Before I begin I must disclose that I was on the planning committee for CHIME 2011, specifically working on the speakers selection sub-committee. The review however is entirely framed as a participant and does not reflect the opinion of the sub-committee.
CHIME is a great organization and regularly provides the best conference lineup for CIO's during the year. (I wasn't paid for that advertisement) The location was wonderful and It is hard to beat the JW Marriott in San Antonio. CHIME always chooses outstanding facilities for the fall forum. Absolutely no complaints with accommodations.
On Tuesday there is always a few choices to visit / mingle which normally include golf or a "giving back" event. For the second year in a row I chose the charity event and we were bused to the San Antonio food bank where they sort and prepare food for 58,000 people a week. It was an incredible time to learn the intricacies of food sorting and the real scoop on expiration dates. The logistics behind the volunteer heavy organization is staggering and they do astounding work. The vendor partner who helped organize along with CHIME did an wonderful job. We could have spent half the day there, but had to beat the traffic back through San Antonio.
The Speakers & Content
Clayton Christensen opened on the first full day and challenged all of us to de-silo our thinking and begin to frame systems in a way in which the person accomplishing a task (caregivers) might WANT to use a system. This is in contrast to building a technical solution and then jamming it in a clinical workflow and wondering why the solution screwed up the flow. In all he was, and always is, a great speaker and his Innovators Prescription is a good read for anyone.
Michael Leavitt followed with a multi-point discussion that focused on buses, cabs and limo's and how they compare to healthcare delivery. It was a good discussion, but I questioned the stratification of care delivery to the level he brought the discussion to. His premise, which I could be off in his interpretation, is that we need to reduce convenience further (unless you pay more), practice at the absolute top of medical licensing for mass production of services and increase value to the consumer. (Although he did not define value) He is a large proponent of electronic health records and believes ICD-10 will bend the cost curve, which I disagree with. (ICD-10 in itself will do nothing to the cost curve, only using the information to change practice and process will change the cost curve).
The ICD-10 Town Hall was interesting and led by Anthony Guerra. It was an overview of how one health system moved early into the ICD-10 space and lessons they learned. I found the information interesting, but not something that could be widely replicated in the manner they accomplished it. They did so many things ahead of the rest of us that they were helping their vendors figure it out. I'm hopeful that their trailblazing will help the rest of us by helping some of our vendors with early testing.
Breakout sessions were great this year. Two in particular stood out as great examples of moving organizations forward and brought actionable information to us. Ed Marx did another outstanding job explaining how he sustains innovation at Texas Health Resources. Drex Deford from Seattle Children's had his CTO, Wes, present on their approach to virtual desktops. Both presentations were absolutely top notch and time for more breakout sessions could be beneficial.
Craig Schiefelbein spoke on the closing day on "Getting out of IT while you can" which outlined the need for us all to get our heads up out of the details and focus on the business. Great message and CIO's will not be successful without following Craig's advice. Sir Ken Robinson closed us out with a tremendous message on innovation and creating environments that allow individuals to flourish.
The CHCIO
The Certified Healthcare CIO, or CHCIO was heavily touted again during the conference. We are early in the certification process for CIO's. I am proud of the CIO's that have blazed the trail to become early adopters in the process and I congratulate CHIME in partnering with a reputable outside group to help with the testing and certification process. The legitimacy is yet to be determined and there seems to be a split camp still among my peers. Some believe that it will be a requirement of any sizable Healthcare CIO position and others believe that it is difficult to certify, with legitimacy, a Healthcare CIO. I'm on the fence, but reviewed the requirements to become a CHCHIO again.
Suggestion for Next Year
The only suggestion that I could offer CHIME for future conferences is to redefine the affinity groups they are creating during the conference. There is a color scheme and table color system that attempts to group academic med centers, rural hospitals, medium sized facilities, etc. together, but the majority of us ignored it. A better grouping would be by vendor solutions used which I believe would produce discussions that are more fruitful. Day one could focus on revenue cycle vendors, day two could be inpatient clinical vendors and day three could be ambulatory vendors. Offering time for user group discussions could also be helpful to share stories about specific issues and solutions around the products we use. This is where many of the discussions end up anyway.
