160 Hours: Underway

This is part 3 in a delusional series about me trying to take off work for a whole month. You can read the earlier parts here: Part 1 is my plan to take a month off, burn down some of my paid time off, get a good rest, and work on some of the other projects I've been too busy to do. Part 2 is me watching that plan go straight out the window and realizing I had more than a passive part in that fault. So, if you don't like jumping into a story midstream, or you'd rather watch a car crash happen than hear about it, go back and read those sections first.

Now, to continue the story...

Well (sigh), I'm finally "off." Last week did not go well. I posted an update last Tuesday, but it wasn't until Thursday night when the report was finished and I was "done" enough to leave. Driving home at some time past 6:00 p.m. I felt both like Bob Cratchit and Ebeneezer Scrooge. I had lived through a frustrating week of my own making, and I would have a lot to think about and sort out while on vacation.

The plan was that I should have been 2 weeks into my vacation by that point, and I was just starting now. I had promised myself I wouldn't leave without clearing out the big backlog of reports waiting for my review and getting a report out for its own review. But I compromised with other things I felt also mattered (see Issue #2 of this adventure). Why?! And why couldn't I just walk away on December 4?!

I sit here now, a week later, and still don't have a satisfactory answer that doesn't make me sound screwed up in the head. I have even checked my email and gone in to meet with the manager to get his comments to my report. Has too much of my identity fallen into my work again? The image above is from a Wikimedia Creative Commons link of Don Quixote in the Mountains. Reflecting, I now feel more like Don Quixote and Sancho Panza; both fool hearty and tired crusader and witness who knows better.

On the upside, I have made some progress into what I wanted to do over break: I've rearranged the office area, which will re-purpose the room into a desk work area and outdoor gear storage. This will free up space in the shop and the family room. The family room has been a wreck since the upstairs remodel and we've been debating what to do with it. I think I want to turn it into a seating area around the wood stove; somewhere quiet to read or talk. We also are looking at moving the guest bed down here. We rarely have overnight guests and my fiancee could convert the current guest room into a workout studio. We had considered turning it into a full on den, and maybe we will, but trying to fit the desks, the bed, and the furniture overcrowds the large room.

There has also been a good amount of relaxing and goofing off. I'm on to my third audio book and have logged more hours playing video games than I'd care to admit. Some of the other projects will probably be happening next week: an insert for a large window to keep the heat in, attempting to repair my old TV (supposedly a capacitor needs replaced), and prepping for a private teaching gig next year.

... and perhaps learning why I chase windmills and the interpretation of my own journey.

UPDATE: 160 Hours

Writing is like traveling: it is inspiring, one can fantasize about all the things they'll do, and when they get around to doing the least bit of it they'll be  sharing their stories with the everyone they bump into at parties. Writing is also like traveling because the hardest, most mind numbing part of it that makes you question why would you ever do this to yourself in the first place is the hours you'll spend staring into space hoping something will magically happen. 

I should have known. I did know. There is really no one else to blame but me. 

I agreed with myself that there were two things that I needed to do before walking out and taking these 4 weeks off: 1) clear out the backlog of papers waiting my review and approval for nearly a month. 2) Finish writing the final report for the overseas project I worked back in October. Last week was going to be the week to do both. I would be focused, it was a short list, totally doable. 

Well, last week I was two days in and I left work having not touched either item. So I downshifted, booked my calendar for "work time" and focused. But I couldn't help myself, things just seemed to keep happening. By last night, I only had one item accomplished and maybe half of number 2. So I reflected: what the hell happened? I had a plan but made different choices in the moment, why? The long term visionary me was incredibly disappointed in the moment-to-moment me. But what did I put ahead of my two goals? My vacation?

Well, there was the regular noise. People stopping by looking to chat. They were good people, great people, friends and the most popular topic was "why are you still here?" If hanging a Grinch-style "Go Away!" sign wouldn't have been career limiting and painted me as antisocial, I would have done it. And yet secondly, there was a few items I deliberately prioritized higher than leaving. We need to hire more employees and our staff is stretched, so I helped review resumes. One of my students from two weeks ago was having trouble with the exams and the stress was getting to him, so I helped him out. On the drive home last night, I saw that I chose to put a few other things first. And doing so is both good and bad. On the one hand, I'm not working to get ahead. I want to help employees, I want to master my skills, I want to analyze data, solve problems, and make a difference. On the other hand, the problems will always be there, there is always something to work on, and the job will kill you if you let it - - so I should take care of myself and escape whenever I can. 

So I still have one thing to finish before I can leave and the dilemma is not how will I do it, but rather doing it while not sacrificing the other thing I want; well at least not too badly.    

