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As difficult as it is to buy the right software, you’d think they’d call it hardware. You need to be an expert in how to buy software. You need to know how to write a software specification. For every business there are many problems or needs that can be addressed. Technology will only be able to solve certain problems. For every one of those there are many technologies that will work. For every technology there are many more products or solutions of that technology. And, for every product or solution there are that many more vendors. How do you know if the vendor you picked is even going to have a product, a technology or a solution that can solve your problem and that it's the right problem to solve with technology? First you need to figure out which business problems need to be solved. Then you need to narrow down which of those business problems can be solved with technology. After that you need to determine which technologies are the right ones to apply to solve those problems. Only then can you identify the technology product or solution to address those needs. Don't even think about talking to a developer or vendor until you've done these steps. CMMI can be applied to small companies and in agile development environments and methods.You can achieve a CMMI level rating even though you use XP (Extreme Programming) or another Agile Development approach or method.Looking for help implementing CMMI? Need someone who will understand that 'your're different?' Looking for discipline in a lightweight environment? Entinex understands and can help you achieve your process objectives.Software development isn't manufacturing. So why do people keep trying to use manufacturing methods on software? Manufacturing QA doesn't work in software which is why so much software QA is so painful. Entinex has the solution. Don't let obsolete thinking about software processes intimidate you out of pursuing a CMMI level rating. Old-style thinking about software processes have not kept up with the times, but Entinex has. Entinex understands that you're in business not for the process but to make money selling software products, solutions, and services. Let Entinex help you achieve your process goals without breaking your bank or rhythm.
You don't buy a house or a car without knowing what you want first. Don't buy technology that way either. There are many good reasons to buy technology. Make sure you address those reasons when you do. For every business there are many problems or needs that can be addressed. Technology will only be able to solve certain problems. For every one of those there are many technologies that will work. For every technology there are many more products or solutions of that technology. And, for every product or solution there are that many more vendors. How do you know if the vendor you picked is even going to have a product, a technology or a solution that can solve your problem and that it's the right problem to solve with technology? First you need to figure out which business problems need to be solved. Then you need to narrow down which of those business problems can be solved with technology. After that you need to determine which technologies are the right ones to apply to solve those problems. Only then can you identify the technology product or solution to address those needs. Don't even think about talking to a developer or vendor until you've done these steps.

WRITINGS

 Did you know that your technology project has an 80% chance of failing? Do you know what to do to improve those odds? Do you know what to ask your software developer or vendor to make sure they know what to do so that the project you're paying them to do doesn't fail? Business executives and technology developers have a mismatch in two key areas: communication and priorities. Business people and technology developers have a basic communication problem in that the business folks can't speak about their business in technology terms, and the technical folks don't know enough about a particular business to convey technical concepts in a way that makes sense to the business people. Similarly, it's not on a business executive's priority list to get to know all about technology just to be able to define their needs in technical terms. And, it's not a developer's priority to learn the ins and outs of a business so that they can glean the answers they need from a business person to be able to deliver a product or solution. Entinex solves these mismatches by providing the needed translation between business and technology.
Less than 3 out of 10 software projects succeed to come in on time, come in on budget, do what the customer wants them to do. Why should your software project be among the (more than) 7 failed projects? Over 50% of all failed projects over-run their budgets by 189%, over-run their Schedules by 222%, deliver an average of 60% of what the customer wanted. In other words, customers paid twice as much, waited twice as long and got half of what they expected. The common theme is that NONE ever had a reliable estimate in the 1st place. The odds are against you. Most software developers and their clients have no means of accurately estimating the software project, predicting the outcome of projects or ensuring project success. When business executives are faced with a technology decision, where can they go? Will a vendor be objective? Will a colleague be qualified? Will their in-law understand the needs of their business? Entinex is the business executive's advocate. We do not take on technology development projects ourselves. Instead, we refer all actual development to qualified providers. This ensures that our recommendations are in our clients' best interests, not ours. Furthermore, Entinex receives no commissions, referral fees or kick-backs from any of these referrals. For these clients we provide the services of an Outsourced CIO. It's really quite simple: someone has to think strategically about technology for your business. If no one at your company does that for you, then call Entinex.
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Come back once in a while.  As more publications are released, look for them here as well as in the context of the site's content.  We hope you find these informative.

Several of these articles were also reprinted in newsletters of the Baltimore Chapter of the American Society for Quality.


Why Do You Need a Technology Strategy?

This article places the concept of a Technology Strategy into the context of general business strategic planning -- at a high level.  It doesn't get into the strategic planning of IT, rather, it's an introduction to the purpose of a technology component of a business plan - - far prior to the point where a company would be at the level where they're thinking of devising strategies about IT investments, portfolio style.


Book Review of A Requirements Pattern
By Patricia Ferdinandi

Published in the American Society for Quality's Software Division's Software Quality Professional Journal.  Vol. 7 No. 1, November 2004. 


Tools Towards CMMI

A quick column on the common misunderstandings as well as clarifications about CMMI® and about using tools towards achieving a high rating in CMMI.  This article was published in cooperation with Artifact Software


Use Existing Technology to Simplify Your Life

A few ways to use technology you already have to make work life more manageable.  Technologies that don't cost more money to use, but can have a very consolidating effect on how you manage communication with the outside world, all the while becoming a more mobile worker.


