Business School Perspectives

Presentations now available

2006-05-02T16:35:00.000-07:00

Presentations from the Solutions 2006 breakout sessions are now available. Find out more about the latest BI tools, technology, and more.

The Hot Tub… Kenny the Dorm Guy & SQR

2006-04-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

I thought I had seen it all… thirteen years in higher education… three years as a Resident Assistant…two summers as a Dorm Director… every conceivable cooking device on the planet… and then I was introduced to Kenny the Dorm Guy… I stand in awe.

Like most, when I was in college my roommate Rocky and I had our own stash of appliances… cause guys got to eat… right? Besides how was Rocky “the mooch” going to heat my Chunky Soup? Yep, twenty-five years later and I’m all over him for stealing my grub.

Anyway… I thought I had seen it all… until Kenny the Dorm Guy. Seems at his school… the name of which only session attendees know… not only do they have to deal with idiots like Rocky who dream of being the next Iron Chef America by using a yard sale coffee pot to make bouillabaisse… but now they got to deal with Emeril….BAM!... kick it up a notch…

Microwave… nothing but a chicken wing

Cappuccino maker…. foam in the wind.

Try an honest to goodness… power pump chugging… fully heated… 4 person hot tub! That’s right. During an inspection Kenny found a hot tub. But, to give credit where credits due they did have it covered in newspapers and such… undergraduate camouflage. It appears that on the list of forbidden items hot tubs are not mentioned… although I do understand the school is claiming it comes under the ‘other’ category.

What’s this got to do with the conference… it’s one of the benefits of attending user sessions… where you don’t get a slick pitches… you get life in the trenches… or in this case the dormitory.

However this is not the end of story…

It seems his school has an extremely busy staff of inspectors.... repair people… and a very challenge and time consuming task… making sure that dorm rooms are up to snuff for fire codes and readied for the next occupants. Well… challenging and time consuming until a grassroots use of their Hyperion application yielded a series of SQR forms for their inspectors to use during their rounds. Add tablet PC technology… and hat use to be a multi-week process has been reduced to a few days.

Now… while some may ‘rain on this parade’ and ask why not use another tool… I applaude them. Their story is one of genius… taking disparate systems… existing software… and tying it all together… on their own. The only cost to the school was the salary of the programmer… who was already doing a full time gig in maintenance.

Here’s my point… what Kenny and his group did was not rocket science… it was better it was financial brilliance. And believe me… all of us could take a cue from them. How many time consuming… labor intensive… projects currently exist on our campus that could be automated using existing software?

I’m betting Hyperion would be happy to brainstorm with you about them… they’re that kind of company. You see by assisting you in greater utilization of your products everyone wins.

You automate processes… reduce labor… lower costs… maybe even do a presentation at a conference next year and they get a happier customer and Karma… ask Earl about Karma.

Think about it… what hurts now… what’s clunky… what’s a constant source of conversation at meetings? Don’t know… ask your executive leadership team… they know.

Trust me on this one. When you find them… write ‘em up… give Hyperion a call… then bust a move all over it.

In the meantime… if you can top Kenny and the hot tub let me know… I am sure everyone would like to hear your story.

Running It Like a Business

2006-04-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

A funny thing happened on the way home tonight… a university administrator… whom I’ll call Brock… wailed on me during the tram ride from Mandalay Bay to the Luxor… telling me that schools had better wake up and smell the future… more specifically the future of reduced funding… greater accountability for finding their own resources… and the need to run their business better.

It seems Brock had read my blog… recognized my picture… and felt obliged to enlighten me. Simply put… in a word… or three… he said it is time for his fellow leaders to get busy managing their schools better… before all that is left to manage is a graceful death. Maybe a bit of an exaggeration.. but definitely food for thought.

It seems that his organization… a medium size state funded school… is in the midst of a major administrative reorganization… not so much dumping the old guard for political reasons, but rather looking to find new blood… with different ideas… approaches.. talents. Specifically… no longer are they looking for ‘state’ focused leaders… that’s old school… they’re looking for ‘business’ focused leadership.