Three more working days this week. I wonder if I can cut it down to one?

P.S. To any of my colleagues and friends who are reading this and perhaps engaged me these past two weeks, don't think I bear you any frustration. If I've waved you in or answered your call it was because I wanted to talk with you. And likewise if your call went to voicemail, it doesn't mean I didn't want to talk to you, I just may have not been at my desk.

160 Hours - "Temporary Retirement"

As you can tell from my other posts, I had to learn how to not burn myself out. Well sadly, 2017 got away from me. It wasn't that I regressed, I just had prepared for what to do when what you enjoy also happens to be your job. March was pretty quiet, so I started a few new initiatives at work and only expected 30% of them to work out. Well, they all worked out. I taught 5 classes (one being mostly new curriculum), was asked to help with an analysis that no one really understood the under the hood mechanics of, and my efforts with the cross corporation continuous improvement group were well received and took off.

As a result two... well 3 things happened: I was working Saturdays (some paid overtime - - which allowed me to hire a guy to mow my lawn), and I accrued a ton of unspent vacation time, and... I'm overdue for some time off.

So, last month I asked my boss and told the people I support: I'm taking December off. The plan is to take off for 4 weeks straight. I need to wrap up a few things this week, but as soon as I can - - bam! I'm out!

There will be some resting, but I don't want to stay idle for 4 weeks. Earlier this year, I stopped guitar lessons because I had no time to practice - - well, I'll be practicing. Plus, I want to do some strength training. There have been a few back-burnered house projects, I've been meaning to write some articles (get published), and I might have a fun side job starting up in 2018 that I need to prepare for.

I've never taken off 4 weeks straight, but I have taken off 2 weeks and I know there are phases like: I need to rest, I'm bored, when does work start, and finally this is fun, I don't want to go back (and... I don't think I remember my password or where I put my badge).

So stay tuned for updates on my journey through the stages, what they are like, and what to expect if you temporarily retire or take a sabbatical .

Cutting Cable TV

The Decision to Cut Cable TV

So there has been a lot online about cutting cable TV and many of my friends have done it because the either don't watch any TV at all, they are conserving expenses, or they don't want their kids raised in homes that are heavily TV based. I'm not any of those things. I don't have any kids, and I watch some TV: about an hour a night plus some on the weekends. But, I've noticed a few things, and these got me thinking about if I really needed live TV.

• There are about a dozen shows I'm really into. About half of them have short seasons. But I love the shows enough that I don't want to wait for them to come out on DVD or Netflix.
• I rarely watch anything live, most of it is on my DVR.
• I pay for a Netflix account and about half of my TV viewing is on Netflix. 
• Many TV stations have on demand services. Not that this may be a substitute (most require a cable subscription), but it is part of what showed me that the whole entertainment market is moving to in an on-demand direction. 

So what I really wanted was access to a handful of TV shows and movies and what I was paying for was 70 channels most of which I never watched, and the majority of the time there was nothing on I wanted to see - - so I started working on a new solution. This felt a little scary at times because I'd had always had access to TV as a stand by, but I kept reminding myself, I rarely used it as one.

So How Do You Get TV Shows?

So the market has a lot of different options right now. I haven't investigated them all, but some are built around an on-demand infrastructure and some are more live based (like current TV). I don't bend my schedule to TV and I am already in an on-demand mindset, so I ignored anything that was like live TV. 

Many channels have on-demand services and apps. Most require a cable subscription and many have a limited library of things I was interested in. A few of these apps, also couldn't remember where you left off if you wanted to not finish the show until tomorrow. 

So here's what I settled on: I already had a Google ChromeCast and an XBox, and a Netflix account. Therefore, I didn't need to re-invent everything, I just needed a way to get the latest TV shows. As mentioned earlier, I did some cursory exploring and finally settled on purchasing shows from Google Play. It was compatible with my current hardware, remembered where I left off, and had a very large library. Plus, something else that seems popular, I could easily watch on TV or on my iPad or phone. I'll often watch something while cooking and then continue when I sit down to eat. 

Cost

I made a list of my favorite shows (going through my DVR record list was very helpful) and looked up season costs. Subscription costs vary, but a popular show like Castle or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. goes for $39.99 (high definition (HD)) for the season (standard definition is $10 cheaper). The cost of my short run programs like Sherlock or Endevour varied dramatically. BBC's Sherlock is $28.99 for a HD season, but Endevour is $10.99. So the prices vary widely. 

