Wright Consulting

OK – The Deal’s Done – Now What?
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Small and Medium sized companies are inevitably faced with a variety of complex integration issues upon closure of their merger and acquisition transaction. Hopefully, the largest business and technology risks have been identified through a quality due diligence effort.

Top Technology Integration Issues

• Infrastructure inadequacies – skills and environment
• Mission critical business applications  -  interfacing/migration/”sunsetting”
• Single points of Failure Identification
• Customer Advocacy – problem/project resolution/accountability

Rarely, do these companies have the expertise on staff that can rapidly prepare and execute proper mitigation plans to deliver a smooth transition with the forecasted return on investment. The delivery of a 180 day plan is surely to be required by the investors – synergies need to be implemented to realize the projected ROI. Risk and Change management requirements of the transaction are often underestimated and the existing management team is typically struggling to recover from the exhaustive pre-transaction activity!! With facing new challenges, the company may need to augment the management team on a temporary basis with some expert heavy-lifting from an experienced consultant.
Most CEOs hate the idea of Consultants but the wise ones realize that, correctly chosen, the Consultant can provide the needed expertise to “jumpstart” the transition and then should seamlessly - exit. The ideal choice would be a consultant who has been a valuable part of the transaction team during the due diligence effort – or has done similar, quality engagement work. Obviously this would minimize the ramp-up time and shorten the duration of the engagement.
The organization needs to obtain the exemplary technology management consultant who will collaborate with the management team to develop and execute the tactical, short term plans. The project management expertise of the consultant should be able to provide the necessary guidance to the team to accurately prioritize the outstanding business and technology projects while improving the accountability of in-flight projects. It’s pivotal for business and technology leaders to align their needs to achieve operating efficiencies and implement expected synergies.
Long term planning (post 180 day) may also be achieved but the consummate Consultant should incorporate a leadership transformation component in the plan – the consultant’s exit strategy! Delivering quality education, instilling best practices and mentoring leaders are tasks that the consultant should plan and perform throughout their engagement – or they are doing a disservice to their client.

Information Technology Groups need to understand the meaning and benefits of true Customer Advocacy.  Learning who all of your Customers are, what are their Challenges and their Motivations can promote a positive Information Technology perspective and help every group involved - Get Projects and Problems accomplished and resolved more efficiently.  And in this economic downturn its all about Operational Efficiencies.

HELP YOUR ORGANIZATION IMPROVE THEIR PROJECT COMPLETION AND PROBLEM RESOLUTION EFFECIENCIES

 “How Do YOU Spell  - CUSTOMER?”  

• Customer Identification
• Defining True Customer Advocacy for your organization
•  Adoption processes
• Implementation & Sustainability

Seminar Objectives:

1. Define what Customer Advocacy means from an Information Technology perspective
2. Develop Top action items of a Change plan
3. Develop Milestones for the Implementation project phase
4. Identify Barriers and Potential Issues of Implementation and Continuity - ways to Avoid and Mitigate 

   Contact SWEET BITCH for further seminar details - Use ‘Contact Tab’ above

Copyright  ©  2011  Amelia W. Wright

Most Corporate Executives avoid the Technology Conversation - WHY?   Because Information Technology has gone out of its way to make their  profession sound overly complex with acronyms, mumbo-jumbo jargon -  I mean really “Cloud Computing?”, leaving Executives  feeling alienated, frustrated and really just turned off.  

As managers from all functional areas we need to try to find a way to Communicate CONSTRUCTIVELY - improve our project performance and enjoy ourselves while doing it.

“So, Can We Talk, CONSTRUCTIVELY?”

Seminar Objectives:

Top 5 Things to Do to Build Better Communications between Business and Technology

1. Recognize that business areas should be working collaboratively to insure corporate goals are met.
2. Identify naysayers, and “one man” teams - determine ways to remove barriers.
3. Develop a mutally understood vocabulary - dispel acronyms and other  mysterious lingo.
4. Determine how and when to Communicate ‘face to face’- analyze the pros and cons of other modes of communications.
5. Define measurement and accountability mechanisms to keep the conversation CONSTRUCTIVE.

Copyright © 2011  Amelia W. Wright

Contact the Sweet Bitch to help your organization Build Better Communications & Get Something Done.  