At his school and other schools in his system… its goodbye state support and hello self sufficiency. Okay… not 100% self sufficiency… but a definite change in attitude…from relying solely on the state for everything to relying on themselves to run their organization better… more efficient… more like a business. In turn he believes they will find more ways to save money… create opportunities… and be stronger and more independent than they are today.

To do this… his school… along with others in the system… are making the business case to integrate a variety of BPM applications into their school… including budgeting and planning… which will be aligned with their current enterprise applications. This will allow them to take a business focused approach to managing their resources.

In his area… Brock believes that by taking all of their student data… slicing and dicing it… they can make better decisions about student campaigns… student services… and a host of other things he hasn’t even thought about yet. Additionally, they can leverage the power of the software... tie together other parts of the school... which are disconnect… which is what BPM is all about(connecting the disparate dots).

Truth is… a lot of us may be a few years away from doing this stuff at our schools… in the interim this would be a great time to start thinking about it. You may think that you can’t afford it on your own… Brock agrees… consider asking another school in your system… join an educational consortium… approach Hyperion for assistance. I am sure they have lots of ideas to help you… but… unless you ask… you will never know.

Truth is… the future is what you decide it is… today... state focused or business focused… it’s your call.

I agree with Brock… the business of the business is oftentimes left to its own devices… not a great management strategy.

In leveraging this technology you have the opportunity to reinvent yourself... to make your organization a leaner… meaner… more cost effective tiger… which is not only a good idea… it would be a nice gift to give to your taxpayers and alum… who support your school.

Just a thought… a bit of a prayer… and some advice from Brock.

So Many Sessions… So Little Time

2006-04-25T11:51:00.000-07:00

Okay… reality has set in for me. There are so many sessions and only one of me… albeit I am a big guy… which makes attending them all a challenge. My question is how does a guy get to the 20 sessions he has marked on his agenda in the short time allotted?

Maybe I can ask Hyperion to extend the conference a few days for me?

Truth is… with so many good tracks and information it is impossible to visit all of them. Therefore, I am trying to get a flavor out from a number of them… at the detriment of others.

For sure I am going to the session on becoming a Certified Hyperion Professional… no brainer for an educator.

No, I am not trying to get my students or myself certified... it is more about understanding the career path of a BI professional. What kinds of certifications are valued… what classes would someone take… what skills are in demand in the field. Of course, like any good educator I will use this to balance against what I am teaching, what our curriculum looks like, and where I will focus my attentions in the future.

No.. I am not pandering to industry… I am trying to build a roadmap for my classes… students… school. It is my observation that as an IT professor I need to stay in touch with the business world and make sure I am covering the appropriate tools and topics in class.

To me, it would be a travesty to teach my learners legacy technology when they want to work for companies using the latest tools. Not to say that legacy is a bad thing… it is not… instead I look at legacy as a great foundation and then I build a technology bridge to the next generation of tools.

An old friend of mine said it was a lot like skating toward the puck… to use a sports analogy. This is very true… how do we assure our course offerings are fresh, appropriate, and helping our students skate toward the puck? The answer is here… no, not Las Vegas… but Hyperion and others.

And no... I not advocating selling our souls to them… which is what I hear all the time… besides they do not want us to do that… I am advocating taking adavantage of their offering to let us get involved.

My position is for us to learn from them… take what we learn and turn it into something class appropriate… and build that technology bridge for our learners. A dear friend of mine… Tom Farrell... did a magnificent job of this with a software company. He took their materials and spent his own time creating testing materials, projects, and all the other goodies one needs in the classroom.

I tip my hat to Tom and implore others in our business to step up to the plate and do the same. Do not wait on companies… like Hyperion… to deliver it on a silver platter. Take the lead… take the reins… tell them what you want to do and watch what happens. Remember… we are the teaching professionals… they need us. All we have to do is step up to the plate.

