Revisiting Process Story Mapping

Explaining a new business process to a workforce is an important moment in change management communication.

The popularity of illustrated animations on business concepts lately brings a renewed interest in complementing flow charts and business documents with a story map that translates new steps in a friendly manner. These quick references to the process allow ease of understanding and encourages the enthusiastic buy-in of the team.

Here, a rough draft of such a process map, prepared for a large organization. (Click on image to enlarge.)

Odd Numbers Redux

I've never had a thing for numbers. In fact, in school most numbers seemed like they were pretty odd. Once I got past 10 fingers and 10 toes I was lost.

Pairs I get, but parity is where it gets weird. The parity of an object states whether it is even or odd. An even number (like 4) is one that is evenly divisible by 2 without remainder and an odd number (like 5) is not evenly divisible by 2. Fractions like 1/2 or 4.201 are neither even nor odd. I will take this opportunity to label them 'odder'.

'Odd' in the English language is also an adjective denoting the quality of being strange or unusual.

So of course, I had to take the opportunity to try to demonstrate 'odd' in both the numerical and situational sense, where odd makes the situation improbable (the involvement of a prosthetic notwithstanding). 

To the left; the original photo. Twosies are so boring.

Searching The Silver Bullet

The term "silver bullet" was introduced to our lexicon in the early '50s, and adopted into a general metaphor, where "silver bullet" refers to any straightforward solution perceived to have extreme effectiveness.

This from the Phrase Finder: "The belief in the magical power of silver, especially of weapons made from silver, is very ancient. Book XVI of Horace's Odes has it that the Delphic Oracle advised Philip of Macedonia to 'fight with silver spears'. References to the use of silver bullets date from the late 17th century. An early 19th century citation which specifically mentions the belief in their use as the only way to kill evil supernatural beings is found in Sir Walter Scott's Tales of My Landlord."

Later, the Lone Ranger left silver bullets behind as calling cards: a symbol of justice, law and order, and to remind himself and others that life, like silver, has value and is not to be wasted or thrown away.

The phrase today typically appears with an expectation that some new technological development or practice will easily cure a major prevailing problem – a 'miraculous fix'.

Perhaps just like any seemingly simple, direct and effortless solution, the actual anatomy itself is a bit more complex than what we initially perceive. Cutting through complexity and providing an immediate solution to a problem – your seemingly singular bullet – may, in fact, be made up of many parts that all work together.

And there are no unimportant parts.

Project Management Smooth Landings

Space Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the Space Station this morning (for the last time). It is due to land Thursday.

From the archives, in honor of the final Space Shuttle mission, an analogous project management poster. Hopefully it will touch down in your psyche... enjoy.

(Photo: NASA)

Sticky Applications

This is my story and I'm sticking to it (sorry). Have a great Monday everyone!

Undefining "Creative"

I remember in grade school (back in the dark ages) our class was given a test to determine how creative we were. One of the questions was "How many different routes do you take to school?" The premise was if you took new ways to and from school every day that meant you were more likely to be creative than those who regularly took the same route.

Seeing things in a new light, expressing yourself, exploring and coming up with new directions are normally associated with people in the arts but really, what makes their ways of thinking different from the normal ways of problem solving?

Nothing. Because we are all thinking machines: working the numbers, building new vistas, and climbing mountains.

Divergent thinking (the ability to think of diverse and original ideas i.e. brainstorming) followed by convergent thinking (the ability to use logical thinking to narrow those ideas to ones best suited for given situations) allows us to make well-formed decisions. Whether it's deciding how to put paint on a canvas so others can find some value, or deciding where to put a door in a wall to allow ease of access.

So, back to my grade school test. Perhaps the question should have been, "How many different routes can you think of to come to school?" I'm thinking everyone in that class would have been classified "creative." 

We are, after all, all fruit from the same tree.

No Dirt Is Safe

Of the amazing grime fighters we have in our arsenal in this space age, my favorite is the mesmoramic, hydroponically-powered sub-light speed A-17(a) ray gun: the most powerful defense in the world against dirty cars, stray grass cuttings and neighborhood cats who poop in your flower beds.

