structured and hard to understand. I reckon it is due to bad story telling. because they stick to the facts and nothing else, it is hard to really remember what they are talking about.

Narrative is the fuzzy side of the velcro. It is the emotional connection a reader needs to really relate to what you are writing. I am not suggesting that you have to dramatize a business case for effect, but to ensure that there is some story for the reader to cling on to and come back to when they get confused. Context, people, context!

Whether you are writing a business case, requirements doc or a research paper, the narrative is paramount. Narrative gives context, makes statements less ambiguous and increases readability.

So make the effort to add a bit of story to your documents. it will be more successful.

After an extended time off social media, I have found it a bit hard to get back on. I have had a kid, broken my collar bone and changed my goals, but still, I have found it quite hard to find something to write about. So why is that?

I find social media a bit daunting. There is a bit of pressure to contribute something worthwhile and not sound like a dousche. This is a bit tricky for me and is only exacerbated with any insecurity issues.

There has been a fair amount written about how anonymity increases abuse and misuse of any tool, the internet prime on the list. The opposite is also perhaps true. My blog has my name and my photo on it. Thus, I am under some pressure to present and contribute to the interweb in some way. This takes effort and thought.

Recently I was asked to participate in a group to define the social media policy for an organisation. So, I thought I would form some thoughts on it, and might as well publish those to see if it would help anyone else.

So, social media policy. Many enterprises are still stuck in the old age where they block access to Blogs, Facebook, Twitter and so on due to the belief that it is personal time they are spending there. This, as I have discussed extensively in previous posts, is not true. In fact, there is a very strong case for B2C and B2B social media.

Sales and Marketing need to use Social Media for, well... sales and marketing. This includes (but not exclusive to) Facebook, Twitter, a great variety of blogs and, of course LinkedIn.

Support staff need access to Social Media to engage and support our customers. Engaging with them on, say, twitter will help adapt to the new world  - using Customer Defined Processes.

Staff need to contribute knowledge and support back to the community through a company Blog. This will help an active engagement and show a willingness to help.

Snr. management can use Social media to find trends, hot topics and for other networking. Recommend that daily, localised reports be offered for time-poor management to scan. 

Follow your competitors. Find out what they are talking about, you will get a lot of tips from them. 

Guiding development of social media is more 'nurturing' and less 'constructing'. These are some Do's that can be in the policy:

Always be helpful, polite and respectful towards the community.

ALWAYS cite your sources - if you are re-posting some helpful stuff you found online, ALWAYS give a pointer to the original author <-- its a big deal, and its the right thing to do.

Include your employer in your business comms (a link in your online profile is fine). Anyone who finds your help honest will always look up your employer, trust me.

Try to stand for something - a cultural or ethical ambassador, if you will...it has to resonate with you, but it will keep your involvement with community motivated and consistent.

Find online communities in your domain of expertise that need help, and offer it honestly and with integrity

Remember, our competitors can follow us as well, so as you would imagine, there needs to be a list of 'dont's'... these can be set out in the General Guidelines for Social media use:

Don't discuss client information on public channels

Definitely don't give out personal information about the company or clients - funnel any requests through the reception or other formal contacts

Don't discuss any RFQs, Upcoming work, contracts or anything that might expose your employer commercially

You are not anonymous, and you represent us as a whole, so behave as if you are at work, because YOU are liable.

Dont insult or harass anyone

Sexist, racist or other types of offensive behaviour is also a big no

you are being watched, so act like you would at work.

So what is the aim for a business? what is the goal to get involved in social media? What does success taste like?

Sociagility offers a nice model here to guage success in Social Media - summarised by the acronymn PRINT:

Popularity - being well liked and followed

Receptiveness - willingness to listen and engage with the community - not just broadcast

Interaction - willingness to engage regularly and consistently with community

Network Reach - actual and potential audience reach

Trust - influence and authority within the community

This infographic shows how the world's most recognisable companies performed in their studies.

It is a great indication of the minefield that businesses need to navigate in Social Media. Being an authority means nothing if you are not popular. Being an authority needs to be complimented with being receptive and interact with the community - which can be viewed as arrogance.