A Requirements Paradox: I like you, but you won't get the job.

What can America do to stem the flow of software development going off-shore?  If we can't compete on price, then we must improve the quality of the requirements.  Why requirements?  Because that's what the foreign competition must excel at, or they couldn't deliver the goods.  And neither will we.

This appeared in the Technology for the Record column on page 7A of the November 26, 2003 issue of The Maryland Daily Record (subscription required).


I"SO-What" 9000?!?!

What good is ISO 9000 registration -- if the customer knows what it is and can tell that your quality program isn't working?

Appeared in The Daily Record on Friday, January 23, 2004; and, a slightly edited version appeared in the December 2003 issue of The Business Monthly on p. 16.


What is CMMI and Why Should You Care?

This is an updated version of an earlier column (see below) printed as the 1st of a 2-part series in the Technology for the Record column on page 26A of the September 5, 2003 The Maryland Daily Record (subscription required).  The CMM has become the CMMI and although there are important differences, the reasons to care have not changed.

The 2nd of the 2-part series, Two Key Challenges to Implementing the CMMI is based on its CMM counterpart below and appeared in The Record a week later on page 8A.


Strategic Value of Business Processes for SMB Tech Companies

This column explains how small and medium sized technology companies can use the processes of how they go about business as a strategic asset.  It describes the business asset of being able to build trust, achieve market differentiation, and increase sales.  All with a concept most companies overlook.

The Maryland Daily Record re-published this as Business processes: your most overlooked asset in the April 2004 issue of TechLink on page 22. Digital Harbor Online re-printed the article on March 15, 2004.

The Maryland Daily Record printed a version (minus the last few paragraphs) and titled it Business Process as Strategic Asset on page 22A on October 10, 2003.

Printed by the (nearly) original title on page 13 in the September 2003 issue of the The Business Monthly.


Technology On Price Alone

This short article addresses the fallacy of trying to make technology purchases based on the price of alternatives alone.  It covers both why people think they can judge the right technology to buy based solely on price, as well as what they really should be considering their decision on.

Printed by the same name in the special section on High Tech and Innovation in Business of the July 2003 issue of The Business Monthly, and by the name, "Finding common ground between exec and techie." in a new column in The Maryland Daily Record called Technology for the Record on July 18, 2003 on page 24A. (subscription required).


Technology and Your Image

is a short article about the interplay between a company's use of technology and its image in the marketplace.  It first appeared here and in the April 2003 issue of The Business Monthly. 

link to: The Maryland Daily Record.The Maryland Daily Record titled the Technology for the Record column "Technology reflects validity and image in marketplace." in their August 8, 2003 edition on page 19A. (subscription required).

The pre-edited version, available here, has a little more depth.

The article, too, has been reprinted in Digital Harbor Online


10 Business Decisions for Every Technology Project

is an article appropriate for any business implementing technology.  It's been published in the February 2003 issue of The Business Monthly. 

The article was also picked up by Digital Harbor Online and in Light Lines, Light Industries' Newsletter.

link to: Digital Harbor Online.   link to: Light Industries.


Two Key Challenges to Implementing CMM

is a follow-up to the article to the one below appearing in the November 2002 issue of The Business Monthly  Read more about The Business Monthly below.

The Business Monthly Web Logo and link to article.What is the CMM and Why Should You Care

is a much condensed version of a similarly named article that also appears below.  It was on p.17 of the September 2002 issue of The Business Monthly, The Business Newspaper of Columbia, Ellicott City, Laurel, & BWI Business District. Central Maryland is proving to be a hotbed of government and commercial software development, technology innovation, and government-industry technology transfer.


ASQ SQP Reviews logo and link.

A book review of New Directions in Internet Management By Sanjiv Purba

has been published in the American Society for Quality's (ASQ) Software Quality Professional (SQP), September 2002 issue.  (The link is a recreation of the original web page.  We've reproduced this page in its entirety because it contains many other useful reviews.  We hope they you find value in them.)


MarylandB2b.com Logo and Link.What Is the CMM and Why Should I Care?

This is a simple, but detailed, look at the CMM©.  It has been published on the MarylandB2B.com website.  To find it, go to "Resources" then to "Procurement Resources".  The item is labeled "The Role of CMM in Government Procurement."  [PDF]


November 2001 CrossTalk Cover and Link to Article.Dispelling The Process Myth: Having a Process Does Not Mean Sacrificing Agility or Creativity.

... looks at how process discipline and development agility are not impossible to co-exist.  This article compares what many see as complete opposites: Extreme Programming (XP) and the CMM©, and demonstrates how the two can actually complement one another.  Published in the November 2001 issue of CrossTalk, The Journal of Defense Software Engineering.  [PDF]



 

 

 

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Did you know that your technology project has an 80% chance of failing? Do you know what to do to improve those odds? Do you know what to ask your software developer or vendor to make sure they know what to do so that the project you're paying them to do doesn't fail?
Would you like your software estimates to improve? Would you like to have predictability and consistency in your software projects? Wouldn't it be nice if you could forecast your capacity for new work and your sales effort? Wouldn't better estimats result in happier clients?

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