tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9615065701458390582024-03-13T23:44:25.279-07:00Therefore STSTherefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-46450650387624834812023-10-15T01:10:00.013-07:002023-10-21T22:32:44.591-07:00Therefore BPMS Version 7 Changes / Release Notes<p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Therefore Business Process Management Suite (BPMS) is a product that has been under continuous refinement for the past 17 years. Every week, we make between 10 and 20 small refinements to the BPMS, which amounts to about 780 refinements in a year. That’s a lot of refinements! In fact, we’ve made approximately 13,260 refinements to the Therefore BPMS since it was first taken to the market back in 2006.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you’re interested in learning more about the value that we have added to the Therefore BPMS in Version 7, you can check out the release notes for Version 7 by clicking <a href="http://www.therefore.co.za/Resources/Release_Notes_7.pdf" target="_blank">here</a> or by viewing the imbedded PDF provided below. The Version 7 release notes provide a detailed overview of all the new features and improvements that have been added to the BPMS since we put Version 6 out back in March 2021.</span></span></p>
<iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/12piOqKumwRhLNQvXq7e_PjhCeQP2TmYn/preview?" width="100%" height="600"></iframe>Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-73366169300089462822021-03-07T23:49:00.003-08:002023-10-21T22:31:07.635-07:00Therefore BPMS Version 6 Changes / Release Notes<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Every week we make between 10 and 20 small refinements to the Therefore BPM Suite. In a year that amounts to about 780 refinements. The Therefore BPMS has been under continual refinement for the last 15 years, which translates into some 11 700 refinements. What would you expect if you refined something 11 700 times?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">What follows is an overview of the core enhancements made during the course of the development of the 6th release of the Therefore BPMS application, which should give you an idea of the type of value that we are continually adding to the Therefore BPMS.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Activate Optional Features Screen</span></span></h1><h2><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Introduce new “Availability Configuration” options in support of the new “Availability Management” functionality, as detailed under the Availability Management heading below.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise page headers</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise instruction text</span></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Availability Management</span></span></h1><h2><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Introduce new “Enable sign in availability review for Out of Office Users” functionality with the following radio options as per the Activate Optional Features screen …</span></span></li></ul><ol style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Enforce “In Office” status on sign in … or …</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Provide the user with a screen that encourages availability status to be changed to “In Office”</span></span></li></ol></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Public Pages</span></span></h1><h2><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise styling of Navigation buttons to indicate active button.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise styling of Action buttons to indicate default / suggested choice.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ensure that the “enter” key triggers the default / suggested Action button.</span></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Task Summary</span></span></h1><h2><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Should the “General click activation / Review” option be active, disable the “General click activation / Review” for the currently active task / query.</span></span></li></ul><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Help Tab</span></span></h1><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise “Site Credits” button text</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise “Site Credits” page header.</span></span></li></ul><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">System Administration Scripts</span></span></h1><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Introduce a new script that archives orphaned attachments.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Introduce a new script that deletes tasks and queries that were closed more than 8 years ago.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise instruction text.</span></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Manage Reporting Screen</span></span></h1><h2><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Correct an error that occurs when the “Manage Reporting” screen is saved that results in all spaces being removed in the “Headings” field.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li></ul><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Quick Search</span></span></h1><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Make the “Welcome to Search” instructions displayed under the “Quick Search Results” option collapsible.</span></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Reassign Utility</span></span></h1><h2><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Resolve the error that occurred if an “Out of Office” User utilised the “Reassign” utility which, under certain circumstances, resulted in the task / query erroneously running into a yellow error status.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Implement Therefore ThreadBuilder™ configurable “Always allow for Self-Assigning” functionality that allows selected Users to always have “Self-Assigning” rights should they have access to the task / query company under question.</span></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Therefore ThreadBuilder™</span></span></h1><h2><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Introduce an “Always allow for Self-Assigning” configurative dropdown which contains a listing of active User Groups to a “Thread Type” level “Reassign” tab.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Various narration placement refinements.</span></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">User Groups</span></span></h1><h2><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Introduce an “Always allow for Self-Assigning” Confirm Action message / check on the “User Groups” screen.</span></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Task / Query Close Screen</span></span></h1><h2><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Correct the erroneous task error status that is awarded to a task / query should an “Out of Office” User attempt to close a task / query that is allocated to him / her.</span></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Performance Screen</span></span></h1><h2><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Implement various styling refinements to the light blue style sheet to improve the attractiveness / readability of the Dashboard’s “Performance” option.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise headings so as to replace the phrase “Thread Type” with the phrase “Task Type”.</span></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Updating Spinner</span></span></h1><h2><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Implement various styling refinements to the common style sheet to improve the attractiveness of the “Updating Spinner”.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Correct the error that results in the “Updating Spinner” shutting off prematurely, particularly noticeable on “large load” pages.</span></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thread Check</span></span></h1><h2><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise the “No available buttons error” Thread Check so that stranded Entry Types are excluded from the Thread Check error determination logic.</span></span></li></ul><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Timeout Error</span></span></h1><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Resolve the error that occasionally occurs on some instances of the software when the session times out.</span></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Style Sheets</span></span></h1><h2><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Remove legacy style sheets that are no longer used …</span></span></li></ul><ol style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Alternate</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wide_19</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Large</span></span></li></ol><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Various style sheet revisions to improve end user experience</span></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Report Viewer</span></span></h1><h2><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Various text changes made to the “Report Usage” section of the “Report Viewer”.</span></span></li></ul><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Database Management</span></span></h1><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Implement database changes to accommodate for the implementation of the “Always allow for Self-Assigning” refinement made to the “Reassign” utility (Script 143)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Implement a stored procedure to accommodate the new “delete tasks and queries closed more than 8 years ago” System Administration Script (Script 144)</span></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Copyright Management</span></span></h1><h2><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Update Email Templates such that they indicate © 2021.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Update the Therefore ThreadBuilder™ application such that it indicates © 2021.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Update the Report Viewer such that it indicates © 2021.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Update the Web application such that it indicates © 2021 in the following contexts …</span></span></li></ul><ol style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Unauthenticated / public screens</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Authenticated screens</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Print and PDF screens</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Report Viewer screen</span></span></li></ol><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Update the following style sheets so as to indicate © 2021 …</span></span></li></ul><ol style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Public Style Sheet</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Light Blue Style Sheet</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Common Style Sheet</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Print Style Sheet</span></span></li></ol></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Version Management</span></span></h1><h2><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Update Web version number to 6.x.x.x.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Update Therefore ThreadBuilder™ version number to 6.x.x.x.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Update Service version number to 6.x.x.x.</span></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><u>Release Information</u><br /></b><i>Compile date</i>: 3/2/2021<br /><i>Code version</i>: 6.0.7731.27319<br /><i>Database version</i>: 20210228.144</span><br /></span></span></div>Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-40833175714904465502020-11-05T04:43:00.010-08:002023-10-21T22:30:00.951-07:00Therefore BPMS Version 5 Changes / Release Notes<div style="text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span>Every
week we make between 10 and 20 small refinements to the Therefore BPM
Suite. In a year that amounts to about 780 refinements. The Therefore
BPMS has been under continual refinement for the last 14 years, which
translates into some 10,920 refinements. What would you expect if you
refined something 10,920 times?</span></span><br />
<br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span>What
follows is an overview of the core enhancements made during the course
of the development of the 5th release of the Therefore BPMS application,
which should give you an idea of the type of value that we are
continually adding to the Therefore BPMS.</span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><b> </b></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;"><span><b><!--[if !mso]>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
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<![endif]--></b></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a name="_Toc54608578"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Reminders
Interface</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></b></span></span></p><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>
</b></span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Fix the <b>Reminders</b> tab left hand side
summary display listing error that presents itself should the <b>Limit
Reminders displayed by menu option selected</b> option have been selected on
the <b>Review and Utility Screen Options</b> screen.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608579"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Comments
Interface</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Fix the <b>Comments</b> tab left hand side
summary display listing error that presents itself should the <b>Limit Comments
displayed by menu option selected</b> option have been selected on the <b>Review
and Utility Screen Options</b> screen.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608580"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Task
/ Query Review Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Resolve Utilities display sequence inconsistency
with respect to the display of the following Utilities by standardising on an
oldest to newest sequence …</span></span></li></ul><ol style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Notes</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ad-Hoc email</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ad-Hoc SMS</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Progress Status Updates </span></span></li></ol></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Introduce configurative options that allow for
the display of the following data elements via the Task / Query Review screen
when their Therefore ThreadBuilder™ visibility is set to “<b>Hide</b>” …</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></div><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Classification </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Priority </span></span></li></ol></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Introduce configurative options that allow for
the display of the following data elements via the Task / Query Review screen
when their Therefore ThreadBuilder™ visibility is set to “<b>View</b>” …</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></div><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Long Description</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Priority </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Date / Time</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Classification </span></span></li></ol></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the Task / Query Review screen’s styling
for the following fields should they be set to <b>“display” via the</b> “<b>Review
and Utility Screen Options”</b> screen and be set to <b>“View” or “Hide” via
the Therefore ThreadBuilder™</b> so as to indicate that the User wasn’t in a
position to edit their contents …</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ol style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Long Description</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Priority </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Date / Time</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Classification</span></span></li></ol><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608581"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Review
and Utility Screen Options Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Add options for the fields detailed below that
enable them to be displayed on the <b>Task / Query Review</b> screen when they
have been set to “hide” or “view” via the Therefore ThreadBuilder™, as per the
new functionality outlined under the <b>Task / Query Review Screen</b> heading.</span></span></li></ul><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Therefore ThreadBuilder™ “<b>View</b>” display
options …</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></div><ol style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Long
Description</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Priority
</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Date
/ Time</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Classification
</span></span></li></ol><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Therefore ThreadBuilder™ “<b>Hide</b>” display
options …</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></div><ol style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Classification
</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Priority
</span></span></li></ol><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Add the following attachment player / previewer enable
/ disable options …</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><ol style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Audio
player</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Video
player</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Image
previewer</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span></span></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>PDF
previewer</span></span></li></ol><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Update instructions text.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608582"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Attachment
Players / Previewers</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Implement the following players / previewers for deployment
throughout the system where attachments are displayed for access …</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Audio player</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Video player<span> </span></span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Image previewer<span> </span></span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>PDF previewer</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608583"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Activate
Optional Features Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Add <b>Display Availability Status</b> option to
the <b>Contact List Configuration</b> section of the Activate Optional Features
screen.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Make various narration text refinements.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Update instructions text. </span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608584"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Contact
List</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the logic that drives the display of <b>Availability</b>
on the <b>Contact List</b> such that display / non-display is solely determined
by the new <b>Display Availability Status</b> option introduced on the <b>Activate
Optional Features</b> screen.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the manner in which the Contact List’s
post search User Listing behaves after a user has been selected so that the
User Listing remains static / compliant to the search performed until the
search is cleared.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Add placeholder text to the search text box.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608585"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Thread
Check</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the <b>No Available Buttons Error</b>
Thread Check message.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the <b>Terminating Button on Starting
Entry Type Error</b> Thread Check message.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Ensure that a “no buttons” Thread Check is
triggered if there are no buttons allocated to the create step.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608586"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Resource
File Management</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Various Resource File tidy ups.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608587"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Notification
Functionality</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Add new search / replace variables …</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></div><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Thread Type Name</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Thread Type ID</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Creation Date</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Creation Time</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Goal Date</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Goal Time</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now Date</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now Time</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Percentage of time used</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Status colour</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Department Head</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Task Company Web address</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Task
Company Internal coordinator</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Task Company External coordinator</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Primary Company Web address</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Primary Company Internal coordinator</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Primary Company External coordinator </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Primary Company External Reference 1</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Primary Company External Reference 2</span></span></li></ol></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Add new email routing variables ...</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ol style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>User Group</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Department Head</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Task Company Internal Coordinator</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Task Company External Coordinator</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Task Company External Reference 1</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Task Company External Reference 2</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Primary Company External Reference 1</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Primary Company External Reference 2</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Department External Reference 1</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Department External Reference 2</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Major External Reference 1</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Major External Reference 2</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Minor
External Reference 1</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Minor External Reference 2</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thread Type External Reference 1</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thread Type External Reference 2</span></span></li></ol><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Ensure that all User specific email routing
variables don’t return an email address if the underlying User has been
disabled.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Update Notifications definitions document
(Version 17).</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608588"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Therefore
ThreadBuilder™</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the tab sequence on the following
Therefore ThreadBuilder™ tabs …</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Thread Type Level tabs …</span></span></p><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></div><ol style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Details</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Proxy</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Company</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Contract</span></span></li></ol><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></div><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72pt; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Entry Level tabs …</span></span></p><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></div><ol style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Details</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Notice</span></span></li></ol><div style="margin-left: 80px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Allow the Entry Level “Long Description” field
to be set to “View”.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Correct display error on the Entry Level’s
“Email Cycle” tab such that the bottom scroll arrow is not obscured.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608589"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Smart
Search</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Resolve intermittent error that presents with
the following keyword searches …</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ol style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Black</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Green</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yellow</span></span></li></ol><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Disable <b>Search Text</b> box spell check.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Fix the error that occurs should a user click
the “Cancel” button on a Utility screen while an active Smart Search is in
play.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Add placeholder text to the Smart Search box.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608590"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Quick
Search</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Add placeholder text to the Quick Search box.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise styling of the Quick Search box.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608591"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Copyright
Management</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Update all Email Templates so as to mark them as
© 2020</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Update Therefore ThreadBuilder application so as
to indicate © 2020</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Update web application so as to indicate © 2020
in the following contexts …</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ol style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Unauthenticated screens</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Authenticated screens</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Print and PDF screens</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Report Viewer screen</span></span></li></ol><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Update the following style sheets so as to
indicate © 2020 …</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ol style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Public Style Sheet</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Light Blue Style Sheet</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Common Style Sheet</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Print Style Sheet</span></span></li></ol><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608592"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Version
Management</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Update Web version number to 5.x.x.x.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Update Therefore ThreadBuilder™ version number
to 5.x.x.x.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Update Service version number to 5.x.x.x.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608593"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Authenticated
Footer</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Should the footer have been configured to
display the <b>Active Task</b>, only display the “Active Task” narration if
there is an active task in play so as to minimise screen clutter.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608594"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Resolution
Targets Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Limit the <b>Target Hours</b> field to only
allow for the capture of whole numbers.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the maximum target hours exceeded validation
message.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise instruction text.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise formatting of narrations under the <b>Variables</b>
heading.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608595"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Classification
Screen – Department Level</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the duplicate “Name” validation mechanism,
both in new and edit mode.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608596"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Classification
Screen – Major Level</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise the duplicate “Name” validation
mechanism, both in new and edit mode. </span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608597"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Classification
Screen – Minor Level</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Limit the <b>Target Hours</b> field to only
allow for the capture of whole numbers.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the maximum target hours exceeded
validation message.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise formatting of inline validation messages.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>If there are inline validation errors present,
present the User with a “Please resolve all on screen validation errors” popup
when the “Save” or “Create” button is clicked.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Resolve bug such that the system retains all
data captured / changed when a non-inline validation error is triggered by
clicking the “Save” or “Create” button.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the duplicate “Name” validation
mechanism, both in new and edit mode.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608598"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Security
Group Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the duplicate “Name” validation mechanism,
both in new and edit mode. </span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608599"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Company
Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the duplicate “Name” validation
mechanism, both in new and edit mode.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off. </span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608600"><span style="line-height: 115%;">User
Administration Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off. </span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608601"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Point
of Presence Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the duplicate “Name” validation
mechanism, both in new and edit mode.</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608602"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Password
Rules Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise formatting of inline validation messages.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>If there are active inline validation errors, present
the User with a “Please resolve all on screen validation errors” popup when the
“Save” button is clicked.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Introduce a “Reset login failures” on “sign in”
or “password change” radio option.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise instructions text.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608603"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Priority
/ Thread Type Allocation Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise formatting of inline validation messages.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Hlk39059352"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Resolve bug such that the system retains all
data captured / changed when a non-inline validation error is triggered by
clicking the “Save” or “Create” button.</a></span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Resolve bug such that the system retains
awareness of the Priority being edited when a non-inline validation error is
triggered by clicking the “Save” button.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>If there are inline validation errors in place,
present the User with a “Please resolve all on screen validation errors” popup when
the “Save” or “Create” button is clicked.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the duplicate “Name” validation check
mechanism, both in new and edit mode. </span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608604"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Document
Type / Thread Type Allocation Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise formatting of inline validation messages.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Resolve bug such that the system retains all
data captured / changed when a non-inline validation error is triggered by
clicking the “Save” or “Create” button.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Resolve bug such that the system retains
awareness of the Document Type being edited when a non-inline validation error
is triggered by clicking the “Save” button.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">If there are inline validation errors present,
present the User with a “Please resolve all on screen validation errors” popup
when the “Save” or “Create” button is clicked.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise the duplicate “Name” validation check mechanism,
both in new and edit mode. </span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608605"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Primary
Company Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise formatting of inline validation messages.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>If there are inline validation errors present,
present the User with a “Please resolve all on screen validation errors” popup
when the “Save” button is clicked.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Trailing carriage returns to be removed from the
following fields on save …</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ol style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Communication Disclaimer</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Reporting Disclaimer</span></span></li></ol><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608606"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Status
Colours Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise formatting of inline validation messages.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise placement of data capture fields to
ensure consistency with other screens.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>If there are inline validation errors present,
present the User with a “Please resolve all on screen validation errors” popup
when the “Save” button is clicked.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608607"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Current
Performance Calculation Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise formatting of inline validation messages.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>If there are inline validation errors present,
present the User with a “Please resolve all on screen validation errors” popup
when the “Save” button is clicked.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608608"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Manage
Reporting Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Trim leading, trailing and superfluous inner spaces
as well as spaces before and after commas from the data saved in the <b>Headings</b>
field.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Remove leading, trailing and extra spaces from
within the <b>Menu Name</b>, <b>Long Name</b> and <b>Family Name</b> fields on
save.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise formatting of inline validation messages.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">If there are inline validation errors present, present
the User with a “Please resolve all on screen validation errors” popup when the
“Save” button is clicked.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise formatting of the Report Name in the
“Select a Report to edit” dropdown.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608609"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Sharing
My Contact Details Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise instructions text</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise narration text</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608610"><span style="line-height: 115%;">My
Contact Details</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span> Screen<br /></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608611"><span style="line-height: 115%;">My
Email Address Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608612"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Options
Menu Structure</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise the options menu structure.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Implement new options icons to accommodate the
revision of the Options menu structure.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608613"><span style="line-height: 115%;">CSS
Stylesheet Management</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise “Print” stylesheet to accommodate newly
introduced attachment players / previewers.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise “Light Blue” stylesheet to accommodate
newly introduced attachment players / previewers.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise “Light Blue” stylesheet to accommodate
for newly introduced Welcome page collapsible instructions.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Make miscellaneous style sheet refinements to
improve look and feel / usability.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608614"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Technology
Credits Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Credits listing updated.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608615"><span style="line-height: 115%;">TinyMCE
Tich Text Editor</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Upgrade the TinyMCE Rich Text Editor to the
latest version throughout the site.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608616"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Long
Description Templates</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;">
</span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Implement TinyMCE Long Description Templates on
the create / update screens.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Enable TinyMCE Templates such that they can be
configured at Entry Type level.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Allow for the specification of the path to the
TinyMCE Long Description Template repository via the web.config file.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Implement TinyMCE Template not editable
functionality so as to allow HTML contained within Templates to be uneditable
via the TinyMCE interface.</span></span></li></ul><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Allow for the TinyMCE rich text editor to be
used in “full screen mode”.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Enable TinyMCE Templates to be used as detailed
below …</span></span></li></ul><ol style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Allow for optional insertion, via the TinyMCE
menu structure, of HTML based content and / or allow for the default insertion
of HTML based content on page load.</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span></span></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Allow for the insertion of previously captured
“Long Description” content, either in “all” or “most recent” mode.</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span></span></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Allow the “Long Description” to be set up as a “View”
field.</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span></span></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Allow Notification “Search and Replace”
variables to be used within TinyMCE Long Description Templates.</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span></span></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Implement a dynamic “Template” button, i.e.
