For employees whose job dictates that they regularly create new documents, having access to an intuitive and easy to use version control system is a major advantage. Early in my career I distinctly remember the struggles I experienced creating specification documents, training guides, and other business related documentation. Authoring the content was challenging enough, but the issues were compounded by the processes associated with saving revisions, routing the documents for approvals, and distributing the final version to the intended recipients. Go to Document Management for more information.

Version control is defined by Wikipedia as "the management of multiple revisions of the same unit of information." While that definition is accurate, I think my brother put it best when he said "version control is akin to having unlimited edit-undo."

When creating documents using a version control system, the author has the capability of recording snapshots of their document at any point in the document life cycle. This permits the author to lock in a version of the document for historical purposes that can be referenced later in the development cycle.

Having access to snapshots of the document is especially helpful when the author needs to rewrite or remove a section of a document. Prior to working with a document management system, I am embarrassed to admit to the number of times I removed entire sections of a document without saving off a version of the file. Deleting sections from a document inevitably leads to rework and it did for me countless times.

The symptoms of a business needing a version control system are easy to recognize. The primary symptom is when users have file names saved with special extensions detailing the file version's "something" (date, editor's initials, or internal revision number). Experienced document authors compensate for not having a document management system by developing their own naming conventions for each document revision. As a result, their 'My Documents' folder is littered with countless revisions of documents using specialized file naming conventions such as filename - date - revision.ext.

Modifying file names can partially address the individual author's version control needs, but invariably leads to wide-scale confusion across an organization. The confusion is exacerbated when versions of files are emailed to others in the organization responsible for editing and/or approving the documents. Often the email recipients save a local copy of the file using yet another naming standard before performing their edits. When the files are returned, the original author now has a trail of dissimilar named files that require manual consolidation and cannot be easily audited.

In engineering and software departments, version control systems have been commonly used for decades. One Tree Software, in the early 1990s, developed the most prolific version control system for application engineers called 'SourceSafe' for Windows. One Tree Software was subsequently purchased by Microsoft and the SourceSafe application became integrated as part of Microsoft Visual Studio (Microsoft's software development application suite) since 1995. Visual SourceSafe (VSS) became a widely adopted tool for managing versions of source code files, but never gained popularity with users outside of the engineering and software development teams. Refer to Document Management for more information.

The document management industry recognized the benefits that engineers were experiencing with version control and sought to bring equivalent functionality to the rest of the business community. Before that vision would be realized, a new breed of intuitive, integrated document management system needed to be developed that supported how document creators produced content.

Business users required the essential version control features that engineers had come to expect such as saving revisions of documents, notes for detailing specific versions of the file, and the capability to promote historical versions of a file. However unlike the engineers, the business users also demanded advanced document management functionality including integration into Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat applications, electronic workflow for routing documents, electronic review and approval, digital signatures, document retention schedules, and profiling with metadata indexing.

Today business users have the opportunity to deploy a document management system that provides their users with robust version control functionality. Document creators from diverse industries gain notable efficiencies by utilizing a version control system for maintaining revisions of their documents.

The benefits they realize include having access to all historical data associated with the document being generated, a complete document log detailing who and when a document was accessed, and the assurance that all of the versions of the document are stacked in the document's version history and not concealed through varied naming standards.

Can your organization afford not to provide your document authors with the tools they need to efficiently and confidently create the documents that drive your organization? Visit Document manager for further information.

The business systems modeling world is riddled with confusion about the terminology used to name the activities performed by a business.

Are these activities Processes, Functions, Mechanisms or Procedures?

The answer is "all of the above". Does this mean that these terms are synonyms? No they are not. All of these activities are carried out by the business but they are not all the same thing.

The trouble is that too many people who see themselves as "experts" in business analysis and modeling, especially those in the world of business process modeling, "know" so much that they cannot be bothered with "trivia", such as boring fundamental definitions.

For those of us who still have open minds and are willing to learn and grow, here are some useful definitions.

The core activities of every business, those that define WHAT a business OUGHT to be doing, are Business Functions.

When you need to know the order in which Business Functions need to be carried out in order to arrive at a specified outcome in a response to a specific trigger that you build a Business Process. Each step in a process will be a function. So, without functions there would be no processes! A good reason to start by modeling the functions!

Functions can can be carried out by various means using different systems, forms, etc. These different means are called Mechanisms. So Functions are the "What" and Mechanisms are the "How".

As Mechanism is to Function, so Procedure is to Process, in that procedure describes the means by which Process are performed. A single Process can be carried out by various Procedures.

Another major error in business systems modeling terminology is referring to a Department within a business as a Function! A Function is a core business activity and NOT a department.

The "Finance Function" is NOT the Finance Department!! Rather, it is that set of ACTIVITIES needed to be carried out in order to enable a business to comply with its financial commitments.

All true experts know that real expertise comes from knowing and practicing the basics.

The Integrated Modeling Method solves the above-mentioned issues by defining the core elements simply and unambiguously and showing how power can be achieved through simplicity.

When I tell people that I am a Project Manager, I often get an initial "Oh....neat!" response which is usually followed by a comment that is something along the lines of "So....what exactly do you do?" Occasionally if I'm speaking with a Software Developer I may get a mild snarl, a clear sign they've had experience working with a poor project manager; a topic I will address in future articles. Go to Building Consulting for more information

What this tells me is that not only is there a ways to go before the practice of Project Management is understood; but even further to go before it is valued more widely than it is now. For how can something be properly valued if it isn't truly understood?

This is of course not to say that the practice of Project Management isn't widely appreciated in many organizations. Indeed, a large number of companies have implemented Project Management Offices, the Project Management Institute is exploding in popularity, and it certainly seems that the number of Project Management openings out-numbers the supply of Project Managers. However, it is often times larger organizations that have adopted this practice, and in an economy where just under half of the work-force is employed by small businesses there are a significant number of organizations that have never used Project Managers, and even more employees that have never worked with a Project Manager. Ironically, it is small businesses that could quickly and painlessly reap the benefits of Project Management.

So what exactly is Project Management an what does a Project Manager do? According to the Project Management Institute (PMI) "a project is a unique temporary endeavor, with a set beginning and end." and that "More formally, PMI defines project management as 'the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to a broad range of activities in order to meet the requirements of a particular project.'" This second part may not tell you much without diving further into the subject; but lets focus on the former for now. In order to understand Project Management, it is critically important to understand that a project is a unique, temporary endeavor with a specific objective. Project Management is not Operations. And while a specific operational objective may be a project, and a project upon completion may be handed over to operations, the two are distinctly different. Refer to Building Consulting for more information.

Now that we're clear on what a Project is, we can move onto the more formal definition quoted above. Essentially, this is saying that Project Management is the methodology used to achieve the objective of a project. Therefore, a Project Manager is someone that has the necessary "knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques" to manage a unique endeavor and ensure that it meets its objectives.

Even knowing all this, it still may not be clear to you what exactly a Project Manager does. A project manager is a little like the manager of a baseball team. They make sure that the objective is clear, that it is understood by everyone on the team, that all parties (stakeholders) have had input into the project, that all the required work is understood, that each team member knows what they are responsible for, ensures that risks are identified and contingency plans have been created, verifies that all work is being completed on schedule, etc, etc, etc. The list of course goes on and on. The reason I like using the analogy of the baseball manager though is because when some people hear what a Project Manager does, they feel they shouldn't even need a project manager. They initially think that if everyone on their team did their job the project would be successfully completed even in the absence of a Project Manager. This can only be true however in the same way that a baseball team doesn't need a manager to play a baseball game. It could be done, and they might even win some games, but they won't win the World Series. The same is true with projects. In the absence of a Project Manager there are certainly some items that will be accomplished; it is certain however that there will be delays, cost overruns, quality will suffer, and that the end result may be quite different than what the project called for. Ultimately, Project Management matters for the same reason management matters in baseball; because whether it's a baseball game or introducing a new product or service, winning matters. Visit Building Consulting for further information.

Does your management team need training? I suggest that you tell them! Managers can be notoriously resistant to change and the idea that they may need additional training to maximise their own performance might not strike them as particularly appealing. Nevertheless the benefits of utilising management training are immense. Refer to business building process for more information.

Those managers that take the time to listen to the experience of training providers and take on board the theories behind management are invariably able to get more out of their team. Often the majority of things that are taught in management training courses are straightforward logical answers to simple questions.

But as a manager myself I understand how easy it is to lose track of how to manage people and get the most out of your team. It is easy but sometimes we all need to be refreshed to ensure that we are consistently performing good practice. Management training courses are a great method of keeping up to date with the latest trends in management and also a great way to refresh the skill that managers have.

One of the times in which management training is most beneficial is when a business is experiencing growth. At these moments whilst the business is growing there is likely to be a great deal of optimism in the company and the money is likely to be flowing in and the organisational procedures are often viewed with less importance. As a result these growing businesses tend to have a great deal of inefficiency. This is perfectly normal and not a criticism of a growing business but it is important that a business is kept in line with good management so that when the growth spurt tapers off the business is able to cope with a static level of income. Go to business training for more information.

Good management procedures will be able to ensure that the business continues to run effectively even in leaner times.

The other major problem with businesses that experience rapid growth is that they tend to promote people to positions that they might not already be familiar with. The business is likely to choose an employee that has been part of the organisation for some time to manage new parts of the business. These newly promoted people are unlikely to have training in management and as a result are not as likely to be successful at it. This could mean that a company is building on foundations that are not particularly secure.

In these cases utilising management training is vital. If these new managers can be equipped with the necessary skills and techniques to manage effectively then they are far more likely to be successful in their new role and this will put the company in a very strong position for the future.

Growing businesses can get a great deal of support through management training. Management training can provide a growing business with support in how to set up an organisational structure that will encourage the maximum amount of efficiency for a business. Management trainers can provide upper management with the necessary legal knowledge and administrative techniques to ensure that the business is able to build successfully. Many of the management training providers offer a great deal of services and can offer a bespoke training program that is focussed specifically on the specific business that they are working with. Visit business consulting training for more information.

In the movie, 'Ghost Buster', the theme song starts off, "If there is something strange in the neighbourhood, who do you call: Ghost buster". Similarly, a sick company needs to call on the Corporate Turnaround Expert if you find something awfully unwell in your company. Go to sectional titles for more information.

Sick companies have waited, hoping that their nightmare would be over soon. But things often get worse before they get better.

It is normal that when a person falls sick, the first thing you do is to see a doctor. But why allow this situation to explode into a financial crisis? The company needs to go into intensive care, otherwise, it will go under and the owners will become a bankrupt or lawsuits could be filed against them.

What has just described happens to thousand of companies every day in Asia. Many of us just do not seek help early enough for our corporate woes due to unfounded fears and reasons - what if the bank learns about it and pulls the credit facilities? What if the employees learn about the poor state of health and jump ship? With the face-saving culture in Asia, what if my friends, customers and business associates learn that I am not doing well, would they reject me?

When you need a heart by-pass, you naturally call in a cardiologist rather than any general practitioner. When you have tax problems, you call in a tax consultant and not any accountant. Yet, many troubled companies make the fatal mistake of not approaching the right professional for help. Many continue to use their own internal management who are already like a deer caught in the floodlights, petrified and totally clueless on how to move forward.

Many of us would not use self-medication if we were seriously sick. Yet, we make this mistake when managing our troubled businesses. Most of the time, a troubled company cannot be fixed solely from the within. The management may harbour too much prejudices, vested interests and baggage. If the medicine is too bitter, the management may not have the guts to swallow it. The company needs somebody from the outside who is able to say "no" firmly when necessary. If the internal management is the cause of the problems, then the use of the internal management is like using leeches to cure leukemia.

Managers from successful companies will not cut it as they have not had to work with low-morale employees, creditors screaming for payments and diminishing market share as clients switch to competitors. Refer to sectional titles for more information%

The sick company needs to hire a Corporate Turnaround Expert with many years of turnaround experience grounded with proven turnaround techniques. As an outsider, the corporate turnaround expert brings unfair advantages to the turnaround process. The Corporate Turnaround Expert has no emotional baggage tied to a new dream or historically interesting but economically irrelevant service. Nor is the Corporate Turnaround Expert beholden to the present management. He or she can ask dump questions without looking dump. One or two dump questions will turn out to be brilliant ones.

Contrary to expectation, employees will accord the Corporate Turnaround Expert the co-operation. These employees understand that the Corporate Turnaround Expert represents their last chance and that he or she did not create the problems. They will be open to the Corporate Turnaround Expert as they know that he or she is there to help the company succeed. With the right demeanour and without any rudeness, the employees will guide the Corporate Turnaround immediately towards the major problems.

Care has to be taken in the selection of a company doctor or turnaround specialist. There are many professionals in Asia who profess to be turnaround specialists but are actually only financial people who are preoccupied with cost-cutting measures.is important.

Certainly such skills are important but it is only part of the answer. The specialist also needs to have gone through adversity and has track record of successfully turning around troubled companies. Why spend another sleepless night worrying what to do next? Similar to taking care of your physical health, early diagnosis and proper treatment are keys to your corporate recovery. Sick companies just cannot afford another day to procrastinate.

When you are afflicted by cancer, immediately see an oncologist and do not rely on your family doctor. There is a cure for your corporate cancer if proper treatment is administered early enough. The selection of the right turnaround specialist to help the company quickly is crucial.If it is done too late, even the turnaround specialist may not be able to help you. Visit body corporate management for more information.

At times when an organization is experiencing a slow growth in market share, they will recognize that they need to change tactics and adopt better strategies. Of course, corporate change is being handled differently by various companies. In some instances, a strategy team can be assembled internally to examine the causes of the lost market share. This can be a problem. It can be difficult or impossible, particularly when careers are on the line in a poor economy, to inform superiors that the problem rests with their plans. When in-house teams are deemed to be the inappropriate choice, an alternative method would be to use strategy development firms to help in structuring corporate change.

Basically, strategy development firms analyze and study what the organization is doing. They can assess the products or services the corporation offers, the consumer groups to which they are marketed, and how these people are receiving the goods and services. After conducting that analysis, the strategy firm will develop a new corporate strategy based on the information they gathered. This may simply mean a simple corporate change, like a few tweaks here and there, or something major like a big overhaul in the services.

A simple example might be that a company is offering IT services but aiming its marketing primarily at small businesses that lack the capital to retain those IT services. One advice that a strategy development firm can give is to target companies that are earning a million dollars annually.

Although it should be noted that strategy development firms are not necessarily experts in business change management The services they offer focus on creating an overall strategy. The assessment they return may include two dozen steps that should be taken to achieve the strategy, but those steps could involve two dozen change initiatives that the strategy firm has not outlined. For those involved in corporate change, it is best to prime the pump with upper management about what the strategy firm is actually providing versus what it might entail before receiving the final assessment.

For more information, please see our website: Corporate Change