MISST - Reflections

One of the key pieces to the learning method used in the MISST program is to set learning objectives and then reflect on whether those learning objectives were achieved and - more importantly - what was learned. It has been said many times that insanity is doing the same thing and expect different results. Yet how often does anyone sit and reflect on what they learned? How would I do things differently? While I have made progress on each in each project, I'm focusing more on the high points.

We are often searching for right answers when we should be developing better questions" - John Steinbeck

As I've been reminded again, our learning model is an important part of approaching a problem:

  1. Identify the issues
  2. Perform inquiry/research
  3. Analyze / draw conclusions
  4. Propose a solution
  5. Reflect

Project 1 - Should Microsoft Buy Yahoo?
Subtitle: "Welcome to MISST". A week of hard work that really got me thinking in some new ways. (keep this up and Alzheimer's shouldn't be a problem!)

  1. New systems implementation on a large scale project.
    • This was the first time to work on a team in a while. Muskingum's environment doesn't always lend itself to this concept. We've had to delegate of tasks and work with tight deadlines.
  2. Better understand how to apply technology to business processes.
  3. Effective recommendation and "selling" of system improvements.
    Many of the MISST projects involve selling our idea. 
  4. Continuous improvement!
    • My first new learning here is time management. With a full time job, full time family and other volunteer work, managing this project has been a challenge. It requires more planning, but I feel like I'm sharper (if not tired!)  - felt this from trying to drive home each night during the first residency. I decided to stay for future residencies.

Project 2 - Create an Information-based Business Idea
Not sure that was the official name, but that is the concept. Lots of new learning packed into this one. Also a few hard memories. My position before Muskingum was at a start-up software concern. I learned a lot there, but that was a tough time. Long hours, high stress. Realized if I knew then what I know now... We still wouldn't have made it. Tough market to crack that was.

  1. New systems implementation on a large scale project.
    • Same reflections as above. New concept though as we all went home to our regular life as well.
  2. Better understand how to apply technology to business processes.
    • My biggest new piece of technology has been learning Microsoft Project. It was introduced in Project 2. Once my team has got the hang of it, it has become a very useful tool to manage our projects. An example or our project schedule for Project 2 is here.
    • Remote collaboration as a concept may not be a technology, but it is a big piece of my learning. As a team, we have used the Blackboard application at Muskingum, Skype and email. While I have made use of similar tools before, relying on them as the primary means of communication (vs. being able to quickly meet with someone in person) is new.
    • I learned a lot about building web pages in Project #2 as I was the main architect of the web site.
  3. Effective recommendation and "selling" of system improvements.
    Many of the MISST projects involve selling our idea. 
  4. Continuous improvement!
    • Lessons learned in Project #2:
      • K.I.S.S.! Our presentation for our product was too long for a venture presentation. I should have remembered this from my work with S&R, but that was a long time ago. 
      • Stop, look and listen. We had a great target for our product. But we focused too much on completing our work and not enough time stopping to see what potential customers would like in a product. We could've done more with our product had we just talked to some women who are Curves members to see what they might like in a product. We were close, but this input would've given us a great product. (I'm guessing we still would have had a lot of comments and questions anyway, though!)
      • This last point may be the most important lesson from this project. From my life experience, I don't know that this project introduced that many new concepts to me. I had "been there, done that". I spent the first 8 years of my career advising small companies, the last two in the exact type of situation as in Project 2. But as I reflect on our results, I don't think that I applied those lessons to this project. I have learned many new concepts in my life. Maybe more that most, due to my nature to try new, different things (I have been referred to as Mikey from the old LIFE commercials before). The biggest part of learning is applying it to future situations. In this case, I spent too much time with head down completing the project and not enough time reflecting on past lessons. In this particular case, it was probably more related to the particular experience. The time at S&R provided a lot of hard lessons. It was a stressful time that I didn't balance well with my life; and one I wouldn't want to repeat. But those hard lessons can provide the most valuable advice.

Project 4 (yes, out of order) - What does Dell need to do to regain its success?
Placed out of order to get more business strategy into our thinking (my words, not John's). Dell was once a very successful company, but has lost its luster. What does it need to do to return it?

