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2 November 2025

What a project! Fab people! An amazing charity! I've worked with various charities, raising funds, delivering events and helping out with their IT integration. Here, I had the amazing opportunity to start from scratch!! You seldom get the chance to craft a digital solution without the need to deal with legacy systems. I used Supabase, Next.js, Vercel and Resend to deliver a tip top digital platform built in weeks entirely through AI. Supabase is super secure with row level security baked into Postgres, it's auth is perfect and so easy to use. Its storage works a treat however I've also taken advantage of Cloudinary for the galleries. We've integrated TicketTailor with a view to add a payment processor, like Stripe, for tickets and donations in the future. Resend is such a powerfull email solution. The charity can now email from their platform with the peace of mind that all delivered emails are present in their resend account. They have a GDPR compliant unsubscribe and secure account system in place. Vercel is highly cost-effective and perfect for the current size of the charity. However integrating all of this along with Graph QL, Tailwind, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Youtube and various media requirements has been a breeze with the help of Grok! The charity is not part of Birmingham City Council. The Council were however kind enough to host the charity's website on their content management system. There is no need to go into politics, outside to say that the system was not fit for purpose and was holding the charity back. The individuals behind the Lord Mayor of Birmingham's Charity are all volunteers, they are 100% dedicated to helping those in need in Birmingham and give their time and expertise to help mostly smaller, Birmingham-based charities who may get over-shadowed by larger charitable endeavours. The Lord Mayor of Birmingham’s CharitySupport Birmingham charities with The Lord Mayor of Birmingham’s Charity The charity's digital set up was basic. Their website was unfortunately very dated, requiring an overly bureaucratic update and an inability to support the evolving activities of the charity. At this moment, the trustees did not want to refresh their branding, but the new system uses a very basic colour palette along with Tailwind CSS to enable any future updates. Events To raise funds the charity puts on the most wonderful array of events, such as an annual mayor making dinner, various quizzes, balls and they are into their second year of annual awards. All these events have many working parts delivered by multiple, dedicated volunteers from various locations. The new digital platform is the starting point to allow them to co-ordinate these fundraising activities, help with promotion and most of all get the money in the bank. Grants The charity has 2 annual grant cycles where their grant committee allocates funds. The new platform needed to allow for online grant applications, their allocation and assessment. The charity already had in place robust and professional guidelines which were a doddle to digitise. As part of their annual awards, the platform needs to allow for both public and private nominations. Each event in addition requires support for the venue, contact details, social media integration, running orders, additional information, menu and food choices along with a promotional gallery. Charity Management The platform now supports the committee structure of the charity. The charity is run by the trustee, fundraising and grants committees, which need support for agendas and minutes. There was a huge amount of data being distributed via email, which needed to be sorted as a priority. Wider gizmos As with any digital platform, we have delivered solutions for user management, website content, legalities and compliance, trustee management, mailing list, email solution, file store, analytics bells and whistles and help. But it was all for the future.... The plan is not to expand our user types to patrons and volunteers. The purpose of this is to change the operating models for charities. Our aim is to create the very first truly low cost charity model. This harnesses AI to undertake the back-end, support, administrative, promotional, financial and compliance processes. The Lord Mayor of Birmingham's Charity is ideally placed to use AI Agents to keep their operating costs to a minimum enabling them to raise funds to support their much needed help. The most amazing part in this project was the role of Grok. XAi have produced a simply magnificent tool that now enables one person to do the work of 5 in a fraction of the time. Conceived, built, tested, project managed and implemented all using AI.

31 March 2025

By using Cursor Ai or indeed any commercial LLM any business can cut software development costs by 40%. When looking at processes you can make savings from 15% to 40% in finance, people, HR, recruitment, marketing, scheduling, operations and IT. It is pointless implementing AI tools via an IT department as you will simply be increasing costs. Nobody wants to lose their job to a robot. So we come to project management. Methodologies such as Agile and Prince 2 have created a business model whereby the 'professionalisation' of project management has become big business. Businesses are told that without a project manager, delivery will be late and cost more. I asked Grok 3 whether it can help us: I can: Explain project management concepts, methodologies, and best practices. Help you create project plans, timelines, or task breakdowns based on the methodology you prefer. Analyze risks, suggest mitigation strategies, or brainstorm solutions to project challenges. Assist with drafting documentation (e.g., project charters, status reports, or sprint backlogs). Provide insights by searching for up-to-date resources or examples from the web or X posts if you need inspiration or context. Offer a sounding board to refine your ideas or processes. While I can’t directly manage a project (e.g., assign tasks to a team or track progress in real-time software), I can act as a highly knowledgeable assistant to support your efforts. Understanding PRINCE2 and Agile PRINCE2 (Projects IN Controlled Environments): Yes, I understand it! PRINCE2 is a structured, process-driven methodology focused on organization, control, and governance. It’s built around seven principles (e.g., continued business justification, defined roles), seven themes (e.g., risk, progress), and seven processes (e.g., starting up a project, managing stage boundaries). I can explain these in detail or help you apply them to a specific project. Agile: Absolutely! Agile is a flexible, iterative approach emphasizing collaboration, adaptability, and delivering value incrementally. Frameworks like Scrum, Kanban, and SAFe fall under Agile. I can guide you through sprints, backlog prioritization, stand-ups, or even help you draft user stories. Other Main Project Management Methodologies Beyond PRINCE2 and Agile, here are some widely recognized methodologies: Waterfall: A traditional, linear approach where each phase (e.g., requirements, design, implementation) is completed before moving to the next. Great for projects with fixed scope and clear deliverables. Scrum (Agile subset): Focuses on short sprints (1-4 weeks), daily stand-ups, and roles like Scrum Master and Product Owner. Kanban (Agile subset): Visualizes workflow on a board, limits work in progress, and emphasizes continuous delivery. Lean: Aims to maximize value by minimizing waste, often used in manufacturing but applicable to projects. PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge): From the PMI, it’s more of a framework than a methodology, focusing on five process groups (initiating, planning, executing, monitoring/controlling, closing) and ten knowledge areas (e.g., scope, time, cost). Critical Path Method (CPM): A technique to identify the longest sequence of dependent tasks to determine project duration. Six Sigma: Focuses on process improvement and reducing defects, often paired with project management for quality control. There are others (e.g., Extreme Programming, Adaptive Project Framework), but these are the heavy hitters. Can I Help or Undertake Project Management? I can absolutely help with project management by providing structure, insights, and support. However, I can’t fully undertake it in the sense of independently running a project—human oversight, decision-making, and team coordination are still essential. I’d be your co-pilot, not the pilot! Here’s how I could assist: Planning: Help define objectives, scope, and milestones using your chosen methodology. Execution: Suggest task prioritization or troubleshoot issues as they arise. Monitoring: Offer ways to track progress (e.g., metrics for Agile or stage gates for PRINCE2). Closure: Assist in summarizing outcomes or lessons learned. What Would I Need? To maximize my help, I’d need: Context: Details about your project—goals, scope, team size, timeline, and constraints. Preference: Which methodology you want to use (or if you’re open to suggestions). Specific Questions or Tasks: E.g., “Help me create a sprint plan” or “Explain how PRINCE2 handles risk.” Feedback: As we collaborate, let me know what’s working or what you need more of. I wanted to consider this with reference to some of the projects I have worked on recently. I've worked with both Agile, Prince 2 and Primavera: * CMS, marketing, public portal and donation/pledge system * www.efficientminds.co.uk * www.thesquaredeal.co.uk * www.yonderlife.co.uk * National property auction * Live bidding platform * Online payments * Financial reconciliation and cash flow system * CCTV and WiFi over 40,000 sq feet * Apprenticeships * University partnerships * Wine auction * Business restructure * Various hardware implementations * Multiple websites * Sales strategies * Recruitment * Charities * Local authority and NHS partnerships * Pawn broker partnerships * Lost in transit partnerships * Private client partnerships * Api development * Marketing strategies * 365 implementation * CRM implementation I know that Grok 3 (my current go to AI model) has benefited the business in each of the last three projects. As for the others, I think we would have delivered on time and within budget in the main. The time saving for me, the principal project manager, would have been very welcome. Many managers simply want to see 'the risk' and RAID logs, which I believe would 100% have benefited by using Grok 3. As we know, corporates love an acronym, so which of these would Grok deal with?: AC (Actual Cost),BAC (Budget at Completion),CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management), CCB (Change Control Board), EAC (Estimate at Completion), ETC (Estimate to Complete), FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis), IRR (Internal Rate of Return), KPI (Key Performance Indicator), MSP (Managing Successful Programmes), NPV (Net Present Value), PMP (Project Management Professional), RAID (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies), RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed), SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound), SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), TCO (Total Cost of Ownership), WBS (Work Breakdown Structure). The answer is ALL OF THEM! I am unsure how long these expensive 'industry' qualifications will remain in business, I suppose it will be a function of trust and management following project managers over technology. However that is the biggest current challenge for business as it is, today. If you pair Grok 3, with the ClickUp Brain (now using Open Ai), you end up with a powerful project management system that would save you a fortune in PM's, PMO's, project meetings, supplier discontent and people buy in. You could ask a project manager, or your IT department, but obviously no financial savings would be made and the status quo would be returned to usual. 💡Nobody wants to lose their job to a robot.Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

5 March 2025

At SquareDeal, we’re more than just a marketplace—we’re a community. We connect sellers and buyers for everything from selling and haggling to giving away and renting out items or services. With our innovative model, selling is always free, and buyers pay just £2.99 a month after a 7-day free trial. We're building a space where deals are fair, feedback is transparent, and members look out for one another, all while promoting sustainability and local connections.\n\nSquaredealA service to help with clutter, downsizing, probate, house clearance and unwanted stuff. Freecycle, Sell, Offer, Swap, Rent.\n\nWhat are we looking for ?\n\n * An open conversation.\n * We are a start up and in need of finance.\n * This investment is required to pay for advertising which will directly turn into subscribers.\n * We would prefer a commitment to £100,000, which may form cashflow whilst we build a subscription base.\n * An initial £10,000 is requested to launch the service in Birmingham and the West Midlands\n * We are not looking for a silent partner.\n * We would prefer a committed colleague who has ideas on marketing and sales.\n * We believe the next launch steps are a PR, marketing and sales challenge.\n\n\nWhat are we offering?\n\n * An equity stake.\n * A platform that is built and tested.\n * A chance to help shape our future in a meaningful way.\n * The potential of a high profit business share.\n\n\nSquaredeal Investment ProposalAll enquiries welcome.Squaredeal-Investment-Proposal.pdf83 KBdownload-circle

23 February 2025

I’m a Productivity Consultant. I look at processes, people, tools and plans. There are so many ways to complicate what I do, to sell fear and to charge more. I’ve been working with AI for almost 2 years now, and I wanted to test productivity against what I do. The first thing to say is that AI is a wonderful leveller. AI helps you simplify everything. That is, of course, if you see simplification as a way of saving money. 💡I wanted to stress test what I professionally implement. Welcome to Efficientminds.co.uk, your pocket management consultant. EfficientMinds - Practical Productivity Solutions for ProfessionalsEfficientMinds is the cutting-edge productivity service designed for professionals…Practical Productivity Solutions for Professionals Could AI deliver the following?: * Brainstorming * Project Management * Database Build * React / Next.js for web * React Native / Expo for IOS/Android * Edge functions, SQL, Python, Api Routes, Hosting solutions * Protyping * Sample Data * Marketing * Elevator pitch * Videos * Branding * Sales plan The answer is a resounding yes. In the very near past, I have costed similar projects to be in the region of £30 to £50k and take between 3 to 6 months with one senior developer, two juniors, a project manager and some branding. I have delivered this myself using: Blog | AILatest news from the Supabase team.Supabase https://openai.com/index/chatgpt/ https://www.deepseek.com/ Cursor - The AI Code EditorBuilt to make you extraordinarily productive, Cursor is the best way to code with AI.Cursor So the question is, am I redundant? Some will think so, but for me, the opportunities of AI far outweigh the threats. I do not deal with complex medical, scientific or legal processes. I know that AI is headlining in these areas with various degrees of simultaneous success and hype. I deal with business critical supporting processes: * IT * Administration * Operations * HR * Finance * Projects * Marketing * Sales And with the best will in the world, and contrary to all the grandiose business agendas which over-inflate their importance, they are not rocket science. I know that we are in the midst of an AI revolution which will change the landscape of business processes for ever. In fact I foresee a continual loop of change as tools develop, most notably this year will see the advent of agentic AI. Grok 3 Beta — The Age of Reasoning AgentsWe are thrilled to unveil an early preview of Grok 3, our most advanced model yet, blending superior reasoning with extensive pretraining knowledge. All processes within a business will be changed, automated and undertaken by tools. 💡I wanted to test this, by creating a pocket Management Consultant. This is what Efficientminds is, …. and I’m delighted with it. Efficientminds is 100% built with AI in order to showcase what this revolution is changing for business. I hear obstacles to its implementation from business people who unfortunately are likely to be most affected by it. If you have placed the analysis of the benefits to your business with your IT people, you have made a rookie mistake. AI technologies have already removed the majority of processes in all IT departments and automated the solutions. I see a minimum of 40% cost savings. 💡AI must be analysed and implemented by Senior Management Teams and Finance Directors. The tools being presented to the market from established vendors such as Microsoft are remarkably good. Disrupters that fill a gap, or simply work better at a cheaper price, like Slack, Monday.com or ClickUp are simply fantastic to use. But my focus is always the same; how are they saving you money? Correctly implemented modern AI assisted tools will make you more productive by undertaking processes and tasks and removing the need for people. Are you saving money on people? Efficientminds is built to answer that question for you. More quickly and cheaper than in any other way. In itself it is productivity. In this particular domain, there are simple historical examples when the industrial revolution started making machines to do the manual work of people. Again this is not rocket science. The main difference is that the AI revolution is just starting. 💡Within a few months we move to ‘agentic AI’ which quite simply will look like the stuff of science fiction. The robots are not coming, but agentic AI will change the relationships business has with its people, suppliers and customers. Get in contact to see how Efficientminds will save you money. Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

13 November 2024

I am just coming to the end of a fascinating technical project. I have almost finished building an IOS/Android native app for squaredeal. SquaredealA service to help with clutter, downsizing, probate, house clearance and unwanted stuff. Freecycle, Sell, Offer, Swap, Rent. The reason it is fascinating is that the entire technical build has been accomplished using AI. The command line has built all our code. I should fess up a caveat here, that my business partner is a superb programmer and on hand should or when AI has lost the plot. 💡And AI definitely does lose the plot. AI makes mistakes, tells lies and can undo all of its good work. I hear many commentators talking up the existential threat that AI poses to humankind. Only time will tell how AI is going to shape our societies, however for business, the tools are here. The bottom line is this. 18 months ago we could not have developed an IOS/Android native app within 3 months without a team of talented developers and testers. We still have some issues, mostly notably with Apple Developer requirements and implementing Stripe subscriptions in tandem with our web offering. AI tries to help here, but it is nowhere near where we need to be. However, AI has understood our Supabase back-end, developed authentication, navigation and routing, built triggers, functions and webhooks. It has added edge function and most importantly delivered all CRUD functionality. I LOVE IT! But let's talk bottom sheets. Bottom sheets are those page that appear in your app from the bottom of the page. You can interact with the content present on the sheet, cancel the sheet or dismiss it on press. There is a superb React Native/Expo evangelist called Simon Grimm: Simon GrimmHelping web developers build fantastic mobile apps 🔥 Your weekly dose of web, mobile and cross-platform development with React Native, Ionic, Capacitor, or Flutter. Subscribe for motivating tutorials, projects, and live streams!YouTube He's a fantastic teacher and has a specialist niche in React Native / Expo. He comes very highly recommended. That is, except for bottom sheets. His suggestion is to use a third party solution called Gorhomm bottom sheet. This started off working fantastically, then the curse of the app dependency struck. In short, React Native depends on dependencies on packages to deliver its functionality. A bottom sheet is simply one of thousands. There was a problem with regards to dependencies between Gorhomm bottom sheet and the version of React that I had installed on my Mac. This is incredibly frustrating and is a huge headache for building IOS/Android native apps. The issue here is that as with most services in business, time is money. We were wasting time. But this is not where AI got into a huge tangle. It diagnosed that dependencies were the issue and even suggested a solution that I have already decided upon from another source. The issue was that AI could not distinguish between the word 'bottom sheet' from Gorhomm bottom sheet, and 'mimmick the functionality of a bottom sheet' from react-native-modal. Now this is relatively tricky, as I wanted to use a modal set up (that's a box that appears normally in the centre of a screen with opacity behind it) and style it to work like a bottom sheet with both styling and animation. But AI.... not a clue. It could not understand me. I cannot talk highly enough of how AI enables you to build an app in a weekend. Build a side hustle in a few days! How cool is that! However, when the pressure is on and things do not make sense, AI can lie. The issue is that as a trusted associate, a personal assistant, you start to rely on your friend. 💡 But AI is not to be trusted and is certainly not your friend. However, seen as a personal assistant.... there is probably nothing better for business. Over the course of the last 18 months I have witnessed the maturing of AI services. The speed of change has been nothing short of stellar. AI services are in the midst of a feeding frenzy. You hear talk of an AI Gold Rush, that is more to do with the insane amount of money that it poring into the industry. There will be winners and losers, and you will hear investors use phrases like 'first in, first out'. However today, there are multiple stable AI tools for business that can revolutionise every element of your organisation; People, operations, IT, finance, marketing, sales and legal services. I have no doubt that within a few weeks AI will understand their bottom sheets from their animated modals. Within another 18 months.... I simply cannot predict how far AI tools will have changed business service delivery. Hold on to your hats. Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

3 September 2024

Projects? What is he talking about? Projects, with project managers and mulitple tiers of chat? No. I mean where without project thinking, you get very little change. In fact, quite often you are managing for the status quo and missing out on saving money and driving turnover. If you don't manage your business to succeed in delivering your business model, what exactly are you managing? So for me projects are all important when it comes to delivering business change. This is to save money and drive turnover. When I look at a deliverable, an aim or a change requirement, I naturally start with the following: * Show me the money!.... what is the business model? * Where are we at with the blueprints, the specifications? Where's the plan at? * What are the aims? The simpler the better. * Where are the powerbases in the organisation? I'm looking for potential hold ups and please do not tell me that the power lies outside of your organisation. * Where are my guides? My people who are going to enable delivering on time and to budget. Quite often I do like it when they are external people. * What are the terms of reference?Who's paying the money? * Timescales. We are not writing a book, and are definitely not working as academics, but the bottom line is that every project has a beginning, middle and an end. Each of these stages are as important as the next. When I was trained, and trained again, and then again by PriceWaterhouseCoopers they referred back to their standard methodologies that typically looked like this: You could place initiation and planning into the beginning, sometimes planning, then execution and sometimes monitoring and controlling into the middle, then monitoring and controlling and closure into the end. I've lost count of how many pretty diagrams I've deployed with various words of intent and comfort. To be very clear, this methodology has never let me down. Up until 12 months ago, I would have proudly pronounced that in my professional opinion, it is not the swish documentation that gets a project over the line, it’s the people..... But is that still the case? Absolutely not. The new tools that are being developed which grab the potential of AI are revolutionising project management. Quite simply they are fantastic and fundamentally allow you to deal with any issues, normally initiating from people, and get things done. I am amazed by the power of ClickUp, in particular, their 'AI Brain' which is highly cost effective and as powerful project tool that I have ever come across. ClickUp - One app to replace them all......I’m pretty sure their marketing team is a fan of Lord of the Rings, but what that has to do with running a business I don’t know. ClickUp is now on version 3.0. This is a mature product with a strong sense of self. If used correctly IJames PickeringJames Pickering But there are other tools, for example where companies confuse great communication through Slack Channels and the subsequent transparency it fosters, with getting things done. It’s a good time to reconsider the three rules of tools. The 3 Rules of Tools: Right tool for the right job A bad worker always blames their tools There is always another way to skin a cat Transparency is key when it comes to getting any project over the line. Let's not get into why people actively work against being transparent and imagine a perfect world. Take a while to check this out: PLAUD NOTE: ChatGPT Empowered AI Voice Recorder | PLAUDOne-Press Recording｜Transcription & Summary｜Powered by ChatGPT｜Free PLAUD App. PLAUD NOTE is the world’s first AI voice recorder powered by ChatGPT, Trusted by 50,000 users with over $8 million in sales. PLAUD NOTE effortlessly captures premium recordings of meetings, phone calls, and voice memos wherever you go.PLAUD UK Yes, it's just another piece of tech talking up AI right? Or.... is it the final link in the chain with regards to complete transparency. We've been able to record, transcribe, summerise and share online meetings for over a year now. Otter.ai or Co-pilot will do the trick. But what about those meetings in person, or those all important phone calls? After the scardicats in your organisation have scared you to death with regards to privacy and laws in certain US states, lets ask the simple question: Would your project, the management of your business, or any business change including every aspect of communications within and outside of your organisation, benefit from 100% transparency? How do you pick up a project, the management of your business or any business change when a key member of your team moves on or deals with changes in their personal circumstances? For the last 12 months I have been looking at AI being written into all of your business contracts, and how the expectations of the business with regards to all communications pertinent to the business model need to be considered. There's a lot of data which is saved, accessible but most importantly summerised by AI. This communication, shared with your project management tool of choice, becomes your project management. You can see issues, or ask AI to predict them. Deliverables, actions, milestones and results finally become tangible, as the answers to the question 'why not' is accessible to all stakeholders. I am always a fan of the weekly summary from all stakeholders. Upload what you have done or not done on the project, let AI summarise and share it. Now that is transparency. This is the philosophy that I have successfully employed to deliver on time and on budget the following projects: * www.thesquaredeal.co.uk * www.yonderlife.co.uk * A National Property Auction * A National Probate Service * The biggest commercial auction in the UK * A rather nice wine sale * Live internet bidding * Online payments * Client accounts * The Great Art Hunt * Demolishing a culture of theft, intimidation, bullying and blame Now.... we just have superior tools. It is time to reconsider your project timescales, save some money and drive your turnover.

28 August 2024

You can only really make a good decision if you know where you are going. If you are making a decision based on treading water, a holding pattern, are you actually achieving anything? Hopefully Part One of this blog will have opened your mind to your organisation's business model. What are you trying to achieve? What do you deliver? Are you working in the best way to achieve this? Do the decisions made by your people align with your business model? Does your business analyse business decisions that simply maintain a status quo? Surely these 'decisions' can be automated or asked of AI. When decisions are being made, it is imperative to meet two major considerations; 1. Are you controlling costs? 2. Are you increasing turnover? In the end, to implement good decision making you need to start with professional leadership. I have worked with a co-Director, who was a good sales person, but one of the worst decision makers I have ever seen. His view of delegation was in fact capitulation. In effect, he set up members of his team to fail. He demanded transparency from his team members but did everything in his power to stop progressive analysis of his own performance. In the end, we had to drag him kicking and screaming away from all elements of operational control and getting the best out of our team, and focus his efforts on driving turnover. Because of his standing within the organisation this was a tortuous process, which I still believe he holds against me! To delegate or not to delegate? This depends on where you see responsibility. You will have a contract of employment that outlines in broad terms what you are employed as. You may well find a nice, pretty organisation chart which highlights line management reporting and possible competencies for the role you are undertaking. But who really makes things happen? For me, more importantly, should they be making things happen? I have worked with a business owner with very little business experience. He once sold mop and buckets door to door in Australia and produced a TV Show called DIYers from Hell Three. He was very wealthy through inherited property and believed that his business acumen was such that he could make strategic decisions around people. He believed that delegation was a right, an entitlement by management to get other people to do their work. He missed the fundamental basics of delegation; Delegation is a temporary transfer of authority to enable others to grow and learn. The delegate is never responsible for things going wrong. That remains with the leader. The ultimate responsibility remains with management. “Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.”  - General Patton For me, delegation can only work when there is absolutely no sign of a blame culture. Poor leadership goes hand in hand with blame culture. An organisation that has allowed a blame culture to develop, will lack any form of dynamism or the ability to effect change. There is no chance to see such an organisation embrace the cost saving and business growth opportunities offered by new AI tools. The organisation will be so scared to try anything new that only the weary status quo will follow. This status quo is compounded by the fact that people recruit in their own image. New staff fear risk and not only buy into such a blame culture but also actively promote it. In my experience, in the most extreme circumstances, only a change in people supported by a new recruitment policy can fix the problem. Only teamwork works! It's a cliche but true. Also, what do you expect to find where people need to work together to meet the business model? There is nothing wrong with extolling the virtue of teamwork. Teamwork is more nuanced than you think. There is room for everyone in a business team. I smile when I hear words of 'inclusion', as this is the cornerstone of teamwork. Everyone has something to offer, but be clear about what you are communally working towards. This is your business model. Consign blame to your competitors and allow your people to fly. Make mistakes, people do! Let your team members know and work together to solve any subsequent problems. Ensure your leaders understand any issues from a mistake. Be transparent. Use AI tools to help you navigate your business model and minimise recurring mistakes happening. Define flat management.... time to revisit your organisational chart Implement an open door policy. This is not as simple as you may think..... Recruitment, where change starts.We all know it. It is a basic fact of business. Your people are fundamental to your business. If you get a bad apple, your business will suffer. Good colleagues will become frustrated and disillusioned. You may lose business and you definitely will not be as productive as you shouldJames PickeringJames PickeringTeamwork, where change happens.💡“None of us is as smart as all of us.” - Ken Blanchard If you do not have teamwork, you do not have a business. It does not matter if you work with established colleagues, new recruits, senior management, owners, contractors or long term clients, teamwork is what makes yourJames PickeringJames PickeringLeadership, where change fails.This is probably the most awkward area for a business change consultant. It is possible to question the capabilities of the person paying your invoice! However, I am always employed by the business and that is the only way that business change can be considered. On the other side, theJames PickeringJames Pickering How much does it cost? That entirely depends on your current people. Developing trust between people takes time. You can employ innovative training and development plans. You can commission external consultants such as myself. But in the end, changing the culture of your organisation will rely on professional leadership and the hearts and minds of your people.

28 August 2024

Where do you start? With an organisational chart. It will have fancy titles for those included, but how far do responsibilities go? .....and what about competencies? ..... and who exactly in the organisation are represented? I have to admit that sometimes I question the validity of organisational charts. Who are they for? Are they for external information, internal understanding or a mixture of both? Then, of course, there is the challenge of retaining good people and the effects that staff turnover has on running an organisation and changing those roles and people. Once you have a nice shiny diagram, now comes the interesting bit. Ask every, and it has to be every, member of the team to note down what they do. This is their task list which may be daily, weekly, monthly or longer. Each task must not take more than a line to explain. No novels here please. This is the extent to what Chatgpt 4.o sees as an example organisation chart: What does this tell us? I think building an Organisational Chart is a starting point and a good discipline but I would hope it asks more questions than it answers. Most importantly, does this sufficiently represent how an organisation operates? PwC taught me some amazingly insightful and pragmatic tactics. None more so than questioning where the actual power bases lie in any organisation and how to manoeuvre the levers of power to get change delivered. We are not looking for a Soviet-style approach to business here. We are not looking to micro-manage your people, control operations through committee or implement a Sword of Damocles form of management. We need to see where tasks overlap, we can make savings there. We need to see where tasks can be automated, we can make savings there. We need to see where better tooling can be implemented, we can make savings there. We need to rationalise whether certain tasks should be undertaken, we can make savings there. We need to look if a business has changed in terms of income and costs over a time period. 💡 In short, can we work smarter. As this process unfolds, we will undoubtedly encounter the tasks that have become part of a business's operations, but which are firmly routed in fire-fighting. This is simply where a business, quite often with an operational dysfunction, has taken steps to find a work around, to a problem without dealing with the problem itself. These challenges are usually compounded with higher levels of staff dissatisfaction, subsequent sickness and absenteeism, higher rates of staff turnover and questionable implementation of tooling. I have never come across an issue of fire-fighting which cannot be rectified with the right people using the right tools. The best example of a fire-fighting business I have come across was on an epic scale. For me, it appeared to be an industry-wide issue. Over the last ten years, amplified over the Lockdown years, the amount of home deliveries have dramatically increased. We all do it. As a result, the shear numbers of lost in transit items generated by the huge national couriers has exploded. For many of us, how any parcel could get lost seems ridiculous. However, from my own personal experience I have witnessed millions of lost parcels, worth millions of pounds being offloaded to the market via public auction. The couriers simply did not have the infrastructure in place to store, audit and return lost parcels to their owners. As such, they all had no choice but to sell the items via public auction, in a transparent market. The solution was never to do this. The solution is not to lose these parcels. Invest in tools and people and audit processes which can deliver this business need. The irony here, is that they outsourced their business dysfunction to a third party. Then ask them to note the most important people that help them get their tasks done on time. Footnotes not required! However encourage inclusion of third parties or people not directly employed by the organisation. Then ask them to list which tools they use to deliver their tasks. Order in terms of ‘most use’. Finally in less than 50 words ask them to highlight where they have looked to deliver their tasks differently in the last year. The vast majority of your team will feel overworked, with similar proportion explaining that only more resource, normally more people, will help with efficiency. There could be low moral. All of these issues can be dealt with by good, professional leadership. Now let’s focus on leadership. Good leadership is about enabling your team to reach the requirements of the business. It is not about revelling in fighting fires. Getting things done can simultaneously be strategic, pragmatic and magic! The first thing to ask of your leaders is to write an elevator pitch for their organisation. Where do they get money from? What do they offer? Where is the value added? Here's two I did earlier: Declutter, downsize, probate or side hussle. Deal with life's stuff by generously freecycling, making some money, doing a swap or renting your time. Do the deal through secure messaging. Scam free. It's like Classified Adverts by WhatsApp. Simplify Probate. Pass on what truly matters to your loved ones. We will be talking about the two cornerstones of good management, delegation and team work, in Part Two of this blog. We will also be looking at taking responsibility and transparency within an organisation. At this point, we need to be gathering information, building a true picture of where we are with a view to drawing up a series of judgements. This can only be done in tandem with a series of pragmatic solutions to deal with every issue. Naturally the questions over people competencies will be asked. You may well find that people have been promoted above their abilities, however what training and support has the business offered them? As with all things in business, you can overcomplicate this process. It does not matter if you are looking at a small business or large corporation, the principles remain exactly the same. You will find that certain members of your team will overcomplicate what you ask of them. This could be to do with a lack of understanding of why change is taking place, a lack of ability or that they have their own agenda. Either way, change is good, and with the new opportunities presenting themselves through AI tools, organisations need to be on their toes. There is an elephant in the room. This is the will, the desire, to enable positive change. This needs to come from the top. Your people may well believe that this is well above their pay grade or have developed static working practises over years in the job. Your middle management may well believe they are senior management, but lack the ability or credibility to introduce change. Dealing with change is all about leadership. On a final note, undertaking these foundation steps at looking at change are not simply never to be done again. Undertake these reviews regularly. Your organisation and the wider business landscape are changing quicker than your may want to accept. Recruitment, where change starts.We all know it. It is a basic fact of business. Your people are fundamental to your business. If you get a bad apple, your business will suffer. Good colleagues will become frustrated and disillusioned. You may lose business and you definitely will not be as productive as you shouldJames PickeringJames PickeringTeamwork, where change happens.💡“None of us is as smart as all of us.” - Ken Blanchard If you do not have teamwork, you do not have a business. It does not matter if you work with established colleagues, new recruits, senior management, owners, contractors or long term clients, teamwork is what makes yourJames PickeringJames PickeringLeadership, where change fails.This is probably the most awkward area for a business change consultant. It is possible to question the capabilities of the person paying your invoice! However, I am always employed by the business and that is the only way that business change can be considered. On the other side, theJames PickeringJames Pickering

9 July 2024

Undertaking a tender process, either as a supplier or contractor, is an exciting business activity. We do not always talk about how business can be exciting, however attempting to either land a business contract, or indeed obtaining the best possible contractor can be highly fulfilling. At the start of my career, I contributed to PricewaterhouseCooper's Best Value Guide. Best Value was a concept utilised by Local Government and wider Government agencies to put work out. It was a change from its predecessor Compulsory Competitive Tendering (CCT) which was condemned for taking the lowest possible price over quality of service. For me, this has always been a moot point as quite simply the success of any competitive tender lies with the quality of tender documentation and more specifically with the quality of responses from requests for information (RFIs). This is obviously only if the tender itself is required. I have been fortunate enough to both help implement a framework for putting tenders out and conversely bid for tenders themselves. Tendering for public sector projects in the UK is a meticulous and structured process. It ensures transparency, fairness, and competitiveness, adhering to strict regulations. A basic tender process follows the following steps: 1. Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) The process often begins with the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ). This initial stage screens potential suppliers to determine if they have the necessary capability and financial stability to undertake the project. The PQQ assesses: * Company background: Including structure, history, and key personnel. * Financial standing: Financial reports, credit ratings, and turnover. * Technical capability: Previous experience, certifications, and capacity. * Compliance: Adherence to relevant laws, including health and safety, and equality. 2. Invitation to Tender (ITT) Once pre-qualified, suppliers receive an Invitation to Tender (ITT). This document is critical as it details the project's scope and the requirements for the tender response. The ITT typically includes: * Project specifications: Detailed descriptions of the goods, services, or works required. * Conditions of contract: Legal terms and conditions under which the contract will be executed. * Evaluation criteria: How the tender submissions will be assessed. * Submission instructions: Deadlines, format, and method of submission. Each tender has some core elements: 1. Executive Summary This section provides a concise overview of the tender response. It highlights the bidder’s understanding of the project, their approach, and key selling points. 2. Technical Proposal The technical proposal demonstrates the bidder’s approach to delivering the project. It includes: * Methodology: Detailed plan on how the work will be carried out. * Project management: Schedule, milestones, and deliverables. * Quality assurance: Processes to ensure high standards and compliance with specifications. * Risk management: Identification and mitigation of potential risks. 3. Financial Proposal The financial proposal outlines the cost of delivering the project. It should be transparent and comprehensive, covering: * Detailed breakdown of costs: Itemised pricing for all aspects of the project. * Payment schedule: Proposed timeline for payments. * Value for money: Justification of costs, demonstrating efficiency and cost-effectiveness. 4. Supporting Information This section includes additional documents to support the tender response, such as: * CVs of key personnel: Qualifications and experience of the team members. * Case studies: Examples of similar projects successfully completed. * References: Testimonials from previous clients. When considering competitive tenders there are a variety of aspects to consider: Compliance with Regulations Public sector tenders must comply with regulations such as the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, ensuring fairness and transparency. This includes adhering to the stipulated timelines, using prescribed forms and templates, and following the prescribed procurement procedures. This may not be applicable to wider businesses, however it is a very good discipline to introduce. Clear and Concise Communication The tender documentation must be clear, concise, and free of jargon. This ensures that evaluators can easily understand and assess the submission. For me, this is critical. I have found that too often, business consultants and executives revert to business school jargon. Keyboard warriors rarely seem to understand or care about the needs of the end user. 💡For me, you say it as it is. Attention to Detail Attention to detail is critical. Errors or omissions can lead to disqualification. Ensure that all required documents are included and that the submission is complete and accurate. Demonstrating Value for Money Public sector projects prioritise value for money. Tender responses should highlight how the bidder provides the best combination of quality and cost-effectiveness. 💡For me, this is what business is all about, ADDED VALUE. Collaboration and Feedback Engage with stakeholders throughout the tender process. This can involve clarifying requirements, seeking feedback on draft proposals, and ensuring alignment with project objectives. This is fundamental, as once the project starts the relationship become tangible. Delivering tender documentation for public sector projects in the UK is a detailed process that requires careful preparation, adherence to regulations, and a clear demonstration of capability and value for money. By understanding the core elements and key considerations, bidders can enhance their chances of success in securing public sector contracts. It is at this point that you must ensure you have included the use of AI in any projects. Have you confirmed data security? Have you clarified how technology and most importantly which tools will deliver the project? Have your legal team understood and made allowances for AI in the contract documentation? An example of why AI is so important for businessHave a look at this nifty bit of kit: Ai Pin OverviewHumane logo This is so well presented. You would feel like you are on the deck of Starship Enterprise NCC-1701. I am unsure why all these tech start ups are presented by owners who model themselves on TV TalkshowJames PickeringJames Pickering

18 June 2024

I love sales. There cannot be a more fulfilling business activity than pitching. Back in the day, when I was training to be a management consultant with PwC, we were introduced to the concept of 'guides'. These were individuals within the organisation you were tasked with restructuring, who would lead you to your defined goal. I have always found this to be a pragmatic way to navigate where you want to be for larger sized businesses. As businesses get smaller, I think they do business with people they like. Obviously the comparison ends here with regards to management consultancy as the first rule of business changes is that you are not there to make friends. This blog is about managing the sales process and ensuring you are both productive and successful. I have a lot of time for sales people. It is hard to prospect all that potential business, stuff it into a sales hopper, work the potential sale through a pipeline with all its ups and downs then get the money over the line. Along the way there could have been gorilla sales tactics, process-driven prospecting, advertising, marketing or blind luck to get to the money. Your sales team will probably be able to meet all those objections head on in their sleep. 💡I have always thought however that the best metric is repeat business. By this, I mean that you can have a fantastic sales curve of new business, but without sustainability you could well be heading for a cliff. For me it is all about building long term relationships with customers. We can leave the trend chasing, fast buck space cadets behind. However how do you manage your sales process? How do you ensure you are being productive in this fundamental business function? I think businesses need to define their sales into three groups: 1. Existing sales (keeping them!) 2. Developing clients (making the most of your long term business relationships) 3. New Business ( a cornerstone of growth but never the single focus) Today there are some barnstorming tools that allow you to manage your sales efforts. This is a decent round up of different services on offer and how they compare: Best Sales CRM Software (Top 10 Sales Tools for 2024 Compared)We reviewed the best sales CRM software for your convenience. Discover the top 10 sales tools inside! Pros, cons, & pricing for all 10 sales CRM tools.CRM.orgChristopher Sirk Sales CRM’s are very powerful tools. I found Pipedrive to be almost indispensible when managing an auction hall. We worked for most of the national corporate delivery companies, the private client solicitors serving the West Midlands, many national retailers and a handful of the larger, international class auction halls. At any one time my team were managing around 1000 prospects who we either needed to ensure were happy with our service, potentially required wider services from us or indeed were potential straight new business. Pipedrive allowed us to monitor existing business, expanded business and new business by focusing on named prospects and ensure that we had done the primary goal of business; keep our customer happy. However I always felt that our rigid, persistent sales meetings could have been better implemented. Today, I would have used ClickUp to deliver the entire sales function for the business. ClickUp - One app to replace them all......I’m pretty sure their marketing team is a fan of Lord of the Rings, but what that has to do with running a business I don’t know. ClickUp is now on version 3.0. This is a mature product with a strong sense of self. If used correctly IJames PickeringJames Pickering Sales strategies need to be well conceived with colleague buy in. Most of all they need to be well managed. Leadership is key. You can leave marketeers to deliver their bells and whistles and get rich quick schemes. For me, sales are rather traditional, and something that I appreciate about business. The riskiest I have ever implemented was following a book about 'gorilla sales tactics'. This involved hiring an employee to make appointments with difficult to tie down prospects. In some ways it did lead to some success. I think a correct implementation of ClickUp could cover the basics of many sales-focused CRMS. ClickUp is around a third of the cost of other sales CRM's and most importantly, in addition will save your staff a day a week in help manage all functions of your business. No matter how large or small your business is, ClickUp will save you money and help drive turnover. The trickiest part of sales is people management. However, this is probably the trickiest part of any business? Recruit well, train better and lead professionally and your business sales will thrive. Sales people sometimes get a bad rap for being completely money focused, poor team players and difficult to retain. This is nonsense.

16 June 2024

It's a clever bit of marketing that. It is not the first AI code editor, but the AI-first code editor. Cursor - The AI-first Code EditorCursor is the IDE of the future, built for pair-programming with Powerful AI.The AI-first Code Editor Code editors are for techies, software people who build websites, APPs and tools. Back in the day I started with Adobe Dreamweaver as I love Adobe Coldfusion. These guys built their own IDE (Integrated Development Environment) called Coldfusion Builder. Today, the tool of choice seems to be VS Code which I also use and find brilliant. This comes with some very helpful extensions which means anyone who codes in a myriad of coding languages can do so. It is not the fact that this is another code editor that interests me, it is that they recognise how AI can make software developers more productive and that they are boldly shouting this from the rooftops. I really like this approach. If I was a junior developer, or someone wishing to start a career in software development I would be hearing a very clear alarm. Just how much of the basics can AI now do? The answer is, ALL OF IT. My rather brilliant business partner, who has a Masters in Computer Science, brought this tool to my attention. Over the last year we have discussed more about AI than any other subject over the last 11 years that we have been working together (with the exception of archeology). AI tools are currently changing the way software developers work. Within 3 years most of their work will be done with AI assistance. Within 5 years the industry will be revolutionised. 💡This will mean less jobs. It will mean cheaper prices. It will mean more profit. This is no different to the introduction of looms in the textile industry hundreds of years again. Cursor is simply a tool that means you can do more with less. The interesting development will be how much easier it will be for saboteurs to disrupt this technical revolution. They will not be simply throwing their clogs (sabots) into cyberspace. Cursor is clever. It acknowledges which language you are using, eg Javascript, it understands if you are using a library, eg React.js, it recognises a framework, eg Next.js, it adapts itself to any styling being used, eg standard CSS or Tailwind and when you ask a question it delivers a solution using the tools you have selected. You can choose to accept this solution or interrogate further to get what you want. Along the way software developers may also learn a thing or two. VS Code has a plugin called Co-pilot which is also integrated into Cursor. What is really clever is that this is done inline, not only within a document but within a line of code. You say something in english, which is then translated into code. It is not just suggesting code and correcting your code looking for errors, it is waiting for a prompt then translating that into your coding language of choice. The AI chatbots like Chatgpt have been doing this for some time, and are getting better at it, however Cursor integrates this tooling directly into where you need it. So no cut and paste. No return trips to a different tool. A true memory of what you need, exactly where you need it. As with all things around AI, you just need to know what to ask it. It is here, that new opportunities are developing. Software developers will need to understand the basics, to be able to ask the right questions (prompts), to get a solution that their AI assistant will create for them. On their website Cursor have plenty of positive reviews from software developers saying how great it is. Their strapline: 'Build software faster in an IDE designed for pair-programming with AI' is perfect. It says what they do. I predict that the established IDEs will all be developing similar functionality into future releases of their products. This is just another example of the AI gold rush that you will be hearing about. For me, it is very similar to the ClickUp Brain that I am so impressed with. Their productivity solution gives you AI assistance exactly where you need it. Yesterday, I used it to draft a business introduction letter, which was brilliant. ClickUp - One app to replace them all......I’m pretty sure their marketing team is a fan of Lord of the Rings, but what that has to do with running a business I don’t know. ClickUp is now on version 3.0. This is a mature product with a strong sense of self. If used correctly IJames PickeringJames Pickering I do, however, wonder about the medium term health of the software development industry. If AI is able to deliver all the basics; auth, business logic, UI, data interactions and testing, where will all the junior developers be? Surely it is the junior developers who become the senior developers who know what to ask of AI? Perhaps this is an example of what the politicians and James Bondesque villains are calling an existential threat? My question to you is; what is your business going to do? Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

2 June 2024

Running a business is all about your people. This in turn is all about teamwork. This in turn is all about delegation. However, this is a two way street. This is a relationship built upon accountability. You can have systems, technology, policies, training and management structures in place, but without your people taking responsibility for their work and being accountable to the outcomes, your business will not be as productive as your competitors. To implement this you need leaders. Change starts with recruitment: Recruitment, where change starts.We all know it. It is a basic fact of business. Your people are fundamental to your business. If you get a bad apple, your business will suffer. Good colleagues will become frustrated and disillusioned. You may lose business and you definitely will not be as productive as you shouldJames PickeringJames Pickering Change happens with teamwork: Teamwork, where change happens.💡“None of us is as smart as all of us.” - Ken Blanchard If you do not have teamwork, you do not have a business. It does not matter if you work with established colleagues, new recruits, senior management, owners, contractors or long term clients, teamwork is what makes yourJames PickeringJames Pickering Change fails with leadership: Leadership, where change fails.This is probably the most awkward area for a business change consultant. It is possible to question the capabilities of the person paying your invoice! However, I am always employed by the business and that is the only way that business change can be considered. On the other side, theJames PickeringJames Pickering It does not really matter if you have a shiny employee handbook, a verbose set of practise and procedures manuals, an employee retention policy based on fluffy employee benefits and what you see as great training, without your people being accountable your business will not thrive. This is where I am increasingly impressed by ClickUp. ClickUp - One app to replace them all......I’m pretty sure their marketing team is a fan of Lord of the Rings, but what that has to do with running a business I don’t know. ClickUp is now on version 3.0. This is a mature product with a strong sense of self. If used correctly IJames PickeringJames Pickering Their marketing is peculiar and talks to project managers first with a weird nod to productivity. However at its very heart, are some very experienced business change thinkers who are building a tool that makes teams transparent, individuals accountable and subsequently gives business leaders the information to make good decisions. Decision makingGood business decision making is enshrined in the words of Kenny Rogers: 💡You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em Know when to fold ’em Know when to walk away And know when to run Here’s the great man himself, with only 253m views and counting: Kenny Rogers - TheJames PickeringJames Pickering I think that their claim of saving one day out of five in productivity is achievable but their AI 'Brain' is simply game-changing. Your leaders can receive summarised information across multiple teams and various people from artificial intelligence. I love it! As with any tool, you need to follow the three rules of tools: Always remember: The 3 Rules of Tools: Right tool for the right job A bad worker always blames their tools There is always another way to skin a cat If you cannot get your people to work with time saving, money saving solutions that help your business do more with less, look towards your leadership first. Let's think about an example: Every business needs cashflow. You may have marked a sale as complete but that does not necessarily mean that the cash is in the bank. This is where retailers can annoy me. They have sales cash readily available at the point of sale. How do they make so many mistakes? Anyhow, imagine an estate agency for example, that has sold a property but now has the unenviable task of progressing this sale to completion. It can take months, and is normally dictated by the speed and competency of conveyancing solicitors. There can be multiple links in the chain including financing, searches and involved legal checks that are not controlled by the estate agent. ClickUp can manage such a project, highlight blockages, give time estimates to completion and most importantly share this situation with other team members. Finance departments should love it. Most software packages have project tracking capabilities, but from the point of view of their specialisations. ClickUp, with its AI Brain, opens each area of a business to every other area and acts as a PA for the entire business. Permissions and security considered, this is the definition of accountability. Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

19 May 2024

I received a link from a friend recently. He is a top developer and helped build the live internet bidding platform. The message was accompanied with the words, 'well that's the end of call centres'. He is referring to one of many new AI offerings becoming available on the market. This is one you have just got to try: Home • Hume AIThe AI toolkit to measure, understand, and improve how technology affects human emotion Where this service is slightly uncanny is that it promotes itself as an AI alternative to human responses by being empathetic. Try it! The results are amazing. They have clever marketing probably by telling the truth of how the service has developed. They have a slightly academic, historical feel to their origins. I really like this as it feels human. They start with David Hume (1739), hence their name I presume. He proposed a classification of over 16 emotional states. They then take the huge step of referencing Charles Darwin(1872) who is pretty much the Godfather of Evolution. He loved a survey and mapped facial, bodily and vocal similarities across species. It appears he described 20 differences and similarities. They then jump to 1960's and give us a pleasant photo of the Basic 6. Paul Ekman discovered that six expressions are universally recognised around the world. Then under the heading 'Valence and Arousal', they suggest that scientists try to reduce human emotion. To be honest I was getting a little lost here. Then we get to what they are actually doing today: 💡"Hume's scientists are revolutionizing emotion study through data-driven methods, employing computational techniques, and analyzing vast datasets to understand the spectrum of human emotions. They've gathered millions of reactions across videos, music, and art, studied brain mechanisms of emotion, explored ancient sculptures' expressions, and applied deep learning to global video expressions. Their research uncovers over 30 emotion dimensions." For me, this is pretty cool. You may be wondering how this will revolutionise business? I had a conversation about Adobe Coldfusion. Basically if you have your online content in good order from your website and social media channels, you can train AI to answer questions and queries about your business. You will save money, have consistency in response and offer a truly immediate response. Sales enquiries often require a degree of qualification. You may be looking to buy a new home, where estate agents will need to acquire a degree of understanding of the financial status of potential customers. Should you be looking to consign an item to auction, there is a degree of pre-qualification to determine the value and suitability of the item. If you supply IVF services, you need to be sure that potential clients understand the costs involved with the treatment and care. In all of these cases you would want an AI system to show empathy towards your potential clients. This is a truly exciting development of AI. Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

5 May 2024

In the olden days, ten years ago, the world was black and white and the telephone was the principal income generating mechanism for business. The telephone enabled you to keep existing business, develop existing business and drive new business. Is this still the case today? I hear many shouts of ‘yes you fool’! I answer, ‘I disagree.' But I shall soon be re-evaluating. As with any technology tool, advancements come quick and fast. Expensive telephone systems were superceded by VOIP apps, call centres were operated more cheaply overseas and now AI systems will change the way business is done over the telephone. What will not change is the loud and clear demands of buyers whose expectations must be met, or they take their business away. However, no matter how loud the shouting and moaning, is this actually the case? In my experience, it is sometimes beneficial to not do business with some people. In today’s world of instant, online reviews and feedback, I do not believe the customer is always right. Sometimes the customer wants something for nothing and will take an inordinate amount of time telling you so….. mostly over the phone. The telephone is simply one other form of customer interaction along with face-to-face contact, emails, messaging, social media channels and your website. All these contact points can be continually streamlined through better training and implementation of the right technology. Before considering an enhancement to your service or most importantly before you start looking at potential solutions, have you mapped what your customers want to ask you over the phone? I bet there are no more than 8 general enquiries. Your staff will no doubt tell you that there are hundreds of different enquiries to be dealt with and only more staff will solve the problem. This is never the case. Let me tell you about an auction day 6 years ago. Madness. The owners loved it believing that this meant more income. I saw frustration from customers and burn out from employees. What did we do? Before beginning this business change we mapped what type of enquiries the business was receiving. We then analysed how they were received, from face-to-face, telephone, email, messaging and social media (along with letters that were still being received). We then looked at how each enquiry was being processed and how much it was costing the business. We then prioritised each enquiry by asking if it increased turnover or helped save money. The results were simple: The loudest moaner was prioritised regardless of benefit to the business. The solution for this was really simple; a company policy on how to deal with complaints and a channel to do so. I was surprised to see how the number of complaints declined immediately and more importantly was very pleased to be able to properly deal with true issues where the business had made mistakes. Once you have dealt with the fiercest bit of fire fighting, it is time to take an objective look at what your customers want from their telephone contact. Outside of those customers who expect personalised assistants, your customers will be busy people and want convenience. I have spent decades delivering online services via website or APPS that offer a more timely, direct and 24/7 solution for customers. This enables businesses to be more efficient, more profitable and be enabled to invest in their service delivery. Well..... that's the reasoning. I can guarantee that those very loud moaners will still be there. A plan around how you deal with your telephone expands from customer service, to payment systems, to website and APP development, to training, to recruitment and technology. Simply start at the beginning: What do your customers want via the phone? Does the costs of dealing with these enquiries help generate turnover or control costs? 💡The auction hall implemented a real time bidding system that increased sales by 15%, cut payment processing by 50% and enabled a raft of wider, personalised marketing options. This all started by analysing why on earth the phones did not stop ringing. The result was that we saved thousands, increased sales, generated more repeat business and retained staff. However these solutions were implemented before the brave new world of AI. I can see a situation where the telephone becomes more important for your business as enquiries can be dealt with automatically. This will not be some naff technology that attempts to understand your spoken enquiry. I doubt if customers will come to realise they are being dealt with by an automated service and most importantly for the business itself, those key enquiries will be prioritised and enhanced. For the auction hall we were always committed to dealing with valuation and probate requests, whereas for an Estate Agent for example, they would be committed to dealing with requests for house appraisals. This is simply prioritising sales over requests for information that can be done via a very simple website, social media channels or AI. Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

14 April 2024

I'm pretty sure their marketing team is a fan of Lord of the Rings, but what that has to do with running a business I don’t know. ClickUp is now on version 3.0. This is a mature product with a strong sense of self. If used correctly I see no reason why their stated benefit of saving a day a week cannot be achieved. How To Save 1 Day Every Week, Guaranteed | ClickUpLooking to save 1 day a week? This article outlines everything you need to do to easily save one day every week guaranteed.ClickUpErica Chappell There are alternative productivity solutions, some of which we will discuss. I say it as I see it, and do not know ClickUp from Adam. I am using ClickUp to manage this consultancy, Squaredeal and Yonderlife. SquaredealA service to help with clutter, downsizing, probate, house clearance and unwanted stuff. Freecycle, Sell, Offer, Swap, Rent. Outside of these workspaces I want to have a calendar that includes these three projects and helps coordinate my personal life. I am a big fan of Slack and Microsoft Teams that helped immensely when managing a business through COVID lockdowns. It was a challenging time for everyone and being able to communicate at a team level was very helpful. Although ClickUp markets itself as an APP for all apps, I see its core strength in project management. It’s just that I have always seen running a business as a collection of projects. So I find this tool to be very useful and highly cost effective. 💡I see leadership and teamwork as projects in themselves. When ClickUp announces that they aim to save a day a week for each member of staff using its solutions I naturally want to know more. You should use ClickUp for your senior team meetings. * You can secure team access, create internal teams and broadcast business wide. * You can create and distribute meeting agendas making them collaborative and interactive. * Minutes are shared in a similar way. * Actions from meetings are therefore collaborative and interactive. * Relevant documents are stored and shared where the people who need them can access them with simplified access privilages. * Progress between meetings is transparent. * Your communication between meetings is immediate, moving goals forward and prioritising actions. If you are determined to use emails as your primary communication tool, your business can email in ClickUp. There will be some configuration, cost and training involved but it is not rocket science. I just struggle to understand how internal emails do not get received. 💡In leadership it is your responsibility to obtain the information you need when you need it, from whoever or wherever you need it and in what format you need it. The new AI ‘Brain’ will also summarise all your content…. Now that’s well worth using! Just think about all that content you generate in your leadership or management meetings. This information just keeps on growing and updates all the time. ClickUp's AI 'Brain' makes you more efficient. Here's another American who finds value added in this great new tool: ClickUp Brain Just Launched! Is It Worth It?ClickUp just launched ClickUp Brain, but is it worth it!?In this video, we’ll walk you through our favorite ClickUp Brain use cases and how we’re using it to…YouTube In fact you should use it for all leadership. 💡If you make a product, supply a service, schedule anything, conduct repeat business, make new sales or hawkishly look after your clients ClickUp will make you more efficient. It will save money and drive turnover. However you have to use it properly. Remember the three rules of tool! The 3 Rules of Tools: Right tool for the right job A bad worker always blames their tools There is always another way to skin a cat It does not matter if you are in retail, manufacturing, medicine or financial services, a well- deployed ClickUp implementation will save you money. For me, I am less concerned about which solution you use, but more focused on the appetite of your team to do more with less. The AI ‘Brain’ of ClickUp is well thought through and acts as an early example of how AI is going to revolutionise business. In this case, AI will save management and leadership time. Unlike the looms that took real people’s jobs away hundreds of years ago, I do not think that business would have allocated a resource to streamline such summaries. This is something new, that gives you more. That is a definition of added value. Although I sympathise with and kind of respect those clog (sabot) throwing workers who purposely damaged looms to try to keep their jobs (hence the word 'sabotage'), this is something different. A business can have meetings after meetings to try and gauge a picture of reality. Never meet for the sake of a meeting. What is the purpose of a business meeting? Where is the agenda? Who are the participants? Why are they there? How do you delegate actions and responsibilities? Who is taking notes? How are they distributed? How are they actioned? When is the next meeting to discuss action progress? So yes, it is important to see who does not attend. 💡I don't think we can bring back the scribes, so it is time to embrace AI. For me, ClickUps AI ‘Brain’ is offering a basic of good business; value added. I sound like a ClickUp evangelist, but there are alternatives. You can simply Google, 'clickup alternatives' but ClickUp themselves confidently publish a blog on the matter. Top 13 ClickUp Alternatives & Competitors (Features, Pricing) 20242021’s Top list of ClickUp alternatives with their key features and drawbacks. Get comparison feature and pricing on alternatives to ClickUp App.ClickUpHolly We could always bring back the scribes. Maybe Frodo was a scribe? Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

3 April 2024

No matter how bad you think things are in a business, there is always hope. Just difficult decisions to make and hard work to put things right. I thought I would share some of the bizarre and ridiculous business that I have experienced over the years. There was a business owner who questioned keeping an erroneous payment of £50k from HMRC. This sizeable payment appeared in a business bank account without paper work. The bank reconciliation reference was barely recognisable. The bank eventually tracked down the payee and after some sleuthing we contacted the correct Government department to repay the monies. It was a COVID loan that we had not applied for, paid to the wrong bank account. For some unknown reason, one of the owners questioned why we were paying it back. There was a business owner who misunderstood a marketing budget 12 fold and confused £100k with £1.2 million. To this day, I cannot understand how this came about. There was a business owner who confused the buyer breakdown of a secondary market and misunderstood who their customers were. Again, how do you do this? Then there was the Northern council manager after reading 'Keep It Simple Stupid' considered scribes over an IT system…. maybe Birmingham City Council should consider it instead of their Oracle system? Then there was the Midlands council employee who had a contract from 1960s, who refused to amend his terms and conditions of employment. He was awarded a bonus for the amount of labour he could get onto any job. He was compensated for overstaffing each job. This was a reaction to labour shortages in the 1960s. Supported by his trade union. There was not a consideration made for local council tax payers. This one is unbelievable, but true. There was the Company Director who attempted to play an adult DVD of Cheynne the Wonder Princess after the installation of a new IT system. He had installed it on the server’s DVD drive and corrupted the new IT system. Everyone was locked out of the IT system. Then the company owners who had no idea of their industry. One believed that an established competitor had come out of ‘nowhere’, when they are one of the most well-known businesses in the UK having been established in 1884. They are consistently in the top 3 of annual turnover for provincial companies in their market sector. The other brother did not understand where income was generated. He misunderstood charges to the buyer which contributed over 50% of the business’s total income. How about the overseas Municipality who believed they could train illiterate goat herders to operate a remote project management system. The challenge was exacerbated by the fact that the project management system was in English, whereas he spoke broken Arabic. Then there was the very clever hack. Nigerian hackers took over the budget holders email service. They mimicked his emails to the payment processor, who for some reason almost paid a £30k request for payment without a corresponding invoice. This was only caught through a double check via the phone. And finally for now, the contractor who threatened the business consultant for losing his relationship with a business. How stupid can you be? Instead of being professional, asking why this was happening, if anything could be re-considered and whether a staged withdrawal was possible. The Forest Gump school of business. Businesses employ people and deal with money. You are obviously going to come across shenanigans. The trick is to understand how your business ticks and whether it operating for the benefit of the business or the agendas of others. Business change does not have to be painful. It is all about hearts and minds. Some employees, contractors and clients do have their own private agenda. Just ask the basic question; 'How does this benefit the business?'. Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

24 March 2024

I saw this video on Instagram and I found it very entertaining. 5 types of people you’ll find in a team, business and life.5 types of people you’ll find in a team, business and life.Strive to be PerformerYouTube It’s all very well characterising your team in this way, but the effects are damaging. 💡It may be the case that your team fall into these very wide groupings, however in doing so you highlight a failure in recruitment, training and leadership. To set the scene the animation shows the various team types helping or hindering pulling a cart. I presume the cart is meant to represent a business or project. The Performer 'He' knows where he's going and what he's doing. He knows exactly what to do, takes responsibilty and is a tremdous asset. He is portrayed pulling the cart from the front. The Doer Highly effective with a great willingness to work, learn and improve. A Performer in waiting. He is seen pushing the cart forward by the wheels. The less effective Doer His contribution does not add any value. He is seen lounging around in the cart. The Potential Trouble Source My life, they even give it an acronym, 'PTS'. This feels more like a business cult to me. He can be destructive and in the video is seen riding on the cart wheels. The Suppressive Person Yes, you've got it, he also is assigned an acronym, 'SP'. I am pretty sure this is a business cult. He is portrayed dragging the cart from the back. This person is highly destructive and is obviously working for the other side. I am unsure why all the team members are men, but perhaps that's where some of their problems are...... At the end of the video, they all don uniforms and matching safety hats and learn to work as a fantastic team. 💡Please do not start seeing your team in this way. It is far too simplistic and deflects from where any potential problems may be. Your business is simply a mirror of its management. Before you jump to judgement and worst still personal character assassination, look to your leaders. How are they performing? Delegation is at the heart of team work. Many poor managers believe that delegation is simply giving work to others and taking the plaudits for anything good. I have come across this throughout my career and it is really annoying! Teamwork, where change happens.💡“None of us is as smart as all of us.” - Ken Blanchard If you do not have teamwork, you do not have a business. It does not matter if you work with established colleagues, new recruits, senior management, owners, contractors or long term clients, teamwork is what makes yourJames PickeringJames Pickering I have a variety of examples of business dysfunction in my mind. At this particular point I recollect some old-school men, lolling about during their 'break' with their feet on the tables demanding a staff room. It was not that many years ago and my mind turned to a black and white scene in a factory in Longbridge before Rover collapsed. It was a scene straight out of the industrial malcontent of old Britain. These entitled, old-school "Suppressive People' eventually left the business. This was simply a matter of good leadership, however the most notable effect was on some of the newer team members. Once these negative, self-serving influences had been marginalised and they understood what the business expected of them, some of the newer members of staff started to shine. They turned up to work with a spring in their step, began to see a future for themselves and appreciated a 'thank you' from management. One of them, evolved into the 2nd biggest income generator in the business. His greatest success was not buying into the old-school malcontent that can blight any business and wanting to be better. It is not rocket science, so start your professional leadership with the following three questions. * Do you want to work for this business? * Do you understand that this is a two way relationship? * How can we make things better? 💡Then, make it a priority to thank your team. If you are not doing this, you should work on your leadership skills, before asking anything of your team. The primary aim of your leadership is to get the very best out of your colleagues. Obviously when asking how to make things better, as in 90% of cases, you will be told ‘more staff, more people’. But this is to be expected. Your leadership must be creating an environment where everyone buys into the concept of doing more with less. This is the essence of efficiency and to be a staple of your business. Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

10 March 2024

The accepted quote seems to be "Lies, damned lies, and statistics" and is attributed to Mark Twain, possibly attributed to British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli. However all of this is open to interpretation. It's a catchy blog title and I'm less focused on the three degrees of lying from lying, to outrageous lies to statistics. This blog is about getting a fair and balanced perspective of how a business is performing via its statistics. We're talking non-financial facts and figures. You can start dumping any number of useful statistics, for example: * Customers numbers * Potential customers * Customers through the door * Telephone system stats * Mobile stats * Incoming emails * Outgoing emails * Website hits * Top pages * Time spent * Time lost * Google analytics * Facebook posts, likes, followers * Instagram * Youtube * Twitter * WhatsApp * Sickness and Absenteeism * Staff on disciplinary * Training stats 💡The trick is to carefully consider what numbers you need to see to enable you to obtain a perspective over the shape of your business. It does not matter if you are the Chief Operating Officer of a multinational corporation, have the responsibility over a certain departmental budget or are running a retail outlet, you will have statistical requirements. Back in the day, when implementing change into local authorities, I was always amazed at the concept of 'back of the fag packet' budget calculations. You were talking massive amounts of spending, falling well into multi-millions of pounds, being displayed in the most simple of ways. But there was a very good reason for this. There were multiple layers of financial checks and balances built into the system, via multiple finance and audit departments including external oversight, which double checked spending. The 'back of the fag packet' calculations were mainly financial summaries enabling operational decisions to be made. So what on earth happened at Birmingham City Council? I think it is worth at this point discussing the role of your financial team. Are you clear about their role within the business. Are they processors of payments, audit control, spending oversight or charged with ensuring value for money. Internal teams may have a clear understanding of their role within the business, but do all external resources understand where they stand? So, let's stick with operational statistics. How can they help? Your people are most important, so you'll be wanting statistics on sickness and absenteeism, recruitment, staff turnover and training. All such statistics should shine a torch into any potential business dysfunction or areas requiring change. Your sales are fundamental. How is new business expanding? Have you managed to expand business from existing business? Are you maintaining the business you have already got? How is your marketing performing? This is possibly the easiest area to obtain realtime data from your website, your social media channels and wider advertising. Does your marketing spend align with your three areas of sales development? How is your IT functioning? You will obviously be looking at the fast-paced developments in AI and looking at areas to save money or drive turnover? Within these core areas you may have area or regional considerations. You may have certain projects underway that will need oversight reporting. On top of any operational statistics you will fundamentally want your financial performance available at the touch of a button. To conclude ask yourself, how can you make good decision without good data? Decision makingGood business decision making is enshrined in the words of Kenny Rogers: 💡You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em Know when to fold ’em Know when to walk away And know when to run Here’s the great man himself, with only 253m views and counting: Kenny Rogers - TheJames PickeringJames Pickering💡I have never believed that the truth of any matter can be found in statistics, but well thought through data presentation can help shine a torch onto the performance of your business. Today is the perfect time to get your reporting requirements in order. It is a simple matter of making a list. Where you get this information and how it is presented is a different matter. However AI tools are currently available that can help now. Developments around business personal assistants are being delivered at pace. Understanding what data you need and how you want it presented will be all important when you ask your AI personal assistant to prepare this for you. Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

3 March 2024

Have a look at this nifty bit of kit: Ai Pin OverviewHumane logo This is so well presented. You would feel like you are on the deck of Starship Enterprise NCC-1701. I am unsure why all these tech start ups are presented by owners who model themselves on TV Talkshow Hosts or cool dudes who seem slightly too old to be skateboarding. This particular device seems to be supported by Sam Altman the CEO of OpenAI and is scheduled for release next month. Then this product arrived recently in the AI whirlwind. Along with all the others, they obviously have secured a huge amount of cash investment and seem to want to be one of the first out of the blocks. It's got a catchy name, Rabbit, to boot. One of the things I respect about this tech product is that they are competing on price. This keynote speech is well worth listening in to. Not particularly around the product, however more specifically where they see the interaction of device and software in the realm of AI. rabbit — rabbit osRabbit OS.pre-order now When looking at AI for business you will come across two terms; LLM's (Large Language Models) and LAM's (Large Action Models). Here we go, more tech acronyms to understand. Although being somewhat floral, this blog post explains the difference quite well: LAM and LLM differencesIn the ever-expanding landscape of Artificial Intelligence, two titans stand at the forefront, each representing a distinct epoch in the…MediumSimbarashe Timothy Motsi I do not think any of us should get too carried away with what is obviously an experimental industry. My point is simple; what we see today will be evolved next year, seem mature in three years and revolutionary in five years. 💡If you are in business, you need to be understanding where AI tools will help your business keep control of costs and drive turnover. So, what kind of productivity would help business now? Just ask a simple question: How can AI help my business now? Every business needs to know how much money is in the bank, what am I owned, can you foresee regular squeezes on cash flow? You will have financial processors, financial troubleshooters and financial reporters all of whom will work within a single or collection of tools. I would expect your developing AI assistant to log in to each of these tools and simplify your daily, weekly or monthly reporting. How much money could this save you? Your business will use some form of HR tool. I would expect your developing AI assistant to interrogate your system and look for resourcing issues around holiday entitlement and parental leave. Your business will be posting to social media. I want my developing AI assistant to login into Adobe Creative Cloud, create my marketing resources, supporting existing or suggesting campaigns, log in to Meta Business Suite and schedule uploads then log into Hootsuite and tell me how marketing is performing. Imagine your day-to-day routine. Your developing AI assistant will login to ClickUp, check for updates on any project including Senior Management Meetings, suggest agendas, follow up on actions, take a transcript of meetings converted instantly into minutes, distribute them and then start making suggestions of how they can help run the business further. I think that AI business tools will very soon be able to answer the simple question; 'What do I want to do?' When you then start getting answers for 'What do you want to achieve?' and 'How do I achieve that?', your developing AI assistant become invaluable. 💡You will be keeping a tight control over costs and driving turnover. These tools are saying that their device, coupled with its use of microchip and LAM’s brain will act as your business personal assistant. Have another watch of that keynote speech. I am sure your pension fund has carefully considered investment into high-risk, experimental industries and knows exactly what it is doing. I simply cannot see the leadership at Apple or Samsung allowing this opportunity to pass them by. I think this recent decision is a classic ‘core competency’ strategy, however deployment of software over batteries and wheels must be so much easier to manage. Diversification of any business is always a challenge. Apple reportedly scraps multibillion-dollar plan to build electric carReports say tech giant made announcement during meeting and forecast layoffs, ending secretive and resource-heavy projectThe GuardianNick Robins-Early It seems obvious to me that work on LAM's and whatever comes next, will be integrated into a phone's Operating System to deliver value added to its current user base. I am certain that development of microchips are all about embracing and developing AI services. I think the affects on the APP market will be fundamental. Apple and Google make huge sums from their Stores and will not be surrendering that income without a suitable replacement stream. We have had 15 years of APP development all of which would need to be rethought to run on these devices. As with everything tech related business will evolve with layers of tools, some of which are not fit for purpose, some of which are getting old and most of which could be used better. This reminds me of the shout, ‘RTFM’ shouted consistently at an Apple Mac resourced Direct Marketing Agency in the 90’s. What the younger designers never truly understood was that the owners were too busy talking to clients to help pay their wages than ‘read the f****** manual’. 💡AI tools are coming at a faster rate than any other tech tools. When it comes to these delightful, fun, truly innovative devices, I can’t help wondering why my phone can’t do it. Many of us use wearables for exercise and maybe Google Glass was a true trailblazer. My focus is however on how can AI help you keep control of costs and drive turnover. For business, the benefits of embracing such value added is fundamental to compete in the very near future. Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

25 February 2024

Let's be clear, you may never experience such behaviour. If this is the case, you will have experienced a better employee experience than many. A lack of transparency, normally fostered by managers who feel the need to control, will normally form a blame culture within a business. Such a business will become risk averse, conventional in its thinking and increasingly difficult to accept change. These character traits will have a negative effect on the bottom line. Transparency is uncomfortable for some. There is no hiding. But in a supportive, professional outfit where making good decisions is to be encouraged, why would you want to hide? There will be managers, who genuinely want things to be of their standard. I do like to challenge what their standard is, and whether it aligns with the needs of the business. And then there will be leaders who take pleasure in being in control. These are the trickiest people to deal with. In the end, I like to know if they like to work for a business or if they want to enforce their own agenda onto a business. Quite often these type of leaders do not like to be confronted, yet are almost always blockers of change. They may well have been promoted or recruited outside of their skillsets. Both lead to the same place in the end, a business performance that is limited to their abilities. JFGI - Beware the control freak I was listening to a podcast recently about Michael Heseltine, the former Deputy Prime Minister, under Margaret Thatcher. The presenter was talking about the letters 'jfgi' hand written by Heseltine on Government briefings. For those of a more modern era, the letters 'jfgi' stand for 'Just f****** Google it'. The gist of this podcast was that the letters 'jfgi' in the context of Michael Heseltine and the 1980s was more likely to mean 'Just f****** get on with it'. 💡You cannot expect your people, your team to just get on with it if you have control freaks in management. The Empire Builder is different again. A poor leader with a desire to hoover up control of budgets and be proud of their people head count. For the Empire Builder, the business is a means to their ends. They will have no doubt placed themselves on their pedestal of power, using business speak to bedazzle the business and keep their ego well nurtured. Sometimes I struggle to understand the hierarchy of job descriptions. You can have Directors, Heads of, Senior X, Y and Z, simply in place to make pretty boxes on an organisational chart. Teamwork is always best. Please have a look at what I think here: Teamwork, where change happens.💡“None of us is as smart as all of us.” - Ken Blanchard If you do not have teamwork, you do not have a business. It does not matter if you work with established colleagues, new recruits, senior management, owners, contractors or long term clients, teamwork is what makes yourJames PickeringJames Pickering Each member of your team will want to be dedicated to help keep tight control of costs and to drive turnover. Who does not want to be held to account for their performance? The team will want to be asking questions such as where's the dynamism, the growth, the change? Your team will need to have exceptional leadership. Here's what I think about this: Leadership, where change fails.This is probably the most awkward area for a business change consultant. It is possible to question the capabilities of the person paying your invoice! However, I am always employed by the business and that is the only way that business change can be considered. On the other side, theJames PickeringJames Pickering💡In the end its about delegation. Delegation requires trust. Delegation is about considered risk. Decision makingGood business decision making is enshrined in the words of Kenny Rogers: 💡You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em Know when to fold ’em Know when to walk away And know when to run Here’s the great man himself, with only 253m views and counting: Kenny Rogers - TheJames PickeringJames PickeringContact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

18 February 2024

Obviously you are! The electronic letter ranks as one of the greatest inventions, along with Tarmac, the Roman Dodechahedron and the Tablespoon. Emails are liberating, ubiquitous and a basic tool in an ageing toolbox. If it ain’t broke, then don‘t fix it! The hail of the generations with connections from the war. But change, the pursuit of change, but never for change’s sake, should be a cornerstone of business thinking especially since the internet revolution of decades ago. Or, as everyone in business should ask on a regular basis, can we do more with less? Can we save money and drive turnover? And time, most definitely is money. The benefits of electronic mail, over snailmail are obvious. Email should be immediate and easily shared. But once it’s gone, it’s gone. It’s like putting a letter in a post box...... Who does not reply to all?...... Lost emails? How does this happen?...... Didn’t come through…. come on! It’s 2024 we communicate via multiple channels. Data has been saved on shared folders for decades, access privileges are set by IT support, you may have mobile access and everything can very easily go down. Why are you doing this? Have you never heard of Slack or Clickup? What about Teams, Asana, Discord or Monday? You will have used Zoom.... Who uses chat or a messenger? 💡Business communication by voice, video, email, chat and files is now so easily implemented, you only need download an APP. Here's a video from two Americans with nice teeth and hair. What I respect about them is that not only do they know what they are talking about, but also they are passionate about tools that help business. Slack vs. ClickUp: Stop burying critical conversations in the wrong toolTeam communication getting chaotic? Conversations buried in Slack, leaving everyone confused about project status?That’s what Maggie Kornahrens hears daily f…YouTube Always remember the three rules of tools: The 3 Rules of Tools: Right tool for the right job A bad worker always blames their tools There is always another way to skin a cat Back in the day, being trained by a company who believed they were the best business advisors in the world, I was told; ‘Set the agenda and control the minutes’. I‘ve always struggled with this political manoeuvring in business matters simply as it felt underhand and manipulative. 💡What I love about the new communication solutions is that there is nowhere to hide, so no need to set the agenda and control the minutes. Tools such as Slack or ClickUp are now the liberating and ubiquitous tools that will help businesses keep a tight control of costs and drive turnover. The main issues with these solutions is that they concentrate on selling themselves as communication tools and project management systems or use words that make them sound like they are only suitable for tech companies or marketeers. If you have a leadership team, with weekly meetings, you need one of these solutions. If you have any form of regular meeting, you need one of these tools. If you are not having regular meetings, this is fundamental and should be implemented now. So let’s get down to the basics: * They can make your senior management, your leadership efficient. * They streamline your business into channels to give access to all areas of your business at every level of your people. * Business information is available to all who need it, whenever they need it, fostering better decision making. * They are massively cheaper than an extensive IT infrastructure. * They are built to be used on the move, in the office, with clients or at home. Why do you want to control the flow of information? It’s not conducive to productive teamwork, fosters a blame culture and is inefficient. 💡Today's communication tools are all about transparency. Control freaks beware! They offer unrivalled access in both top down and bottom up business management. What that means is that via their channel infrastructure you can see whatever is happening in your business whenever you want. Try and do that with your email infrastructure. They work as file servers. They work as chat. You can broadcast internally. You can create secure, access restricted channels. They work seamlessly on mobile phones. They work with external suppliers. They work with customers. Your IT people may not like it… their empires shrink! And best of all, they work with emails. Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

11 February 2024

I never think we should discount everything that was undertaken back in the days of black and white. We may be fully into the digital age, but if someone needs to pick something up then put something down, there will always be a place for analysing the efficiency of this. I’m delighted to see the end of lead based paint, asbestos and dripping on toast, but there’s something timeless about the old school pencil behind the ear, bicycle and decent, instant coffee. The robots may be coming, even Laurel Creek Conservation Area Cricket Ground in Ontario has a robot lawnmower: Municipality Management : maintenance automation of a 3.5-acre Cricket Field | ECHO RoboticsThe City of Waterloo (Ontario) is the first municipality in Canada to utilize an emissions-free and automatic lawn mower. The beautiful Cricket Ground based…YouTube But in the meantime, here’s what Chatgpt has to say about time and motion studies. I wanted AI to tell us how it sees productivity in an historical context. I then wanted AI to give us a modern day perspective with regards to actual tools that can help businesses today. I then wanted AI to tell us which of these solutions are using AI as part of their service delivery. To conclude I wanted AI to give us some attributed quotes around time and motion studies to make sure we were all still awake. You can probably see how AI is causing issues in education with regards to writing your own homework. For business, this is just the start of the next stage in the digital revolution. 💡If we are in year 1 of business change revolving around machine learning, what will the business landscape look like in years 3 and 5? Blink and you will miss the boat. ChatGPT Time and motion studies emerged as a method to optimize efficiency in work processes, primarily in industrial settings. The concept was pioneered by Frederick Winslow Taylor, an engineer, and management consultant, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Taylor's work laid the foundation for scientific management, a theory that aimed to increase productivity by analyzing and optimizing workflows. He believed that by studying and standardizing tasks, businesses could maximize efficiency and minimize waste. In 1881, Taylor started working as a machinist, gaining firsthand experience with industrial processes. He later became interested in finding ways to improve productivity. His approach involved breaking down tasks into their smallest components and finding the most efficient way to perform each component. He conducted time studies, measuring the time it took for workers to complete specific tasks. Taylor's most influential work, "The Principles of Scientific Management," published in 1911, outlined his theories on standardizing work methods, selecting and training workers, and fostering cooperation between management and employees. Central to his ideas was the belief that by scientifically analyzing work processes, employers could improve productivity and ensure fair compensation based on performance. Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, another influential couple in the field, expanded on Taylor's ideas. They introduced the concept of motion studies, focusing on eliminating wasteful movements and optimizing workflow. They used photography and cinematography to analyze and streamline tasks. Their work emphasized the importance of ergonomics and worker well-being, aiming to create more efficient but also more humane work environments. Time and motion studies have evolved over time, incorporating advancements in technology and management practices. Today, these studies are used in various industries to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance worker safety and well-being. Techniques like time tracking software, ergonomic assessments, and process optimization continue to build upon the foundational ideas laid out by Taylor and the Gilbreths. Prompt Which modern apps can be seen to benefit businesses in the setting of a time and motion study? ChatGPT Several modern apps and software platforms cater to businesses looking to conduct time and motion studies and enhance their productivity: 1. Toggl: This app allows users to track time spent on different tasks and projects. It's versatile and offers features for teams to monitor individual and collective time usage. 2. RescueTime: It runs in the background of devices, tracking time spent on different applications and websites. It provides detailed reports to analyze productivity patterns. 3. Harvest: This tool not only tracks time but also generates detailed reports, manages invoices, and integrates with various project management platforms. 4. Clockify: A free time tracking app that's user-friendly and offers features like billable hours tracking, team collaboration, and reporting. 5. Hubstaff: Ideal for remote teams, it offers time tracking, activity monitoring, and productivity measurement. It includes features like screenshots, activity levels, and project budgeting. 6. Asana, Trello, or Monday.com: These project management tools don't just aid in tracking time but also offer workflows, task assignments, and collaboration features that indirectly contribute to understanding time allocation and work processes. 7. MotionMiners: Focused on motion studies, this app uses smartphone sensors to capture and analyze motion data of workers, helping to optimize workflows and ergonomics. 8. Microsoft Power Automate or Zapier: Automation tools that streamline tasks by integrating different apps, reducing manual effort, and potentially optimizing workflow processes. 9. WorkPuls: Offers automated time tracking, productivity analysis, and employee monitoring, helping businesses understand work patterns and efficiency. 10. Pomodone: Uses the Pomodoro Technique to improve time management by breaking work into intervals, aiding in time tracking and productivity. These apps differ in their specific functionalities and focus, but they all aim to assist businesses in better understanding how time is allocated, identifying inefficiencies, and optimizing workflows based on time and motion analysis. Prompt Expand on each of these. Show their website? Show their pricing? Explain their benefit? Who should use them? ChatGPT Certainly! Here's an overview of each tool, including their website, pricing, benefits, and the ideal users: 1. Toggl * Website: Toggl * Pricing: Offers a free plan and various paid plans starting at $10/user/month. * Benefits: Simple time tracking, reporting, and team collaboration features. Ideal for freelancers, small businesses, and teams needing straightforward time tracking. 2. RescueTime * Website: RescueTime * Pricing: Offers a free plan and premium plans starting at $6.50/month. * Benefits: Automated time tracking across devices, detailed reports on productivity patterns, and insights. Suitable for individuals and professionals aiming to improve time management. 3. Harvest * Website: Harvest * Pricing: Plans start at $12/user/month. * Benefits: Time tracking, expense management, invoicing, and project budgeting. Suited for freelancers, small to medium-sized businesses, and agencies. 4. Clockify * Website: Clockify * Pricing: Offers a free plan and paid plans starting at $9.99/user/month. * Benefits: Free time tracking with options for billable hours, team collaboration, and reporting. Suitable for freelancers and teams looking for a cost-effective time tracking solution. 5. Hubstaff * Website: Hubstaff * Pricing: Plans start at $7/user/month. * Benefits: Time tracking, activity monitoring, screenshots, and project budgeting. Ideal for remote teams, agencies, and businesses wanting detailed time and activity tracking. 6. Asana, Trello, or Monday.com * Websites: Asana, Trello, Monday.com * Pricing: Asana and Trello offer free plans with premium options starting at $10.99/user/month and $12.50/user/month respectively. Monday.com starts at $10/user/month. * Benefits: Project management tools aiding in task management, workflows, collaboration, and indirectly assisting in time management. Suitable for teams of various sizes and industries. 7. MotionMiners * Website: MotionMiners * Pricing: Custom pricing available upon request. * Benefits: Focuses on motion studies using smartphone sensors to optimize workflows and ergonomics. Ideal for industries where physical movements are a significant part of work processes. 8. Microsoft Power Automate or Zapier * Websites: Microsoft Power Automate and Zapier * Pricing: Both offer free plans with premium options starting at $15/user/month (Microsoft Power Automate) and $19.99/month (Zapier). * Benefits: Automation tools that integrate various apps, reducing manual effort and potentially optimizing workflow processes. Suitable for businesses looking to streamline repetitive tasks. 9. WorkPuls * Website: WorkPuls * Pricing: Custom pricing available upon request. * Benefits: Automated time tracking, productivity analysis, and employee monitoring. Ideal for businesses wanting detailed insights into employee work patterns. 10. Pomodone * Website: Pomodone * Pricing: Free plan available, premium plans starting at $2.29/month. * Benefits: Uses the Pomodoro Technique for time management, aiding in time tracking and productivity. Suited for individuals and professionals seeking focused work intervals. Each tool caters to specific needs, from simple time tracking to more comprehensive productivity analysis, and their suitability depends on the nature and size of the business or team using them. Prompt Do any of these use artificial intelligence? ChatGPT Yes, several of these tools leverage artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning to enhance their functionalities: 1. RescueTime: While it doesn’t explicitly mention AI, it employs algorithms to categorize and analyze your digital activities, providing insights into productivity patterns. 2. Hubstaff: Hubstaff employs activity levels and productivity scores, generated through AI, to track and analyze employee work patterns. 3. Microsoft Power Automate and Zapier: These automation tools often integrate AI functionalities to enable smarter workflow automation by learning from user actions and suggesting improvements in the automation processes. 4. WorkPuls: It uses AI-powered analytics to provide insights into employee productivity and work habits based on time tracking and activity monitoring. 5. MotionMiners: Though specific details may not be publicly disclosed, MotionMiners could incorporate AI or machine learning algorithms for analyzing and optimizing motion data collected from smartphone sensors. While AI isn’t the core feature for all these tools, some use elements of machine learning or AI-driven analytics to provide more intelligent insights, improve automation, or enhance the analysis of collected data. Prompt Display some quotes about time and motion studies with attribution. ChatGPT Absolutely, here are some quotes related to time, motion studies, and efficiency attributed to their respective authors: 1. "The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency." - Bill Gates 2. "Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time." - Jim Rohn 3. "The most efficient way to produce anything is to bring together under one management as many as possible of the activities needed to turn out the product." - Peter Drucker 4. "The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities." - Stephen Covey 5. "Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things." - Peter Drucker 6. "There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing." - Brian Tracy 7. "The more things you do, the more you can do." - Lucille Ball These quotes touch on the importance of time management, efficiency, prioritization, and the impact of technology and automation on productivity. Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

4 February 2024

This is not Ebay, which is a form of timed bid by tender. Public auctions operate realtime, with a human auctioneer co-ordinating multiple bid platforms, such as other live internet bidding platforms, room bidding, phone bidding and commission bidding. The hammer has no time limit and only falls when the competing bidders stop increasing the price. It is complex and is dependent upon human interaction from the auctioneer, the auctioneer’s clerk and the bidders themselves, all of whom can be in multiple locations. 💡The business benefit however is simple. Running this particular solution increased total hammer by 15% per annum, introduced the business to new corporate clients and enabled highly lucrative property auctions. By having an in-house, independent, transparent solution we also enhanced our offering to the legal profession when dealing with probates. The scope of work was again complex. Development fell in two distinct areas; firstly straight software development of user interfaces and integration into the back end business software and secondly both software and hardware implementation to create a live video stream. The software specification required three distinct interfaces: The Auctioneer This sat with the auctioneer on the rostrum and enabled the auctioneer to visually see the current hammer price and intelligently know which of the logged in bidders were interested in bidding. The auctioneer could choose to talk directly to the potential bidders via the live broadcast video feed. The Clerk This was the auctioneers online eyes and ears, permitting bids, inputting non platform bids and most importantly keeping up with the auctioneer's increments. The Bidder The interface used by bidders to make bids and follow the auction. All bidders required complex registration being a financial commitment to buy and also secure authentication. The specification for realtime video broadcast was far wider. Software development revolved around the bidder UI and video codecs. Complications came with hardware, connections to a local network and the capacity of the internet connection. 💡The realtime video broadcast was the most challenging part of the entire project but ultimately the most fulfilling, deploying a first of its kind in the industry. The project was made more challenging with the change of senior developer midway. In the end, this worked out better with the new senior software developer being the best I have ever worked with. The system was built using javascript, using server side Node.js. The application worked directly via a standard browser. The technology around realtime data transfer was web sockets which are a very well established piece of technology. Using this technology mix allowed a wide community of developers to work on the project if required and made the final product bulletproof. During specification we had a miscommunication around control of the increments. The initial development team could only reference Ebay and believed that price increases were automatic and to be made by the system. What very quickly became obvious was that the auctioneer, via the clerk, required control of increments as they could originate from outside the system such as in room bidding. By the time I had moved on to pastures new the live bidding system had processed millions in transactions, added thousands to buyer registrations and enabled lucrative new business sales. It was a fantastic project to get over the line. Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

28 January 2024

Over the years I have developed, specified and project managed a wide variety of IT projects. I have implemented project management systems, hardware infrastructure, vehicle trackers and CCTV, phone systems, financial systems, built many websites, developed bespoke software packages and integrated social media platforms. 💡I have not found one particular gem of knowledge to propagate successful implementation. I suppose IT is all about horses for courses. To implement IT successfully you need buy in by those using the system. You must have a clear specification. You must chose the right kit. You need to budget well. A well understood contract between client and contractors is fundamental with both a stick and carrot element. Primarily good leadership to get the project over the line is key. If you skip on any of these key ingredients your IT project will more than likely fail and cost a large amount of money. Before you start, have you undertaken a basic cost benefit exercise? Have you spent too much time listening to techies as opposed to those destined to use the end solution? Always remember: The 3 Rules of Tools: Right tool for the right job A bad worker always blames their tools There is always another way to skin a cat Have you factored in the cost of training? Have you considered that certain members of staff may need extra time to become proficient? I am not talking about those toxic members of staff who do not want change as it will negatively affect their own, personal agendas. I could tell you a tale from back in the day when trying to implement vehicle trackers into company trucks….. this terrible business imposition stopped certain workers from meeting at the local cafe for hours on a Monday morning instead of starting the working week. Those bacon sarnies got very cold. Change in business is inevitable. Embracing change in business should be part of your business ethos. IT projects are typically the basic building blocks of efficiency and productivity. The imminent AI revolution needs to be embraced to keep you efficient and productive. My three most recent IT projects have all been software related; My two new online businesses and a bespoke live internet bidding system. Having a technical background I have been able to manage each project from inception to completion to implementation and finally to enhancement. Teamwork was key in each project having to co-ordinate internal and external resources. I try to work nimbly, being hands on when needed and reverting to specification documentation and contractual obligations when required. 💡All of these software projects needed changes along the way. It is here where problems can occur as put simply, changes take time and cost money. * Are changes really required? * Are changes down to your business? * How quickly can you make changes? * How much will changes costs? You have to be realistic, pragmatic, work through the issues and always remember the end goal; a benefit to the business. The live bidding system led to multi-million pound sales and enabled the business to access new, highly lucrative markets. Quite by accident, it also enabled the business to trade through Covid lockdowns. The development of thesquaredeal.co.uk was as much about the building of a business model as building an application. Our experience had shown us a market exists and there is a need to fill that gap. We understand the industry well and all the key players. Most have in common the transaction where they make income. We wanted to focus more on the seller than the buyer and move away from retail based thinking. Our software solution is simple, clear and focused. It has to be, as our offering is different to anything else on offer. Please take a look and sign up for free. We can deal with all that stuff that you have in the loft and garage. We offer selling freedom through options for freecycle, buy, offer, swap and rent. SquaredealA service to help with clutter, downsizing, probate, house clearance and unwanted stuff. Freecycle, Sell, Offer, Swap, Rent. In terms of getting IT projects over the line, I shall leave us with the prophetic words of the legend Barry White from 1980's: Barry white on technologyYouTube If you are looking at some changes in IT or are having a problem with IT implementation please get in touch: Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

24 January 2024

There is no point in trying to be positive over making people redundant. It’s simply rubbish. I get excited about advances in technology, progress and how it helps with productivity. The downside is that jobs and processes are changed which often means job losses. Obviously staff have protection under law and businesses that do not respect their staff will inevitably fail in the medium term. However, no business exists to create jobs for people. Job creation schemes are for local councils and public sector bodies. A business needs to make a profit. Making a profit is challenging and it is the primary aim of any employee to buy in and help that fundamental aim. However these are only the first steps. Over time businesses will have cultivated loyalty from colleagues and also want to help their colleagues when things become difficult for them at different times of their lives. 💡A well-recruited, well-trained, focused, constructive, respected and professional colleague is the Holy Grail for any business. However this is a two way street. A business may need resourcing but your people should want to work with you. Treat robots like robots and people like people. This is why your recruitment is fundamental. You need new members to your team to buy in to your business ethos and add value. What does AI have to say about letting people go? The prompt: 'What steps does a business in the UK need to do before making someone redundant?' Chatgpt response: 'Before making someone redundant in the UK, a business typically needs to follow a fair and legally compliant process. This generally involves consulting with employees, exploring alternative options, and providing appropriate notice. It’s crucial to adhere to employment laws and consider individual circumstances. Consulting with a legal professional or HR expert is advisable for specific guidance tailored to your situation.' That‘s all very basic. Alternative options can be wide and complex. It is not any toxic employees who are the problem here. It will be those wonderful, loyal employees that have added value to your business for years where the deep thinking needs to be. A toxic employee is not someone that a manager does not like. A toxic employee actively undermines management and the business plan. They will destabilise your team and ultimately believe that the business is doing them a favour. You may want to consider how your business has propagated such colleagues. Was it a fault in recruitment or an environmental issue over time? The vast majority of staff will be good and it is here that every business looking at a loss of turnover, an increase in costs and potentially a loss will need to consider every option when letting good people go. In conclusion, business is always about change. Letting people go is more than the legalities of redundancy and following due progress. This just has to happen. As a business leader, the questions you need to be asking are: * What happened before? * What is happening now? * What will your business look like in the future? If you get caught up in the past your business will fail. If you get tangled up in day-to-day changes you may miss the opportunity to be the best versions of yourselves. If you concentrate purely on the future you may not learn from the past. 💡If a business does not change with the times, time will catch up with it. You should not be recruiting for the short term. Your people should be your priority below driving turnover, keeping a tight control over costs and making a profit. If you are considering letting people go, you need to have a plan, have exhausted all your options and most of all be sure you are making good decisions. Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

22 January 2024

Good business decision making is enshrined in the words of Kenny Rogers: 💡You've got to know when to hold 'em Know when to fold 'em Know when to walk away And know when to run Here's the great man himself, with only 253m views and counting: Kenny Rogers - The GamblerREMASTERED IN HD!Official Music Video for The Gambler performed by Kenny Rogers.Follow Kenny Twitter: https://twitter.com/_kennyrogersFacebook: https://www.f…YouTube I have to admit that Kenny Rogers has not been my choice for music on a personal level. These prophetic lyrics were bought to my attention back in the day by another PricewaterhouseCooper’s consultant when working in the Middle East. He was a senior IT consultant and unlike many corporately trained employees had run his own business. These words had stuck with him when he sold a successful mail order business. Where these words were prophetic is that although making decent money in the sale of his business he felt he had made a mistake. He made a decision to remain mail order, via a printed catalogue and did not go all in with the new kid on the block, the internet. For him, the lyrics 'know when to run' were not about running away from danger but towards the business risk. Making good business decisions is tricky. There can be much at stake if you get it wrong. 💡We are not talking about the concept of delegation and working without a blame culture. These are part of good people management, staff retention, maintaining staff buy in and getting projects over the line. If you are not making good decisions, you should not be in management. If you struggle making decisions in case you make a mistake, you are in the wrong environment. If you gather all your information, collaborate with key people either internally or externally, evaluate risk, most importantly define clear benefits to the business and you sleep on your decision, then the words of Kenny Rogers hold true: * Hold * Fold * Walk away * Run Being assertive is fundamental when looking at good decision making. I am not talking about the oversensitive categorisation of assertiveness as a type of bullying. I am saying that good decision making is critical to the success of any business. If you are not making good decision out of fear, ability or laziness, you should be looking at the assertiveness of your decision makers. 💡I have never seen a more positive affect on very gifted, intelligent however slightly quiet people, than training to be a public auctioneer. It was far more than simply projecting your voice. For every lot put up for auction, you need to know when to hold, fold, walk away or run. Outside of public auctioneering, I've used stage voice projection training, team building and one-to-one coaching to look at better decision making in businesses. The trick is to make the right decision over who should be a good decision maker. Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

21 January 2024

The evil robot overlords are not taking over, Skynet does not exist and for those old enough Orac really was simply a transparent, perspex box. The noise around AI is deafening and pointless. I am certain that militaries, nation states and billionaire techies are busily creating the next wonder weapon, however when it comes to business and what we are seeing today, AI is more machine learning than intelligence. The hype around the term artificial intelligence is leading to developments of smart pillows and toothbrushes. Cash is being invested in such nonsense. Some firms are moving away from the actual term ‘artificial intelligence’ as to the extreme of science fiction comes ridicule. For me, it is the natural evolution of the internet, which has revolutionised business. The world is now a much more accessible place, business can be conducted globally, information is instantly shared and best practise evolves at an unrestricted pace. AI business tools will yet again accelerate change and bring with it opportunities and threats. This is no different to any other technology, it is only the pace of change, enabled by the internet, that will bring these opportunities and threats more quickly to the business environment. 💡Every business needs to be aware of how artificial intelligence can help save money and drive turnover. Tools such as Chatgpt landed in earnest during 2023. The next 3 to 5 years will see an exponential growth in the capabilities of AI and businesses will be revolutionised. Initially, general content, training, creative presentation, coding, social media, translation, customer service and marketing will be the first to benefit. Each feature image on this website is created by Adobe's AI tool present in its Creative Cloud service. When developing Yonderlife we did not use AI, a year on when developing Squaredeal, about 10% of development has been supported using AI. These are complex IT solutions, however the ball has started rolling and it is not travelling up hill. I can see a time when voice prompts ask for a complex IT solution such as Squaredeal and the AI writes all the code. If you get to an 80% contribution from AI, the type of people you employ to get a project over the line evolves. Therein are both opportunities and threats. This image was generated with AI with the text prompt: 'an osterich buries their head in the sand'. I think we can all agree that AI is not the brightest tool in the box. Then again, a bad workman always blames their tools. AI Machines are always learning, so the old IT consultant adage of 'rubbish in, rubbish out' is now very much out of date. Your business is missing a trick if not either already using or appraising current AI tools that can save you money. 💡Are your suppliers using such tools and are they passing on subsequent cost savings? There are some big claims being made in this boom-time industry. Politicians and Big Tech talk of existential threats to humanity but Chatgpt is currently a basic signposter at best. I believe change will appear more quickly than any other piece of technology. I doubt I'll be making that claim about Chatgpt by 2026. In terms of business benefits solutions are appearing for the legal profession, marketing is already changed for good and translation has never been easier. You may have come across the usage of AI in medical services, which seems nothing short of a perfect match for me. A quick search on Google for the best AI tools for business will keep on giving. This blog from Forbes in September 2023 delivers a raft of AI business tools. I find that I am already using 4 of them. 20 AI Tools To Supercharge Your Business And ProductivityThe Rundown AI founder Rowan Cheung shares his top 20 AI tools to supercharge your business and productivity. Which ones could benefit your business?ForbesJodie Cook Compare the following blog from a few weeks ago in 2024. It is more marketing focused but delivers a very different list. 10 “Best” AI Tools for Business (January 2024)Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have opened up countless new opportunities for every size business across the globe. AI is providing deep insights like never before, and it is helping turn many business processes more efficient. Whether you are a freelancer with a one-person business or in charge of multiple employees, there are many tools that […]Unite.AIAlex McFarland The speed of change in AI is eye watering. 💡You need to be in the game. It is fair to say that you could spend hours every day trying to keep abreast of AI developments. Investment funds seem to be pouring billions into the sector. You may hear about AI developments in healthcare where the time taken for early diagnosis of breast cancer can be done in a fraction of the time. You may hear that Google are shedding thousands of jobs to focus on its AI offering. You may even hear about AI software that is being deployed to alleviate bus bunching. The fact is that AI is going to change the way we operate, whether its your business, your suppliers or your customers. At the very least your accounting package will be looking at AI enhancements, your marketing should already be taking advantage of some fantastically mature AI solutions and sales should be looking at harnessing the benefits of AI right now. Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

8 January 2024

We are truly delighted to have got this project over the line. We have taken no external investment and have trusted our abilities. The business model has taken some development, most notably in pricing and who we charge. Our elevator pitch is simple: 💡You know all those items that you accumulate over time? Freecycle it, sell it, find its value, swap it or rent it with Squaredeal. It's the place to deal with all your stuff and best of all its free for sellers. The origins of the business model answered a very simple question. What do you do with all the things you have in your shed, your loft, your garage or the back of your cupboard? What do you do with all your stuff when you move house, downsize or deal with a probate? Ebay is expensive and you can't give stuff away. Facebook Marketplace seems time-consuming and inconvenient. Shpock and Craiglist seem to have lost their way. Vinted is a class act with a similar charging model but a pre-occupation with clothing. There are many other sites and APPs that sell your stuff but we do not feel that it helps with your dilemma. What do you do with ALL your stuff? We want to enable donation or giving stuff away as much as selling, swapping or renting. I have experience in running a provincial auction hall. They charged both the seller and buyer up to an eye watering 40% income from sales, sometimes with additional charges. The justification is that they have large physical locations with many staff required to pick stuff up and put stuff down. In addition their public auction status is ideal for transparent sales required when dealing with probate. For us, we experienced the potential market size specialising in probates in Birmingham (UK) and the wider West Midlands. Outside of this secondary market growing with the gig economy, the obvious gap in the market appeared when sellers want a solution for everything. They may want to give their baby items to another family, whilst selling a bike, whilst wanting offers on Grandad's train collection, whilst swapping a computer game and renting Uncle Pete's time as a children's entertainer. Version 1 is a dating service. We match buyers and sellers and leave them to do the deal. Buyers pay a £2.99 monthly subscription for the added value, which can be cancelled at any time. We want to be dealmakers as opposed to a form of retail. Version 2 will consider dealing with delivery. We will be having large items uploaded, such as your sofa or lawnmower, so traditional couriers will have trouble dealing with these. We will also be considering undertaking the transaction for buy options, however need to consider who pays for expensive, secure online transactions. As with any new business, in particular one that is delivered online, there are no givens. We know that a need exists, we intend to fill the gap in the market and have used the most modern and secure of tools to build the solution.

8 January 2024

This wonderful project is a labour of love. With a summary of 'what to do when someone dies', it is simultaneously a marketing banana skin and potential gift. This is the opposite of Squaredeal, being by nature niche and not of mass appeal. Our tag lines are: Remember the past, plan for the future, live for today. Use Yonderlife to share your memories, tell your story, document your affairs and value your assets. In the end, Yonderlife is a practical tool, developed to capture your life and pass it on. Your life is more than probate or financial inheritance. In the end, when your time comes, we wanted to enable the passing on of your legacy. This is more than bank statements, it is about your memories and the story of your life. In terms of market share, you may be surprised with how many people die every day. The covid pandemic increased the death rate nationally, however the fact remains that in the end, we all die. For us, we wanted to offer a useful solution about how to prepare and what to do on someone's death. We intend to create a community feel. The Office of National Statistics publish statistics to give an overview of the potential market size: Deaths - Office for National StatisticsDeaths broken down by age, sex, area and cause of death.Office for National Statistics Over the last 150 years between 500,00 and 700,000 people die each year in the UK. When you factor in population growth you see how our health has improved up to the covid pandemic. Obtaining the number of annual probate applications involves navigating the Ministry of Justice (who oversee Probate offices via Courts), Office for National Statistics and the .gov.uk website. In short, up to 300,000 probate applications are made which is different to an application for grant of respresentation. This depends whether a will was in place for the deceased. Approximately 1,700 people die every day in the UK with half requiring probate. This is a large market, only distributed nationally. Marketing for Yonderlife is our greatest challenge. Dealing with death positively is tricky. We have decided to operate directly and transparently, which may be too much for people in grief. We keep an open mind. The community side of Yonderlife is a primary focus. Yonderlife CommunityBe better informed on probate, save money, organise a funeral, obtain grant of probate, administer a deceased estate, help with bereavement, charitable donations.Yonderlife Community Yonderlife is a high level, IT solution. It is secure and offers both a paid and free option. Our next steps, now we are content that we have a stable offering, is to push the product.

8 January 2024

The basics of commerce are applicable across all types of businesses. You need to keep a tight control over costs and drive turnover. You need to make a profit. However when dealing with people, there are different levels and professional standards to consider. When managing a legal practise you are not going to be asking the same questions as for a manually intensive landscaping contractor. I wanted to write a blog focused specifically on professional services people. Here is the prompt I asked AI and the subsequent response: You In a professional services business like a solicitors or a medical business, list ways that a business can manage, analyse and double check performance for these highly educated and experienced staff. ChatGPT For professional services businesses, performance management for highly educated and experienced staff involves: 1. Clear Metrics: Define specific KPIs related to client satisfaction, caseloads, patient outcomes, or project completion rates to measure performance effectively. 2. Regular Feedback: Implement a system for regular feedback sessions to discuss progress, challenges, and areas for improvement. This could include 360-degree feedback from peers, clients, and supervisors. 3. Continual Education: Encourage ongoing education and professional development to keep staff updated on industry advancements and best practices. 4. Technology Integration: Utilise performance management software or tools to track productivity, billable hours, or patient outcomes, providing objective data for assessment. 5. Peer Review and Collaboration: Foster an environment where collaboration and peer review are encouraged, allowing for knowledge sharing and collective learning. 6. Performance Appraisals: Conduct regular performance appraisals that focus on not just quantitative metrics but also qualitative aspects like leadership, teamwork, and client relationships. 7. Goal Setting: Establish clear and achievable goals aligned with the company's objectives, ensuring that each staff member understands their role in contributing to the overall success of the business. 8. Recognition and Rewards: Implement a system to recognise and reward exceptional performance, whether through bonuses, promotions, or other forms of acknowledgment. 9. Ethical Standards and Compliance: Emphasise adherence to ethical standards and regulatory compliance within the field, ensuring that performance evaluations consider these aspects. 10. Employee Well-being: Acknowledge the importance of work-life balance and well-being initiatives to maintain the health and mental resilience of highly skilled staff, impacting their overall performance positively. As with most things AI, I find this a decent starting point without any glaring omissions. I would have expected a reference to income and costs. An understanding that professional people are nearly always income generators and have specific resourcing requirements, relating to costs. In addition I would like to see a reference to job security and maintaining staff loyalty. I think as professional people are typically higher paid, there seems to be a constant merry-go-round of staff between practises. On one side you inadvertently see people with a wide degree of experiences, however the costs of recruitment become very high.

8 January 2024

There are a few things in business that get my goat; Printer contracts, businesses that refuse to buy coffee and marketeers who evangelically promote that they can get your business to the top of Google rankings. They can't. I thought i would clear it up by asking a computer, and here it is. Google search algorithms have come a long way since the company was founded in 1998. From simple keyword matching to complex machine learning systems, Google has continuously improved its search algorithms to deliver the most relevant results to users. In this blog, we'll take a look at the evolution of Google search algorithms, including their names, release dates, and how Google explains how to use them for the best search listings. 1. Google's First Search Algorithm: Backrub Backrub was the first search algorithm used by Google when it was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The algorithm was named after a system that they had built to analyse the backlinks of web pages. Backrub relied on the number and quality of backlinks pointing to a page to determine its relevance and importance. The algorithm was used until 2002 when Google replaced it with a new algorithm called PageRank. 1. Google's Second Search Algorithm: PageRank PageRank was introduced by Google in 2002 as an update to the Backrub algorithm. It was named after Larry Page and relied on a complex mathematical formula to rank web pages based on their relevance and importance. PageRank analyzed the links on web pages to determine how authoritative they were and how likely they were to be a useful resource for users. This algorithm was used until 2013 when Google replaced it with Hummingbird. 1. Google's Third Search Algorithm: Hummingbird Hummingbird was introduced in 2013 and was designed to be more precise and intelligent than its predecessors. Hummingbird focused on understanding the intent behind a user's search query, rather than just matching keywords. The algorithm was able to interpret complex queries and deliver more relevant results by understanding the meaning of words in context. Hummingbird is still used today as part of Google's search algorithm. 1. Google's Fourth Search Algorithm: RankBrain RankBrain was introduced by Google in 2015 and was the first machine learning system to be incorporated into the search algorithm. RankBrain uses artificial intelligence to interpret and understand the meaning behind search queries and deliver the most relevant results to users. RankBrain was designed to learn and improve over time, making the search results more accurate and relevant. 1. Google's Fifth Search Algorithm: BERT BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) was introduced by Google in 2019 and is the most significant update to the search algorithm in years. BERT uses natural language processing and machine learning to understand the meaning behind search queries and deliver more accurate and relevant results. BERT is designed to better understand the context of words in a sentence and to interpret longer, more complex queries. How to Use Google's Search Algorithms for the Best Listings Google offers several guidelines on how to use its search algorithms for the best listings. Some of these guidelines include: 1. Use descriptive and unique titles that accurately reflect the content of your page. The title of your webpage is one of the most important on-page factors that search engines use to understand what your page is about. Therefore, it's important to make sure that your title accurately reflects the content on your page. The title should be descriptive and unique, and it should contain the main keyword(s) you want to rank for. Keep in mind that the title is also the first thing users see in the search results, so it should be compelling and encourage users to click through to your page. 2. Write clear and concise meta descriptions that provide a summary of your content. A meta description is a brief summary of your webpage that appears in the search results beneath the title. While meta descriptions don't directly affect your search engine rankings, they do play an important role in encouraging users to click through to your page. Therefore, it's important to write clear and concise meta descriptions that accurately summarise the content on your page. Include relevant keywords in your meta description, but don't stuff it with too many keywords or it will look spammy. 3. Create high-quality, relevant content that is useful to users. Creating high-quality, relevant content is one of the most important factors for ranking well in search results. Google's algorithms are designed to prioritize content that is useful to users and provides them with the information they are looking for. Therefore, it's important to create content that is engaging, informative, and provides value to your audience. Make sure your content is well-written, free of errors, and provides a unique perspective on the topic at hand. 4. Use structured data to provide context and additional information about your content. Structured data is a way of organizing information on your website in a way that is easy for search engines to understand. By using structured data, you can provide additional context about your content, such as the type of content it is (e.g. article, recipe, product), its author, and its publication date. This can help search engines better understand your content and present it in more relevant ways in the search results. 5. Use relevant keywords throughout your content, but don't overuse them. Keywords are still an important part of search engine optimization, but it's important to use them in a natural and relevant way. Don't stuff your content with too many keywords, as this can make it difficult to read and may be seen as spammy by search engines. Instead, use keywords in a way that makes sense and helps to clarify the topic of your content. This can include using keywords in headings, subheadings, and throughout the body of your content. In conclusion, Google's search algorithms have come a long way since the company was founded in 1998. From simple keyword matching to complex machine learning systems, Google has continuously improved its search algorithms to deliver the most relevant results to users. As a website owner, it's important to understand these algorithms and how to optimise your content for them to ensure that your website ranks well in search results. In conclusion, optimising your website for Google's search algorithms involves a combination of technical optimisation (e.g. structured data) and content optimisation (e.g. creating high-quality, relevant content). By following these guidelines and staying up-to-date with the latest algorithm updates, you can improve your chances of ranking well in search results and driving more traffic to your website.

8 January 2024

OK….. I’m offending most of you! I’m unsure that you would classify your team as lions. I apologise if you are a managerial super hero. 💡My point is that your staff, your team, your people are always the initial focus of business change. Should they be? Are you good managers? Are you professional leaders? Managed by a Board A board offers diverse expertise, strategic guidance, and accountability, yet differing viewpoints can lead to conflicts. Its structure can ensure effective decision-making but may slow down processes due to consensus-seeking. Managed by HR Having HR professionals in leadership roles can bring strong people-management skills, fostering a positive work culture. However, solely HR-led management might overlook broader business strategies and financial considerations, potentially affecting overall company direction and profitability. Managed by Sales Sales-oriented leadership can drive revenue growth and customer-centric approaches. Yet, a sole focus on sales might sideline other crucial aspects like product development, employee welfare, or long-term sustainability, potentially leading to short-term gains at the expense of overall business health. Managed by Operations Operations-driven leadership emphasises efficiency, streamlining processes, and maximising productivity. However, a strong focus on operations may sometimes hinder innovation or strategic adaptation, potentially limiting the company's ability to respond to market changes or new opportunities. Managed by Finance A finance-focused leadership brings strong financial acumen, risk management, and fiscal responsibility, ensuring sound financial health. Yet, an overly finance-oriented approach might undervalue investments in growth or innovation, potentially stifling long-term competitiveness and creative initiatives. Managed by Marketing A marketing-driven leadership can create strong branding, customer engagement, and market visibility. However, a sole emphasis on marketing might sometimes prioritise short-term promotional gains over long-term product quality or operational efficiency, potentially impacting sustainable growth. Managed by a CEO A CEO should possess strong leadership skills, strategic vision, adaptability, excellent communication, a focus on innovation, the ability to make tough decisions, and a commitment to fostering a positive company culture. Flexibility and a capacity to balance diverse perspectives while staying aligned with the company's goals are also crucial. You can look to academic visions of management or so called industry best practise. For me, there is no leadership blueprint and leading a business is more akin to understanding a dysfunctional family. The trick is to get the very best out of everyone. There is no perfect balance in anything, let alone business management. You are all a collection of individuals with many wonderful skills to bring to the business. You add value. It is the responsibility of the business to bring this forward. If you are controlling your costs, driving turnover and making a profit you are winning! If you think things could be better, that internal politics hinders growth, that empire building is a deterrent to staff development, that persistent cost cutting is stifling innovation or that your business has no defined direction, you may want to consider leadership.

7 January 2024

People are wonderful. Diverse, brilliant, positive and constructive. It is the role of the business to try and get the very best out of each member of staff. There are always noises. Background moans and groans, some of which are natural. Others are tiresome. When changing a business, implementing something new, a different way of thinking or a project intended to save money or drive sales it is fundamental that you do not listen to such sounds. Challenge is constructive. Open discussions are a must. Disagreements need to be worked through. However once a decision has been scrutinised and agreed, the focus must be on delivery. 💡Getting change over the line can be difficult and it is fundamentally about hearts and minds. Outside of your leadership group, there will be colleagues who want to come along with you. A clear understanding of why something is changing must have been put in place before implementation. A top down, dictatorial approach will normally end in disappointment. You want your staff to be included, be part of the change and benefit from the changes. Over the last three decades, I have seen a steady decline in staff resistance in implementing new IT projects. The true, big beast dinosaurs who see metal mickeys taking their jobs for life away are almost gone. However AI is bringing with it a new fear. To be fair, a lot of functions of a business will move over to AI. If you do not have a policy or understanding of where AI can assist your business, you need to. 💡The new business landscape will as usual bring with it opportunities as well as threats. However if your business picks things up and puts things down, the robots we have been promised for a decade are not quite ready to take control. I think sometimes, a third party, independent consultant is better placed to deal with internal resistance and politics. Change can be difficult for people, especially those who have remained in position for a long time. Once change is implemented, the independent consultant can move on to another project, where good leadership should take over the day to day running of a business. 💡"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance." - Alan Watts, Philosopher

7 January 2024

We all know it. It is a basic fact of business. Your people are fundamental to your business. If you get a bad apple, your business will suffer. Good colleagues will become frustrated and disillusioned. You may lose business and you definitely will not be as productive as you should be. Keeping good staff is a challenge. The labour market is tighter than only a few years ago. The issues around the cost of living is pushing salary increases and increasing starting salaries. This can cause issues within a business and your existing staff. I would be surprised if recruitment, how you do it, who does it and what you are looking for is not a preoccupation for your business. There is an initial challenge to meet with regards to recruitment. You recruit in your own image. This is why you will see teams of people who may get on, however think, act and look similar. It is a form of group think. 💡My question to you is, are you the right image for the new member of staff? Every business, no matter how small needs a job description for every member of staff with matched competencies. This is really basic and is for the protection of both the individual and the business. Your job adverts and where you advertise need to be top notch. They are not simply a classified 'looking for...'. You are capturing the imagination of fantastic new resources who can add value to your business. Interviews are not a couple of standard questions, they are the opportunity to set the tempo of your business. Explain what you want from your potential people and set the business's expectations. I believe in combined assessment days, where you get to know potential employees, with relevant testing and an opportunity for existing team members to get involved. There is nothing wrong with asking the most qualified of candidates what your times of business are, who are your customers, how many Instagram followers do you have or what is your favourite biscuit? Some years ago I had the privilege to be a Samaritans volunteers. This was one of the most fulfilling challenges I have ever done. As part of their recruitment for listening volunteers they undertook a variety of interviews and tests to ensure the suitability of candidates before undertaking the time and cost of training. One of these tests to ensure that possible volunteers did not hold prejudices or were judgemental of others was a cave rescue game. I have used this very same assessment to recruit staff and found it capable of highlighting potential staff who would be unable to work in a team. cave_rescue_exercise (1)A useful recruitment tool.cave_rescue_exercise (1).pdf47 KBdownload-circle You may be thinking about time, cost and how on earth you do this. For me, without the best of people and most destructively with a bad apple, your business will face serious internal and external challenges. If you do not find the right candidate, fundamentally after discussions with their prospective team, never recruit. Find another way. 💡Beware the all seeing HR department! HR departments must consult with teams. Who makes the final decision on new staff? Always check references. Always ensure a 6 month probation period in the contract of employment. Always undertake a professional induction. Always give the successful candidate a pathway to understand and grow. Regular progress meetings are fundamental along with training and an open environment to question and express concerns. Always schedule the 6 month end of probation meeting. If the member of staff has not worked out, sadly explain why, and recruit again. 💡No business exists to create and maintain a job for an individual. A business creates an opportunity and the environment for an individual to happily undertake a role on the premise that the business will help in whatever way they can. To understand this balance is critical in obtaining the services of the best possible people to operate your business.

7 January 2024

💡"None of us is as smart as all of us." - Ken Blanchard If you do not have teamwork, you do not have a business. It does not matter if you work with established colleagues, new recruits, senior management, owners, contractors or long term clients, teamwork is what makes your business tick. 💡"Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted." - Martin Luther King Jr. But you do not all have to get along. In fact, challenge and change is good for a business. I am not talking about waring factions who can bring a business down. I am saying beware recruiting in your own image. It is a challenge to ensure that teamwork is fundamental to your business. Good members of staff take pride in their work and want to deliver. It is natural to look for like-minded people to help achieve that. Therein lies the issue of challenge. Can we work better, can we be more efficient, can we save money and make money? All of these questions should be enshrined in the concept of teams working in a business. For teamwork to work, investment is required. The following areas need to be addressed: * Everyone buys into the business plan * Delegation * Team meetings * Agendas * Action responsibilities * Timed duration * Meeting notes * Next meeting item 1: 'Actions from last time' * Training * Team Building * Open door management philosophy * Always back to the business plan In highly political organisations, such as local Councils, you would hear "control the agenda, control the meeting". This used to drive me mad! It was the talk of the Empire Builder, the Control Freak; two individuals who rarely operate for the good of the business. Implementing a culture of teamwork and maintaining it takes time. At times it feels like a leap of faith, however ultimately you will end up with more content employees who feel part of something. This in turn will help with staff retention. Outside of the challenges around a focused business plan, delegation and meeting management there are some nice and fluffy team building activities to implement. They will tell you which members of your staff are more open to work in a team and most importantly which members work well together. Over the years I've experienced team building activities such as: Bread making, GoApe, Go Karting, Cocktail mixing and Escape Rooms. It sounds like a hen party! However ensure that leadership are observing all interactions and you will be pleasantly surprised with where you can take relationship between colleagues back to the business. You may want to consider including key contractors and clients in your team building activities. I asked AI what they thought about teamwork and as usual the results do not disappoint: Basic Principles of Teamwork: 1. Clear Goals and Roles: Team members should have a shared understanding of the team's objectives and their individual roles within the team. 2. Communication: Open, honest, and effective communication is essential for sharing ideas, providing feedback, and resolving conflicts. 3. Trust and Respect: Team members must trust each other's abilities, respect diverse perspectives, and collaborate in a supportive environment. 4. Collaboration and Cooperation: Working together, pooling skills, and leveraging collective strengths lead to better outcomes. 5. Accountability: Each team member is responsible for their contributions and commitments to the team's goals. Fostering Teamwork: 1. Team Building Activities: Encourage activities that promote trust, communication, and collaboration among team members. 2. Clear Expectations: Ensure everyone understands their roles, responsibilities, and how their work contributes to the team's goals. 3. Effective Leadership: Leaders play a crucial role in setting the tone for teamwork, fostering a positive environment, and guiding the team towards success. 4. Training and Development: Provide opportunities for skill development, coaching, and training to enhance teamwork capabilities. Benefits of Teamwork in Business: 1. Enhanced Creativity and Innovation: Diverse perspectives and collaborative efforts often lead to innovative solutions and ideas. 2. Increased Productivity: Teams can accomplish more collectively than individuals working alone, leveraging each other's strengths. 3. Improved Problem-Solving: Teams can tackle complex problems by combining different viewpoints and expertise. 4. Employee Engagement and Satisfaction: Working in a supportive team environment boosts morale and job satisfaction. 5. Better Decision-Making: Teams can make more informed decisions by drawing on the varied experiences and knowledge of its members. In modern business, teamwork has become integral to success. It fosters a sense of belonging, encourages diverse thinking, and enables organisations to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing business landscape. If you have got this far, you may be concerned about teamwork within your business, if so, please get in touch.

7 January 2024

This is probably the most awkward area for a business change consultant. It is possible to question the capabilities of the person paying your invoice! However, I am always employed by the business and that is the only way that business change can be considered. On the other side, the vast majority of business leaders are fantastic and open to self development themselves. There are broad business characatures that are incompatible with good leadership. They probably do not realise they are control freaks or empire builders, but either way you should not be a business leader. 💡Without good leadership your business will probably fail. Within your business you will also probably find leaders who carry management. Before losing self starters, doers or positive deliverers, you will want to talk with them. You may also find moaners and wingers who are unhappy with their lot. Management may become the focus of their ire, but helping these members of staff to be the best of themselves, is more to do with staff development than poor leadership. How is your business run? * by a charismatic MD who may be slightly deaf * by dowdy Directors in their ivory tower * by accountants, bean counting, soulless finance * by flash arry sales * by marketing with all the answers * by HR who are scared of their shadows * by operations without finesse * or by a senior management team 💡Teamwork starts in the senior management team. That's leadership. Remember who you are, what you are and what you represent. I paint a picture full of stereotype and cliche, but only to illustrate a point. Teamwork is always best. Working through things is obviously harder with disagreements along the way. However with clear areas of responsibility, and a environment that respects challenge as much as creativity, a business should be able to make good decision. I’m not talking a socialist co-operative here! But i do believe that you get the best out of your people through inclusion. This inclusion must be mirrored across the business starting at the top. If you are looking at cultural change, look no further than your leaders. 💡A business is simply a mirror of its management.

5 January 2024

Back in the late 1990’s I was part of a PricewaterhouseCoopers team implementing a project management system into Abu Dhabi Municipality. These were early days of internet development with propriety software solutions that still needed corporate networks to send data. The need for project management was obvious with each department: Roads, Engineering and Drainage having a $1bn annual budget. The operations were enormous infrastructure projects, such as building a fully irrigated forest in the desert, delivered by numerous multinationals across client, consultant and contractor businesses. There is a good chance they are still implementing some form of this now. Today, with the development of some outstanding phone APPs, the world of project management is far better defined. You may be a gant chart control freak, a time focused spreadsheet zealot, a co-ordinating communicator, a content creating genius or an audit minded accountant. Today’s APPs are super powerful and cover all aspects of project management. I am currently writing this blog in a solution called Notion that is my choice for creating content. Here is the best summary of project management APPs that I have read by Forbes: 10 Best Project Management Software & Tools Of 2024The pandemic has changed so much about the world, including the way we work—and where we work. A Harvard Business School study from August 2020 showed thatForbes Advisor UKHolly Johnson The best thing about today’s project management solutions is that they can be used by all. The need for qualified project management accreditation is of less importance now than a team identifying which project management tool to use, buying into this solution and focusing on delivery. 💡The simplicity of use, portability via browser or phone, obvious benefits to remote working or wider team members accessing the system are easily delivered by each system. I believe that business should split many functions into projects. You may be creating a new website, moving offices, buying a new printer, developing a marketing campaign, creating new financial management reporting or documenting meetings. Creating projects enables staff to buy in, makes you more efficient and enables perfect trickle down management. Emails changed the way we work and are still wonderful forms of communication. Emails sent relating to a project and being accessible to whoever needs to know, whenever they need to see them, can make the difference in getting a project over the line. This functionality is basic to today’s project management solutions. Just image what they do for scheduling, document storage, sharing and audit. With today’s project management APPs, correctly implemented, there is no hiding! Over the years I have project managed numerous website sites and software projects, along with hardware installation, marketing strategies, operational training changes and Board room meetings. Most recently we have used a combination of these APPs to launch Yonderlife and Squaredeal and will continue to use them as we get off the ground. Project management is far more than some pretty graphs and discussions about milestones. Implementing a project correctly can both help you keep control of costs and drive turnover. Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

5 January 2024

In effect, this is what I do. I’m a student of business models and love their variety and nuances. Business models remind me of timeless design. In the end any business model should be as simple as possible. It should have simple aims around the concept of maximising profit. Otherwise, why are you in business? 💡Making profit is never straightforward and is the ultimate business challenge. You can have simple business models, such as retail. Buy or make something, add value, sell it for more. You can have complex business models around medical expertise for example. You can then have addictive business models where you need to continually feed the beast. The concept of added value is the engine room of business. You may offer a service from hairdressing to corporate legal advice, but in the end you offer something more to the buyer. Something is fundamentally worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Pricing is always a delicate balance with many contributing factors from markup to trends to buyer experience to knowledge to finance and third party support. Branding should always support the business model. For most businesses customers are key. The concept of ‘customers always come first‘ was enshrined when businesses could control narratives around their brand. Things have evolved over the last 20 years with reviews being public knowledge. The consumer is not always a straight shooter and malicious lies can grow. It’s now just as important to deal with public scrutiny as driving new sales. In the olden days customers always came first, then the Internet arrived and any keyboard warrior was given a megaphone. Businesses need to have a plan, a policy to deal with this. Ignoring it is as valid as wrapping your entire customer service into a social media platform, as long as this is the agreed plan. Good leadership is fundamental. If you choose to ignore such random, possibly contrived negative reviews you can concentrate entirely on the positives. If you take this negativity seriously, you will need to adequately resource your response and build the business case for it. Your staff and team can take social media personally and respond as they see fit, hence the need for policy and good leadership. Typically increasing sales is to do with three themes; * maintaining existing customers * developing those customers * new business Each of these requires skill sets, clear plans, targets and top management. You can get caught up with operations and marketing when considering a business model. For me this is part of your business plan. It’s is more about what are you trying to achieve rather than how. We sell pineapples cheaper than others. We sell better legal advice. We sell safer laser surgery. It was 10 years ago when I came across what turned out to be an addictive, fascinating and at times quite complex business model. The public auctioneer. It was here that I found a question mark over who your customer actually was and how you operate with competing expectations. A seller wants as much possible money and a buyer wants to pay as little as possible. The agent would try and say that that’s the same for them, however there is a fundamental difference with pricing. For an agent, they would typically haggle or produce a price between 2 parties and work to get that deal across the line. If they are lucky they may find multiple interested parties and manipulate a higher price which in itself can cause issues around impartiality. 💡The public auction has a mechanism, the hammer price, to create a transparent price where multiple parties can compete to buy an item. This industry has been transformed by technology and that was where I came in. Step aside EBay, a basic, timed bid by tender, and arise live internet bidding. Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering

5 January 2024

It does not really make a difference if you are changing an international multi-national with thousands of staff, a medium sized business that works in a more specific geographic location or a local trader. Changing a business follows some simple rules. These may be seen as cliche´s, but in the end business is business and not an art. * Have a plan * Take little steps * It’s all about hearts and minds * Good leadership is non negotiable * It may take longer than you think * Be positive and trust in your abilities Changing a business is normally a reaction to poor financial performance over a period of time. As such, business change is normally reactionary and based around saving money. You will hear words such as re-structure, re-organise, downsize and core business however the best way to reorganise a business is pro-actively. 💡Seeking where things can be done better, more quickly, more efficiently really is a cornerstone of good business and should be a staple of your business plan. Your strategy must be to keep a tight control of costs and to drive turnover. This is how to define business change. Technology is always the go to tool for business change, however empowering your people and demanding good leadership are just as fundamental. When keeping a tight control over costs you need to be clear in your mind what costs are, what investment is and whether your business has a tendency towards false economy. Your people are increasingly important to your business. Sales minded people believe that business change is about selling a proposition to implement it, whereas getting people on board is more about their hearts and minds for me. Good leadership is hard to come by, and should a business be in need of change, this is the starting point. Is the business well managed? Change for change’s sake is pointless. The latest tools appearing through Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning are game changers. Any fear associated with these tools will ultimately put a business in an adverse market position unless the benefits are regularly assessed and integrated into business plans. Your people are human, and as such are hearing much of the negative fearmongering which is swamping the implementation of potential benefits. Sectors such as education, training, marketing and any form of content creation will be first to see massive change as the most innovative businesses benefit from being first in uptake. Your suppliers will already be using AI tools which asks the question, are you benefiting from their lower costs? Back in the day there was an excellent book written about 'keeping things simple (stupid)'. The KISS methodology still stands today and never so more obvious with the noise around AI. 💡To sum up, every business should be changing whilst controlling costs and driving turnover. New tools are appearing at an exponential rate meaning your business can be more efficient and make more money. The implementation of this is, however, likely to fail unless you are empowering your people to enable the benefits and they they themselves are under good management. Contact meYour email: Your message: SendJames PickeringJames Pickering