Three Ways Your Organization Is Putting Its Data Integrity Strategy in Jeopardy

Lack of data integrity - the assurance, accuracy, and consistency of data - can harm your data-intensive, customer-oriented applications, transactions, and processes. When data becomes unreliable, everyone from customers to C-level managers question the credibility of the business-level activities that use it as justification. If a health insurer cannot trust the demographic data of a particular risk pool, for example, how can they accurately determine the premium rates the group should pay? Organizations must build an effective data integrity (DI) strategy to maximize the return on their systems and data. Let's look at some of the reasons our data integrity plans goes awry, and what we can do to resolve the problem.Migration from Legacy to Strategic SystemsA past tendency of organizations to deploy systems in a haphazard way resulted in multiple, disparate systems that operate independently without a standard framework or language. This lack of integration makes business transformation problematic. Over time, as these legacy systems are migrated to newer strategic systems, data inconsistencies, inaccuracies, and operational delays can develop; all of which adversely affect customer experience and revenue.OutagesUntimely outages may lead to stuck orders, unprocessed transactions, and bad data. For example, a bank whose ATM transaction processing suffers an outage will be forced to enter those transactions into their General Ledger by hand, risking keying errors. Alternatively, a CRM outage may mean that while and online customer transaction is made, and the payment is received, that buyer's information may not be retained for service or marketing purposes later.


System Design or Architecture FlawsSometimes, simple oversight can cause downstream problems that adversely affect the organization. System design problems create situations in which incorrect information is populated across multiple systems. Such errors might not be immediately recognizable, but typically present themselves in distinct ways... such as on the balance sheet. For example, your customer pays online with a Direct Debit option but the transaction is classified as Net 10 in the billing system. The customer may face undeserved late fees, and unwanted hassle, due to a perceived late payment.Automate to Preserve Data IntegrityThe errors and delays that result from a lack of data integrity can be avoided by employing software that automates manual business and desktop processes. Automation software works like a "digital employee"; standardizing, formatting and moving data during migrations from legacy to strategic systems. In the case of outages, the technology enters transactions into the core system or other systems of record with total accuracy, rather than taxing your traditional employees and risking errors. Automation is also used to handle transactions and other complex processes, moving information from a website's back end and into accounting, CRM, and order fulfillment systems with ease.In each of these cases, the key to avoiding a breakdown in data integrity is to ensure consistency in your data, avoid human error, and preserve the link between your integrated applications. Make automation technology part of your organization's data integrity strategy to make sure your future decisions and customer service are sound.

Strategy and How to Get Some

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard a business coach say, strategy is crucial for success!, I would be writing to you now from my hammock on a Tahitian beach, and servants would be bringing me another umbrella drink. It's gotten to be so commonplace, that it's a given.It makes a lot of sense. Strategy is important.The problem is, no one actually teaches you how to develop a strategy (at least, no one I've seen). They just tell you, get some.It's like a story I recently heard about a traveler deep in the African bush who wanted to buy a cola drink from a small shop, miles from any other commercial enterprise. You could buy one only if you gave them an empty bottle first. He didn't have an empty bottle. He could only get one if he could buy a drink first.You may sometimes feel like such a traveler with strategy, trying to find your way in a jungle, and the only advice is to get something you have no way of getting from where you are, without the thing you are trying to get.With that confusing conundrum, it's no wonder that entrepreneurs have trouble knowing where to start when it comes to strategy.Strategy sounds really big. It sounds like grown-up, big business stuff. It can feel inaccessible.I'd like to make it accessible to you by first sharing what it is not.Strategy is not a plan of action. Strategy does not spring, fully formed, from the forehead of you, the head honcho entrepreneur, like Zeus' offspring. Strategy is not only for big business.You can put a lot of pressure on yourself by thinking in those terms. And it serves you very little.Instead, think of strategy as thoughtful meandering.What!!?!! Strategy is supposed to be big-brain, carefully thought out, planned to the nth degree, isn't it?Not necessarily.Strategy is more about following the breadcrumbs than it is sitting in your bathtub and yelling, 'Eureka!' as whole-picture inspiration strikes.Strategy that reflects your unique business, your authentic self, is a whole lotta creative effort that evolves over time.So. First. Initiate. Start where you are. Get a clear idea of where you are right now. This is the thoughtful part of strategy. Let's say you want to develop a strategy for promoting one of your services. Where are you right now? What are you currently doing?Next. Evaluate. How well is what you are currently doing working? This is going to involve some numbers, some analysis. You can get pretty detailed here, so start simply: how many visits does this service get on your website? If it's not on your website yet, that's the first part of your strategy!Analytics can get pretty sophisticated, including social media, which I won't address here. If analytics are your thing, do some research to find out what tools are available, and think about whether what they can measure will tell you what you want to know.