Does Project Management Accountability at your Organization need a Boost?  Is it Non-existent?  Is it Time to “Call a Pig’s Ass Pork?”

Change Agents often struggle to discern what amount of CHANGE can they be successful inserting into their corporate structure. 

•  What are the downsides?
•  What are the benefits? 
•  Is it worth risking my career?
•  Can I be successful taking on additional responsibility?  

If you want to get more involved to help your organization improve - then reach out and see if I can provide the nessary guidance and expertise you may need to get started and get the project team formed and motivated for success.

 “Calling a Pig’s Ass Pork: Somebody, Needs To”

·        Assessing the Pig

·        Truth has its Consequences – Positive and Negative

·        Action – execution and risk mitigation

Seminar Objectives:

Defining the status of Project Management in your organization

Identify benefits and pitfalls of promoting Project Management improvements

Determine what amount of CHANGE you can succeed in making

Developing a high level milestone plan of action for the CHANGE

Contact Sweet Bitch via the Contact Tab at the top of the page 

Copyright ©  2011  Amelia W Wright

You have established yourself in a unique place -  Women in Technology -  and you are poised for growing an outstanding career.  Having continuously advanced my own Technology career over the course of 28 years by working for successful fortune 500 organizations in various industries and by running my Technology Management  consulting company, I  thought I would offer some advice and counsel,  ”Ways to Screw the Pooch” from the Sweet Bitch  - pitfalls to avoid while making your way.

• Walk away - walk away. Remember the journey is a long one - it should be enjoyed and cherished.  You are going to meet jerks and get your feelings hurt.  Avoid turning those emotional situations into revenge, career harming actions.  It may feel good “returning the favor” - but only briefly.  Keep your thoughts to yourself - remember anything you leave in writing - anywhere will come back to haunt you. NO electronic forms of communications. NO exceptions.
• Say something nice, do something good. Get out there. Help Others. Volunteer.  The positive action makes you feel good and when you feel good, you have an added “Edge” of self-confidence that will get you noticed AND remembered by others.  The double whammy?  Encourage others to work out with you.  You get in shape, make friends, & make contacts in a win-win environment , but watchout for your competitive edge. Nobody likes a show-off.  However, if you can deliver the winning score for the company event - wow!   
• Do not rest on your laurels.  You are only as good as what you earned last week.  Every day you need to be establishing new career goals - do not expect for your company, your boss, your family or lover to push you.  “Its all on YOU. When you see a Chance - Take it.” -  from “Arc of a Diver’- Steve Winwood.  Words to live by - I will go a step further - Look for the Chance, Create a Chance.  Be creative and inquisitive.

More from the Sweet Bitch?  Look at EBooks previews -  or contact her directly (CONTACT Tab) - both available on this website.

 Copyright © 2011 Amelia W. Wright

By the sheer fact that you are a Woman in Technology, most business managers assume that you have some project management talents - attention to detail, strong analytical ability or perhaps customer advocacy. Remember their assumptions aren’t necessarily accurate!!  But take advantage of them - The Secret to making more out of your career is how you turn those assumptions into Influence.  By becoming influential, you will be sought out for opinions, guidance and action.  All characteristics required for Leadership - and that is a skill that gets recognized and rewarded. 

Top 5 Ways to become Influential:

1.  Meeting management - be prompt, take notes (requires pen and paper)  but always keep eye contact with speaker, LISTEN.  When you speak - speak with Fact not Emotion - expression is fine.  Gestures can be a “signature” - a way of being remembered by others. Use wisely and practice in front of a mirror. 

2.  Learn and live the adage - Perception is Reality.  Recognize in your ordinary day to day activities how often you are sterotyping individuals by how they act and how they look.  How do you believe that you are perceived by others? Its a question that you need to answer honestly and then determine if and how you want to alter that perception.   

3.  Volunteer -   its essential in establishing and maintaining relationships with individuals in other departments and at varying management levels

4. Learn other project management core values and practice them - they are the “soul” of good business conduct. You can find them at http://pmi.org. 

5.  Determine what project management skills and or talents you want to hone - and do it - by yourself through classical education methods or by finding a mentor.  When others realize that you are improving yourself they will be  duly impressed.

