Inside Small Business | Small Business & Home Business Marketing
Archive for 2007
Defining Requirements
David Grenda, Founder, Grenda Computer Consulting
Last time, we began the discussion of acquiring technology and how approaching the process from the right angle at the very beginning can make or break the entire process. In this installment, I’ll describe the process of defining your requirements the proper way.
The key component to the definition of your requirements involves defining the problem to be solved solely from a business perspective. Remember the philosophy that computers and technology are tools with which to solve business problems. They are not the solution in themselves.
So using our printer example from the previous installment, instead of saying “Our business needs a printer” you would say “We have a specific set of printing tasks to accomplish”. You would then list the various kinds of printing tasks you need. After the tasks are listed, you prioritize them. Beginning your printer search with a list or prioritized requirements will help you narrow down your field and avoid becoming distracted by features you don’t really need.
I recently had a client with a warehouse full of materials. The bags of material were spread out across the warehouse in different locations so that a quantity of one material might be filled from 5 or 6 locations. Instead of thinking “inventory” system when we discussed the software I was to develop, we listed the requirements and thought more of “location management”. They needed to know where things were and not just how many pounds.
The main rule to remember is always view the process from the business problem perspective and not the technology solution. The printer example we used is a simple one, but you can see how a complex software system would benefit from the same approach.
In the next installment, I’ll discuss what to do with your requirements when it’s time to implement the solution.
My Decision to Start My Own Business
Marcelo Cazado, New Entrepreneur
It was January, 2007. I worked for one of the most successful Coca-Cola bottlers in Brazil as an Innovation and Six Sigma senior manager. And I really enjoyed working there, partnering with my team – formed by enthusiastic and committed guys.
It is worth mentioning that contrary to the most entrepreneurs, I never had the itch to start my own business.
But unexpectedly changes started in the company, people were moved from one place to another, new departments were created, other were extinguished and later on, recreated.
As a consequence, a thing turned out to be clear for me, something much more important than the changes that the company was going through: I was not setting the rules, I was not the one behind the wheel and my career was being driven by a group of c-level executives. This was a bit scaring for me, and when I realized that, I knew some big movement would come up as a reaction.
I thought that it is better to risk and to be fully responsible for my decisions in life than try to blame someone else if things do not happen as expected.
Well, if I wanted that level of independence the sooner I started; the sooner things would work properly. So I decided to quit and to start my own business. That is where I am right now, in the very beginning of a new journey.
You dear reader may be asking to you: and what is special about that? The special thing is not about the business itself, or even the product or service this new company will supply to the market. In fact, for me it is the business purpose and the values we are adopting. I understand that values – above all – need to be inspiring and therefore simple. They reflect who we are, how we face life and where we increasingly intend to be. Our core values are five: integrity, discipline, humility, curiosity and humor. We think that a strong determination to pursue these virtues will ultimately take us to excellence. Remember Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
My name is Marcelo Cazado and I am a brand new entrepreneur. My business is a management consultancy company called Andoha. I worked for 3 years at a Coca-Cola bottler in Brazil where I was awarded twice at The Coca-Cola Company Six Sigma Global Expo. Previously, I worked as a business consultant at Accenture for 5 years and at Promon for 5 years as well.
Born in Rio de Janeiro on March 4, 1972, I received a B.A. degree in Economics studies from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in 1994 and a received a MBA in Finance in 1999. In 2002 I received a Master of Arts degree in Development Economics at Sussex University (UK).
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