1. Get a job
2. Hone your craft
3. Do what you do best

It’s more complicated than these 3 steps may imply, but these steps are a solid wireframe for starting your own business.  Please, allow me to explain…

Around three years ago, I left a really good job to start a business.  At the time I had no idea if it would work, but after three years of operating a successful business, I can look back now and see clearly what made it possible.

Step 1: Get a job

Starting a successful business begins by getting a job working for someone else.  I know that probably isn’t the first step you were hoping for, but it is a must in my opinion.  The reasons are many, but there are two reasons that stand out.  Those reasons are:

1. To make connections
2. To learn a skill/craft

I worked for a large interactive company in Dallas for about three years.  I learned more in those three years than I learned at all of my previous jobs combined.  However,  and this is just as important, I met people.  I met a lot of very talented, intelligent people.  Over seventy-five percent of our current client base comes from those people I met while working for someone else.  Almost all of those past colleagues have now moved on from where I used to work.  In fact, they have branched out across the country working at some of the largest and most influential digital agencies.  I had no idea back then that the relationships I formed while pulling coding all-nighters would lead to a vast network of future business partnerships.  So, step 1 is to get a job.  In your job search, look for opportunities where you can learn a lot and work with people from all disciplines.  The more interactions you have with project managers, account managers, designers, other coders, etc, the better off you will be.

Step 2: Hone your craft

By trade, I am a multimedia developer.  I specialize in The Flash Platform.  However, I’ve learned to do a lot over the years like how to work with databases, servers, various coding languages, audio, video , yada yada yada.  Point being, I spent years getting good at what I do and I did it on someone else’s dime.  I became an authority in my field.  It wasn’t easy.  It took a lot of time outside of work too, but eventually I became good enough at my craft that everyone I worked with trusted me to solve problems and always deliver.  This is essential.  The professional relationships I built would have never grown into client relationships if I sucked at my job.  Business partners will always compare you to the other people they work with.  So unless you standout, you don’t have any business trying to start a business.

Step 3: Do what you do best

So, you went out and got a job.  You held that job for at least a couple of years.  You laughed, you cried, you worked, made friends, and then you quit to start a business.  Well, you may not want to quit until you have some work lined up for your new venture, but that is up to you.  What you must do though, is focus on what you do best.  Start by yourself.  There will be plenty of time to manage contractors and lease an office.  What you need to do first is spend as little money as possible and only take jobs that you can deliver on.  So, do what it is you do best.  Reputation is everything when starting a business.  So, get off to a good start.

I realize there are many details left out of this short article.  If anyone is interested or has questions about those details, please leave comments.  If there are enough comments about anything in particular I would be happy to write some follow ups.  Also, if you are starting a digital business or already have one but could use some helpful insight, I highly recommend the book Rework, by the people from 37 Signals.

Snoogins.

P.S. I would be remiss if I didn’t promote my business in an article like this.  Ovrflo Media

I recently wrote an article for the Click Here Insights Blog describing the pitfalls of creating solutions based around using technology for technology’s sake. I used Wave as an example of this common mistake and for good reason. Google Wave utilized some revolutionary browser enhancements. So revolutionary in fact, that Wave never worked in Internet Explorer. Google handicapped it’s creation from the start by the simple fact that it did not work at all in the browser that over 50% of all people use to view the internet. Now, I hate IE as much as the next bloke, but when you want your product to be accepted by a wide audience then it might be a good idea to make sure that you aren’t limiting the reach of that product.

The argument for the lack of IE support is the advanced browser technology like being able to view others typing in real time. What follows is an example of the typical users reacting to real time typing.

“Wow, we can actually see each other typing in real time.” This was the immediate reaction which was invariably followed by the second reaction: “That’s really annoying, how do I turn that feature off?”

Of course you couldn’t do, although Google was kind enough to give us a grayed-out button just so we knew that someday in the distant future we would be able to turn it off. As if waiting to receive functionality that is actually the default behavior in hundreds of instant messaging clients wasn’t frustrating. Or perhaps the ability to remove someone from a wave? Such simple and most would say essential functionality failed to ship with the beta release of Wave. Yes it was beta, but let’s face it, the product was not in any shape to be released to public testing when invites started to go out last year.

And who can forget Dr. Wave? He was the annoying….err, I mean friendly mascot for Google Wave. He was so annoying….err, helpful in his tutorial videos that really didn’t explain much of anything about how someone should actually use Wave. I guess it didn’t really matter if the videos were helpful or not because any sane person couldn’t sit through the entire thing. Seriously, that guy made me wish for Clippy the anthropomorphic paper clip from Microsoft Office. Now that was a mascot that was worthy of all of my hatred and scorn.

