Device dilemma

When the first mobile phones arrived, few could have predicted that they would evolve into small personal computers with highly interactive user interfaces. Little did we guess the amount of data they can now hold!

Then along came tablet computers - just as capable as the smartphones, but with larger screens. Coupled with a convenient cloud computing service, the sky is the limit!

For the first time, computers are becoming truly user-friendly. My 3-year old daughter is a whizz on her iPad, and routinely does things that I would not have dreamed of doing when I first programmed a computer in the early 1980s! My father - a confirmed computer luddite - really enjoys using his android tablet. But for every innocent person who envisages  wonderful new applications for these devices, there are an equal number of less altruistic ideas being explored. Does your head of IT security have trouble sleeping at night? With the rise of these new machines, I can see why he/she might become a little restless!

There are many companies who take the stealing of data very seriously and enforce a zero tolerance policy for such devices, choosing to ban them from secure areas within their organisation. 

Others have chosen to take a more relaxed approach. They have decided to allow people to use their own gadgets for work. There is a third option where the company may let users use business devices for personal use as well.

I am in favour of clear distance between business and personal use - never the twain should meet. This effectively means making sure business systems and processes cannot under any circumstances be accessed using personal devices. While some businesses may be less inclined to protect their data,  the risk to themselves may be small, but they could be putting their customers in danger.

Personal use also is more prone to the kind of social engineering that viruses and trojan horses exploit to infect your machines and/or steal your data. Mixing computer business with personal use is a very risky thing to do.

Reporting a problem

When the first retail computers were sold to the general public, they came with very thick technical handbooks on how to set them  up and run them. I remember my Sinclair ZX81 had a really thick book with lots of programming tips as well as clear instructions and diagrams on how to assemble it. But as computer use became more and more widespread, the instructions became more and more brief.

As the world took up personal computing, it became very clear that people were going to need help - hence the rise of the help desk.  Help desks are a modern fact of life. Where technical proficiency is required to solve problems, you will find a help desk.

Most people have horror stories about dealing with help desks. There is no doubt, some can be very frustrating to deal with. But take time to look at things from their point of view:



So when you are reporting a problem, here are my top tips for getting a result from your help desk. Before you pick up the phone, prepare the following information:

1.   Have all your contact information ready
Have any account numbers, user ID's, network addresses, authentication details etc. ready before you call. Scratching around for them during the call can cost you money and makes you more stressed before you have had chance to tell them what the problem is.

2.   Specify your problem
Collect as much information about the problem as you can. Where the failure is, what else is working Ok? Timescales (be precise as possible) - When did the problem first happen? When did things last work well? How many times has the problem occurred since the first occurrence? How often has it failed? Gauge the extent of the problem - who else has the same problem? How many other systems/machines have the same problem? Is there any pattern or trend to the problem? What internal and external changes might have affected your system?

Now you have your information, give them a call and follow these rules:

1.   Listen carefully to automated systems and make sure you select the right option
If the help desk has automated systems for routing the callers, be aware that they deal with high call volumes and they have specialist areas to deal with different technical problems. Don't be afraid to hang up and start again if you think you keyed the wrong option. Getting the right person first time can be key to your success.

2.   Be patient
If you are put on hold, use this time to prepare your information on the problem.

3.   Don't complain about authentication questions
When they answer the phone, they will want to know if you are who you claim to be (authentication). Be nice about this. They are only making sure you aren't an identity thief.

4.   Keep to the subject
When communicating the problem, state it clearly. Keep focused on asking how the problem can be fixed, rather than setting out on blaming someone. Many of the highest performing companies now see the rectification of problems as an opportunity to improve their service and prove competence. However, even the best operator will find it hard to give you good service if you are ranting at them.

5.   If it can't be fixed while on the phone, be firm about establishing deadlines
Get the operators name, then write down any dates or times for when things will be fixed. If no deadline is mentioned, ask for one. If they are vague or evasive, ask for a minimum and maximum timescale, then negotiate. If more than one thing has to happen, establish a timeline. Write this down slowly and clearly, so you can refer to it afterwards.

So now you have my recipe for dealing with help desks. Preparation before the call is key. Lastly - if you get good service, acknowledge it. Send an email to the head of the organisation. Good technical support is an art form.

