The Dell Supply Chain Competitive Advantage

Dell's competitive advantage ... cooking the books ...

... "The investigation raised questions relating to numerous accounting issues, most of which involved adjustments to various reserve and accrued liability accounts. The investigation identified evidence that certain adjustments appear to have been motivated by the objective of attaining financial targets. According to the investigation, these activities typically occurred at the close of a quarter. The investigation found evidence that, in that timeframe, account balances were reviewed, sometimes at the request or with the knowledge of senior executives, with the goal of seeking adjustments so that quarterly performance objectives could be met. The investigation concluded that a number of these adjustments were improper, including the creation and release of accruals and reserves that appear to have been made for the purpose of enhancing internal performance measures or reported results, as well as the transfer of excess accruals from one liability account to another and the use of the excess balances to offset unrelated expenses in later periods. The investigation found that sometimes business unit personnel did not provide complete information to corporate headquarters and, in a number of instances, purposefully incorrect or incomplete information about these activities was provided to internal or external auditors. " ...

Via Dell: Dell Independent Investigation Completed; Will Restate Financials

July Podcast from Jerry Manas - Character

Once again, a few days late, but better late than never... In this month's podcast, I share Napoleon's thoughts, words, and actions to illustrate character, which includes integrity, calmness, and responsibility.

Incidentally, for those who wish to receive the free monthly Project Results e-newsletter, which includes information from Napoleon on Project Management, as well as articles on leadership, project management and other such topics, here's the sign up page.

5 Lessons in Leadership

The following Lessons in Leadership were originally presented at a recent CIO Leadership Conference but are also applicable to PM's:

10. Failure is not an option (as per Apollo 13's project leader Gene Krantz)

9. The kind of organization you are in determines the kind of leader you need to be (I'd also add that WHERE the project is in its lifecycle and the level of project experience your team and stakeholders have also matters)

8. A good leader has integrity (e.g., accountable, truthful (including in how you report project status and metrics!), a team player and tough when needed)

7. Don't be lazy. (push beyond your natural abilities - get into the details, get out of your office and talk to people, etc.)

6. Make sure that everyone in your organization can articulate what it is you're trying to accomplish (I've also heard this called "the hymn" (i.e., make sure everyone's singing the same tune, from the same book); if you have a more PC, one-word term, let me know!).

You'll have to wait until later for the next 5...this was plenty to digest in one sitting.

Thanks to Abbie Lundberg, the Editor in Chief of CIO Magazine for the info and insights that she shared in the June 15, 2006 edition. They formed the basis for this blog.

Integrity is Job One

Integrity not only means that your actions are aligned with your words, it also implies that both are ethically bound. Most importantly, it implies 360-degree accountability, meaning that you are accountable above, below, and sideways, in the organization.

That's not to say you can't make a final decision (and indeed you must), but you need to observe, listen, and consider all angles and impacts before making what you feel is the right decision for the organization. And, for real success, you need to do it quickly. This is done easier in an environment of decentralized-decision making, operating under a set of basic guidelines and high level objectives.

When operating in a more autocratic environment, it can be challenging, especially if the orders conflict with your better instinct.

Here's a great quote I came across in a Tom Peters presentation. The quote comes from Colonel John Boyd, the legendary fighter pilot who founded the concept of OODA loops (Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act), which also helped organizations like Toyota become so successful.

“If your boss demands loyalty, give him integrity. But if he demands integrity, give him loyalty.”

-- BOYD: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War (Robert Coram)

This is a motto we should all carry with us.

ServiceOriented Architecture SOA Governance: Market Consolidation ...

Mercury acquires Systinet to extend its reach into the service oriented architecture SOA market. It further expands the footprint of their integrated business technology suite. This market space is ripe for consolidation as major information architectures transition to the services model. ...

... "Mercury Interactive Corporation, the global leader in business technology optimization (BTO) software, announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Systinet Corporation, a privately held company, for $105.0 million in cash. Systinet is a leading provider of service-oriented architecture (SOA) governance and lifecycle management software and services. Customers use Systinet technology to manage SOA business services and to build secure and reliable Web services. Systinet technology, when combined with Mercury BTO Enterprise offerings, will help enable customers to take a lifecycle approach to optimizing the quality, performance and availability of SOA business services.

Systinet SOA products provide a system of record and a set of governance and lifecycle capabilities that help provide the visibility, control, quality and integrity critical to SOA success. Systinet products deliver capabilities for publishing and discovering business services; creating, managing and enforcing policies; and managing the full lifecycle of business services and other SOA assets. " ...

ServiceOriented Architecture SOA Governance: Market Consolidation: Via Mercury: Mercury to Acquire Systinet to Capitalize on High-Growth SOA Market ...

Leadership Equation: 12 Priorities to Live By

As PMThink regulars might know, I've posted several times about my key two priorities when managing project constraints;

1) Speed is more important than Cost
2) Success is more important than speed

Well, I have ten more overall leadership priorities that I live by. I didn't invent them all (some I've come across over the years and adopted, and some are even cliches by now), but these are the priorities that have served me well. I'll list them now, but I plan to write more about them in the future. Here are the other 10 priorities:

3) Principles are more important than rules
4) Results are more important than process
5) People are more important than results
6) Spirit is more important than ability
7) Experience is more important than spirit
8) Character is more important than intellect
9) Perception is more important than reality
10) Simplicity is more important than perfection
11) Integrity is more important than popularity
12) Facts are more important than theories

Chew on these for a while. More to come.