Surprise of the Year
Lynn Vogel plays the banjo and sings pretty well.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Earnings Calls - Customer Intelligence Overview
Ever wonder how the finance laden jargon in your vendors earnings calls to investors impact you? Not only should you be interested, but you should use that information to your organizations advantage. Here is an high level overview of sections and terms to watch for and guidance on each to leverage the information in your own organization.
Happy listening!
- New bookings - This is usually at the front end of the conference call and gives you a strong indication of sales. Keep in mind that this may not be new customer sales, but just a generalized term about new contracts. Public companies want to exceed their bookings projections so they attempt to cram sales into the end of quarters - this is sometimes where the best negotiating time is for you as a customer. Know when your vendors end of quarter is and use that to your advantage.
- Backlog - The company will usually report what their work backlog stands after new bookings. Backlog is work that the company is generally obligated to complete that will bring future payments from customers. From an investor standpoint a larger backlog the better as it shows future profit potential. The key for customers is to know how the backlog has changed recently. I larger backlog means that there is a lot of work in the hopper that will compete for what you are trying to get the vendor to complete. As an example, the backlog of EHR vendors right now is very high due to Meaningful Use work. While you are negotiating for new products, talk opening about the vendor's backlog number and how this will impact your project. Tie key milestones to payment terms to ensure the vendor doesn't get paid until the key work is complete and accepted.
- Revenue - I'm rarely interested in the overall revenue direction, but very interested in the breakout of revenue. If the vendor is making a substantial portion of new revenue on support instead of new system sales you might assume that they are finding ways to squeeze more support dollars from customers to make up revenue shortfalls. You can also get directional understanding of where your vendor is focusing its future. Are they selling new systems, which means they are adding more customers to the support pot? Are they ramping up staffing if the sales of new systems are significantly increasing? Stay in front of support problems by talking with the vendor early about support expectations in the future quarter if you see a large increase in system sales.
- Various detail around revenue from the CFO - You can always pick up nuggets about what product lines are selling (or not), and if the vendors margin is increasing substantially which could mean they are increasing cost to the customer while controlling expenses themselves. Listen carefully for things that give you guidance on the products you already use or are thinking about purchasing.
- Sales guidance - Many times the Chief of Sales or the CEO will update investors about the landscape of sales and projections. It frequently amazes me how much information is buried in these sections of the calls. You can hear about other customers, sometimes named, that have signed up for the vendors newest products or about product categories the vendor believes will sell well in the future. The vendor also likes to highlight "the big fish" that they landed this sales cycle. This can help you identify if you are on the leading edge of new products, where the focus might be for their best talent (focusing on the "big fish", and if your sales person is trying to oversell what the organization needs to push for its next investor call.
- Operations Guidance - The Chief Operating Officer usually talks about various operations within the business. The most interesting portion of this section relates to employees. Additional hirings or reductions are highlighted and any concerns are outlined. This can give you advance warning if there will be a talent shortage. Large backlogs, new system sales and zero or negative employee growth is a receive for a happy investor, but an unhappy customer. You can also get a sense for any new product direction or diversion with the COO comments.
- Q&A - This is the time when investors get to ask management the tough questions. Many questions relate to guidance on various revenue issues, but within these you can get additional nuggets of information. They might divulge guidance on the capital expenditure and research and development that could give you an indication if they are going to drive new product or product refreshes.
Happy listening!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Two obvious sales tactics by vendors and how to deal with them
Two sales tactics have become more prevalent over the last year and I thought I would take a minute to post how I deal with them. I will leave all vendor names out, and refer to these organizations as "vendors" and not partners for clear reasons.
Tactic #1 - "Your special, we are only offering it to a limited number of strategic clients"
This is a knockoff of the old Beta days where companies would give you some incentive to be early adopters of new code. The incentive to us was a lower cost of entry for new software while the cost to us was swimming through issues and giving valuable feedback to vendors which took time. Many of us have learned that while the upfront cost was lower, the pain related to issues and lack of support created more headaches and cost in the end for the majority of Beta testing.
Now it seems companies have retooled that thinking into a jargon laden sales pitch that attempts to make you feel like you are "strategic" and "forward thinking" and that other organizations are not of your caliber. Hogwash... This is the same old cigarette in a new wrapper - don't smoke it even though it looks better. You have to ask yourself why you are so special today to receive treatment like they are offering. While you may be special, they want something that you have and it is going to be costly.