At least once you got passed the broken or missing functionality, the lack of standard browser support and the super annoying mascot the user interface was intuitive right? Wrong! After using Wave for a year I still can’t easily navigate my way around the thing. Why must I browse for extensions in the same interface that I use for my inbox? How do I add a contact if they don’t have a Google account…or if I just don’t know what it is? Why do I continually click in the wrong place in a wave and then I’m only replying to one waver and not the entire distribution list? And when I do make this mistake why is it near impossible to delete my reply.

It’s not that Google Wave was a bad idea, if fact, I originally thought that the technology has some serious potential. I wrote an article after watching the I/O about how project managers could harness the new communication process presented in Wave to better collaborate with teams locally or spread out across the world. The problem was, like it is with so many of Google’s properties, that the tech giant did not support it. All of the issues I outline above could have been easily remedied if only Google had responded when users complained about them. Alas, Wave looks and acts today much as it did upon it’s birth just over one year ago. It’s major defects left unaddressed and it’s potential left unrealized. Personally I hope that Google incorporates some of the advances from Wave into it’s other web properties. Gmail, Google Reader and Google Docs could all benefit from the lessons learned from Wave. If Google can do that then this web tool need not have died in vain.

Let us all learn some valuable lessons from Google Wave. When the technology is so advanced that most users can’t operate it then it will make success more difficult. When one worries too much about what can be done and not enough about what should be done then users are likely to be confused by the product. Once mistakes are made, act quickly to correct them or users will just as quickly loose patience with the product. If Google had heeded these simple truths then Wave might not have died so young.

So without further delay I would like to officially say goodbye to Google Wave. So long, farewell, auf weidersehen, adieu. At least some of us will miss you. Now play him off Keyboard Cat!

The biggest problems with traditional project management are that it is bloated and complicated. The average person would have an easier time deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics than a Gantt chart. Scrum development is a lightweight project management solution that offers increased flexibility, efficiency, and innovation. Scrum works best when used in conjunction with agile software development, but the methodology can be applied to any number of products or processes.

Roles in Scrum project management are defined in two distinct categories, pigs and chickens. The group names come from a joke told about a pig and a chicken opening a restaurant.

A pig and a chicken are walking down a road. The chicken looks at the pig and says, “Hey, why don’t we open a restaurant?” The pig looks back at the chicken and says, “Good idea, what do you want to call it?” The chicken thinks about it and says, “Why don’t we call it ‘Ham and Eggs’?” “I don’t think so,” says the pig, “I’d be committed, but you’d only be involved.”

Pigs are the ones with “their bacon on the line.” There are only three different types of pig roles. The Scrum Master (Project Manager) facilitates the process and removes obstacles or impediments that prevent team members from achieving their goal. The Product Owner represents the client and speaks with their voice. Everyone else is simply a team member. The team members are responsible for doing the actual work that makes the project a success (design, development, quality assurance, etc.). Chicken roles are represented by people that will eventually use the product or have some vested interest, but don’t do any of the work and are not part of the Scrum process. Chickens include project stakeholders and managers or executives that must give approval on the work.

Scrum breaks the total project workload into smaller prioritized segments called sprints. At the beginning of each sprint a “Sprint Planning Meeting” is held to select which features are to be included. The idea is that at the conclusion of a sprint the team will have a functioning product ready to ship. Once a feature set or “sprint backlog” has been agreed upon, including time commitments from team members, it cannot be changed. Any new features/functionality that are added after the start of a sprint must be folded into the next phase. This is helpful for the team members that don’t have to deal with drastic changes to scope mid-stream. More importantly, it allows for and even encourages changes to the overall feature set or “product backlog.” These changes are no longer viewed as extra work since they can easily be folded into the next sprint. At the end of a sprint the “Sprint Retrospective Meeting” is held. The purpose of the meeting is to answer two questions and two questions only:

1. What went well during the sprint?
2. What could be improved in the next sprint?

What Scrum development is most know for is its daily scrum or standup meetings. The daily scrum is notable for it’s frequency. It happens every day at the same time and in the same location. It starts precisely on time without exception and has a hard stop at 15 minutes. Participants are required to stand because this encourages them to keep their comments brief and adhere to the time limit. All members of the team including chickens are welcome, but only pigs are allowed to talk. At each meeting team members answer only three questions.

1. What did you do yesterday?
2. What are you planning to do today?
3. What obstacles are preventing you from accomplishing your goal?

The daily scrum meeting serves to identify and address problems early in the process. It is the Scrum Master’s responsibility to resolve any impediments to a team member’s progress. This ensures that no team member sits idle while issues go unaddressed.

Adaptive project management using Scrum is a proven methodology, but it’s important to remember it is not a silver bullet. Despite its benefits, Scrum is not for everyone. Organizations committed to a traditional waterfall process will find it a dramatic shift in the way teams work. In order for it to be successful it requires a level of involvement from the client that is not always present. Also, each team member must understand and be committed to the process. However, when organizations are able to implement Scrum they are often rewarded with higher quality work in a shorter delivery window. Scrum teams are flexible and can easily adapt to evolving client needs. This is an essential skill in a marketplace where the only constant is change.

