Lot of articles seem to come out about management jargon and irritating acronyms. I was only reading one today about The Ten Most Annoying Management Terms of 2011 which was all very interesting, but, I would like to speak in favour of ‘jargon’, with the caveat of considering the motive of the ‘jargon’ wielder.

People who go on about users of ‘management speak’ and how people use it to exclude them from the conversation may well be just observing the fact that they are genuinely not privy or relevant to the information being discussed. If someone unknowing listened in to one of our briefings about software we’re developing they would feel totally excluded, they wouldn’t have a clue what we’re talking about. Our conversation is littered with jargon, TLAs, technical terms, in-jokes and words we’ve made up just because we can and we don’t need to explain that to anyone. It makes our meetings more useful, quicker and binds us as a group. If scientists or technicians or engineers can have their own terminology, then why not managers. I think it’s a kind of slave mentality with people trying to belittle those in authority in order to make themselves feel a little better about their own subordination, or something like that.

The English language is so rich and powerful precisely because we dynamically create new terms to put across a new nuance on our communications. Take for example the term ‘internalise’ criticised in the Top Ten Terms mentioned above. This is a wonderful term and communicates with much more subtlety what is going on rather than the word ‘learn’. ‘Internalise’ means so much more, it means something more like, learn to the point of comprehension so that the thing is a part of you, instinctive and used without thinking, that head-knowledge has become heart knowledge. Take for example Taekwon-do, a martial-art I have spent decades practising, day in day out. Someone could ‘learn’ the moves and the ‘patterns’ and the theory in a few weeks, but in no way would that knowledge be internalised, and the knowledge would be fairly useless without being internalised. This is why I am generally pretty sceptical about ‘self-defence’ courses which teach physical moves. When faced with a frightening attacker your mind will go absolutely blank and you’ll have no chance of remembering any of those moves. Only if your knowledge is internalised will you be able to use them. Your movements must be instinctive, completely without thought, like your body is moving you, at which point you’ll be hard to beat.

They criticise the term Stakeholder Community. Wow, that’s a wonderful term. It reminds the developer, the vendor, or the producer that the managers, or buyers, the people with the purse strings, will talk amongst themselves about your product or service. That your reputation matters and that water-cooler speak is a vital part component in your success. All in two words!

I have heard English is the most physically slowly spoken language in the world which is part of the reason we have such a huge vocabulary, because to take things without nuanced words carrying lots of extra meaning would take forever. A master of English has at their fingertips precisely that right word that communicates all sorts of peripheral meaning. I love terms like ‘blue sky thinking’, ‘low hanging fruit’, ‘quick wins’; especially now we all know what they mean, but just because you might find yourself in a group that uses terms and acronyms you’re not familiar with, don’t get the hump unless they’re failing to communicate something to you which you need to know.

So, I would say to merrily use whatever jargon, TLA or management speak you feel like provided your motives are honourable and you are speaking to an audience who are in on your world. Don’t feel ashamed, if you’re amongst friends.

Hi! My name is Gary Carter and I am the new administrator here at Terrabase. I have been asked by Tony to post on here about a project I have been working on with Tony and Tracey here at Terrabase in my three months here thus far, so here we go.

Terrabase’s lettings management system, Buy2Let, is a wonderfully efficient way for landlords to manage their tenancies with ease. Buy2Let is a software program that allows landlords to access records about tenants and properties as well as allowing landlords to record all interactions with tenants. I know many landlords of student properties have large property portfolios would love a solution such as this as they have to deal with many tenants and many property issues. Buy2Let will helps these landlords manage these issues in one software program and always be up to date in all tenancy issues.

Why not check it out at http://www.ibuy2let.com/

After a long time of not posting to this blog, just been so inundated with work, I’ve managed to dig out something which I’d like to raise again to freshen up the thoughts behind our vision statement. The vision statement for Terrabase is:

To make it fast, easy and inexpensive
for organisations and individuals
to create bespoke software
tailored to match and exceed
their needs and expectations

So our grand vision is to change the world by making the often arduous and difficult process of software development easy and fast and bring it to everyone so that anyone with an idea can make that idea a reality though they may not have much in the way of resources.

To do this we keep abreast of the latest rapid application development techniques and methodologies and we keep small and nimble, ready to change as technologies change. This has to be without cutting corners on making the software excellent, robust and delightful. This is a challenge, an art-form, that will never be perfected, but with monthly ‘Towards Perfection’ meetings and reviews we aim to come ever closer to this goal.

Any thoughts on this case-study from a marketing/design point of view would be greatly appreciated.

Is it too long?
Is it boring?
Is it off-putting?
Is it annoying?
Does it fail to communicate the message?