So… while you are thinking about getting involved like Tom, myself and a group of others have done...I have got to attend a session or two.

Paradise by the Dashborad Light...

2006-04-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

Last night... while enjoying a cold beverage and a handful of chips with attendees at the conference something special happened… I found Paradise by the Dashboard Light… any association to my dear friend Meatloaf is purely coincidental.

I was doing my usual college professor thing... chatting up two auto manufacturing resources... trying to learn more about their jobs... skill sets... trends in technology... when my new found hero started ranting about a presentation he had attended… in the midst of which I heard… star schema… normalization… I nearly dropped my bottle… I chocked up…my eyes teared… a lump came to my throat… I just heard two of the most beautiful words ever uttered to me in the course of a conversation.

Let me explain...

I was in the midst of a geek… not a geek who wore jeans… a holey t-shirt… had lost his razor… believed in a bathing optional lifestyle. No… this was a big paycheck… imported beer… dressed like a winner… making a multi-billion dollar company’s data rock solid as a Hummer… he could marry my daughter… Alpha Geek.

Why is this so over the top cool to me?

Because... as an IT professor this is the rock star I have been trying to find for years. You may not know this, but one of the challenges in Computer Science (CS) and IT in general is this perception by other colleges… faculty… students… and industry… of the CS - IT geek… void of personality… Mountain Dew junkie… can’t get a date... third day in my Green Day t-shirt… soap anyone… brainiac nerd.

Now... here I was in the midst of an Armani geek… the antithesis of this stereotype. To be truthful… if it weren’t illegal, immoral, and just a bad idea I might have snatched him… put a bow around his neck… and carted him back to my school for an extended visit with my CS and IT groups.

I think he could teach my students a lot about the IT... how it works in industry… their role… expectations… you know... life in that mystical land so few of us (in my buiness) ever visit.

I know that some of my colleagues are going to disagree with my thoughts and generalizations. Some will think this is several hundred words wasted… silly… negative… Some may even be offended… but this is academia… a bastion of ideas… a citadel of learning… a fortress of exchange. We can handle it...

As for me… my learners back at DSU... last night I found paradise by the Dashboard Light and my quest to inculcate you into the business world will continue... with new found vigor. And to my rock star… Alpha Geek… if you ever want to share your world with my students… the door is open… give me a call.

Please Sir... May I Have Another?

2006-04-24T16:50:00.000-07:00

It is straight out of a movie… Oliver to be exact.

I have just witnessed 50 minutes of Hyperion System 9 tech-talk that simultaneously amazed me… embarrassed me… excited me… caused me to scratch my head.

Black ink fills my pages… notes scribbled from a slide.

Lines are drawn between ideas… in an effort to create a map of understanding.

New words are buzzing in my head… words like Workspace… BI+… Apps +… Service Oriented Architecture… words that are the essence of this new technology. Words I do not fully understand, but am grasping to place into context and provide meaning.

The question phase is over… once again stump the IT guru has proven futile. All questions have been answered… all learners are content. The IT world is in harmony… the power of 64 bit architecture dances in our heads… Master Data Management is calling all.

The all knowing professor is left standing at the lectern… peering over his glasses… PowerPoint blazing… microphone muted… hands applauding his wisdom.

Then it happenes… young people… old people… men… women… all line up to have a private word with the teacher. Maybe a bit of wisdom… a crumb of insight… a morsel of understanding will pass their way from him. And slowly… ever so slowly… the wise one… never leaving his lectern… dispenses knowledge on all who have the courage to approach him with their questions… no matter how trivial.

And all I can do is stare in wonderment at what I was witnessing. These learners… attendees… professionals are thirsting for knowledge… for understanding… for truth.

No question is too silly to ask…

No one is left behind…

I on the other hand sit quietly… wondering if I could even phrase a question that would make sense of all I had just heard. In the end I do not approach the teacher… instead I tighten up my notes and begin the task of professors and professionals all over the world… educating myself on the new technologies that I know I must share with my learners… not tomorrow… but very soon… very, very soon.

