There is a saying in audio recording which has become a bit of a cliched pun:

“We’ll fix it in the mix.”

If anyone has ever spent time in a recording studio you have probably heard this. The advent of digital music production has made it much easier to fix mistakes during the mixing/editing process, making it arguable to skip another take and “fix it in the mix”. As a musical hobbyist, I have been part of several late night sessions where that term was thrown around jokingly for mistakes that clearly should be corrected through another take versus trying to edit them later. And after the chuckling subsides, we drag ourselves out of the control room, pick up our respective instruments and have at it one more time…

As I am sure every industry has its own similar term to reference work that is pushed off later that should probably be addressed now, there is a common saying I hear on software projects:

“It’s a training issue.”

This saying often refers to usability issues that are reported as Change Requests. For various reasons these Change Requests are not addressed as software changes but instead “Training Points” for the users to modify their behavior. The negative slant is this implies it’s OK to ask a user to change their behavior, rather than change the software to meet their “needs”.

While this thinking holds merit when custom developing an application, I disagree in terms of a customizable multi-tenant software like salesforce.com that is leveraged by the masses. Let’s look at the Microsoft Office suite of products. MS Office changed the way business works. And it didn’t do it by providing a unique experience for every type of industry and client. It dictated a set of best practices (right or wrong) that can be leveraged across the globe regardless of industry or department. While new features may not have always been intuitive, businesses realized there is a significant cost savings to not creating their own version of a word processor or spreadsheet application, or presentation maker. Rather, they should make the investment to learn how to leverage one that was created for the masses. One could argue that organizations often bettered their processes due to pre-designed functionality that was available to them that they may have not considered applicable to their work or industry.

The difference between Salesforce.com and Microsoft Office is that Office is a product, while Salesforce is a platform with product offerings. In addition to marketing, salesforce automation and customer service and support, the platform can be leveraged to apply a rich set of features and functionality to other areas of the business (recruiting, employee development, operations, etc…). You can custom configure and even custom develop on the platform to create unique applications.

One of the areas we work with clients is helping them navigate the myriad of choices they have when designing applications on this platform. When is it ok to “customize” and when should one leverage what is already available but only requires simple configuration? Here is where the rubber meets the road. Working on this platform, I have seen many clients realize the benefits of modifying their process or behaviors for enhanced visibility, streamlined work streams, or improved collaboration. Salesforce’s native page layout editor often accelerates design decision making, creates a repeatable, familiar interface, and introduces visual tools that may not have been utilized before and would not have been requested by the client. While change can be painful, the benefits can often outweigh the investments.

For this reason, businesses should always make sure they are making the proper investment in Training and organizational Change Management. Regardless of the size of your organization, Training and Change Management can consume a significant portion of any software budget, and that percentage only increases on a platform that reduces the amount of development time needed.

So next time you hear “it’s a training issue” on your salesforce.com project, try not to immediately cringe, chuckle or push back. It may very well be an opportunity to improve…and an appropriate time to “fix it in the mix.”

And Why Not? 

What more noble cause is there to be leading your company in? Salesforce.com (SFDC) has changed the way people and companies interact with software. The Salesforce.com platform is not just software hosted in the cloud, but has become a platform for companies and individuals to design their own software that integrates with their core CRM quickly and cost effectively. 

Need a place to track expenses against your prospects and clients?
Salesforce. 

Want to monitor your office technology assets?
Salesforce. 

Need to track order fulfillment?
Salesforce! 

Why Has This Platform Been So Successful? 

The lack of need to manage hardware and scalability coupled with the highly intuitive Admin GUI has empowered business people to meet their own needs without constant dependency on technical resources. Which me brings me to my next point.  

Salesforce is Not Difficult to Administer

Oh my gosh! He said it! Shhh! Don't tell anyone!

That's right, it's not difficult to setup and make changes to your SFDC environment thanks to SFDC's "declarative" configuration wizard. And while certified Admins are scarce right now, that won't be the case forever as it does not require programming experience to become one. Then if becoming an SFDC Admin is so easy and popular right now, how does one differentiate themselves in an ecosystem that is growing leaps and bounds and may be as saturated as .Net developers in a couple years?

Simple. Let's look back at why SFDC took off in the first place. It targeted business people with small departmental budgets and showed them they could deploy their own system without taking a programming class, or requiring a cap ex request. Why is this important? Because thebusiness knows what they want when they want it. When the business has to go through an exhaustive process to get it, it gets frustrated, loses interest or worse, ends up with a very expensive system that does not meet its needs nor grow with change. 

Make Yourself Valuable

I have an uncle who once told me "the people who know how will always work for the people who know why".

Throughout my career these words have echoed in my mind. If you were one of the first adopters of SFDC, it answered a need you already knew you had. Understanding how to configure the tool was the next step to meet that need. If you are new to SFDC but not technology, or you are just starting your career out of school, then you may be tempted to immerse yourself in the features of the platform, learning as much as you can and building your list of certifications. And while this is empowering, it is not valuable to employers…on its own. 