Photo by Jason Walton CC BY 2.0

I honestly don’t believe it is an overstatement to say that the Internet has been the single greatest achievement in the advancement of information and communication since the invention of the printing press. We are still only beginning to understand how this technology will change the world. Unfortunately, the freedom we enjoy on the Internet is threatened constantly and must be guarded in order to ensure it’s continued availability. Network Neutrality is often regulated to the background of political discussion. It’s something left for debate by the guys in the IT department, but this issue touches everyone. If Washington politicians treat it casually without understanding the impact of their decisions, we could stifle the Internet for generations.

Admittedly, this is a complicated issue. It doesn’t lend itself to a quick or easy explanation, but I will do my best to summarize it. Since the Internet’s inception, it has existed in this nation without restriction to content, sites or platforms. Google, a staunch supporter of neutrality regulation defines the topic:

“Network neutrality is the principle that Internet users should be in control of what content they view and what applications they use on the Internet. The Internet has operated according to this neutrality principle since its earliest days… Fundamentally, net neutrality is about equal access to the Internet. In our view, the broadband carriers should not be permitted to use their market power to discriminate against competing applications or content. Just as telephone companies are not permitted to tell consumers who they can call or what they can say, broadband carriers should not be allowed to use their market power to control activity online.”

What this means is that the Service Providers such as Comcast or AT&T act as access providers only. The ISP must remain neutral to the content. This principal maintains relative freedom of access to information. It means ISPs can’t stop users from downloading pirated software and media, but the same standard also prevents the government from censoring unfavorable content such as is done in nations like China and Iran.

On October 22, 2009, Senator John McCain (R – Arizona) introduced legislation that would seek to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from enacting rules that would regulate network neutrality. Content of the bill can be found at the Senate’s website here. The bill, in the best Orewellian Doublespeak tradition, is titled the Internet Freedom Act. While I understand the reaction to limit government involvement in private industry, these circumstances require just such involvement. In? 90% of all situations the market is able to regulate itself. In most common situations, it is in industry’s best interest to do what is most beneficial for the public. There are cases, however, where government regulation is required to protect consumers from business. It is, after all, in the nature of a business to provide value for it’s shareholders. It is when these two goals compete that the public good is neglected. We should not expect, nor be disappointed, when a corporation, which is designed solely to produce profit, chooses this course over that of charity. However, some matters are too important to be left to profit. Net neutrality is just such an issue.

While I believe McCain to be a man of principle and integrity, I can only assume that he is grossly misinformed concerning the nature of this subject. Internet service providers such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon function in a state of near monopoly. Consumers have, at most, two choices of providers when it comes to high-speed connections in their area. If these providers are given the ability to discriminate against certain types of data packets, the consequences could be disastrous. For example, what is to stop Comcast from preventing access to Hulu or other sites that directly compete with it’s profitable premium cable content? Why would AT&T choose to maintain equal bandwidth for Skype, a service that provides inexpensive international calling which eats into long distance calling profits for the telecom giant? Or, the worse case scenario could occur. ISPs could offer such services, but only at added “tiered” rates. This would leave consumers paying additional fees for access to highly popular websites.

The Internet has made information available to billions. Each day knowledge continues to spread at a staggering rate.? We are truly still in the early stages of this information revolution and the precedents we set now will determine accessibility for future generations. Network neutrality is an important issue. I implore you to become informed and encourage your elected representatives to do the same. If we aren’t careful our children might find themselves in a world of limits instead of possibilities.

If you are interested in preserving network neutrality and would like to help, please email your Representative and Senators or get involved by visiting savetheinternet.com.

Photo by Ryan McD

Project management is people management. I know this might disappoint many people in the project management trade, but it’s true. Understanding people is essential to a successful project. Too often managers rely solely on their planning tools to get the job done. BaseCamp, OmniFocus, and Microsoft Project are all fine tools, but they will never understand what motivates your team, why Chris is a better choice for the R&D task than Tom. To ignore the human element is to set yourself up for failure. A project manager must also be an amature psychologist and in order to do that he must first build trust with the team. Trust is defined as the reliance on the integrity of a person.

Winning that trust is one of the most important things a project manager can ever do with his team. A team member must have trust that their PM will keep their best interest in mind and not be careless with their time. This does not mean that they never give a teammate bad news. Quite the opposite, part of being a PM is often delivering bad news, such as a moved deadline that?s going to result in overtime or a change in scope that causes extra work. The funny thing is, most people don?t mind working extra hours if they know it?s not wasteful. If they trust their manager they will know that the change must really be necessary.

