Fast Fission

Workforce Planning Fatal Flaws

2009-04-05T23:00:00.001+01:00

Workforce Planning (WFP) is a relatively new specialty and function within the broader areas of strategic planning and human resources. There's a lot of discussion occurring in human resources circles about what makes WFP successful, and how to structure WFP functions and organizations to achieve best results.

I have watched WFP efforts wither on the vine at several companies because of three "Fatal Flaws." I was responsible for launching a successful WFP strategy and function for my organization composed of ~6500 highly skilled professionals, management, and business support personnel. Learning from the failures of others has helped us avoid similar mistakes.

First Fatal Flaw: Reliance on Zealots. The WFP methods and processes relied on one or two "zealots" in the organization who "made it happen." Because the processes were not embedded and integrated with other core business processes, when those individuals moved on to other things the WFP efforts stalled. Zealots can get things moving quickly, but they will not assure sustainable forward progress. I'm the "zealot," so I can speak with experience!

Second Fatal Flaw: Lack of Line Experience. The people who performed and managed the WFP function were Human Resources professionals with many years of experience, but lacked true understanding of the core business, the knowledge and skills required for success in critical positions, and how the various line groups interact to achieve results. Overreliance on line subject matter experts meant they were constantly seeking unsustainable levels of support from line managers and key personnel. The fix? While HR may be the right place in the organization for the WFP function, the WFP leader and some of the people providing WFP services need to have extensive line experience. In our case, I had 20+ years experience in operations and technical training, and others on the team brought different line experience to the table.

Third Fata Flaw: Lack of Skill in Data Analysis. I observed WFP efforts fail because forecasts and analysis just didn't provide the information decision makers needed. For example, percentages of "retirement eligible" employees are of little value when employees continue to work. In another case, broad attrition averages were used that grossly under-predicted the loss of employees in high demand job categories. Every workforce planning team must have core competencies in data analysis and statistics, understanding what information decision makers need, and how to effectively communicate to them. In our case we started almost from scratch, but staffed the WFP team with the right people and developed forecasting tools and metrics that executives trust and rely upon.

Delta Airlines - Is it worth the cost?

2009-01-04T16:20:00.004Z

This is a copy of my recent letter to Delta Airlines.

I suspect that I am one of your more frequent travelers; I have flown almost 400K miles on Delta in the last three years.

In the past I have been willing to pay more for my Delta travel as compared to booking through lower cost competitors because Delta's customer service, reliability, and overall passenger experience was better. However, based on the sharp decline in the quality of Delta's customer service over the last several months I am seriously considering a switch to other airlines - why pay more if my overall travel experience is no better on Delta than on Southwest, Airtran, or JetBlue?

Last night was a prime example: I was traveling with my daughter from Miami to New York (JFK). We touched down at JFK at 8:05 PM. There was no airport congestion and several gates were unoccupied, but because of a delay in getting a "tow" into our gate, and another delay in attaching the jetway to the aircraft, we did not begin to deplane for almost 40 minutes. After that we waited for approximately 30 minutes for baggage to begin to arrive. About one-half of the passengers (>50 people) did not receive their bags, but expected another load to be delivered. We waited another 20 minutes before being informed by Delta agents that no other bags were on the airplane. This required another wait of greater than 30 minutes in line to file lost luggage claims. In all, it took us more than two hours to exit the terminal (without our luggage). These excessive delays and errors are likely a result of (1) lack of man-power, (2) poorly trained workers, (3) poorly supervised operations, or (4) poor equipment maintenance. All are a reflection of Delta's management and decision making, and cause me to question if similar shortcomings exist in aircraft maintenance that could result in reduced safety.

Other examples that cause me to question the cost vs. value of Delta's service include (1) a reduced number of flights into NY area airports which provide me with fewer flight options when disruptions occur or my plans change, (2) Delta's recent decision to follow the herd and begin charging for checked baggage which will result in more carry on bags and longer boarding/de-boarding times, and (3) a sharp increase in schedule delays and missed connections that I have experienced in the last year.

For my most recent poor experience I request round trip travel vouchers for my daughter and I to compensate us for additional ground transportation expenses, meals, and our time and the aggravation we experienced.

My decision to use Delta for future travel will depend on how you respond to this letter, and on my experience with Delta in the coming weeks.

Sincerely,

John Wheeler

Follow-on: our bags were delivered on TUESDAY morning (that's three days). Also, Delta responded with a standard "sorry you had an unpleasant experience" but no compensation.

In the future I'll be flying other airlines when possible.

The n800: Ultimate Computer for Air Travel

2008-06-15T13:54:00.009+01:00

The n800 rocks for air travel! I'm constantly on the go by air, rail and road. I've tried everything to stay productive and entertained while on these trips, and my n800 has become indispensable. I have almost eliminated the need to carry a laptop while traveling, and in many situations the n800 is far superior to a laptop.

I'm in the air almost every week, and because of the routes I travel it seems it's always a two or three segment trip. That means multiple take-offs and landings, and many opportunities for delay. What devices can and can not be used during the various phases of air travel can be confusing to the occasional traveler, so I'll try to break it down here:

At Gate / Door Open: While the plane is boarding you can use your portable device or cell phone, but not your laptop. This phase can last anywhere from a few minutes to 1.5 hours if the plane gets stuck at the gate. But relax! A Nokia n800 is not recognized as a "personal computer" so you can use it and stay productive. Paired with a Bluetooth keyboard and tethered to a cell phone you have a great tool for composing long emails or text documents and sending them on their way. Need to review a pdf document and send comments to a team mate? Ever tried to do that with a cell phone or Blackberry? Your n800 is perfect.