Gang… we have a lot of work to do in this area… but I know we are up to the task… we always have been and always will be… we are professionals… we are professors. I know that Hyperion is behind us and will support us, but it is up to us to make it work in out classrooms.

Looks like we need some early adopters... any volunteers?

BPM... Try It... You'll Like It

2006-04-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

As day one of Solutions 2006 gets underway I am betting… this is Las Vegas… that some of my colleagues are asking the following … why am I doing this blog on BPM in higher education?

The simple answer is that BPM is not the latest craze… flash in the pan… passing fad event… like the Pet Rock or Disco… it is a solid business necessity… imperative… requirement… It is the way companies organize, monitor, and optimize their operations.

Let me explain further…

It’s all about my truck…

More precisely… it’s all about my truck’s gauges…

Recently, I drove from South Dakota to Seattle in my old truck… in South Dakota they’re all old. After a once over off we went… through miles of rain, snow, bugs, and bad food. To be exact is was some 50 hours and 1700 miles of driving fun.

During the journey I kept a close eye on the gauges… temperature… oil pressure… gas… other essential service items. No idiot lights on my ride… only gauges will do. I live and die by them.

Like a well executed plan my old truck, it gauges and family arrived in Seattle… exactly as planned.

Now… tying it back to why BPM in the classroom?

As eduators what do we tell our learners is best practices for monitor company finances… cash inflows… sales?

Reports… spreadsheets… other format?

How do we address the issue of real time data access when this methodology relies on data that may range in age from a fairly short time to more than a month in some cases… depending on the reporting systems.

How do we address data drive decision making…

Here is where BPM enters the classroom. Much like the gauges on my old truck BPM is a great way to introduce these concepts to your learners. It is a great springboard for talking about data management… decision making… dashboards… and a host of other timely topics we all need to be covering in the business and IT classroom.

Okay... sounds interesting... but how?

Funny you should ask... Hyperion is committed to helping higher education bring this into the classroom… no strings attached. All we have to do is ask - more on that in a future post.

So… why introduce BPM in the classroom?

Answer: it is a business imperative… it helps companies organize their data… make better decisions… and just run themselves better. It is the world our students will soon be joining... and as we are charged with building the next generation of knowledge worker and business leader it only makes sense that we provide our learners with the tools they will need to compete and excel in their chosen fields.

Good Question...

2006-04-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

Someone asked me last night… so baldy… what are you going to write about in your blog… good question.

My son John asks me the same type of question all the time… what are we having for supper… which to an 11 year basketball player is a really important question.

The answer to both of these questions… I am not 100% sure… for me writing and cooking are a funky combination of right and left brain fun... a little bit science… a little bit magic… tied together by a little bit random synapses firings.

Truth is… many times I go to the local grocery store and pick up things for dinner… just like everyone else on the planet.

Difference is… by the time I drive the ten miles home… hug my family… listen to my son’s day at school… and drink my medically prescribed two beers… dinner in the bag oftentimes becomes stuff on the shelves… which explains the massive collection of foodstuff in the backroom of our home.

Same holds true with writing… somewhere between the idea… and my arriving at the keyboard… my brain whirls… synapses join… electricity flows… I think about life… and like magic… words begin to appear on the screen.

Sure, I will have verbs… adjectives… and some conjunctions… science and editors demand it… but, the heart… the music… the soul of cannot be found in a nice little box… complete with yellow ribbon and bow… it is found in my love for students… education… their lives… which is hard to quantify in to anyone.

So… what am I going to write about… technology… business… software… my son’s basketball game… my love for education… life... everything?

Yes…

In the end… if you can hang with me through the random firings I hope to bring you some really important stuff about how higher education… your classroom… your students… you and your school will benefit from considering ways to include this technology… business… software stuff in your school.

Trust me… I may be a little bit funky in my firings… my writing… my approach… but I have the best interest of your students in my heart and will only write about stuff that I believe will help their futures.