  1. New systems implementation on a large scale project.
    • New team so new people to work with. This is a strong component of MISST. I learn more in the program because of our team work.
  2. Better understand how to apply technology to business processes.
    • Not so much of this here.
  3. Effective recommendation and "selling" of system improvements.
    Many of the MISST projects involve selling our idea. 
  4. Continuous improvement! I'm always wanting to learn new ideas and better ways to accomplish anything. This 4th goal is the moving target where the learning I didn't know I needed is documented.
    • Project #4 was a different project in several ways. The final deliverable format was a paper and then a discussion with the faculty of our conclusions - no formal presentation. The final assessment was longer. We were allotted the overnight to complete this one instead of the 2-3 hours previously. On the face, the workload seemed lighter but I feel that the learning was deeper. Maybe I'm finally learning to reflect as I work, rather than after. In many ways, this was a good extension of the innovation work we did in LM1 from Project 2. I do find myself applying these concepts already in my work and personal life. I'm thinking about how Muskingum College can try to do something to create new opportunities such as we did with our very successful re-pricing in 1996. I even was applying it to the East Muskingum School's Superintendent's Advisory Council. Very good base to move forward.

Project 3 - Recommendations of a Telehealth Solution for Morgan County
New industry for me here. Although I worked with some healthcare at E&Y. We were to analyze the state of healthcare in Morgan County and propose how the county could best use telehealth to improve healthcare. Which meant we had to learn what telehealth was in the first place.

  1. New systems implementation on a large scale project.
    • Again working in a new team, although with this project I've now worked with everyone at least once.
  2. Better understand how to apply technology to business processes.
    • We tried Project here, but we didn't have a good enough grasp of what we might need to do (more on that below).
    • New use of remote collaboration as we were to present a telepresentation on networking concepts. This was outside of my comfort zone. While I have liked technology for my personal use and even led discussions of how to use specific applications. This was describing the concepts that make it work. And unlike most of my "Cliff Claven" type knowledge, the audience was going to be able to tell if I actually knew what I was talking about. The presentation went well.
      • Learned a new tool called Yugma for remote desktop sharing. While the tool had some limitations and was a little beta-like, the concept was good to learn.
      • We also were to make a web page to supplement our presentation. I used a new tool, Netcipia for this. More of a blog site. The page is located here.
      • After lots of reading and some "Dummies" books I pulled it off.
  3. Effective recommendation and "selling" of system improvements.
    Many of the MISST projects involve selling our idea. 
  4. Continuous improvement!
    • We came to a good conclusion on this project, but we didn't come to the conclusion soon enough. Being the most unstructured project, the need for a good plan. That was likely the piece of learning I didn't apply, but now have a better feel for its importance.

Project 5 - Individual - Student Payroll Process Improvements
No team here. I proposed changes to our student payroll process to include implementation of a web time entry and approval module for our payroll software and a disbursement program using a debit/ATM card and online account access. A large part of this project is not the successful completion of the project necessarily, but the learning outcomes. Here is what I have for this project.

The issue so far is that as of 7/11 the software is yet to be loaded in test and I have a residency in 4 weeks! Time to be creative (always scary when an accountant wants to be creative!)

  1. New systems implementation on a large scale project.
    • My team this time is my staff and people on campus. This is a chance to apply some of the learning to date. It's also an opportunity to offer some development for my payroll clerk.
    • I've learned more about the value and workload of IT. I thought this would require minimal IT support, but this support was in the initial load area. The delay changed the timing and scope of what I could do before the residency.
  2. Better understand how to apply technology to business processes.
    • Using Project helped me get my arms around what needs to be done.
    • The technology I'm applying (or trying to apply) isn't completely new to me. Mostly I still believe that the implementation will improve the payroll process as I anticipated.
  3. Effective recommendation and "selling" of system improvements.
    Many of the MISST projects involve selling our idea. 
  4. Continuous improvement!
    • The learning here so far is how to react to unforeseen circumstances. I didn't anticipate the loading of the software to take so long. I've had to react and try to do what I can. That has been focusing on the disbursement side, which has had some real progress.
    • I have accomplished a lot on ATM placement - it's expensive! The issue was large because Federal regulations require "convenient" access to funds at no charge for any disbursement card type system that disburses any Federal funds. That means within a 15 minute walk. For a school the size of Muskingum, it is tough to generate enough transactions to pay for an ATM. Most banks view this as a loss leader to drive other business, but my payroll project isn't enough business apparently. So we've got creative and have a local vendor willing to add our BIN (bank identifying number) to his ATM as a fee free transaction.
    • More reflections on the IT load delay. I think that a couple of things would have improved the load time: one would be to share my timetable with IT, another is to discuss potential road blocks with IT.

