Game theory + business process

Game theory as a business process in tactical decision making within organizations.

It's a mouthful but certainly an interesting research topic. More to follow.

What is the right level of documentation?

I am often asked how much system documentation is necessary for a given system. And what does that documentation look like. The answer to that question is always, "It depends."

Before I give an overview of what I believe documentation should be, here are a few rules I try to live by when creating system documentation for my clients:

1. Keep it simple.
2. Make it usable.

Keep it simple

Sounds easy, but this step quickly spirals out of control. People often start off simple, but then add content because reasons. Yes, scope creep happens in documentation. It's caused because in this phase nobody understands what the objective is. Which leads me to my next point.

Make it usable

Documentation is a tool. You need to be able to use it. If you can't use it, it will never be used. By anyone. Ever. Documentation should be a place people go to answer questions. That's it. Questions people ask of systems include:

• What does the system do?
• Who owns the system?
• What is the system life cycle?
• When was it implemented?
• Who developed the system?
• What other systems does it interface with?
• What are its dependencies?
• Who depends on the system?
• Who are the stakeholders?
• Where does it reside?
• Why was it implemented?
• How do you use the system?

Make sure your document answers these questions and your document is on the road to usability. There are 12 questions. Your documentation should be kept to 50 pages or less. One question that isn't included is: "What are the requirements?" You can also include: "What was the testing/validation outcome?" The requirements question can be very lengthy, depending on the system, so this should be a separate document, but reference it in the core documentation. The testing/validation outcome should be a single page. Anything more than that and you've written too much.

Here's the other thing about creating usable documentation. Avoid blocks of text whenever possible. Why write a paragraph when a single sentence will do? Why write a single sentence when a diagram is so much more useful? Usability is what we want, so always opt for diagrams with simple explanations whenever possible. The best documentation will consist of nothing but a glossary of terms and diagrams.

Blogging while mobile.

I downloaded the nifty blogging application that allows new to post to my website while I am out and about. Not sure how well this is going to work. I'm mo r e concerned about the ease of use and posts maintaining the same style as the rest of the site. We shall see what happens.

Blackstar

I'm sitting here listening to Blackstar by David Bowie. His final gift to fans. It's the first Bowie album I've listened to. The cacophony of sounds is quite interesting. Each song is filled with a mixture of competing sounds that somehow work well. It feels as if I walked into a beatnick bar and 20 different musicians are just jamming on their instruments with no planned direction, but somehow it all makes sense.

Each song drips sadness mixed with effervescent joy. An artist who knows he is writing his requiem while simultaneously excited about being free from the pain and turmoil that overtook his life by what we call cancer. It's jazz infused chaos that somehow works.

For me, it's difficult listening. Especially given the context under which this album was crafted. It is hauntingly beautiful. I particularly love the dark fantasy of the guitar strings in Lazarus.

Trying something new.

I'm not sure how "new" it really is, but I guess I'm playing around on the Interwebs.

I started this webpage as a place to build my brand as a thought leader in the area of organizational development. Don't get me wrong, I've still got a long journey ahead of me. At the same time I wanted it to be a personal corner of the Internet where I could post my thoughts on various things that I'm interested in. I've struggled with that definition. Like anybody, I have my opinions on a variety of things. Should my opinions, especially in a blog, be available for people to see who may be coming here to gain a better understanding of who I am as a professional? To a certain degree, I say yes.

However, do I think it is a appropriate if everybody sees my blog?  Or should I have different blogs for different audiences?

The first thing I decided was that a blog was a great way to keep developing my craft as a writer. I certainly do not see my blog gaining a large readership that anticipates my next post. Just the opposite, in fact. You see, a blog is more for my personal development rather than for other readers. The writings I do want (hope?) people to read are my articles on a given topic. The types of articles I write for this site is a similar, but different, argument as well.

To satisfy my desire to write, and to keep things separate regarding my personal viewpoints about topics and a more professional viewpoint on business topics, I created a Wordpress blog. No, I'm not going to link to it from this site. It's also not under my real name and email so people won't find it if they go searching. Although, I'm sure a steely eyed reporter from the New York Times would find it in 5 minutes if I were running for president, but I digress.

I know I'm not the only person in this world who has different masks that they wear in public. There's that professional (or semi-professional) mask we all wear when we are with colleagues, at work, or just generally in public. Then there's a relaxed mask we wear when we're out in public in much more casual environments. These are still public personas, and each is very much who we are as individuals. However, we use different language and allow our different opinions to fly depending on the environment. This website is for the former, the Wordpress blog is for the latter. Both sites are designed to focus myself as a writer.

Enough of that. I'm off to work.

Team U.S.A wins 3rd World Cup title

For the first time in history, the women's US national team won the World Cup. I watched the game and it was, essentially, over in the first 15 minutes. By minute 16 the USA was dominating 4 to 0 over Japan. The final score was 5 to 2.

This win marked a fantastic ending to the 4th of July weekend. Congratulations to Team USA on a spectacular win. Ladies, you made your country proud.