SOA Governance: Best Practice Strategies Webinar ...

SOA Governance: Best Practice Strategies Webinar: Via Service Integrity: Real-Time Business Intelligence for Service Oriented Enterprises

Upcoming webinar explores best practices and strategy for SOA Service Oriented Architecture in leading enterprises ...

... "Service Integrity, a provider of real-time Business Intelligence (BI) software for Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA), and Systinet, the leader in SOA governance and lifecycle management, announced they will co-host a webinar, Creating a Policy and Practice Blueprint for SOA, on Tuesday, October 4. The online event will present best practices and strategies for building today's service-oriented enterprises, including the critical steps for establishing a system of record for SOA policies and how to secure real-time visibility into the implementation of best practices. " ...

Systinet is a leading software provider of the foundation for SOA governance and business service lifecycle management. Founded in 2000, Systinet's award-winning, proven, and standards-based products enable IT organizations to rapidly leverage existing technology investments, provide interoperability between heterogeneous systems, and better align business processes with IT. Customers receive the benefits of a simpler, faster, standards-based way to dramatically improve IT responsiveness and technology asset reuse, while maximizing the ROI for SOA. Systinet's customer base of over 150 Global 2000 clients includes Amazon.com, BMC Software, Interwoven, JP Morgan, Motorola, Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), and SAIC. Headquartered in Burlington, Mass., Systinet is a privately held company with over 100 employees.

Service Integrity provides patent-pending, real-time Business Intelligence (BI) software for Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA). As a consequence of implementing SOA, more business critical data is “in-flight” than ever, and it’s moving at the speed of light. Service Integrity’s SIFT™ software uniquely resolves the challenge of harnessing and leveraging Information-in-Motion™ to achieve optimal business execution. With SIFT, companies like Pfizer, Novell, and Fidelity National Financial achieve the insight, agility, and predictability they need to gain increased regulatory compliance, continuous risk management, and seamless operational performance. Service Integrity is headquartered in Boston, MA.

Project Management: Accelerate New Product Design in Semicon Industry ...

Project Management: Accelerate New Product Design in Semicon Industry: Via MatrixOne: MatrixOne and Leading Analyst Firm to Discuss How to Accelerate Chip Design Through Better Project Management ...

MatrixOne and AMR Research join forces in webcast to explore acceleration of project management for designing and delivering new products to the marketplace in the semicon industry. Eric Karofsky has published recent research on accelerating innovation ("Reach Innovation Utopia With Project Management Tools") ...

... "MatrixOne, Inc. (NASDAQ: MONEE), a leading provider of collaborative product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions for the value chain , announced that it will present a webcast aimed at helping project managers in semiconductor companies learn how they can use better project planning, execution and tracking solutions to better meet today's chip design challenges and deliver new products faster. The webcast will feature a presentation by Eric Karofsky, senior research analyst for AMR Research, who will discuss the latest industry trends and best practices for speeding product development. The live webcast will take place on Thursday, September 29, 2005 at 1:00 pm ET. " ...

AMR Research provides world class research and actionable advice for executives tasked with delivering enhanced business process performance and cost savings with the aid of technology. Five thousand leaders in the Global 1000 put their trust in AMR Research's integrity, depth of industry expertise, and passion for customer service to support their most critical business initiatives, including supply chain transformation; new product introduction, customer profitability, compliance and governance, and IT benefit realization.

MatrixOne, Inc. (NASDAQ: MONEE), a leading global provider of collaborative product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services, enables companies to accelerate product innovation to achieve top line revenue growth and improve bottom line profitability. With world-class PLM solutions and a commitment to customer success, MatrixOne is focused on helping companies across the automotive, aerospace & defense, consumer, machinery, medical device, semiconductor and high-tech industries solve their most challenging new product development and introduction problems. More than 800 companies use MatrixOne's solutions to drive business value and gain a competitive advantage, including industry leaders such as BAE Systems, Bosch, Comau, General Electric, Honda, Johnson Controls, Linde AG, NCR, Nokia, Philips, Porsche, Procter & Gamble, Sony Ericsson, STMicroelectronics and Toshiba. MatrixOne is headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts, with locations throughout North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Accelerate Project Delivery: Valuable Techniques ...

Accelerate Project Delivery: Valuable Techniques: Via CalDOT Division of Design - Project Acceleration - Design Excellence

Caltrans provides toolbox for project managers that highlights project delivery acceleration techniques, such as cycle-time methods, reengineering, and sequencing ...

... "The purpose of this document is to provide Caltrans' employees as well as our external partners some valuable tools that can be used to help accelerate project delivery. This document contains a compilation of all the Department's recent acceleration techniques. This report also identifies some additional changes which are proposed to be implemented over the next few years. " ...

The Division of Design provides the procedures, policy, standards, guidance, technical assistance, and training needed to facilitate California transportation improvements and system integrity.