Project 6 - Enterprise Architecture
We are to propose an enterprise architecture for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and a security assessment. This time we are one team of 5.

  1. New systems implementation on a large scale project
    • Well, ODNR is certainly large! 2,000 employees and 10 operating divisions, not counting the admin. This is the stretch for me. I understand the concept of enterprise architecture, but I'm having a harder time getting my arms around how so define one in practice. Guess that's why I'm here!
    • We've also tackled some of these concepts within our larger team. This is the first time that our entire cohort has functioned as one team (if you don't count selection of eateries at the residencies). Keeping the shared vision of where we are heading has been more of a challenge. (see more below.)
  2. Better understand how to apply technology to business processes
    • The text we are using does a good job explaining the concept. It's sometimes tough to stay with it, but that's more the time of year (see comments above) I think I'm getting the concept as we work though it. The key is looking at things in order: selecting an operating model for the organization as a whole, then developing a model to engage IT before proceeding. We'll see how the finished product comes out!
    • The other portion of this project relates to Information security. While I've done some work with concept while I was at E&Y, it was some time ago. An important part of the process for me, are the concepts we addressed in the Risk Register learning module. In this LM, we try to look at possible risks and assess the level of each risk. The process allows a business to focus on the most important risks when designing controls, ensuring that controls protect without unnecessary impediment.
  3. Effective recommendation and "selling" of system improvements
    • Our interim deliverables were not up to our (my) usual standards. As we reflected, I think we realized that in our zeal to move on to the next task, we lost sight of the big picture. This shows if you compare our interim work with our final piece. I think this was a lesson we learned in the last week, after we submitted the information security assessment.
  4. Continuous Improvement!
    • The lesson so far on this project is to continue to step back and review the work product against the goals and big picture. My early deliverables slipped. I thought it was due to work and personal distractions, but as stated above, I think it was a lack of a vision for the final product. This is always an area in which I can improve.

Project 7 - Enterprise Mashups
We are to explore the applicability of enterprise mashups to the needs of small business.

  1. New systems implementation on a large scale project
    • I don't know if this is a large scale project, but it is again the whole cohort (group) as one team.
    • From a development aspect, I am working alone based on the way the projects fell out. But we are sharing development experiences, which offers some input into a larger project.
  2. Better understand how to apply technology to business processes
    • Unlike other projects, I felt I had a good visual of what the finished product should look like on this projects. The hurdle was writing it. In the end, I wasn't able to use the tools I thought, but my end result was just as effective. First step in any technology process: Determine what you need. Otherwise you can get sucked up by what is commonly known as "scope creep".
  3. Effective recommendation and "selling" of system improvements
    • The only "selling" so far is getting the team together on the some concepts. This includes what a "small" business is and what the tasks are. I don't think I have the only answer, but we've had a lot of discussions about it.
  4. Continuous Improvement!
    • I think I've finally taken more time to make sure I know where I'm going before I start working. This may have been forced a little as a vacation was scheduled (and much needed) that didn't allow me to take a laptop. But as above, I know where we need to go. The challenge this time is getting there.
    • I am also reflecting on my development experience in the Development Log.

Project 8 - Forecast of the Future of IT
For our last team project, we are to prepare a forecast of the future of information technology; and present it in a deliverable available to the public that will be a "pride piece" for the class.

