Why tedious? Well, one reason is that process documentation tends to have large volume, while efforts required to produce it are mostly not automated.

I was wondering if there is any simple way to streamline this kind of jobs, aside from hiring more analysts or investing in a some BPM software package, which would probably be an overkill for most of the projects I did.

Making any amendments to the processes is especially pita, due to all the custom diagrams interlinked with detailed textual content.

(that is if you use diagrams + text – sometimes just slides are used, especially for high-level documents – I think text is much more flexible if you need to accommodate more information)

While in fact, amending the design based on remarks from business users is the core of process-related projects.

Process-related projects shouldn’t be such a chore – if you take away all the time wasted with Microsoft Office, these projects allow to get the best idea of how the business really works.

Looking back, projects involving deep understanding of processes provide most powerful references today.

The kind of customized process work that is done during relatively short strategy project shouldn’t be mistaken with implementing whole “process-driven” approaches in the company, for which elaborate business process management IT solutions exist.

The idea is to store process designs in central repository, where they can be easily versioned, accessed by large groups of employees (which can be assigned different access rights), monitored, and modified.

Truth is – maybe it’s because it’s Eastern Europe and we are backwards – I never saw any of these system in real world use at any of the clients. Perhaps they are more popular in production company than the financial sector. I remember one Russian client mentioning before the project started that they had one, and that deliverables (processes to a large extent) would eventually have to be integrated in it somehow, but it was the only time the topic emerged.

I think there are plenty of good reasons for such solutions to have difficulties in real life adoption.

Enabling new users (like external consultants) to access the system requires at least creating new logins, in worst case it might require to buy additional licenses. Hardly easier that just emailing process documents.

People are used to work with Word or Powerpoint documents, but might need time to master unfamiliar interface of the process application.

Even though usually it should be possible to export process information in format like PDF, it might not be possible to export in format that is editable, so ad-hoc participants can contribute remarks.

The reason are many and truly converting organization to be managed around a consistent BPM system must be a daunting task. And partial implementations often leave orphaned systems that are not used.

For now, I was rather thinking if there was any way to improve the way stand-alone process documentation is created, rather than an end-to-end system.

Starting with drawing process flow diagrams, for example. Which, for now, may take place in Visio, or, since many clients may not have Visio, in Powerpoint.

I started to look around if there are any online services allowing to create process diagrams and I stumbled upon LovelyCharts, which are really lovely.

The interface is friendly and simplistic (app is created in Adobe Air, for the record).

Basic process components are all there (more than I use in fact, I believe processes are mostly tools to communicate and adding symbols that require legend to understand doesn’t facilitate communication).

You can just drag components and the app takes care of aligning the arrows etc., unlike Microsoft Office.

Unfortunately, one key feature is missing as far as actual process documentation is concerned, which is ability to create swimlanes diagrams, to illustrate roles of many actors.

Also, currently LC can export diagrams to images or PDF, but it would be optimal if it could export to powerpoint files, so that it can be delivered to the client in editable format.

Having a tool like LC to quickly visualize processes and amend them effortlessly would be just first step.

Diagrams are accompanied by text documents detailing each step (at least the documentation style I use), and having diagram changed requires to manually adjust all the detailed descriptions.

I could image a higher level application interfacing with visualization tool like LC, allowing to automatically number the steps, add description or technical details to each one, and export both diagrams and text into one word document with one click.

Just an idea. Note that I look at it from strategy consulting perspective (hence the emphasis on stand-alone process documentation, design-and-deliver), and I fully expect, for example, ISO consultants to have possibly quite different needs.

Such combination seems promising for my numerous side projects and I wanted to give it a try, even though, as far as wiki goes, I had good experience with Wikispaces before.

On a positive side, Google Sites does have a feeling of simplicity that I will always appreciate. Even though, it is surprising that it misses some seemingly no-brainer functionalities at the moment, like closer integration with Google Docs.

But the other key advantage of Google products is traditionally their responsiveness. On this account Google Sites is, so far, a disappointment. It’s not just slow, it simply hangs the browser at times (I’m using Firefox). I mean the whole thing goes “not responding”.

ZDnet blogger Dennis Howlett posted similar remarks, even though his focus was on gadgets.

That’s it for my first impressions. I’m curious about opinion of my project collaborator. I’m really optimistic about future of such offerings for teams, anyway.