Armed with one of these babies, you are indeed commander of your star space. Phasers and discombobulators may remain the stuff of fiction, but hook this puppy up to a water source and you have unlimited ammunition to conquer a dusty driveway, wayward leaves, pesky kids on your lawn or strangers with pamphlets asking about your religious state. Tired of doing laundry? Hang it on the line and go to town with your A-17(a). Then let it dry in place.

Each side arm comes complete with an AP-91 adjustor. Zero in on specific targets with remarkable accuracy or send a broad range ray out to dampen the spirits of even the most elusive foe.

So bring it on lords of mud: demons of dirt! I'm ready.

The Other Spam

We all get spam. It comes in various forms: via email, instant messaging, in discussion groups, in online classified ads, In the year 2011, the estimated figure for spam messages is around seven trillion.

But there is another spam: the original mystery meat in a can made by Hormel. It's actuality a blend of chopped pork shoulder meat, with ham meat added.

According to the official website timeline, SPAM® originated in 1937 and in 1940 unveiled the first singing commercial with the catchy "...Hormel's new miracle meat in a can. Tastes fine, saves time, If you want something grand, ask for SPAM®."

In the time of the U.S. military occupation in the South Pacific, during World War II, fresh meat was difficult to get to the soldiers on the front. 100 million pounds of SPAM® was shipped to feed the troups between 1941 and 1945. GIs ate SPAM® for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (Some soldiers referred to it as "ham that didn't pass its physical" and "meatloaf without basic training".)

It is reported that 3.8 cans are consumed every second in the United States today. SPAM® is sold in 41 countries, on six continents and trademarked in over 100 different countries. Still popular in the South Pacific to this day, the island of Saipan have the only McDonald's restaurants that feature the canned meat on the menu. It is so popular in Hawaii, it has been dubbed "The Hawaiian Steak".

So why are unwanted internet messages called ‘spam’? One report says that it may have come from a comedy act. In 1970, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, the legendary British comedy troupe, performed a skit involving a group of Vikings at a restaurant where one ingredient was prominently featured. The cook and Vikings repeat the word loudly and seemingly nonstop, with the Vikings singing it like a song chorus. According to a decision written by the California appellate court: “Thus, in the context of the Internet, ‘spam’ has come to symbolize unwanted, and perhaps annoying, repetitious behavior that drowns out ordinary discourse.”

And now you know. Pa-dum.

Giants Sleeping In The Sun

It was hot, sunny day so I let my car Missy take me for a drive. We headed out to the country, just two carefree spirits. Beethoven roared out of the speakers through open windows. We had a blast. After a while Missy stopped at the side of the road, shut off her motor and told me to take a look.

Giant hay bales lay in the sun waiting to be gathered.

Now I'm not one for hay fields but she seemed to be smitten. So I looked.

I never knew that she had a penchant for the pastoral (well, 'pastoral' without the sheep and the shepherds and the mountains and the other bucolic-like things...)

Historically, pastoral art and literature became more popular as man and vehicle migrated to the city, leaving the simpler life in the country behind. Pastoral landscapes appeared in Hellenistic and Roman wall paintings, interest in the pastoral revived in Renaissance Italy and later, French artists were also attracted. Experts and historians wondered what the pastoral allure was. Sir William Empson 1906 – 1984 (poet, lecturer, literary critic) refers to the pastoral process as 'putting the complex into the simple.'

Perhaps Missy was reminiscing about days of horse-drawn ancestors. Or perhaps, she spends so much of her time maneuvering tight parking lots and city blocks, a moment relishing a more distant horizon was refreshing.

Ah, the simple things that settle our souls.

The Buns and Weenies Thing

Is it just me, or is there a huge disconnect here?

Either I buy two packages of buns, and end up with 4 dogless buns, or I buy one and four dogs go bunless.

The issue is so long-running and so obvious that this has probably been said before, but exactly WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

Can someone please get these people on the line? Head honchos from both parties. A conference call.

We need to talk.

Why To Avoid Online Logo Factories

Above: a graphic I tinkered with over the weekend to demonstrate the marriage of name, symbol and feel. I did this as an exercise (I do that – call me obsessed) after coming across a post on a professional LinkedIn group last week where a person posted a selection of logo roughs they had commissioned from one of those online logo factories. ("Highland Heritage" isn't the name of the company that the poster owned, by the way.)