Combating tactic #1:
1. Ask for reference sites and specifically ask for what measurable benefit they received from the product. References that report the system works great, that the system has no problem or has revolutionized medicine usually fall apart when you dig into the very specific details.
2. Ask for favorable payment terms and discounts. If you truly are getting the benefit of being an early adopter, there is a cost to you for this. You would have problems to work through, the vendor will require additional feedback and there probably will be some need for you to be a reference site. This costs you money. You should ask for a significant discount, but also tie specific measurable results to payment terms. This can be problematic as vendors are very sensitive about having a specific date tied to terms for proper revenue recognition, but in this case you must press hard to ensure you don't pay a vendor 100% while issues could still remain.
3. Don't feel like you are special - in most cases you are not. However, if you do happen to be special enough to test new software that has the potential to benefit your organization, be mindful of the cost associated and "be OK with walking away". Don't get so wrapped up in the amazing new widget that your excitement takes over and you end up doing a lot of work that costs you money.
Tactic #2 - "Let's take care of that issue in ______" a.k.a. Kick the can down the road
This is a common tactic and even though it doesn't sound like a sales tactic it is. Through various sales cycles issues are always found. Hardware was accidentally left off, payment terms are problematic, contract language is inadequate, support coverage is lacking, etc. etc. etc. This comes up more frequently after you have had a product for some time and you are continuing the partnership through additional product lines.
Let's be clear on this. Thesales person vendor wants your money and they will do everything possible to get it, including pushing issues down the road to a future release, future year, or future CIO.
Combating Tactic #2
1. Do everything possible to resist pushing ANY issue to the future. It all but guarantees a future revenue stream for the vendor and creates issues in the event of financial downturn, programming commitments that sometimes are not made, and customer expectations that may not be met. Press for resolution while the negotiation is still going on, not after your negotiating position has been crammed down to the size of a pea.
2. If you absolutely must kick the issue to a future date you MUST tie some pain back to the vendor. Don't let them off the hook just by talking you into pushing an issue to a future date and then have them feel no motivation in the future. Many times when the issue does crop back up you will have a new sales team or relationship expert to deal with who has no history of your issue.
3. Document incessantly. Write down notes in meetings, keep your emails and go out of your way to get supporting documentation for any issue that is being kicked down the road that will have some financial tie to it. Any documentation that supports your position to a new team (see #2) will help.
While these are just two of many sales tactics, these two seem to be cropping up more frequently. I'm grateful for the partners that I deal with regularly that shy away from these.
Happy negotiating!
Tactic #1 - "Your special, we are only offering it to a limited number of strategic clients"
This is a knockoff of the old Beta days where companies would give you some incentive to be early adopters of new code. The incentive to us was a lower cost of entry for new software while the cost to us was swimming through issues and giving valuable feedback to vendors which took time. Many of us have learned that while the upfront cost was lower, the pain related to issues and lack of support created more headaches and cost in the end for the majority of Beta testing.
Now it seems companies have retooled that thinking into a jargon laden sales pitch that attempts to make you feel like you are "strategic" and "forward thinking" and that other organizations are not of your caliber. Hogwash... This is the same old cigarette in a new wrapper - don't smoke it even though it looks better. You have to ask yourself why you are so special today to receive treatment like they are offering. While you may be special, they want something that you have and it is going to be costly.
Combating tactic #1:
1. Ask for reference sites and specifically ask for what measurable benefit they received from the product. References that report the system works great, that the system has no problem or has revolutionized medicine usually fall apart when you dig into the very specific details.
2. Ask for favorable payment terms and discounts. If you truly are getting the benefit of being an early adopter, there is a cost to you for this. You would have problems to work through, the vendor will require additional feedback and there probably will be some need for you to be a reference site. This costs you money. You should ask for a significant discount, but also tie specific measurable results to payment terms. This can be problematic as vendors are very sensitive about having a specific date tied to terms for proper revenue recognition, but in this case you must press hard to ensure you don't pay a vendor 100% while issues could still remain.
3. Don't feel like you are special - in most cases you are not. However, if you do happen to be special enough to test new software that has the potential to benefit your organization, be mindful of the cost associated and "be OK with walking away". Don't get so wrapped up in the amazing new widget that your excitement takes over and you end up doing a lot of work that costs you money.
