Agile Elephant

Time to Look Down Before Looking Ahead

There was a good article in the Sunday New York Times about the key business drivers for 2009.  They focused on Value, Due Diligence, Timing, Tools and Trust.  All very good points and I encourage you to read the article.  But as many companies will be looking to remediate costs this year by outsourcing to the cloud, how many are taking the time to review their current infrastructure and put real dollar figures to the return on their existing investment in technology?

IT asset management, or ITAM, is already a very hot area of interest for many companies.  Larger firms that retain an Asset Manager can calculate their investments much more easily.  These are individuals who have been trained in software and hardware management (CSAM, CHAMP).  But there are many mid-sized firms that cannot calculate their IT spend and honestly don't have the slightest idea how to go about doing it.

So as I speak with my clients about outsourcing and cloud computing, I always ask if they know their current IT spend and what their existing ROI and TCO bring to the company.  Wouldn't that be a good thing to know??  You'd be amazed how many senior IT executives have no clue as to what specific dollar value their department brings to their own organization.

Spotting Resume Fraud

A good article in the WSJ on how to spot resume fraud.  Times are obviously tough and people are getting desperate.  The subtleties of the candidates' career and academic history can be easily overstated and, in some instances, flagrantly falsified.  The article points out some very key points:

• Confirm the circumstances of every change in employment
• Ask the candidate for exact dates of prior employment and have him/her explain gaps
• Don't rely solely on the references provided by the candidate
• Don't assume that candidates provided by an Executive Search firm have been fully vetted
• Run a web search

In the realm of Technology Architecture, there are many other areas that are ripe for fraudulent claims.  Let's put aside for the moment thathe title "Enterprise Architect" has been seriously diluted by many individuals claiming to be what they are not.  But we should all be aware of areas that can be verified as it relates to Architecture:

• Check credentials such as TOGAF and LZA status
• Speak directly with individuals that most recently worked with the candidate.  As a rule of thumb, I like to speak with someone who worked with the candidate, someone who worked for the candidate and someone whom the candidate reported to.  These are essential.
• Last, but certainly not least in my book, is gut instinct.  For those of us who have been interviewing candidates for longer than we can remember, there is a gut feeling that you get as to whether or not the individual will fit within your organization.  Follow that instinct and act accordingly.

The glut of candidates in the marketplace does not diminish the need to hire the best and brightest available.  Our jobs are only made that much harder in separating the wheat from the chaffe.

 

The Economy, Job Titles and the Romo-less Cowboys

The past few months have been rough ones for our economy and 2009 does not look to be shaping up to be much better.  Many companies with flat or negative forecasts are preparing to cut back on staff and limit hiring decisions to key personnel.  Bonuses are being cut and even annual salary increases are being delayed.

But survival is still key and companies need to push forward just to stay stagnant, much less grow.   The push for the best talent in the marketplace has not slowed and companies often pull out all the stops to keep them in-house.  A non-compensatory way to keep a good employee happy is to give him or her a big title.

 

The problem is that, over time, it becomes very apparent that Vice President, Managing Director, or even CEO becomes de-valued.  These titles do not have the same meaning that they had 30-40 years ago.  Not to mention the fact that we all know that a title is only as good as the person who holds it.  Just ask anyone who will be voting today.

 

A good article on this topic was recently published in the New York Times.

 

On a side note, I am unfortunately forced to tip my hat to Mike Kavis for his team's win against my Romo-less Cowboys this past weekend.  Good job Mike, but we'll get you next time.

 

 

 

Agile Thoughts For the Day

You Say EA, I Say SOA: Let's Call The Whole Thing Off:  Joe McKendrick points out that these two terms may be converging.  Until the skills gap is closed, however, and more Enterprise Architects better understand SOA, then it will be hard to use these terms interchangably.

Grown Men Can Cry: The human aspects of technology and the efforts we all put forth for others are really what makes everything worthwhile.  Maybe our personal/charitable interests should be higher up on the resume for employers to see...But would they care?  I think Jim McGovern would.

Go Big Blue!: Now I'm a Dallas Cowboy fan trapped in NY Giant country, but how lucky is this guy.... You know, I think that's actually Mike Kavis.

My Favorite Posts

I guess I could be considered a 'newbie' to blogging as I just started a year ago, but I've learned a great deal and also met some very interesting people during this journey.  Going back and looking at my posts for the past year was a good experience for me.  I wanted to give you some of my favorites.

