Navigate finds that people are often rewarded by how busy they are, rather than how productive they are. I was recently working with a company and the president said, “I want people who put in lots of effort.” I asked him to define that. “I want them working from seven
In a previous blog post, ‘What Should a Lessons Learned Process Focus On?’, we concluded that a mature lessons learned process can pay huge dividends, especially for systems integrators that work on a multitude of similar projects under tight deadlines. Navigate has been fortunate to work with hundreds of integration
The mature practice of project management has become one of the key differentiators for integration companies that are interested in achieving long-term success. Mature project management practices lead to increased profit, greater client satisfaction, higher employee morale and overall quality improvement. But many integrators treat the subject of project management as
A work breakdown structure serves many critical purposes, the most important of which is defining the work to be performed and breaking it into manageable components. For systems integrators, a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) provides the building blocks for successful Project Management. In the 1950s, the U.S. Department of Defense
Most integrators are not asking the right questions. Often, when inquiring after the status of a project, people ask one or two questions: “How much is done?” and/or “Are we on schedule and on budget?” To which the replies are invariably: “Almost done, don’t worry” and/or “On time and on
Back By Popular Demand: Establishing Core Values and Ethics is one of Brad Malone’s ‘most read’ pieces of content of all time. Although it was written several years ago, this article remains every bit as relevant today. We have all heard how different generations of people (baby boomers, Gen
Working with several companies in last few months, and in many conversations with all levels of the organization, I’ve reminded myself that I’m saying things my Dad used to say – which is fine – I like and respect my Dad. One of those was “praise in public, correct in
As we enter the six month of “lock-down” within this pandemic, I’d like to share one of the themes I heard over and over from my virtual clients – independent of the role (Executives to Managers to Technicians). Many organizations are struggling to measure the performance of their people
Leadership is based on service – not ego or power. In these unprecedented times we need true leadership from our owners, executive and middle managers, project managers and technical leads (whether they be technicians, engineers, programmers, or service/support). This list may seem long – but leadership is not based
Navigate has worked with hundreds of AV and Systems Integration companies, and one thing that continues to amaze us is the difference in process maturity between companies – and the results. There are several areas where you can distinguish mature and immature companies – especially in their approach to