Third step. Innovate. Now that you know where you are and how well people are responding to your current efforts, you can start to get creative.This is where the meandering I mentioned earlier comes in.Play around with different options, imagine where they might lead, and how the steps you'd follow would play out at the receiving end (where your clients are!). At this stage it helps to map out the steps so you can follow the trail.When you come upon the option that makes the most sense to you, that feels right (the best strategy has both elements!), then your strategy process is complete. From here, go ahead and make a plan to put it into action.Last step. Improvise. Allow for serendipity. When you get an unexpected outcome after any step in implementing your strategy, adjust for it. Learn what you can from it, and make changes to your strategy accordingly.Strategy is an evolving, living process. There's no right or wrong. There's only what works and what doesn't, and how you respond.Strategy is an art. Find a balance between the focus you need in order to put your strategy into action, and making adjustments to it as you see things more clearly. The strategic artist can do both, maintaining momentum through focused action, while adjusting course as the wind shifts.Reducing the process of developing strategy to 4 steps sounds really simple, and in a way, it is. The essence of developing strategy can be distilled into these steps. How far you take each step will determine the sophistication of your strategy.When I work with others to develop strategy, that's in essence what we do. Depending on where they are in their business, strategy can be fairly straightforward, with one or two main areas of focus, or it can be pretty involved with a lot of moving parts. Either way, it's transformative. It moves them to another level with their business.The same is true for you. Your business will be transformed when you start creating and implementing strategy to move toward your goals.Take it easy. Start with a simple strategy using the steps of Initiate, Evaluate, Innovate, and Improvise. As you get better at it, as you learn to ask clearer questions, and as your vision expands, you'll be able to develop more far-reaching strategies.The important thing is to start. Thinking through what you want and how you're going to get there are essential to creating the business success you want. Start with a little strategy.

Your Brainstorming Invitee List: Why Diversity Is the Mother of Innovation

Who do you typically brainstorm with? The same group of people, time after time? Do you ever detect a certain "sameness" in the ideas generated?Are you surprised???The quality and creative yield of ideas in any brainstorming session will only be as good as the people who make up the group. In today's highly competitive, innovation-driven marketplace, truly breakthrough thinking almost always depends upon high quality collaboration.In his book, Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration, author Keith Sawyer explains, "When we collaborate, creativity unfolds across people; the sparks fly faster, and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Collaboration drives creativity because innovation always emerges from a series of sparks-never a single flash of insight. This is the essence of group creativity."Group Creativity and FlowThe most productive brainstorming sessions occur when the group becomes so absorbed in their activity that they slip into a state of creative flow. Flow is that peak performance state athletes refer to as "The Zone." It occurs when a group becomes single-mindedly focused in its creative problem solving activity, all sense of time, place, and self-consciousness (ego) disappear. Everyone feels highly alert and on top of their game. It is under these conditions that a unified sense of effortless collaboration emerges; the group begins to function as a single, collective mind that intuitively knows the best ways to build upon, amplify, or refine one another's ideas.Clearly, selecting the most appropriate and effective group for your specific challenge is the key to an enjoyable, super-productive idea generation session.Creating a "Dream Team' vs. Inviting the "Usual Suspects"If you were a basketball coach with your eye set on the championship, you would want to assemble an all-star, powerhouse team of accomplished players. You wouldn't settle for a mixed bag of amateurs that just happened to be nearby and were easy to recruit. To assemble this "Dream Team," you would scout for the most talented athletes who possessed the specific skills, talent and experience your team would need to win.Likewise, when faced with a tough business challenge, shouldn't you carefully evaluate who in your organization or network possesses the best knowledge, skills and experience to successfully tackle the challenge? Shouldn't your goal be to assemble the smartest, most capable, most creative problem-solving all-stars you can find?Surprisingly, few brainstorm leaders invest adequate time or effort in this important step. They forego any due diligence scouting and more often than not simply extend invitations to the "usual suspects" (those who work in the same department or division, or work on the same product, service, account, etc.). Most don't even consider the value of inviting "outsiders," since they already know and feel comfortable with the usual suspects. After all, "the team" understands your product, service, goods, or process; and they understand the underlying issues, situation, and challenges, right? Aren't these people the best qualified to help you develop innovative solutions to your problem?Not necessarily.Conformity/uniformity in thinking (groupthink), a lack of objectivity or perspective, internal politics or infighting, personal agendas, and a general aversion to risk-taking or radical new ideas are all common pitfalls experienced when the same group of people come together repeatedly to generate ideas. When participants work under the same conditions and circumstances, confront the same challenges day in and day out, repeatedly run into the same limitations or obstacles, and share the same assumptions about what is or is not possible, options can appear scarce-boxing in the group's thinking abilities.


The power of diversityWho you invite to your brainstorming session can have a dramatic impact on your productivity and the session's ultimate success. When you deliberately recruit a diverse group of participants-an all-star team from different backgrounds, cultures, genders, age, talents, skills, knowledge, expertise and perspectives-you exponentially increase your group's ability to deliver innovative solutions.In Group Genius, Keith Sawyer also writes, "... when solving complex, non-routine problems, groups are more effective when they're composed of people who have a variety of skills, knowledge, and perspective." He goes on to say, "The reason groups are so effective at generating innovation is that they bring together far more concepts and bodies of knowledge than any one person can. Group genius can happen only if the brains in the team don't contain all the same stuff."7 ways to enhance diversity in your groups

Invite a mix of generations. Boomers, Gen-X, Millennials... They each bring a different generational perspective, values and skill sets, cultural reference points, beliefs, attitudes and archetypes.

Invite a range of expertise, professional backgrounds, and specialties. Great ideas can come from anyone. People from any discipline, even one not directly related to the challenge at hand, may offer incredible insights and value. Chances are someone has already solved a problem similar to yours in a different company, industry or country.

Balance gender and social orientation. Just as different generations can provide a variety of perspectives, so can individuals with diverse personal backgrounds.

Invite people from different countries of origin. Thanks to today's global economy, we are increasingly working side-by-side with individuals from across the country and across the globe. Capitalize on their diverse world viewpoints and cultural understandings. Cultural fusion is a powerful element of innovation.

Invite right- and left-brain thinkers. Yes, in the same group! Creative types and linear thinkers, artists and bean counters. You may not think they'll mix well. But in fact, the Yin and Yang of linear/analytical and non-linear/creative thinkers can be an important element in the creative process.

Invite introverts and extroverts. Maybe add a dash of Myer's-Briggs personality types. Look for individuals with different ways of perceiving and interpreting: feeling, intuiting, judging, etc. This will add a richer dimension to your group's problem solving abilities.

Throw in one or two "wild cards." An unexpected participant can stir things up and add a new dynamic into the mix. You can invite customers, clients, suppliers, kids, etc.-anyone who can provide fresh, new perspectives on your challenge.
It's often said that "variety is the spice of life." It just might also be the "secret sauce" in successful brainstorms. Take the time to assemble your brainstorming dream team. Rather than settle for "same old, same old," try embracing the unexpected!It works for the most innovative companies in the world. And it will work for you, too!

What Is Innovation?

Recently I received an award for business innovation. As I've contemplated this award, I've asked myself what is business innovation. My motto in business is, Innovation, Solutions, Service, so what is innovation?It might seem like a simple answer, you can say it means new ideas, or new ways of looking at things. To me innovation means a lot more. It means being on the forefront of your industry. It means researching the industry you are in and then researching similar or like minded industries and finding lasting solutions for your business. Solutions that engender success and move you to your ultimate goals. Because no matter who you are, if you or your business doesn't have set goals you are not moving forward and will eventually flutter out of existence.A business entity is a living breathing thing. If organized correctly, it will continue to live long after the founder has gone. Therefore just like you can't go through life with the same skill set that you used when a baby, you have to grow and evolve as a business. As you pass through the infancy stage of business you have to start looking at ways to re-energize your base clientele and bring new customers to the door. Look at most successful businesses and you will see this practiced time and time again. For example, there was a time when McDonald's would have been satisfied making cheeseburgers and fries and leaving it at that. But their market analysts saw the writing on the wall and they began offering salads and alternatives to the traditional hamburger. Carl's Jr. started beating them up in their advertising so they introduced the Angus burger line. Now they are marketing the McCafe motif and renovating their stores to be more "upscale" with a modern look. They are no longer the children's restaurant, but the young professional adults cafe. This shift in marketing happened over time because they were able to see the industry shift and stay ahead of the curve. It was proactive rather than reactive. Many small business owners operate under a reactive mentality and therefore are unable to move their business past year five of operation.That is just one example of how a business must incorporate innovation into their business model. Now, I am not saying that you have to be constantly renewing your business and introducing every fad into your business model. Fads come and go, you shouldn't bankrupt yourself trying to always be on the cutting edge. You can research each new trend and determine by your experience and customer demographic whether or not something might work for you. Things that work in New York City, might not work or be practical in Stockton, Utah, and that's okay. Your customers will help you sometimes determine if something will work or not. Also, instead of going all in and making the change and expecting your customers to like it, do a trial run for a limited time and see how it is accepted. That way your investment is minimal if it doesn't work for your business.