  1. New systems implementation on a large scale project
    • Not so applicable to this particular project upon initial pass. However, the team dynamic has been a challenge on this project. This has been strained by the distance of two of our team. One has taken a new job out of state and the other had an extended trip to New Zealand during this project. This definitely means that our distance collaboration has been just that!
      • I think also that this final team project has strained the inevitable differences in work effort/ethic. Not sure either of those terms are the appropriate one, but everyone works at different paces and this project ranks differently for each on their personal priority list. Inevitably, this can cause some strain. I think to date the short nature of the projects, coupled with the shuffling of team members has kept this from becoming an issue. But this is our third project with all members on one team. The issue at had has been on the creative side. One clear criteria of the project is how the final piece "grabs" the audience. (my word, not John's)
      • So what do i take from this and how are we handling it? It is interesting that I have a similar issue occurring with a local organization. One key is trying to keep people involved in the end result. I think we've done that here. This is one that requires more reflection for me. I'm not sure how to resolve it for my organization. The local organization is really brewing into trouble between two members. It has brewed to the point of long term damage. My team is OK.
    • Another reflection in this area is on keeping the big picture in mind. In this case, we didn't think enough about the format of our final deliverable when soliciting the feedback of our experts. It mattered because we used a the same vehicle to communicate with them as we are using for our final deliverable, the wiki. The initial presentation in the wiki was boring and as such didn't elicit the level of response from our experts that we were hoping for. In hindsight, we needed to treat them much as we would the consumers of our final product. Initial impressions impact the acceptance and recommendations of any product or new procedure. I almost experienced the downside of this on the payroll project from P5. It's important to think about the end goal - including the format/feel of the deliverable - constantly during any project, large or small. I have reasons why I personally missed this on Project 8, but similar distractions occur in everyday life, so there is still a lot to be learned from this.
  2. Better understand how to apply technology to business processes
    • This is what this project is all about. It's almost as if my goals are fully wrapped up in this last team project.
    • Interesting that we almost missed this in our deliverable. We used the angle of a "day in the life" to describe our vision. This was more personal than business focused. We did put some additional impact in the final wiki, though.
  3. Effective recommendation and "selling" of system improvements
    • This project offers the most exciting potential for "selling". The final deliverable must garner enough interest to encourage one to read our wiki and maybe comment. I suppose the proof will be in the activity.
  4. Continuous Improvement!
    • After my success on the last project, our team dived in to this project at step 2 and or 3 of the learning model (see top of page). I'm not sure we completely missed step 1, but we didn't focus on it. Pluses and minuses: the plus is that we have absorbed enough of the model that even when we aren't consciously focused on it, we still so it. The minus is that we would have been more productive if we had remembered our learning model to begin with.
    • The final assessment for this project was very appropriate - "What is it that I learned in this project and how can it be useful to me as I move forward." This may be one of the best assessments to date. I also realized I've missed some useful items that are worth mentioning under this heading:
      • Forecasting – I’ve not made use of any of the forecasting methods we used in this project. I think that some portion of many of them, especially the Delphi and crowdsourcing, could be useful in developing future ideas for enhancement. Depending on which proposal we select for P9, either or both of these could prove quite useful
      • The power of social networking. I’ve thought a lot about how to collaborate with my peers through tools like this. We used to try to meet in person, whether it is the OACUBO (Ohio Assoc of College & University Business Officers) or smaller networking groups. It’s been hard to coordinate schedules for this. There are some powerful tools to accomplish some of what we used to do by traveling to a central site, without the scheduling and travel hassles.
      • I’m most excited about the video we made. The process we used has given me the method to implement training and announcements (not in that order, necessarily) about my student payroll process enhancements (I try not to say “changes”) and for future projects. I’ll be able to get a better, more consistent, and yes, controlled, message out about the benefits and process. That is now that I've bought a fully licensed copy of the tool we used.
      • Certainly we’ve seen the benefits of using wikis in this project. There are many times I’ve tried to collaborate on a document in professional associations or even at work (a little). The larger benefit will be the professional associations that span large distances. Tools like wikis will help us in the long run.
      • The feedback form was a tool I learned about just before this project, but learned how easy it was to create and collect information using it. My previous uses were more in the form of registrations, but I think it was a useful tool to collect more subjective feedback.

Project 9 - Develop an undergraduate program of study in Entrepreneurial Technology

Final project! When thinking about how I would apply my learning in MISST, I came upon a few ideas, but the one that resonated the most (and was deemed as the biggest personal stretch by the faculty) was in applying it to teaching. This resulted in a plan to develop a program of study (a major or even assoc. degree) that focused on the needs of small business, with some focus on the information and technology needs. I'm not sure how to apply my initial 4 goals to this program, yet.

