I was trying to find a suitable phrase to include in a proposal to a client. I could sum up what I meant with the old proverb "you don't want to spoil the ship for a ha'p'orth of tar", but that didn't really seem appropriate for a business document.
I asked around the office if someone else could come up with an alternative and was initially met with some blank looks as I repeated my well-known proverb. It turns out that no one else had heard of it and much derision (mostly age related) ensued.
I suppose what I was trying to say, after giving it much more time and thought than it perhaps warranted, was that it is a false economy to scrimp on your budget. For a little bit more money, you can get a whole more from your software.
Maybe I should include the proverb in the next proposal I write because at least it is a talking point about a serious issue. How many projects get spoiled just because the budget is cut for the sake of it? The value of a software project is related to the amount of benefit that a client derives from the finished article, not how much is spent. If you spend £2 and get £10 back, that's a good deal. If you spend only £1, but only get £2 back, that's a bad deal in my book.
The moral of this story (every good proverb has one) is that you should Google what you want instead of asking the office.
Logic Software Blog
Spoiling the ship for a ha'p'orth of tar?
Where's the Logic?
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
So last week saw the return of the much anticipated series of ‘The Apprentice’ with a slight twist. The winning contestant this season will be given £250,000 funding by Lord Sugar to start their own company and run it!
Something which is often looked forward to by fans in the first episode is coming up with the team names. They came up with ‘Venture’ and ‘Logic’ (where I’m delighted to point out that we have no affiliation here at Logic Software with these buffoons).
The first to be pointed the finger and hear the famous words ‘you’re fired’ was Edward the accountant, for no other reason than not keeping it simple (and of course for the inability to recognise an orange). Soon followed Alex, simply for ‘lurking in the shadows’.
I’m a fan of the Apprentice, largely due to its comedy value and enjoy seeing the contenders battle it out in the boardroom and see who can come up with the best lingo (how can we forget Mr Stuart Baggs from last year’s show and his field of ponies)!
There’s a place for jargon and it seems to me that the so called ‘best talent in the UK’ don’t know when and how to use it.
Working in the IT industry, I know how heavily criticised it is for using buzzwords inappropriately. Yes, jargon is acceptable, but the key is using it at the right time when addressing your audience.
If I’m talking to a fellow techie then we can happily discuss the ‘cloud’ or why we use the latest Microsoft technologies to write our software! If on the other hand I’m talking to someone that isn’t familiar with the industry then should I be using jargon? Of course not, layman’s terms all the way, seeing as part of the process is educating them along with providing value.
Communication between the team members this series has been poor (as always) and we all know too well it’s very difficult to be a good leader if you can’t communicate clearly to your team. But getting people involved in a language they all understand is what we try to do here. We just call it: Logic!
Something which is often looked forward to by fans in the first episode is coming up with the team names. They came up with ‘Venture’ and ‘Logic’ (where I’m delighted to point out that we have no affiliation here at Logic Software with these buffoons).
The first to be pointed the finger and hear the famous words ‘you’re fired’ was Edward the accountant, for no other reason than not keeping it simple (and of course for the inability to recognise an orange). Soon followed Alex, simply for ‘lurking in the shadows’.
I’m a fan of the Apprentice, largely due to its comedy value and enjoy seeing the contenders battle it out in the boardroom and see who can come up with the best lingo (how can we forget Mr Stuart Baggs from last year’s show and his field of ponies)!
There’s a place for jargon and it seems to me that the so called ‘best talent in the UK’ don’t know when and how to use it.
Working in the IT industry, I know how heavily criticised it is for using buzzwords inappropriately. Yes, jargon is acceptable, but the key is using it at the right time when addressing your audience.
If I’m talking to a fellow techie then we can happily discuss the ‘cloud’ or why we use the latest Microsoft technologies to write our software! If on the other hand I’m talking to someone that isn’t familiar with the industry then should I be using jargon? Of course not, layman’s terms all the way, seeing as part of the process is educating them along with providing value.
Communication between the team members this series has been poor (as always) and we all know too well it’s very difficult to be a good leader if you can’t communicate clearly to your team. But getting people involved in a language they all understand is what we try to do here. We just call it: Logic!
Are you working around your IT infrastructure?
Thursday, 12 May 2011
I repeatedly ask people if they’ve ever found themselves working around their IT infrastructure, and I’m often left bewildered when they reply saying ‘yes’.