Another aspect of innovation in business is preparing a long-term and short-term plan on how you want to grow your business. Since you don't want to bankrupt yourself by trying to implement everything overnight, make a plan on what things you can effectively implement now, and in the near future to increase sales and stabilize your business operations. Then take the things that you want to implement in a year or two years and make a plan on how you are going to do it and what needs to be done prior to implementation. Set measurable benchmarks to ensure that you are moving towards those goals. And remember don't get discouraged if your one year plan is taking a little longer, because some things are just hard to plan for. The important thing is that you have a plan in place and that you are constantly reviewing the plan and adjusting as needed, but don't just feel that you can freely adjust and postpone things all the time, you need to challenge yourself to make it and then do it.In conclusion, it is my personal opinion that I've formulated over the last 18 years of my life, that every business owner should be a master of innovation. You should always try and set your business in the forefront of your industry. Be the benchmark that other similar businesses are measured against. Don't be left behind and become the dinosaur of the industry or worst yet just another business fatality on the highway of success.

How to Know When You're Ready to File a Nonprovisional Patent Application

If you have a provisional patent application pending on your invention, you have one year to assess the production / distribution / marketing costs versus the potential profitability of your idea, before filing a nonprovisional patent application. If that sounds like a pretty big to-do list to complete in a year, it definitely is.Holding a provisional patent application pending, but failing to file a nonprovisional patent application by the one year deadline, assumes you have abandoned your invention, you lose the right to that filing date, and could potentially lose ownership rights to the invention. This outcome is fine if you have done your research and determined that the invention isn't a viable business. It's not fine if you haven't completed all of your research prior to the deadline. Unfortunately extensions are not possible.As you conduct research to determine the commercial viability of your invention, you will want to spend a lot of time qualifying the professionals you will be hiring to complete their role during this information-gathering phase. Don't assume that everyone you meet is the right fit to assess your invention.Keep in mind that every step of this process meant to compile data to determine if you have a profitable business idea. That is the unanswered question you need to resolve before the one year deadline. Are there enough potential customers in the market, who are capable of paying the cost per piece to produce the product, as well as generate a profit for you, to make it worth your while to pursue this further?To produce a prototype, you will need to hire a design engineer who is capable of bringing your invention to life. I strongly recommend that you put a written agreement in place stating that they will sign over any rights to their contributions to your invention, to avoid additional complications down the road. Additionally, you will investigate potential manufacturing facilities and evaluate the costs associated with each.The next question at this phase is funding to commercialize your invention. Many inventors have chosen to go the crowdfunding route, but not many know that different sites have different policies about the types of inventions those sites will allow. Also this is definitely a place where the adage "it takes money to make money," kicks in. If you're asking potential donors to support your cause, you'll need high quality, compelling video or photos, good copywriting to describe your invention, in addition to various donor incentives based on the level of their pledge. Crowdfunding can be highly effective and give you insight into what you hope to be the anticipated demand for the product.


Which raises the next point, what is the market demand for what you're looking to produce, and how much are people willing to pay for it? A crowdfunding campaign can give you a much better sense of consumer interest and a potential price point, but keep in mind that it represents only sliver of the population that has become interested in crowdfunding campaigns. If you end up manufacturing your product, where and how are you expecting it to be distributed? Is there a large enough demand to support long term production? Working with a market research company can give you additional insight into the long term potential.If you're looking to eventually make millions with your product, you should plan to spend millions on determining the product's safety, marketing and product development over the same time period. As your product moves through each level of production, scaling up from 100 to 10,000 to 100,000, and so on, you'll do additional product development to accommodate the scale of production. And out of that additional product development will come additional opportunities for patents.Once you have done this research and are satisfied that this product is in demand in the market, and the price minus production costs will yield a healthy profit for you, you are ready to file a nonprovisional patent application. After the application has been reviewed by a patent examiner at the US Patent Office you will have an issued patent.