appears only when applicable, on the Create / Update screen’s TinyMCE Long
Description field.</span></span></li></ol><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608617"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Progress
Status Updates Utility Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fix bug the that occurs when Progress Status
Updates are saved and the underlying Task or Query does not have a “Goal Date /
Time” in place.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608618"><span style="line-height: 115%;">User
Groups Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Display <b>User Group ID</b> on the User Groups
screen when the signed in User has activated <b>Debug Mode</b> in support of
using User Groups as a <b>Notifications</b> <b>routing variable</b>.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise the duplicate “Name” validation mechanism,
both in new and edit mode.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608619"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Debug
Mode Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Update instructions to detail the display of the
User Group ID when Debug Mode has been activated.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise update status message to read “Debug mode
updated”.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608620"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Email
Templates</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise the <b>Task / Query Detail Object</b> so
that the “Long Description” that it carries is rich text.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608621"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Database
Management</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Implement various database upgrade scripts …</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ol style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Correct intermittent colours-based Smart Search
errors (Script 139)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Various revisions to the “Options” menu
structure (Script 140)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Implement reassign reason weighting (Script 141)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Add a “Reassign Reasons” menu option to the “Options”
menu (Script 142)</span></span></li></ol><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608622"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Report
Viewer</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rewrite the report viewer using latest versions
of Angular components.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Implement a more user-friendly “Report List”.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Implement “Report Usage” material.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ensure that the CSV “Export” button is disabled
until the report has been run.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise the styling of the Report Viewer screen.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608623"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Welcome
Pages</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Reformat all welcome pages such that the
instructions are displayed in a “collapsible” format.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Make various “Welcome” page instruction text
revisions.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608624"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Dashboard
Performance Option</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise the styling of the Dashboard’s “Performance”
option data tables to enhance readability.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608625"><span style="line-height: 115%;">My
Password Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise instruction text on My Password screen</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608626"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Public
Password Change Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise, with a view to simplifying, the text on
the public “Change Password” screen.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608627"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Public
Sign In Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608628"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Public
Forgotten Password Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608629"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Point
of Presence Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Trailing carriage returns to be removed from the
following fields on save …</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ol style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Physical address</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Postal address</span></span></li></ol><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>User Management Screen</b> </span></span></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Trailing carriage returns to be removed from the
“Admin notes” field on save.</span></span></li></ul><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Various narration changes.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608631"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Unauthenticated
Redirect to Default</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Change the way the system handles
unauthenticated URL calls such that the User is redirected to the unauthenticated
default page.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608632"><span style="line-height: 115%;">.net
Framework</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Upgrade the .NET Framework to 4.7.1.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608633"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Reassign
Reasons Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Implement a Site Setup screen that allows for
the management of “Reassign Reasons”.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608634"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Reassign
Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ensure that Reassign Reasons are listed in
accordance with their weighting, ascending.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Should no weighting be in place, ensure that
Reassign Reasons are listed in accordance with their “Reassign Reason Name”,
ascending.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608635"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Task
Summary</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Implement the new Task Summary sorting option (i.e.
“sort active task to the top” or “anchor active task to the top”) as configured
via the “Summary Object Options” screen.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Implement the new “Highlight active task” option
as configured via the “Summary Object Options” screen.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Implement the new “General click activation / review”
option as configured via the “Summary Object Options” screen.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608636"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Summary
Object Options Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Introduce configurative options to allow for the
sorting / styling of the task / query “Summary Object” as per below …</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ol style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Introduce a “sort active to top” / “anchor active
to top” radio option.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Allow the “Highlight active task” feature to be
enabled / disabled.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Allow the “General click activation / Review”
feature to be enabled / disabled.</span></span></li></ol><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise page headings.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise instruction text. </span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608637"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Communication
Types Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Make various narration changes.</span></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise instruction text.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608638"><span style="line-height: 115%;">My
Communication Types Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Make various narration changes.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise instruction text.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608639"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Send
an SMS Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Implement an “Add Proxy Client mobile” button
should a mobile number have been captured in the task / query proxy section.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise instruction text.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Add placeholder text to the search box.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span>Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608640"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Send
an Email Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Implement an “Add Proxy Client email” button
should an email address have been captured in the task / query proxy section.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise instruction text.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Add placeholder text to the search box.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608641"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Create,
Update and Base Data Proxy Search</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Add placeholder text to the search box</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608642"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Create
/ Update Screen</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: medium none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<h1><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="_Toc54608643"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Base
Elements / Thread Type Allocation</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></h1>
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revise the fields on which the spell checker is
turned on / off.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span><u>Release Information</u></span></span></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span></span></span></span></span></b></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span><b>Compile date:</b> <span></span>2020-10-15</span></span><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Code version:</b> <span><span></span></span>5.0.7593.15981<br /><b>Database version: </b>20200630.142 </span><br /></span></span></div>Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-4557321888228110902019-10-24T11:16:00.006-07:002023-10-21T22:30:20.623-07:00Therefore BPMS Version 4 Changes / Release Notes<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Every week we make between 10 and 20 small refinements to the Therefore BPM Suite. In a year that amounts to about 780 refinements. The Therefore BPMS has been under continual refinement for the last 13 years, which translates into some 10,140 refinements. What would you expect if you refined something 10,140 times? </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What follows is an overview of the core enhancements made during the course of the development of the 4th release of the Therefore BPMS application, which should give you an idea of the type of value that we are continually adding to the Therefore BPMS.</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Pending Notification notice </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Introduce an option to display pending Notifications on the Classify / Allocate screen</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Introduce an option to display pending Notifications on the close Acknowledge screen</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Add the above options to the Review and Utility Screen Options screen</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Revise Review and Utility Screen Options Instruction text</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Duplicate check </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Resolve Short Description duplicate check error</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Resolve Document Number duplicate check error</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Task Summary </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Move Flag and Change Log buttons to the bottom of button listing</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>User Groups </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Add a Security Group option to User Groups screen</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Revise User Groups instructions given the above change</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Change Log </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Add Notification element to the Change Log</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Revise Change Log instructions to dynamically address Notifications element</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Public Pages Error Management</b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Public failure advice cleared on Sign in reattempt</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Public failure advice cleared on Change password reattempt </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Public failure advice cleared on Forgotten password reattempt</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Spaces management </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Space management on all data capture fields, i.e. trim and extra / all spaces, both create and update</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Introduce variable space management on Short Description field (i.e. extra and all options) </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Introduce variable space management on Short Text field (i.e. extra and all options)</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Data input Styling </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Restyle data input fields for authenticated pages</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Restyle data input fields for public pages</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Change the Rich Text Editor such that it is a fixed height</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Reporting</b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Implement new Subordinate Report Personalisation Variables</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Revise Manage Reporting instruction text</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Notifications </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Implement a set of Created by Notification variables</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Correct Notifications sent on Reclassification error</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Revise Data Layer so that Notification templates are held in memory</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Priority Type / Thread Type Allocation Screen</b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Fix “alpha in weighting field” button disappearing error</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Fix “alpha in Percentage of Resolution Target field” button disappearing error</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Revise Priority / Thread Type Allocation instructions</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Document Type / Thread Type Allocation Screen </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Implement a Document / Thread Type allocation screen</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Insert new screen into the Options menu structure</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Options Menu Structure </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Make various revisions with respect to “Classification & Thread Type Setup” menu items</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Client table updating / population </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Implement various ThreadBuilder configurative options to define Client table updating rules</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Implement Client table record create on task closure</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Implement Client table record update on task closure </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Add disable dormant Client records script to the System Admin Scripts screen</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Communication Cycle Emails </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Correct contents of task closure email’s Review PDF attachment </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Correct error whereby Reclassification email sometimes lists multiple reclassifications </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Add an Option selected option to the Communication Types screen’s Task / Query Detail Object Options section.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Multiple Record Select to Edit Errors </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Correct various User Groups select to edit errors</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Correct various Security Groups select to edit errors</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Smart Search </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Revise Smart Search refresh to make it more intuitive</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Revise stage Smart Search keyword to accommodate open / closed tasks logic</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Resolve Smart Search Clear Search facility error</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Strip out multiple spaces when doing a Smart Search</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Implement a Touch keyword</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Implement a Department keyword</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Implement a Major keyword</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Implement a Minor keyword</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Revise Smart Search Welcome text / styling</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Correct Enter Search Text heading text case</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Revise styling of search box</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Discontinued functionality </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Discontinue Fax functionality</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Discontinue advanced Reassign functionality</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Error encountered screen </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Revise text on Error encountered screen </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Error encountered screen to automatically redirect to public landing page</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Database Version Management</b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Implement various database version update scripts </span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Classification screen </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Revise classification screen headings</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<ol></ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Code Version Number Management </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Increment web / ThreadBuilder / service version number to 4 </span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Contact List </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Correct Enter Search Text heading text case</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Revise styling of search box</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Quick Search </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Revise styling of search box</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Show Disabled </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Revise styling of Show Disabled dropdown</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Thread Type ID Visibility </b></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Add Thread Type ID to various Thread Type listings </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Add Thread Type ID to various Thread Type select dropdowns</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Miscellaneous </b></span></span><br />
<ol><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Various aesthetic refinements to the ThreadBuilder</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Various miscellaneous web instructions refinements</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Various resource file tidy ups</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
</ol>
Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0Johannesburg, South Africa-26.2041028 28.047305100000017-26.432114300000002 27.724581600000018 -25.9760913 28.370028600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-32693759052024032762019-09-04T03:41:00.002-07:002021-04-26T04:07:56.623-07:00Using the 80 / 20 Rule to your advantage<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> The Pareto principle, often referred to as the “80 / 20 Rule”, states that roughly 80% of your results will be the consequence of 20% of your efforts. Likewise, in business it’s pretty safe to assume that about 80% of your sales will come from 20% of your clients.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Management consultant Joseph Juran suggested the principle and named it after an Italian economist named Vilfredo Pareto. Pareto had noticed the principle in play when he discovered that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The Pareto principle has been found to be a useful tool in a broad range of disciplines such as economics, computing, sport and business.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">My interest in the Pareto principle is perhaps a little less academic and a little more practical than that of Joseph Juran. Over the course of my career, I have noticed that I achieve the vast bulk of my results (the 80%) from a relatively small portion of my efforts (the 20%) and I have learned to use the principle to my advantage.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Using the 80 / 20 principle to your advantage is actually surprisingly simple. Here’s how I do it, presented on a step by step basis! The starting point for my methodology is the humble paper-based “to do list”. Everything that I need to do, irrespective of how trivial, gets recorded on my to do list. You can download a to do list template at the footer of this article.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">My 80 / 20 recipe follows:</span></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Every morning I redraft my to do list, omitting the items that I closed the day before. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">After having redrafted my to do list, I skip through with a green highlighter and mark the items that I believe will get me 80% of my results. It stands to reason that, given that we are following the 80 / 20 Rule, in the region of 20% of your tasks should be highlighted green. By way of example, if you have 20 items on your to do list, you would expect that approximately 4 of them would have been highlighted green.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Next, I step through my to do list looking for “zero value” items. During the course of popping things onto my to do list, I often find items that “seemed like a good idea at the time” but actually hold no value when I look at them later. In short, if you find an item on your list that on further evaluation doesn’t add value, and hasn’t been promised to a colleague or a client, it may be a good idea to close them off as “no longer required”. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">I then use a blue highlighter to mark trivial items that I can close out quickly, to de-clutter my list. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">I then skip through my to do list and mark the items that I can pass along to subordinates. Once an item has been handed off, I make sure to jot down the initials of the </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">subordinate </span></span>to whom I have allocated the task. The items that I have retained for my personal attention get marked with a “Me!” As a general rule, I hand off highlighted items as a first priority. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">During the course of the day, I tackle the highlighted items as a matter of first priority. Obviously, new items get added to your to do list on an ongoing basis and you may want to highlight some of the new items as you go along. Should I have handled all of my highlighted items prior to close of day, I bring out my trusty highlighters and select the next set of green and blue tasks. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">At close of day, I do a roundup with my </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">subordinates </span></span>to see how they have been fairing with the tasks that I handed off to them, and update my to do list where items have been closed. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The start of the following day sees me start the process from the top. </span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The above “to do list” process will probably take you 20 or 30 minutes a day, but it is guaranteed to pay dividends. Give it a try … and let me know how it goes. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="http://www.therefore.co.za/Resources/To_Do_List.pdf" target="_blank">[Download To Do List]</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span>Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-25602156132967526002018-12-04T02:37:00.000-08:002018-12-05T20:56:25.661-08:00The Value Gap<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I recently attended the launch of a book that had been written by an old high school friend of mine, Gavin Moffat. Gavin’s book, “Swimming with Sharks”, is well written, easy to read and packed with thought provoking content. In short, I would recommend that you get hold of a copy. The launch event for “Swimming with Sharks” took the format of a conversation between the author and a compère, Richard Mulholland. It was during this conversation that I got to thinking about corporate values.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Let’s back up for a moment. Conventionally, corporate values are defined as <b>the operating philosophies or principles that guide an organization's internal conduct as well as its relationship with its customers, partners, and shareholders</b>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Common corporate values are listed below:</span></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Integrity </b>(Ethics, Honesty)</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Respect </b>(Trust, Dignity)</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Excellence </b>(Quality, Performance)</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Responsibility </b>(Accountability, Commitment)</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Teamwork </b>(Collaboration, Cooperation)</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Innovation </b>(Creativity, Ingenuity)</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Achievement </b>(Results, Success)</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Fairness </b>(Diversity, Inclusive)</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Care </b>(Service, Compassion)</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Passion </b>(Enthusiasm, Fun)</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Leadership </b>(Influence, Competitive Advantage)</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Learning </b>(Continuous Improvement, Knowledge)</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Customers </b>(Customer Satisfaction)</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>People </b>(Employee Engagement)</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Safety </b>(Health)</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Community </b>(Corporate Citizenship)</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Selecting the values that fit with an organisation would typically be seen as one of the outcomes of a strategy planning exercise. Let’s assume that Acme Inc’s Management has recently held a strategy planning session and have selected the following values as being core:</span></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Caring</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Loyalty</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Integrity</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Knowledge</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Commitment</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Innovation</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you look at it carefully, the above values effectively define Acme’s “corporate personality”.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Staff would relate to Acme Inc on the basis of its values, or alternatively, to give Acme a human face, its “personality” would be informed by the values that drive its day to day behaviour. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Likewise, Acme Inc’s customers would relate to Acme on the basis of its “personality”, which would be informed by what Acme’s customers perceive its values to be. The “personality” or “value set” that the customer ascribes to Acme would be the consequence of Acme’s marketing and communication activity, as well as the moments of reality that occur each time that a customer interacts with them. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />So far, so good. Now let’s inject a dose of reality. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />There’s no doubt that an organisation’s value set needs to be led from the top. If top management actively live Acme’s values, you can bet your bottom dollar that pretty soon the employees will do likewise. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Remember that, thus far, top management have only identified Acme’s values as the consequence of a “paper” based exercise. There’s no guarantee that there is any similarity between Acme’s “actual” and “stated” values. For the sake of conversation, we are going to call the gap between an organisation’s “actual” and “stated” values, the “value gap”.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Let’s have a hypothetical look at Acme Inc’s top management.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Perhaps Acme’s top management don’t encourage their staff to take chances and are as a consequence not forgiving when it comes to staff making “mistakes”. Hardly the stuff that talks to “Innovation” as a value.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Further, let’s assume that a lot of Acme’s senior management have politicked and schemed their way to the top at the expense of their colleagues. Not the sort of behaviour that speaks to the values of “Integrity” and “Caring”. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Perhaps Acme regularly shed staff when there is even the slightest hint of an economic downturn and hire fresh staff when things look rosy again. Wouldn’t this make it difficult for staff to buy into Acme’s “Loyalty” and “Commitment” values? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Finally, the relentless focus on profits means that Acme never actually utilise their training budgets for training. Training budgets remain unspent, because it simply makes the bottom line look better. As a consequence, Acme has “Knowledge” as a value, but never trains staff. Doesn’t gel, does it?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />I guess that you get the point.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Acme’s “actual” values are in reality probably closer to the average value set held by its senior management.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />One can expect that the “actual” values of a “one-man band” start-up will be those of the entrepreneur. The organisation’s “actual” values tend to shift as the entrepreneur starts employing staff. Logically, one should always employ staff whose personal values are in harmony with the organisation’s “stated” values.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Peter Drucker famously said, “culture eats strategy for breakfast”. A great culture is <b>in part the consequence of an organisation’s ability to really live its values</b>, coupled with a singularity of focus that derives from a strong shared purpose.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />All organizations have some degree of “value gap”. It’s the size of the gap that counts. The smaller the gap the better! Great management teams are continually striving to minimise the gap. On the other hand, poor management teams will often be the primary reason for the gap’s existence. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />For values to take root within an organisation, they need to be lived by top management. Always remember that corporate values aren’t a “wish list” or a “future intention”. As soon as you have a big gap between your “stated” values and your “actual” values, you’ve got trouble!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Authenticity is important to all of us, but it’s particularly important to the increasingly pivotal Millennial generation. Your staff, especially your Millennial staff, will pick up on “value gaps” in a heartbeat. If they find a material value gap, they will see the company as being inauthentic, which is the last thing that you need. Customers likewise see value gaps as being a tell-tale sign of inauthenticity and it will undoubtedly reflect on the bottom line.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />To explain by way of an anecdotal story, many years ago I worked for a company that had “Recognise and Reward” as a value. Their intentions were no doubt good, “recognise” exemplary performance and “reward” it. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />In reality, they did almost the exact opposite. On closer inspection, you could see that they were actually an “old boys club”. There was no “Recognise and Reward”, unless you were in the club!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Their “Recognise and Reward” value never got beyond “wish list” status. The value gap was more a chasm than it was a gap. I am afraid I saw them, and still see them, as being inauthentic as a result.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Now for another anecdotal story, but this time a consumer centred one. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Health and insurance group Momentum recently landed itself in hot water when it refused to pay out on a life insurance policy for a customer, Nathan Ganas. Sadly, Ganas died from gunshot wounds as a consequence of attempting to protect his wife who was being hijacked in their driveway. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Momentum declined to honour the policy because they discovered that Ganas had historically been found to have had abnormally high blood sugar levels, which he had not reported when he took the policy out. They claim that, had they been aware of these elevated blood sugar levels, they would not have offered Ganas cover. To place Momentum’s perspective in context, Ganas was never on chronic medication for high blood sugar and his wife strongly denies that he ever suffered from diabetes. Besides, Ganas died as a consequence of a gunshot wound, not raised blood sugar levels.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The traditional media picked up on the story and generated enough coverage that Momentum could have used it to wallpaper a medium sized meeting room at their head office in Centurion. Social Media exploded! All hell broke loose. Momentum had a public relations nightmare on its hands, and they didn’t handle it well.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />In the court of public opinion, Momentum was found to be guilty of “looking for any excuse not to pay out”, irrespective of how frivolous it was. Momentum’s own press release put it this way:</span></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“It is clear from market reaction over the last two days that under certain circumstances, current industry practice creates the impression that insurers are looking for reasons not to pay a claim.”</span></span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Momentum’s PR spin sought to “externalise” their behaviour. They didn’t say “our practices create the impression”, they said “current industry practice creates the impression”. It’s interesting to note that “Accountability” is one of Momentum’s values. Momentum provides the following detail for their “Accountability” value:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“We show accountability in our willingness to take ownership for our roles, responsibility for our actions and outcomes, and by honouring our obligations to all stakeholders.” </span></span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Rather than taking ownership of their behaviour, Momentum tried to side step their accountability by calling on “current industry practice” to take the fall.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />To be fair on Momentum, it must be said that the Insurance Ombud has twice ruled in their favour on the Ganas issue. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Calls to talk radio shows questioned why it was that Momentum had been happy to take monthly payments from Ganas for many years and only bothered to go through his medical records with a fine-tooth comb when they were called upon to make good on the policy. I have no doubt that there wouldn’t have been a public outcry if Ganas had succumbed to a blood sugar related disease. Unfortunately for Momentum, the public felt that Ganas’ unreported high blood sugar levels weren’t in any way connected to the reason for his passing. Momentum were perceived as using the “non-disclosure of high sugar levels” card as a convenient excuse to wriggle out of their obligation to honour the policy.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The consumer doesn’t always know what your values are. They tend to infer what they perceive your values should be. When they feel that a company is behaving inconsistently with these perceived values, the backlash can be severe.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Momentum’s products are essentially intangible. Their customers aren’t really buying a policy, they’re buying “peace of mind”. Ganas was buying “peace of mind” that his family would be looked after should he pass away when he entered into his relationship with Momentum. Interestingly, Momentum also repudiated an education policy that Ganas had taken out. Perhaps part of the reason that there was such a large public outcry was because people no longer felt that the “peace of mind” that they perceived to flow from a policy could be relied upon. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Due to enormous public pressure, Momentum were eventually forced to make a payment to Ganas’ widow. Momentum have, however, been careful to state that they “do not admit contractual liability for the payment of this death claim based on the material non-disclosure at application stage.” They ascribe the payment to a newly introduced “solution that will pay an amount equal to the death benefit (limited to a maximum of R3 million) in the case of violent crime, regardless of previous medical history.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Momentum behaved in a manner that was inconsistent with what the consumer perceived as being a reasonable value set. The resultant “value gap” has caused Momentum brand damage that will take many years to recover from.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />A quick Google search showed me that Momentum’s values are as listed below:</span></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Accountability</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Diversity</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Excellence</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Innovation</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Integrity</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Teamwork</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We have already touched on Momentum’s “Accountability” value. The verbiage associated with their “Integrity” value states that, “We uphold integrity in living up to what we say, doing the right thing, being honest and treating all people with respect.” </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />In the court of public opinion, Momentum were seen to have failed to behave consistently with their “Integrity” value. Joe Public certainly didn’t believe that they had done the “right thing”, let alone “treated people with respect” or acted in an “honest” fashion.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />This article has centred on the “value gap” and the importance of making sure that it is as narrow as possible. Of course, there is more at stake than simply minimising the value gap … you also need to have selected the correct value set. In a subsequent article I will discuss how one sets about selecting the correct set of values.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In closing, it must be said that I dealt with Momentum’s press office fairly extensively while writing this article. I was impressed with their openness, honesty and willingness to help. Momentum have stated that the contents of this article are factually correct. They have, however, pointed out that the Momentum / Ganas issue is a complex and multifaceted one, which is a perspective with which I agree. There is no doubt that they are working hard to come to terms with the experience. I wish them well. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">For more information on “Swimming with Sharks” by Gavin Moffat, visit <a href="http://www.swimmingwithsharks.co.za/">www.swimmingwithsharks.co.za</a></span></span></span>Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-68906178631845460082018-11-06T10:13:00.003-08:002018-11-06T23:01:23.792-08:00Today’s staff, tomorrow’s customers<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">According to the McDonald's Corporation website, McDonald's is present in 101 countries, has in excess of 36,000 restaurants and serves some 69 million people daily (January 2018).</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />What is of even more interest is the fact that the fast-food chain has at one point or another employed 1 in 8 Americans (roughly 13%), according to an estimate in the book "Fast Food Nation." The list of Americans that have been on a McDonald’s payroll includes the likes of Jeff Bezos, Rachel McAdams, Macy Gray, Carl Lewis, Jay Leno and Pink.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Think about this. If 13% of Americans have worked at McDonalds during the course of their working career, McDonald’s America can expect that roughly 13% of their clientele have at some point in time worked on the other side of the counter. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The implications of this are <i>huge</i>. I don’t know about you, but if I had previously worked for a company and the experience had been a negative one, I would be less inclined to do business with them in the future. I am pretty sure that I am not alone on this view point. For this reason, McDonald’s need to treat their staff as both employees and <i>as future consumers</i>, which is no doubt a significant human resources challenge.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Closer to home, I have often seen staff leave the employ of a company after having received a raw deal, only to turn up a number of years later as a senior employee at a material customer. Well, you can guess what happens next. I have seen some anchor clients leave service providers as a consequence. I recall an event of this nature that resulted in a service provider shedding some 20% of their turnover. As they say in the classics, “be careful of which butt you kick today, as you may have to kiss it tomorrow.”</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />McDonald’s is acutely aware of the “today’s staff are tomorrow’s customers” phenomenon and their staff relations policies reflect this principle very clearly.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The “today’s staff are tomorrow’s customers” principle is further exacerbated by the impact of word of mouth communication. Negative word of mouth can mean that a single disgruntled ex-employee can do significant damage to a brand. In short, you stand at risk of losing the custom of both your ex-employee and those with whom he has shared is story. Word of mouth that emanates from an ex-employee tends to be seen as highly credible, given that the ex-employee is presumed to have “inside knowledge”, which makes it all the more damaging.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Let’s put the “today’s staff are tomorrow’s customers” principle aside for a moment and focus simply on the labour market brand damage that an ex-employee with an “axe to grind” can have. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Companies that have a reputation for being “bad employers” will naturally battle to attract skilled staff. The converse also applies. Those that are seen as “good employers” will find it far easier to attract top skills. This is compounded by the fact that people tend to offer their services into a particular industry as they develop industry specific skills and contacts over the course of their careers. I have no doubt that you have heard people say, “This industry is so small!” at conferences and the like. Well there you go, if you are seen as a “bad employer”, word will travel within your industry faster than you can say, “employer of choice”.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />A quick word of warning, if you are going to tell your staff that you are the industry’s “employer of choice”, make sure that its true and not an intention or a wish. Nobody detects employer insincerity faster that an employee. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The long and short of it is that being a good employer makes business sense, so when you look at your staff, think of them as a microcosm of your market and treat them with as much respect and care as you would like them to treat your customers … or, in the words of Richard Branson, <b>“If you look after your staff, they’ll look after your customers. It’s that simple.”</b></span></span></span>Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-509313101462238702018-05-31T22:31:00.000-07:002018-05-31T22:31:31.730-07:00Great strategy execution quotations<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Execution is the ability to mesh strategy with reality, align people with goals and achieve the promised results. ~ Larry Bossidy</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In real life, strategy is actually very straightforward. You pick a general direction and implement like hell. ~ Jack Welch</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Execute! Get your people to execute! ~ Sam Geist</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Execution IS strategy. ~ Fred Malek</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Success doesn't necessarily come from breakthrough innovation but from flawless execution. A great strategy alone won't win a game or a battle; the win comes from basic blocking and tackling. ~ Naveen Jain</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Strategy Execution is the responsibility that makes or breaks executives. ~ Alan Branche & Sam Bodley-Scott</span></span>Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-76154488561420584072015-04-17T00:34:00.000-07:002015-04-19T22:22:33.723-07:00The Art and Science of an Elevator Pitch<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">An elevator pitch is a short / precise overview of your business and its products and / or services, typically prepared as a sales tool. It’s imperative that you have a well-rehearsed elevator pitch ready for when opportunity strikes. An elevator pitch can be one of most powerful weapons in your sales arsenal and it costs you virtually nothing to prepare one.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">An elevator pitch is meant to be short. As the name implies, it should be possible to deliver your elevator pitch in the time it takes to complete your average elevator ride. Let’s paint the scenario. You step into an elevator and are, serendipitously, joined by the prospect of your dreams. Your luck continues unabated, and you get chatting. Mr Ultimate Prospect asks what you do for a living and you know that you have the opportunity of a lifetime in play. There are a thousand things that you want to say … but which of them are the ones that will get you the deal? Where do you start? How do you draw “next steps” into your pitch? What are your next steps? If you don’t have a clear and concise response to an opportunity of this nature, one thing is for certain … you have a more than even chance of blowing it. I am sure that you get the picture.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The lengths of elevator pitches vary, but you typically want to be able to present it at a leisurely pace in less than two minutes, with one minute being the ideal position. Your goal length should be somewhere between 150 - 250 words, with a “straight forward” business being closer to the 150 word mark and more complex business’ pitch being at the 250 word end of the spectrum. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tips and tricks for drafting a great pitch </span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When drafting your elevator pitch, there are a few things worth keeping in mind. Give them a walk through before you start.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1. Keep it short and sweet </span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's called an elevator pitch for a reason. You have a limited time frame in which to make a great first impression. The golden rule … The shorter the pitch, the better.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2. Edit ruthlessly</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Draft your elevator pitch, and then set about reviewing and editing it until it’s perfect. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Draft your elevator pitch and then set time aside every morning for the next week to review and refine it. Each revision is bound to be an improvement. Quite literally, sleep on it!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ask your colleagues, friends and family to critique your elevator pitch and accommodate their feedback as far as possible.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">3. Evolve it</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">An elevator pitch is a living document! As you get more and more experience in delivering it, you will find there are things that are missing, things that work well and things that don’t. Make a mental note of the questions that your prospects ask when you deliver your elevator pitch. Do these questions point to refinements that need to be made to your pitch? Do your prospects understand your pitch? Is it clear? Could it be simplified? Could it be shorter? Is there any irrelevant content?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Make it a personal discipline to periodically revise your elevator pitch to take learnings into account, and to make sure that it remains “fresh” in your mind.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">4. What about your team?</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s imperative that your colleagues participate in the drafting of your elevator pitch. After all, the more input received, the better the elevator pitch is likely to be. Even more important is that your colleagues should also have an elevator pitch handy so that they too are well armed when opportunity strikes. Selling is everyone’s accountability … not just yours.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">5. Sharing is caring!</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nothing puts a prospect off faster than getting inconsistent messages from a prospective supplier. For this reason, it is imperative that you and your team share the same elevator pitch. Your colleagues may want to make small changes to the pitch to make it more comfortable for them to deliver, but the basic structure and key points should be consistent.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">6. Keep it straight and simple</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Keep the language that you use simple, plain and jargon free.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Assume your audience has no understanding of your industry, products and / or services. You want to be able to use your elevator pitch in front of anyone and know that they will understand what you do by the time you're finished.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">7. The bigger picture</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hopefully, your elevator pitch goes well and you now have the opportunity to meet with your prospect on a subsequent occasion and continue the sales process at a more leisurely pace. What now?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As previously mentioned, nothing puts a prospect off faster than the scent of inconsistency. Make sure that your full sales presentation is consistent with the contents of your elevator pitch. All that should change is the degree of detail. Logically, the same holds for your social media, the advert that you put in the local “rag mag”, your radio spot, your press releases or even that billboard that you have in mind.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">8. Say it in front of a mirror</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">An elevator pitch on a sheet of paper is a very different animal to the one delivered live to a prospect. Read your elevator pitch in your head, read it out loud and then recite it in front of a mirror. Make sure that it flows and sounds conversational. Do dummy runs for your colleagues, friends and family.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The bottom line … when you deliver your elevator pitch, it must be delivered with enough confidence that it sounds conversational. Your prospects don’t want to hear you deliver what sounds like a scripted message.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">9. Memorise and practise it</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You won't have the benefit of a cheat sheet when you are delivering your elevator pitch in the real world. You will need to memorise your elevator pitch. Your challenge is to memorise your elevator pitch without losing the ability to deliver it in a conversational manner. One thing is for certain, the more you practise delivering your elevator pitch, the easier it will be to make it sound conversational and relaxed.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">10. Show your passion</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The best elevator pitches are those that are memorable, unique, engaging and lead to further conversation. One of the best ways to accomplish this is by showing the passion that you have for its contents.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">11. Multiple flavours</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you follow the step-by-step elevator pitch formula provided by this article, it's easy to refine your pitch to fit any audience. Once you're comfortable editing, rearranging and substituting, you can create a few different versions ahead of time.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">12. Tweaking on the fly</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The chances are more than even that there will be some degree of “on the fly tweaking” required when you deliver your elevator pitch. The reality is that there no two prospects that are the same and the context in which you deliver your elevator pitches will always differ, hence the need for customisation.<br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s on the fly tweaking that will keep your pitch conversational and fresh for the recipient. Once again, “on the fly tweaking” will become easier if you are fluent with your “base elevator pitch” and have had lots of “tweaking on the fly” practice.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">13. Next steps</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Just as you do with all of your other marketing activities, include a call to action at the end of your elevator pitch.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Outline what you want to happen next, whether it's giving the other person a chance to ask you questions, introducing you to a colleague, or scheduling time for a more detailed conversation.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">14. Taking turns</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You've put a lot of time into your elevator pitch, so it will be a big relief to have successfully delivered it. However, it is imperative that you don't forget about the person who has been on the receiving end of your pitch. The best way to transition from a great elevator pitch to a successful conversation is by giving the other person a chance to wow you with his or her own elevator pitch.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">15. Size doesn’t matter after all</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Whether you are one man band or the CEO of a multinational corporate, you still need an elevator pitch. There is a common misconception that only “small business” needs an elevator pitch … which couldn’t be further from the truth.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">16. Benefits, not features</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Remember, people don't buy features ... they buy benefits. Make sure that your product and service descriptions are benefit centric ... not feature centric.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Drafting that winning elevator pitch</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here is a step-by-step process that will help you create that winning elevator pitch.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Step 1: Define who you are </b></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Write one sentence about who you are.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Example:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"><i>We specialise in developing and implementing Business Process Management (BPM) solutions.</i></span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Step 2: Describe what you do. </b></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Use your mission statement and product / service listing as a guide, and write a few sentences about what you do every day in your business. Remember to keep your content benefit centric.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Example:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background-color: yellow;">We have developed, and continue to refine, our own BPM application which we use to assist our Clients to optimally manage tasks and queries. </span></i></span></span></blockquote>
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<i><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We have developed a number of flavours of our product to allow us to rapidly deploy BPM solutions. For example, the Therefore Quantum™ flavour is typically used by Call Centres to manage tasks and queries. Therefore StratIQ™ has been developed to optimise the management of strategy execution. Our technology is easily configured, which allows us to create BPM solutions for virtually any process need that a Client may have. </span></span></span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Step 3: Identify your ideal clients/customers.</b></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Use your target audience description as a guide, and write a few sentences about who your ideal clients are.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Example:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background-color: yellow;">Our ideal Clients are medium to large enterprises; operate in a business to business environment and process large volumes of Customer initiated tasks and queries. Our typical Client often has a large Customer base with whom they do a large number of low ticket value transactions and can therefore benefit by reducing the cost of Customer ownership. </span></i></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Step 4: Explain what's unique and different about you and your business.</b></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Use your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) as a guide, and write a few sentences about what sets you apart from every other business owner who does what you do.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Example:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: yellow;">We are in a unique position to assist our Clients to more effectively manage Customer initiated Tasks and Queries without having to make an extensive up-front investment in technology.</span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We offer a full outsource solution, which allows Clients to benefit from our offering without having to set aside capacity / resource to perform hosting and administration.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"></span></span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: yellow;">We are in a position to rapidly deploy our BPM solutions.</span> </span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Step 5: State what you want to happen next.</b></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Write a few sentences that identify what you want your audience to do next.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Example:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background-color: yellow;">It would be great to schedule some time to walk you and your team through our service offering and explore how we can unlock value for your business. </span></i></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Step 6: Create an attention-getting hook.</b></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Write a few sentences that pulls in your audience and gets them engaged in what you're about to say.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Example:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background-color: yellow;">Does it ever feel like your ability to resolve Customer tasks and queries within a reasonable time frame is a weak point when viewed from a Customer service standpoint?</span></i></span></span><i><span style="background-color: yellow;"></span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Does your Customer Care function feel like it’s out of control and not delivering the sort of value that you expect, given what you spend on it? </span></span></span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background-color: yellow;"></span></i></span></span></blockquote>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Step 7: Put it all together.</b></span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Combine the statements you drafted in the previous steps, putting Step 6 first.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Example:</span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: yellow;">Does it ever feel like your ability to resolve Customer tasks and queries within a reasonable time frame is a weak point when viewed from a Customer service standpoint?</span></span></span><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Does your Customer Care function feel like it’s out of control and not delivering the sort of value that you expect, given what you spend on it? </span></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We specialise in developing and implementing Business Process Management (BPM) solutions. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We have developed, and continue to refine, our own BPM application which we use to assist our Clients to optimally manage tasks and queries. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We have developed a number of flavours of our product to allow us to rapidly deploy BPM solutions. For example, the Therefore Quantum™ flavour is typically used by Call Centres to manage tasks and queries. Therefore StratIQ™ has been developed to optimise the management of strategy execution. Our technology is easily configured, which allows us to create BPM solutions for virtually any process need that a Client may have. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our ideal Clients are medium to large enterprises; operate in a business to business environment and process large volumes of Customer initiated tasks and queries. Our typical Client often has a large Customer base with whom they do a large number of low ticket value transactions and can therefore benefit by reducing the cost of Customer ownership. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We are in a unique position to assist our Clients to more effectively manage Customer initiated Tasks and Queries without having to make an extensive up-front investment in technology. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We offer a full outsource solution, which allows Clients to benefit from our offering without having to set aside capacity / resource to perform hosting and administration. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We are in a position to rapidly deploy our BPM solutions.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It would be great to schedule some time to walk you and your team through our service offering and explore how we can unlock value for your business.</span></span></span> </blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Step 8: Transitions, edit and flow</b></span></span><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As invariably happens, the word count of the text pulled together in “Step 7” above (312 words in the case of the example provided) exceeds the targeted word count of between 150 and 250 words, so it is going to be necessary to perform some degree of summarisation.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When editing, you need to pay attention to adding transitions, reducing the word count, removing duplications, keeping sentences short, ensuring that the text flows conversationally and ensuring that your pitch contains all the necessary key information.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Example:</span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="background-color: yellow;">For many businesses, managing Customer tasks and queries is a weak service delivery point. Customer Care Departments often exist in a continual state of chaos and are unable to break out of a “poor service” cycle, irrespective of the amount of resource committed. </span></i></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Therefore specialises in developing and implementing Business Process Management solutions. We have developed our own BPM technology, which we use to assist Clients to optimally manage tasks and queries. </span></span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />We have a number of product flavours which allows us to rapidly deploy solutions. Therefore Quantum™, for example, deals with tasks and queries. Therefore StratIQ™ drives strategy execution. Our technology is easily configured, which allows us to rapidly create Client centric solutions. </span></span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Our ideal Clients are medium to large B2B enterprises with high volumes of Customer initiated tasks and queries. Our Clients often have big Customer bases, are concerned about the high cost of customer ownership and want to improve service levels. </span></span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />We are in a unique position to assist our Clients to more effectively manage Tasks and Queries without having to make an extensive investment in technology, given that we bill on a rental basis. Further, we can offer Clients a fully outsourced solution, allowing them to stick with what they do best. Our technology has been developed to allow for rapid deployment, which means that we add value sooner. </span></span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />It would be great to schedule some time to walk you and your team through our service offering and explore how we can unlock value for your business. </span></span></span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i></i><b>If the above elevator pitch is of interest to you, give Peter Lever a call on +27 83 447 4883 or email him on peter@therefore.co.za. </b></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtg4O3dvhdvVWXhHAErwD1YgCXN3UBqcPkgkElXZZJBalvlI0XHFT0qk5dU34aN5l9X-Z7tOj8VTM6ZjoQLg8R7R2N9il13_sv531Ha93E3OYTC29cT9kjHHRKHoF3cwSd6l_NAnocOcv/s1600/ElevatorPitch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtg4O3dvhdvVWXhHAErwD1YgCXN3UBqcPkgkElXZZJBalvlI0XHFT0qk5dU34aN5l9X-Z7tOj8VTM6ZjoQLg8R7R2N9il13_sv531Ha93E3OYTC29cT9kjHHRKHoF3cwSd6l_NAnocOcv/s1600/ElevatorPitch.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span>Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-73347760616272470582015-03-25T11:15:00.000-07:002019-01-21T20:36:01.502-08:00Avoiding the bloatware trap<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Bloatware is a phrase used to describe software that has lots of superfluous features and, as a consequence, requires a considerable amount of disk space and RAM to install and run. As the cost of RAM and disk storage decreased, there has been a growing trend among software developers to disregard application size, which tends to result in the development of bloated software.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some people refer to this trend as “creeping featurism”. Creeping featurism is a term used to describe a tendency for systems to become more complex over time as more features are added. In software development, these added features often come at the expense of simplicity of use. Superfluous functionality increases the complexity of the user interface … and simply put, it makes off the shelf software applications less intuitive and more difficult to use and learn.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One sure way to develop bloatware is to leave product design decisions up to the developers of the software. If left unchecked, developers have a natural tendency to add in functionality that <i>they </i>think is neat, without asking the product’s user base. Best practice is to develop new functionality only where market feedback indicates that it adds value.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As a cautionary note, be aware that no two Clients have the same needs. Functionality that is an “absolute non-negotiable” for Client A could well be a “rather not have” for Client B … and it’s entirely conceivable that the reverse scenario exists too. It is for this reason that companies that develop off the shelf software often declare that their Clients should carry a part of the accountability for their application having become bloated.</span></span><br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sidestepping the bloatware problem </span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, how does one side step the risk of inadvertently developing a bloatware application? Some principles that we have followed when developing the Therefore BPMS, which forms the basis for the Therefore StratIQ™ and Therefore Quantum™ products, are detailed below.</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stick with your knitting</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If your application is a Task Management application and your Client is looking for a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application, stick with your knitting. Do you really want to develop CRM capabilities within your Task Management application? If you did, would it take your eye off the ball? Would it see your hereto contained Task Management application becoming bloatware? Wouldn’t it be better to recommend an existing CRM application to your Client and stick with doing what you do best?</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It is imperative that you remain clear on the niche that your software is designed to service. Entertain any move outside of your core area of strength only after having given it some very careful thought.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Simply put, you need to accept that you can’t be everything to everyone. Trying to please everyone is a slippery slope that often leads to pleasing no one … and the eventual development of bloatware.</span></span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Always ask the market</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">New functionality should be the consequence of market feedback. Continually speak to your Clients / prospects, show them your software and take note of their questions and suggestions. When it becomes clear that their questions and suggestions are pointing to functionality that your system is missing … go to it!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When you do decide to develop new functionality, remember to run your wire-frames, and eventually prototypes, past your Clients. Asking your Clients what they want invariably unlocks huge value.</span></span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Keep an eye on usability</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As you increase the number of features available within an application it becomes increasingly important to make sure that your application’s usability does not suffer.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Money spent on improving the usability of an application is always well spent. Again … there is no substitute for taking steer from actual users of the application when it comes to driving usability enhancements.</span></span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Benefits Vs Features</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You don’t take a product to market because of its “features” … it’s actually the “benefits” that sell a product. Developers often have a feature centric view on the world, whereas Clients are typically looking to the benefits associated with using your application.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Make sure that all of the features that you add into your application play either a direct or indirect supporting role for a product benefit. If your proposed feature does not add direct or indirect value to a benefit, the chances are that you should probably not be going there.</span></span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Functionality on demand</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As already mentioned, no two Clients have the same set of needs, given that they are generally operating in different markets with their own / unique contexts and working towards achieving different strategies. Naturally, this introduces the potential for some degree of application bloat.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Off the shelf software should be developed in such a way that features can be turned on or off, as dictated by the needs of the Client. We call this design principle “Functionality on Demand”. The Functionality on Demand design methodology allows your Clients to turn off functionality that they believe doesn’t add value, given their context. Simply put, it allows them to turn off the “bloat”.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We always encourage our Clients to turn off as much as possible, because the less superfluous functionality, the less cluttered the user interface and ultimately the better the application’s usability. Besides, your Client can always turn on previously deactivated functionality as their needs change or their experience in using your application deepens.</span></span><br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s more than just a software problem</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The bloatware pheromone is more than just a software problem.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There are many examples or products and services that have become bloated by superfluous features and / or options. In the product and service space, bloat tends to unnecessarily increase your costs and work against your levels of customer satisfaction.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Should you be in the game of selling products or services, you will probably find that the above bloatware avoidance tips still add some degree of value in your environment. You may also find that a previously written blog article that talks to implementing <a href="http://thereforests.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-need-for-flexibility.html" target="_blank">Strategic Flexibility</a> would be of interest to you.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9satZSt5ikS9FllACqpWYHPAoqvMCY4kYeq2XXEd_hoTzh8mtW43sdMsw6j4y3RttYAxYSMOAAJ0NJQ9HIXUS-SN1M0O-o_LaiUDJYI9hpptuTInnXAvjHe0ILS_8OgHjFUJfVeSolPqt/s1600/Slide10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="1202" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9satZSt5ikS9FllACqpWYHPAoqvMCY4kYeq2XXEd_hoTzh8mtW43sdMsw6j4y3RttYAxYSMOAAJ0NJQ9HIXUS-SN1M0O-o_LaiUDJYI9hpptuTInnXAvjHe0ILS_8OgHjFUJfVeSolPqt/s320/Slide10.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-40148028247724139882015-02-14T23:10:00.000-08:002018-11-15T08:53:40.672-08:00Therefore BPMS … Building Bridges, Supercharging Delivery<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Therefore BPMS application drives the efficient execution of tasks and resolution of queries. It does this by giving your team a common platform that allows them to work together to deliver value.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />The most powerful metaphor that we could think of when developing the marketing content for the Therefore BPMS was that of the bridge.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bridges link locations, reduce transit times, unlock opportunities for trade, and often allow for a greater degree of social interaction between communities. In essence, bridges are “enablers” that release value that would have otherwise remained unrealised. Similarly, the Therefore BPMS builds bridges between your staff with a view to optimising the ease with which they are able to perform tasks and resolve queries, the ultimate objective being to add customer value.<br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">During the
course of our research into the bridge metaphor, we came across some
pretty remarkable bridges. This article has been written to share our
journey with you.</span></span> </span></span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tower Bridge</span></span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqO9O2Er4pMGlh8XDP4sgjc8gjklCsmn1wf1-M9MkBqV7EUUPiQCRRdYxMEf_itwUhdFmXLeQN-59v47P9NyNGDqQRGtMovLXmJVxST5M0JVLyhUrFhw6jV7yJPs-1b3-ZvMtpPAK5zsvR/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqO9O2Er4pMGlh8XDP4sgjc8gjklCsmn1wf1-M9MkBqV7EUUPiQCRRdYxMEf_itwUhdFmXLeQN-59v47P9NyNGDqQRGtMovLXmJVxST5M0JVLyhUrFhw6jV7yJPs-1b3-ZvMtpPAK5zsvR/s1600/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tower Bridge, built between 1886 and 1894, is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London which crosses the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name, and has become an iconic symbol of London.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The bridge consists of two towers tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways, designed to withstand the horizontal forces exerted by the suspended sections of the bridge on the landward sides of the towers. The vertical component of the forces in the suspended sections and the vertical reactions of the two walkways are carried by the two robust towers.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The bascule pivots and operating machinery are housed in the base of each tower. The bridge's present colour scheme dates from 1977, when it was painted red, white and blue for Queen Elizabeth II's silver jubilee.</span></span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sydney Harbour Bridge</span></span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CASwxRaKEL6LIw11Ggh_GtRKr9mhfOnzhItNrYKFdnxU02tytEda5ymvto7mWfLWnYl4Bkx1XoKEL-LwcQsOSriSGCo98f02V5Ny96ftRUjTfLR_TRUH5WSwIMDOnj4C3mpn9vibm2hP/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CASwxRaKEL6LIw11Ggh_GtRKr9mhfOnzhItNrYKFdnxU02tytEda5ymvto7mWfLWnYl4Bkx1XoKEL-LwcQsOSriSGCo98f02V5Ny96ftRUjTfLR_TRUH5WSwIMDOnj4C3mpn9vibm2hP/s1600/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a “steel through arch” bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney CBD and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic image of both Sydney and Australia. The bridge is nicknamed "the coat hanger" because of its arch-based design.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The bridge was designed and built by British firm Dorman Long and Co Ltd of Middlesbrough and opened in 1932.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The bridge's design was influenced by the Hell Gate Bridge in New York City. It is the sixth longest spanning-arch bridge in the world. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the tallest steel arch bridge in the world, measuring some 134m (440ft) from its top to water level.</span></span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nelson Mandela Bridge</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Nelson Mandela Bridge, completed in 2003, is a bridge in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was built to link the Braamfontein and Newtown business areas as well as to rejuvenate and modernise the Johannesburg inner city. The bridge was constructed over 42 railway lines, without disturbing railway traffic. It is 284m in length.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The bridge’s two pylons, North and South, are 42m and 27m high respectively. To reduce the weight of the bridge, it was built using a steel structure with a concrete composite deck. The bridge consists of two lanes and has pedestrian walk-ways on either side to accommodate foot traffic.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The bridge's lighting was upgraded for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The new LED lighting technology allows for the changing of the colour of the light, thereby creating a light show at night.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A bridge linking Braamfontein to the Newtown precinct was first mooted by Steve Thorne and Gordon Gibson in 1993 in their urban design study of the Johannesburg Inner City. Their study suggested that the bridge be called the Nelson Mandela Bridge in recognition of the role that he played in bridging the various peoples of South Africa and thereby uniting South African society.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Millau Viaduct Bridge</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Millau Viaduct Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that spans the valley of the River Tarn near Millau in southern France.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Designed by the French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and British architect Norman Foster, it is the tallest bridge in the world with one mast's summit at 343m (1,125ft) above the base of the structure. It is the 12th highest bridge deck in the world, being 270m (890ft) between the road deck and the ground below. The Millau Viaduct Bridge is part of the A75-A71 autoroute axis from Paris to Béziers and Montpellier. Construction cost was approximately €400 million. It was formally inaugurated on 14 December 2004, and opened to traffic on 16 December. The bridge has been consistently ranked as one of the great engineering achievements of all time. The bridge received the 2006 International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering Outstanding Structure Award.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Great Belt Bridge</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Great Belt Bridge runs between the Danish islands of Zealand (Copenhagen is partly on its eastern shore) and Funen (Odense is the main city). It consists of three structures: a road suspension bridge and a railway tunnel between Zealand and the small island Sprogø located in the middle of the Great Belt and a box girder bridge for both road and rail traffic between Sprogø and Funen. The "Great Belt Bridge" commonly refers to the suspension bridge, although it may also be used to mean the box-girder bridge or the link in its entirety. The suspension bridge, officially known as the East Bridge, has the world's third longest main span (1.6km), the longest outside of Asia. It was designed by the Danish engineering firm COWI.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The link replaced the ferry service that had been the primary means of crossing the Great Belt. After more than five decades of speculation and debate, the decision to construct the link was made in 1986; the original intent was to complete the railway link three years before opening the road connection, but the link opened to rail traffic in 1997 and road traffic in 1998. At an estimated cost of DKK 21.4 billion (1988 prices), the link is the largest construction project in Danish history.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The link has reduced travel times significantly; previously taking about an hour by ferry, the Great Belt can now be crossed in about ten minutes. The construction of the link and the Øresund Bridge has enabled driving from mainland Europe to Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia through Denmark.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Golden Gate Bridge</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate strait, the mile-wide, three-mile-long channel between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to Marin County, bridging both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1 across the strait. The bridge is one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco, California, and the United States. It has been declared one of the Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Frommers travel guide considers the Golden Gate Bridge "possibly the most beautiful, certainly the most photographed bridge in the world". It opened in 1937 and was, until 1964, the longest suspension bridge main span in the world at 1,300m (4,200ft).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Charles Bridge</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Charles Bridge is a famous historic bridge that crosses the Vltava River in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of the 15th century. The bridge replaced the old Judith Bridge (built 1158 – 1172) that had been badly damaged by a flood in 1342. This new bridge was originally called the Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) or the Prague Bridge (Pražský most) but has been the "Charles Bridge" since 1870. As the only means of crossing the river Vltava (Moldau) until 1841, the Charles Bridge was the most important connection between Prague Castle and the city's Old Town and adjacent areas. This "solid-land" connection made Prague important as a trade route between Eastern and Western Europe.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The bridge is 621 m long and nearly 10 m wide, resting on 16 arches shielded by ice guards. It is protected by three bridge towers, two of them on the Lesser Quarter side and the third one on the Old Town side. The Old Town bridge tower is often considered to be one of the most astonishing civil gothic-style buildings in the world. The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, originally erected around 1700 but now all replaced by replicas.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Brooklyn Bridge</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed / suspension bridge in New York City and is one of the oldest bridges of either type in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. It has a main span of 486m (1,595ft) and was the first steel-wire suspension bridge constructed. It was originally referred to as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge and as the East River Bridge, but it was later dubbed the Brooklyn Bridge and formally so named by the city government in 1915. Since its opening, it has become an icon of New York City. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1972.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Akashi Kaikyō Bridge</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, also known as the Pearl Bridge, links the city of Kobe on the mainland of Honshu to Iwaya on Awaji Island, in Japan. Completed in 1998, it crosses the busy Akashi Strait and carries part of the Honshu-Shikoku Highway.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge has the longest central span of any suspension bridge in the world, at 1,991m (6,532ft).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It is one of the key links of the Honshū-Shikoku Bridge Project, which created three routes across the Inland Sea. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Storms River Bridge</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Paul Sauer Bridge, also known as the Storms River Bridge, is a concrete arch bridge over the Storms River in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. It carries road traffic for the N2 national highway. The Paul Sauer or Storms River Bridge was built between 1953 and 1956. It was designed by Italian engineer Riccardo Morandi. The bridge spans 100m (328ft) and sits 120m (394ft) above the river.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The main arch structure was constructed in a unique fashion. The halves of the arch were built with climbing formworks in an essentially vertical position on opposite sides of the river canyon. They were then rotated and lowered into position to meet at the centre, thus forming the completed arch structure.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Located on the beautiful Garden Route N2, between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth (160km in length), it was initially the highest concrete arch in Africa. It lost this record in 1984 to the Bloukrans Bridge.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Revised: 15 November 2018</b></span> </span></span>Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-55192545229291101502015-02-10T00:06:00.000-08:002018-11-17T01:57:03.965-08:00The Capacity Crunch … Things we learn from Eskom<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of late, there has been a lot of candle lit dinner table conversation about “capacity management”, largely driven by Eskom’s imposition of load shedding. Eskom's current predicament is very clearly the consequence of them having performed capacity management rather poorly for an extended period of time. Talk has it that we are on the brink of experiencing similar problems with water provision. The sobering thought is that it’s not just governments and parastatals that struggle to manage capacity … the private sector routinely gets it wrong too.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Capacity is typically seen as a strategic enabler. You develop a strategy, the strategy has growth targets and you develop enough capacity to be in a position to support the strategy with a view to realising its growth targets. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The reality is that the management of capacity is typically hard work. There are two aspects to the exercise – <b>maintain your existing capacity</b> and <b>develop new capacity</b>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Maintaining existing capacity</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">To return to the Eskom example, it is very clear that they have failed spectacularly to maintain their existing fleet of power stations. Lately, the portion of their fleet that is offline due to unscheduled maintenance exceeds the portion that is offline for scheduled maintenance, by a factor or two or three … a sure sign that they are losing the maintenance war. Eskom have recently admitted that they have neglected the performance of routine maintenance since 2010, apparently as a consequence of the 2010 Soccer World Cup. What can we learn from the Eskom debacle regarding the management of existing capacity? Some ideas follow:</span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The management of existing capacity is a long term commitment.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You can’t afford to take a breather when it comes to managing existing capacity. There is no such a thing as a “cost holiday”.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you have taken a “cost holiday”, my deepest condolences. You will pay for it dearly at a later stage.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The management of exiting capacity requires discipline, skill and needs to be driven from the top. If you don’t have the appropriate human asset, set about growing it or employing it.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The management of existing capacity requires financial resource. Cutting back on routine maintenance because you “can’t afford it” is not smart poker, as the good folks at Eskom have found.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The management of existing capacity requires a continued and disciplined focus on quality and root cause analysis.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you have neglected routine maintenance for a long time, it is going to take you a long time to turn the ship around. In short, if it took you five years to break it, you can expect to take five years to fix it.