This case-study, aimed at Adult and Community Learning providers is put here in full to show the context of some of our current work:

As an ACL provider you may sympathise with the situation ACME found themselves in a few years ago. They needed to gather accurate data on their learning provision from various admin staff using different software (Excel spreadsheets, Access databases, AQUA etc), and turn that into useful statistics to guide their decision making process. They understood the need for a fully-capable statistician as opposed to an MIS officer but they realised the cost of employing someone with the required skills would have been prohibitive. Whether it was Ofsted inspectors needing to see performance data being used in decision making, a national funding body needing the most beneficial figures, or the public or press needing reassurance, statistics were required in a timely fashion in order to avoid damage to reputation and funding.

ACME understood that it is important to see the data in context and that there had been too much emphasis on quantity (i.e. number of enrolments) over quality (retention or achievement rates). In particular it was important to look at quality in the context of Equality and Diversity so that a breakdown of quality information was available over different social groupings. There was already a lot of valuable social information available in terms of postcode data files which could be incorporated into their data, however the sheer number of postcode records made this an impossible task using the existing spreadsheet based approach. They wanted to be able to use data to focus on areas of multiple deprivation and concentrate resources on the most deserving Super Output Areas. By having good statistics they wanted to be able to demonstrate where their learning resources were going and how good the results were.

OFSTED inspections do not specifically grade use of data within their inspection framework, however use of data does underpin all areas of leadership and management, which are graded. ACME were inspected first in 2003 by the Adult Learning Inspectorate who noted their weak use of data which contributed to low grades in leadership and management and equality of opportunity, despite strong grades in areas of learning. Since implementing Terrabase’s solution ACME have achieved 2s in the 2007 ALI inspection and 2s in the 2011 Ofsted inspection including specific commendation for use of data.

ACME have been able to produce a comprehensive range of statistics, approved by Ofsted inspectors, showing the breakdown of learning provision across a wide variety of possible categories, from ethnicity, to disability, to sex, to distance travelled. Managers can see, at the push of a button, Retention Rates, Achievement Rates, Success Rates, Progression Rates etc across different categories. They can easily trim the data down to only show figures relating to a certain tutor, or course, or funding stream. The software has a powerful filtering mechanism to tailor the information for their needs. This is combined with a simple approach that non-technical users can get to grips with immediately with no significant training. This means that all staff can demonstrate they are using the data to guide their decisions. There is real-time data for instant insight, and comprehensive analysis based on census points, when all the data has come in, which can be used as a bedrock for the self-assessment process, encompassing both proactivity and reactivity.

The software uses quiet, service based apps to gather the data constantly, feeding it into a central computer which produces all the dashboards and reports. A ‘killer’ aspect of the approach is that the figures can be available everywhere. They can be integrated into everyday tasks; from ‘Android’ panels on a wall beside a notice board, to tailored sections on websites; from desktop ‘gadgets’ to threshold-based email alerts.

ACME have integrated the database into a web-based Virtual Learning Environment. This means all learner profiles, courses, and tutors are generated automatically, and when a tutor, or manager logs in they can see all their key indicators in a simple to use dashboard. As soon as a provider sets up a course in the real world, the VLE automatically creates the corresponding on-line ‘course’ together with the tutor and enrolled learners. When the tutor logs in, the course already exists with the basic, good-practice, elements in place and the learners pre-enrolled and included in the communications dashboard. This means a tutor can easily contact their learners whether by SMS text, email, phone or post. However, all the technical aspects are hidden in the background leaving a simple website which is easily understood.

The central database is hosted in the ‘Cloud’ and secure processes keep this safe. ACME were also given the option of a physical computer they could plug into their office network instead of using the ‘Cloud’, but this was felt to be an unnecessary measure. MAC address filtering, data fingerprinting, data auto-anonymisation and aggregation, SSL encryption and the use of biometrics are all used to secure the data.

ACME received a solution using the two-fold approach of (1) statistics consultancy built upon the foundation of (2) a mature and powerful software system. They had their statistical requirements analysed and a strategy put in place to address any current or foreseeable problems. The result was a solution which involved tailoring an online database providing reports which fit with their way of working available in all sorts of everyday places. The computers across their office network gather together their data in real-time and provide statistics that are useful, in a format all can understand, can explain confidently and can rely on under the scrutiny of senior managers and Ofsted.

In order to make our latest VLE an essential resource for all users including managers, learning providers and tutors, we are linking it with the statistics we keep on learner performance so as to provide a dashboard for these users on their, and their organisation’s current status.

