Monday, April 27, 2015

Respon Anda, Pilihan Anda dan Kualitas Diri Anda.

Seorang karyawan muda datang pada atasannya dan mengeluh soal banyak permasalahan dalam lingkungan pekerjaannya. Sambil mendengarkan keluh kesah sang karyawan, atasan pun menuangkan air mendidih kedalam 3 gelas yang ia siapkan dan ia memasukan:
  • wortel
  • telur
  • kopi
Setelah menunggu beberapa saat (direbus), ia mengangkat isi ketiga gelas tadi, dan hasilnya:
  • telur: mudah pecah & lemah > keras & kokoh
  • wortel : keras & kuat > lunak & lemah
  • kopi : keras > keras & merubah air menjadi penuh aroma
Lalu atasan pun menjelaskan, MASALAH DALAM HIDUP ITU BAGAIKAN AIR MENDIDIH. Namun, bagaimana sikap kitalah yang akan menentukan dampaknya. Kita bisa menjadi: Lembek seperti wortel, mengeras seperti telur, atau harum seperti kopi. Jadi, wortel dan telur bukan mempengaruhi air … mereka malah berubah oleh air, sementara kopi malah mengubah air, membuatnya menjadi harum.”

Hari ini kita belajar ada 3 reaksi orang saat masalah datang. Ada yang menjadi lembek, suka mengeluh, dan mengasihani diri sendiri. Ada yang mengeras, marah dan bahkan mungkin berontak padaNya. Ada juga yang justru semakin harum, menjadi semakin kuat dan semakin teruji kemampuannya serta semakin percaya padaNya. Response Anda, Pilihan Anda dan Kualitas Diri Anda.



“Jadilah pribadi yang BERKUALITAS karna kemampuan anda MERESPON sesuatu dengan baik, 
maka anda layak menjadi Pribadi-pribadi TERPILIH.” 
( By : Helena  Frianti) 

Sumber : Agus Gunawan (Chief HCM - PT AGIT - Via Email Blast 24 April 2015)

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Berkah atau Beban

Tidak ada seorang pun yang mau berurusan dengan orang-orang sulit. Kenyataannya, selalu ada saja orang-orang sulit disekitar kita. Pelanggan rewel, rekan kerja licik, atasan yang rese, dan orang-orang sulit lainnya.

Kita tidak bisa menolak kenyataan tersebut ada disekitar kita. Karenanya yang terpenting bukan bagaimana menghindarinya, melainkan bagaimana memenangkan orang-orang sulit itu.

Bersyukurlah, jika kita ditempatkan disekitar orang-orang sulit. Tanpa kita sadari, karakter dan kepribadian kita terbentuk serta kepandaian kita meningkat melalui orang-orang itu.


  • Tanpa pelangan yang rewel, bagaimana mungkin kita bisa lebih sabar?
  • Tanpa orang-orang yang penuh kebencian, bagaimana kita tahu arti mengasihi?
  • Tanpa orang-orang yang menjengkelkan dan menyebalkan, bagaimana kita dapat mempraktekan penguasaan diri ?
  • Tanpa orang-orang rewel / kritis, bagaimana kita dapat meningkatkan kepandaian kita?
Kehadiran orang-orang sulit, sebenarnya merupakan berkah terselubung bagi kita. Karenanya ayo kita menangkan orang-orang sulit disekitar kita.


“Pikirkan orang yang sulit sebagai amplas.
Mereka mungkin menggosok Anda dan menggaruk Anda menyakitkan 
tapi akhirnya Anda berakhir halus dan amplas usang ... 
tetap bahagia dan menikmati hidup ...” 
(Raymund Salumbides)

Sumber : Agus Gunawan (Chief HCM - PT AGIT - Via Email Blast 17 April 2015)

Monday, April 20, 2015

27 Best Employee Engagement Quotes By Kevin Kruse

This collection of employee engagement quotes can clarify the value of employee engagement and provide the inspiration to drive emotional commitment throughout your organization. I hope you’ll share this short collection of engagement quotes with others in your organization.


