Cooperation

Cooperation is a two way road.
If you feel that they don't cooperate with you. They may also feel that you don't cooperate with them.

If you asked me, I'd tell you that you probably don't share a common purpose. Maybe you want to go North and they want to go East. Why would they cooperate? Why would you? I suggest you:
1. Find the common ground,
2. Agree on the common purpose,
3. Define a shared work approach,
4. Let it happen.

If you find that you have different destinations, you may still agree to collaborate with each other until you get to the station, get the tickets, and part like friends in the platform.

But please never trick, manipulate, mislead or force the other person to go your way.

Fungus

Afterservice

Customer service means two different things.

One. When I offer a service and charge for it.
Two. When I deliver a product that does not work and promise to make it up to you with free fixes and repairs.

Customer service (two) has been dead for a long time.
Deader still, if it is paid in advance. "Musica pagada toca mal son" (Musicians paid in advance play bad music).

Smart people use the Cost of Quality model described by Crosby, Juran, Gryna and others. They know that it costs more to deliver a low quality (or incomplete) product, than to invest in solid processes and training, and deliver high quality on time within budget.

But this model is a well kept secret and only smart people use it. A small group, as we all know.

Fungus

Reflection

Reflection is like looking at myself in the mirror.
It is doing something and watching myself as I do it.

It is a source of continuous and informed feedback. But only if I know what I want to see in the mirror. Only if I have the courage to see myself as I am.

Easier said than done.

Fungus

Touchy-Feely

I've heard that thinking is what men do, and feeling is what women do.

I've also heard that thinking is what we do with the left half of our brain, and feeling is what we do with the right half. ... or was it the other way round?

I say that thinking and feeling are two distinct processes in our project to live. Both need to be performed right.

In ISO 9000 terms ... the thinking part is measurement and analysis and the feeling part is validation and verification. Of course, there are other processes. Of course, at the organizational level we may specialize.

I am quite good at measurement and analysis. My wife is better at validation and verification ... which may mean that in the end, thinking is what men do, and feeling is what women do.
But it only works when man and woman work as a team.

Fungus

FTE

Before getting into FTEs (Full Time Equivalents), you need to:
1. Know your goal.
2. Prepare a hierarchical map of the work packages you will need to achieve your goal (WBS).
3. Detail the lower level work packages, until you have tasks that can be accomplished by one individual in a week or so.
4. Estimate the number of hours for each role that you will need in a day (or week or month).

Then you can calculate the man-hours per day (or FTEs) that you will need.
It works both for continuous processes and for projects.

As you and your team develop skills, the required FTEs decrease, or the total work performed increases.

Of course this is only a practical, but rough approach. Real people have a heart, and perform different than mathematical FTEs.

Fungus