Ann Arbor Web Design & Social Media Experts | The Whole Brain Group » Deep Thoughts

Web Commuting: The Value of Distributed Work Arrangements

admin — Wed, 13 May 2009 10:09:56 +0000

This great white paper discusses the environmental and economic benefits of web commuting, and how technology is an essential component of allowing people to work from outside the home office: Flexible Work: Rhetoric and Reality

The paper , prepared by the Work Design Collaborative, summarizes the results of a survey “designed to enhance our understanding of how people are actually working today – how much time they spend in various kinds of workspaces, who they interact with (both face-to-face and remotely), and in particular what collaborative technologies they rely on, how effective those technologies are in supporting their work, and what challenges they face when they are working remotely.”

We cite this research when our clients ask us about the benefits of implementing electronic solutions to help them solve their paper problems. Frequently, we find that they haven’t fully considered the expanded flexibility they will be able to offer their employees, and what kind of impact it will have on their bottom line.

System Sustainability Part 2: Planning for Evolution

admin — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:33:25 +0000

Change is natural. Most people hate it, but they can’t deny that it is a part of life.

When you’re talking about electronic systems, it’s even more important to admit that change is natural, so that you can have a plan and budget in place that allows you to adapt your systems to evolving business practices. System evolution should not be considered a failure of your initial system design – it’s an expected and necessary part of investing in a custom system.

When we build custom systems for our clients, we schedule annual Sustainability Check Meetings so that we can:

Discuss any new ideas regarding workflow and features that may have arisen during the normal use of their system.
Talk about new technology that may have become available since the system was initially designed, and decide if it’s a good idea to incorporate anything new to make the system more secure, usable, etc.
Recommend a budget for designing, developing, testing, and implementing the changes.
Recommend a Change Management Plan to educate users about the changes, to minimize end-user confusion upon implementation.

Systems that evolve with your business practices will last longer than those that are ignored. If your system isn’t working for you, people will stop using it (or will constantly curse it), and all the money you invested in developing it will be wasted. Continually making moderate investments in upkeep will ensure that your system retains its value over time.

Change is natural. Don’t fight it – embrace it!

System Sustainability Part 1: Planning for Maintenance

admin — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:31:08 +0000

Technology moves at 200 mph – it seems like as soon as something is released, it’s out of date! We’ve all bought a top-of-the-line camera or laptop, only to have a new model with 10 new features released the next week that blows our model out of the water. The good news is that it’s easier to keep software up to date because you usually don’t have to throw away your old model – you just have to spend some time tweaking the code to make sure it is keeping pace with the technology it relies on.

When we build web applications for clients, we encourage them to plan for system maintenance in their yearly budget. We then set aside time in our schedule to perform routine maintenance activities, such as:

Researching, developing and installing code patches for compatibility with web server, database, operating system and web browser upgrades.
Working with internal technical support staff to coordinate system security, communicate and plan server upgrades/moves/changes and monitor/coordinate backups.
Communication with client IT representatives to coordinate compatibility and compliance with security, data, and technology standards.
Annual Sustainability Check Meeting to plan for system upgrades, review & revise maintenance plan recommendations, etc.

Like getting the oil changed on your car, it’s important to continue to make small investments in the upkeep of your electronic systems so they continue to hum along smoothly. If you don’t, you’re likely to find yourself stuck by the side of the road, watching helplessly as your competitors speed by you on the information superhighway!

Workplace Safety: Be More Prepared in 2009

admin — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:58:13 +0000

Recently, our office received a presentation by the Washtenaw County Red Cross as part of their Pledge Red Workplace Giving Program. We offer our employees the option of having donations to the Red Cross deducted from their paychecks, and in return the Red Cross helped us assess our Safety Quotient™.

Here’s what we discoverd: It was horrible. We scored a 4 out of 20 points!!

We realized that we were completely unprepared for any kind of an emergency. We didn’t know how many exits the building had, where the fire extinguisher was, where the closest AED device was located, or what to do during a tornado.

After our eye-opening meeting, we got together with our office-mates at Inner Circle Media and talked about the best way to tackle our issues. Using the checklist provided by the Red Cross, we made plans to solve all of our deficiencies and set a target date of April 30 for getting everything completed. We’ve made lots of progress, and almost have everything checked off now!

Everyone in our office agrees that we have much better peace of mind as a result of these efforts, and the exercise was completely worth it.

Please consider getting your employees involved in improving your own workplace safety & preparedness. You won’t regret it!