PS. speaking of performance, now Google blog returns 502 server error, heh.

Technorati : google apps, google sites, wiki

After trying to learn differences between gazillion Nokia models I ended up with conclusion that this is supposed to be the best that Nokia can offer – N95:

It looks like a brick, with especially awful cheap shiny buttons on a side (one I held was plum, not black, and it looked far worse than picture). It seems to have a separate, tiny button for each function, with priority given to the functions that I never expect to use (e.g. conferencing).

It is trying to be also a music player, but I don’t see giving up a handy 8gb ipod for this mess (and besides the one I saw was just 2gb). On a plus, the camera seems advanced (but then again, why need a good camera in a phone).

I’m seriously considering simply buying an unlocked iPhone.

Ironically, I recall article in NYTimes which I read not long ago, about Nokia stance against iPhone. Nokia Pushes to Regain U.S. Sales in Spite of Apple and Google:

Nokia’s executives describe their own reactions to it in flat, unemotional terms that would seem scripted, if the speakers were not Nordic.

“The user interface was what one would expect from Apple,” said Kai Oistamo, the executive vice president for mobile phones. (…)

For now, though, Nokia is counting on its broad portfolio of products, rather than a single iPhone-killer, to fend off the competition. “We’re not a one-product, two-product company,” Mr. Kallasvuo said.

Yes, Nokia, fortunately you are not a company of one elegant, pleasant-to-use product. You are a gazillion substandard products company. Way to go.

Pretty nice, even though resolution seems to be lower than in the US.

Thoughts…

1) It’s nice thing that such communication occurs at all and MS should be credited for it

2) However, nothing can explain why people who bought new expensive hardware and new operating system from MS get worse experience than what they had 5 years ago… and, as people comment, other OSes deliver better experience on the same hardware

3) I wonder how MS images anyone buying into “PC as entertainment hub” if they can’t even get the simple audio playback right

4) All this makes it scary to think about need to buy a new computer in the nearest future. But new computers should fare better than old ones upgraded to Vista, and hopefully some of these problems will be solved by then.

I traditionally shop online at Merlin, but in this case, PJ Harvey’s “To bring you my love”, Merlin estimated delivery time for 20-40 days, so I decided to give Empik a try.

Empik.com said dispatch will take place in 3-5 days. I placed an order.

After 10 days, all I got was an email from Empik that they couldn’t complete the order for the lack of stock. But on the website they still advertise 3-5 days.

Ok, back to Merlin (I can wait after all). I placed an order.

After 6 days I got an email that delivery is ready for pickup.

Conclusion: hard to draw conclusion based on one case, but I expect no shopping in Empik for foreseeable future, or before they control their stock better.

Update: ok maybe it’s not one case after all, see for example here and here.

The idea of the site is to allow people to post and vote on rumors, short snippets of content which may or may not have anything to do with truth.

So far it’s filled with spam and auto-promotional stuff.

I don’t find anything special in the idea, but it get some publicity because of its founder. If it gets anywhere, it’s because of this asset, as it was rightly noted on Deep Jive Interests.

This newest idea of a site makes me think.. if I couldn’t have a better idea for a site.

Anyway, I found it while looking up some unexpected contact of today. They had a salsa group so I registered out of curiosity (haven’t been to salsa for ages, I prefer horse riding lately because it’s in the open air, even if there are hardly any girls to be met).

Ok small update: after 5 minutes, while breaking from writing this to read some blog entry about unsolicited invitations in goldenline, I got unsolicited invitation from a headhunter. Heh.

Anyway check my profile, with the most dressed-up picture I got (scanned it today for a proposal).

Now gmail chat not working.

Really, I should diversify my internet experience provider.

I won?t go into the topic whether the online office will replace desktop suites and when, and how do you manage to work on the airplane, and all the others. But from the brief tour that I took, and the first document I created, and the one invitation that I sent to collaborate it, the toy has Google?s charm to it.

The interface meets expectations of elegant simplicity, the ones that you usually have in case of Google.

It was fun to poke around and observe how they manage to pack the features into the browser environment. Table editing, for example. Inserting an image. And inviting collaborators, which feels like sending an email from gmail, through the similar auto-suggest box.

I?m sure you hit the limits eventually, if you try to go too far with the tool. I would be surprised if it was already fit for complex reports or other heavy duty work.

But I look forward to having a practical opportunity to give it a real world test.