“To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace.” 
–Doug Conant

“There are only three measurements that tell you nearly everything you need to know about your organization’s overall performance: employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and cash flow.” 
–Jack Welch

“Remember, GReAT leaders focus on Growth, Recognition and Trust.” 
–Kevin Kruse, author, Employee Engagement 2.0

“Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.” 
–Stephen R. Covey

“Engaged employees are in the game for the sake of the game; they believe in the cause of the organization.” 
–Paul Marciano, PhD

“Paychecks can’t buy passion.” 
–Brad Federman

“It all came down to employee engagement. It all came down to recognition. It all came down to leadership, which led to every sailor feeling ownership and accountability for the results. You can ask a team to accomplish a mission but you can’t order excellence.”
–Mike Abrashoff, Commander USS Benfold (retired)

“Accept the fact that we have to treat almost anybody as a volunteer.” 
–Peter Drucker

“Some companies don’t have an engagement problem, they have a hiring problem.” 
–Bob Kelleher

“…you have to want to be engaged. There has to be deep-seated desire in your heart and mind to participate, to be involved, and to make a difference. If the desire isn’t there, no person or book can plant it within you.” 
–Tim Clark

“Create caring and robust connections between every employee and their work, customers, leaders, managers, and the organization to achieve results that matter to everyone in this sentence.” 
–David Zinger

For most of them, it can be summed up by one of four things: They love what they do (their JOB), they love the Disney brand (their ORGANIZATION), they love their manager (their BOSS), or they love the people they work with (their SQUAD).” 
–Pete Blank

“We think it’s important for employees to have fun… it drives employee engagement.” 
–Tony Hsieh

“To build a culture of engagement it is important to incorporate training on intrinsic motivation and employee engagement into management development programs.” 
–Kenneth Thomas

“Throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours.” 
–Dale Carnegie

“Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability.” 
–Anne Mulcahy

“The way your employees feel is the way your customers will feel.” 
–Sybil F. Stershic

“Employees engage with employers and brands when they’re treated as humans worthy of respect.” 
–Meghan Biro

“Connect the dots between individual roles and the goals of the organization. When people see that connection, they get a lot of energy out of work. They feel the importance, dignity, and meaning in their job.” 
–Ken Blanchard

“Highly engaged employees make the customer experience. Disengaged employees break it.” 
–Timothy R. Clark

“Dispirited, unmotivated, unappreciated workers cannot compete in a highly competitive world.” 
–Francis Hesselbein

“Everyone enjoys doing the kind of work for which he is best suited.” 
–Napoleon Hill

“Research indicates that workers have three prime needs: Interesting work, recognition for doing a good job, and being let in on things that are going on in the company.” 
–Zig Ziglar

“When people go to work, they shouldn’t have to leave their hearts at home.” 
–Betty Bender

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” 
–Steve Jobs

“You’ll attract the employees you need if you can explain why your mission is compelling: not why it’s important in general, but why you’re doing something important that no one else is going to get done.” 
–Peter Thiel

“You manage things; you lead people.”  
–Rear Admiral Grace Hopper

Sunday, April 19, 2015

14 Aspek di Toko Online Yang Perlu Google Analytics


Untuk melakukan tracking terhadap traffic yang masuk ke situs toko online anda atau untuk mengetahui apa saja yang visitor lakukan di toko online anda, anda harus bisa memanfaatkan fitur Google Analytics lebih dalam lagi.

Untuk memahami perilaku orang secara mendalam ketika berbelanja di situs toko online, anda bisa memanfaatkan fitur event tracking di Google Analytics. Fitur ini akan memberitahukan anda informasi yang insightful mengenai perilaku customer.

Berikut ini adalah 14 hal yang bisa anda lacak di Google Analytics untuk mengukur dan memahami perilaku customer, memperbaiki kekurangan di situs anda, dan mendorong jumlah pendapatan yang dihasilkan pada toko online anda.

1. Add to Cart
Melakukan tracking pada produk yang masuk ke shopping cart akan memberikan anda informasi tentang seberapa banyak produk yang masuk ke keranjang dan kenapa beberapa produk anda memiliki tingkat konversi membeli yang lebih besar dari produk lainnya.

Tulis nama produk (atau SKU produk) yang masuk ke dalam keranjang customer ke dalam bagian eventLabel.



2. Add to Cart Error
Jika di toko online anda ada opsi ketika customer memasukkan barang ke shopping cart (seperti ukuran, warna, atau kuantitas), anda bisa menggunakan event tracking untuk mengetahui seberapa sering customer mencoba untuk menambahkan produk ke shopping cart sebelum memilih opsi tersebut. Seperti yang kita ketahui bahwa jika customer memasukkan barang ke shopping cart tanpa memilih opsi itu, pesan “error” akan muncul di website. Ini memberitahukan kepada customer bahwa mereka harus memilih opsi tersebut sebelum memasukkan produk ke keranjang.

Mengumpulkan data seperti ini akan membantu anda dalam menganalisis kesalahan yang sering dilakukan oleh customer ketika mereka memasukkan produk ke keranjang.

3. Jumlah view produk
Ini adalah jenis event yang mirip dengan Add to Cart dan ini bisa memberikan anda informasi tentang produk yang paling banyak dilihat orang. Cara ini bisa membantu anda untuk menjawab pertanyaan berikut: Ketika produk dilihat, berapa persen dari produk itu yang masuk ke keranjang? Berapa persen dari produk itu yang berhasil dibeli customer?

4. Checkout
Cara ini berguna bagi anda untuk mengetahui data traffic di bagian checkout di toko online anda, karena ini akan membantu anda menganalisis persentase dari customer yang berpindah dari bagian checkout hingga mereka membeli barang tersebut.



Dari screenshot di atas terlihat bahwa hanya 24% dari traffic di bagian checkout yang berhasil menjadi sales.

5. Continue Shopping
Masukkan event ke tombol “Continue Shopping”  setelah customer memasukkan barang mereka ke keranjang. Event ini akan mengukur dan memberikan anda informasi berapa persen dari customer anda yang memilih untuk berbelanja lagi dibandingkan langsung menuju halaman checkout dan membeli barang.

6. Checkout Error
Sama seperti Add to Cart Error dimana event ini ditujukan untuk mengetahui letak kesalahan yang biasa dilakukan oleh customer. Namun, pada halaman checkout ini, anda harus meletakkan event ke beberapa variabel seperti First Name Error, Last Name Error, Credit Card Error, dan lain-lain.

7. Promosi di Home Page
Di sebagian besar situs e-commerce, homepage adalah landing page yang paling banyak digunakan orang. Untuk memaksimalkan potensinya, anda membutuhkan analisis yang lebih mendalam untuk mengumpulkan data-datanya. Biasanya, berbagai macam promosi produk, kampanye, dan diskon pasti ditampilkan di homepage. Dengan melakukan tracking pada promosi ini, anda bisa membuat segmen di Google Analytics untuk mengetahui tingkat konversinya.



Contoh di atas menunjukkan bahwa customer yang mengklik promosi produk 1 di homepage memiliki tingkat konversi sebesar 23 persen. Anda bisa menambahkan sendiri untuk setiap promosi yang anda lakukan.

8. Hasil pencarian di website
Anda bisa melakukan tracking pada produk apa saja yang sering dicari orang di toko online anda. Ini bisa menjadi peluang bagi anda untuk melakukan kampanye marketing. Dengan mengetahui frase apa yang sering dicari orang di situs, anda bisa menjadikan produk yang dicari tersebut menjadi produk promosi di homepage anda. Atau anda juga bisa menjadikan frase itu menjadi target dalam SEO dan SEM anda.

9. Hasil pencarian yang kosong
Sama seperti nomor 8, yang membedakan hanyalah anda melakukan tracking pada produk yang tidak ada di situs anda ketika orang melakukan pencarian. Cara ini akan memberikan anda informasi mengenai produk apa yang harus anda jual selanjutnya. Atau anda bisa mengarahkan hasil pencarian ini ke produk yang masih berhubungan dengan apa yang dicari customer.

10. 404 Error
Ini adalah event yang harus anda track. Dengan melakukan ini, anda akan tahu halaman mana dari  website anda yang perlu diperbaiki.



11. Error-error lainnya
Untuk berjaga-jaga apabila ada program atau gambar yang error di situs anda, anda bisa segera memperbaikinya dengan melakukan tracking ini.

12. Pilihan metode pembayaran
Dengan banyaknya metode pembayaran yang tersedia di Indonesia, anda bisa melakukan tracking pada setiap metode pembayaran ini. Dengan melakukan ini, anda akan mengetahui:

  • Metode pembayaran apa yang paling banyak digunakan orang?
  • Apakah customer dengan metode pembayaran tertentu cenderung membeli barang lebih banyak dibanding metode pembayaran yang lain?

13. Jumlah klik di link internal
Melakukan tracking pada jumlah klik di link internal memungkinkan anda untuk menganalisis link mana yang paling banyak diklik orang dan kemana link ini membawa mereka. Sebagai contoh, jika link menuju halaman panduan ukuran memiliki banyak visitor, itu berarti customer sangat memperhatikan masalah ukuran sebelum mereka berbelanja.

14. Jumlah share di Sosial Media
Lakukan tracking kapanpun customer melakukan share pada suatu produk, promosi, atau konten (seperti video dan gambar). Gunakan data ini untuk mengetahui produk, promosi atau konten apa yang paling terkenal dan banyak di-share di sosial media.


Sumber : Startup Bisnis

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) - Overview

Wikipedia
Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) is a set of principles, models, disciplines, concepts, and guidelines for delivering information technology solutions from Microsoft. MSF is not limited to developing applications only, it is also applicable to other IT projects like deployment, networking or infrastructure projects. MSF does not force the developer to use a specific methodology (Waterfall, Agile) but lets them decide what methodology to use. 

MSDN
The Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) is an adaptable approach for successfully delivering technology solutions faster, with fewer people and less risk, while enabling higher quality results. MSF helps teams directly address the most common causes of technology project failure — improving success rates, solution quality, and business impact. 



MSF focuses on:
  • Aligning business and technology goals
  • Establishing clear project goals, roles, and responsibilities
  • Implementing an iterative, milestone/checkpoint-driven process
  • Managing risk proactively
  • Responding to change effectively

The Governance Track focuses on balancing efficient and effective use of project resources and delivery of a solution with adherence to a set of potentially changing project constraints. In addition, the Governance Track espouses continuous process improvement.

#Envision
  • Develop a clear understanding of what is needed within context of project constraints.
  • Assemble the necessary team to envisage solutions with options and approaches that best meet those needs while optimally satisfying those constraints.
#Plan
  • Evolve the conceptual solution into tangible designs and plans so it can be built in a Build Track.
#Build
  • Build the various aspects of a solution in accordance with Plan Track deliverables, such as designs, plans, schedules, and requirements.
#Stabilize
  • Improve solution quality to meet release criteria for deployment to production.
  • Validate that solution meets stakeholder needs and expectations.
  • Validate solution usability from a user perspective.
  • Maximize success and minimize risks associated with solution deployment and operations in the solution's target environments.
#Deploy

  • Integrate a solution successfully into production within designated environments.
  • Transfer responsibility for the remaining solution delivery from a project team to operations and support teams as smoothly and soon as possible.



Monday, April 13, 2015

7 Seven Basic Tools of Quality - Overview

Definition

Wikipedia : The Seven Basic Tools of Quality is a designation given to a fixed set of graphical techniques identified as being most helpful in troubleshooting issues related to quality. They are called basic because they are suitable for people with little formal training in statistics and because they can be used to solve the vast majority of quality-related issues.



The seven tools are:



1. Cause and Effect Diagram / Fishbone / Ishikawa

Wikipedia : 
are causal diagrams created by Kaoru Ishikawa (1968) that show the causes of a specific event. Common uses of the Ishikawa diagram are product design and quality defect prevention, to identify potential factors causing an overall effect. Each cause or reason for imperfection is a source of variation. Causes are usually grouped into major categories to identify these sources of variation. The categories typically include

  • People: Anyone involved with the process
  • Methods: How the process is performed and the specific requirements for doing it, such as policies, procedures, rules, regulations and laws
  • Machines: Any equipment, computers, tools, etc. required to accomplish the job
  • Materials: Raw materials, parts, pens, paper, etc. used to produce the final product
  • Measurements: Data generated from the process that are used to evaluate its quality
  • Environment: The conditions, such as location, time, temperature, and culture in which the process operates
Asq :
Identifies many possible causes for an effect or problem and sorts ideas into useful categories.

Tutorials Point : 
Cause and effect diagrams (Ishikawa Diagram) are used for understanding organizational or business problem causes.

Organizations face problems everyday and it is required to understand the causes of these problems in order to solve them effectively. Cause and effect diagrams exercise is usually a teamwork.

A brainstorming session is required in order to come up with an effective cause and effect diagram.

All the main components of a problem area are listed and possible causes from each area is listed.

Then, most likely causes of the problems are identified to carry out further analysis.



2. Check Sheet

Wikipedia : 
The check sheet is a form (document) used to collect data in real time at the location where the data is generated. The data it captures can be quantitative or qualitative. When the information is quantitative, the check sheet is sometimes called a tally sheet.

Asq :
A structured, prepared form for collecting and analyzing data; a generic tool that can be adapted for a wide variety of purposes.

Tutorials Point : 
A check sheet can be introduced as the most basic tool for quality.

A check sheet is basically used for gathering and organizing data.

When this is done with the help of software packages such as Microsoft Excel, you can derive further analysis graphs and automate through macros available.

Therefore, it is always a good idea to use a software check sheet for information gathering and organizing needs.

One can always use a paper-based check sheet when the information gathered is only used for backup or storing purposes other than further processing.



3. Control Charts

Wikipedia : 
Control charts, also known as Shewhart charts (after Walter A. Shewhart) or process-behavior charts, in statistical process control are tools used to determine if a manufacturing or business process is in a state of statistical control.

Asq :
Graphs used to study how a process changes over time.

Tutorials Point :
Control chart is the best tool for monitoring the performance of a process. These types of charts can be used for monitoring any processes related to function of the organization.

These charts allow you to identify the following conditions related to the process that has been monitored.

Stability of the process.

Predictability of the process.

Identification of common cause of variation.

Special conditions where the monitoring party needs to react.



4. Histogram

Wikipedia :
A histogram is a graphical representation of the distribution of data. It is an estimate of the probability distribution of a continuous variable (quantitative variable) and was first introduced by Karl Pearson.

Asq :
The most commonly used graph for showing frequency distributions, or how often each different value in a set of data occurs.

Tutorials Point : 
Histogram is used for illustrating the frequency and the extent in the context of two variables.

Histogram is a chart with columns. This represents the distribution by mean. If the histogram is normal, the graph takes the shape of a bell curve.

If it is not normal, it may take different shapes based on the condition of the distribution. Histogram can be used to measure something against another thing. Always, it should be two variables.

Consider the above example: The following histogram shows morning attendance of a class. The X-axis is the number of students and the Y-axis the time of the day.



5. Pareto Chart

Wikipedia :
A Pareto chart, named after Vilfredo Pareto, is a type of chart that contains both bars and a line graph, where individual values are represented in descending order by bars, and the cumulative total is represented by the line.

The left vertical axis is the frequency of occurrence, but it can alternatively represent cost or another important unit of measure. The right vertical axis is the cumulative percentage of the total number of occurrences, total cost, or total of the particular unit of measure. Because the reasons are in decreasing order, the cumulative function is a concave function. To take the example above, in order to lower the amount of late arrivals by 78%, it is sufficient to solve the first three issues.

The purpose of the Pareto chart is to highlight the most important among a (typically large) set of factors. In quality control, it often represents the most common sources of defects, the highest occurring type of defect, or the most frequent reasons for customer complaints, and so on. Wilkinson (2006) devised an algorithm for producing statistically based acceptance limits (similar to confidence intervals) for each bar in the Pareto chart.

Asq :
Shows on a bar graph which factors are more significant.

Tutorials Point :
Pareto charts are used for identifying a set of priorities. You can chart any number of issues/variables related to a specific concern and record the number of occurrences.

This way you can figure out the parameters that have the highest impact on the specific concern.

This helps you to work on the propriety issues in order to get the condition under control.



6. Scatter Diagram

Wikipedia : 
A scatter plot, scatterplot, or scattergraph is a type of mathematical diagram using Cartesian coordinates to display values for two variables for a set of data.

The data is displayed as a collection of points, each having the value of one variable determining the position on the horizontal axis and the value of the other variable determining the position on the vertical axis. This kind of plot is also called a scatter chart, scattergram, scatter diagram, or scatter graph.

Asq :
Graphs pairs of numerical data, one variable on each axis, to look for a relationship.

Tutorials Point :
When it comes to the values of two variables, scatter diagrams are the best way to present. Scatter diagrams present the relationship between two variables and illustrate the results on a Cartesian plane.

Then, further analysis, such as trend analysis can be performed on the values.

In these diagrams, one variable denotes one axis and another variable denotes the other axis.



7. Stratification / Flow Chart / Run Chart

Wikipedia : 
Stratification is the process of dividing members of the population into homogeneous subgroups before sampling. The strata should be mutually exclusive: every element in the population must be assigned to only one stratum. The strata should also be collectively exhaustive: no population element can be excluded. Then simple random sampling or systematic sampling is applied within each stratum. This often improves the representativeness of the sample by reducing sampling error. It can produce a weighted mean that has less variability than the arithmetic mean of a simple random sample of the population.

Asq :
A technique that separates data gathered from a variety of sources so that patterns can be seen (some lists replace “stratification” with “flowchart” or “run chart”).

Tutorials Point : 
This is one of the basic quality tool that can be used for analyzing a sequence of events.

The tool maps out a sequence of events that take place sequentially or in parallel. The flow chart can be used to understand a complex process in order to find the relationships and dependencies between events.

You can also get a brief idea about the critical path of the process and the events involved in the critical path.

Flow charts can be used for any field to illustrate complex processes in a simple way. There are specific software tools developed for drawing flow charts, such as MS Visio.

You can download some of the open source flow chart tools developed by the open source community.


...

Conclusion
Above seven basic quality tools help you to address different concerns in an organization.

Therefore, use of such tools should be a basic practice in the organization in order to enhance the efficiency.

Trainings on these tools should be included in the organizational orientation program, so all the staff members get to learn these basic tools.

Source 




Sunday, April 12, 2015

Startup Roles & Responsibilities


Every startup is different and has their unique challenges. But, most startups have similar managerial needs. Today's lesson tackles typical roles and responsibilities within a startup. Although I am going to use C-Level titles for purposes of this discussion, it is not critical you actually use C-Level titles within your organization. Some people are motivated by them, and others are not. So, determine which titles are appropriate for your company's culture and personality. 

With that said, the typical roles within a startup's management team are: (i) CEO/President; (ii) CMO/CSO; (iii) COO; (iv) CTO; and (iv) CFO.  Let's discuss the specific job descriptions for each.

The CEO/President is typically the founder within a startup. But, that is not always the case. Sometimes, the founder is smart enough to know when their personal skills are lacking for ultimate company success, and they look outside of the company for their CEO. The summary is the CEO is the visionary of the business setting long term strategy and direction, and navigating competitive waters. The CEO is typically an outward facing role, meeting with key investors, partners and other strategic advisors. On the flip side, the President role is typically an inward facing role, managing the day-to-day operations of the business. In most startups, the CEO and President is the same person. But, when the company's growth can afford it, the CEO and President roles are split, to allow the CEO more time to focus on "steering the ship" and the President more time for "optimizing operations".

The CMO or CSO of an organization is in charge of all marketing or sales driven activities of the business. This role can sometimes be called a Chief Revenue Officer, as without effective marketing or sales leadership, there will be no revenues. Most B2C businesses are marketing driven and would need a CMO. And, most B2B businesses are sales driven, and would need a CSO, which for a startup, is most likely one of the team's salespeople, as well as the sales manager. At the end of the day, whether it is a CMO or CSO, it is all about driving new leads for the business, as cost-effectively as possible. And, getting existing customers to close into repeat sales.  In my opinion, this is the most important hire for the business, even more so than the CEO, as it will make or break your revenues.

The COO is in charge of all the operations of the company, and in many respects is duplicative with the President role. The only real difference is the the President is also in charge of managing the other C-Level executives (e.g., CTO, CFO, CMO), as well as the COO of the business. Whereas, the COO is solely focused on operations. So, after the CMO or CSO brings leads into the business, the COO takes over to ensure a solid customer fulfillment experience. Think of the CMO/CSO is "pre-sale" activities with clients; and the COO as "post-sale" activities with clients.

The CTO is in charge of all technology decisions for the company. This technology could be the entire lifeblood of a "dot com" e-commerce company. Or, it could be as mundane as the back office systems and software that keep the business functioning (e.g., finance, HR, CRM, call center, network). Obviously, the more important a role technology plays in your business, the more critical this person is to the company's success.

The CFO is in charge of all financial, accounting, budgeting, cash management and reporting decisions for the company. This not only includes managing internal controllers, treasurers and bookkeepers, but managing relationships with any outside CPA's or bankers. In a startup, the CFO is also the controller and treasurer of the business, managing all accounting and cash decisions themselves, until the business gets to the scale it can afford a bigger staff.

I didn't add a General Counsel to this organizational structure, since a startup typically cannot afford a full-time counsel. Instead, I would rely on your outside law firm for any legal assistance that may be required from time to time, until your business grows to the point its legal needs require full-time support.

So, when you are pulling together your management team, make sure you are hiring with this type of organization in mind (or something similar, as this is not set in stone). And, make sure the individuals for the job have the proper skills required to succeed in a startup environment. And, worth mentioning, it is equally important this team gets along personally and shares the same long term vision for the business for the company to succeed.

Source : RedRocketVC

Friday, April 10, 2015

Decisions breed Champions

Tahukah Anda bahwa kehidupan yang Anda miliki saat ini adalah hasil dari keputusan-keputusan yang Anda ambil pada masa yang lalu?

Dan sadarkah Anda bahwa sukses Anda pada masa mendatang semuanya bergantung pada keputusan-keputusan yang akan Anda ambil mulai hari ini.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (guru besar di US) menekankan pentingnya pengambilan keputusan, bahwa "ketika Anda mengambil keputusan - alam semesta akan bersengkokol untuk mewujudkannya".

Dengan mengambil keputusan untuk melakukan tindakan terbaik Anda hari ini, Anda tidak akan lagi menyesali masa lalu Anda. Juga, Anda tidak perlu mengkhawatirkan masa depan selama Anda memberikan yang terbaik setiap harinya. Karena kekhawatiran itu akan sirna oleh sebab komitment Anda.



Sumber : Agus Gunawan (Chief HCM - PT AGIT - Via Email Blast 27 Maret 2015)

Thursday, April 9, 2015

CHANGE or DIE


NOKIA, pasti kita ingat langsung sebuah merk telepon selular asal Finlandia.

Namun tahukah Anda, NOKIA sebelumnya adalah perusahaan yang memproduksi sepatu karet. Koq bisa? NOKIA menyadari bahwa bisnis sepatu karet sulit bersaing dengan Negara ke-3 yang lebih murah.  

Lalu NOKIA pun berubah haluan dengan memasuki dunia penuh tantangan baru di bidang telekomunikasi. Alhasil, NOKIA pun berhasil menyandang gelar ‘Hand Phone sejuta umat’ beberapa waktu yang lalu.

Market Nokia terus menurun bahkan MICROSOFT telah mengumumkan pengantian brand NOKIA menjadi LUMIA.

Belajar dari apa yang terjadi dengan NOKIA, adalah penting bagi kita semua untuk mempersiapkan diri menghadapi segala perubahan hidup.




“Change is the law of life. 
And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
(John F. Kennedy)

Sumber : Agus Gunawan (Chief HCM - PT AGIT - Via Email Blast 20 Maret 2015)

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Paid More, Pay The Price

Ada pepatah yang mengatakan bahwa definisi dari orang yang tidak waras adalah orang yang melakukan hal yang sama terus menerus namun menginginkan hasil yang berbeda.

Joko adalah seorang karyawan yang telah bekerja lebih dari 15 tahun di sebuah perusahaan penebang kayu.

Perusahaan merekrut Tommy untuk melakukan pekerjaan yang sama. Dalam tempo singkat, Tommy mendapat promosi dan diangkat menjadi atasan Joko.

Tidak terima kenyataan ini, Joko pun menghadap sang pemilik perusahaan. Ia kemudian diberitahu bahwa Tommy dapat memotong lebih banyak ketimbang dirinya. Dan dikatakan selama 15 tahun bekerja, tidak memperlihatkan perkembangan berarti bahkan cenderung menurun.

Joko menemui Tommy untuk mencari tahu apa penyebab keberhasilannya. Tommy pun memberikan rahasianya bahwa setelah memotong beberapa pohon, ia menyisihkan waktu untuk mengasah gergajinya. Joko pun menyadari bahwa selama ini ia tidak menyempatkan diri untuk mengasah gergajinya.

Kita pun setiap hari, dari pagi hingga malam hari, seolah terjebak dalam rutinitas terpola. Sibuk, sibuk dan sibuk, sehingga seringkali melupakan sisi lain yang sama pentingnya, yaitu menyediakan energi untuk mengasah dan mengisi hal-hal baru seperti menambah pengetahuan, wawasan dan spiritual. 

Untuk meraih keberhasilan yang lebih tinggi, dibutuhkan peningkatan kemampuan diri yang lebih tinggi pula.


“If you don’t have the struggle then you won’t know the strength” 
(Matt Reeves)

Sumber : Agus Gunawan (Chief HCM - PT AGIT - Via Email Blast 6 Maret 2015)

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Interpersonal Skills Overview and How to Improve It

Interpersonal skill is something we must have beside the technical skill. I think interpersonal skill is much more important because we use it far more often than technical skill. More often we meet people, it is more important to increase our interpersonal skill. In my job, I have to face new people a lot because my roles as a sales engineer, business development & PRM. So what is interpersonal skill? I take the definition from skillsyouneed :

Interpersonal skills are the life skills we use every day to communicate and interact with other people, both individually and in groups.  People who have worked on developing strong interpersonal skills are usually more successful in both their professional and personal lives.

A List of Interpersonal Skills Includes:
1. Verbal Communication - What we say and how we say it.
Clarity of speech, remaining calm and focused, being polite and following some basic rules of etiquette will all aid the process of verbal communication.

2. Non-Verbal Communication - What we communicate without words, body language is an example.
Interpersonal communication not only involves the explicit meaning of words, the information or message conveyed, but also refers to implicit messages, whether intentional or not, which are expressed through non-verbal behaviours.

Non-verbal communications include facial expressions, the tone and pitch of the voice, gestures displayed through body language (kinesics) and the physical distance between the communicators (proxemics). These non-verbal signals can give clues and additional information and meaning over and above spoken (verbal) communication.

3. Listening Skills - How we interpret both the verbal and non-verbal messages sent by others.
Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communication process. 

Listening is key to all effective communication, without the ability to listen effectively messages are easily misunderstood – communication breaks down and the sender of the message can easily become frustrated or irritated.

4. Negotiation - Working with others to find a mutually agreeable outcome.
Negotiation is a method by which people settle differences. It is a process by which compromise or agreement is reached while avoiding argument and dispute.

In any disagreement, individuals understandably aim to achieve the best possible outcome for their position (or perhaps an organisation they represent). However, the principles of fairness, seeking mutual benefit and maintaining a relationship are the keys to a successful outcome.