Contact The Sweet Bitch for Seminars in Your Area:

“Women in Technology - Centers of Influence”

Copyright 2011  Amelia W Wright

The Initiative may be a total Turnaround Management effort or a Strategic Information Systems Plan development. Regardless, Change is not a noun widely accepted nor successfully implemented at most organizations, especially when the subject matter of Information Technology Systems is involved.

It is a subject that most C-level executives do not understand, do not want to understand, and are not capable of understanding IF the education is given in Information Technology terms. Let’s face it most C-level executives have the right attitude - Information Technology systems jargon is painfully boring and extremely tedious!  A translation of terms is required for the team to understand and support the change effort.

It is the role of the experienced Project Manager to provide the much needed vocabulary, terms, phraseology that the project team will need to successfully determine, navigate and execute the corporate Change initiative.

Translation specialist - AW Wright  

Free Consult  see Contact Tab above

Copyright © 2011 Amelia W Wright

You need to FULFILL your promises made in your Strategic Plan - so now you need to adopt a project management methodology and possibly establish a project management office (PMO) - somebody needs to be assigned as a referee to “Call a Pig’s Ass Pork”!!

Below are some mission critical “Ways to Screw the Pooch” -  Key things to avoid when trying to FULFILL your corporate goals via Project Management best practices. 

 1.     Minimize Confusion. The terminology exercised in standard project management practices may be unfamiliar to “Fulfill” team members.  Simple words and phrases may have different denotations and connotations in different settings. Take care to establish a familiar, working vocabulary – terms and phrases need to be introduced with a clear definition. Use the vocabulary consistently to minimize confusion during discussions.  The dictionary can also serve as an appendix to the final deliverables.

 2.     All the cats need to be herded. The Sponsor should not be the Information Technology leader. This role requires an individual who has broader operational, business responsibilities. The candidate should have the ability to promote collaboration and participation amongst all members. The position requires influence, charisma and a big stick.

3.     Early Migration may hurt Forward Progress. Transitioning the new process too soon to a newly formed operational area may result in diminished returns. Momentum may be lost and the ground previously covered conceded to the naysayers.

4.     Exercise the Sponsorship.  Consult with the Sponsor on meeting agendas prior to the actual team  meeting.  Keep the Sponsor informed and current on issues and project status. Identify how they can be most effective in their role. Offer alternative solutions to problems for them. Prepare costs and benefits for each solution so that the Sponsor can make an informed decision.

 5.     Keep it Short and Simple. Make the rudimentary, initial process too complex, too formal, and too lengthy – it becomes an easy target for the naysayers.  

 6.     Utilize Poor Scheduling Techniques. Make sure known scheduling obstacles are identified. Knowledge of previously planned events and reoccurring meetings that involve “Fulfill” team members is important. Establish rules for quorums and in absentia voting. Investment in befriending the administrative assistants or key managers who are responsible for team member calendars is sound advice.

 7.     Don’t practice basic teamwork tenets. All team members need to Collaborate, Compromise, and Communicate. If the tenets are not embraced and not practiced the initiative has a very high probability of being a failure.

Copyright  © 2011  Amelia W Wright

 »»»   Gain Advice and Counsel from an Expert - Who is not Afraid to “Call a Pig’s Ass Pork”        -          AW Wright

 Send contact information via the Contact Tab to schedule a free session  

»»»   See more details around the FULFILL process - visit the Ebooks Category

Its that tough time of the year when most businesses are pulling together financial information, scouring the P&L trying to explain and measure outcomes of the current year budget and strategic plans that were announced to its shareholders and stakeholders  -  because its about time to start the process all over again!  Two quarters of earnings have hit the books, project process “stories”  have been developed and disseminated and my concern is HOW effective is the measurement?  If business and technology systems have yet to develop an aligned project strategy that carefully plans the execution of projects that have supposedly been prioritized for the corporation to meet their goals of market share growth or operational efficiencies -  then how the heck do stakeholders and shareholders really get the details about the progress?  Are all the announcements of success based on subjective input from the project corporate sponsors??   Remember if nothing is measured, then nothing gets done. 

Sweet Bitch has recently published guide books to help business and information system executives develop, plan and successfully execute strategic plans.  Its a tough read - she does Call a Pig’s Ass Pork - challenging executives on some very crucial communication topics. Someone has to keep the mirror clean for an accurate corporate reflection!

REVIEW “FULFILL” Guide EXCERPT

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