tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-347740032024-03-05T11:26:30.956-08:00Usha's reflectionsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34774003.post-82792272112604944662021-04-29T23:09:00.001-07:002021-06-08T05:10:41.805-07:00'You have not understood our requirement at all!'<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1544027993-37dbfe43562a?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8&auto=format&fit=crop&w=750&q=80" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="750" height="404" src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1544027993-37dbfe43562a?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8&auto=format&fit=crop&w=750&q=80" width="606" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />When we moved into our home, we had spent a lot in the purchase and as a result, had limited budget for the design. We ended up making our own design, without much thought on creating harmony among the various elements in our home.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Now we have finally come to the point of getting professional help. To this effect, we got in touch with a design firm. Their studio was great and we were super excited! Next, one of their consultants started interacting with us. She asked for our house plan; we also explained our requirement. Then, she sent us an initial estimate of costs. It turned out to be a bit of a letdown, because <i>it did not reflect any requirement we had shared and was a vanilla version</i>. Still, we gave her the benefit of doubt, had more conversations with her to explain and finally she visited home. After an hour of explaining to her in person, she gave us a revised estimate and said, "Please visit our website and choose the design you need". </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">'Whoa!', we thought, 'if we are not going to get any suggestions from you, and have to select one among 100s of designs by ourselves, why do we need your consultation at all? Despite our multiple discussions, you have not understood our requirement at all!'</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><b>As a Product owner, you need put yourself into the shoes of the customer, understand first of all the 'WHY' of their requirement (the BIG picture) and then make sure you comprehend their needs. In other words, have Customer Empathy!</b></i></span></div><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>How can you develop empathy?</b></span></span></h1><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Here are three approaches that have worked for me:</span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Listen to 'Voice of the Customer'</b>. If there are recorded customer support calls, you can set aside some time every month to listen to a sample of them. Also, talk to the customer support people and understand the top areas of customer reported issues.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Create Customer Journey Maps</b>. This will help you traverse the areas of the product that a customer uses and bring out what is working well, what is not.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Role play a customer</b>. Check out this <a href="https://www.ideo.com/case-study/a-hospital-centered-on-the-patient-experience" target="_blank">case study</a> on how IDEO, a design firm, helped paediatric healthcare provider Nemours, enhance the patient experience for their new hospital. <i>Ideo employees followed some Nemours patients around all day, "and came up with some great ideas that we, as adults, may not think about," says Dr. Judith Wall, Nemours' medical director.</i><br /><br /></span></li></ol><p></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><blockquote>"Our core business is connected with the customers’ needs and we will not be able to satisfy them if we don’t have a deep sense of empathy” - Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft.</blockquote></span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Organizations that focus on customer empathy and weave it into their DNA bring in Customer delight ,differentiate themselves from their competition.... and the bottom-line is: these are organizations that customer love doing business with!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><a href="https://heartofthecustomer.com/eight-ways-build-customer-empathy/" target="_blank">https://heartofthecustomer.com/eight-ways-build-customer-empathy/</a></span><br /></span></p><p><a href="https://www.ideo.com/post/design-kit" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">https://www.ideo.com/post/design-kit</span></a><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34774003.post-45333168060631091322020-05-10T02:54:00.003-07:002021-06-08T05:11:00.270-07:005 questions to build a great product<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xIM4k0kdecycDPqJn4T1lN3YUqG0JW-gFJO0f4G9AdM7aKgC3pGLyY7d_ECbb_kaqWtfzUE85v-ifumO1fuWl4QX_MAEOO1srDGF8YdExm-k8tOIpDOLDt5W_v0w0DKToP4H/s1600/Travel+Photography+YouTube+Thumbnail.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xIM4k0kdecycDPqJn4T1lN3YUqG0JW-gFJO0f4G9AdM7aKgC3pGLyY7d_ECbb_kaqWtfzUE85v-ifumO1fuWl4QX_MAEOO1srDGF8YdExm-k8tOIpDOLDt5W_v0w0DKToP4H/s320/Travel+Photography+YouTube+Thumbnail.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="gx hl ap by gz b ha hb hm hc hd hn he hf ho hg hh hp hi hj hq hk dy" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="1666" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84); letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: -0.46em; margin-top: 2em; word-break: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">From product vision to road map, release planning, sprint planning and sprinting to go live… as a product team, many a time, it is a race to get the features out to production. In such a scenario, to keep focus on building a great product, here are five questions to keep in mind:</span></div>
<ol style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); list-style: none none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<li class="gx hl ap by gz b ha hb hm hc hd hn he hf ho hg hh hp hi hj hq hk hr hs ht" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="88bc" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84); letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; list-style-type: decimal; margin-bottom: -0.46em; margin-left: 30px; margin-top: 2em; padding-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="gz hu" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Which are the most needed features?</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />It is easy to build a lot of features and make your product fancy. However, which of those will your user really need and use? Identify and build what the user really needs.</span></li>