Also, a PM must be able to inspire confidence in a project?s stakeholders. Any project manager is at their most effective when the client feels secure in the project leadership. In order to provide this trust a project manager must convey self-assurance and ability, but not arrogance. One of the best ways to gain the trust of a client is to show a genuine interest in their business. Each client is different and the needs of a large insurance firm are disparate from that of a small retailer. It?s human nature to categorize and organize, but over-simplifying a client or project can often backfire. A good project manager adapts process and tools to meet the needs of the project. For example one client might prefer to use Basecamp for communications and documentation while another less tech savvy client might not understand the practical reasons for such a program. The best tool for the job is the one that your client will use.

Trust can mean the difference between a project?s success and failure. If a team does not trust its leadership it can affect morale, quality of work and general productivity. If a client does not trust the PM then they will be overly critical and less responsive to the project?s needs. These are obstacles that can easily be removed with a little patience and active listening on the part of the project manager. That and a commitment to earning trust everyday.

Photo by Zingaro

What does Microsoft gain from offering it?s own anti-virus software? How about a little respect from the user? For too long Windows has been shipped as a defective product. Only Microsoft hegemony in the PC market can justify such a long period of acceptance from consumers. I can?t imagine any other product surviving for so long with as many security flaws.

In fairness to Microsoft, hackers are constantly targeting them. It is the unfortunate side effect of having such dominant market share. We may, however, be seeing the end of that dominance. Windows usage has dipped below 90% for the first time in 15 years. Macs are coming back in a big way and to further muddy the waters Google?s new Chrome OS is poised to take another chunk out of Windows usage when it is unveiled early next year. Microsoft has never before been this vulnerable. Perhaps this is why the software giant is finally taking the time to patch the holes in the leaky roof itself instead of leaving it to others. MacBooks were the top selling laptops in 2008 and an increasing number of PCs being sold are tiny netbooks capable of running Linux based operating systems. Microsoft must get its house in order as it faces increasing stiff competition.

Apple has been fighting a PR war against Windows for years. Increasingly one of Apple?s best points has been Windows? susceptibility to viruses. Many if not all Windows users will have to deal with a system-threatening virus at some point. Partly this is due to antiquated software. Let?s face it; over 70% of the public still uses Window XP, which is an 8-year-old operating system. Most people never upgraded to Vista. Microsoft is banking on Windows 7 to be a success and part of this achievement is reducing the system?s dependence on third party software to clean up the malware/spyware mess.

The problem with letting McAfee and Norton continue to dominate the virus protection market is one of perception. Microsoft can?t afford to be seen as letting others fix its broken software. In order for Microsoft to rebuild some trust with consumers the new Windows anti-virus needs to keep up with the bad guys.

It is entirely possible that the Wave could supplant email as our primary mode of communication.? Just as Web 2.0 turned a static Internet bloated with one-sided conversations into a social experience, Wave could do the same for email.? Currently email is bound by very strict rules that are based on a centuries old process, I send you a message and wait for a reply.? The speed of delivery has changed, but not the method of communication.? We’ve known for some time that this was an archaic model and? we haven’t just sat on our laurels.? IM clients, social networks, blogs, Twitter have all been steps in the direction of a more interactive mode of communication.? Google Wave doesn’t necessarily reinvent these tools; Google isn’t even the first to think to combine them into one application. What Google has done makes email, IM, and all other communications tools live within the same living document. For PMs the advantage is obvious. What I look for in a project management tool is a way to store all information pertaining to a project in one place.? Much of our time as project managers is spent trying to keep knowledge centralized.? What IM conversation had the ftp credentials, what email chain contained the client feedback needed to make project revisions, etc. With Wave all of this information can be centrally contained within one Wave, a living, ever-evolving chain.? Wave is real-time, so conversations take place within the Wave. This even includes simultaneous communication.

Collaborative document creation and editing allows for streamlined team input.? Once a document has been uploaded within the Wave the internal team can mark-up or revise the document until satisfied. Once internal sign off is achieved any external stakeholders are simply added to the Wave for their review and revisions.? The Google team demonstrated this with a word document, but promises support for spreadsheets and presentation documents as well. With the ability to drag and drop images from your desktop, even creative collaboration is possible within the Wave.? All this can be done with little trepidation thanks to the revert feature which functions similarly to a version control software.

Thanks to Google’s generous set of APIs and the fact that the code is open source, Wave has the potential to be customized to accommodate even the most discriminating needs.? Tasking and tracking tools could be added; even integration with other Google tools such as Calendar or Google Maps makes the possibilities endless.? Other project management applications such as Basecamp or Backpack have attempted to integrate communication in these ways. However, projects such as Basecamp have always been obsessed with simplicity and opposed to implementing user requests. The ability to design extensions that both live within the Wave and interact with applications outside the browser makes Google Wave potentially the most powerful project management tool in our arsenal.