Book Review: Don’t Just Roll the Dice - A usefully short guide to software pricing by Neil Davidson: Publisher- Simple Talk Publishing: ISBN- 13: 978-1-906434-38-0
This is the first book I have read on software pricing. Don’t Just Roll the Dice is excellent book for those who are new to software pricing game. It covers various aspects of pricing mechanisms and factors affecting the same.
Book is divided in to five chapters, which nicely elaborate the pricing process from simple economic theory to real life scenario. As the name suggests it is short guide. It does not go into details of pricing mechanism like discounting to enterprise or bulk customers, trade commissions etc. But nevertheless book is good for starters and must read for every one who are involve in pricing decision of software.
The book is released under Common create license which makes book free to read and distribute.
Disclaimer: I did not get paid to review this book, and I do not stand to gain anything if you buy the book. I have no relationship with the publisher or the author.
One can get more information about book and related topics from:
1. Book’s web presence http://www.dontjustrollthedice.com/
2. Author at Twitter: http://twitter.com/neildavidson
3. Author’s Blog: http://blog.businessofsoftware.org
4. Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Just-Roll-Dice-usefully/dp/1906434387/
5. Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Just-Roll-Dice-usefully/dp/1906434387/
6. Book Review: http://blog.businessofsoftware.org/2009/10/dont-just-roll-the-dice-usefully-short-guide-to-software-pricing.html
7. Another Book Review: http://blog.teambox.com/dont-just-roll-the-dice-pdf/
8. Some comments about book: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7039888-don-t-just-roll-the-dice-a-usefully-short-guide-to-software-pricing
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Book Review: The Design of Design Essays from a Computer Scientist by Frederick P. Brooks, Jr.
Book Review: The Design of Design Essays from a Computer Scientist by Frederick P. Brooks, Jr.: Publisher- Addison-Wesley: ISBN- 13: 978-0-201-36298-5
Brooks’s latest book “The Design of Design – Essays from a Computer Scientist” is truly successor of Mythical Man Month. This book not only covers Design of computer system but also any design problem. As the title of the book is very clear, book is a collection of essays by Brooks on the design aspects of computer systems – hardware and software. These essays very clearly cover design process and various attributes of design.
The book also has few case studies ranging from home to IBM 360 system design. The case studies are the loose part of the book. Brooks might have presented better case studies which might be more relevant to computer scientists and engineers.
Over all basis book is fantastic and must read for any computer designer or architect irrespective of his experience.
Disclaimer: I did not get paid to review this book, and I do not stand to gain anything if you buy the book. I have no relationship with the publisher or the author.
One can get more information about book and related topics from:
1. Author at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Brooks
2. Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Design-Essays-Computer-Scientist/dp/0201362988
3. Author at IBM archive: http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/builders/builders_brooksjr.html
4. Review at kottke.org: http://kottke.org/10/03/the-design-of-design
5. Informit.com: http://www.informit.com/authors/bio.aspx?a=CBFFA52D-D4B2-44E4-B525-94199B158A7C
Brooks’s latest book “The Design of Design – Essays from a Computer Scientist” is truly successor of Mythical Man Month. This book not only covers Design of computer system but also any design problem. As the title of the book is very clear, book is a collection of essays by Brooks on the design aspects of computer systems – hardware and software. These essays very clearly cover design process and various attributes of design.
The book also has few case studies ranging from home to IBM 360 system design. The case studies are the loose part of the book. Brooks might have presented better case studies which might be more relevant to computer scientists and engineers.
Over all basis book is fantastic and must read for any computer designer or architect irrespective of his experience.
Disclaimer: I did not get paid to review this book, and I do not stand to gain anything if you buy the book. I have no relationship with the publisher or the author.
One can get more information about book and related topics from:
1. Author at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Brooks
2. Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Design-Essays-Computer-Scientist/dp/0201362988
3. Author at IBM archive: http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/builders/builders_brooksjr.html
4. Review at kottke.org: http://kottke.org/10/03/the-design-of-design
5. Informit.com: http://www.informit.com/authors/bio.aspx?a=CBFFA52D-D4B2-44E4-B525-94199B158A7C
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Your Next Outsourcing Deal
In the current economic condition, every penny saved is a fortune. As most of the medium and big business already out sourced their IT related operations and small businesses are also looking into outsourcing, it is imperative that lots of new outsourcing deal will be signed. So while considering outsourcing deal pay attention to following points which will enable you to extract maximum out of outsourcing deal:
1. Scope must be defined: Scope of deal must be well defined with flexibility of changing if required via formal process.
a. Pro: Expectations are set
b. Con: Very difficult to do
2. Adopt multi sourcing strategy: If your deal size is sufficiently big ( how to define!), consider multi vendor approach. In a simple IT project, let one vendor develop the application and second one do the QA.
a. Pro: Risk distribution, vendors will be at toes so better response
b. Con: More management time
3. Interlink your service lines to motivate your provider: In your deal, interlink the service lines with the clause of additional work to service provider. This will keep service provider motivated in anticipation of additional work.
a. Pro: Motivated service provider
b. Con: If additional work is not awarded to service provider over extended period, he will be irritated.
4. Cost cutting for future: In deal make sure that service provider is asked to cut cost and increase productivity. This will automatically reduce over all expenditure.
a. Pro: Reduction in expenditure and increased productivity
b. Con: Risk at quality front. Vendor may replace experienced personnel with juniors.
5. Invest in Monitoring and Governance: Every body tends to relax as system stabilizes. To minimize the risks and surprises hire experience outsourcing manager and develop processes and procedures to manage out sourcing.
a. Pro: Better managed outsourcing deals
b. Con: Increased expenditure
6. Fee structure: Consider various fee models – time and material based, fixed rice, out come based. Chose one with proper mix and match which suits you best.
a. Pro: Each model has its on positives and negative and suitable in specific conditions
b. Con: complex deal
7. Managed Services: Consider managed services model.
a. Pro: Management overheads will be at minimum.
b. Con: Dependency on service provider
8. Keep it Simple: Try to keep the deal simple for over all benefits.
1. Scope must be defined: Scope of deal must be well defined with flexibility of changing if required via formal process.
a. Pro: Expectations are set
b. Con: Very difficult to do
2. Adopt multi sourcing strategy: If your deal size is sufficiently big ( how to define!), consider multi vendor approach. In a simple IT project, let one vendor develop the application and second one do the QA.
a. Pro: Risk distribution, vendors will be at toes so better response
b. Con: More management time
3. Interlink your service lines to motivate your provider: In your deal, interlink the service lines with the clause of additional work to service provider. This will keep service provider motivated in anticipation of additional work.
a. Pro: Motivated service provider
b. Con: If additional work is not awarded to service provider over extended period, he will be irritated.
4. Cost cutting for future: In deal make sure that service provider is asked to cut cost and increase productivity. This will automatically reduce over all expenditure.
a. Pro: Reduction in expenditure and increased productivity
b. Con: Risk at quality front. Vendor may replace experienced personnel with juniors.
5. Invest in Monitoring and Governance: Every body tends to relax as system stabilizes. To minimize the risks and surprises hire experience outsourcing manager and develop processes and procedures to manage out sourcing.
a. Pro: Better managed outsourcing deals
b. Con: Increased expenditure
6. Fee structure: Consider various fee models – time and material based, fixed rice, out come based. Chose one with proper mix and match which suits you best.
a. Pro: Each model has its on positives and negative and suitable in specific conditions
b. Con: complex deal
7. Managed Services: Consider managed services model.
a. Pro: Management overheads will be at minimum.
b. Con: Dependency on service provider
8. Keep it Simple: Try to keep the deal simple for over all benefits.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Your Existing Outsourcing Deal
As your enterprise already have outsourcing deal and with changed economic condition it seems that value delivered by deal is not sufficient. So what you can do with existing deal:
1. Encourage Service Provider to cut cost: Cost cutting always has scope. Ask your service provider to provide information where your enterprise can cut costs as service provider has third party view as well inside information about lot of your processes and systems.
2. Encourage Service Provider to optimize standardization and process maturity: As service provider might be working with its numerous customers. Get benefit of this knowledge and ask service provider to suggest standardization and industry practices.
3. Increase Scope and duration of your deal: This will encourage service provider in cost cutting and increasing the productivity. It will also reduce your management overheads.
4. Verify Service Provider’s Performance: Benchmark service provider’s service performance from industry standards as well as service provider’s other customers.
5. Renegotiate: If possible renegotiate the deal with better terms and conditions.
1. Encourage Service Provider to cut cost: Cost cutting always has scope. Ask your service provider to provide information where your enterprise can cut costs as service provider has third party view as well inside information about lot of your processes and systems.
2. Encourage Service Provider to optimize standardization and process maturity: As service provider might be working with its numerous customers. Get benefit of this knowledge and ask service provider to suggest standardization and industry practices.
3. Increase Scope and duration of your deal: This will encourage service provider in cost cutting and increasing the productivity. It will also reduce your management overheads.
4. Verify Service Provider’s Performance: Benchmark service provider’s service performance from industry standards as well as service provider’s other customers.
5. Renegotiate: If possible renegotiate the deal with better terms and conditions.
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