<li class="gx hl ap by gz b ha hv hm hc hw hn he hx ho hg hy hp hi hz hq hk hr hs ht" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="5caa" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84); letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; list-style-type: decimal; margin-bottom: -0.46em; margin-left: 30px; margin-top: 1.05em; padding-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="gz hu" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">How simple can we make it?</span>Simplicity and ease of use go a long way in building up the user base and increasing adoption. Build workflows into the product wherever needed. Users should be able to easily learn the product features and how to use it. It is not easy to build a simple product, but it is worth it.</span></li>
<li class="gx hl ap by gz b ha hv hm hc hw hn he hx ho hg hy hp hi hz hq hk hr hs ht" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="78f9" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84); letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; list-style-type: decimal; margin-bottom: -0.46em; margin-left: 30px; margin-top: 1.05em; padding-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="gz hu" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Are we using the language of the user?</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Make sure every aspect of the product is in the user’s language. If possible, involve a few users to co-create the product with them.</span></li>
<li class="gx hl ap by gz b ha hv hm hc hw hn he hx ho hg hy hp hi hz hq hk hr hs ht" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="54aa" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84); letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; list-style-type: decimal; margin-bottom: -0.46em; margin-left: 30px; margin-top: 1.05em; padding-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="gz hu" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">What feedback do users have?</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Periodically (at least every quarter), reach out to users and ask them:<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />a) which are the most helpful features<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />b) the least helpful features<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />c) what can be improved in the product<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />“<em class="ia" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning</em>” — said Bill Gates, hence, pay great attention to feedback for improvement.</span></li>
<li class="gx hl ap by gz b ha hv hm hc hw hn he hx ho hg hy hp hi hz hq hk hr hs ht" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0bd5" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84); letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; list-style-type: decimal; margin-bottom: -0.46em; margin-left: 30px; margin-top: 1.05em; padding-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="gz hu" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Can a new user learn about the product easily?</span>Identify someone new to the product to run through the product guides and validate whether they will help a new user to easily learn and start using the product. Along with product launch, ensure you build in ‘Getting started’ guides and videos which can be easily referenced.</span></li>
</ol>
<div class="gx hl ap by gz b ha hb hm hc hd hn he hf ho hg hh hp hi hj hq hk dy" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3560" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84); letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: -0.46em; margin-top: 2em; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
You can build a product with great engineering, fancy features and do a lot of attractive branding and marketing. However, if the product is not valuable, then all the engineering and marketing is of no use. Therefore, pay attention to the features, the building blocks. Aim to make customers love your product!</span></div>
<div class="gx hl ap by gz b ha hb hm hc hd hn he hf ho hg hh hp hi hj hq hk dy" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3560" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84); letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: -0.46em; margin-top: 2em; word-break: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><em class="ia" style="box-sizing: inherit;">“If you keep your eye on the profit, you’re going to skimp on the product. But if you focus on making really great products, then the profits will follow.”</em><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />– Steve Jobs</span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34774003.post-41820995932453445732020-02-26T20:15:00.007-08:002021-06-08T05:11:26.169-07:00WITFluence 2020 - historic moments, inspirations...and much more!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></h3><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
It was great to
participate in WITFluence - a conference for Women in Technology which was held
on 20th Feb with the theme of 'Role Models for Women in Tech'. The conference
had a stellar list of speakers on various topics, and also witnessed the launch
of Wequity (a collaborative to promote Women in Technology).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
Here are some of my
takeaways from the sessions I attended.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
"<i>It is
important to be vocal about what you want to be</i>" - said Kalavathi G V,
Head, Philips Innovation Campus, in her keynote address. She spoke about her
journey in technology, challenges and the single minded goal focus that has
helped her become what she is today.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
"<i>There is a big
shift in marketing because people are moving to online forums</i>", said
Geetha Koushik, Director of Engineering, Gibraltar India. She said a lot of
marketing focus has shifted towards social media marketing, because that is