Happy New Year to all and I wish a properous 2008 to each of you!

• Consultants are Going Fast!
• Enterprise Architects: Needles in a Haystack?
• SOA and Going Green
• SOA Governance: Is There Such a Thing as Too Much?
• It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Recruiting World
• Are You an Enterprise Architect...
• Enterprise Architects as Impact Players
• Winning the War for Top Talent: Build a Talent Factory
• Put Your Talent on Display
• Enterprise Architects and Online Poker
• Do Women Hate IT?  Should We Care?
• Keep Your Job From Being 'Bangalored'
• Becoming a Recruitable Enterprise Architect

Agile Thoughts For The Day

SOAH or Ess-Oh-Ay: OK, maybe we have 'jumped the shark' in the SOA blogosphere....

Oracle Tenders Offer to BEA:  Speaking of sharks....

SOA Beyond the Hype:  I'm a fan of Todd Biske and always appreciate his ability to take complicated topics and explain them clearly.

Gender-Based Recruiting for EAs:  Bravo to Cisco for its marketing push.  Call me if you need help!

SOA Governance - The Carrot and the Stick:  The human element to governance is critical.  We want to automate as much as possible, but there needs to be some personal involvement...Right?

Agile Thoughts For The Day

I'm very happy to announce that my firm has recently hired Jonathan Kahn as our Director of Architecture Services.  Please keep your eyes peeled for the occassional post from Jonathan on this blog.

Is Management Really a Profession?:  I wonder if there could be some sort of Hippocratic Oath for Enterprise Architects...

East vs. West - Which Coast is Best for an IT Career?:  I'm an east coast guy, so I'll stick by 50 Cent over Snoop Dog any day.

IT Carrying the Water for SOA: Joe McKendrick and the other bloggers mentioned in his post (Todd Biske, Miko Matsumura, etc.) are on target when speaking of the partnership needed between IT and the business.  But when you need SOA project approval, sometimes the business is the best place to turn.  Just ask Mike Kavis.

Strategy on the Board:  How involved should corporate boards be in formulating strategy?  I think it's an excellent question.  With a 'heightened state of governance',  couldn't this just be a positive?

The Coming Brain Drain: Those companies that are not aggressively hiring and retaining intelligent, talented people and are also not developing a strategy for knowledge retention are in for a world of hurt.

Agile Thoughts for the Day

HOT JOB - Enterprise Architect: I have been critical of CIO Magazine in the past, but they seem to hit the nail right on the head with their description of the EA role.  Note the section on "how to find them".  Ain't so easy, is it?

Back in the High Life:  I happen to be a big Steve Winwood fan, but I want to wish Todd Biske the best of luck in his new role.  Enjoy the corporate world Todd and say goodbye to those frequent flyer miles!  But Mr. McGovern, what exactly is the difference between providing EA as a service and being an EA? (honest question...I think it would make for a good topic) Thanks!

Happy New Year 5768:  2007 marks the 40th anniversary of The Six Day War.  This site provides some interesting insight into what it must have been like during that time.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

Remember writing this essay in grade school?  Well it's been a great summer for me and my firm.  While we have always had a thriving contract staffing practice, our Executive Search group has shown consistent growth this summer; especially with Enterprise Architecture and SOA placements.

And the market is not showing any signs of slowing down.  As a matter of fact, this Monday I will start a weekly posting of various career opportunities that we are working on for our clients.  I will not turn this blog into a job site, but the market (war) for top talent is strong and I feel that a little bit of career opportunity can be a resourceful tool for my subscribers.  Please keep an eye out for it next week.

So now that the sand is out of my shoes and my duties as soccer coach have begun, I realize that the summer has come to an end.  Time to attack that job market!

Agile Thoughts for the Day

'Cool' Jobs:  Do your kids think you have a cool job?  I know mine do and I think it's important for children to have pride in their parents careers.

Monster Security:  I recently blogged on the dangers of posting your resume online.  It would appear as though Monster is starting to take these matters seriously.

Chief Eccentric Officer:  Do you work for one of these "CEOs"?  Maybe we all need a little 'crazy' to get ahead in life.

SOA Governance: "Governance is the tail that wags the SOA dog.  An organization that deploys Web Services without a solid governance program is headed for serious trouble in terms of reliability, security and cost."  I couldn't say it any better.

Follow Your Dreams:  The video below is my wife singing in a cabaret show in New York City.  She's following her dream....  are you?