Technical aspects include everything from lighting, cables people fly on, stages, and performances themselves. An ideal software project would be similar to a Cirque show in many respects.  Each project is using practiced and newly learned skills.  Hopefully different parts of a project have been rehearsed.  End goal should be for a project experience to be as seamless as possible for clients.

Now, don’t expect to be seeing my on a trapeze at a future project meeting, maybe a unicycle?

In our hectic days it is far too easy to focus on each of our immediate needs.  I know I have done this.  Life does move fast (especially as you get older). But we also tend to make time for things that are important to us.  When working on my MBA I finished many a paper when the clock was moving faster and faster.  But, like most things that are hard and take effort, it was worth it.

I am looking forward to students’ attitudes and perspectives on business.  I know when I was in high school it was not on my mind.  I will update the blog with my course’s events.

Everyone is planning, getting ready for 2008.  Please remember we are available to help you in your IT and process improvement/management planning.

Last night I watched Dick Clark’s New Year’s Eve special and must say he is looking and talking better.  His recovery from his stroke seems much better from last year.  On ESPN they had a motorcycle jumper trying to break a world record for distance.  I was a sucker for anything Evel Kneivel did as a kid and watched Robbie Maddision ( the jumper).  He jumped 322 feet.  That was good enough for the record, formerly 310.  It was in Vegas at Rio.  I didn’t make it to that casino my one and only visit there, but hear it has a great seafood buffet.

Something to consider.  Many companies like to wait until as late as possible to award a contract.  In today’s tight market of available quality consultants this could backfire.  This form of head game is rarely advantageous.  While some companies like to play head games with vendors, they should question what they are getting by doing so?  Does it get them a better deal? I venture to say no and contributes to an adverserial relationship.

While it would be naive to say all parties will sing happy songs around a camp fire holding hands, is such a stretch that each is treated with courtesy and respect?

If you application is to be used solely on an intranet, most likely you can dictate use of a certain web browser.  But this may not always be the case.  Acquisistions of other organizations could impact this decision if they use different computers (like Macs).  Or maybe partners are accessing your intranet.  So even for an intranet situation you may not always be able to control what browsers are used.

And what if your application is open to public users.  Users not affiliated with your organization?  In order for your application to be successful, it needs to be accessible to people using different browsers and computers.  This situation is one Eaves Consulting can assist with.  Our consultants routinely work with technology that will enable your web applications to work on computers using Windows, OS X (Mac), and Linux.

Remember, for web app success, greater audience = greater success!  And not everyone uses Microsoft Internet Explorer.

With all new software versions, a common question is when should an upgrade be done. That depends on your situation. Whatever that may be, always remember to back up your data prior to doing an upgrade. Always.

Just as a side note, I have been using my MacBook Pro since June and it has been great. There is a slight learning curve, but nothing that cannot be overcome. And since some of our development software is Windows only, when needed we run Windows on the Mac.
Will I upgrade on 10/26? Yes. After I do my data backup.

A temporary ban signals legislators may be thinking of this as a future source for tax revenue. If this is done in the future, costs for doing business will increase. Companies will not simply absorb any new tax, it will be passed on to customers (reluctantly so on our part). Taxation of Internet access would present issues such as how to do it? A flat fee, by the amount of data sent/received or by the email (don’t laugh, this idea was floated in Gainesville, Florida some years ago)?

Would you want to pay a per fee amount for each email you send?

While this is often a low-priority item for most voters, keep it in mind and how it could affect you and our country. It is far easier to prevent such a tax being enacted than repealing it. Besides, how could the Internet be thrown off of a ship into Boston harbor?

In today’s world there is really no excuse for not communicating. If it is only a text message, it is invaluable. Often we will talk with prospects and clients and one of the first things we hear is that they had someone doing work for them but now they cannot get any response from them.

Part of our standard practice is to return calls and/or emails within four business hours and no later than the start of the next business day. And is it that hard? Let’s see, I have a phone, email, instant messaging and text messaging on my computer and BlackBerry. Nextel customers - don’t count on service in Juneua, Skagway, or Ketchikan in Alaska. Been there, couldn’t do that. And if you’re going on vacation, set your out of office message on email and voice mail.

Sound hard? No, but to our competition, keep doing what you’re doing!

To our clients, our pledge is to communicate. You deserve that for selecting our services.