Contents of

Productivity Sand Traps
& Tar Pits:
How to Detect & Avoid Them

by Mike Walsh

ISBN: 978-0-932633-21-7  
©1991  216 pages   softcover  
$27.95 (plus shipping)

Subject(s): Communication Skills, Software Industry, Software Quality & Productivity

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Acknowledgments

Introduction

PART ONE: EFFECTIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY

1: Fixing the Leaks

THE HIGH-TECH SYNDROME

Shifting the Blame
Hurry-Up Changes
The Security Accessibility Trade-Off
The Printer Paradox

THE NIH SYNDROME

Doomed from the Start
None of His Business
Pride That Kills
Nobody's Tool

COMMENTS

2: Using the Tools

WHAT PROBLEMS DO CONTEMPORARY IS SYSTEMS FACE?

Complexity
Redundancy
Incompatibility

WHAT DO MANAGERS WANT AND WHY CAN'T THEY GET IT?

Cost-Effective Systems
Compatible Files
Consistent Management Styles

WHAT IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE?

Small Computers
Fourth Generation Languages
Management Summary Subsystems

WHAT IS COMING?

Distributed Database management Systems
Computer-Aided Software Engineering

COMMENTS

PART TWO: EFFECTIVE USE OF PEOPLE

3: Self Preservation

SURVIVAL BEYOND BASIC NEEDS

Survival and Signs of Stress

KNOW THY MANAGER

The Myth of Middle Management
The Myth of Senior Management

COMMENTS

4: Sales Reps, Techies and Consultants

SALES REPS

Simplistic Presentations
Buzzwords
Hype
The Bottom Line on Sales Reps

TECHIES

Productive Technicians
Journeymen Technicians
Fraudulent Technicians
The Bottom Line on Technicians

CONSULTANTS

Arbitrators
Hatchet Men
Technical Fire Fighters
Professional Fire Fighters
The Bottom Line on Consultants

COMMENTS

5: The young and the Old

THE YOUNG PEOPLE

An Informal Interview
A More Formal Look

THE OLDER FOLKS

Sidebar: Aging
A Wasted Resource
The Over-Forty Crowd
Sidebar: Retirement

COMMENTS

6: The Honest and the Modest

EGOTISTS

Bullies
Victims
Malcontent

PIED PIPERS

Gurus
Bad-Mouthers
Troops

EXPERTS

Professionals
Politicos
Estimators

COMMENTS

PART THREE: CASE STUDIES IN PRODUCTIVITY

7: Technology Gets A Bad Name

BACKGROUND

In the Division
On the Corporate Side

PREPARATION FOR IMPLEMENTATION

The Corporate Staff and Its Role
The Division Staff and Its Role

WHAT WENT RIGHT

Standardization
Staffing

COMMENTS

8: A Maverick Succeeds

BACKGROUND
HANDS-OFF PRODUCTIVITY

The Situation in Canada
My Recommendation

HOW THEY DID IT

Using a Service Bureau
Investing in Equipment
Returning In-House

COMMENTS

9: An MIS Plan That Worked (for a While)

BACKGROUND

The Beginning of Recovery

THE 1981 PLAN

Staffing Adjustments
Establishing Priorities
The Data Repository
The Common Access Method

THE PLAN AFTER TWO YEARS

The Plan Unravels

COMMENTS

10: An Executive Starts His Own MIS

BACKGROUND

The Metaphor System
Metaphor as a Marketing Tool

IMPLEMENTING A MAJOR PRODUCTIVITY TOOL

Getting Started
Day-To-Day Considerations
Reaching Capacity

COMMENTS

11: Success Comes and Goes

BACKGROUND

A First Personal Computer
Back to the Technology
Another Real Job

THE RESTAURANT SURVEY

An IBM PC is Acquired
1-2-3, an XT-clone, and a BASIC Compiler
More Cities, More Software, More Hardware
The Big Client Goes South

COMMENTS

PART FOUR: WISDOM AND WORK

12: Management Principles

IMPROVING MANAGEMENT THE PRINCIPLES

Write It Down
Match Your Knowledge to Your Job
Use Two Heads
Keep It Simple
Keep Subordinates Productive
Follow Up
Avoid Distractions
Isolate Tasks
Be Patient
Use Your Meetings Well
Look After the Little Things
Accept Some Negative Thinking
Always Have a Plan B
Try Small Project Teams

COMMENTS

13: Communication Principles

IMPROVING COMMUNICATION THE PRINCIPLES

If You Don't Understand, Say So
Don't Waste Other People's Time
Head Off Trouble Before It Starts
Attack the Problem
Weigh Your Name-Calling
Confirm Understanding-Repeat It
Close the Loop
Loosen Up
Listen

COMMENTS

14: A Planning Tool

OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS INITIAL PREPARATION

The Materials
The Planning Roles
The Setting
The Schedule of Events

LAYING OUT THE DETAILED PLAN

Milestone
Tasks
The Calendar Sheet
Schedule Adjustments

PREPARING GANTT CHARTS

AFTERWORD

PRODUCTIVITY STARTS HERE

An Enlightened Use of High Tech
Long Term Thinking
Greater Cooperation
Honesty and Modesty
Interpersonal Communication

RECONCILING WHAT OUGHT TO BE WITH WHAT IS

Bibliography
Index

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