After two years of hard work, Seven Sigma are proud to announce that Paul’s book, “The Heretic’s Guide to Best Practices” is now available for purchase. This book would not have been possible if it were not for Seven Sigma’s wonderful clients who have provided some amazing opportunities and case studies.

“Paul has written the book I wish I had: The Heretic’s Guide explains why IT/software (and other) projects go sideways using wit, humour and solid facts that identify the real reason for failure – we, the people, and our cognitive biases.

If you are a project manager, business analyst or general agitator and fomentor of trouble you need to read this book. It will challenge your assumptions, make you uncomfortable, smack you upside the head and then pick you up, dust you off and tell you why you’re feeling a lot like Neo in The Matrix.” – Chris Chapman

To put this in perspective, the incidences have not been that major except for the times when mother nature, after having a few bad days and unable to hold her fiery temper, erupted and covered the sky with ash.

The first time mother nature toyed with Paul was around the 2010 Euopean Best Practice SharePoint Conference. The Icelandic volcano eruption left a lot of people stranded and lucky for Paul, his flight had not left – he at least was stranded at home. Unable to deliver his presentation, Paul asked Andrew Woodward to take his place. Andrew, armed with Paul’s slidedeck and notes, did Paul proud.

Paul was again in the firing line from mother nature with the recent Chilean volcano eruption. This time the stress level was way high. Due to deliver the SPGov+IA master classes in Brisbane June 16-17, Auckland June 20-21, and back to Perth for our very first Issue Mapping Master Class June 23-24, when we heard that all flights in and out of Melbourne and Perth were grounded (Paul’s connecting flight was Melbourne) the day before Paul was due to fly out, the day before #SPIABNE was to start, we tried everything to make it happen. We changed flights, tried different routes, booked with different airlines, and each time our booking would be successful and we would be overcome with relieve and triumph. This feeling only lasted a short while – until the next cancellation notification came through. We were getting nowhere – nothing was flying out of Perth. #SPIABNE was rescheduled to June 29-30 and all attendees notified. The next bit of stress was trying to reach 3 attendees coming from Adelaide before they flew out – Adelaide was not affected by the ash clouds so there was no disruption to their flights! Mark, Kenneth and Scott, good thing we caught you in time!

SPIABNE went extremely well, fantastic feedback for both Paul and the course.

Brilliant. I wish I did this 6 months ago so I could use some of the tools to build project understanding + stakeholder relationships and not be facing some of the issues we’re facing now. Kristy Long, Energex

A fantastic course with a great set of tools – Don’t implement SharePoint without attending this first! Matthew Hindley, Coffey

I really enjoyed it. Refreshing insight to Governance and IA – great course! Scott Revell, Queensland Rail

Comforting to recognise that our challenges are common throughout the industry and to be armed with tools to address them. Thank you! Ricky Elias, DWS/QR National

Most amount of information that will help me master SharePoint and get my organisation to fet the most out of SharePoint. Kenneth Abraham, UNISA

The SPIA+Gov class in Auckland also went well.

Well done. Great level of info & materials. Husain Al-Badry

Terrific – great to attend something pitched at consulting not technical level. Warren Grant

Highly recommended. Andre Strik

A well thought out course with a lot of practical relevance. Mark Ashcroft

Very useful, entertaining, intense! Tom Cummins

The #IMPER Issue Mapping Class nearly did not happen. After Auckland, mother nature’s sense of humour took over again. The Chilean ash clouds circled Auckland and part of Australia again! And for the third time, Paul was affected. Flights were changed from the Perth end and then again on Paul’s end. Air New Zealand was the only one flying out of Auckland so we managed to score a ticket out. Once Paul landed in Brisbane, leaving the city became a bit of a problem. All flights from in/out of Brissy were cancelled, except for one. But this flight was understaffed (totally against regulation!). But this time, luck was on Paul’s side. This was his flight and a tired, overworked stewardess relented to do a double shift, taking Paul back to Perth in time for the #IMPER class the next day.

Feedback from the #IMPER class:

Definitely one of the best courses I have ever attended…I have already recommended to many people that they should get on the next course if possible. Jon Gorton

This course was brilliant.  The technique itself is a valuable tool for any business with multiple applications. Leisha Velterop

They say it happens in three: So, by all accounts, smooth sailing for Paul from now on, correct?

With the assistance of the legendary, not to mention intelligent Erica Toelle, of Fpweb.net, Seven Sigma has delivered another sold out SharePoint Governance and Information Architecture Master Class, this time in beautiful Seattle.

Although this is aimed at SharePoint crowd, the common feedback theme is the request to allocate much more time on Issue Mapping. Issue Mapping is one of many tools we at Seven Sigma have gained expertise over the years and one of many tools covered within the 2-day course. And yet, attendees continue to want to spend more time on that than SharePoint-related content

This class is not to teach attendees Issue Mapping; it only provides attendees with a very basic introduction on its effectiveness in gaining shared understanding amongst participants. For those who want to learn this technique in order to use it effectively, we offer a two-day Issue Mapping Master Class.

Overall feedback for the #spiasea was fantastic, scoring a 4.6 out of 5! Timing was the common factor that brought the score down. If you don’t already know, this class was originally a 4-dayer. From the 4-dayer, certain labs were removed and the content condensed to its current form. Admittedly, it is still very intense for 2 days, however Paul, wanting to give attendees value for their money, decided to keep it intense rather than cutting back on content, knowing that you all can handle the pace

For those interested to know thoughts of those who attended the #spiasea class, read below for Twitter comments..

jayincalgary

OMG. #spiasea was incredible! @paulculmsee is a legend. @ericatoelle is fantastic. @ruveng is awesome. Class is a winner!

SPSherm

Thanks @PaulCulmsee, great stuff, can’t wait to learn more & practice

benmcmann

thanks @paulculmsee @EricaToelle @ruveng for a great #SPIASEA. excellent course

ekcalder

just finished #SPIASEA awesome course! thanks @paulculmsee and @Ericatoelle

Read linkedin comments… more

Michal Pisarek

I think its by far the best course that I have been to on SharePoint or Project Management. To give you an example of how much of an impact it made on myself and the other guys from Habanero, the term “Shared Understanding” has already started to make an appearance in the vocabulary here. 4 copies of Dialogue Mapping have been bought with a few of the BA’s sitting in on internal meetings to practice the technique.

Bart Louwagie

From a non profit it seemed like a risky investment before I got there. I could not have been more wrong. Paul used every minute of the day to add the next great thought, tool, and idea, not holding anything back. Leaps and ounds of progress in understanding for me.

Ben McMann

The course was fantastic. Several of the concepts were confirmation of the work I have been doing over the last 5 years. My biggest takeway comes from a better understanding of the toolstack to help companies utilize SharePoint in a more effective manner, and the research behind why and when to utilize them.

The process to get groups of people to come to an agreed understanding on what they really want to accomplish – and then steer them down a road to effectively implementing solutions to accomplish that – is something I will take with me for the rest of my career.

Thank you all for the great feedback. Keep spreading the word for the next #spia.

Cheers to all

Issue Mapping Master Class

All of us have felt the frustration of walking from yet another unproductive meeting, wondering where the agenda went. Yet, as problems become more complex, meetings are still the place where critical strategic decisions are made. Issue Mapping offers a solution to reducing the frustration and repetition of meetings, leveraging the wisdom of the crowd and tapping into the knowledge that all participants bring to the table.

Issue mapping is a sense-making framework used to support group discussions to assist all involved to come to a shared understanding. Using the IBIS notation (Issue-Based Information System), issue mapping visually maps participants’ points of views, problems voiced, the rationale and reasons leading up to decisions. These maps are created as part of the meeting process and form a central point of reference. The maps are rich and detailed, yet can be easily read and understood by everyone, even by those not part of the discussion group…

For more information download our Issue Mapping MAster Class flyer

Upcoming Issue Mapping Master Classes:

LONDON : 21 – 22 February, 2011

WELLINGTON: 21 – 22 March, 2011

For registration info, contact us.

This sold out event, dubbed #SPIAUK on Twitter, presented by Paul Culmsee and supported by Andrew Woodward of 21apps, consisted of 2 very full days, jam packed with real world examples, knowledge and techniques.

For those who were not able to attend the master class, you may have caught the energy of those who attended through Twitter postings such as 

Wesley Hackett (Thanks for the awesome feedback )

Back from day one of #spiauk and all I can say is AWESOME! This is something that’s adding massive value to my knowledge … yeah I have to be honest it was the most enlightening two days training i’ve ever been on. 

Brendan Newell (Thanks for the fantastic feedback  )

Many thanks @paulculmsee and @andrewwoody for the #SPIAUK. Easily one of the best courses I’ve been to and has left me wanting more!

Art Ho

Fantastic two days at Governance & IA masterclass, thanks @paulculmsee, @andrewwoody and the guys at #21apps, great to meet you all.

Read what others are also saying about this master class…

Andrew Carter

A real eye opener and refreshing view on an undervalued area of sharepoint implementation

Ant Clay

Has equipped me with tools, learning and experience that I can build upon to deliver business value to our clients.

Brendan Newell

A refreshingly holistic view of governance and IA that strongly links project success to understanding, and strategy rather than technology. Left me wanting more!

Are Flyen

The methods and patterns in the shared understanding toolkit was an eye opener . How to interact with customers in a much more valuable way.

Simon Doy

This course provides the rigour and blank for architects/project leaders to make the jump to enterprise project.

SamePage Alliance will be running a second master class in London next year, Feb 21-22, 2011, with Andrew Woodward in the hot seat. This event will be ready for registration soon. Those who missed out on the November class, register ASAP (when registration is up and running that is ) to get your early bird discount.

Following this Feb 2011 master class, Paul will be delivering the very first Issue Mapping Master Class in London. This will be running from 23-24 Feb, at the same venue. Check out our Events section for more information and other upcoming events.

Every six months Storm Technology, one of Microsoft’s leading European partners, co-hosts with Microsoft EMEA an educational workshop/seminar for all the Ireland’s leading organisations that are existing SharePoint users or plan on becoming so.

Storm technology wanted to run a  ”no nonsense” practical workshop that would lead business and IT executives through the process they should follow and the things they should be looking at/doing in order to create sound business cases for SharePoint projects that speak the language of the CFO and the business. Through a recommendation from Michael Sampson, Storm Technology contracted Seven Sigma to deliver such a workshop – they brought Seven Sigma’s “Fundamental f-Laws of SharePoint Governance” to Ireland.

Feedback from the workshop included…

Great to see so much relevance to IW applications without involving technology details.

Very engaging presentation with accessible content and useful manual

Excellent presentation

Great materials

Contact: Paul Culmsee

www.sevensigma.com.au/contactus/

+61 8 9474 2601

Launching SamePage Alliance  with 2-day SharePoint Governance and Information Architecture Master Class

London, 22th – 23th November, 2010

PERTH, Western Australia – Seven Sigma Business Solutions and 21apps announced today that they have come together to form SamePage Alliance to offer their clients the benefits of both companies’ expertise globally.

This move will enable 21apps to bring Seven Sigma designed and developed training services to the UK and broader EU, covering SharePoint 2010 Governance and Information Architecture, as well as sensemaking tools and techniques.  21apps gains the benefits of Seven Sigma’s partner network, making world class project management, facilitation and community engagement skills available to its clients.

Seven Sigma will leverage 21apps’ tools, methodologies and extensive experience in the delivery of true quality development on the SharePoint platform and provide training and advisory services for all 21apps’ tools and courseware.

Andrew Woodward, Founder and CEO of 21apps, stated that this alliance has been in discussion for a while with finer details recently being consolidated. This alliance will benefit both Seven Sigma and 21apps’ clients as they can tap into the key strengths of both organisations.

To launch this collaboration, SamePage Alliance will be running a 2-day SharePoint Governance and Information Architecture Master Class, in London 22nd and 23rd November, 2010. This will be an abridged version of the course offered for the Microsoft NZ Elite Program, run by 3grow, and focussing mainly on SharePoint Governance f-Laws. This Master Class is perfectly suited to Business Analysts, Project and Program Managers, Enterprise and Information Architects,  IT Managers and those in strategic roles that have to bridge the gap between organisational aspirations and the effective delivery of SharePoint solutions.

For more information, please visit:

 www.samepage.co

www.21apps.co.uk 

Download the  SamePage Alliance press release.

SEVEN SIGMA PROUD TO BE PART OF SHARE2010…THE FIRST OF ITS KIND!

Share2010, produced by Eventful Management, is not your regular annual SharePoint event.

You will not find any level 400, technology laden “deep dives” into the guts of SharePoint architecture, development and deployment. Instead you have a conference aimed squarely at business users, managers and teams.

Share2010 is all about the holistic view of SharePoint, and how to ensure success beyond the installation.

The structure for this conference was created by running dozens of round table interviews with real world sharepoint customers across a wide variety of organisations around Australia and New Zealand. Feedback from this research became the basis of the Share2010 program.

Seven Sigmas’ focus on governance, goal alignment and user engagement, and information architecure complemented perfectly with Share2010′s program. Seven Sigma was thus invited to conduct the Jumpstart Session 1: SharePoint Governance Home Truths. This will be happening on Sunday 28th November, eve of the conference.

Seven Sigma is also proud to announce that Paul Culmsee will be running a workshop on Wednesday 1st December. Our ‘SharePoint Governance f-Laws: Handy Hints for those who question business as usual’ workshop will be  one of only two workshops running during the Share2010 conference. Attendees of this workshop will be returning home with a CD containing end-to-end governance artefacts ranging from IBIS maps, goal alignment and performance framework outputs, envisioning workshop sample outputs, Information Architecture mind-maps, BPMN diagrams, wireframes, user engagement tools, ROI calculations and more.

For more information and reasons why you should attend this exciting event, visit Share2010.

The workshops were very well received. We are proud to say that Paul received a well deserved round of applause at the end of his workshop. One attendee in Wellington informed Paul that it was not what he had expected but much more than he had expected.

Attendees were introduced to f-Laws, "truths about organisations that we might wish to deny or ignore—simple and  more reliable guides to everyday behaviour than the complex truths proposed by scientists, economists,  sociologists, politicians and philosophers,” (Russell Ackoff) and practical tools to implement a more successful SharePoint outcome.

The take home messages of this governance workshop were not limited only to SharePoint but were rather pertinent to a large range of projects.

The Seven Sigma SharePoint Governance f-Laws will be part of the Information Architecture course, which Paul will present on 9th August, 2010 in New Zealand.

Our half-day f-Laws internal workshop will be held on request. Open half-day and full-day workshops will be advertised soon so stay tune to this space.

For more information on the Seven Sigma SharePoint Governance f-Laws workshop, please download the course information below.