Archive for the 'Trees' Category

The topic of where software resides is creating a new choice: “your place or mine”.

A question worth addressing at any time or just when your system is up for replacement?

With the on-demand option, vendors might use phrases such as “there is no software, it is a service” and “you need to think differently, because there is no software any more”.  I think that there is, indeed, software; it is just provided in a more cost efficient model and licenced to you via a different style of contract.

Technicalities aside, what are the key issues that potential purchasers should think about if SaaS or on-demand is offered?  There are four groups of questions that must be considered and a few that might be considered:

1. Suitability
2. Absolute cost
3. Availability
4. Security

SUITABILITY

• Don’t be distracted by the choice of on-demnd or on-premise UNTIL you have established that the software meets your business needs

ABSOLUTE COST

• Compare all costs over a number of years
• Look at the internal costs you might now NOT have to pay, which might include costs of IT support staff, hardware; IT departmental charges; third party software; version upgrade costs (can be up to £30k+ per year in many organisations using FM suppliers instead of in-house IT staff); reduced System administrator costs (as you no longer have 100 PCs to upgrade) and many more
• Look at any hidden costs, such as a Departmental charge NOT reducing because of internal “rules” and extra interfacing costs
• Include the commissioning costs if this is relevant (possibly low if an existing supplier is swapping the delivery method from on-premise to on-demand)

AVAILABILITY

• How resilient is the proposition in terms of speed of access (e.g. when all staff are looking at the weather at 1pm on-line)
• How is the data backed up, how often and where are backup stored?
• How are local Maps, Local Printing and Local Corporate system interface dealt with?
• Can people work from home, with their own variety of access bandwidths?
• Does the Infrastructure supplier have one or many sites, where are they and how are significant incidents (floods, bombs etc) going to affect your system?
• Will the Infrastructure supplier go bust (if this happens, you will not expect it, so best ask) and what happens that day to your system
• How do Home workers access the system from home PCs – or is it best that this is a big NO
• How would Field Workers upload and download data to mobile devices and what about the ones who need to do so wirelessly
• and so on…

SECURITY

• Where is the data stored?
• Can ex-employees with a grudge trash the data?
• It may matter to your organisation where the data is stored.  Find out.
• What are the points at which the data is in the public domain, if any?

If you choose "On-Demand", choose it.

Naturally, the list of questions could go on a long time.  If I was a purchaser, being offered on-demand and on-premise, here is how I might think:

> Let’s make sure that I have evaluated this software as my best option BEFORE addressing my attention to this question (an old sales trick when getting no commitment to buy is to offer an alternative question that is a version of “so, if you did choose to buy it…which I know you have not yet done…, would you choose red or green?”)

> If this is my chosen software, then, is it cheaper to have on-demand over 1, 5 and 10 years for ME taking MY organisation’s way of counting costs to ME in MY role in MY department (if not stop right now)

> Now I am considering on-demand, how available is it compared to on-premise and what is the evidence to support that (or ask for I will insist on a trial of sorts)

> Now that I am considering on-demand and I know it is as available as on-premise (or better than on-premise), how will it interface to the systems and devices that are part of my requirement

> Now that I am OK with it technically, what data security rules should I consider and what evidence do I need (this one is pretty straightforward)

> How will the supplier develop the software’s capabilities for my vertical solution compared to how best of breed on-premise solutions are developed and what is the evidence? (I need proof that this makes financial sense to my supplier or they will either fail to develop the system as my needs change over time or go out of business)

With so many people offering on-demand as an alternative to on-premise, the need for a mutually beneficial relationship remains as does the need for me to be offered the choice: your place or mine!

Millau Bridge, Tarn Valley, Southern France

Employees in Local, Regional and Central Government Agencies, their partners and a plethora of stakeholders turn up for work each day and do their part in the “Value Chain” of Public Infrastructure Maintenance.  Some inspect assets, others make difficult decisions about expenditure based on limited funds and resources.  Yet others are skilled tradespeople and craftspeople who actually do the jobs that repair, install or decommission assets.

