software, business analysis and proposals
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Whenever I read a really great book I like to share it. Right now I'm reading, Writing Winning Business Proposals, Third Edition [^] I really like books (and communicators) who cut through all the clouds and give me the facts in an interesting way. I know many of you run your own software businesses and this one will be really great for those. However, I'm finding that the basic structure they talk about with proposals directly relate to discussions I have with various stakeholders within the company I work at when they request enhancements, bug fixes, etc. I really like the way the authors break the proposal down into what they call baseline logic: Situation: What is the problem or the opportunity? Objectives: Given the problem or opportunity, what are the objectives for solving or realizing it? Methods: Given those objectives, how will you achieve them? Qualifications: Given those methods, how are you qualified to perform them? Costs: Given the methods and qualifications, how much will it cost? Benefits: Given those costs, what benefits and/or value will accrue? As a developer I love the way this logic flows and connects the entire thing together. There's even more great stuff. Can't believe someone put this together so well. Have any of you read this great book?
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Whenever I read a really great book I like to share it. Right now I'm reading, Writing Winning Business Proposals, Third Edition [^] I really like books (and communicators) who cut through all the clouds and give me the facts in an interesting way. I know many of you run your own software businesses and this one will be really great for those. However, I'm finding that the basic structure they talk about with proposals directly relate to discussions I have with various stakeholders within the company I work at when they request enhancements, bug fixes, etc. I really like the way the authors break the proposal down into what they call baseline logic: Situation: What is the problem or the opportunity? Objectives: Given the problem or opportunity, what are the objectives for solving or realizing it? Methods: Given those objectives, how will you achieve them? Qualifications: Given those methods, how are you qualified to perform them? Costs: Given the methods and qualifications, how much will it cost? Benefits: Given those costs, what benefits and/or value will accrue? As a developer I love the way this logic flows and connects the entire thing together. There's even more great stuff. Can't believe someone put this together so well. Have any of you read this great book?
You know how at Chinese restaurants someone has to make a joke by appending "in bed" to the fortune cookie? Read those "baseline logic" bullet points the same way. And...
raddevus wrote:
Costs: Given the methods and qualifications, how much will it cost? Benefits: Given those costs, what benefits and/or value will accrue?
I realize that we're talking about business proposals here, but it really annoys me that everything has to be reduced to a cost-benefit analysis. What about "my employees will be happier" even if there's a cost to the company and no direct benefit? What about "the environment will be better?" What about, how my bedroom life will be better? ;) Marc
Latest Article - Create a Dockerized Python Fiddle Web App Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
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You know how at Chinese restaurants someone has to make a joke by appending "in bed" to the fortune cookie? Read those "baseline logic" bullet points the same way. And...
raddevus wrote:
Costs: Given the methods and qualifications, how much will it cost? Benefits: Given those costs, what benefits and/or value will accrue?
I realize that we're talking about business proposals here, but it really annoys me that everything has to be reduced to a cost-benefit analysis. What about "my employees will be happier" even if there's a cost to the company and no direct benefit? What about "the environment will be better?" What about, how my bedroom life will be better? ;) Marc
Latest Article - Create a Dockerized Python Fiddle Web App Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
Marc Clifton wrote:
annoys me that everything has to be reduced to a cost-benefit analysis. What about "my employees will be happier"
It's interesting too that when employees are offered money or other fringe benefits such as more time off, breaks during the day, holiday parties, extra vacation, etc, they always choose more money. So companies have to make more money so they can give employees more money to make employees happier. But then the employees soon after complain about the work again. :rolleyes: I think this is funny. Funny like Shakespearean tragicomedy. :laugh: Work: nobody likes it. Money: everybody wants more. :-D
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You know how at Chinese restaurants someone has to make a joke by appending "in bed" to the fortune cookie? Read those "baseline logic" bullet points the same way. And...
raddevus wrote:
Costs: Given the methods and qualifications, how much will it cost? Benefits: Given those costs, what benefits and/or value will accrue?
I realize that we're talking about business proposals here, but it really annoys me that everything has to be reduced to a cost-benefit analysis. What about "my employees will be happier" even if there's a cost to the company and no direct benefit? What about "the environment will be better?" What about, how my bedroom life will be better? ;) Marc
Latest Article - Create a Dockerized Python Fiddle Web App Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
Marc Clifton wrote:
You know how at Chinese restaurants someone has to make a joke by appending "in bed" to the fortune cookie? Read those "baseline logic" bullet points the same way.
I think if you added "in bed" to each of those bullet points you're going to end up with a very different business proposition.
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Whenever I read a really great book I like to share it. Right now I'm reading, Writing Winning Business Proposals, Third Edition [^] I really like books (and communicators) who cut through all the clouds and give me the facts in an interesting way. I know many of you run your own software businesses and this one will be really great for those. However, I'm finding that the basic structure they talk about with proposals directly relate to discussions I have with various stakeholders within the company I work at when they request enhancements, bug fixes, etc. I really like the way the authors break the proposal down into what they call baseline logic: Situation: What is the problem or the opportunity? Objectives: Given the problem or opportunity, what are the objectives for solving or realizing it? Methods: Given those objectives, how will you achieve them? Qualifications: Given those methods, how are you qualified to perform them? Costs: Given the methods and qualifications, how much will it cost? Benefits: Given those costs, what benefits and/or value will accrue? As a developer I love the way this logic flows and connects the entire thing together. There's even more great stuff. Can't believe someone put this together so well. Have any of you read this great book?
The baseline logic is easily remembered with the handy acronym: SOMQCB
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Marc Clifton wrote:
annoys me that everything has to be reduced to a cost-benefit analysis. What about "my employees will be happier"
It's interesting too that when employees are offered money or other fringe benefits such as more time off, breaks during the day, holiday parties, extra vacation, etc, they always choose more money. So companies have to make more money so they can give employees more money to make employees happier. But then the employees soon after complain about the work again. :rolleyes: I think this is funny. Funny like Shakespearean tragicomedy. :laugh: Work: nobody likes it. Money: everybody wants more. :-D
raddevus wrote:
Work: nobody likes it. Money: everybody wants more.
Actually, I very much disagree. For the most part, I enjoy work, it's money I hate. Working in the tech industry, I've achieved the first world luxury of making enough money at an hourly rate that I don't have to work full time. My work-life balance is actually more of a work-work balance, and not all of the work is income generating. That results in some weird behaviors -- the more I enjoy the work I'm doing, the less I tend to charge my clients. I guess you could say that my billing is based on suffering. :laugh: Marc
Latest Article - Create a Dockerized Python Fiddle Web App Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
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Marc Clifton wrote:
You know how at Chinese restaurants someone has to make a joke by appending "in bed" to the fortune cookie? Read those "baseline logic" bullet points the same way.
I think if you added "in bed" to each of those bullet points you're going to end up with a very different business proposition.
Al_Brown wrote:
you're going to end up with a very different business proposition.
The difference being that, unlike being a corporate slave, the cost-benefit analysis is usually more equitable. ;) Marc
Latest Article - Create a Dockerized Python Fiddle Web App Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
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raddevus wrote:
Work: nobody likes it. Money: everybody wants more.
Actually, I very much disagree. For the most part, I enjoy work, it's money I hate. Working in the tech industry, I've achieved the first world luxury of making enough money at an hourly rate that I don't have to work full time. My work-life balance is actually more of a work-work balance, and not all of the work is income generating. That results in some weird behaviors -- the more I enjoy the work I'm doing, the less I tend to charge my clients. I guess you could say that my billing is based on suffering. :laugh: Marc
Latest Article - Create a Dockerized Python Fiddle Web App Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
That's not really work. Work is the stuff that you don't want to do. I'm guessing there are parts of the SDLC that you don't like and don't want to do as much. That's not really money either. Money is the ability to pay for what you want to do. Ability to pay for what you want to do means freedom. We all love freedom. So Work == Stuff You Don't Want To Do Money == Freedom :laugh:
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Al_Brown wrote:
you're going to end up with a very different business proposition.
The difference being that, unlike being a corporate slave, the cost-benefit analysis is usually more equitable. ;) Marc
Latest Article - Create a Dockerized Python Fiddle Web App Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
Unless the between-the-sheets activity leads to marriage. In that case the amount of work involved logically suggests you should just take the money equivalent. :laugh:
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You know how at Chinese restaurants someone has to make a joke by appending "in bed" to the fortune cookie? Read those "baseline logic" bullet points the same way. And...
raddevus wrote:
Costs: Given the methods and qualifications, how much will it cost? Benefits: Given those costs, what benefits and/or value will accrue?
I realize that we're talking about business proposals here, but it really annoys me that everything has to be reduced to a cost-benefit analysis. What about "my employees will be happier" even if there's a cost to the company and no direct benefit? What about "the environment will be better?" What about, how my bedroom life will be better? ;) Marc
Latest Article - Create a Dockerized Python Fiddle Web App Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
Marc Clifton wrote:
What about "my employees will be happier" even if there's a cost to the company and no direct benefit
"My employees will be happier" should have measurable benefits in terms of productivity, reduced absenteeism, and retention. When a change to company policy looks like reducing the "bind the mouths of the kine" with no explicit improvement to the bottom line, it's a good idea to point these out. This is especially true for 'knowledge workers' like engineers, where the intangibles become more and more important as their career gets longer.
Software Zen:
delete this;