What is valuable is knowing their business. Know their competitors. Understand the market landscape. Talk with the business and spend time with them understanding their jobs, not just the mechanics, but also the objectives. What are they measured by? What market forces are they planning for? What is their short term/long term vision for the platform?

Then, apply the knowledge you have gained of the platform, and how other SFDC clients use the system, to guide the business in its use of SFDC as a tool to meet those needs. Understand their requirements and challenge things they ask for. Ask why they want that field, or that workflow, or that validation rule. Offer alternative solutions or thinking. Leverage the platform to facilitate improvements to their process. Leverage your business acumen to consult them on ways to improve their use of technology, not migrate flawed methods to a new technology.

A prominent client in the insurance industry recently posed a question. They asked "how can we share an Account record with someone, but not give them access to all the Contact records for that Account?" As a capable Admin, I might be tempted to start working on a solution to their request, but I stopped myself. Instead, I inquired why they would want to do this in the first place. It's counter intuitive to the goals and objectives of this platform they shared with me when we first started working together, which was to foster collaboration and cross-selling. Removing visibility to key contacts at an Account record would certainly not foster collaboration and cross-selling. Spending time and money on determining a way to meet their request, while potentially showing off my admin skills, would only jeopardize their strategy for the system's usage.

How and Why

While so many industries are waiting out the current economic environment, Cloud Computing is growing exponentially. Admins and Developers are in high demand. Salesforce consultants are needed even more. Because despite what is offered by the latest technology trends, we should be stewards of best practices and innovative thinking. We should not be afraid to ask questions. We should not be afraid to disrupt current thought or culture. While not all of our suggestions will be embraced, it is our responsibility to make sure they are heard. For these behaviors will make you distinguished in your career.

Because while it is good to know how, we should always be striving to know why.

I was flipping aimlessly through channels last weekend and I stopped on a NASCAR race (go ahead and insert your joke here).  I’m usually not a racing fan, but I was captivated by some of the drama as the race was nearing its end.  As I watched events unfold, I started to think about what separated the leaders from those who had been lapped (and for that matter, those that didn’t finish).  Each one of these drivers has teams of people behind them calculating and planning the minutia of each move, so how can the results be so different?  The two key differences that strike me are 1) The Driver and the team themselves and 2) The Strategy/Approach to the race.    What does this have to do with the implementation of cloud technologies you ask?  Everything.

Over the past 8 years of implementing cloud-based solutions, I’ve had the opportunity to see the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to implementation strategies, methods, and processes.  Over that time, it has become clear that the single most important ingredient in project success is a great team.  Strong technicians are great, exceptional individual contributors certainly help, but great TEAMS breed success.  Teams that are aligned with a clear objective, embrace unknowns, and support each other in the heated, stressful moments of a project can overcome all of the unplanned for anomalies that come with working with technology.

The value of strong teams and team members may not be any great epiphany, but it is a fundamental criteria for success that gets lost in this age of cloud computing.  This may be blasphemous to those in the industry, but cloud computing is not the silver bullet to resolve all of our technology issues.  As much as it is scalable, nimble, fast and efficient compared to its predecessors, it does not change the fact that people are ultimately at the root of the project team. There are complexities, differences of opinion, and misaligned priorities to overcome and it is a quality team that will adapt and overcome.  Take time to select your team, both internal and external, so that you can be confident that the probably of success is commensurate with your investment.

Once the team is in place, there must be a strategy and methods that help the team to work effectively.  One of the most common questions that I am asked by customers approaching a cloud implementation is “What is your methodology?”  I love this question because it is a great opportunity to gain alignment with a customer and begin developing a high performing team.

Methodology is not just a series of steps used to complete a project.  It is not a project plan.  It is not a checklist.  A methodology is actually a broader concept and we use the opportunity of discussing it to learn about a clients structure, belief system, regulatory environment, culture, and so much more.  We cannot dictate methods unilaterally because we are not in control of some of these factors.  Instead, we start with a general approach that fits the organizational footprint of a client and mold the details to align with the team.  Just like in NASCAR, the approach to the race must change depending on the track, weather, competition and driver, a project team must alter their methodology to accommodate the team, organizational culture, timeframes, objectives, cost constraints, regulatory conditions, and other factors deemed critical.

So what are the approaches?  We tend to look at methodology in 3 general categories including: Agile, Waterfall, and Iterative development.  Each of these methodologies has its place and there are infinite permutations of each.  In future posts, I will go into detail to describe each, as there is a lot of ground to cover.

While organizing your cloud computing initiative, don’t fall into the trap of focusing solely on the technology.  People and processes matter, and they will ultimately determine your level of success!

CHICAGO – May 19, 2011 – Model Metrics, the leader in cloud computing services for the enterprise, today announced it has been selected as a Finalist for Red Herring's Top 100 North America award, a prestigious list honoring the year’s most promising private technology ventures from the North American business region.

The Red Herring editorial team selected the most innovative companies from a pool of hundreds across North America. The nominees are evaluated on both quantitative and qualitative criteria including: financial performance, technological innovation, management strength, market size, investor record, customer acquisition, execution of strategy and integration into their respective industries. This unique assessment of potential is complemented by a review of the actual track record and standing of a company, which allows Red Herring to see past the “buzz” and make the list a valuable instrument for discovering and advocating the greatest business opportunities in the industry.