where the audience is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
"<i>Have pride in
yourself and what you do, stay flexible, design your own idea of success, put
aside the 'good woman template' and don't feel less entitled to success</i>" -
said Nirmala Menon, founder & CEO, Interweave consulting, in a highly energetic
and humorous talk.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
One highlight of the
evening was a CXO panel discussion on what equality really means in the
technology ecosystem. Manjula Muthukrishnan (MD - Avalara India), Hari Vasudev
(Country Head & VP Technology, Walmart Labs), Atul Jalan (CEO & MD,
Manthan) and Vidya Laxman (Technology Director - Tesco) were the panelists in
conversation with Priya Chetty Rajagopal (Founder & Managing Partner,
Multiversal). "<i>It's all about educating the girls and boys with
equality</i>" - said Vidya, in a powerhouse exchange of thoughts.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
As the evening set
in, the Plenary Hall got packed for the much awaited performance by Usha
Uthup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"<i>You are never too old to
set another goal or dream a new dream</i>", said the ever-young and fabulous
Usha Uthup, as she held us spellbound with her inspiring, peppy talk. This was
followed by her mesmerizing performance….a perfect evening that had the
audience clapping, cheering and a few dancing as well!</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
A fitting finale to
the day was witnessing and getting inspired by the awards given away to Women,
and Men in Technology. The categories were: Tech Beacon, Tech Exemplar,
Techinist (given to women who excel in technology), Solidarity idol and the
Equalizer (for a male sponsor who has driven gender equity and progressed women
in tech). Amazed to see the Techinist award recipient, Seema Nagar, who is an
Advisory Research Engineer in IBM and has 100 patents to her name!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
Will this day be a game changer in my life? Too early to tell....but definitely <i>a memorable one, with speakers who will inspire me forever!</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />
<br /></span>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34774003.post-86896270658143219772019-11-07T21:46:00.002-08:002021-06-08T05:12:42.590-07:00A Show & Tell makes all the difference...a story from my experience<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">How much difference can a 'Show & Tell' make in our daily lives? A lot...as I learned when I was buying a car.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">It was the summer of 2019...a defining year in our history with changing cars...</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">We had had enough of our SUV and wanted to upgrade to a more luxurious car. After having test driven a dozen cars, we finally zeroed in on a crossover which had a <i>mega, panoramic </i>sun roof and amazing features 😎. However, there was one aspect which bothered us - the available colors. The choice was a dull, lackluster set of color options 😞 </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">"Why can't this car come with the nice <i>'Marina'</i> blue?", I asked the salesman. I did not really expect an answer and was venting out my disappointment; however, he actually took my request to the manufacturer. As luck would have it, we found out that one of our distant relatives was a Leader in the Marketing group. Our conversation with her reinforced our hope to get a blue car...in 3-4 weeks.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">We were all excited and eagerly waiting for a wonderful car in a bright, breezy blue color, called 'Marina Blue'. However, destiny, aka the Marketing team, had something else in store....they had decided on 'Moonlight Blue'. We felt as blind as a bat, not knowing what this color was 😡. Our expectation turned to frustration, our feelings were like those of a raging bull. We decided to cancel the booking.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">That was the moment, when...Pop! Came a WhatsApp message with a visual showing a photo of the Moonlight Blue car. We opened the message with mixed feelings. </span></span></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><i>The picture of the car that unfolded was ...beautiful! Our anger turned to admiration in that instant. A simple 'Show & Tell' turned around our decision.</i></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Today, as we eagerly wait for our dream car, we remain loyal customers....a Show & Tell made all the difference!!!</span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34774003.post-26454831025881840362017-04-29T23:57:00.002-07:002021-06-08T05:13:04.534-07:00Singapore - before you go<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">I visited Singapore in April 2017 and did a lot of pre-planning by browsing websites and talking to friends. Below is a gist of what I've gathered and refined from my travel to Singapore:</span><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
</span><ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Flight Tickets </b>- look for options via Trichy or Chennai in Jet or Indigo - you might get cheaper fares</span></li>
<li><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Visa </b>- you have to apply only through an agent. The agent will send your application to Embassy only about 10-15 days before travel date, so plan your travel accordingly.</span></li>
<li><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Accommodation </b>- book at least a month in advance, and choose a hotel which is near Serangoon Road or Little India MRT train station. So that you have good connectivity and have lots of restaurants nearby.</span></li>
<li><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Sightseeing tickets </b>- Try to get tickets for the major attractions in advance through an agent or website like klook.com. You get a discount and avoid the queue at the entrance of the attraction.</span></li>
<li><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Travel in Singapore </b>- Once you land in Singapore, get the Singapore Tourist Pass at any TransitLink office. It allows you to travel unlimited in bus or MRT for 2 or 3 days depending on which pass you buy. </span></li>