Reality check for my program - whether I was sticking to my vision and who my target audience would be for this program. The challenge: is this appropriate for a traditional undergraduate program or better targeted towards a more "seasoned" audience that is looking to start a business. I've heard valid arguments both ways. I think there is a place for both. While it may be that older people looking to start a business would benefit from a program that lays out basic entrepreneurial and strategic ideals, there is a new generation that also needs to understand these concepts. The real issue may be setting a focus. Learning objectives may best inform this process. UPDATE 5/30/09: The answer to the target audience may be both. The core program in this outline could serve either audience. In a traditional undergraduate program, courses would be added for the liberal arts essentials and general business theory. These may not be necessary in a non-credit/non-traditional environment.

As I prepare the final version of my program, I am excited. I believe that I have a good program with applied, hands on learning. In the undergraduate/baccalaureate version there is also a good base of theory in the more traditional courses. I have some more reflection on this below.

Overall reflections

As I near the end of the MISST program, it is appropriate to reflect on the overall learning (see learning model above). The P9 selection has been a great project for this. As I've developed this program of "Entrepreneurial Technology", I've found myself reviewing information from almost every project. I've looked at our work with business cases and innovation in P2, our strategy review from P4, our risk management work from P6 and more that don't come to mind. Some of that should be since much of that is involved in starting a successful business.

What I'll do with my MISST degree - This is a good question to reflect upon. At the end of an intensive effort such as this it is difficult to determine what I will do with this over the next 3 years. My immediate plans do not stretch much beyond some mental vacation on the golf course! Seriously, I see an impact from MISST in what I do every day at Muskingum. Part of that is because I am still implementing my P5 project, but it also shows in other activities as well. Mostly I see it in the way I approach a problem. This includes reflection on the issue at the start and end and thinking with a longer term focus.

I do also notice that I find myself referencing MISST concepts and principles more in my work with students. Both in dealing with interns working with my office and in general. This brings me to another goal of mine - teaching. I do intend to use this in teaching at some point. Maybe even as a guest lecturer in this program if they would want me. But I'm also thinking about pushing for some implementation of my P9 somewhere. I really like this idea and do believe that a program like this could seriously help the economy in this region. I'd love for it to happen at Muskingum. But there are a lot of politics involved. Plus, I don't see making a career change to to this. But first I will be taking a break for reflection...

 

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Recent Updates

[6/17/09] The final project is up and I'm practicing my presentation. Reflections on where to go from here at below...

[6/14/09] Putting the finishing touches on Project 9 - a description of how I've tried to integrate the learning model (left) into the program.

[5/30/09] A good week of information and breakthroughs. I believe that I have my outline together. Now I need to fill in details and (ultimately) be done. Except that I would like to see this program have a life. At least one of my information sources would like to assist with this.

[5/19/09] Good reality checks from a second interview, a consult with my advisor - and my wife! See below for discussion. Good resources also resulted that will inform the learning objectives. This may ultimately be the best way to solve my focus issue. (see also Steinbeck quote)

[5/16/09] A bit of a brainstorm this week as I came across an idea for what my end product may look like. This has been a reflection in past projects - to keep the end goal in mind - so this has helped me focus my thoughts some more. The idea is built around creating a business plan. The challenge is whether this is consistent with my original idea, or whether it is better.

[5/8/09] Work on the final project  was a little derailed this week as I took some time off for commencement (graduation) exercises. Funny to do that before we're finished, but Muskingum has these only twice a year. So it was walk now or wait until December. It was a nice night.

Preparing to do some interviews this week and I have read a decent amount about existing programs. But thinking about the quote to the left, I'm thinking the next step is to work on the learning outcomes for students in the program. I'm guessing that coursework will flow pretty easily after this.

[5/4/09] The last project is underway. I'm excited about developing this new program. Research and reading this first week. Question of the week is also back. Following up on a presentation on leadership that I really enjoyed. Having a hard time building on a presentation that I think sums up an effective leader quite well.

I'll also be thinking some more about wrapping up my thoughts on learning for the program as a whole. More to come on this...