Tactic #2 - "Let's take care of that issue in ______" a.k.a. Kick the can down the road
This is a common tactic and even though it doesn't sound like a sales tactic it is. Through various sales cycles issues are always found. Hardware was accidentally left off, payment terms are problematic, contract language is inadequate, support coverage is lacking, etc. etc. etc. This comes up more frequently after you have had a product for some time and you are continuing the partnership through additional product lines.
Let's be clear on this. The
Combating Tactic #2
1. Do everything possible to resist pushing ANY issue to the future. It all but guarantees a future revenue stream for the vendor and creates issues in the event of financial downturn, programming commitments that sometimes are not made, and customer expectations that may not be met. Press for resolution while the negotiation is still going on, not after your negotiating position has been crammed down to the size of a pea.
2. If you absolutely must kick the issue to a future date you MUST tie some pain back to the vendor. Don't let them off the hook just by talking you into pushing an issue to a future date and then have them feel no motivation in the future. Many times when the issue does crop back up you will have a new sales team or relationship expert to deal with who has no history of your issue.
3. Document incessantly. Write down notes in meetings, keep your emails and go out of your way to get supporting documentation for any issue that is being kicked down the road that will have some financial tie to it. Any documentation that supports your position to a new team (see #2) will help.
While these are just two of many sales tactics, these two seem to be cropping up more frequently. I'm grateful for the partners that I deal with regularly that shy away from these.
Happy negotiating!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Maintaining Organization as a CIO - Daily Notes - Part 4
My Daily Notes
This part of my system has had the largest changes in the last year. For the last 17 years I have kept a composition notebook that I keep all of my notes, both personal and professional in one place. I can go back to a notebook seven years ago and remember exactly what was going on that day based on the little jot's that I had throughout the day. I keep small notes, voice mail notes, meeting notes, church notes, family notes. Nothing in long detail and nothing longer than a sentence of two. Think of sticky notes type of structure, yet on composition notebooks. What I didn't get out of this system was quick reference ability. I couldn't easily search for numbers that I needed, meeting notes, etc. if they were more than 4 months ago. (I could usually squeeze 4 months out of a 100 page composition book.
Evernote - Really?
This need led me to Evernote. Evernote users are like a cult - they feel you can document your entire life, every web clipping, todo, thought, picture, and life happening. I have used EverNote in the past and dropped it like a bad habit because it just didn't feel right - it got in the way time and time again. Compelled by updated software and by a few blog posts from Micael Hyatt about EverNote (remember I used his annual time block) I took the time to organize EverNote into something that finally doesn't get in the way.
Keep in mind that my primary note taking during meetings is still paper.
My Notebooks in EverNote consist of
* Daily Journal Notes - This is what was normally on my composition pad. Each day gets a new note
* Ministry - Everything Church related gets organized in this Notebook
* Personal - Family life
* Blog - Ideas about items I should blog about and my writing history
* Books - Each book I'm reading gets a note that lists main points, notes about the book while I'm reading it and characters if it is non-fiction
* DRIP - This is a notebook where I keep information about people I care about. This is my own customer relationship management system. I can keep track of team members, names of their children, important things in their lives that I should care about. I have a large team of awesome people and while I want to remember everything about them it is almost impossible. I try to keep some type of note that reminds me of the most important things they are interested in.
* First Lego League - I teach a class to kids using Lego Robotics. All of my notes are in this Notebook
* Personal - This is just random items that relate to me personally. For example I have the layout of our square foot garden in that Notebook
* Work - Subcategorized (or stacked as Evernote calls it) into:
* Memorial - Everything related to my primary job as CIO get's lumped here
* Teaching - I teach a class at the local University and guest lecture a number of times through the year at various other schools. I keep notes, speeches, syllabus information and various information about the classes
I used the tags on EVERY entry in EverNote. Unlike Toodledo I'm expecting to have my notes forever. (That's the topic of a future blog). To better organize and find things I tag each item with the project name, persons name or any other relevant tag that might be helpful in the future when I try to search for the note.
Paper and EverNote?
