Can ONE coin Make or Break the Bank? YES

“If ten coins are not enough to make a man rich, what if you add one coin? 

What if you add another? 

Finally, you will have to say that no one can be rich unless one coin can make him so.”

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-happiness-project/201303/do-you-make-excuses-yourself

And Yes - ONE more Application or Change can affect IT budget!!!

Innovation @Facebook

Signed up for the new timeline - can't wait to see it

The hints at design work look tantalizing

Want to know their keys to innovation ... try this for size

1. Involve everyone
2. Core and Context
3. Yes - your work environment matters

Read more at blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/03/inside_facebooks_internal_inno.html

Big data. Huge results. 70yrs ago

Patrick Blackett used Operations Research to analyze raw data resulting in

- Reduced shots required to down a bomber - from 20000 to 4000

- Estimated time for aircraft to mount an attack after U-boat detected them - 15 seconds

- Optimized setting for depth charges - 25 feet

- Fewer serviceable airplanes and keep them airborne

- Increased convoy size from 24 to 45 - reduced sink rate 50% to 1.1%

- Moved armor to untouched areas of bombers which DID return

Not to be outdone - BestBuy changes Work@Home

http://money.cnn.com/2013/03/05/technology/best-buy-work-from-home/index.html

What's most interesting is that this is a cancellation of their pioneering Results Only Work Environment.

Under this model employees were paid for results (output) rather than specific work hours.

Unlike Yahoo's complete cancellation of work from home, some Best Buy employees may still be able to telecommute - but now they have to do it with manager approval.

It's all hands on deck at Best Buy to drive collaboration on how to improve the business.

Quantified team??? Marissa Mayer outsmarts the Yahoos!

Love it or hate it - Marissa Mayer used hard data to decide it was time to bring remote workers back to the farm.

It's hard to argue with data

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-marissa-mayer-figured-out-work-at-home-yahoos-were-slacking-off-2013-3

Good advice from (former) P&G CEO

Mistakes leaders make --
they "...don’t think they need a strategy, or their strategies are flawed. They think they have a hot product or hot service, and these don’t last forever."

As a manager --
"your colleagues and your team watch what you do; they don’t just listen to what you say."

Source Wall Street Journal:
http://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2013/03/04/former-pg-ceo-what-companies-get-wrong

Big Bang theory - not just for astronomors

Big Bang

Kodak is having a rough ride. Founded in 1888 by George Eastman it's "Kodak moment" came in 1976 with a 90% monopoly. By the 1990s a slow response to digital cameras saw it's finances deteriorate.

TomTom is down over 66% in the 3yr since the first smartphone with a built-in GPS.

Business wants rapid change, but IT introduces change .. slowly... with disruptive upgrades. And creates incremental "value" with integrations and reporting.

Cloud solutions are changing that - NOW. Changes are deployed weekly even daily. Platforms used by millions. Faster innovation at dramatically lower costs.

Alternatives

Carry on: Slow upgrades. Committee evaluation of new solutions.High cost operations.

Outsource: Move non-core solutions out. Short term financial gain - long term benefits elusive.

Centralize and Standardize: Evaluate long term TCO. Run out of the box. Value accrued by maximizing utilization with good enough fit methodology.

SaaS: Select a specialist, evaluate based on experience and scale. Value in faster innovation.

Implications

Doing nothing is not an option. Competitors are evaluating lower cost solutions and startups are testing  disruptive business models.

Review options and form realistic alternatives that avoid an unexpected Big Bang.