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Don’t neglect to perform routine maintenance on your existing capacity because you have been seduced by the excitement of new capacity build initiatives.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you can’t afford to maintain your existing capacity, you can’t afford to pay big bonuses. </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Developing new capacity</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Talk has it that Eskom had presented demand projections and plans for the development of new capacity to the Government in good time. Unfortunately, the Government hadn’t settled their policy framework for power, and as a consequence were unable to provide Eskom with the requisite go ahead until it was too late. What can we learn from Eskom’s new capacity build efforts? Some ideas follow:</span></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The delay in initiating the build of new power stations was a consequence of the Government not having strategic clarity on how it wanted to handle power generation going forward. While the Government was squabbling about the “privatise vs continued State monopoly” issue, precious time was being lost. Strategic clarity and Board commitment to the management of capacity is a key success factor … and the Government failed on both counts.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">New capacity development takes time. If poor strategy and / or planning have put you in a position where you need to bring new capacity on-stream in a shorter period of time, you generally land up paying more or compromising on quality. Oddly enough, in the case of Eskom, it looks like they may well land up both paying more AND compromising on quality … which points to poor leadership. The bottom line is that it’s not smart to start late! Check out the “<a href="http://thereforests.blogspot.com/2013/11/whats-in-name-good-cheap-fast-pick-two.html" target="_blank">Good, Cheap and Fast</a>” blog article for some background reading on this principle.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">New capacity development planning and execution must continually be performed across the short, medium and long term planning horizons.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Successful capacity development requires the delivery of capacity that is workable, on time and within budget. The Eskom new power plant builds are overrunning, both with respect to cost and time. Further, there has been some question about the quality of the new plants that are being built. It’s perhaps best not to reward performance of this nature with bonuses as it encourages the type of practices that you would rather do without.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Once again, the development of new capacity requires depth of skill and effective management. If you don’t have the appropriate human asset … set about growing it or employing it.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s not smart to finance the building of new capacity by cutting down maintenance spend on your existing capacity.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Large projects such as power plant builds tend to be hotbeds for corruption. Professional procurement contextualised by a solid value system is essential, particularly when your shareholder is the taxpayer. For example, clean procurement practices would never have allowed the Chancellor House / Hitachi issue to have arisen. It seems somewhat perverse that the ANC should both be ultimately responsible for the power crisis and be profiting from it. </span></span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When it goes wrong </span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When it comes to capacity, it’s fair to say that it’s easy to sell into surplus capacity, but it’s pretty tough to sell into undeveloped capacity.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Surprisingly, the new democratic dispensation inherited an excess of power capacity when they came into power. They did the right thing … they rolled power out to the previously disenfranchised. In business speak; they sold into the surplus capacity and they did so for in excess of 10 years. The problem arose when they were called upon to lead the development of new capacity. Sadly, capacity development simply wasn’t centre stage on their strategy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The consequence of the Eskom debacle has been massive for South Africa. Although it’s very difficult to quantify the impact of the power crisis, conservative estimates suggest that GDP growth has been held back by somewhere between 30 and 60 basis points per annum by Eskom’s inability to keep the lights on. South Africa’s GDP would have been somewhere between 2.1% and 4.2% bigger right now if we had not run into a capacity crunch back in 2008. That translates into a lot of lost jobs for people that desperately need them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What do we learn?</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Capacity is the life force behind any organization. It is capacity that allows for the provision of goods and services to market and its often capacity that stands against you meeting your growth targets. In short … it’s the engine room behind what your business does. Take it for granted to your own detriment. Capacity management must be a key accountability of your Operations Team and should be in direct line of sight for your CEO.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Making the wrong capacity decisions for the sake of your next set of results will come back to haunt you in the medium to long terms. It is NOT in the best interests of your shareholders and it’s NOT sustainable. Don’t do it! Trust me … it’s not a good idea.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Your capacity is as strong as its weakest link. You should be continually monitoring for areas where your capacity is failure prone, performing root cause analysis and implementing corrective action. Focus on ensuring that your capacity is as robust and efficient as possible. Performing routine preventative maintenance is a far better option than living in a world where you are continually chasing around after the next </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“out of the blue”</span></span> breakdown.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Treat your capacity well … and it will reciprocate. The alternative also applies.</span></span><br />
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<br />Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-47330847407727492012015-01-10T09:31:00.000-08:002015-02-04T21:43:01.442-08:00Great leadership quotations<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there. ~ John P. Kotter</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing. ~ Albert Schweitzer</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. ~ Warren Bennis</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. ~ Jack Welch</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. ~ Ralph Nader </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others. ~ Bill Gates</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The best CEOs I know are teachers, and at the core of what they teach is strategy. ~ Michael Porter</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A
leader focuses on shaping tomorrow. There is little or nothing you can do
about yesterday. Learn from it but don’t waste a moment on it. Get on with
tomorrow. ~ Jack Welch</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Servant
leadership is the only leadership that ultimately works. ~ Dave Ramsey</span></span></span></div>
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Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-73377600865402817762014-12-26T22:22:00.000-08:002014-12-27T21:46:36.664-08:00Great innovation quotations<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you look at history, innovation doesn't come from just giving people incentives; it comes from creating environments where ideas can connect. ~ Steven Johnson</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. ~ Steve Jobs</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The enterprise that does not innovate inevitably ages and declines. And in a period of rapid change such as the present … the decline will be fast. ~ Peter Drucker </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most of us understand that innovation is enormously important. It's the only insurance against irrelevance. It's the only guarantee of long-term customer loyalty. It's the only strategy for out-performing a dismal economy. ~ Gary Hamel</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Regular brainstorming is as critical to an organization as regular exercise is to your health. It creates a responsive, innovative culture. ~ Tom Kelley</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Innovation is hard because "solving problems people didn't know they had" and "building something no one needs" looks identical at first. ~ Aaron Levie</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span>Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-8196749418216465562014-12-21T22:28:00.000-08:002019-02-22T21:52:21.696-08:00Great Michael Porter Strategy Quotations<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do. ~ Michael Porter</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The company without a strategy is willing to try anything. ~ Michael Porter</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The best CEOs I know are teachers, and at the core of what they teach is strategy. ~ Michael Porter</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sound strategy starts with having the right goal. ~ Michael Porter</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So companies have to be very schizophrenic. On one hand, they have to maintain continuity of strategy. But they also have to be good at continuously improving. ~ Michael Porter</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it's about deliberately choosing to be different. ~ Michael Porter</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Strategy 101 is about choices: You can't be all things to all people. ~ Michael Porter</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Winning through distinctive choices is the always-and-forever job of every strategist. ~ Michael Porter</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQE6-WX1sTmw79m2Upm4IxPIiax07xOEvHiuzs9kCRD06WzeFg7jN1g9AuS3_Y3d4jkiy79ISNFP8y690j8i86iFHeHrVW8yWg9wzHRjnJWz0CgEHCtTvoKdcmwlh8SJkAx-nn30oHH4s/s1600/35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQE6-WX1sTmw79m2Upm4IxPIiax07xOEvHiuzs9kCRD06WzeFg7jN1g9AuS3_Y3d4jkiy79ISNFP8y690j8i86iFHeHrVW8yWg9wzHRjnJWz0CgEHCtTvoKdcmwlh8SJkAx-nn30oHH4s/s1600/35.jpg" width="320" /></a>Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-42751482251887741172014-12-12T23:46:00.000-08:002018-08-03T23:11:29.106-07:00Great Jack Welch Strategy & Leadership Quotations<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete. ~ Jack Welch</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In real life, strategy is actually very straightforward. You pick a general direction and implement like hell. ~ Jack Welch</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Shareholder value is a result, not a strategy. ~ Jack Welch</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Change before you have to. ~ Jack Welch</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before you are a leader success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. ~ Jack Welch</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A leader focuses on shaping tomorrow. There is little or nothing you can do about yesterday. Learn from it but don’t waste a moment on it. Get on with tomorrow. ~ Jack Welch</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near. ~ Jack Welch</span></span><br />
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Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-89510532332362567272014-12-06T20:40:00.000-08:002020-03-27T03:47:54.070-07:00Therefore's most popular blog articles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Breaking Silo Mentality</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ask CEOs what the number one innovation killer is and the odds are more than even that the answer will be “silo mentality”. Again, ask them what the biggest reason is for the failure to deliver on strategy and the phrase “silo mentality” is likely to turn up again ...</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><a href="http://thereforests.blogspot.com/2013/09/breaking-silo-mentality.html"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Click to read</span></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Great innovation quotations</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Great innovation quotations" says it all ... <a href="http://thereforests.blogspot.co.za/2014/12/great-innovation-quotations.html" target="_blank">Click to read</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Is poor service your Customer’s fault?</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some
time ago a blog article caught my attention. The gist of the article
was that if you are receiving poor Customer service, it may well be that
you are simply a bad Customer. Initially I was a little irritated by
the thought, but after thinking it through, I decided that aspects of
the argument hold true ... <a href="http://thereforests.blogspot.com/2013/09/is-poor-service-your-customers-fault.html">Click to read</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If everyone is accountable ... no one is accountable</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Disclaimer:
- I am in no way responsible for the content of this article. Any
errors, exaggerations or omissions are someone else’s fault. In fact … I
deny having written it.</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><u> </u></span>Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about accountability ... <a href="http://thereforests.blogspot.co.za/2013/10/if-everyone-is-accountable-no-one-is.html">Click to read</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If the writing is on the wall … read it!</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I have of late been reading the Neil Young autobiography - Waging Heavy Peace. As a heads up, if you are a Neil Young fan, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable read. In Waging Heavy Peace, Young raises the impact that the introduction of the MP3 format has had on the music industry. Coupled with the Internet as a distribution model, the MP3 format has seen the music industry literally fall off a cliff ... <a href="http://thereforests.blogspot.com/2013/08/if-writing-is-on-wall-read-it.html" target="">Click to read</a> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Clem Sunter's 21st Century Megatrends</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now that we are entering the fourteenth year of the current century, some of the megatrends shaping this century have become evident. As a 21st century fox, here is my top 10 list bearing in mind that these megatrends will apply for all global economic and political scenarios. In other words, they are universal rules of the game, not variables that may or may not come into play depending on which scenario you choose. I have also run them by my fellow fox, Chantell Ilbury ... <a href="http://thereforests.blogspot.com/2013/01/21st-century-megatrends.html">Click to read</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The power of evolution & a picture that tells a story </span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We are firm believers that there are two ways of achieving anything – by evolution, or by revolution. The notion of evolution is of particular interest to the Therefore Team. In short, we believe that small tweaks can add up to a huge impact, if the tweaks are oriented towards a clear strategic vision. The trick is the strategic vision. Without it, the small tweaks are pretty much guaranteed to take you nowhere in particular. They will, however, keep you busy ... <a href="http://thereforests.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-power-of-evolution-and-picture-that.html">Click to read</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What's in a name? Good, Cheap and Fast</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Consider
a triangle with three corners. Draw a dot on each corner … and you have
the Therefore symbol, assuming that you have one dot at the top and two
dots below it. Interestingly enough … turn the Therefore symbol on its
head … and you get the symbol for Because. Now, let’s give the dots
names … <i>Good</i>, <i>Cheap </i>and <i>Fast</i> ... <a href="http://thereforests.blogspot.co.za/2013/11/whats-in-name-good-cheap-fast-pick-two.html" target="_blank">Click to read</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Great leadership quotations</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Great leadership quotations" says it all ... <a href="http://thereforests.blogspot.com/2014/12/great-leadership-quotations.html">Click to read</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Art and Science of an Elevator Pitch</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">An
elevator pitch is a short / precise overview of your business and its
products and / or services, typically prepared as a sales tool. It’s
imperative that you have a well-rehearsed elevator pitch ready for when
opportunity strikes. An elevator pitch can be one of most powerful
weapons in your sales arsenal and it costs you virtually nothing to
prepare one ... <a href="https://thereforests.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-art-and-science-of-elevator-pitch.html" target="_blank">Click to read</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Updated: 27 March 2020</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbXMklEgipQ7ZT-qknC_VmYb-6s6GzSS8sB11uJ0g-L5C6x8Nf_WuVX4G-2IyMVQs7roZmubC_Pw_liBWjb1p6Y9qMuK3UruQh8BVlT3fSY4pP1ahdB2G2T62gzd2-ii7wYzYyAxYJhn3/s1600/Slide111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="1202" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbXMklEgipQ7ZT-qknC_VmYb-6s6GzSS8sB11uJ0g-L5C6x8Nf_WuVX4G-2IyMVQs7roZmubC_Pw_liBWjb1p6Y9qMuK3UruQh8BVlT3fSY4pP1ahdB2G2T62gzd2-ii7wYzYyAxYJhn3/s320/Slide111.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span>Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-27215827089738498072014-11-29T21:22:00.001-08:002014-11-30T08:57:35.566-08:00Great Strategy quotes ... with a few on Leadership & Innovation for good measure <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. ~ Warren Bennis</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. ~ John Powell</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Trying to do what your competitors are doing but basically a little bit better is probably not going to be the winning strategy. The problem is finding what your competitors wouldn't even consider doing. ~ Jamais Cascio</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We need to stop thinking about infrastructure as an economic stimulant and start thinking about it as a strategy. Economic stimulants produce Bridges to Nowhere. Strategic investment in infrastructure produces a foundation for long-term growth. ~ Roger McNamee</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The company without a strategy is willing to try anything. ~ Michael Porter</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Success doesn't necessarily come from breakthrough innovation but from flawless execution. A great strategy alone won't win a game or a battle; the win comes from basic blocking and tackling. ~ Naveen Jain</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most of us understand that innovation is enormously important. It's the only insurance against irrelevance. It's the only guarantee of long-term customer loyalty. It's the only strategy for out-performing a dismal economy. ~ Gary Hamel</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Innovation is hard because "solving problems people didn’t know they had" and "building something no one needs" looks identical at first. ~ Aaron Levie</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sound strategy starts with having the right goal. ~ Michael Porter</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Living in the past is a Jethro Tull album, not smart poker. ~ Richard Roeper</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What do you want to achieve or avoid? The answers to this question are objectives. How will you go about achieving your desire results? The answer to this you can call strategy. ~ William E. Rothschild</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So companies have to be very schizophrenic. On one hand, they have to maintain continuity of strategy. But they also have to be good at continuously improving. ~ Michael Porter</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">80-90% of strategy is not about us; it's about figuring out what way the market is going. ~ Richard Fairbank</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near. ~ Jack Welch</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Strategy Execution is the responsibility that makes or breaks executives. ~ Alan Branche and Sam Bodley-Scott</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Creative without strategy is called "art." Creative with strategy is called "advertising." ~ Jef I. Richards</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wishing is not a #Strategy. ~ Seth Godin</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A strategist’s job is to see the company not as it is, but as it can become. ~ John W. Teets</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We build too many walls and not enough bridges. ~ Sir Isaac Newton.