Insert Map, Search and Post

This is why I love Live Writer. Using Live Writer I click on the insert map do a search for New York and wow map inserted. Don’t like the initial size pull it out larger, done.

This is really easy and very productive. I am not interested in the technical wonderment of blogging anymore, I’m more interested in the content and getting it out there, when I can. Live Writer has really made this possible, it is simple elegant and complete.

I hardly need to go to the blogger web interface anymore and can do my blog entries offline. Would you like to have a look at Live Writer then go to Windows Live Writer website to know more and download, enjoy.

Browse and Search

There are two types of users in the information world. Those who browse and those who search.

The browsers are those that have been brought up on a information diet of File Servers with folder structures. Even though they may spend endless hours getting nowhere they are comfortable with the way that they go about looking for things, because they have always done it this way.

Meanwhile the searchers are frustrated with the inability to Google (or Bing) across the fields of files and folders with a single uber-like query. These users will typically go to a “zone” of where they think the information is and then drill their search from there. Or if they are smart they may use the OHI search engine.

OHI search engines are a highly complex and adaptive set of interconnected nodes powered by the most advanced neural network algorithms currently available.

Namely it is the combination of people connections and the human brain, it is the Office Human Interface.

“Hey Joe where is that document on the sales forecasting from last quarter”; click, whirr, boom, a precision answer is computed and delivered in a split second, or if the data cannot be acquired a reference node (person contact) is linked in for further query. Stunning results !

But in an age where total company time may not exceed 2.5 year on average, search is going to be a big requirement going forward.

My prediction is that with on coming generations Search will become predominate as the browsers retire out and the new collaboration software repositories such as SharePoint become more the norm. 50 years on some will be blogging about “Search and implants”.

Process and People

Once again I have been re reading around Feature Driven Development (FDD). It is an agile software development methodology and one that I like a lot in the world of process.

However I was reminded when I reopened the book “JAVA Modeling Color with UML” by Peter Coad, Eric Lefebvre and Jeff De Luca that process methodology is there to assist in the execution and production of results, not there for the sake of the process itself. After all we are all paid to produce results,  a working product fit for purpose.

Process execution just for the sake of it can soon lead to process pride. Having hundred of steps to execute in any process will soon kill productivity in any project and people will become slaves to the process rather than the process supporting the people to execute and deliver the results we need.

There is a real balance in the “enough process” that requires strong leadership and mentoring by technical and non technical management. It all comes back tot he people in the end.

Quality people can rise above bad or no process and make a difference. As I often say “Monkeys into the process still equals monkeys coming out of the process”. Focus on the people give them enough process and watch the results.

MS SharePoint Conference 2009

Connect, collaborate, SharePoint. Well SharePoint 2010 is coming and the great unveiling is happening in Vegas 12-19 October 2009.

I will be heading over there with a couple of Principal Architects from the company to get a good view on the “new” SharePoint.

For those that are interested here are some URL’s re 2010.

SharePoint Conference Site

http://www.mssharepointconference.com/Pages/default.aspx

SharePoint 2010 sneak preview

http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/2010/Sneak_Peek/Pages/default.aspx

Based on the partner internal previews that I have seen previously through Microsoft I am excited by the new functionality that will be delivered by 2010.

Mind the gap – Job vs. blogging

Well it feels like i have fallen into the gap. A change of job and focus over the last couple of months have taken up a lot of time. Hence the blogging has been suffering.  I have been spending time managing 5 teams that deliver technology solutions across everything from ECM to software development.

It has been demanding but great fun to get in an get things working again. What I always know is that if you give people some clear direction and the expectations then they have an environment to succeed.

I will be making an effort to keep the blogging up, although my focus is not directly in ECM today. But a little here and a little there will make a difference.