I am sure that many of you are wondering how I reconcile my paper notepad with EverNote. This was the stumbling block of my system for quite some time. I have come to code my paper notebook in unique ways. If I am in a meeting I will take notes on paper, write down todo's that I need to follow-up on and document important dates. For any todo I write a large T and circle it on the left hand margin. This clues me in that I need to log that todo. For any calendar event I write a large C and circle it. After the meeting, or sometimes at the end of the day, I try to summarize the meeting into EverNote. Sometimes the meeting dictates I need a new note all by itself, other meetings I just jam in to the Daily Journal Note for that day.
While I thought that would be a complete waste of time when I started I was really surprised at how often, while I was typing out my thoughts of the meeting, something that I didn't write down came to me and I noted it or created the todo. It was a more complete solution.
This does require me to type a bit more (I'm a fairly fast typist), but I find that having the information is incredibly helpful that it creates a significant advantage.
So there you have it. In four simple posts you have had a glimpse of how I try to manage the continuous flow of information that I deal with on a daily basis. It has taken 15 years to get it ..... to this point.....
This part of my system has had the largest changes in the last year. For the last 17 years I have kept a composition notebook that I keep all of my notes, both personal and professional in one place. I can go back to a notebook seven years ago and remember exactly what was going on that day based on the little jot's that I had throughout the day. I keep small notes, voice mail notes, meeting notes, church notes, family notes. Nothing in long detail and nothing longer than a sentence of two. Think of sticky notes type of structure, yet on composition notebooks. What I didn't get out of this system was quick reference ability. I couldn't easily search for numbers that I needed, meeting notes, etc. if they were more than 4 months ago. (I could usually squeeze 4 months out of a 100 page composition book.
Evernote - Really?
This need led me to Evernote. Evernote users are like a cult - they feel you can document your entire life, every web clipping, todo, thought, picture, and life happening. I have used EverNote in the past and dropped it like a bad habit because it just didn't feel right - it got in the way time and time again. Compelled by updated software and by a few blog posts from Micael Hyatt about EverNote (remember I used his annual time block) I took the time to organize EverNote into something that finally doesn't get in the way.
Keep in mind that my primary note taking during meetings is still paper.
My Notebooks in EverNote consist of
* Daily Journal Notes - This is what was normally on my composition pad. Each day gets a new note
* Ministry - Everything Church related gets organized in this Notebook
* Personal - Family life
* Blog - Ideas about items I should blog about and my writing history
* Books - Each book I'm reading gets a note that lists main points, notes about the book while I'm reading it and characters if it is non-fiction
* DRIP - This is a notebook where I keep information about people I care about. This is my own customer relationship management system. I can keep track of team members, names of their children, important things in their lives that I should care about. I have a large team of awesome people and while I want to remember everything about them it is almost impossible. I try to keep some type of note that reminds me of the most important things they are interested in.
* First Lego League - I teach a class to kids using Lego Robotics. All of my notes are in this Notebook
* Personal - This is just random items that relate to me personally. For example I have the layout of our square foot garden in that Notebook
* Work - Subcategorized (or stacked as Evernote calls it) into:
* Memorial - Everything related to my primary job as CIO get's lumped here
* Teaching - I teach a class at the local University and guest lecture a number of times through the year at various other schools. I keep notes, speeches, syllabus information and various information about the classes
I used the tags on EVERY entry in EverNote. Unlike Toodledo I'm expecting to have my notes forever. (That's the topic of a future blog). To better organize and find things I tag each item with the project name, persons name or any other relevant tag that might be helpful in the future when I try to search for the note.
Paper and EverNote?
I am sure that many of you are wondering how I reconcile my paper notepad with EverNote. This was the stumbling block of my system for quite some time. I have come to code my paper notebook in unique ways. If I am in a meeting I will take notes on paper, write down todo's that I need to follow-up on and document important dates. For any todo I write a large T and circle it on the left hand margin. This clues me in that I need to log that todo. For any calendar event I write a large C and circle it. After the meeting, or sometimes at the end of the day, I try to summarize the meeting into EverNote. Sometimes the meeting dictates I need a new note all by itself, other meetings I just jam in to the Daily Journal Note for that day.
While I thought that would be a complete waste of time when I started I was really surprised at how often, while I was typing out my thoughts of the meeting, something that I didn't write down came to me and I noted it or created the todo. It was a more complete solution.
This does require me to type a bit more (I'm a fairly fast typist), but I find that having the information is incredibly helpful that it creates a significant advantage.
