Updates....

As 2008 comes to a close it has been a busy last couple of weeks for me. Yesterday I was at IBM learning more about Eclipse (and the various plug-ins, etc.) and about the open source version of Websphere called Project Zero. So, today I've been working my way through the various tutorials and trying to learn more about the web 2.0 development environment. I have also been looking at Joomla and Drupal. All of these are various content management systems that help developers create rich internet websites. I'm guessing that blogger itself was developed using a content management system. Unfortunately, this is changing the way that web developers learn....as some of the technical details get lost in the mix. But, it does allow your average web developer to really focus on developing a better website, rather than an average site.
So, learning about Web 2.0 is based upon the other project I've got going on...the iPhone application. My team, The Test Monkeys, has been working on our business plan. Some of our sticking points with the business plan revolve around the profit model. Since this is an iPhone application that we'd prefer to deliver for free we need to come up with an advertising revenue model. I'll be meeting with an Senior Manager at StarCom Worldwide, a friend, that is going to help me brainstorm on a revenue model. Next is trying to get some capital that will allow our team to all have some iPhone 3Gs and some form of Mac computer to develop with. Right now I'm the only iPhone user and another team member is the only one with a MacBook. Makes things difficult.

Oh, and I've been working on my book, Thoughts Through the Information Systems Life Cycle: A Management Level Approach for Success. Right now I have a "working" set of chapter titles and the foundation for a couple of the chapters:
Introduction - How did this Book come into Existence?
Ch. 1 - Are We Doomed From the Beginning?
Ch. 2 - Getting the Key Stakeholders Onboard! The Project Plan
Ch. 3 - Requirements Management and Documentation - Not your Father's Requirements Gathering Techniques
Ch. 4 - Scope Your Project - Not Your Life
Ch. 5 - Resource Management - People, Equipment, and Colocation (Oh My!)
Ch. 6 - And Then There was Software Development
Ch. 7 - Budget Management...Did We Do Our Due Diligence?
Ch. 8 - Scope Revision - Be Communicative At ALL Levels of the Project
Ch. 9 - Are We There Yet? QA & SQA
Ch. 10 - Did you Test the Test? UAT Success
Ch. 11 - And the Project went on...and on...and on...
Ch. 12 - We're Done. Now What?

Tell me what you think of the titles....and possibly any suggestions for key topics that should also be discussed. The book will likely take me a good year to write if I can find someone willing to hire me and the other venture I have going on with the iPhone application, so if you see this posting 2, 3, 4, 6 months after it has been posted, still feel free to comment.

I've also been working out again using the P90X DVDs. Wow, they do a great job with those workouts. I'm not in any kind of physical shape to work out like I did when I ran track in College, but I can manage to at least get through these workouts....I'm doing the easy ones without weights. I can only imagine the level of soreness when I add in using the bands and a pull-up bar.


So, that has been the past couple of days. I've also been talking with Allstate about the offer they gave me. I admit...we're in tough times, but seriously, should someone accept an offer for less than their last place of employment that has only had great performance reviews, success on individual and group projects, and stellar academic performance? Sort of a rhetorical question, as the obvious answer is NO. So, I gave Allstate a lot of credit on their events to get talented students excited about working at Allstate...but seriously, you have to pay for top talent also.

Fortunately, Booz Allen Hamilton called me out of the blue. They liked the fact that I had a clearance and all of the experience and education I have. So, this position is based just east of St. Louis in a town called O'Fallen, Illinois. I've never been there before...but, I know Booz Allen Hamilton to be one of the absolute best companies to work for from a career progression and work/life balance point of view. So, everyone that reads this post (which is incredibly long) cross your fingers for me. I'd love the opportunity to work for such a widely known global organization!

Harvard Business Review - December 2008 Case Study

When Steve Becomes Stephanie:

Let me first write a disclaimer that I'm not an expert and that I did not read the expert opinions after the case. However, this case was probably the oddest one that I've read so far. Not that transsexuality is odd...it was just a very difficult one for me having no background.

First, the question:

How can Henrietta help Steve tranisition in a company where not everybody is on board?