Of the six or so logos shown, one used three different colored swipes as a symbol with no apparent reason other than someone thought it looked good, one played with a reflected letter that looked like something that could be for anyone, and another used a graphic of a clothes hanger for a company that didn't have anything to do with wearing apparel (or hanging). The selection left all members of the thread confused. Most advised the poster to go back to the drawing board and hire a qualified, experienced designer.

I must admit, I honestly don't get why people would resource these online logo factories.

Developing a brand identity is not plunking a few words down in the typeface de jour with a symbol that looks pretty. It's a whole process that includes a creative brief, developing a visual brand personality, and an understanding of the elements behind a sophisticated brand. It means making an investment in thought, in design and in presentation.

When you don't choose to make the investment, well, you get what you pay for...

In Flagrante Delicto

A wine label made for a friend prior to my awakening. I'm so ashamed now.

There is a movement afoot to boycott the drinking of wine. Outrageous you say? Grapes have been systematically murdered in vats by women in their bare feet for a long, long time. Archaeological evidence suggests that the earliest known production of wine, made by taking their little dead bodies and fermenting their remains, took place as early as 8,000 years ago in Georgia.

It is perhaps understandable that this travesty of the humble grape was committed back then. Times were tough and cruel things were done in the name of survival (good drinking water was scarce right through the Dark Ages). When safe drinking water became more accessible, grapes should have been freed from their slavery and allowed to return to their natural life cycle. But o-o-o-oh no. People made wine into a sick, hoity-toity tradition in high society gatherings and wine tasting became an art. Utter barbarian.

These grapes have families. There is DNA proof. Take the Riesling family, for example (pictured above). DNA fingerprinting has traced the roots of the Rieslings to the Gouais Blanc family: held in slavery and murdered for their life juices by the French and German peasantry in the Middle Ages. Oh, by the way, Riesling is said to be best drunk when young. Ugh...

Humans have bred, experimented on, spliced, mistreated and stomped on grapes for human consumption for ages. It's time we took a long look at just how humane we really are. In the meantime, "in flagrante delicto" or caught red-footed, is happening in your country, your neighbourhoods and perhaps in your very bathtub.

Strapless Number

My beloved Sister In Law said she couldn't wait to see my strapless number, so naturally I had to oblige...

Memo: To All Staff

Recently, there have been a number of reports of inappropriate uses of office equipment, supplies and stationery. Attached, please find photographic evidence depicting improper use of an official office stationery item (Item: Binder Clip 671985, Model 14409-CA). Somewhere, there is a multiple-page report that will go unbound just because someone wishes to keep their jellybeans fresh. This amounts to nothing but reckless abandonment of an official document and Macgyverism gone rampant. From now on, all clips will be dispensed by stationery cabinet personnel and use will be documented.

Oh, and whoever used White Out to simulate bird droppings on my umbrella... very funny...

Canary Playtime

A voice reminds me of the primo real estate rule that one should never show a house by walking into the living room saying, "this is the living room" and forbids me to say this is a identity development for a new venture called Canary...

... the discovery that these birds cannot swallow in outer space lent a certain gravity to the design situation... no flying here, lest we go too high...

... so we allow the canary to light above the wordmark in whatever way it wants...

...and always uncaged.

"Flyingus Frogus Canadianus" Eh?

Dear Canadian Zoological Society Director of Registration of Newly Discovered Species; Gidday, eh? Please see the attached photo that I took on the weekend. It is proof that I have discovered a new species of flying frog in my back yard. I call it Flyingus Frogus Canadianus. (Neat eh? My wife thought that up.) I'd like to officially register this discovery as the most exciting discovery since the Bigfoot thing (not the monster truck – the animal). By my reckoning, it's approximately three feet from wingtip to wingtip, with enough frog legs to feed a family of four and is able to hover at awesome heights for hours (as long as there is a breeze, which there is most times off the lake). Please send me my ornery doctorship, cash and also refer me to higher authorities for international recognition of whatever kind is available.
Signed, Donny Ross

