Archive for July, 2011
Transitioning Your It Support To A Service Provider
If you are reading this article it is likely that several months ago you engaged a consulting firm to identify opportunity areas for outsourcing your IT support. If the outcome of this project met your business needs then it is likely that the consulting firm is guiding you through the request for proposal and contract process.
When you begin the journey through the contract phase your organization will need to actively participate in planning for the transition of services. One of your many decisions will involve deciding if you need to also engage a consulting firm during the transition project for oversight.
I have spent 10 years working for an IT outsourcing service provider building transition solutions and executing internationally complex transitions. During this time I had a mix of projects where consultants provided transition oversight and only the client provided transition oversight. In my experience the client always came out ahead when consultants provided oversight. In the 30 projects I managed there were two projects where the client had an experienced manager able to provide proper oversight. In both cases these employees had prior IT outsourcing transition experience.
The service provider doesnt want the consultants involved in the transition phase. A consultant would require at least 25 percent more transition management labor causing the service provider to:
- not be able to put up smoke screens while the consultants figured out problems
- have to build more indepth plans to deal with issues
- be held tightly to contractual commitments
On the flip side there are stories in the industry of disaster projects where a consultant has overmanaged and dictated how a provider should execute their project. Overmanagement by the consultant does not provide value to either the client or provider.
As you are moving through the contract phase and are faced with the decision about the leadership/oversight of your transition project I suggest you review the experience and ability of your staff. Does a member of your staff have leadership abilities and experience with IT outsourcing transitions? If no you need to talk with your consulting firm about their experience and ability to provide transition oversight.
You dont want a good business decision followed by a poorly executed project. The effects of a bad transition project can linger for years.
Points to remember:
- Project management experience does not equal transition management experience just as a house builder does not equal to a skyscraper builder.
- If your IT organization had the skills and experience to run this project you likely wouldnt be outsourcing.
- You need experienced oversight of the provider not over management.
About the writer: Mark Ruckman is a managing consultant at Alsbridge Inc. the independent advisory firm that helps organizations conduct thorough evaluations of outsourcing options for operating their information technology finance and accounting and human resources organizations.
Trading Futures
Today trading futures is one of the best and most profitable financial investment methods. Of course trading on the stock market is not for the faint hearted. You need to be strong have the ability to take risks as well as have the emotional strength to overcome a significant loss. A highly leveraged market the trading futures market doesnt discriminate and offers everyone an even playing ground to try their luck. From Warren Buffet to Donald Trump to others trading futures is a profitable and interesting way to make money and climb the ladders of success. Of course you should never take futures trading lightly and continue to educate yourself in the latest techniques even if you have been trading for some years. Remember a sound trading strategy and knowledge about the market you are trading in are your biggest defense against any potential damage.
Whether you are already trading in the stock market or have some experience trading futures is a completely different ball game. It is advisable to have access to some professional and expert advice. However if you are looking for a broker you should check the experience reputation fees testimonials and customer support of the broking firm before choosing them. An experienced broker can be a highly valuable help in making money from trading futures. Not only does a broker know the latest market trends he also knows some of the tricks and effective trading methods that can prove to be beneficial for both of you. While their charges may be slightly high the fact that they can bring you heavy profits while adding worth to your portfolio of futures can not be neglected.
Brokers also help if you are new to trading futures. Since there are so many choices he/she can help you choose the more popular and most traded commodities as well as educate you on the contracts that are best for your investment types and requirement. After all the formula for success in trading futures is simple and can be written as success = knowledge. With so many types of online trading systems youll have just too much information to sort and utilize. However a broker can do this for you with relative ease leaving you with time and ability to simply take advantage of the various trading future trends. Some of the factors for future trading include the capital requirements; the leverage; liquidity; and volatility.
Today trading futures online is a quick and easy way to high profits and more comfort. Whether you are at work or at home access your futures trading system online and making sales and purchase can be a very easy and responsive affair. So also the commission charges for online futures trading firms are lower than brick and mortar firms. While this doesnt guarantee profitability it surely eliminates the need for visiting your broker on a daily basis for carrying out trading. Seeking help of professional broker is very important for ensuring you can minimize your losses and avoid possible pitfalls.
About the writer: Please visit http://www.tradingpro.com.au for Trading Futures in Australia.
Top Tips For Managing A Mobile Workforce
The wide availability of mobile communications technology has made mobile working part and parcel of the modern business environment.
Mobile and remote working has numerous advantages for both businesses and workers. However it also brings with it a variety of challenges for employers who have the responsibility of ensuring that productivity and the overall quality of work doesnt suffer.
To help your business to effectively manage its mobile workforce Genesis Communications have devised the following handy hints:
- Put systems in place Firstly and most crucially you should ensure that you have the technology in place to allow for effective and efficient mobile working to take place. Genesis Communications have a comprehensive range of mobile worker solutions. These include mobile broadband BlackBerrys SharePoint 2007 and Microsoft exchange hosting. To find out more about these click here.
- Set the guidelines Setting boundaries and ground rules is essential for remote working to be successful. Policies should be put in place to ensure that everyone knows where they stand. Workers should know exactly what is expected and what is and isnt considered appropriate. For example rules on internet and email usage should be established.
- Trust your staff Many companies may be have a culture of suspicion towards mobile workers. Some employees may not trust or even feel resentful towards remote worker colleagues. Selfmotivated staff will work just as effectively if not moreso than those in the office. It is important that all workers accept that this is the case.
- Keep staff taskorientated Without constant guidance and interaction with colleagues staff can often stray from the task in hand. It is important that you set constant objectives and have systems in place which allow for collaboration on projects with effective sharing of resources. One of the ways which you can achieve this is by using Microsoft SharePoint 2007.
- Ensure regular face to face contact Although communications via telephone and email can be effective in certain situations there is no substitute for face to face meetings. These allow for opinions to be fully expressed and emotions conveyed more effectively than by any other means.
- Conform to duty of care and health and safety guidelines Under Duty of Care legislation employers hold the responsibility of ensuring that workers are safe whilst working. This applies whether the employees are based onsite or are working remotely. Genesis mobile PDA tracking and Blackberry tracking devices are one way that employers can conform to this requirement.
- Fully integrate all of your documentation If your mobile workers use the same forms and documents as your officebased workers its stands to reason that things will be much simpler. XTrack mobile workflow from Genesis will enable your remote workers to access forms such as invoices delivery notes time and attendance sheets and health and safety documentation on their PDA devices.
- Track your workers Make sure you know where everyone is at all times with xTrack Express which allows you to track the exact location of workers via their BlackBerry.
- Ensure that your vehicle fleet runs efficiently By using xTrack vehicle tracking systems businesses can ensure that their fleets are performing as efficiently as possible. Vehicle tracking not only monitors location but also driving habits so that misuse of vehicles is eliminated. This can also lead to increased cost effectiveness as well as productivity.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Vehicle Tracking Systems
Sales Enquiries: 0844 847 9606