The key players in the case:

• Henrietta: Senior VP of Human Resources at LaSalle Chemical


• Karl Deiner: CEO of LaSalle Chemical


• Steve/Stephanie: Group Sales Director of LaSalle Chemical


• Alex: Co-worker with Steve in the Sales group

Overview of the case:

Steve came into Henrietta's office identifying his upcoming gender transition. This was a completely out of the blue thing as Steve is a married man with kids and considered to be an athletic and attractive guy. He's 38 and considered the goldenboy of the sales group. Henrietta asks Steve if he's going to take a non-client facing role during this process. Steve then jokingly replies, "So I'll just be another lower paid woman in the office?" There was some discomfort, but Henrietta has some due diligence to complete before talking with the CEO.

He outlined his transition timeline and within 6 months the changes will start becoming apparent. A couple of weeks later, Alex and Steve were waiting for a flight home and talking at an airport bar on a Thursday afternoon. Steve mentioned how valuable working with Alex has been to being successful in his new position and wants Alex to know what a great job he's doing. Alex acknowledges the compliment but does not particularly like Steve. Alex is in his late 50s and felt that Steve stole his job after a merger occured with Steve's past company. They caught the flight back and as Alex was catching up on emails he noticed an anonymous manilla envelope on his desk.

Alex was heading on a two-week hiatus as he helps his wife recover after a first round of chemotherapy. So, Alex opens the envelope to see confidential information about Steve's transition timeline. Alex then storms into Henrietta's office to sit down and discuss this issue of what he feels is completely immoral and indecent. He wants to know if Steve will be fired.

At the end of the case we find Henrietta working out how to address the issue to the CEO the next Monday and how to come up with a strategy to create a positive awareness campaign at the organization level.

The question again:

How can Henrietta help Steve transition in a company where not everybody is on board?

Personal thoughts:

Very tricky case. While gender transition is becoming more mainstream...to the extend where transgendered individuals are mistresses on prime time television shows and competing to become America's Next Top Model....I don't think much of corporate America has created a lot of tolernce and education material for employees.

While Steve has every right to transition, there will be some employees that don't believe it to be socially acceptable. As such, his role of being the Director of Sales, a client facing role, may be a tough one to keep while transitioning. Many times sales folks are hired because of their personality and looks. The case made mention of Steve being an attractive and athletic guy. Being in a client facing role I think it could be important for Steve to ask his clients what their opinion is working with someone in his unique situation. If LaSalle Chemical stands to lose clients, then I don't think Henrietta has much of a choice but to offer Steve a healthy exit offer.

Regardless of what the clients say, Henrietta does need to create an awareness training regarding the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community. Essentially, we're all people. Exteriors change based on plastic surgery and other chemicals all the time....but we're still the same on the inside. Steve may start doing his job even better after transitioning into Stephanie as it will be a huge weight off her shoulders.

One thing is absolutely for certain, if an exit offer is extended to Steve of maybe 1-2 years worth of salary, Alex (his older co-worker) should NOT be given the promotion to the Director role. This won't be a one-time occurance in a company...and his acknowledgement of feeling that being transgendered or transsexual is immoral, he is not management material.

Phew...well, those are my thoughts, did anyone else that read the case have an opinion?

Amazing Race 13 Finale - quasi spoiler warning

The Amazing Race finale, I think this was the 13th Amazing Race....although it hardly seems like it could be this many races....wow. Anyway, the race finale was in my hometown. Not where I currently live, which is Chicago--but where I was born, Portland, Oregon.

I even took some pictures over the summer from my trip right where the actual finale happened, the Pittock Mansion. Everytime I'd go visit my grandma and grandpa there would be some sort of walk after a meal. The walk would usually end up at the Pittock Mansion.

Isn't it cool when you know exactly where the racers are running all over the place trying to find things and you think (go up one street and turn left!)....I remember when the finale happened in Chicago and they were running all over the place. Hmm...anyway, it was very cool seeing the finish line so close to "home"

That being said, on to my regularly schedule postings!!