<li><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Shopping and GST Refund </b>- if you purchase > 100 Singapore dollars in a shop, you can get a GST refund at the airport. So make sure you have your passport with you while shopping and get the GST refund form from the shop. Later, you show the form at the airport to get the refund</span></li>
<li><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>At Universal Studios </b>- go on a weekday and reach there by 10 am to avoid the crowd. Carry packed lunch with you cos it is very expensive and crowded inside. Carry water bottles from outside - you can refill them inside. Get an express pass for people who will go on the high rides. Do not miss the Waterworld show at 1.30 pm.</span></li>
<li><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Gardens by the Bay </b>- get tickets for Cloud Forest and Flower Dome. Plan to be there during afternoon and evening. Do not miss the 8 pm show in the open area - the Supertrees are very beautiful.</span></li>
<li><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Other attractions </b>not to miss - Science Centre (at Jurong East), Night Safari, Jurong Bird Park, Luge ride at Sentosa, shopping at Mustafa and Bugis street</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
</span><div>
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Thanks to : Tripadvisor.com, http://www.wheressharon.com/asia-with-kids/things-to-do-in-sentosa-island-kids/</span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Singapore1.352083 103.819836000000010.8441055 103.174389 1.8600605 104.46528300000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34774003.post-20180987775104945562012-01-19T01:03:00.001-08:002021-06-08T05:13:24.051-07:00My Lunch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span face="'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I eat lunch every day. so what’s unique about it? First of
all, what is lunch? Wikipedia says:<i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"> <b>Luncheon,
commonly abbreviated to lunch, is a mid-day </b></span><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meal" title="Meal"><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">meal</span></span></a><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis">, and is generally smaller than </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinner" title="Dinner"><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">dinner</span></span></a></b></span></i><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>, which is the main meal of the day whenever dinner is
eaten.</b></span></i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span face="'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Interesting, since the popular saying says:<b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"> <span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis">breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen, dinner like
a pauper!</span></span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Well, there was a day when I had lunch twice! It was a <span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><i>Swiss lunch</i></span>. Wondering what a Swiss lunch is?
Now don’t google for it, you won’t find it exactly, since I coined the term
just now. I define it as<span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis">:<i> lunch in the Swiss
Alps</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span face="'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I visited Mount Titlis this summer with family. Since I foresaw the
possibility of not finding good vegetarian food up there, I packed some
burgers, French Fries and coke. As soon as we reached there (around 12 noon),
we were so hungry that we gobbled up our lunch. <span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUczeO58t16Ls0d95NzIzHQ3-TSY6vtc6-RPZxMSP5Ax6rY8qN3Q4bqtaog3BJS-qEeacMwcv_0lHtR6xc8zxGLauZSqmEpbUCPGv8fkp1xJKgpbSDyiaTqiUuBEvzxeFzQP3/s1600/lunch1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUczeO58t16Ls0d95NzIzHQ3-TSY6vtc6-RPZxMSP5Ax6rY8qN3Q4bqtaog3BJS-qEeacMwcv_0lHtR6xc8zxGLauZSqmEpbUCPGv8fkp1xJKgpbSDyiaTqiUuBEvzxeFzQP3/s320/lunch1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span face="'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We thought we had finished lunch. But in fact, that was just <i>Phase I</i>
of our lunch. The plethora of activities made us hungry soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face="'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Luckily, as we descended down in the cable car, we saw a Vada Pav/Pav
Bhaji shop. Unimaginable! Indian chat food in the Swiss Alps! That was my <i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Lunch
Phase II</b></span></i>!<span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSyHU5ZuJJiAX17K0L959mjx5QR3JkxM3oKXtvwd9qrHj4-vZP8uGwEkEtm_OVqWahQjm1f01B99ZGAc4if6g7s-BzlE87D2tR-SllcsSqpXbsBxAlqoya4i8fnwL2fyKiJAKo/s1600/vadapav.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSyHU5ZuJJiAX17K0L959mjx5QR3JkxM3oKXtvwd9qrHj4-vZP8uGwEkEtm_OVqWahQjm1f01B99ZGAc4if6g7s-BzlE87D2tR-SllcsSqpXbsBxAlqoya4i8fnwL2fyKiJAKo/s320/vadapav.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span face="'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><b>So now you see how I ate Swiss lunch like a king!</b></i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34774003.post-50312508801188797692011-03-25T03:36:00.002-07:002021-06-08T05:13:53.895-07:00Its Time...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"<em>We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths</em>.” – said Walt Disney. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> <span>So…what do you do when you have to tread a new path, and <span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><strong><em><span style="color: #4f81bd;">ITS TIME</span></em></strong></span> for a handover?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="Heading2Char"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="color: #4f81bd;">I</span></strong></span></span><span>dentify a successor</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="Heading2Char"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="color: #4f81bd;">T</span></strong></span></span><span>rain your successor</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="Heading2Char"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="color: #4f81bd;">S</span></strong></span></span><span>hare work with your successor while front-ending activities</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="Heading2Char"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="color: #4f81bd;">T</span></strong></span></span><span>ell all stakeholders</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="Heading2Char"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="color: #4f81bd;">I</span></strong></span></span><span>nduct the person formally; let him/her manage Normal Scenarios while you remain in the background</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="Heading2Char"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="color: #4f81bd;">M</span></strong></span></span><span>ove in to manage exceptions, if needed </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="Heading2Char"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="color: #4f81bd;">E</span></strong></span></span><span>xit when you are not needed to manage the exceptions</span></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34774003.post-34482415390622640872011-01-27T21:56:00.001-08:002021-06-08T05:14:09.006-07:00A Case for Causal Analysis<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><strong><em><span style="color: #4f81bd;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">What is Causal Analysis ?</span></span></em></strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As the name indicates, it is a process to analyze and find out what caused a problem/issue, and take actions to prevent recurrence. The basic principle is to find out the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">root causes</i> for the problem, not the symptoms, and treat those root causes. This is also called <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Root Cause Analysis (RCA)</i></b>. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The term <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><strong><span style="color: #4f81bd;"><span face="'Calibri','sans-serif'" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Causal Analysis and Resolution</span><span face="'Calibri','sans-serif'" style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> (CAR)</span></span></strong></span></i> is one of the processes that a CMMi level 5 mature organization needs to follow. It aims at:</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span>Identifying and analyzing causes of defects and other problems </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span>Taking specific actions to remove the causes and prevent the recurrence of those types of defects and problems </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It is a science as well as an art.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><strong><em><span style="color: #4f81bd;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Why CAR?</span></span></em></strong></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span>We need a systematic way to boil down on the root of problems</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span>We need a trigger to find out process problems - thus aiding in process improvement</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span>To spread the word about what went wrong, why it went wrong (root causes) – thus help prevent recurrence of the problem</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span>We need a process in place to ensure continuous process improvement</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><strong><em><span style="color: #4f81bd;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">How to find out root causes - 5 Whys method </span></span></em></strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The trick with root cause analysis is to keep finding out why the problem occurred till we narrow down on the root cause(s). For e.g.:</span></span></div><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">My car will not start. (the problem) </span></span></li>
</ul><ol type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Why? - The battery is dead. (first why) </span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Why? - The alternator is not functioning. (second why) </span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Why? - The alternator belt has broken. (third why) </span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Why? - The alternator belt was well beyond its useful service life and has never been replaced. (fourth why) </span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Why? - I have not been maintaining my car according to the recommended service schedule. (fifth why, a root cause) </span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Why? - Replacement parts are not available because of the extreme age of my vehicle.(sixth why, optional footnote) </span></span></li>
</ol><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span>We can go on asking ‘why’ further but the theory is that after asking 5 Whys we generally get to the root cause. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The root cause will generally point to a process not working well. The root causes can be represented as a Fish-bone/Ishikawa/Cause-And-Effect diagram (</span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishbone_diagram"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishbone_diagram</span></span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span>). Once we zero in on the root causes, we can think of actions to prevent recurrence of the problem.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span class="QuoteChar"><em>Action proposal to prevent recurrence</em></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">: Maintain my car according to the recommended service schedule.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hence, the goal of root cause analysis is Defect Prevention.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><strong><em><span style="color: #4f81bd;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">How do we do CAR ?</span></span></em></strong></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span>1.</span><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span>Do Root Cause Analysis (RCA)</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo6; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span>a.</span><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span>Define the problem – e.g. defects occurring in the project affect quality</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo6; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span>b.