[4/24/09] Delivered our final product to the faculty today, so it is a good time to reflect more on progress towards my goals.

[4/22/09] Added some reflections on my overall goals as we prepare to deliver our project.

[4/19/09] Team dynamics issues raise up. Expected after a long project/program and the tension as we near the end. I've added some reflection below in Project 8 comments.

[4/16/09] Video is almost done. I've been working on the editing along with Chad Daniels. Admit that this is the fun part. I envisioned something a little more polished, but I'm generally pleased with what we have. Others are working on the wiki and supporting documentation. I think we'll be proud of the finished product. Hopefully we'll get some hits and comments from people other than the faculty!

[4/4/09] We are beginning to work on the final outline and video. We continued to use a wiki to build the outline. It's been a little messy, but I think we've accomplished our goal. From here are recording our "interviews and the narrative of the day in the life pieces. I of course have selected the humorous angle!

I'll admit that balancing this project with tax season is proving to be a challenge. Added to that is that we've had the busiest Spring I can remember in some time. I feel as if I haven't been able to devote as much time to this project as I'd like. Still, I like what we've come up with.

The news is out! Implementation of my P5 project in student payroll is scheduled for this summer. The student newspaper, the Black and Magenta, published an article Friday about it. The faculty advisor assigned it to a student, I'm sure, after reading the email I talked about below. All in all it was a good article. Some facts were not correct, but the article isn't negative. I also released an announcement page. I did it the week before the article to make sure I got the correct story out first.

[3/22/09] We're starting to work towards our final presentation. I've modified 2014 in the wiki for the "day in the life" format. We're ready to go for a second round of input, I think. Also some people have found the "crowdsource" wiki, which is good. This has been the most challenging feedback.

[3/20/09] Project 5 update - After receiving approval to proceed on this project, I began to think about lessons learned from the pilot and how to apply them to the rollout. One was to provide plenty of information on the benefits and get the work out. Then, last week someone sent an all campus mail out explaining the details of one step of the new process - before I had a chance to even make an announcement. So much for lessons learned. I was stopped by a faculty in the hall before the email was even out an hour. Damage control starts. New website announcing the change is on the Business Office page. Or here is the direct link. New lesson: communication with impacted parties. Financial Aid (who sent the email) didn't know I hadn't made an announcement. I needed to let them know. Now I've been interviewed by the Black & Magenta student newspaper. Hopefully the message goes out in a positive manner. This is change after all...

[3/15/09] We have been working on our wiki and collecting some feedback. The wiki was a little boring. I had intended that the final product be more "exciting", but it is hard to get people excited when talking a bunch of tech. If I would have thought about it more, I think that maybe I would have realized this. I knew it for the final piece. We have two wikis, one for invited people to comment (delphi forecasting method) and one for virtually anyone to comment ("crowdsourcing"). We started writing up some "day in the life" kind of stories to describe our vision of 2014 and 2019. I imagine that we will get these into the wiki and redistribute it soon. On a personal note (this is a personal portfolio, so maybe that is not necessary), this past week was a rough balance for me personally. Work was hectick, taxes keep sneeking up on me and I just fell behind the end of the week. Illness was part of it, but I feel like I could have contributed more.

[3/5/09] New questions have arose for me as we consolidate our vision. The problem is our schedule. We need to decide how far to dig and when to cut off our research. Still first impressions of our "experts" will determine the amount of effort they expend with us. I built some time into the plan to allow for a delay, though.

[3/1/09] Our vision is coming together. We have gone back to the wiki to develop our descriptions of the future. Still at the pbwiki site. It's a good free tool. It is interesting how easy it is to get a vision in one's head, but how difficult it can be to transfer it to a blank sheet (or screen). I've definitely benefited from my team's input on this one. Posts of research or other ideas have helped spark my creative thoughts. Another big issue is to capture thoughts as I get them. Otherwise I get that blank screen effect.

[2/23/09] "Building a puzzle" The puzzle helped the whole team get their arms around these concepts. My groupings ended up forming our three scenarios of

I don't have a picture of the pieces laid out on my table, but here is an electronic version of the chart they formed.

