Our 50th Episode

Martin Ramsay celebrates his 50th video blog! Give us your feedback. What would you like Martin to talk about in future episodes?

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Also, be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.

Sponsored by CEATH Company.

Strategic Technique for Rapid Application Prototyping

CEATH Company's strategic technique for rapid application prototyping (STRAP) is a tool used to develop systems quickly with the client looking on and giving feedback as the system development unfolds. STRAP is a real-time implementation of the five principles of business information technology deployment discussed over the past five video blogs.



Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries. And be sure and sign up to receive notifications when a new video is released. Fill out the Sign Me Up! box and you'll never miss another video.

Sponsored by CEATH Company.

Principles of Information Technology 5 of 5

Has your organization ever experienced the agony of a software implementation -- after the previous one didn't go so well? Do you ever feel like your company is in a vicious circle of software implementation after software implementation?

The fifth principle of Business Information Technology Deployment deals directly with this issue. In this video blog, Martin Ramsay discusses how information systems must be constructed in such a way that they can grow and change, just as our organizations grow and change. Easier said than done, but an important facet of building technology that will not automatically become obsolete.



Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries. And be sure and sign up to receive notifications when a new video is released. Fill out the Sign Me Up! box and you'll never miss another video.

Sponsored by CEATH Company.

Digging into Data

We are in the age of "big data." Awash with data, we're not always able to make sense of it.

In this week's video blog, Martin Ramsay provides a simple example of a way to look at data to tease meaning and information out of a mass of numbers. See if you can spot what is going on with the data examples before Martin reveals the answer at the end.



Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.

Sponsored by CEATH Company.

Putting Salt in their Oats

Complete this sentence: "You can lead a horse to water, but ..."

If you live in the USA, you probably know this adage. It speaks to human motivation and the limits to our ability to force anyone to do what we want them to do. A recent experience at CEATH Company's Pedagogy and Technology Conference leads Martin Ramsay to think about what his grandmother used to add to that old saying. Grandma Ramsay's addition puts a different spin on motivation. But you'll have to watch the video to find out what it is.



Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.

Sponsored by CEATH Company.

Three Ways to Think Like a Consultant

Opportunities to "think like a consultant" abound. Using an example from a family reunion, Martin Ramsay discusses the three keys to thinking like a consultant:

1. Observe the client's pain
2. Identify the tool(s) that will help
3. Offer your service

Everyone should think like a consultant, even in unexpected places like a family reunion.



Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.

Sponsored by CEATH Company.

Build Internal Capabilities

One of CEATH Company's dozen or so basic operating principles involves "building internal capabilities." We want to see our clients better able to solve their own problems after an engagement with us than they were before we came. If we fail in that regard, then we have failed as consultants.

So many consultants don't understand this principle. They prefer to build a culture of dependency, one in which it becomes necessary for the client to call the consultant back, again and again. That may be good for business in the short term, but it is not good for the health of the client nor for the overall relationship in the long term.

The same thinking could be applied to companies and customers, governments and citizens, therapists and patients, and more. Watch this week's video blog to get Martin Ramsay's thoughts on building internal capability.



Be sure and check out Martin's previous blog entries.

Sponsored by CEATH Company.

More Details about Process

This video blog, complete with diagrams, goes into some detail about what makes up a process. Martin Ramsay introduces a simple graphic model that makes the major components of a process easier to understand.

The fact that the woodshed is empty this one time of the year helps emphasize the components of a process as Martin stands in the middle of one.



This video blog is part one of two parts. Watch for Video Blog 21 that discusses the difference between efficient processes and effective ones.

Also, be sure and check out earlier blog entries from the list on the right.

Sponsored by CEATH Company.

Mind Mapping

This week's video blog focuses in on a specific tool: mind mapping.

As Martin Ramsay noted in earlier video blogs, helping get people to be explicit about their own mental models is a vital skill. People often have mental models about a given situation, process or goal, and these may even be mental models of which they are mostly unaware. When there are significant differences between mental models, conflict can arise. And people may not even understand the source of those conflicts because they are unaware of the underlying mental models — both in their own heads and in the heads of others.

Martin Ramsay discusses using a tool called mind mapping to draw those mental models out of people's heads and into the light where everyone can see and understand them. He demonstrates how to use the mind mapping tool and give one example application from his consulting work at CEATH Company.



What seems a bit out of line, over the top, or not quite right at your organization? What do your consulting instincts tell you about finding out more. Perhaps you'll discover the key that unlocks a new level of productivity and effectiveness for your team!

Be sure and check out earlier blog entries from the list on the right.

Sponsored by CEATH Company.

Developing Your Consulting Instinct

Martin Ramsay suggests that everyone, regardless of their job title, should think of themselves as a consultant. A consultant's job is to look at an organization, its vision, systems and people, and to figure out ways to improve them. Consultants should always be about making things better.

In this video, Martin uses the common advertisements for flu vaccines as an example of how consultants might develop their consulting instincts. When something seems a bit out of line or over the top, a consultant's instincts will say, "Find out more. Look deeper. Find out what's behind the scenes." The ubiquity of flu vaccine advertising suggests there's more to this than just an opportunity to get vaccinated against the flu.



What seems a bit out of line, over the top, or not quite right at your organization? What do your consulting instincts tell you about finding out more. Perhaps you'll discover the key that unlocks a new level of productivity and effectiveness for your team!

Be sure and check out earlier blog entries from the list on the right.

Sponsored by CEATH Company.

Mental Models

Martin Ramsay discusses the importance of "mental models." Mental models are the models, the ways of thinking about things, that people carry around inside their heads. The way they view reality, through the filter of their mental model, greatly affects behavior and the way people are able to interact and get work done. Working hard to understand people's mental models is an important thing to do. People are often not aware of their own mental models and often end up talking past each other as a result. The role of a consultant, either internal or external, it to work to bring these mental models out into the open to increase understanding.



This video blog focuses on the use of mental models in organizational change and the importance of describing a mental model for the future, for where the organization is going. The result is often called a mission statement or a vision statement; at their heart, mission and vision statements are mental models made public.

Be sure and check out earlier blog entries from the list on the right.

Sponsored by CEATH Company.

On Being a Consultant

What do you think when someone tells you they're a consultant? Is it an honorable profession, or more in company with lawyers and used car salesmen? In this Blog Martin Ramsay tells why he sees himself as a consultant -- and why you should, too.

(And, by the way, lawyers and used car salesmen have honorable professions as well. It is all in how you conduct yourself and your own personal integrity.)



Sponsored by CEATH Company.

On Being a Consultant

What do you think when someone tells you they're a consultant? Is it an honorable profession, or more in company with lawyers and used car salesmen? In this Blog Martin Ramsay tells why he sees himself as a consultant -- and why you should, too.

(And, by the way, lawyers and used car salesmen have honorable professions as well. It is all in how you conduct yourself and your own personal integrity.)



Sponsored by CEATH Company.