</span><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span>Gather data – e.g. number of defects in each phase</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo6; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span>c.</span><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span>Ask why and find out the root causes for each problem</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo6; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span>d.</span><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span>Identify doable corrective actions that will prevent recurrence</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span>2.</span><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span>Implement the actions </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span>3.</span><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span>Repeat step 1 and check for repeating root causes</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><strong><em><span style="color: #4f81bd;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Points to note: </span></span></em></strong></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span>Be careful not to confuse symptoms with root causes</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span>Have it done by the people who worked on the project, not by anyone external</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span>Do it by discussion as a team, rather than in silos by a team member</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><strong><em><span style="color: #4f81bd;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">What are the challenges?</span></span></em></strong></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span>“This is great, but I don’t have the time for it”<br />
when somebody says “I haven’t got time to do this”, what they are really saying is “what you are asking me to do is lower priority than the things that I am currently doing”. Changing this sense of priorities is one of the imperatives for successful CAR implementation. After all, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“If you haven’t got time to stop these failures from recurring, how are you going to find the time to keep fixing them?”</i></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span>Unwillingness to tackle the bigger issues<br />
some action proposals might not be within the team’s control. These are typically solutions that require changes at an organization level. They need more time, effort and management clout to implement. Often, since the team doing root cause analysis consists of lower level personnel, they are reluctant to identify and recommend such actions.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span>Fear of being blamed for the errors</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">People often come across root causes pointing to errors of omission. In such a case, it is very easy to slip into the ‘blame game’ and recommend disciplinary or retraining actions.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><strong><em><span style="color: #4f81bd;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">How can we work around the challenges?</span></span></em></strong></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span>Have a skilled facilitator to guide the CAR discussion</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span>Ensure that the action proposals are achievable/within the team’s control</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span>Ensure that Senior management supports the implementation of recommendations dealing with organizational causes</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span>Understand that nobody is immune from omissions. Instill the culture of proactive CAR.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34774003.post-13242960700758414282010-11-24T03:25:00.000-08:002021-06-08T05:14:47.128-07:00Pages from my travelogue<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">How many of you have visited or heard of Mission Viejo? I did, 10 years back, and am reminded of it now when I browse through my travelogue.
<strong><span style="color: #000099;">Bangalore</span></strong>
The first page takes me back to Bangalore airport. I was to take a flight to Chennai. I had completed check-in, security check and was waiting at the departure gate. Saw people leaving for various flights – but did not see the departure announcement for my flight. After waiting for almost an hour, I found myself as alone as the kid Kevin in the Home Alone movie. Was shocked to hear my name being announced – “this is the final call for passenger Usha travelling to Chennai”… The realization hit me like a bucket of cold water!
<em>I rushed to the gate as fast as an Olympic runner!</em>
I flip the page of my travelogue – the scene takes me to Malaysia. From Chennai I was to travel to Los Angeles with a stopover at Malaysia.
<strong><span style="color: #000099;">Malaysia</span></strong>
On reaching Malaysia and experiencing the maze of elevators at the airport, I checked into a hotel. Very exhausted, I set the alarm and fell into deep slumber like Sleeping Beauty.
I dreamt about missing the flight, and awoke with a start. Not to worry; I had plenty of time. I was not to miss a flight yet. The rest of my journey till LA and the hotel was quite uneventful. So I move to the next page of my travel diary.
<strong><span style="color: #000099;">First day at Mission Viejo
</span></strong>The first day at work – I took a cab which dropped me in office in 15 minutes. So I thought – let me walk down in the evening and pick up some groceries on the way. I started walking. I walked on and on and on for <em>one hour</em>….like an Energizer battery. However By the time I reached the store, my energy was all gone. Luckily I met an Indian family from Orissa, started talking to them and told them my story. This friendship was good for me – because they dropped me at the hotel and also invited me for dinner the next day!
My travelogue next talks about my journey to Atlanta one long weekend.
<strong><span style="color: #000099;">Atlanta</span></strong>
It was my birthday and I was to catch a flight to Atlanta on Fri evening. My friend came over to drop me at Los Angeles airport. Oh bother! The highway was jammed and vehicles moved at snail’s pace. I realized then – that a jam is a jam is a jam – whether in India or the US, we feel the same pain!