[2/21/09] Next step for the team is to start "imagineering". Visual person that I'm realizing I am, I have listed out some emerging technology concepts on slips of paper. I'm sitting down to shuffle these around on the floor to help my thought collection. I have categories from the research areas we assigned to the team:

Retrieval
 - Symantic Web
 - Voice Search
 - Image Search
Display
 - Thinner, flexible LCD/LED
 - 3-D
 - Multi-touch or Touchless
 - ePaper
 - Holographic
Transmission
 - 10 gb Ethernet
 - Optical - 1 terabyte/sec
 - Wireless - 20 gb
 - WIMAX / LTE
 - Body Touch Communication
Storage
 - Cloud
 - Holographic Nanotech
 - Object Based
 - Convergence of the above
 - DNA
Data
 - Data Structure
Security
 - Scenarios differ depending on the above

[2/16/09] In talking with someone about our project today I started to have some thoughts about what our project might look like. Too early to draw conclusions, but I don't want to lose the thoughts. I saw two overriding directions in reading our research: Pervasiveness and accessability. Pervasive as in availablity of information in many places we wouldn't think of currently. Accessibility in that more people will be able to access and use it (sort of the mashup concept taken out).

[2/15/09] Breakthrough in research as I stumbled upon the concept of Web 3.0 after some probing questions by John (Stinson). This turned about to be the best description of what I was looking into and pretty neat stuff. An article at PC magazine summed it up best.

[2/12/09] Half way through our initial research for Project 8 (step #2). While I found some direction with the initial research, I've somewhat stalled as I move forward.

[2/3/09] Added some reflections for Project 7 and the start of Project 8. The biggest being the need to reflect at the start of a project or problem as well as during and the end. This is why the quote and learning model are now at the top of this page.

[1/31/09] Reminded as we start our last project about the need to use our learning model to approach new problems. It is added to the left.

[1/24/09] As we approach the next residency this upcoming weekend, the development log is done. Now it is time to finish my development reflections and to prepare for the residency & presentation. Added some reflections below.

[12/29/08] As I look at the development log the next question is to reflect on what I am learning about development from this process. One big thing is the need to stay focused on the big picture. I think the entire team's efforts have benefited from starting to outline the presentation early.

[12/27/08] Development log couldn't last in this section. It was getting too long. So I've started a new page for it - P7 Development Log.

[11/8/08] Final P6 reflections. This is useful as we work on P7. As to P7, it's time to get "our hands dirty" according to the leader/faculty. Some actual development. This should be my biggest stretch of the program, but I feel better about what we're supposed to do. We work as one team again. We're smarter about keeping focus on the end goal, but we'll see if my vision aligns with theirs.

[10/4/08] More P6 reflections as we've gone through the Info Security concepts. As a team we've had several discussions on the concepts of risk assessment.

[9/17/08] New areas of learning for me. Also learning that the start of a school year is getting to be harder! Don't know how I would have fit the Republican Convention in here, too. John did fine without me. Not a big party guy anyway. Just a big McCain guy. Added some reflections below. Lessons so far is that I need to be diligent on my overall need to step back and review the situation.

[8/15/08] Starting some P6 reflections

[8/7/08] Presentation for the P5 residency is under the belt. Great learning reflections from the whole team. Some things I've added to my reflections below.

[7/30/08] Software is really in test now. Working on setup and then need some people to play with. The issue is now that I have to get on CNS (IT) list to get them added to the system. Not looking good for much progress before residency. The thought was to use the software for my P5 presentation - show how I'd train people, but not enough time, I'm afraid. I have another plan for the presentation.
The plan for the ATM and disbursement card is going well. Implementation will be pretty easy.  Started this process this week.

[7/17/08] Sounds like the software is in test. Checking tomorrow and start implementation and tests. Need a new update to the web to access the student interface. But we can get started!

[7/15/08] P5 to date: MS Project has been helpful in avoiding a full out panic as the main portion of the project stumbles. Progress:

[7/13/08] Project 5 stumbles. The new module still isn't loaded in test, which makes the development of training materials harder. Breakthrough on the disbursement side, though.

[7/12/08] This page is born to separate out was getting to be a long winded discussion on the main MISST page. I've shuffled it into project order to allow for easier digestion.