Dear Mr. Ross; Thank you for your submission. We receive all sorts of new species discoveries everyday and yours is most amusing. We've been passing it around the department all day and thank you for the laugh but it is obviously a kite. A kite does not qualify as a new species under the Canadian Zoological Society terms of reference for new species. Apart from the fact that we can see the kite string, flying frogs can only survive in the jungles of Southeast Asia and never measure no more than four inches in length. Thanks again.
Yours truly, Alfred R. Wallace, Director

Dear Alfie; Okay, the string. This is the god's honest truth, mind. I snared it when it landed for a few minutes to feed on some insects I caught in my bug zapper. When it took off again my cousin Danny (who's pretty big) was able to hold it in sight long enough for me to snap this picture. Then he had to let go before he was swept away into Lake Ontario. Water's still pretty cold this time of year and there is a mean under-toad near the shore. I wait on my money and doctor thing. Oh, and interviews for the Enquirer and such are okay too if you want to let the word out.
Donny.

Dear Donny; I'm afraid unless you can provide us with physical evidence we cannot recognize the discovery.
All the best, Alfred R. Wallace

Dear Alfie; Damn it all sideways. Okay, never mind.
Oh, by the way, you wouldn't happen have a number for the UFO department, eh? I snared one of those suckers too! (see below)
Donny

A Paradoxical Moment

A paradox is a statement that carries a seemingly contradictory message.

A short while ago, the president of a university was asked to officiate at a small graduation ceremony. As the members gathered in a circle for the final item on the agenda that day, the president was asked to light a candle, say a few words and then pass the candle around the circle for others, in turn, to make a personal comment about their experience in the program. As the candle returned to him, his duty was to blow it out to symbolize the conclusion of the course.

He hesitated, remarking that he found it a paradoxical contradiction for someone in his position to ever blow out a symbolic candle.

And while he graciously did so, he asked all attending to imagine it was still lit.

Early Morning Bloom

6:49 a.m.

7:15 a.m. 

7:30 a.m. 

7:49 a.m.  

“Flowers do not force their way with great strife. Flowers open to perfection slowly in the sun.... Don't be in a hurry about spiritual matters. Go step by step, and be very sure.”

Chief White Eagle (March 18, 1917 - January 24, 2011) 

Happy Canada Day

"Cookie?"

And a happy 4th of July to our friends to the south!

Cheers,

Rand and Peanut

The Meaning Of Life (Googled)

Ah, we live in a wonderful world. The mysteries of life appear to be just an ask away! One could almost get all giddy over the seemingly endless possibilities.

So last night I went, what's the meaning of life, anyway? I called Dr. Phil only to get his voicemail. So I thought, who better to know the meaning of life than one who isn't alive anymore? Peanut and I got out the Ouija board and dialed up a few dearly departed but suspiciously the pointer kept spelling out "cookie". (Never Ouija with your dog.) Finally, I did what any one of us in today's networked world would do. I Googled "the meaning of life is..." 35.1 million hits in less than a quarter of a second. Wow.

I got the expected responses: Monty Python, Hitchhiker's Guide, Wikipedia... some t-shirt offerings and some neat cartoons...

Then I stumbled on a study from a very reputable institution of higher learning. (Please excuse the following personal synopsis, no reflection on the original study.) It was interesting because the author(s) took the time set things up. The history of other people who had asked the question was explored. Then they defined exactly what was being asked and from what perspective. (It's like the "It depends on your definition of having sex'" thing in the news a few years ago.)

What is meant by the word "meaning" itself took maybe three pages of rational inquiry. What we are asking exactly and why do we want to know? Is meaningfulness a final good in a person's life that is distinct from happiness, rightness and worthwhileness? More questions.

Then, there was a methodical examination of meaning in life from different viewpoints. A supernaturalistic point of view is either a God-centered view or a soul-centered view. (If one lacks a soul, or treats it badly, then one's life is automatically meaningless.) The second major viewpoint is naturalism: either subjectivism (defining actions that one ought to concentrate on), or objectivism (all actions act together to make life meaningful). The third and final viewpoint is the nihilism theoretical account (if you believe that God or a soul is necessary for meaning in life, and if you believe that neither exists, then you are a nihilist: someone who denies that life has meaning.)

The last paragraph in this paper concludes the original question posed lacks conclusive answers. Their answer appears to be, "It depends." Which I sorta knew before. Which made me wonder why I spent the last two hours reading the paper. At last I had something of an answer.