Finally reached the airport missed the flight by a whisker. A whisker - because the pilots were also caught in the jam and the flight was delayed. Whew! Somehow managed to catch the next flight, landed in Atlanta airport at 6 am and called my cousin. She picked up the phone, and asked “where are you”? I said, “Atlanta airport. Where are you?”. I heard her swearing “Oh my God!”….and rushing out from her home…guess she had set too early an alarm time, heard it, had switched it off and gone back to sleep!
So….this was how I came, I saw and I experienced the USA…the memory is still as sweet as honey to me!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34774003.post-46289015483065013172010-09-22T01:53:00.000-07:002021-06-08T05:15:09.721-07:00Toastmasters Project 2 - Organize Your Speech<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span><strong><span style="color: #333399;">The Rule of Three
</span></strong>
<strong><em>Outline</em></strong>:
What is the Rule of Three?
How to apply the Rule to your speech outline?
How to add humor with the rule</span></span>
<span>
<span><em>Tobacco. [long pause]Alcohol. [long pause]Guns. [long pause]Criminal items seized in a search [slight pause] of a 6th grade locker in a bad school district.</em>
In case you think I’m going to talk about crime, you’re mistaken. I just used 3 words to show how the Rule of Three can be used in a speech. </span>
<span><em><span style="color: #333399;">What is the rule of Three</span>?
</em>The Rule of Three is a powerful speechwriting technique that we should learn, practice and master. It suggests that things which come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things.
Using the rule enables us to express concepts better, emphasize the points, and make our message memorable.
A series of three is often used to create a </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progression" title="Progression"><span>progression</span></a><span> in which the tension is created, then built up, and finally released
<em>That’s the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth</em>! – this is an example of the rule of three.
General examples:
· from books - The Good, The Bad and the ugly
· from French motto - Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité
· Government – of the people, by the people, for the people</span>
<span>
<span>Why rule of three – why not two or four? There is something magical about the rule of three – it allows the speaker to express a concept, emphasize it and make it memorable.
As Roy Peter Clark says – </span><em><blockquote><em><span>The mojo of three offers a greater sense of completeness than four or
more.
</span></em></blockquote></em><span>Use one for power. Use two for comparison, contrast. Use three for completeness, wholeness, roundness.
Some examples where people have used the rule in their speeches:
· “Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered” – Obama’s inaugural speech
· “Be sincere, be brief, be seated.” [Advice for speakers from Franklin D. Roosevelt]
· “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” - Mark Antony’s speech in Julius Caesar</span>
<span><em><span style="color: #333399;">How to apply the rule of three in your speech outline</span></em>?
We just saw how the rule can be applied at a micro level, to form triads of words or sentences. Now let’s see how we can apply it to craft an entire speech outline.
Last week, my daughter and I visited our local library to get some children’s books – lo! We found the rule of 3 in those stories:
§ Three Little Pigs — the first two pigs get eaten because their houses are weak; the third pig’s house of bricks is strong.
§ Goldilocks and the Three Bears — the porridge was too hot; the porridge was too cold; the porridge was just right.
§ The </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked_stepmother" title="Wicked stepmother"><span>wicked stepmother</span></a><span> visits </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_White" title="Snow White"><span>Snow White</span></a><span> in the forest three times before she finally causes her to fall dead
Stephen J. Cannell </span><a href="http://www.writerswrite.com/screenwriting/lecture4.htm" title="What is the Three Act Structure?"><span>claims</span></a><span> that “Every great movie, book or play that has stood the test of time has a solid Three-Act structure.” – the introduction/setup, the confrontation, and the climax/resolution.
<em>So how can we apply the rule to a speech outline</em>?
1. Introduction, Body, and Conclusionnow you might say – this is, of course, obvious! Sure, it is the most common outline people use. However people often omit the introduction – jumping into the content - making the audience wonder “How did we get here”? Sometimes, the speaker runs out of time, and omits the conclusion
2. Past, Present, Future
3. Complication, Resolution, Example
4. Three stories
5. Pros, Cons, Recommendation
</span>
<span><span><em><span style="color: #333399;">How to add humor with the rule of Three
</span></em>How to add humor? Add a twist to the third element. E.g. “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics” - Benjamin Disraeli>> the “statistics” is the twist
A funny line is sometimes said to be like a train wreck. You know where the train (your train of thought) has been, you think you know where it's going, but then you're surprised when it goes off track. The surprise or twist helps build the tension to create and magnify the humor.
How do you get to my place? Go down to the corner, turn left, and get lost
Many popular jokes are based on three characters – e.g. the Englishman, the Irishman, and the Scot – all in the same situation. The first two react normally; the third does something which is not pragmatic.
I heard this once on an answering machine – “Sorry I can’t personally answer the phone. I’m either motivating thousands of people, appearing on the Oprah show, or…taking a nap”
Some patterns you could use to create humor are:
· Expected Trait/Expected Trait/Unexpected Trait (She was pretty, she was shapely, she was a man).
· Ordinary/ordinary/ridiculous – I go to Las Vegas to see the shows, eat at the buffets, and spend my money
· Rhyme/rhyme/rhyme – Three things that describe ‘xyz’ – Nifty, thrifty, Fifty
Here’s one more example: Ellen always takes 3 hours and 3 seconds to get ready: one hour to put on her make up, two hours to choose an outfit and 3 seconds to make up an excuse for being late.
Humor results from the mismatch between expectation and reality. When you follow the rule of three, set a pattern with the first two elements. This also sets the expectation for the third element, and heightens the tension. However, break that expectation when you actually reveal the third element.
Remember, the last element is the key which will determine whether you are humorous, memorable, or forgettable.
As John Richardson said, “</span></span><a href="http://thinkexist.com/quotation/when_it_comes_to_the_future-there_are_three_kinds/13868.html"><span>When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened.</span></a><span>”
</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34774003.post-74156632927969413502010-09-22T01:25:00.000-07:002021-06-08T05:15:30.413-07:00Plugged into Toastmasters<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>Its been almost a year since I started attending Toastmasters...should've posted about it loooong back....but....better late than never!</span>
<span>Tis been a great learning experience so far - have delivered 5 prepared speeches, and been through various roles - Toastmaster, TT Master, Ah counter, Word master, TT evaluator, etc. TT Master is my favourite role!</span>
<span>I'd recommend folks to join Toastmasters - it not only enriches your communication skills; but you also learn a lot by listening to other speakers. And of course, you get to play a variety of other roles!</span>
<span></span>
<span>My next posts will contain the text of my prepared speeches.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34774003.post-11286463378642601422006-12-12T02:06:00.000-08:002021-06-08T05:16:03.402-07:00Advantage US?<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>My friend, who had plans to leave her job and settle in the US with her husband, recently came to me with a dilemna. To go through a consultancy firm on H1, or through her husband's organization on L1. That made me wonder - what prompts her to live abroad in the first place? </span>
<span>
<span>There was a time - about 6 years ago - when I was in her position. Recently married, my husband and I had been fervently attending interviews with consultants and also with firms based in India for onsite openings. Our motivation was the lure of the US - the luxuries it had to offer, the lifestyle, and the dollars. However, each time we got an offer, we would end up comparing the compensation with our Indian salary, and remain dissatisfied with the lure of the dollar amounts. Soon, we decided to stop the hunt.</span></span><span>
</span><span>
<span>Now, looking back, I think we made the right decision. For, here I am, with a daughter who goes to one of the best schools in the city, in-laws to support us, our own house, a comfortable mid-size sedan for a car, weekend outings to the theatre, and, most important, good jobs. Could we have had such a lifestyle had we decided to work in the US?
First of all, I would not have been able to continue my job after the birth of our daughter. (Am not keen on the daycare centres). Secondly, with only 1 person in the family earning, our savings might not have been as much. So where does the question of a house and a luxury car arise?
There was a time when it was lucrative to work abroad. India was developing, and comparatively, life in the US offered a lot of luxury. But things have changed now and are much simpler - we can do a lot of things sitting at home - pay our telephone bills, electricity bills, book movie tickets, order groceries through the phone, keep in touch with our loved ones via cellphones, employ maids/cooks to help out with the household work, etc.In addition to these, living in India has one advantage that the US can not offer - the support of the family and relatives. They are within reaching distance during times of need. Whereas if you are in the US, who can you look to for such support?
All said and done, there is nothing like living in your homeland - <em>no place in the universe can give you the pride and belonging that your motherland has to offer</em>!
</span></span></span>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34774003.post-1158805476279687192006-09-20T19:17:00.000-07:002021-06-08T05:16:25.051-07:00My first blog!<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">For quite sometime now, I've been thinking of some outlet to pen my thoughts. Read about the Blogger's Unconference - that spurred me on to blogging. Now the question was - how do I create a blog, and where?
My brother suggested blogger, <em>so here goes</em>!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0