We expect this to bring about the following benefits:

1. Increased learner numbers
2. Improved learner outcomes
3. Improved learner retention
4. Additional tutor skills
5. Additional provider facilities
6. Improved communications
7. Improved sharing of best practice and resources
8. Flagship of the overseeing organisation’s Adult Learning brand
9. Addition learner satisfaction
10. Increased flexibility to match teaching and learning styles
11. Reduced environmental impact
12. Increased convenience for learner
13. Brings delivery up to speed with learner expectations
14. Improves learning outcomes
15. Cost efficiencies in delivering peripatetic Family Learning and Skills for Life through a blended approach with fewer face to face meetings with remote learners (5 /15 meetings face to face Inc assessments).
15.1. Measured by drop in expenses claims as all teaching is peripatetic.
16. Wider participation from employed parents and carers in Family Learning who cannot access daytime provision
17. Effective referral mechanism with some embedded Information Advice and Guidance possible through directory developments
18. Access to Management Information Systems will improve delivery planning and ensure funds are directed at best performing providers and delivered in areas of greatest need
19. Added value is difficult to quantify but will be shown by more demand for courses which people find traditionally difficult to access.
20. Links to other systems such as Facebook and LinkedIn could be profound as users’ networks are shared, and opportunities for progression are increased (particularly with LinkedIn).

I really want to help bring about a cultural change for managers, learning providers and tutors. I see dashboard integration, perhaps with desktop widgets and mobile phone apps as part of a strategy to do this. We’re now looking at creating an organisation wide dashboard which will be on a large screen for all to see, with progress indicators and targets. The whole system will ideally take on a fundamental role in the organisation.

I’ll put some designs up here as things progress.

As part of our commitment to have as many Learners engaged with our VLE hosting as possible we have identified several mechanisms to try to increase VLE usage and hence, eventual complete adoption. In a previous post I discussed eLearner types which starts from the point of receiving text messages from the VLE. By arranging for the VLE to constantly, but tastefully, communicate with eLearners we hope to keep adding to engagement and provide a natural path to develop eLearner competency. We aim to implement these communication mechanisms:

1.  SMS messages from tutor/provider
2.  SMS messages containing links
3.  Emails containing links
4.  Facebook messages containing links
5.  Facebook updates to Facebook group containing links
6.  Twitter updates containing links
7.  LinkedIn updates containing links
8.  RSS feeds containing links
9.  Creation of a Facebook group for the course
10. Creation of a Twitter profile for the course
11. Creation of a LinkedIn group for the course

It will be important to make as much of this communication as automatic as possible. We aim to do this by including a communications section within the Tutor/Provider profile pages. The tutor will be able to type a message in the appropriate space in their profile then select the recipients and 1 or more communication methods. Links will be added to the message by default, though the tutor can choose to remove or change these. We will also set the system to broadcast certain activities the tutor carries out on the VLE by default. For instance, if the tutor creates an assignment, all the communication channels will be automatically updated unless the tutor explicitly turns them off. We expect this constant communication with learners to maintain their interaction with the VLE and make them fully aware of the resources available, without creating extra work for the tutor, in fact, we expect the workload for the tutor to decrease because less time will need to be spent manually communicating low level concepts with learners, freeing them up to concentrate their time on high level communications when appropriate (such as a one to one conversation to communicate a learning concept, rather than merely to issue a reminder for an essay). We aim to make the system automatically create a Facebook group for a course, a Twitter profile and a LinkedIn group as soon as a course is set-up, and to send out invites to all Learners where profile information is available.

From the point of view of many learners, there is no expectation of sitting down in front of a computer to do their learning and often using a computer is prohibitive or too difficult. For these people the first point of contact, with regard to VLE interaction, is likely to be their mobile phone. I have created these levels of interaction with a VLE in order to monitor how we are engaging our learners and moving them in the direction we would like.

Level 0
A learner who does not interact with the eLearning at all
Level 1
A learner who responds to text message alerts sent by the VLE/Tutor/Other Learners
Level 2
A learner who also logs into the VLE from a PC at least once during the course
Level 3
A learner who also takes part in interactive activities on the VLE

We will compare our learners over time and chart our success in developing their eLearning skills.

This audio broadcast is put here so that I can listen to these important ideas whilst travelling etc to help me understand them better and make them a part of how I do work.

You may find them useful too:

There are 4 Core Competencies and 1 Manager Competency:

Core Competencies:

1. Customer Focus
2. Teamwork
3. Change & Improvement
4. Achieving Lasting Results

Manager Competency

- Building, Managing & Leading Teams

Competency Framework

Design 1:

Design 2:

Design 3:

Design 4:

Design 5: