Google Features

I know that Google does a lot of neat things, but I never could remember what they are. I happended to hear about being able to do measure conversion on Google by simple imputting the question into the Search, like "27 acres in hectars" or "8 BTU in joules." I shared this with my colleagues and several replied back with a Google site that describes all of the available features: http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/features.html. I like the calculator (includes the measurement conversion), currency conversion, definitions, search by number (UPC, Area code, FedEx tracking, etc.) and weather.

Password Stores

Unfortunately single sign-on is not, nor will it be soon available. Therefore finding a way short of a flat text file of storing user id and password information is quite necessary. Two packages that do this quite nicely are RoboForm and KeePass. Note: Each of these can be used with USB drives and taken with you (as described in my previous post).

USB Drives

USB drives have the capacity to store entire application Suites and even can provide a bootable operating system. PortableApps.com and Floppy Office are both examples of these. There are also many applications that are "portable" -- can be installed on a USB stick and used anywhere. Listable.com and Nirsoft both maintain lists of applications and utilities that are portable.

Analytic Tools at Consulting Firms

Although consulting firms remember process they do not posess an institutional memory on how to use specific analytic tools to support that process. This is driven by the fact that most consulting firms have an up or out policy for consultants and as consultants move up they have incentive to remember and to continue to use the process, but they are quickly removed from the specific analytical tools and how they could / should be used. Further, the analytical tools are constantly improving.

Consulting firms need to develop a capability that allows them to quickly setup tools to support the process, train the consultants that need to use the analytical tools and then support / guide them through the case process.

This capability must be based on building a toolbox of both internal developed and external "off-the-shelf" tools that can be deployed. The toolbox should further include identification of both the internal and external resources that can provide specific expertise or be brought in to support the consulting project.

However, this toolbox will be underutilized if navigation of the tools is not clearly provided. The old adage, if you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail is evident throughout the consulting firms. This is most evident in that most consultants know Microsoft Excel and therefore end up using Excel no matter the size, complexity or analytical nature of the problem. Microsoft's improvements in allowed size and complexity of problems that can be entered into Excel has exasterbated the problem.

Navigation should help identify when data is best managed in MS Excel; when the data should be moved to Access and further when the size and complexity is sufficient to warrant use of a database like MS SQL or Oracle. This also applies to optimization, statistical analysis, mathmatical modeling and simulation.

Navigation should also include support for process mapping tools (Powerpoint tends to be used as the hammer here) like Visio and any other tools that support the consulting process.

Making Matches

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