Charity Close to My Heart
January 29, 2019As I start to transition my career after 30+ years at SEP, I wanted to share something close to my heart. My wife Deanna and I have a close connection...SEP and Indiana FIRST Robotics in 2018
January 3, 2018SEP will be renewing its sponsorship of First Robotics in 2018 and the opportunities to volunteer short-term are coming up in March and April. First Robotics in Indiana, also called...2015 – Looking Ahead
January 15, 2015The beginning of each year is often the time to look back on the previous and speak about the future. At our last company meeting we announced Raman Ohri’s promotion...The SEP Way
December 11, 2014Conversations Matter Listening to the rollout of SEP Way last week reminded me of something. Conversations are important. It was good to see that SEP Way is an internal service...How to Spread Contagious Excellence
February 19, 2014Contagious Excellence is a short, concise statement that describes SEP at its core. But what does Contagious Excellence mean? Working with SEP and associating with us will make you better....SEP Values
January 8, 2014SEP recently hired a strategic design consultancy to perform a brand assessment. We wanted to better understand ‘who we are’ to the market and our customers. This was a first...Oh, Have It Your Way
August 30, 2013Upon hearing the blog starter, “Have it your way.” two things came to mind. First was the Burger King commercial jingle that came out while I was a kid. “Have...Beware of Over-Surveying
August 22, 2013WE LIVE IN AN INCREASINGLY ALL-CAPS WORLD. It is getting harder and harder to find a quiet place away from all the media hype and advertising. It’s everywhere and even...Getting the Most Value with a Development Partner
July 10, 2013What is software development? When we say software we typically mean a software product to sell to a market or a system to increase productivity. In both cases, doesn’t the...Changing the Total Cost Discussion
June 19, 2013Discussions with client representatives concerning hourly rates can be frustrating. The belief that an hour of any person’s (or supplier’s) time is exactly the same as any other is like...SEP: The Next 25 Years
June 11, 2013We had a great time in New Orleans for the 25th Anniversary celebration. A few employees asked me where we were going for the 30th. Given the way I’m wired...SEP Celebrates 25 Years of Culture, Good Practices, and Vision
May 20, 2013Hitting the 25-year milestone at SEP is a source of pride. We have built a great company proving that it can and will last. For me, I hit the second...I Don’t Have Time
January 31, 2013This phrase takes me back nearly 25 years to my first butt kicking by a businessman with 40 years experience on me.Nathan Fouch (father of one of SEP’s founders, Mike Fouch) was very...I Don't Have Time
January 31, 2013This phrase takes me back nearly 25 years to my first butt kicking by a businessman with 40 years experience on me.Nathan Fouch (father of one of SEP’s founders, Mike Fouch) was very...Client Project Disclosures
September 4, 2012The Kano Model and how it impacts specifications and customer satisfaction is just one facet of the conversation. The area below Threshold could be content the development partner failed to...Spec Driven Versus Client Satisfaction in Outsourcing
August 29, 2012Chris Shinkle introduced us to the Kano model of customer satisfaction while internally presenting his Stop Doing Kanban, Start Learning lecture that he delivered at this year’s LSSC. The Kano...Changing the Cost Discussion
August 9, 2012Discussions with client representatives about hourly rates can be frustrating at times. The belief that an hour of any person’s (or supplier’s) time is exactly the same as any other...Fitting SEP with a Quality System
July 12, 2012SEP has had ISO-9001 Certification for nearly a decade. These credentials help support our work in FDA and FAA for clients. We’ve struggled with the notion of a quality system since...How to Create & Support a Learning Focus as an Organization
July 2, 2012In a previous article, I discussed learning as a core “Make or Break” (MOB) for SEP. By taking up this follow-up topic I must acknowledge the huge body of work...How to Create & Support a Learning Focus as an Organization
July 2, 2012In a previous article, I discussed learning as a core “Make or Break” (MOB) for SEP. By taking up this follow-up topic I must acknowledge the huge body of work...Relationship Lifecycle
June 25, 2012Our “relationship lifecycle” board is beginning to fill in and clusters are forming. I’ve participated in some short “standups”. The last one was only 5 minutes and we came up...Why Perform Discovery (Envision) On the Front End of a Development Process?
June 19, 2012The rapid evolution of technologies, users and markets has increased the pressure on the software industry to respond to industry criticisms. Some of these criticisms were well deserved and these...SEP’s Vision: Are we There YET?
June 13, 2012SEP’s Vision is: to be the preferred partner for software product development and a recognized industry leader in the application of software engineering practices. I like to say it this...SEP's "Make or Break" (MOB)
May 31, 2012A couple months ago, my Vistage CEO group hosted “Make or Break Execution – the Core to Success,” a presentation from Dan Barnett (Primavera). The “Make or Break” (MOB) of...SEP’s “Make or Break” (MOB)
May 31, 2012A couple months ago, my Vistage CEO group hosted “Make or Break Execution – the Core to Success,” a presentation from Dan Barnett (Primavera). The “Make or Break” (MOB) of...Walking the Talk – Part 2
April 9, 2012Back on the “trend” of applying Agile/Lean practices SEP learned from software development to “management” I submit another example. SEP is working on significant updates to its risk management, project...Walking the Talk – Lean/Agile as a Way of Business
April 3, 2012My management team implements a lot of really cool practices, techniques, etc. (“stuff”) here. There appears to be a trend developing that is really exciting. It guess it has to...What is Envision? Understanding SEP’s Discovery Process
March 21, 2012Envision is SEP’s unique collection of practices collected from different industries and approaches integrated powerfully together, designed to integrate with SEP’s collaborative development processes. The main goal of Envision is...What is Envision? Understanding SEP's Discovery Process
March 21, 2012Envision is SEP’s unique collection of practices collected from different industries and approaches integrated powerfully together, designed to integrate with SEP’s collaborative development processes. The main goal of Envision is...5 Benefits of Outsourcing Software Development
January 17, 2012Outsourcing is the business practice where a company uses outside firms to do select projects and special work that might normally be performed within that company. Some examples of what...Is your IT project portfolio feeling Bloated?
August 29, 2011We all live in a world of scarce and limited development resources. (If you don’t call me.) At the same time the pressure to deliver more, and faster is increasing....Waste in the Development Process
October 25, 2010To sum up everything posted previously. Doing these “discovery” or project planning properly we are really just applying Lean on a larger workflow. The people deciding what should do into...Community: 2 Conferences Compared
May 14, 2010It’s surprising how fast things are changing especially, in the development of electronic and online communities. What first looked like some teenage fad with Facebook and Myspace social media sites...Waste in the Software Development Process
May 10, 2010There are different levels of waste in the software development process.Extending Discovery into Business Value
April 30, 2010This post is a follow up from a previous post, is Software Development REALLY Expensive – part Two. To summarize, I will quote from the previous blog. Our industry often sets...Is Developing Software REALLY expensive – Part Two
April 28, 2010Software development value streams need to proactively widen in order to attack new areas of waste and to continue providing increased value. In an outsourced contract service model with hand-off points at organizational boundaries this can be a challenge.Is Developing Software Really EXPENSIVE?
October 7, 2009There have been many papers, studies, books, etc. on the high cost of developing software. What does this even mean? When we say software we typically mean a software product...