So there you have it. In four simple posts you have had a glimpse of how I try to manage the continuous flow of information that I deal with on a daily basis. It has taken 15 years to get it ..... to this point.....
Maintaining Organization as a CIO - The Todo System - Part #3
Toodledo?
The workhorse of my system is my daily task/todo list. So many things crop up during all hours of the day that any "todo" goes into a product called Toodledo. When I say any todo, I really mean any todo. I have a pretty good memory, but I'm also thinking about 1,000 things during the day. When I'm walking down the hall and something comes to mind, if I don't get it down somewhere, I could be interrupted or think about something else and completely forget about that one item.
Every task in Toodledo has a due date and I manage my todo's by due date. I have everything from follow-up reminders (e.g. FUW Greg = follow up with Greg), to picking up gifts or oil changes. Toodledo allows my to keep small notes about my tasks as well.
If I follow-up on an outstanding question and it isn't resolved I'll note my conversation in the task notes with the date. This keeps a running history of todo items that are not necessarily resolved for the day. If something can't be completed today I put a new due date on it. If I get an email with a task embedded in it I quickly forward the email to my Toodledo account.
Being Realistic
While it is easy to get the todo's in, being realistic about daily management of those is important. Many day's I cannot complete every task and therefore I either have to move it or it shows up as "OverDue". On a daily basis I review the overdue list for anything that is urgent that I missed. On a weekly basis, if I have not had the time to clean up overdue items, I will ensure that all overdue items are moved to a new, realistic date.
Organizing My Todo's
I use folders in Toodledo to organize major themes and people. For example I have a "Cerner" folder that lists all of the tasks related to our Cerner software that I need to follow-up on. I also have folders for specific people on my team. For example, I have a Greg folder that I use to track all of the todo's that I need Greg for. I have a 15 Year Anniv folder that lists all of the things I need to do for my 15 year anniversary with my wife.
While I could use Tags in Toodledo I don't. Toodledo is my quick hit list. While I have over 100 items they move so quickly I don't want to type more than I have to. I can find things in folders or just by searching. I rarely go back and search completed todo's so the quicker I can enter them, the better.
I do have the Toodledo iPhone and iPad app and I use them every day.
My next post will outline daily notes and non-task related information. I will outline how I process information flow during the day. This is also the part of my "system" that has undergone the most change. I'll highlight how I reconcile my belief that I'll always use paper and my G2 pen in meetings, but I keep my notes electronically. (and I don't scan them)
The workhorse of my system is my daily task/todo list. So many things crop up during all hours of the day that any "todo" goes into a product called Toodledo. When I say any todo, I really mean any todo. I have a pretty good memory, but I'm also thinking about 1,000 things during the day. When I'm walking down the hall and something comes to mind, if I don't get it down somewhere, I could be interrupted or think about something else and completely forget about that one item.
Every task in Toodledo has a due date and I manage my todo's by due date. I have everything from follow-up reminders (e.g. FUW Greg = follow up with Greg), to picking up gifts or oil changes. Toodledo allows my to keep small notes about my tasks as well.
If I follow-up on an outstanding question and it isn't resolved I'll note my conversation in the task notes with the date. This keeps a running history of todo items that are not necessarily resolved for the day. If something can't be completed today I put a new due date on it. If I get an email with a task embedded in it I quickly forward the email to my Toodledo account.
Being Realistic
While it is easy to get the todo's in, being realistic about daily management of those is important. Many day's I cannot complete every task and therefore I either have to move it or it shows up as "OverDue". On a daily basis I review the overdue list for anything that is urgent that I missed. On a weekly basis, if I have not had the time to clean up overdue items, I will ensure that all overdue items are moved to a new, realistic date.
Organizing My Todo's
I use folders in Toodledo to organize major themes and people. For example I have a "Cerner" folder that lists all of the tasks related to our Cerner software that I need to follow-up on. I also have folders for specific people on my team. For example, I have a Greg folder that I use to track all of the todo's that I need Greg for. I have a 15 Year Anniv folder that lists all of the things I need to do for my 15 year anniversary with my wife.
While I could use Tags in Toodledo I don't. Toodledo is my quick hit list. While I have over 100 items they move so quickly I don't want to type more than I have to. I can find things in folders or just by searching. I rarely go back and search completed todo's so the quicker I can enter them, the better.
I do have the Toodledo iPhone and iPad app and I use them every day.
