Implementing Cool Technology - What is the Business Case?
A discussion on how to do cool stuff while delivering business value
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Attendees
(please add your name)
Darren Hague
Bruce Sterling
Carl Skeats
Tobias Trapp
Slide Content
Techies like cool technology
Cool = New + Interesting + Powerful
We like doing things nobody has done before
That's why we're into tech, after all
Cool technology makes managers nervous
Cool = New = Risky
Managers like removing risk from projects
That's not necessarily why they're managers - many used to be techies too
Emphasise business benefits
If it's cool but doesn't benefit the business, don't bother
We are professionals working in business, not academics
However, some benefits may be long-term or hard to quantify
We need to be wearing a BPX hat for some of the time
Work on reducing risk
Prototype or proof-of-concept during Blueprint phase
Mitigate the risks - have a strategy for technology failure
If you can, reference previous successes elsewhere
Work with SAP in ramp-up phase for extra support
Do only one new thing per project
Points raised
(please add any that I missed, or participate in the Discussion for this page)
Bruce Sterlng:
Tolomeo - Interaction between a skunkworks cool-tech business and the larger architectural practice that funds it
Darren Hague:
Book on managing risk in projects: Waltzing with Bears by Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister
There is a need to manage risks on a project, but if there is no risk at all then you are probably not innovating and probably delivering no real value.
The group was asked who had implemented SOA in a project, and very few hands went up. Perhaps this means that SOA is perceived as adding risk right now? This is interesting in the context of SOA being presented as a strategy for reducing risk, among other things.
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