Sometimes the process of examining different viewpoints is something of an answer in itself.

Multitasking: "Dude, You're A Manhole Cover!"

Manhole covers (personhole covers, I guess, to us pc types) are an original example of multitasking. And they lay right at our feet. They allow access to workers for maintenance, rainwater to run off (and theoreticaly not into one's basement), sewers to ventilate gases and stop hapless people from falling in.

Ancient Romans began the practice of stopping its citizens from falling into sewage. And it caught on. The square knobs are said to have been popular since the days of horse and buggies, the knobs being footholds for horse's hooves. Weighing over 50 kg, these artifacts have captured the imagination of people the world over, who collect photos of various designs. Modern race cars are so aerodynamically designed that manhole covers have to be welded down to avoid being lifted by the suction caused when the cars pass over them. And the same when the Queen visits, as part of security precautions (not suction-related).

Microsoft incorporated the question: "Why are manhole covers round?" into interview questions, to gauge how people tackle a question with many right answers. (Cannot fall into it's opening, strong, material efficient and cheap to manufacture, don't need to be rotated to fit, can be rolled when moved, etc.)

Note: in recent years, as metal shortages mounted, manhole cover theft has become a worldwide phenomena. In China Shakes the World, James Kynge describes the phenomenon:

"...in the several weeks beginning in mid-February 2004, when, slowly at first but with mounting velocity, manhole covers started to disappear from roads and pavements around the world. As Chinese demand drove up the price of scrap metal to record levels, thieves almost everywhere had the same idea. As darkness fell, they levered up the iron covers and sold them to local merchants, who cut them up and loaded them onto ships to China. The first displacements were felt in Taiwan, the island just off China's southeast coast. The next were in other neighbors such as Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan... Wherever the sun set, pilferers worked to satisfy China's hunger. More than 150 covers disappeared during one month in Chicago. Scotland's "great drain robbery" saw more than a hundred vanish in a few days. From Montreal to Gloucester to Kuala Lumpur, unsuspecting pedestrians stumbled into holes."

Because of this demand, it is said that 8 people in China were killed by falling into open manholes in 1994.

An interesting footnote, for those of you still reading. The word manhole was first used for access holes between the decks of the old, all-male sailing ships and had nothing to do with sewers.

So today, as you juggle many tasks at once, remember the humble manhole cover. We, like them, serve many purposes. And on our best day, we may even prevent someone else from falling down a hole.

 (A contribution from my bro Rick. Evidently a fish lover!)

Taking Down An Old Wall To Install A Door

I know some of you have been hanging out hoping that maybe someday I'll run out of stupid things to post and actually say something intelligent. Probably not going to happen. But depending on who you are and what your expectation levels might be: this may make some sense to you. And it's all predicated on not what I might say, but what an old carpenter once told me.

I live in a house that may be well over 100 years old. In those days they started small (as in "shack") and built out and up. The above photo is of an outside wall exposed during a recent reno to put in a patio door. Once the outside facade was removed the patchwork pieces of scraps that once enclosed an old doorway were revealed. Being one that admires "make do" ingenuity I went "cool." But to the carpenter on the job, it seemed more like a mess.

I had asked the carpenter before the work began what would be involved and how long it would take. His response has stayed with me since... "We won't know until we get in there."

I've worked on the communication end of Total Quality Management (TQM), Business Process Re-engineering, Six Sigma programs for government, high tech and academic institutions. What has been consistent throughout all change management activities, is that it is a top-down process of discovery, learning and continuous communication rather than a rigid plan based on predetermined judgment. Because what may have seemed clear-cut during the planning stages can all change after you begin to remove the layers. Once you begin to reveal the structure of what had been done before, you are then in the position to assess the workforce needs, the time and support tools required.

Just like taking down an old wall to install a doorway.

Okay, I'll lighten up tomorrow. Three Stooges anyone?

Sunnertime

When we were kids playing in the sun was the bomb. Picnics, playgrounds, swimming and beaches.

We basked in the sun to get a tan. Tans were cool. They made you look healthy. Like you were a Beachboy, or a movie star, or at least from California. If you went on vacation and came back without a tan people assumed that it had rained everyday. Teenaged comparisons of tan lines made for some interesting times...

We slapped on Coppertone (that was really just moisturizer) to keep from getting burned but it never worked. The first time out something would be crispy that evening and out would come the Noxema followed by a few days of peeling. It was normal. A right of passage to summertime.

We didn't know we were also making up some good ol' vitamin D. Few of us knew about vitamin D back then, nor cared to. Vitamins were something god-awful tasting that your mother took down from the cupboard in the morning and made you swallow... or mine did. If we had known back then there were vitamins that you could make simply by the sun touching your skin, we would have thought that was a much cooler way of doing it.

But now folks are encasing their children in layers clothing and shellacking themselves in SPF 1000. Your doctor frowns at you if you have a tan. The worry warts are shouting from the heights about the risk of skin cancer and that has everyone dashing from car to the safety of buildings like vampires who will burn up in the sunlight.

So, being the curious person I am, I decided to read up on it.

Turns out, we all need between 5 and 30 minutes of sunlight on our skin twice a week to allow the UVB rays to stimulate the body's manufacturing of vitamin D. From November to March here in Canada it's almost impossible to get our quota. UV fortified foods, like milk, help. By the way, because it can be synthesized by humans it is not a real vitamin (vital food substance). All vertebrates need sun to allow the body to produce strong bones and prevent rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. For feathery birds, furry mammals, and some abnormally hairy people, oils are secreted from the skin, subjected to the sunlight and orally ingested when they groom themselves.Which, in the case of abnormally hairy people, might not ever happen.

Happy days in the sun. Too much has always been bad for you. Too little is as well... just sayin'.

Ten "Want Fries With That?" Quandary Tips

Anyone in a service industry, (including design, photography and advertising) has wrestled with a lack of time or budget. If your aim is to provide a 4-star service, orders for happy meals may seem troublesome. But seeing these moments as not only a time to facilitate their immediate needs, but as an opportunity to build a relationship for the future may be the key to turning these situations around.

Realizing I am in no way an expert in such matters, here are ten tips that I've found have helped me deal with the quandary:

1) Turn up the hearing aid. Take the time to listen. Then ask questions. Get the big picture, understand the situation and validate their needs.

2) Show them nirvana. Showing them examples of similar work you have done in the past for others can put a positive picture in their minds. Letting them know how these came to be will give them clues to process.

3) Walk the giving talk. Explain you are there to help. And prove it. Do something extra. Go out of your way in some small way. See it as an investment in the future.

4) Don't poo-poo the messenger. Understand that the person you are talking to has pressures and may be following requests from higher-ups. Provide them the ammunition they need to explain the process to their superiors.

5) Practice comfy talk. People relate most comfortably in different ways and in different circumstances. Many people are email folks. Others prefer the phone. Others like in-person meetings. Find out and adapt your methods of communication.

6) Take a break... and relate. Communicating with folks in a friendly manner, perhaps even (shudder) having a laugh, can lead to informal information that can be valuable in the long term and will aid in the relationship-building process.

7) Flogging a less-than-alive horse? Some situations will not, nor will ever be, conducive to the quality experience you are trying to provide. Some you will never be able to help. Know when to drop the club.

8) Don't hang up – forward the call. If you eventually find that a client is never going to be a fit, offer them a referral. Provide them with email addresses, make introductions and leave the door open. You never know...

9) Address for success. Speak with respect and as if they were the most important client in the world. Because they are.

And finally,

10) Follow up, but don't stalk. Make sure whatever work you provide is well received. Don't bug, or press for new business, but let them know you are looking forward to working with them again.

Hope this helps!

Evidence of The Chalk People

Far into the asphalt jungle we crept, fighting mosquitoes the size of VW Beetles under the sweltering sky. Far beyond the gates of civilization we entered a clearing. And there, laid out for us was a feast of ancient drawings...

Some faded almost beyond recognition but still discernible after all this time. Obviously these were from an advanced race of nature-loving people...

And then, the masterpiece. Our eyes couldn't believe what we were witnessing. From this one primitive drawing, evidence that this ancient race possessed the intellectual ability to symbolically record a growing heart.

Refreshed, we left them undisturbed as we continued our journey of discovery...