My next post will outline daily notes and non-task related information. I will outline how I process information flow during the day. This is also the part of my "system" that has undergone the most change. I'll highlight how I reconcile my belief that I'll always use paper and my G2 pen in meetings, but I keep my notes electronically. (and I don't scan them)
Maintaining Organization as a CIO - Managing The Calendar
Annual Review?
My calendar starts from an annual review. This is a little ethereal, but over the last year I have found it to be the best part of the calendar management process. I use the annual time block calendar that Michael Hyatt outlines in his article at http://michaelhyatt.com/annual-planning-calendar.html. The only changes I have made to his spreadsheet are limiting the number of colors and topics that I use for specific events. I have broken it down into four different categories and colors. The categories are: Work, Family, Church, and Classes. (I teach a Lego Robotics League class to kids who love technology - my future replacement - and teach as well as guest lecture at local universities).
I put everything that is critical, that will impact the entire day, on the annual time block. If I have a go-live at work, it's on the calendar. If there is a camping trip, it's on the calendar. If there is a birthday, that is NOT on the calendar unless we are going somewhere or having a party. It is not a reminder system, it is a planning calendar. When you use a calendar for this purpose you can quickly see what is taking priority in your life. That calendar has changed the way I deal with vacations and ensured that I take time with my family. It has caused me to say "no" more often because I have blocked off time with my family. The time block is posted on our refrigerator at home so it also keeps me accountable to days I say I am going to take off an my kids can see what Dad is up to the entire year.
The Electronic Calendar(s)
I have one electronic daily calendar that synchronizes to all of my devices (iCal, iPhone, iPad). I have a my work Calendar (Exchange) as well as my personal electronic calendar (Google Calendar) and I try to keep them as separate as possible. In all of my electronic views I see everything together, but they feed off both work and personal calendar systems. When I schedule an appointment I choose which calendar it gets placed in, which is then color coded appropriately. While I have tried to use one calendar system in the past for both personal and work, it just does not work.
My calendar at work is entirely open for people to query. If there is a free spot a customer can send an invite to me which I normally approve. My admin assistant has full capability to place whatever is needed in my calendar. There is no approval system or hoops to get to me. If my door is always open, as the saying goes, why wouldn't my calendar be open as well?
The Process
I review my calendar in a weekly view on Sunday evenings to look for items that may need to move, or meetings that may overlap. This takes about 10 minutes at most. Before I go in on Monday morning my weekly calendar is clean - there are no questions about which meeting I'll be at. Things obviously change, but Monday is the wrong time to fiddle through conflicts that you knew already existed. I check the calendar daily for changes and updates.
My calendar serves me well and helps to keep me on track and in the right location at the right time. A great music director told me years ago that being on time was late. To be early is really to be on time.
My next post will outline how I deal with my todo list.....
My calendar starts from an annual review. This is a little ethereal, but over the last year I have found it to be the best part of the calendar management process. I use the annual time block calendar that Michael Hyatt outlines in his article at http://michaelhyatt.com/annual-planning-calendar.html. The only changes I have made to his spreadsheet are limiting the number of colors and topics that I use for specific events. I have broken it down into four different categories and colors. The categories are: Work, Family, Church, and Classes. (I teach a Lego Robotics League class to kids who love technology - my future replacement - and teach as well as guest lecture at local universities).
I put everything that is critical, that will impact the entire day, on the annual time block. If I have a go-live at work, it's on the calendar. If there is a camping trip, it's on the calendar. If there is a birthday, that is NOT on the calendar unless we are going somewhere or having a party. It is not a reminder system, it is a planning calendar. When you use a calendar for this purpose you can quickly see what is taking priority in your life. That calendar has changed the way I deal with vacations and ensured that I take time with my family. It has caused me to say "no" more often because I have blocked off time with my family. The time block is posted on our refrigerator at home so it also keeps me accountable to days I say I am going to take off an my kids can see what Dad is up to the entire year.
The Electronic Calendar(s)
I have one electronic daily calendar that synchronizes to all of my devices (iCal, iPhone, iPad). I have a my work Calendar (Exchange) as well as my personal electronic calendar (Google Calendar) and I try to keep them as separate as possible. In all of my electronic views I see everything together, but they feed off both work and personal calendar systems. When I schedule an appointment I choose which calendar it gets placed in, which is then color coded appropriately. While I have tried to use one calendar system in the past for both personal and work, it just does not work.