Once I added everything up:

• I was spending $840 per year for just cable (not including high speed internet)
• My shows totaled up to $315 per year

So that left me with over $500 per year to either pocket or invest in other shows I might be interested in. For example, I've heard a lot about Forever. Normally, I'd just DVR an episode or go to the cable company's on-demand screen and pull it up. But how would that work if I cut cable: well, with that $500, I could spend some of it to buy an episode and I'd still come out ahead. Or I could potentially sample it for free on the channel's website.

So How Will This Work

With cable, I'd just turn on the TV and either scroll through the guide or my DVR list and pick something. Now with Google Play, I can pull out my phone, scroll through My Wishlist and launch any TV show. I have to play/pause through my phone or tablet - - which has tripped me up a few times and occasionally the phone needs to sync with the ChromeCast, but so far it is not a big deal. 

Main thing I am still working through is being aware when a season starts or new episodes come out. Google Play doesn't seem (maybe I've missed it) to allow you to buy before a season comes out. I did add all of my favorite shows to Facebook so I can get news about new episodes, but it'll be something I'll have to watch and learn about. 

Other Notes

Google ChromeCast has been amazing and I highly recommend it. I bought it last year because it was an inexpensive way to view Netflix, YouTube, and play Pandora. For the holidays, I was able to put on music throughout the house (because I have a second set of speakers wired upstairs) and control it with my phone or tablet. Also, after watch movies with friends, we may get chatting about something on YouTube like a How It Should Have Ended and I can just pull that up on the big screen. On the down side, it does occasionally lose sync with your mobile device (although it is getting better) and it doesn't connect to wifi services if you have to go to a log-on web page like hotels have (so it is hit or miss if you travel). The unit is only $35 and although it isn't perfect in all aspects, it is a nice convenience. 

Wrap Up

So after a few months of kicking this around and contemplating it, I'm about to head off right now to the cable company and reduce my services to just high speed internet. Hopefully there was some useful information for you, feel free to post comments.

Update 3/20/15

So, I've been doing this for over two months and thought I would provide an update.

• Money - The money savings has been there. Actually, through some payment billing cycle thing, I'm paid up until April. Initially, I panicked when the bill didn't come in and I got no notification of anything. I called the cable company and they filled me in. If you are doing this to save money, my friend Jeremy, a financial adviser, also posted some ideas on his blog here.
• Getting My Shows - I've been watching my favorite shows. Anything I started mid-season, I'm just paying for a la carte. I don't get automatic notifications of new episodes, but I've added them to my wish list and check for new episodes manually. That should go away. When you subscribe, you will get a notification that a new episode has come out. Episodes are usually issued some where between a day and days after the show aired. Some shows are faster than others. 
• Renting Movies - I still use Netflix and I just subscribed to Amazon Prime, however, if I want the latest movies, I need another option. Whenever possible, I use Redbox. It is close and cheaper. However, a lot of the time, Redbox is out of what I want to watch. So we come home and rent it on Google Play! It is a few bucks more, but not a problem with the money I'm saving. Plus, it saves me a trip to pick it up and a trip to return the movie. 
• iPad vs. Droid Phone - Initially, I was using my iPad Mini to control playback. But, you can't purchase shows or view your wishlist with the Play Movies app. Plus to pause the show, you have to unlock your device and wait for it to sync. One night I was lazy and just did everything on my Motorola Droid Maxx. It was almost like using a remote! The Play Movies & TV app integrated with my welcome screen (the one you use to unlock your phone) giving me a background banner for the show I'm watching, and a pause button without having to unlock the phone. Plus, if I need to use my device, the app has a shortcut with buttons in my notifications screen. I've stopped using the iPad to stream. 
• Network - The main problem I've had, and it has been rare, but frustrating, is that sometimes my shows stop to buffer. I couldn't find anything constructive online about this. I've checked the WiFi signal where the ChromeCast is with an app that has a meter for signal strength and it is okay. I've noticed an improvement when I switch my other devices to the 5 GHz band (sometimes they still auto-connect to the 2.4 GHz). My current router, though, offers a lot of options including giving priority for streaming video for a specific IP address and giving other applications a high priority. I've configured my router to assign the MAC address of the ChromeCast to a reserved IP so I can give it always the highest priority, and I've found the port setting for Google Play and gave that high priority in the program list. If you want to do this, look at the owner's manual for your router. 

So, overall, I'm content. I'm not planning on going back. I do sometimes miss just plopping in front of the TV hoping to catch something random (not that paid off much before) and instead I have to be a lot more deliberate in finding something to randomly watch. The number of options on Netflix and Amazon Instant Video are too many (and most aren't great or new). I did purchase one episode of a new program (Star Wars Rebels) and liked it so much, I went for the season pass, but I need to do more exploring.

But I believe this was a good move for me because I don't watch much TV and I'm not into the junk stuff, sports, and live events. Hope this helps and feel free to post comments.