I dig deeper and follow up by asking them “why?” The majority pointing to the fact that it’s down to the software that they use, which is usually an off-the-shelf product, and therefore it doesn’t surprise me that they are left to work around their IT infrastructure.
An off-the-shelf product has been built to meet the needs of a generic audience i.e. thousands of organisations, therefore will only have the very basic functions to meet the majority needs. Some of the features will be relevant to some of the organisations but not for others, because they simply don’t apply to the way they work.
Every business is unique and operates differently to every other business, therefore how can an off-the-shelf product be a good investment/ROI if it doesn’t do exactly 100% what your business requires? This is where bespoke software is taken into account.
A bespoke solution is created to work exactly the same way that you work; therefore it will be designed to meet your exact requirements and match the way you work.
The purpose of IT within a business is to provide solutions that meet the needs of the business that uses it. It’s there to improve the running of your business on a day to day basis. Why would you not invest in something so vital that make your operations easier? Do you think the likes of Amazon and Google haven’t taken the time to look at their internal systems and ask crucial questions such as ‘How can we improve the way we work? Are we capable of working more efficiently? How can we save time on man hours?” The success of these companies is partly down to the way they operate.
These are questions that you should be asking yourself on a regular basis, and questions that the very best keep asking as they constantly challenge themselves. Why? Because they realise the value of improving the IT infrastructure of their business, because no matter what, there’s always room for improvement. They wouldn’t be as successful if they didn’t.
Yes change can be good within organisations, but if that change means changing simply to fall in line with the way other people do things, then that’s wrong! How can you justify changing the way that you work? Simple...you can’t!
I dig deeper and follow up by asking them “why?” The majority pointing to the fact that it’s down to the software that they use, which is usually an off-the-shelf product, and therefore it doesn’t surprise me that they are left to work around their IT infrastructure.
An off-the-shelf product has been built to meet the needs of a generic audience i.e. thousands of organisations, therefore will only have the very basic functions to meet the majority needs. Some of the features will be relevant to some of the organisations but not for others, because they simply don’t apply to the way they work.
Every business is unique and operates differently to every other business, therefore how can an off-the-shelf product be a good investment/ROI if it doesn’t do exactly 100% what your business requires? This is where bespoke software is taken into account.
A bespoke solution is created to work exactly the same way that you work; therefore it will be designed to meet your exact requirements and match the way you work.
The purpose of IT within a business is to provide solutions that meet the needs of the business that uses it. It’s there to improve the running of your business on a day to day basis. Why would you not invest in something so vital that make your operations easier? Do you think the likes of Amazon and Google haven’t taken the time to look at their internal systems and ask crucial questions such as ‘How can we improve the way we work? Are we capable of working more efficiently? How can we save time on man hours?” The success of these companies is partly down to the way they operate.
These are questions that you should be asking yourself on a regular basis, and questions that the very best keep asking as they constantly challenge themselves. Why? Because they realise the value of improving the IT infrastructure of their business, because no matter what, there’s always room for improvement. They wouldn’t be as successful if they didn’t.
Yes change can be good within organisations, but if that change means changing simply to fall in line with the way other people do things, then that’s wrong! How can you justify changing the way that you work? Simple...you can’t!
Avoid becoming the next Sony
Thursday, 5 May 2011
Just when we thought it couldn’t get worse...it did! Following the recent leak of over 70 million accounts from Sony’s PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, the company has now admitted losing the details of further 25million users.
Sony said that the compromised personal information includes customers’ names, addresses, e-mail addresses, birth dates, gender, phone numbers, logins and passwords.
Though the data is said to be outdated (from a 2007 copy of the database), much of the data will still be relevant. People don’t move around all the time and they don’t often change their name and date of birth! Furthermore, there’s a good chance that their direct debit details will also still be valid.
The type of attack on Sony is known as an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT). These attacks are designed to be long lasting and difficult to discover. The hacker in an APT attack takes time to draw off information more slowly, leaving fewer traces of the attack, which makes it difficult to detect and neutralise.
This in time means that an attack has been ongoing for several weeks or months, therefore ask yourself the question - are you currently at risk from an APT but just don’t know it yet?
Take note that ‘old’ data doesn’t mean ‘out-of-date’ data, and it may well be time to review your security procedures immediately, so that you avoid becoming the next Sony.
What Everybody Ought to Know About Commissioning Software
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Searching for a new IT infrastructure can be a complex thing. The best piece of advice is to get the basics right first. Don’t start with bells and whistles, yes, it’s easy to be taken in by hyped up features which sound great, but to start with, understand that what you need is a fit-for-purpose system, that is scalable over its lifetime, to deliver what you’re trying to achieve.
So how do you get there? Firstly, think of the process rather than the technology. Once the business process is understood, the technology and most appropriate solution can be chosen to suit your business.
Focus on what you need and not what you want. Explore, take a look around and compare different services/products against your needs. Ask yourself if it’s capable of delivering your goals? Keep it simple, and ensure you look at true ROI for your business.
You can waste far too much time, money and effort going round in circles with some organisations. At Logic we take a very proactive approach. We sit down with our clients to understand their business needs and processes before exploring the possibilities with them and coming up with a proposal.
As a leading software development firm, Logic Software has spent many years in the software industry, providing advice, excellent processes and well thought out and implemented solutions. With each project, our objective is to deliver measurable benefits: improved efficiency, reduced costs and/or increased revenue.
Remember, just because someone else is using a feature doesn’t automatically mean that it is appropriate for your business. Don’t listen to people who want to sell you a complete solution when all you need is something much simpler. Accept something that’s built to meet your requirements and support your business processes that will deliver your goals.
Make sure any supplies or consultant provides you with the full facts, options and the route they took to get to the recommended solution.
Support for growing software sector
Thursday, 17 February 2011
Nice to hear the news today about the assistance that will be available to help provide more skilled and trained software engineers. The article says that there is expected to be an increase in demand of between 25% and 50% for software professionals.
We're seeing the demand for more skilled professionals in our business. Call me cynic, but let's hope we see the support too!
We're seeing the demand for more skilled professionals in our business. Call me cynic, but let's hope we see the support too!
A Busman's Holiday
Friday, 11 February 2011
Whilst dealing with a new supplier recently, one of their systems gave me an idea for how we could improve what we do. I wasn't overly enamoured with the whole buying experience from this new supplier, but there was a part of their process which I thought was great.
So we "bench-marked" what they were doing and....copied it. Part of their sales process (the good bit) now forms an important part of how we operate. This has got me thinking about what other business processes we can improve for the benefit of our clients.
It's very easy to fall into a habit doing the same thing over and over because that the way it has always been done, particularly when things are so hectic. We've just closed our accounts for 2010 and I'm pleased to say that our turnover is up 24% on 2009, whilst maintaining the same profit margin. I think we probably got stuck in a rut for most of 2010, by virtue of being so busy, and didn't consider how we should evolve and grow.
However, since November, we've put a lot of effort into improving our internal systems, which means that we now so much more efficient. A big part of this was our "busman's holiday"; better known in the office as the "Intranet". Naming systems was never really a strong suit.
We have spent the last few weeks pulling together a number of semi-manual processes, and too many Excel spreadsheets, and building them into a robust computerised system. I can say, hand on heart, that we now practice what we preach.
This has also got me thinking about how much more efficient could the average business become if they followed the same logic?
I've been talking to a lot of small-medium sized businesses since Christmas about similar types of bespoke software project. What do I need to do to convince them of the efficiencies that can be enjoyed through software which actually supports their business processes?
Hmm, something else to think about over the weekend.
So we "bench-marked" what they were doing and....copied it. Part of their sales process (the good bit) now forms an important part of how we operate. This has got me thinking about what other business processes we can improve for the benefit of our clients.
It's very easy to fall into a habit doing the same thing over and over because that the way it has always been done, particularly when things are so hectic. We've just closed our accounts for 2010 and I'm pleased to say that our turnover is up 24% on 2009, whilst maintaining the same profit margin. I think we probably got stuck in a rut for most of 2010, by virtue of being so busy, and didn't consider how we should evolve and grow.
However, since November, we've put a lot of effort into improving our internal systems, which means that we now so much more efficient. A big part of this was our "busman's holiday"; better known in the office as the "Intranet". Naming systems was never really a strong suit.
We have spent the last few weeks pulling together a number of semi-manual processes, and too many Excel spreadsheets, and building them into a robust computerised system. I can say, hand on heart, that we now practice what we preach.
This has also got me thinking about how much more efficient could the average business become if they followed the same logic?
I've been talking to a lot of small-medium sized businesses since Christmas about similar types of bespoke software project. What do I need to do to convince them of the efficiencies that can be enjoyed through software which actually supports their business processes?
Hmm, something else to think about over the weekend.
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