Diesel and Data

Recently, early in the morning, I was filling my car with diesel. In the back of my mind, I was planning my day. It was going to be busy, and I was also thinking about a technical challenge that required a solution. But while I listened to the fuel gurgling into my car, something wasn't quite right.  

It scratched on the edge of my consciousness, trying to get attention. Then I thought to myself, the diesel didn't smell like it usually did. I looked down, and everything went into slow motion as I realised, to my horror, that I had put £30 worth of unleaded petrol into my diesel car!

Now if you want to see what trouble unleaded petrol causes diesel cars, click HERE and HERE. 

I was not a happy bunny! So I went into the service station and told them of my problem. I then pushed my car to a safe place, and called a number of a company that pumps out cars when they have the wrong fuel. After a long wait, the van with specialist equipment arrived. 

Being a bit of a geek, I watched with interest as they uncoupled the fuel pipe from the engine and proceeded to pump the fuel out of my car. The head mechanic was quite jolly. He told me about a lorry driver who had put nearly £1000 worth of unleaded into his wagon before he realised his mistake. He told me not everyone had the presence of mind to notice while they were at the pump, and usually had to break down before they called for help.

He asked me what I did for a living. I told him I am a data quality analyst. 

"What do you do", he asked?

"Same as you," I replied, "you take bad fuel out of cars, I take bad data out of computers and replace it with good data."

He seemed to like that. Grinning broadly, he handed me my keys.

"Hope I don't see you again," he quipped.

"Likewise," I replied, and headed off to work.

Just how wrong can you get?

The specification statement was clear, "Dogs must be kept on a lead". The project analysts got together to break the request down. The statement did not say how many dogs must be kept on a lead. But after much consideration, the scope was defined as 'Any dogs within the area upon which the sign was situated.'

Everyone agreed that the 'Must' category was the best part of the statement..... (obviously a MoSCoW requirement.) The word 'kept' caused much anguish amongst the project analysts. What did they mean by kept? The dictionary was not much help....

kept - (especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded; "unbroken promises"; "promises kept"

1. the past tense and past participle of keep

kept woman Censorious a woman maintained by a man as his mistress

Much thought was poured into the interpretation. Did 'kept' imply that the dogs were to be groomed  or fed while sat on the surface of a lead? They could not agree. One contractor finally lost his temper and said, "For crying out loud, enough of this intellectual onanism... can't you take anything literally? It's obvious. If you can read this sign, and you have a dog, it must be kept attached to a lead."

The next day, he lost his job for having an attitude.

And an additional handbook was written about how to hold the lead and who should be holding it. It stated clear guidelines as to the heaviest dog you could possibly hold, plus a leaflet about your dog's health, the potential risks to the walker and the affects of chafing on the hands.

The analysts, having "questioned to the void" long ago, had decided to pass the specification to their technical department, unchanged:

"Dogs must be kept on a lead"

The technical department sniffed at the statement. How could their colleagues in the business be so ambiguous? They found out where the sign was designed to go and surveyed the park capacity and neighbouring population. They decided there was an average at any given time of 12 dogs within the park, with a maximum capacity of 32 at peak times.

So taking this maximum into account, they constructed a huge lead with 40 collars attached.

As a RACI matrix wasn't signed off, no-one is accountable for actually holding the lead.

Breaking through the Cassandra Complex

So we all know about the Cassandra Complex from a previous post? Take time to read it. Done that? Good! So here is part two - getting your colleagues to believe in what you are saying, and act on your requests.

When you work in a governance, compliance or data quality role within an organisation, it can be very hard to persuade people that your proposals are correct. One of the biggest mistakes I have seen, is that professionals push for their own agendas without taking time to understand the people they are trying to convince. This brings me neatly to my first step:

1. Conduct an opinion survey

Find out exactly what your colleagues are thinking throughout the organisation. The ideal way is to construct an anonymous opinion survey where they are just asked for department, area and role. Here is a great site that helps you construct on line surveys. You have probably seen the kind of questionnaire. You list common opinions (both good and bad), and they fill in whether they agree or disagree with them. The results of this survey will be the basis for your communications strategy, but one of the amazing things about surveys is, they are also great tools to get people to evaluate their beliefs.