5. Problem Solving - Working with others to identify, define and solve problems.
Everybody can benefit from having good problem solving skills as we all encounter problems on a daily basis; some of these problems are obviously more severe or complex than others.

It would be wonderful to have the ability to solve all problems efficiently and in a timely fashion without difficulty, unfortunately there is no one way in which all problems can be solved.

6. Decision Making – Exploring and analysing options to make sound decisions.
People often find it hard to make decisions - inevitably we all have to make decisions all the time, some are more important than others. 

Some people put off making decisions by endlessly searching for more information or getting other people to offer their recommendations.  Others resort to decision making by taking a vote, sticking a pin in a list or tossing a coin.

7. Assertiveness – Communicating our values, ideas, beliefs, opinions, needs and wants freely.
Assertiveness is a skill regularly referred to in social and communication skills training. Often wrongly confused with aggression, assertive individuals aim to be neither passive nor aggressive in their interactions with other people. 

Although everyone acts in passive and aggressive ways from time to time, such ways of responding often result from a lack of self-confidence and, therefore, are inappropriate expressions of what such people really need to say.


...

The verbal and nonverbal communication is happen when I present my solution to customer. When I hear the customer feedback, the listening skill is important in order to get all the requirement and demand. Next, I have to face the negotiation phase, and negotiation skill is very important so I can close the deal and of course I have to ensure that my solution solve their problem. Sometimes I face many option in the opportunity, and absolutely I have to make my best decision. Maybe I cannot make everybody happy, but at least there are priority among them. Last, I have to assertive with my choice and proof that my solution is fit with the customer need and profitable for my company.

The paragraph above maybe a summary for the interpersonal skill and technical skill implemented in my job and company. Next, find out how to improve and develop your interpersonal skills including from skillsyouneed :

  • Learn to Listen
  • Choose Your Words
  • Understand Why Communication Fails
  • Relax
  • Clarify
  • Be Positive
  • Empathise
  • Understand Stress
  • Learn to be Assertive
  • Reflect and Improve
  • Negotiate
  • Working in Groups
I hope this post will be useful for you who read this. Below, I attach an inspiring quote from Malcolm Forbes. Thank you for reading and thank you for skillsyouneed. Good luck.



Friday, April 3, 2015

SDLC and BILC (Business Intelligence Life Cycle)

Most of the IT people understand about the system development life cycle or SDLC. It is common and basic when we talk about system. So for you who not understand about it, I write down here the definition from wikipedia

The systems development life cycle (SDLC), also referred to as the application development life-cycle, is a term used in systems engineering, information systems and software engineering to describe a process for planning, creating, testing, and deploying an information system. The systems development life-cycle concept applies to a range of hardware and software configurations, as a system can be composed of hardware only, software only, or a combination of both.

A number of SDLC models or methodologies have been created. Some of them are :
Okay, next lets talk about something more advance. It is about BILC or business intelligence life cycle. Not all company has the BI application in Indonesia. It is quite expensive for them who still struggle to develop or optimize the ERP or core system. If your company planning to start the project, you can see my post here about starting the analytics project and realize the value. One more post is about the BI consultation. Okay, back to the main topic of this post. When we talk about BILC we talk not only about BI, but also about data warehouse (DW) or data mart (DM). It is not necessary but most of the time it will come in pairs as the best practices.


  1. Analyze Business Requirements - You review business requirements to determine the types of analysis user need to perform.
  2. Design Data Model - Based on the business requirements, design the logical data model, which shows the information that users want to analyze and the relationships that exists within the data.
  3. Design the Physical Schema - Using the data model, design the physical schema, which defines the content and structure of the data warehouse.
  4. Build the Data Warehouse - Build the data warehouse according to the schema design and load data into the warehouse from source systems.
  5. Create the Project Structure (Metadata) - Create the metadata and begin to connect and map the metadata to table in the data warehouse.
  6. Develop The BI Objects - Develop object, like attribute, fact, metric, reports and dashboard.
  7. Administer and Maintain the Project - Administer and maintain the project as it undergoes continued development and changes, monitor performance and make adjustments to improve it, manage security, and perform other ongoing administrative tasks.
The source is from MicroStrategy PDF - Implementing MicroStrategy PDF Version 9.4.1.
I think this concept common and can be applied for another BI.  I have try this by using another product and it works. There is another common component that is hidden above. It is ETL. Don't forget we have to fill the DW with data from another source system. The DW needed to ensure the data is clean and ready to use by the BI application. So when some customer ask me to directly connect to their OLTP / database it is possible but not the best practices. It depends how you try to use the BI application and what you expect. Thank you for reading.