Avalion Consulting

In This Issue - 2008 Vol. #1

'The Net' Works

What's the Big Idea?

The Project Assassin

In Between the Covers

You Can Say That Again

One on One

Spotlight on Services

From the Mouths of Our Clients

Busted for Soliciting

'The Net' Works

Don't Get Stuck in Traffic When There's a Better Route

Do you hate wasting hours each week sitting in traffic? Do you often hear about the traffic jam you're already in on the radio after it's too late? Have you ever wondered if a different route would have been quicker as you sit in your car, barely moving on the freeway? There is a helpful and FREE answer that doesn't require a $900 high-end GPS.

Try out www.mytraffic.com!

What's the Big Idea?

How Would Freud Improve Business Intelligence?

Without considering how the brain is wired to view the data as presented, BI is no longer business intelligence but simply business information. Poorly designed BI may even become counter-productive in an organization.

As the legend is told, a king, delighted by the newly invented game of chess, offered the game's inventor a single wish. The inventor simply asked for wheat. When asked how much, the inventor requested that the king place a single grain on the first square of the chess board, two on the second square, and continue to double the number each time to the final square. The king agreed and sent his minister of agriculture to the storehouses for the inventor's fee.

The Project Assassin

Assassin Proven Techniques for Glorious Failure:

#1. Spread Belief in Miracles!

*Disclaimer: Avalion Consulting does not endorse or condone the tactics of the Project Assassin - he is DANGEROUS! He and his minions have destroyed countless projects, careers and companies. However, this multi-part study of his techniques may prevent the uncontrolled spread of troubled or failed projects.

A poorly planned project takes three times as long as estimated while a well planned project takes only takes twice as long. - Murphy's Law

In this series of articles, I, the Project Assassin, will guide you through Project Management approaches that are commonly used, yet contain remarkable powers of destruction and waste. <evil laugh> By honing the techniques in my Project Assassin series, you too can become a Black Belt Assassin and destroy virtually any project you choose. When in doubt, "Everybody Else Does It" may be just the rationale that embeds these ideas in your company too. Read carefully to learn the ways of the assassin.

In Between the Covers

Randy Mayeux, First Friday Book Synopsis

Book A Look at the Key Thoughts from

The Future of Management

by Gary Hamel
(Harvard Business School Press. 2007)

"Every business is successful until it's not. What's disconcerting, though, is how often top management is surprised when 'not' happens." These are the words that captured my attention and imagination in the latest book by Gary Hamel. Because they are true. Many businesses seem to go from successful to forgotten almost overnight. (Anybody remember Montgomery Wards or Wang?)

For the past decade, I have read and prepared presentations on at least one business book every month. With such consistent exposure to the recurring themes of these books, it is possible to clearly see what concerns the business leaders of our era. Here is one major concern: how do I stay truly current?

It is this question that drives Gary Hamel to paint a picture of the future of management in his latest book, The Future of Management. We know Gary Hamel from his earlier best seller, Leading the Revolution. In that book, Hamel added his voice to the chorus calling for perpetual innovation. From the editorial review: "While in the past incremental improvements in products and services were accepted as good enough, Hamel shows that true innovation is the demolition and re-creation of an entire business concept."

But where shall the innovation take place? What kind of innovation is needed?

You Can Say That Again

Quotes "If we don't change directions soon, we'll end up where we're going."
- Professor Irwin Corey

"Anyone can do any amount of work provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing at the moment."

- Robert Benchley

"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."

- Douglas Adams

"Good judgment comes from experience... and a lot of that comes from bad judgment!"

- Will Rogers

"If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner."

- Tallulah Bankhead

One on One - Interviews with Avalion Consulting

Technology's Role in M&A Success

IT executives increasingly face the opportunities and challenges that arise from mergers and acquisitions. During slower economic growth, M&A activity may be required for survival; during the better economic times, more M&A activities may be inspired by potential strategic advantages. Under either scenario, IT executives need to identify redundancies and recognize synergies across the merged organizations while attending to their existing IT duties. Blake Sellers, President and CEO of Avalion Consulting, offers suggestions for addressing the IT side of M&A activities.

From the Mouths of Our Clients

"Avalion enabled our organization to rapidly advance one of our strategic retail initiatives. At the outset, their senior team quickly established credibility and built collaborative relationships across our various functional and technology organizations in order to obtain business buy-in for the initiative. Avalion helped us define our requirements for improved inventory management processes, document the related organizational and technical requirements, and identify / evaluate candidate technology vendors. They also led our initial efforts related to implementation project planning / budgeting and benefits estimation. Overall, their ability to seamlessly integrate the strategic, process and financial aspects of our initiative proved to be a true asset and accelerated the completion of the project. The capabilities and collaborative working style of their team was truly impressive and I value our continued partnership."

-Senior Director

National Printing Services

Company

Busted for Soliciting

Handcuffs Over half of our new business comes from prior clients and as warm referrals from friends of Avalion who understand our commitment to "accelerating success."

Some signs that we can help include:

Desire to know what is possible with current information technologies to accelerate business success
Embarking on a major organizational transaction such as a merger, acquisition or divestiture that will have profound IT and business process implications
Business leadership and IT are not on the same page and don't speak the same language
Considering or launching an unusually complex IT-enabled business transformation
Demand for IT services exceeds in-house resources (skills and / or availability)
An ongoing initiative is late or over-budget with no resolution in sight

Our typical client is headquartered in Texas (generally DFW) with revenues ranging from about $200 million to $5 billion. They may be publicly traded or privately held and are going through significant change. Management needs to temporarily extend their capabilities and their reach and want consultants that they can rely on to deliver solutions.

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