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A leader focuses on shaping tomorrow. There is little or nothing you can do about yesterday. Learn from it but don’t waste a moment on it. Get on with tomorrow. ~ Jack Welch</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The way you treat your employees is the way they will treat their customers ~ Richard Branson<br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you look at the various strategies available for dealing with a new technology, sticking your head in the sand is not the most plausible strategy. ~ Ralph Merkle</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The best CEOs I know are teachers, and at the core of what they teach is strategy. ~ Michael Porter</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before you are a leader success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. ~ Jack Welch</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hope is not a strategy. Fear is not an option. ~James Cameron</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all. ~ Peter Drucker</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing. ~ Albert Schweitzer</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Complexity is your enemy. Any fool can make something complicated. It is hard to make something simple. ~ Richard Branson</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there. ~ John P. Kotter</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I believe that people make their own luck by great preparation and good strategy. ~ Jack Canfield</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat. ~ Sun Tzu</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Strategy is not the consequence of planning, but the opposite: its starting point. ~ Henry Mintzberg</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Companies that grow for the sake of growth or that expand into areas outside their core business strategy often stumble. On the other hand, companies that build scale for the benefit of their customers and shareholders more often succeed over time. ~ Jamie Dimon</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. ~ Albert Einstein</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In marketing I've seen only one strategy that can't miss - and that is to market to your best customers first, your best prospects second and the rest of the world last. ~ John Romero</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it's about deliberately choosing to be different. ~ Michael Porter</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Strategy is buying a bottle of fine wine when you take a lady out for dinner. Tactics is getting her to drink it. ~ Frank Muir</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Change before you have to. ~ Jack Welch</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. ~ Albert Einstein</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Strategy 101 is about choices: You can't be all things to all people. ~ Michael Porter</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you look at history, innovation doesn't come from just giving people incentives; it comes from creating environments where ideas can connect. ~ Steven Johnson</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A goal properly set is halfway reached. ~ Zig Ziglar </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />It always seems impossible until it's done. ~ Nelson Mandela </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. ~ Bill Gates </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />If you can't fly, then run, if you can't run, then walk, if you can't walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward. ~ Martin Luther King Jr. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs. ~ Henry Ford. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Think about big things while you’re doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction. ~ Alvin Toffler </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Execution is the ability to mesh strategy with reality, align people with goals and achieve the promised results. ~ Larry Bossidy </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Your strategy for success must constantly move, change and evolve. ~ Zaid K Abdelnour </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Building a visionary company requires one percent vision and 99 percent alignment. ~ Jim Collins and Jerry Porras </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Shareholder value is a result, not a strategy". ~ Jack Welch </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Obsessively specialise. No niche is too small if it's yours. ~ Seth Godin </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. ~ Steve Jobs </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all. ~ Michael LeBoeuf </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Talent is the No. 1 priority for a CEO. You think it's about vision and strategy, but you have to get the right people first. ~ Andrea Jung </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Worse than failure is succeeding at something that doesn't matter. ~ Jesse Lyn Stoner </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />In real life, strategy is actually very straightforward. You pick a general direction and implement like hell. ~ Jack Welch </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />You have to be fast on your feet and adaptive or else a strategy is useless. ~ Charles de Gaulle </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />We need to stop thinking about infrastructure as an economic stimulant and start thinking about it as a strategy. Economic stimulants produce Bridges to Nowhere. Strategic investment in infrastructure produces a foundation for long-term growth. ~ Roger McNamee </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Execute! Get your people to execute! ~ Sam Geist </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The enterprise that does not innovate inevitably ages and declines. And in a period of rapid change such as the present … the decline will be fast. ~ Peter F. Drucker </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The secret of success is finding good people. ~ Richard Branson </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Strategy, without information upon which it can rely, is helpless. ~ William J. Donovan </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Winning through distinctive choices is the always-and-forever job of every strategist. ~ Michael Porter </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Whether you think you can, or you think you can't - you're right. ~ Henry Ford </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results. ~ Winston Churchill </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. ~ Bill Cosby </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The biggest risk is not taking any risk... In a world that is changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks. ~ Mark Zuckerberg</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Execution IS strategy. ~ Fred Malek </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Regular brainstorming is as critical to an organization as regular exercise is to your health. It creates a responsive, innovative culture. ~ Tom Kelley </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The essence of #Strategy is choosing what not to do. ~ Michael Porter </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Strategy is buying a bottle of fine wine when you take a lady out for dinner. Tactics is getting her to drink it. ~ Frank Muir </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgBLT-BOcXxM6aAyJeJHkYJ8grZaDDNpIKPFdDvFKIE7ZVkOh67W5GpxbtDc8w92ck6K5dQao4Xuj_w1Etf8-nofRRglPShpP3UvIXHjJNxbZFTm1QTiuiSFzckS4vBZnGbXHntjZUhQV/s1600/323.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgBLT-BOcXxM6aAyJeJHkYJ8grZaDDNpIKPFdDvFKIE7ZVkOh67W5GpxbtDc8w92ck6K5dQao4Xuj_w1Etf8-nofRRglPShpP3UvIXHjJNxbZFTm1QTiuiSFzckS4vBZnGbXHntjZUhQV/s1600/323.jpg" height="200" width="400" /></a> </span></span>Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-83478479785781264032013-11-22T02:41:00.003-08:002020-12-05T23:21:51.783-08:00The power of evolution & a picture that tells a story<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">We are firm believers that there are two ways of achieving anything – by evolution, or by revolution. The notion of evolution is of particular interest to the Therefore Team. In short, we believe that small tweaks can add up to a huge impact, if the tweaks are oriented towards a clear strategic vision. The trick is the strategic vision. Without it, the small tweaks are pretty much guaranteed to take you nowhere in particular. They will, however, keep you busy!</span></span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Before we started developing the Therefore Business Process Management Suite (BPMS) we spent a lot of time defining a clear strategic vision for the product. The initial release was undoubtedly revolutionary … but the real magic has been what we achieved after the initial release, through the power of evolution.</span></span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">We have been taking market feedback for a period of some 14 years and using it to drive a continual cycle of refinement. Every week we make between 10 and 20 small refinements to the Therefore BPM Suite. In a year that amounts to about 780 refinements. The Therefore BPMS has been under continual refinement for the last 14 years, which translates into some 10,920 refinements. What would you expect if you refined something 10,920 times? Trust me, the impact is huge … but it requires commitment and a clear strategic vision.</span></span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">The bottom line … when it comes to bringing life to your strategic vision, don’t forget to bring well oriented tweaks into the mix. Make the principle of “a well oriented tweak” a part of your strategic conversation and corporate culture. Not easy I know, but perhaps it starts with you!</span></span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Now for something slightly different, but stick with me … it will make sense.</span></span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Over the years there have been a myriad of questions regarding the Therefore logo and, true to form, we have been very cagey on giving away too much detail. Perhaps it’s time for a clue.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9g-0mdRpRVYq2dXxuB2LL-YodB1ArlJuvne7Lt1VVMItkjLdAf-hahBbTgEgRp4xHNMiQX9ECU2EkxMf8Gq_sXOEklpWkSR-K1m1-G-DrX_66vw9SY8BbpuA8JN13x1JDuaXJEKHmFKU/s1600/BlogBanner.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9g-0mdRpRVYq2dXxuB2LL-YodB1ArlJuvne7Lt1VVMItkjLdAf-hahBbTgEgRp4xHNMiQX9ECU2EkxMf8Gq_sXOEklpWkSR-K1m1-G-DrX_66vw9SY8BbpuA8JN13x1JDuaXJEKHmFKU/s400/BlogBanner.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">If you look at the Therefore logo, it implies a process of invention and refinement – a journey of discovery. You can almost see it come to life. The logo talks to our commitment to the belief that small refinements made within the context of a clear strategic vision unlock significant value.</span></span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">We would like to accompany you on your journey of discovery. </span></span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Updated: 6 December 2020</span></span></span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span> </span></span>Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-32839916211087826362013-11-12T07:55:00.001-08:002014-07-12T09:05:32.394-07:00What’s in a name? Good, Cheap & Fast. Pick two.<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some time ago, I wrote a blog article that gave a small clue to why we called our business <b>Therefore</b> Strategic Technology Services (<a href="http://thereforests.blogspot.com/2012/12/whats-in-name-we-are-frequently-asked.html">What's in a name?</a>). At the time, the question was answered in the most cryptic of terms … and we are still not going to give the full secret away. None the less, provided below is the second clue to how the name <b>Therefore</b> was settled upon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Holy Triangle</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Consider a triangle with three corners. Draw a dot on each corner … and you have the <b>Therefore </b>symbol, assuming that you have one dot at the top and two dots below it. Interestingly enough … turn the <b>Therefore </b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">symbol </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">on its head … and you get the symbol for <b>Because</b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, let’s give the dots names … <i>Good</i>, <i>Cheap </i>and <i>Fast</i>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzj1d9jyUHcd9zNDSCfv2ZGU-yAans6hx-0UhTW3Rx75vBS69u2vTHsypg3Sq15MJjiXHX6vBUh-RI0xAl-JxmWbk9cGOHEa6aFY2NS5cHdcA0arFJG3A4Ij5xZ_tWOOcNtg7vuDdG94bF/s1600/Therefore3Dots.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzj1d9jyUHcd9zNDSCfv2ZGU-yAans6hx-0UhTW3Rx75vBS69u2vTHsypg3Sq15MJjiXHX6vBUh-RI0xAl-JxmWbk9cGOHEa6aFY2NS5cHdcA0arFJG3A4Ij5xZ_tWOOcNtg7vuDdG94bF/s1600/Therefore3Dots.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The rules of the game are simple. You can only ever touch two of the three points. So, if you select “Good” and “Cheap” … you can’t have “Fast”. Similarly, if you select “Cheap” and “Fast” … you have to give up on “Good”. Finally, “Good” and “Fast” are certainly not going to add up to “Cheap”.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This principle is referred to as the “Holy Triangle”. When creating a project charter, you need to consciously select two out of the three options, as dictated by the strategic position that the project plays in your environment. Sadly, you can't have it all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The image below is often used to portray the “Holy Triangle”. Interestingly enough, you may be able to draw it … but it would be impossible to model it in the real world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you look at it carefully, there are three possible outcomes when you make your “Good”, “Cheap” and “Fast” selection.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You choose ... Good + Fast = Expensive</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Your Team says ... Choose “Good” and “Fast” and we will postpone every other job, cancel all appointments and stay up 25 hours a day to get the job done. But, don't expect it to be cheap.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You choose ... Good + Cheap = Slow</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Your Team says ... Choose “Good” and “Cheap” and we will do a great job for a great price, but you may need to find a bit of patience.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You choose ... Fast + Cheap = Inferior</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Your Team says ... Choose “Fast” and “Cheap” and expect an inferior job delivered on time. The “Inferior” option is not a recommended position, and the Therefore Team are unfortunately not available to assist.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now back to Therefore …</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By now you would have guessed that the Therefore Team feel strongly about optimising your use of resource, both from the perspective of your financial and time resource … and we are aware that the world in which you operate has a scarcity of both. Quality can never be compromised.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The three points contained in the Therefore logo encapsulate this philosophy.</span>Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-62289546406956322872013-10-31T22:50:00.004-07:002014-07-18T23:16:25.941-07:00Communicating strategy … pulling in the same direction<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Strategy ... keep talking </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, you have drafted your strategy. You have broken your strategic themes into a set of tactics. Your tactical layer has in turn been broken down into a series of projects and tasks, all of which have been allocated to those that are accountable for their execution. Now your focus needs to shift to making sure that everyone is on the same page.<br /><br /> This article is intended to provide some pointers to assist you in the development of a plan that will clearly communicate your strategy to your most valuable stakeholder, your employees.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Importance of Communicating Business Strategy</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the most common weaknesses plaguing businesses is a lack of a solid understanding by employees of their company’s strategy. Communicating your strategy to employees is vital to ensuring that each member of your staff is involved and understands the company goals, where your long-term plans will lead and how you intend to get there.<br /><br /> All employees, irrespective of their level within the organization need to be aware that their contribution matters. They need to know that they play a key role in your business’ plans for the future, and they need a clear understanding of what the future will look like so that they can contribute to making the shift. The benefits from a motivational standpoint are self-evident. Perhaps more subtle are the benefits that flow from everyone pulling in the same direction.<br /><br /> Irrespective of how carefully you have documented your strategies, tactics, projects and tasks … it is inevitable that your planning will have gaps in it. It is therefore critical that your strategy execution team has a clear understanding of your strategy to ensure they are able to plug any gaps that they come across in a manner that remains true to your strategic vision.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Building your strategy communication plan</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What follows is a broad framework that you can use as a starting point when drafting your strategy communication plan. Please feel free to feed back to me if you have any ideas that you believe would add value.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By whom</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In most organisations, the CEO is the owner of the strategy plan and keeps a keen eye on its execution. For this reason, it is advised that the CEO personally communicates the ins and outs of your strategy to the employees. If the CEO personally delivers the strategy feedback, it will be apparent to your employees that the issue of strategy is of key importance to the business, given that it is being led from the top.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Interest groups</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are in essence three interest groups when it comes to communicating strategy, <i>those that will be directly involved its execution</i>, <i>general staff</i> and <i>new recruits</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Session types</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For new staff, you should ensure that your new staff induction material carries content that details your long term strategy.<br /><br /> For existing staff, you should schedule three types of sessions … a kick off session, progress update sessions and a close out session. Given the differing content needs of the two interest groups, it is proposed that the three session types be run separately for each interest group.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Kick off session</i></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The kick off session should provide detail of the strategic themes, the thinking that sits behind the strategy as well as your target dates for delivery. You may want to acknowledge the team that will be directly responsible for the execution of your strategy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Progress update sessions</i></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Leadership needs to set aside time to honestly evaluate strategy execution performance. The findings of these reviews need to form the basis for feedback given to the organization.<br /><br /> Progress updates should occur as frequently as practical, ideally monthly, and should detail progress made, team members whose performance has been exemplary, areas where difficulties are being experienced, refinements made to the strategy and performance relative to deadlines.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Close out session</i></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The close out session is there to wrap up and provide detail of your successes, failures, to acknowledge exemplary performance and to detail “lessons learned” during the course of the strategy execution cycle. It is also important to provide detail of your plans for the next strategic cycle at the close out session.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Induction</i></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Including detail of your strategy in your new staff induction process will ensure that your staff are immersed into your strategy from the onset. As previously stated, this will allow new employees to understand that their contribution is of value, irrespective of where they sit in your hierarchy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The contents</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The strategy execution team needs a thorough understanding of the strategy, given that they will need to execute against it. They will need sufficient depth of understanding to allow them to “fill any gaps” that come to light during the course of the execution cycle.<br /><br /> General staff will require a less detailed reading of your strategy. The general staff curriculum should emphasise the fact that each employee plays a key role in your business’ plans for the future, what the future looks like and should provide detail of any “change management” issues that are implicit in your strategy. For general staff communication, keep it real, succinct and understandable.<br /><br /> It is advisable to acknowledge your strategy execution stars as a component of your progress updates. There may even be some merit in establishing a reward structure to reinforce exemplary performance. It stands to reason that performance against the strategy plan should constitute a KPI for the staff that are in your strategy execution team. More detail regarding the strategic alignment of KPIs to follow in a subsequent article.<br /><br /> An item that warrants communication to the strategy execution team is that the CEO is available to the team should they wish to engage in discussion regarding the execution of the strategy. This will make the process of “filling in gaps” far easier for the team and will improve the quality of the finished product. There may well be merit in establishing a Steering Committee to provide a forum for the discussion of all things strategic.<br /><br /> It’s often advisable to give strategies or strategic initiatives names as they concretize the abstract, facilitate strategic conversation and give your team something that they can “hook into”.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The venue</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Take the feedback to where your employees are. This will minimise disruption and lend the interaction a sense of honesty and sincerity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Collateral</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The collateral that you use is up to you, whether it be hand-outs, a PowerPoint presentation, or both, the key is that it needs to be appropriate to your audience.<br /><br /> The execution team should ideally have access to a detailed reference document that they can refer to for context as they execute against the strategy.<br /><br /> My thinking is that collateral on its own is insufficient. You can’t get away from the power of face to face interaction when it comes to putting a message across.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Walk the talk</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is critical that your leadership Team actively leads by example and is seen to be committed to the strategy by way of their actions. “Walking the talk” makes a very powerful statement about your commitment to the message that you have communicated.</span>Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-52722956933331740692013-10-09T08:35:00.001-07:002014-08-01T05:25:16.161-07:00The strategy execution burn points<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdv8Gm_kJygiC5ychyphenhyphenv0pqi__Fc0X19ntXyPbXuY660oMfL9QhaqAdrybW6JgRVd7PUEUZjVmKkY-7I814nbJ4tInnWvMTrSAWzz38t1PII3v4srnK5pefqcDliuwDAYu7su3SWHy6fv6/s1600/THE005+STRATIQ+LOGO+COL%C2%A8LR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdv8Gm_kJygiC5ychyphenhyphenv0pqi__Fc0X19ntXyPbXuY660oMfL9QhaqAdrybW6JgRVd7PUEUZjVmKkY-7I814nbJ4tInnWvMTrSAWzz38t1PII3v4srnK5pefqcDliuwDAYu7su3SWHy6fv6/s200/THE005+STRATIQ+LOGO+COL%C2%A8LR.jpg" height="176" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>The strategy execution tool</b></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let’s face it, failure to implement
business strategy is common, and unimplemented strategy adds no value.
