Something for the Weekend - The Back of the Napkin

The European Business Analysis Conference was great. Lots of inspirational material, which I'll no doubt share over the next few months.

But I thought that I would start with the most fun thing! Penny Pullan gave a fantastic presentation on the role of the BA in Creativity, Engagement and Clarity - one of the many aspects covered was techniques for drawing.

Those of you who've worked with me closely will know two things about me; firstly that I'm a visual thinker - I simply can't resist filling an empty whiteboard. And secondly, that both my handwriting and drawing could do with some work - a sometimes messy combination!

The old cliche that a picture paints a thousand words is very true and I think it's an important tool for our roles in group facilitation to be able to bring concepts to life as clearly as possible. Two things that might help;

• Penny recommend a book (which I've ordered today), it's called The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures (Dan Roam).
• She's also collaborated with artist Venessa Randle and offering some free material at http://www.graphicsmadeeasy.co.uk/

Simple tips to make your white boarding easier, clearer and more impressive.

Sources and Credit
Penny of course - http://www.makingprojectswork.co.uk/

Penny and Vanessa's work at http://www.graphicsmadeeasy.co.uk/
European Business Analysis Conference http://www.irmuk.co.uk/ba2010/

Something for the Weekend - Regulation Cucumbers

A few weeks back I saw that the European Commission had ruled that all mobile phones issued in Europe from 2011 will have to have the same charger compatibility. Initially I had mixed feelings about the news... Flashbacks to regulation cucumbers, peaches with circumference restrictions and aubergines with colour specifications - all introduced by the EU in the past few decades!

On the down side, standardising is an enforced design constraint limiting innovation or the adoption of new, improved technologies - this is especially important now that the power socket and synchronisation socket are common. Should a faster synchronisation connection be made available in the short term phones will once again require multiple sockets to allow adoption.

But there's an overriding voice at play - the one of the consumer - the pain of buying new chargers every time you get a new phone & trying to find someone with a compatible charger when you don't have one with you. For now, these annoyances outweigh the need for faster synchronisation.

The commercial and environmental factors work out here too - In reality you won't need to dispose of old chargers every time you switch phones meaning that ultimately mobile manufacturers won't need to include chargers in the box - cheaper to produce, easier to package and distribute, less waste.

It's a great example to reflect on when considering how the things (inputs / outputs) on the periphery of your product (not just physical either) are going to interact with it and what type of issues these may cause your customers.


Sources and Credits
Wired.Com
Cucumber regulation!