During Taxi Out, Takeoff and Landing: This is where all of us go into geek detox! Total ECM blackout from door closed until the aircraft is it cruising altitude, or from final decent until wheels are once again on the ground (that's "electronic counter measures" for you non-geeks). However, if takeoff gets delayed, we enter the next phase of air travel: stuck on the runway.

Stuck on the Runway: This is our worst nightmare; the cabin is heating up, potty breaks are severely restricted, and there are no adult beverages. Your n800 can take the edge off because when the crew gives the green light to use "cell phones and portable devices" you are up and running again in a flash. Usually, laptops are banned during this uncomfortable and unpredictable phase.

In the Air: Ahh! You're finally at cruising altitude! After that predictable single chime on the PA system you hear the magic words, "You may now use your portable electronic devices and personal computers." You think all is well until the dude in the seat in front of you decides to take a mid-morning nap and fully reclines his seat. If you're packing a laptop you are screwed! There is simply not enough room to open your screen to a viewable angle and to expose the keyboard sufficiently to work. If you try, you'll end up with the laptop at a stupid downward angle and your neck kinked to one side. However, your n800 and folding Bluetooth keyboard fit nicely on the tray table, even with Rip Van Winkle in the forward seat. Want to switch to entertainment mode? We all know how easy that is to do with the n800. A 4GB SD card will hold multiple TV shows and movies ripped from my TiVO. Again, if you're relying on a laptop for DVD viewing you are out of luck.

Taxi In: This generally the shortest phase of air travel, and should only be a few minutes in duration. Unfortunately, often this is not the case - like every afternoon in the spring and summer in
Atlanta, and every winter day in Chicago! Your aircraft has finally arrived but the gate is occupied by another aircraft. The pilot can do nothing but wait or ask for another gate. Other than take off and landing, this is the most restrictive phase - only cell phones are allowed to be used. Happily, with a big "Nokia" label on the front, your handy n800 is considered in the cell phone category, so once again you are in business!

So, let's sum it all up. The n800, unlike the laptop computer or cell phone, can be used during any air travel phase in which any electronic device is allowed. In addition, because the n800 is compact in size with a low profile, it can be used even in tight configurations such as the middle row or window seats with the forward seat reclined. The n800's combination of productivity and entertainment features make it a superior choice for serious travelers.

yes = allowed

..........................................Cell Phone.......Laptop............n800

At Gate ...............................yes.....................no...................yes

Taxi Out............................... no.....................no...................no

Stuck on Runway ...........yes.....................no**................yes

In the air...............................no.....................yes*................yes

Taxi In .................................yes....................no....................yes

*unless seat in front is reclined
**sometimes allowed during extended periods

Run KDE Desktop on a Nokia N800 Internet Tablet

2008-01-06T18:54:00.000Z

OK, I knew I was getting a really cool portable internet device when I bought my Nokia N800 Internet Tablet, but was I ever wrong! In the few weeks that I've used it, I have been totally blown away by it's capabilities.

Imagine this....

A portable computer with a 4.1 inch touch screen (larger screen than the iPhone or iPod Touch)
Integrated 802.11b/g WiFi and Bluetooth
Handwriting recognition and on-screen QWERTY keyboard
Pairs to my bluetooth portable keyboard (for longer messages or mobile blogging)
256 MB on-board flash (for the operating system and applications)
Two SD card slots (expandable up to 16GB - and SD cards are so cheap now!)
An open source operating system with many free applications (unlike Apple who locks their devices down!)
A vibrant developer community
Integrated web cam and Skype for free VOIP
Automatically connects to shared folders on your home network for file transfer
A very slick media Canola player that plays virtually any format of audio and video
Flawless Mozilla Firefox browser that works great with YouTube, Google Docs, GMail, Yahoo! Mail, and Blogger.

And now the unthinkable has happened - a genius coder who goes by the name "PenguinBait" over at the InternetTabletTalk Forum has ported the full Linux KDE Desktop, complete with KOffice, to the N800 and N810. Unreal!

You can do the research for yourself, but here's link to my installation notes on how to Run KDE on a Nokia N800 Internet Tablet.

I can't believe it! I thought I was getting a nifty tool to browse the Internet. What I really got was all that PLUS a full Linux-based computer that fits in my pocket.

...For under $250 including the portable keyboard!

I have some links to Amazon here, but watch Buy.com - they seem to have the best sales from time to time.

Peace!

Another TB Scare for Air Travelers

2008-01-03T12:40:00.004Z

Hunt on for those sitting near American Airlines TB traveler

Are the media and government trying to bury this story? This lady potentially infected 44 people almost three weeks ago and it's just now getting out? The media hung Andrew Speaker out to dry for flying with TB. Why is this woman getting a pass? They won't even release her name! Don't travelers have a right to know who she was?

"Health authorities have launched a nationwide search for 44 airplane passengers who were sitting near a California woman who flew from India to the United States with infectious multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis.

The sick traveler, a 30-year-old Sunnyvale, Calif., resident who was not identified, took two flights on Dec. 13. Health officials have tracked down the two Californians who were sitting near the woman, and neither appears sick, said Joy Alexiou, a spokeswoman for the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. The other passengers have been tracked to Texas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia."