Comments on: CIOs, Community Source, and the New Management http://mfeldstein.com/cios-community-source-and-the-new-management/ What Michael Feldstein Is Learning About Online Learning...Online Sat, 11 Oct 2008 12:32:14 +0000 By: Patrick Masson http://mfeldstein.com/cios-community-source-and-the-new-management/#comment-47611 Patrick Masson Sat, 23 Feb 2008 02:59:02 +0000 http://mfeldstein.com/cios-community-source-and-the-new-management/#comment-47611 oops, I guess the Bb patent proves me wrong, better put down "Wikinomics" and pick up the "Art of War." oops, I guess the Bb patent proves me wrong, better put down “Wikinomics” and pick up the “Art of War.”

]]> By: Patrick Masson http://mfeldstein.com/cios-community-source-and-the-new-management/#comment-46413 Patrick Masson Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:44:13 +0000 http://mfeldstein.com/cios-community-source-and-the-new-management/#comment-46413 As always I completely agree with Jim Farmer. At the risk of lowering the quality of his comments by adding my own... The above, I believe, focuses on openness and transparency, a vital quality for today's CIO. How can one find interested contributors unless one shares the work and the problems? And to one of Jim's points, then manage that collaboration. In addition, I would offer a few other criteria for assessing the candidates that I believe are extensions of an "open" environment: Iteration Is the candidate comfortable with, and does she see the value of developing and managing projects/services through an iterative approach? How will she engage stakeholders in frequent contributions to the projects throughout development or will she "launch" the service? Developing an entire system or service is not possible when many contributors may be involved, especially when some enter late. Incremental development Should projects be planned in entirety before release, or can an incremental approach be undertaken, essentially releasing the components versus the system? Again with so many potential contributors, the final design (functionality, features, architecture, etc.) may change from inception through to use (even after use). How well can the CIO manage the expectations of folks who view the system as the solution. Self organizing groups Is the candidate comfortable allocating the decision-making to the wisdom of the crowd, letting decentralized, diverse and independent groups manage, even direct? Those with an affinity for a specific service or system will gravitate toward that project, even if it is outside their defined role within the organization. How will the CIO manage their own staff's expectations and the involvement of those who are not on her staff? Evidence based Will the direction of services emerge from evidence (BI) or vision/leadership? Projects can take on functionality, or even move in a direction, not originally envisioned by the project's original contributors (consider flickr that started out as a game, yet based on use emerged as a photo sharing--even social networking--tool). Will the CIO a facilitate or mandate change? As always I completely agree with Jim Farmer.

At the risk of lowering the quality of his comments by adding my own…

The above, I believe, focuses on openness and transparency, a vital quality for today’s CIO. How can one find interested contributors unless one shares the work and the problems? And to one of Jim’s points, then manage that collaboration.

In addition, I would offer a few other criteria for assessing the candidates that I believe are extensions of an “open” environment:

Iteration
Is the candidate comfortable with, and does she see the value of developing and managing projects/services through an iterative approach? How will she engage stakeholders in frequent contributions to the projects throughout development or will she “launch” the service? Developing an entire system or service is not possible when many contributors may be involved, especially when some enter late.

Incremental development
Should projects be planned in entirety before release, or can an incremental approach be undertaken, essentially releasing the components versus the system? Again with so many potential contributors, the final design (functionality, features, architecture, etc.) may change from inception through to use (even after use). How well can the CIO manage the expectations of folks who view the system as the solution.

Self organizing groups
Is the candidate comfortable allocating the decision-making to the wisdom of the crowd, letting decentralized, diverse and independent groups manage, even direct? Those with an affinity for a specific service or system will gravitate toward that project, even if it is outside their defined role within the organization. How will the CIO manage their own staff’s expectations and the involvement of those who are not on her staff?

Evidence based
Will the direction of services emerge from evidence (BI) or vision/leadership? Projects can take on functionality, or even move in a direction, not originally envisioned by the project’s original contributors (consider flickr that started out as a game, yet based on use emerged as a photo sharing–even social networking–tool). Will the CIO a facilitate or mandate change?

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