Breakdowns in planning and execution mean that only 50 to 60% of the
value in a strategy plan is ever realised.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Therefore Team have been doing a little bit of digging around to identify the burn points that folks experience when trying to deliver against strategy plans. The Therefore StratIQ™ product has been fine-tuned accordingly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Below are the big ticket items that we have identified. Please drop me a note if there are any burn points that you think that we may have missed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The strategy never got out of the boardroom</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The focus required to drive a strategy is often eroded by the day to day demands of running the business. The result … strategy plans are often destined to see out their days in a filing cabinet and ground covered is frequently coincidental.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A plan is not enough … it requires a framework for delivery</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Success requires planning … and strategy is no exception. Strategy plans tend to be complex and, without an execution management tool, executive teams tend to lose focus, often leading to delivery failure.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you can’t measure, you can’t manage</span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If strategy execution can’t be measured with ease, managing delivery becomes cumbersome and time consuming. The management of strategy execution requires a dashboard and easy access to purpose built reporting.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span>If everyone is accountable, no one is accountable</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Clear lines of accountability are critical to the execution of strategy. Given the complex nature of a strategic plan and the sheer size of the team that is required for its execution, accountability often falls into a grey area, which stands against delivery.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Critical to the management of accountability is the management of deadlines for delivery, and the ability to track performance relative to these deadlines.</span></span><br />
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</span>Delivering across functional silos </span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Silo mentality is often put forward as a key break point for strategy execution. In the absence of an execution tool that is capable of coordinating effort across functional areas, strategy delivery becomes failure-prone.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The ability to support cross functional delivery improves the effectiveness of strategy delivery, makes silos more porous by encouraging strategic conversation and consequently improves company morale. </span></span><br />
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</span>Aligning strategic delivery to KPIs</span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Aligning the delivery of strategic initiatives to your team’s KPIs is often easier said than done. In the absence of a mechanism capable of tracking your staff’s performance relative to their strategic accountabilities, KPI alignment becomes near impossible.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span>Everyone needs to be on the same page</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Communication is one of management’s perennial challenges, and nowhere is clean communication more critical than in the execution of strategy.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />A strategy execution tool needs to provide a single source of strategy performance data, thereby allowing your team to work with “on the same page” clarity.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span>Execution only counts if its quality execution</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When one compares the strategy execution performance of staff, relative to their colleagues, one typically finds that the quality of output is uneven, given differing levels of performance and strategic maturity.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">To guard against substandard delivery it is imperative that a workable review mechanism is in place.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span>Spreadsheet trackers aren’t up to the task</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Spreadsheet based strategy execution trackers may be cheap, but they have too many shortcomings to allow them to be and appropriate tool for measuring, managing and executing strategy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Peter Lever</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">peter@therefore.co.za</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">+27 83 447 4883</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><b>Originally published:</b> 09/10/2013</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><b>Updated:</b> 01/08/2014</span></span></span>Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-73524279904460527262013-10-01T22:12:00.000-07:002013-10-02T03:49:32.920-07:00If everyone is accountable … no one is accountable<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XCIZ5KGtYyX6MgqcBibJuORK0BqGrNSVHeI_g5dicVhOUyzrMF0qhyphenhyphenTjb1izPnzZHGsASfhwAlHb2YIBBm8LAALyCzRDFJjmJTbR4osijQpaESXfUBg7U0IJ9RW-FrvGmWjEo1w9Q78R/s1600/AccountabilityBlog.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XCIZ5KGtYyX6MgqcBibJuORK0BqGrNSVHeI_g5dicVhOUyzrMF0qhyphenhyphenTjb1izPnzZHGsASfhwAlHb2YIBBm8LAALyCzRDFJjmJTbR4osijQpaESXfUBg7U0IJ9RW-FrvGmWjEo1w9Q78R/s200/AccountabilityBlog.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<i><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Disclaimer: - I am in no way responsible for the content of this article. Any errors, exaggerations or omissions are someone else’s fault. In fact … I deny having written it.</span></b></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about accountability.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since the early 90’s, the concept of taking responsibility for mistakes made at work has become somewhat out of vogue. Who remembers Enron, JPMorgan, Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs? There are plenty of examples that are closer to home - Health and Racquet, Fidentia Group, Regal Bank, Aurora Empowerment Systems and Wendy Machanik.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Politicians too seem to have an absolute allergy to assuming accountability. For the sake of neutrality and political expedience I will refrain from mentioning any names … but I am sure that an example or two springs to mind. The bottom line, give me an answer as to who is really accountable for the Nkandla and Gupta International debacles and I am buying the next round of beers. I suspect that it would be easier to distribute school textbooks in Limpopo than it would be to get an honest admission of guilt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This aversion to accountability has literally trickled down from heads of state to the chap that runs the local fruit and veg shop. This fruit and veg may be a bit past it … but hey, that’s how I got it from the market. It’s always the next guy’s problem … and no one is ever accountable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We teach our kids to own up when they've done something wrong, in part so we can trust them. So, it makes sense that the lack of accountability in the workplace has led to a breakdown in trust. I have been doing a bit of digging around regarding the issue of workplace trust and accountability, which I am not going to reference, because … after all, I am not accountable for anything. The long and short of it is that less than a third of employees believe that they can trust management and about a half of employees believe that their companies encourage them to openly admit to their mistakes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you think this is an issue not to be taken seriously, you're wrong. A lack of trust poisons a workplace, and any boss with a modicum of common sense will want employees to feel comfortable to admit to and take accountability for their mistakes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For a workforce to develop a strong sense of accountability, it has to come from the top. Leaders need to speak openly about the importance of accountability and, above all else, hold themselves accountable for their own actions. The message that it’s “OK to make mistakes” must also be put out there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Making mistakes is an important part of growth. For companies that are playing in the innovation space … each mistake is a step towards victory, because they typically arrive with lessons learned. I very much doubt that Thomas Edison’s first light bulb worked. Thankfully, he did not throw in the towel when the first attempt went up in flames. The bottom line … encourage responsible mistake making. After all, it’s easy not to make mistakes, simply don’t do anything. Now that’s an attitude that you don’t want taking root in your organisation. I have an inherent suspicion of anyone that doesn’t make mistakes, because it generally indicates that they are not trying hard enough to make a difference.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why the tirade about accountability you may ask? Well, simply put, to ensure that delivery happens on a reliable basis, the folks that are responsible for that delivery need to be aware that they are accountable for making it happen. There needs to be clear consequences for non-delivery or, for that matter, poor delivery.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My special interest is in the space of strategy delivery. Strategy delivery tends to fall apart in environments where the prevailing culture sees staff not being held accountable for delivery. The trick with delivering on strategy, in any environment, is to break the strategy down into a series of tactics, projects and tasks and to allocate each of them to the party accountable for their delivery. Throw some appropriate measurement mechanisms into the mix, align strategy delivery performance to KPIs and you are more than half way home. The Therefore StratIQ™ tool has been designed to provide exactly this support to your strategy delivery drive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The really good news is there’s a lot you can do about the accountability problem, it doesn't cost money and it feels good. It starts by making a commitment to the fact that ethics are in fact important … and that accountability is a core ethic. It then moves onto acknowledging that it’s OK to make mistakes, as long as they are not perverse or illegal, you learned from them and you were quick to raise your hand when things started going pear shaped. Oh … and don’t forget to share what you have learned from your mistakes.</span>Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-63143188009486102512013-09-26T09:56:00.002-07:002013-09-26T20:35:15.149-07:00Breaking Silo Mentality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6Ipc8xg6kVDw7titougpeO1KyA3fkOOFP5EaZQTKmbRDBB7yfkNLgwY_Hene5OU6XDC3c42P7M3a-65NAfXztY0hz-KtD2ijkUz5ICgrWmHiFjfnGwXRRRlDEr0WBv3lzUzm2S-kPPut/s1600/SiloMentality.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6Ipc8xg6kVDw7titougpeO1KyA3fkOOFP5EaZQTKmbRDBB7yfkNLgwY_Hene5OU6XDC3c42P7M3a-65NAfXztY0hz-KtD2ijkUz5ICgrWmHiFjfnGwXRRRlDEr0WBv3lzUzm2S-kPPut/s200/SiloMentality.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ask CEOs what the number one innovation killer is and the odds are more than even that the answer will be “silo mentality”. Again, ask them what the biggest reason is for the failure to deliver on strategy and the phrase “silo mentality” is likely to turn up again.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Silo mentality is in essence an attitude problem. It emerges when companies corporatize. As companies grow it becomes necessary for them to introduce distinct functional areas to make control possible. In the absence of silo breaking leadership, departments are inclined to cease sharing and cooperating with each other. Enter silo mentality.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The long and the short of it … silo mentality reduces efficiency and can be a contributing factor to a failing corporate culture. Silos result in the duplication of cost and effort, cause functional areas within your business to work at cross purposes, destroy cross functional synergy, stem the flow of knowledge and work against economies of scale. The largest problem, however, is a lack of alignment with the overall company strategy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Customer focus</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Successful companies are Customer centric. They continually focus their efforts on optimising the value that they offer their Customers and thereby prosper. The Customer becomes the single point of focus around which all functional areas unite.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Unfortunately, silo mentality forces a shift in focus. The Customer is no longer centre stage. Customer centricity is, to a degree, replaced by a low key “turf war” between functional areas. If left unchecked, the lack of Customer centricity will erode the ability of the company to add value to the Customer, which will place it in a weaker position relative to its more Customer centric competitors.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Impact on Strategy execution</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At its core … Strategy needs to be Customer centric for it to be of any value. Further, any material strategic initiative will require an effort that straddles more than one functional area. Silo mentality stands in the way of multiple functional areas cooperating to deliver on a strategic imperative.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Silo mentality catalysts</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Silos originate as a result of many factors. Catalysts such as the following play a role in allowing a silo mentality to take root: </span></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Introduction of departments</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mergers and acquisitions</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Emergence of pockets of knowledge that are not freely shared.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Job insecurity, resulting in staff competing with each other.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Divide and rule management cultures.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Development of inner circles within management structures.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Absence of a strong Marketing function capable of maintaining Customer centricity.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The introduction of ambitious and divisive managers. </span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Often a series of silo catalysts, such as those listed above, play together to make the organisation increasingly insular.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">An “us and them” mentality can sometimes appear, particularly in organizations that are under performing. It’s common in the turnaround space to find departments pinning the root cause of their under performance on other functional areas.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s a cultural issue</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At its root … silo mentality is a cultural problem.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Like most undesirable aspects of a corporate culture, silo mentality is typically fed from the top. It’s generally fair to say that it is senior management that allows silo mentality to take root and prosper. As a complicating factor, silo mentality creeps into the organization slowly, and it is more than probable that it taking root was something that was not initially apparent.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lead from the top</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The reality stands that silo mentality is typically introduced from the top. When staff stop sharing with colleagues in other functional areas, they are typically taking their lead from the departmental heads. As a consequence, an initiative to break down silo mentality requires senior management to make a conscious decision to cease acting in silos and to start cooperating and sharing information freely.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We have already had a look at silo catalysts. Let’s shift our focus to potential silo breakers. The silo breakers that you implement in your environment will be dependent on the peculiarities of your environment, so what follows are merely examples to stimulate thinking.</span></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Make a public, management led, pact to the organization to start breaking down silo mentality.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Add interdepartmental cooperation and knowledge sharing as a KPI.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Revisit and re-launch your corporate values.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Recognise staff that act as silo breakers publicly.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Promote only those that have the ability and willingness to cooperate and share, and make your position in this regard public.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Break barriers that divide your Executive Team.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Manage staff that are building or perpetuating silos out of the business.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Undertake projects that require cross functional cooperation.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ensure that your annual bonus is in part broad based and does not actively encourage department performance at the expense of company performance.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Eliminate formality in the company and the need to go through endless chains of command before engaging leaders.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Establish common platforms and systems across the company and give people access to the same data and information. This discourages information hoarding.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Design comfortable space in each building or on each floor where cross functional teams can meet in a relaxed setting to brainstorm products / services, processes and work cross-functionally to create solutions.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Review your business process to make the flow of activity between functional areas cleaner and more information rich.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In closing ...</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The key to understanding silo mentality is to remember it is a human behaviour. There are only two ways of changing human behaviour. Punish adherence to the old behaviours … reward adherence to the new behaviours … in short, the carrot and the stick.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Silos are great if you're storing corn or grain … but not so great for organizations. In an organisation they stop innovation, stand in the way of strategic execution and quite simply make the workplace an unhappy one. Engage in honest conversation with your Team … get to the root of what your silo catalysts are … implement your silo breakers … and move forward. </span></span>Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961506570145839058.post-73351476128306861102013-09-21T04:32:00.003-07:002014-12-15T06:26:20.150-08:00Putting the focus back on the Customer<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Staying connected with how your Customers view your company, products and services is crucial to maintaining high levels of customer retention and growth. After all, the end point of the products and services that your business markets is the Customer. The most logical way of finding out how your Customer feels about your Company’s performance, is simply to ask them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Surprisingly, companies are often reluctant to reach out to Customers and take honest feedback. I believe that the root of this phenomenon is twofold. Firstly, folks don’t want bad news … and human beings are inclined to avoid it like the plague. Years ago an outfit with which I was involved (details not provided for obvious reasons) held a Customer conference of sorts, with a view to taking Customer feedback. The take out from the event was that “Customers were ganging up on us … and we are providing them with a beating stick to do so!” All the great feedback that was received was simply brushed under the carpet. Nothing achieved. Rather bizarrely, the primary learning was never to have a repeat of the event. This introduces the second reason why companies may be disinclined to take feedback from Customers … very often, they simply are not confident that they have the capacity, staying power or political will to act on the input provided. If you ask your Customers what you could do better … and they give you the answer, they expect you to follow through. If you don’t, you lose face.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The long and the short of it … if you intend to canvas your Customer’s opinion … you need to be brave and you need to be committed to act on the feedback provided. If your organization has the maturity to want to work with Customer feedback, it is advisable to make “touching sides with your Customer” a component of your annual strategic planning cycle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A great way for companies to make sure their whole organization stays informed about what is happening in their Customer’s world is to make use of Focus Groups. It is generally advised that Focus Groups are run by an independent professional, someone that has the necessary skill to steer the conversation such that you get the required feedback. You will need to brief the Focus Group Convener that you hire. The briefing that you put forward will be a key determinant of the quality of the feedback that you acquire. Some thoughts regarding the types of questions that you may want to put forward to the Convenor during the briefing session are presented below:</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How do you feel about our products and services?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How do you feel about our company?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What’s your typical buying process for this type of product or service?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What criteria do you use to evaluate potential suppliers?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What’s the decision making process and who’s involved?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you were looking for this type of product again, what would you do?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What would you type into Google to find a business like ours?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is our website a helpful resource for you? What would improve it?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is it easy doing business with us? How can we make it easier?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Where do you experience frustration when doing business with us?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Who do you consider to be our competitors?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What can we learn from our competitors?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Where are we better than our competitors?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What trends do you see in your market right now?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How is the market in which you operate changing? What do we need to do to make sure that we remain relevant to your needs?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If there was one thing we could do better, what would it be?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How could we improve our products / services?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What line extensions should we be looking into?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What are our strongest selling points?</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When selecting a Focus Group Convenor, it is suggested that you ask the following questions of the prospects:</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is the session held in camera? Will we be given a copy of the footage?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is an audio recording taken of the session? Will we be given a copy?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Will a written transcript of the proceedings be made available?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Will the Convenor provide a report that details their independent assessment of the outcome?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Will the Convenor present the above report to your Executive?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What experience does the Convenor have that is relevant to your line of business?</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ideal candidate will respond to questions 1 to 5 in the affirmative and his or her response to question 6 will give you a sense of comfort.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Choosing a venue for the Focus Group is also important. It’s generally better that you don’t use your offices. Neutral ground is better … and it puts the participants at ease. There are some really great facilities available, so have a look around. The professional facilities typically have a one way mirror in place that will allow your Team to monitor proceedings without getting in the way. The Convenor will periodically interact with your Team and take guidance with respect to areas where you would like him or her to probe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Typically, the Convenor would also play a role in selecting the Focus Group participants. Generally, you would provide the Convenor with your Customer database and he or she would randomly select prospects. A set of prospects that are willing to participate would be identified, a date set … and there you go! There is some degree of science to determining the appropriate sample size and selecting participants. You can rely on your Convenor to guide this process. A well constituted focus group should be representative of the dynamics of your Customer base. As a heads up, you can expect to have to compensate the participants for their time in some way or another. Your Convenor will guide you accordingly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When you run a Focus Group, you may want the session to be company anonymous … i.e. you don’t tell the participants which company has initiated the session. Anonymous sessions generally provide better competitive context, whereas company specified sessions often give feedback that is better suited for deriving a Customer Service strategy. It’s a complex question. The route that you take will need to be informed by your objectives. I would suggest that you take guidance from the Convenor that you engage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once you have held your Focus Group, it is imperative that you develop an action plan to align your company to the observations made. The hard work then becomes prioritizing and taking actions on the feedback. It’s generally advisable to close the loop with the Customer. They have taken the time to give you feedback. You owe it to them to communicate back what you have done with it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over a period of time, businesses tend to become inwardly focused … and it’s often easy to forget that there is a Customer out there. Why not allow your staff to review the video footage of the proceedings … and ask them for their thinking? It’s an ideal opportunity to put your Customers back where they belong … centre stage.</span><br />
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Therefore STShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02489294083973544805noreply@blogger.com0