2. Prioritise the biggest areas of concern

Perhaps you discover that your colleagues don't believe they can make a difference. Perhaps they don't understand how important their role is. They may not care about the consequences of getting things wrong. They may even be too afraid of reprisals to talk about problems they are having. Find your top problems for each department.

Now for each high priority damaging opinion, you need to build a communications strategy that does the following:

3. Create uncertainty about the damaging opinions

The first thing you should do is to make them feel less certain about these opinions. Refer to occasions where their opinion would not have worked. Quote the relevant statistics that contradict them. Ask them whether this opinion serves them and your customers well enough.

4. Reduce their resistance to the opinions you want them to have

This is where you start to introduce why your opinion is better for them, your customers and the company as a whole. 

5. Amplify your new attitude

Reframing opinions brings out changes in attitude. Once a change of attitude happens, it is important that you don't just stop there. You have to paint a vivid and inspiring picture of just how great things are going to be for everyone involved. This is often referred to as "encouraging the heart".

6. Test your results

Conduct another survey after your comms has been implemented. Compare it against the previous one. What has changed? Has anything improved? What are the lessons learned?

Remember, just conducting a survey will greatly change the attitudes of your colleagues. It will also show that you value their opinion, which can be one of the barriers. Also, being able to profile the beliefs and values of a department before you meet with them will give you plenty of help in understanding the problems they have on a day-to-day basis.

Once you understand your colleagues opinions and beliefs, you can change their attitude and gain the behaviour and co-operation that you need.

Is your excel formulae correct?

Formulae can save you a lot of time. Excel employs some fantastic formulae that can really help you analyse data. But what can go wrong?

Well, for 2012, there will be 53 weeks if you use the WEEKNUM formula. It is a calendar quirk that may throw any calculations you may have this year. Look out for it. Here are some of the more common formulae problems I see in Excel spreadsheets:

1.  Not coding for zero values

Dividing one field by another is simple enough:

=A1/A2

But what if one of your values could possibly be zero? Excel does not like dividing by zero and you will end up with an error. So put in a condition. Perhaps like this:

=IF(A2 = 0,0,(A1/A2))

2.  Circular references

You have two fields A1:=B1+5 and B1:=A1-5.

A1 requires B1 to be calculated, but B1 requires A1 to be calculated. Don't do it. Excel doesn't like it.

3.  Hard-coding values into your formulae

Write your formulae as clear as possible. Do not put values into your formulae. Have your formulae reference values in other fields

Wrong:        = A1*120

Right:          = A1*B1       (nb populate the field B1 with the value 120)

4.  Not including balance checks

When you have totalled your columns of data, it really is worth putting some balance checking into your sheet. This gives you some indication that your formulae has worked, and there are no missing values, or blank spaces where you haven't dragged your formulae properly.

Excel is a great tool for working things out. I'm sure you have come across more common errors. Leave your comments in the place below.

Is your business culture like a Greek tragedy?

Sounds a bit dramatic? It could well be. But the phenomenon I am referring to is the tale of Cassandra. In Greek mythology, Cassandra was a beautiful woman who refused the romantic attention from the god, Apollo. He had his revenge by giving her the gift of being able to see the future, but in a cruel twist, cursed her so that no-one would believe her. She was said to have been ignored when she predicted the fall of the ancient city, Troy.

Sadly, this is a real phenomenon. There are people who have been totally ignored by their colleagues and peers. Nouriel Roubini was the economist who accurately predicted the collapse of the housing market and the worldwide recession. The New York Times famously labelled him, "Doctor Doom", and he was ignored when he addressed the IMF about his concerns. 

Environmental campaigners have been predicting the global warming, melting ice caps, rising sea levels and crazy weather since the 1970's, when the phenomenon was labelled the greenhouse effect. To this day, they are still being ignored, despite the rising tide of scientific evidence that it is happening. 

When someone makes wild claims to be able to see the future, and their predictions are excessively negative and not based on any sound judgement, they are often referred to as having a "Cassandra Complex".

Operating in the space of data management, data governance and data quality, you could very easily be labelled as "Cassandra". You will be telling people that the easiest way is not the best. You should be warning them of unacceptable risk taking. You should be encouraging best practices. You will be insisting on higher standards of technical development. This is not the kind of thing that most people want to hear.

How do you avoid being labelled the tinfoil-hatted doom merchant in the corner? Stay tuned. My next blog article will tell you how.