Are these people experts in Maintenance Management?  Are the assets themselves actually important?  Or is the Service the thing of importance?

Looking at Refuse collection services, the publicly owned refuse bin is not that which one normally focuses on as an employee in a Municipal Cleansing and Waste work group; the service is what draws delivery staff attention – is it timely, effective, cost effective?

When we look at other assets, we might be drawn to other conclusions.  A Bridge Engineer will definitely focus their working efforts on the Condition of components of a Bridge in the context of failure of the whole Asset.  With catastrophic consequences, Bridge failure is the correct focus yet one may ask if all it does is provides a service, as part of a Highway…whose function is to facilitate the efficient movement of citizens between various buildings.  Some Bridges are destinations, with intrinsic beauty and statuesque appeal such as the Millau Bridge in Southern France or the Fehman Belt Bridge in the Baltic Sea.

Even beautiful assets have function, the ambition of the designer or commissioning body had the vision to make something with intrinsic beauty, adding a secondary function of making a statement about that part of the world, turning “it” into a destination or, more likely, providing function within the context of a beautiful area. 

...you affect the lives of citizens in a profound way

Back to the people…Assets are key to providing services?  Perhaps.  If so, consider the process of maintaining the road.  It needs to be available in perpetuity, in the best condition that supports the transport requirements of the day and unavailable for the least amount of time.  People have developed science to predict the best time to do the least amount of work to keep the road available and this science can be flexed for differing budgets and differing desired road conditions (Pavement Management).  The people who carry out this “science” are called Pavement Engineers and they care about the asset; their managers and policy makers care about the service.  In consultation with “Government” about Public funds and sometimes with citizens (in a democracy) about desired quality, they set out the rules and parameters for the Engineers to conduct their Asset Maintenance Science.

Now to the staff involved in “event driven maintenance”.  There are many aspects of Street Based Asset Maintenance in which Events drive most of the remedial actions.  Examples include Graffiti removal, many types of property repair, Street Lamp replacements, clearing fly tipping, providing a Bulky Household collection, clearing a fallen tree…none of which would ever happen without their event…amusing thought, perhaps, clearing a fallen tree that isn’t there yet?  “Event Driven Maintenance” could be a topic in a University course and, indeed, tomes have been written about this aspect of Infrastructure Maintenance, but it is really all about providing a service to citizens so that they enjoy a great built environment.

Manage assets or provide services? The TEAM has a profound effect on the lives of its citizens.

I went to one of the big Business Analyst firms the other day and the Director of Public Infrastructure and I mused about how most citizens hardly notice the well maintained Public assets that ARE Britain, or New Zealand, or Melbourne and so on.  Citizens visit other parts of the world and notice that Refuse in (perhaps) The Gambia is collected every month, when a large truck goes along the main streets and most refuse on the street is collected and thrown into the back of large trucks by intimidating crews; children are kept away and cars are parked off of the route whilst domestic refuse and unwanted items are put out into the now empty street.  You would not be asking for the Bin to be a different shape, which colour should be used for recyclables or whether it had an ID chip but you might be asking for weekly collections as a start point! 

So we are focused back on the service. 

My conclusions is that TEAMS provide services to citizens.  Within the team, Engineers and Scientists practise aspects of the appropriate Asset Maintenance Management techniques. Others within the team make decisions levels of service to balance public funds with citizen demands.

On a purely personal note, I observe that those involved in all aspects of Managing public assets and providing public services affect our lives much more than we usually think about…until we are confronted with very different levels of service or public assets that are clearly in a very different condition.  Oh, and by the way, the public would like to hardly notice your 24/7/365 efforts, but want to feel really good about where they live.

To answer my own question “Do you manage assets or provide services?”, I choose an answer with an added observation: Your team does both and, in so doing, you have a profound effect on all of the citizens you serve.