Hope this answered the question…

Bienvenidos, Willkommen, Bienvenue... In Any Lnguage... Welcome

2006-04-23T22:32:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, the big night is finally here... the brass is polished... badges are hanging around necks… the bars are stocked... the tuna has been seared and platted… and Solutions 2006 is officially underway!

Now… let me step back a few minutes to just beforehand as I was mingling with customers, partners, and Hyperion employees before the doors opened. As I was standing there I was struck with the wonderful melody of languages around me... German... French... Spanish... proper English...

The most notable thing about their conversations wasn't that they were speaking in their native tongue instead it was the excitement that radiated from the conversations... from all of us as we heard the approach of a marching band which would start the night’s festivities. It stuck me that in any language a global event such as this one shares a common thread... the desire to learn and share what we know.

As the doors swung open and the Mardi Gras type event proceeded inside I stood and watched the wide eyed attendees pass by me... everyone was excited that like Christmas this event was finally here.

It was quite inspiring.

What was even more inspiring was reading their company names... big names... huge names... names I want to get to know better. Not for me... I have too many jobs now, but rather for my students... who are looking for their first job.

Imagine my surprise when I started chatting with a company manager about higher education, teaching BI, and my school when he stopped me and told me he wanted to find out more about who is teaching BI in the classroom because he was training his own people. It was like the heavens opened and opportunity smiled on my little bald head. I have his card... if anyone is interested in helping him out.

Let me describe tonight to all teachers, administrators, placement officers and dean around the world... in any language... and there are plenty here… this is the Holy Land of opportunity. How you leverage that is up to you, but know that on a first pass the waters are warm and inviting... all that is lacking is us... you... your students... your willingness to expand your horizons.

So… from me to you… in any language you like… welcome to the party.

Countdown to Solutions 2006 Continues

2006-04-22T20:29:00.000-07:00

The hours to Solution 2006 continue to zero as I make my way to the show. Of all the bad luck I could not find a KOA on the back roads to the Grand Canyon. So... no midday update.

Now... for a bit of preconference business. Specifically, I have been thinking about where I am going to take this blog over the next few days. I want to keep it light... informative... and useful to those of you who did not make it to the meeting. It is a big task, but I am 265 pounds of technology conduit.

If you do not know, the purpose of my existence at this conference is to provide my colleagues, students, and others totally awesome insights into the study and applicability of BI to higher education.

How that translates to this blog is my secret. But, trust me... I have a plan and it is going to be great! Okay... I have an outline... a charged battery... and a nose for finding information.

I may not solve the challene of the Kobayashi Maru...

I may not make brussel sprouts eatable...

But... I promise to provide you with a plethora of useful information and will make your time spent with me and my blog well worth the investment.

Talk to you tomorrow... as we open this event.

For now... safe travels.

The Countdown to Solutions 2006 Has Begun

2006-04-21T23:55:00.000-07:00

Greetings all from Phoenix... Phoenix, Arizona... just in case you did not know where Phoenix sits geographically.

Okay, I realize this is not Las Vegas, but then again I have about 36 hours to burn until Solutions 2006 begins.

In the ensuing hours... my excellent technology adventure begins right here... in warm, sunny, wonderful Phoenix.

Why here... not there?

One word Huevos Rancheros... okay two words, but still the best eggs money can buy.

Also... NASCAR... can we all say Jimmy! No, I am not going to the race, but just being in the same town with the great one is something special.

For reference... over the next 36 hours I will be updating the blog from the road... as I find free Internet access at KOA campgrounds along the route.

Please don't tell KOA as I do not have a budget for them. Maybe just the mention of their name will offset the lost revenue from my piggybacking on the connectivity.

For now... it is late and I need to finish my technology game plan for the conference.

I will lay that out for you a bit later... but trust me... it's going to be great! That goes out to an acquaintance of mine Dr. Rick Christoph, who was right it is going to be great!

Night for now and talk to you soon.

~ john