The Reason & Passion

of

Joe Gollner

jag@gnostyx.com

Addressing Multiple Management Perspectives

Three Managerial Mindsets

The Probable, the Plausible

and the Possible

Dealing in Probabilities

Championing the Plausible

Glimpsing the Possible

Anatomy of the Ultimate

Business Case

XML and the Managerial Mind

Key Source: Max H. Boisot

Three Epistemologies

Correlate with different

management mindsets

Plausible Probable

Possible

Visionary

Entrepreneur Analyzer

Dealing in Probabilities

Analytical Mindset

Pragmatic

Analytical

Financial

Geared towards

Accumulating experience

Improving performance

Enhancing predictability

Reducing risks

Realizing returns

Benjamin Franklin

Inventor, publisher, scientist,

businessman...et al.

Case Study: Quantifying Savings

NATO Joint System Acquisition Programs

Integrated Data Environments

Modernization of information assets

Design information

Publications

Logistics data

Training materials

Initiative Orientation

Quantifiable improvements

Financial savings

Improved information use

Accelerated update cycles

Improved information synchronization

Case Study: Pursuing Concrete Savings

Direct Cost Reductions Redundancy elimination

Translation savings (due to normalization & process streamlining)

Indirect Cost Reductions Exploitation of digital delivery options

Print reduction / reduced paper handling & shipment costs

Increased outsourcing opportunities / improved competitive pressure

Reduction in maintenance errors & inefficiencies

Process Efficiencies Collapsed publication update turnaround times

Task reallocation to optimal venues (e.g., user generated content)

Collateral Savings Shortened training cycles

Improved Availability

Case Study: Foreshadowing Current Fashions

Implementation of Modular, Reusable Content

at the Canadian Department of National Defence

Saved over $100 Million a year.

Championing the Plausible

Entrepreneurial Mindset

Innovative

Exploratory

Risk tolerant

Geared towards

Seeking coherence

Integrating insights

Evaluating consequences

Performing experiments

Extending innovations

Richard Feynman

Theoretical physicist, master

teacher, ...safecracker...et al.

Case Study: Introducing Major Improvements

Major Engineering

Conglomerate

50 Operating Companies

Global Operations

Engineering

Construction

Project Management

Operation

Challenge

Investments in administrative

systems not helping “operations”

Needed content services for

engineers & project managers

Case Study: Engineering Knowledge Services

Expanded enterprise initiative

Facilitating collaboration

Digital project platforms

Standardized interfaces

Regulators

Partners

Clients

Suppliers

Core Innovation

Centering investments on

Engineering Knowledge

Management

Supplanting administration

Glimpsing the Possible

Visionary Mindset

Unconventional

Unexpected

Unconstrained

Geared towards

Reframing contexts

Inverting understandings

Reinterpreting traditions

Modifying languages

Challenging beliefs

Albert Einstein

Game changer...public oracle...

Case Study: The Attraction of Radical Change

Metropolitan Optical Networks

Management & Optimization

Integrated environment combining

Hardware, firmware, software

Adaptability to client needs

Primary feature

Software development tools were

a constraint & chaos loomed...

Undermined by

System Barnaclization

Case Study: A Radical Approach – Don’t Code!

Project Motto:

Why code when

you can generate?

Core Solution:

Replace CASE

tools with XML

based design

models from which

code was published

Outcome:

Complete

change in

offering

Anatomy of the Ultimate Business Case

Benefits must be Addressed to each of the Three Mindsets

Probable – quantifiable savings that can be given a present value

Plausible – potential improvements that extend current capabilities

Possible – innovations that can dramatically change circumstances

Each Benefit must be

Presented in its proper context

Associated with appropriate validation & realization strategies

The Mix of Benefits should be Balanced

Appropriate to each organization & its context

Probable benefits can be used to underwrite less tangible benefits

Political Architecture will match Realization Plan to Realities

Case Study: Government Services Portal

Existing Portal in Critical Condition

Sustaining current services becoming unaffordable

Traditional database design applied to complex discovery scenarios

Database evolved over time to become “upside down”

Portal performance in rapid decline

All enhancement requests are rejected

System too complex to admit any changes

Change Proposal & Business Case

Addressing all three levels simultaneously

Probable – immediately reduce operating costs to free up budget

Plausible – address backlog of enhancement requests

Possible – position portal as a model Gov2.0 data source & service

XML and the Managerial Mind

Brian Reid offered wise words at Markup Technologies 98

The world always rewards “Skill over Knowledge”

This accurately sums up a key management concern

XML supports the declaration of knowledge

Knowledge is potential (power) & must be converted into action

XML tends to provide potential benefits more so than actual ones

The resulting business cases can “lose the name of action”

XML can be deployed to

address short-term benefits

and make room for the

strategic benefits that come with

knowledge that can be acted upon

The Reason & Passion of XML

All mindsets must be

addressed

The most important, perhaps

surprisingly, is the Possible

Each case study was in fact

propelled by a vision

The Power of XML

Giving knowledge

an expression that can be

exchanged & executed

This fact makes many things

possible including

The dancing Financial Officer...