My calendar at work is entirely open for people to query. If there is a free spot a customer can send an invite to me which I normally approve. My admin assistant has full capability to place whatever is needed in my calendar. There is no approval system or hoops to get to me. If my door is always open, as the saying goes, why wouldn't my calendar be open as well?
The Process
I review my calendar in a weekly view on Sunday evenings to look for items that may need to move, or meetings that may overlap. This takes about 10 minutes at most. Before I go in on Monday morning my weekly calendar is clean - there are no questions about which meeting I'll be at. Things obviously change, but Monday is the wrong time to fiddle through conflicts that you knew already existed. I check the calendar daily for changes and updates.
My calendar serves me well and helps to keep me on track and in the right location at the right time. A great music director told me years ago that being on time was late. To be early is really to be on time.
My next post will outline how I deal with my todo list.....
Managing the "i" in CIO - My personal system - Post #1
Over the last 15 years I have had a "system" of keeping track of my everyday items. Like most people, I tweak and twist my system, try new tools, new methods, and new technology. A few people have asked this year what my system is and how I keep track of all of my responsibilities. I had to think about it for a bit but decided that it might be actually worth writing down how I manage the information that comes to me throughout my day. Please note that my system probably won't work for you but my hope is that you might pick up a few things that improve how you work your information flow.
To start, there are a few items worth noting that have shaped my system over the years.
Hardware
MacBook Air
iPhone 4
iPad 2
Legal Pad
Pilot G2 Limited - black gel ink
My hardware is a bit Apple slanted, but the products I use have a specific place in my system and work cleanly. Obviously my MacBook Air is my workhorse. I use it as my primary business, teaching and personal system. I take it to every meeting, however only use it before or after the meeting or if I need to look at specific material for reference during the meeting. The lid is CLOSED as much as possible.
My iPhone is my primary voice communication device and is used to log quick todo's, answer email in free spaces of my day and my link to my family when I am away on business.
My iPad is my bridge device. When I am at home and have carved out time to work I use my iPad as much as possible. It is less obtrusive to my family and they feel like they can still interact with my as my head isn't buried in my laptop. On planes I used the iPad almost exclusively as it is the perfect form factor.
Software
Toodledo - used for all todo's
EverNote - used to remember key items
iCal - all events professional and personal
Mail - all email professional and personal
I will outline in my next few posts about how I manage the everyday barrage of information and requests using the tools listed above. My next post will outline how I manage my calendar....
To start, there are a few items worth noting that have shaped my system over the years.
- I have come to realize that the perfect system does not exist. The newest application, device, book or gadget does not work unless it fits in my day unobtrusively.
- Out of respect for others I minimize the use of technology in meetings. Pen and paper show respect and do not distract from the conversation. ANY technology used during a 1:1 meeting will distract from the personal feeling of the conversation.
- My brain absolutely cannot remember everything I need to without writing it down. I must have a reminder based system and some notebook that I can refer back to.
- I cannot separate my different roles into different systems. If I have a todo at work, a todo at home and a todo at church they ALL have to be managed out of one system. This frequently trips people up. One person = one system.
Hardware
MacBook Air
iPhone 4
iPad 2
Legal Pad
Pilot G2 Limited - black gel ink
My hardware is a bit Apple slanted, but the products I use have a specific place in my system and work cleanly. Obviously my MacBook Air is my workhorse. I use it as my primary business, teaching and personal system. I take it to every meeting, however only use it before or after the meeting or if I need to look at specific material for reference during the meeting. The lid is CLOSED as much as possible.
My iPhone is my primary voice communication device and is used to log quick todo's, answer email in free spaces of my day and my link to my family when I am away on business.
My iPad is my bridge device. When I am at home and have carved out time to work I use my iPad as much as possible. It is less obtrusive to my family and they feel like they can still interact with my as my head isn't buried in my laptop. On planes I used the iPad almost exclusively as it is the perfect form factor.
Software
Toodledo - used for all todo's
EverNote - used to remember key items
iCal - all events professional and personal
Mail - all email professional and personal
I will outline in my next few posts about how I manage the everyday barrage of information and requests using the tools listed above. My next post will outline how I manage my calendar....
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