Manage Overhead for Complete Cost Control

It can be daunting to manage overhead in a competitive business environment. Often, it is a nagging worry that greets you at work and follows you home. Most of your time is probably spent on important items like the products and services you offer. Of course you are going to focus on the "bread and butter" that creates your revenue stream. If you didn't, it would be difficult (if not impossible) to stay profitable. Overhead and more specifically, supply costs, impact your bottom line as well and that is where we come in.I know what it is like to spend close to 10 hours a day trying to make sure that your business runs smoothly and efficiently. I also know that just because production or sales are up, your profit margin may not be moving. Often, those increases in revenue are associated with some type of increase in cost. That big number can be shocking!When you are overseeing your company and trying your hardest to make more money and put out all of the fires you are not able to oversee every little aspect of your costs of doing business. Wouldn't it be great if you could make your employees more accountable and lower the big, scary number up to 50%? Hiring another supervisor isn't the answer. Your management does not need to add "Professional Babysitter" to their resume. Your solution: Automated Supply Distribution Vending.


Have you paid attention to how your snack and soda vendors do business? They set up their machines, stock them with products they know you want and go on about their business. The machines do their job and the vendor doesn't have to worry because the machine does all of the work for them!You can now do the same thing with your employee's supplies. It works with PPE (safety), MRO (tools) and IT peripherals. Use your imagination and you can probably come up with some other uses as well. The machine doesn't have buddies that get extra supplies and the whole system trains your employees to be more accountable.Employees access the vending supply machine with a PIN number or an ID card to get the equipment they need to do their jobs safely and efficiently. They are recognized by name at the machine, so it reinforces that they are accountable for what they are using. Reports are accessible 24/7 and can be scheduled to be delivered to you. The reporting software is set up prior to your machine being installed and gives you access to very detailed information on who is using what and when.Doesn't this sound like a better option than out of control supply costs and babysitting employees? Get more info.

Increasing Your Business Bandwidth

It is often difficult to take your business to the next level. I meet many young entrepreneurs that are capable of taking their business to a certain state and then struggle to move it much further. This is a very normal phenomenon and it has to do with more than just business experience or capital expenditures. To bring perspective to this article let's look at the capacity to develop a business much like a bringing information to your computer. The faster the delivery method the quicker decisions can be made to transform your business. In the same way as the fibre optics increase the band width of information flow, people also learn a capacity to translate information and turn it into actions. This is referred to as 'performance bandwidth'. Like many things in this world we as people have a certain capacity for success and failure. We will only risk so much and achieve so much success. We have different perspectives on acceptable levels of failure and interpret failure in different ways. This interpretation leads us to the choices we make every day. It is a repeating pattern of conducting ourselves in our day-to-day lives. So are we trapped in this self-limiting behaviour?Let's first look at a description for the performance bandwidth. Performance bandwidth is both the height of accomplishment one can achieve and the lowest level of personal failure one can endure. A good example of this is Donald Trump. He has achieved success and lost everything more times than most of us can remember. Or Tiger Woods, who at the pinnacle of his career and life threw it all away on indulgence. Now in both of these cases Trump and Woods seem to come back to a state of success. Why is this? Performance bandwidth. In the same way that one will lose everything and make it back again, one will only achieve a certain level of success and either give it away, or lose it due to some circumstance that they should have known would turn out poorly. In the same way each of us has a performance bandwidth that keeps us in a certain zone of performance. Throughout our lives we will incrementally move a bit forward or backward but we usually stay within a 10% range of performance year on year. If you look at your savings, income or long-term investments you may notice these trends.


So is this performance bandwidth fixed or can you break free of the cycle? I am happy to say that through focused repetition and learning it is possible to make transformational changes in your performance abilities. In truth, this was how you adopted your current performance bandwidth. We each have spent our lives reinforcing a set pattern of performance as we learned what worked and what we perceived as "not working". This is usually how we define failure. I work with others to unlock the hidden potential inside their business and themselves to surpass the typical level of performance. So when your time comes and you are up against a wall that seems impossible to get over, remember I can help you overcome that obstacle and give you the skills to tackle many more. Achievement is not a one-time experience; it is a mind-set and a reoccurring pattern. Learn it, refine it and become it.