Thus far, 2011 has proven to be a very fruitful year for Model Metrics. This award comes on the heels of additional recognition Model Metrics has received including ITA CityLIGHTS CEO of the Year award, Gartner Cool Vendor in Application Services and Stevie Awards Finalist for Sales and Customer Service.

The Top 100 winners will be announced at a special awards ceremony the evening of June 15th at the Red Herring North America Forum in Hollywood, California.

Comments On The News

• “Model Metrics is honored to be named a Red Herring 100 finalist,” said Adam Caplan, CEO of Model Metrics. “The inclusion on the finalist list of most promising companies across North America further validates our proven business model in the enterprise cloud services industry."
• "This year was very rewarding," said Alex Vieux, publisher and CEO of Red Herring. "The global economic situation has abated and there are many great companies producing really innovative and amazing products. We had a very difficult time narrowing the pool and selecting the finalists. Model Metrics shows great promise, therefore deserves to be among the Finalists. Now we’re faced with the difficult task of selecting the Top 100 winners of Red Herring North America. We know that the 2011 crop will grow into some amazing companies that are sure to make an impact."

About Red Herring
Red Herring is a global media company which unites the world's best high technology innovators, venture investors and business decision makers in a variety of forums: a leading innovation magazine, an online daily technology news service, technology newsletters and major events for technology leaders around the globe. Red Herring provides an insider's access to the global innovation economy, featuring unparalleled insights on the emerging technologies driving the economy. RedHerring.com

About Model Metrics
Model Metrics, enabler of the Model Enterprise, delivers solutions and services at the cutting edge of the cloud computing industry. Since its founding in 2003, Model Metrics has become one of the most diversified and respected partners of salesforce.com, Amazon Web Services, Adobe, and Google. Headquartered in Chicago with offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Detroit, Minneapolis and Dallas, Model Metrics’ customer base spans all industries and includes enterprises such as Abbott, Allstate, Aon, Cars.com, CME Group, Honeywell, InfoUSA, MasterCard, Medtronic, and Orbitz.

With a focus on mobile and call center technology, business process and change management innovation, and custom development, Model Metrics has completed 1,500+ salesforce.com implementations for mid-sized and Fortune 1000 companies. Its world-class application development skills using Force.com, Adobe Flex and AIR, Amazon Web Services, Google and the Apple iPhone enable the creation of custom applications featuring multimedia-rich user experiences. To learn more, visit http://www.modelmetrics.com/ or follow us on Twitter at @modelmetricsinc.

###

Contact:
Kelly Indrieri
Kulesa Faul for Model Metrics
(650) 340-1983
kelly@kulesafaul.com

• Security – For regulated industries such as Life Sciences, Pharma and Financial Services security is a must
• Pain – Once you move above 200 devices the support pain can get too much
• Cost Management – To contain roaming charges and data overages
• Application Management – Apps are proliferating and need management

Like many who follow technology, I have been entertained over the seemingly endless banter between Oracle’s Larry Ellison and Salesforce.com’s Marc Benioff.

There has been a lot made of the verbal jabs between the two heavy-hitting CEOs.  For those that are late to the party, Marc Benioff has realized enormous success in taking SaaS to “The Cloud” while positioning Salesforce.com at the center of the Cloud Computing phenomenon.  Larry Ellison, former mentor of Benioff at Oracle, has been very critical of the concept of Cloud Computing; first denying that it exists and then sarcastically claiming that “Everything is Cloud Computing.”  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UYa6gQC14o&feature=related

At the center of Ellison’s argument is the fact that computing, at its core, requires software, servers, networks, memory, micro-processors, etc.  With all due respect to Larry, these comments come across as a bit obtuse and literal.  You mean Cloud Computing isn’t actually a cloud?  Of course not…  Just like the St. Louis Cardinals aren’t really birds and the VW Beetle isn’t really a bug.

Now Larry is an intelligent guy, so his mocking of the cloud isn’t out of ignorance, but simply a marketing ploy to make headlines and publicize his company.  So that is all well and good, but why should we care?  Why is this architecture for delivering technology important?

The answer doesn’t lie in the technology.  In fact it is just the opposite; it is the abstraction of the technology that is so meaningful.  You see, in it’s purest form, technology is not for technologists; it’s for those who USE technology.  The compelling thing about cloud solutions such as salesforce.com is the ability for businesses to focus on business problems, and the ability for end users to increase their efficiency and their effectiveness.  These application can be deployed in weeks rather than months, complex infrastructure concerns become a distant memory, and the nimble nature of these system create the ability to quickly adapt to rapidly changing business requirements.  In short, it allows all of us to get back to the roots of what computers were intended for:  Making our lives easier.

So Mr. Ellison, I have great respect for you and everything that you have done for the industry.  However, if you really fail to see the impact that cloud computing has made by taking the focus away from hardware, software patches, and code, it’s time that you look at the forest instead of the trees.  Or more appropriately, focus on the limits of the sky rather than the “Cloud.”