Doctor Who: Catching Up On Classic Series (in 8 episodes)

With a few months to go until the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. I am finding more and more folks who started the series during the Christopher Eccleston years; during the relaunch of the series. But the origanl series launched in 1963 and ran continuously until 1989.

So these are 8 episodes, one for each of the “classic” Doctors that should give you a taste of each of their characters and how the series evolved over time. The pilot catches the Doctor’s life midstream so the back story of the lonely traveler and his machine is spread out over 50 years.

History

Doctor Who is the longest running sci-fi series. It ran continuously from November 23, 1963 to December 6, 1989. The date it aired in the UK was the same day President Kennedy was assassinated (in the episode Rose, the photo of the Doctor at the assassination was a homage to the tragedy of the day). Doctor Who was slated to be a children’s educational program where the viewers could get more of a living sense of history by seeing it through the eyes of a high school girl, and her two teachers (the first 3 companions); although, the sci-fi aspects became more popular and the series morphed. In the beginning the BBC was skeptical about the project and hedging their bets on failure they assigned a female producer, Verity Lambert (rare at that time) to oversee the project. Homage was paid to Verity Lambert in the 10^th Doctor episode Human Nature when John Smith named his parents.

The original plan was to have the Tardis alter its disguise every episode to match the landscape and blend in. However, due to budget constraints placed on the series, it was decided to keep the one shape to save cost and claim that the chameleon circuit was broken. The Tardis has changed shapes only a few times in its history. In one particular episode of the 7^th Doctor, he was able to fix the circuit, but by the end of the episode he missed the classic shape of his home and decided to deactivate it again.

Many of the first and second Doctor Who episodes are lost to time. The UK originals have deteriorated. Some episodes have been found, preserved, in Australia. Some episodes still have existing audio tracks. Recently, animators have begun recreating the missing episodes and from what I’ve seen of the work, it looks incredible.

The First Doctor

The pilot opens following a young girl, Susan Foreman, home from school. She is being tailed by two of her teachers who are worried about her odd arguments in class pertaining to mathematics, physics, and history. At one point arguing she couldn’t solve a physics problem because the problem excluded sufficient data on the fourth dimension of time. The teachers (Barbara and Ian) become very concerned when she disappears into a junk yard, so they enter after her. They are discovered by an old man who denies that anyone is there until they hear Susan calling out for “Grandfather;” a title she continues to call him while she travels with him. The teachers, hearing Susan inside a police box, think he is mistreating her and push their way in to the small booth and discover the Tardis. Susan claims she nicknamed it that as an acronym. In an attempt to control the situation, the Doctor locks the Tardis and electrifies the console. Ian attempts to escape and in advertently sends the Tardis on her first trip of the series.

The Doctor’s backstory is heavily hidden in mystery and is slowly revealed over the past 50 years. Most of it is still unknown such as the references to a family he had before the series began. What we do know is that he stole the Tardis from a repair yard on Gallifrey (hence the mechanical problems) and he is fleeing from his people. During the life of the series, he has visited home several times to either help with a crisis or at least twice stand trial for violating Galifreyean laws of non-interference.

The Aztecs

Episode 6 in the series (the original series followed the classic serial format with approximately 15 minute episodes and 4-8 episodes making a story. My episode counting is by major story not the serial title.), this is one of the historical episodes. I picked this episode because the Doctor’s character finally begins to soften. In the early episodes he was cold, untrusting, and manipulative. This episode also shows the first sign of his flirty nature, a rare thing in the classic series.

The Second Doctor

The second Doctor is described as “the hobo.” He is not the take charge, threatening Time Lord we see in the new series. He is often in the background supporting the main story.

The War Games

Season 6, episode 7: I picked this episode because it was the first exposure to the Doctor’s people, the Time Lords, and the struggle that defines his relationship with them. This episode also features the first trial of the Doctor and his subsequent sentencing which includes heavy punishment that overshadows the 3^rd Doctor’s life time.

The Third Doctor

The third Doctor is a more mature, more outgoing leader than the former Doctors. He is also more dramatic and quick to spring into hand to hand combat. Exiled to Earth, he joins a United Nations task force UNIT and helps them deal with extraterrestrial matters on Earth. The Master frequently appears in these episodes working some sort of scheme either against the Earth or the Doctor.

Terror of the Autons

Season 8, episode 1: This episode was picked because it has several elements that characterize this era of Doctor Who. The Master is featured, another Time Lord makes an appearance, and the secondary villain, the Autons, is the same villain from the first episode of the new series, Rose.

The Fourth Doctor

The fourth Doctor is often referred to as “the Bohemian.” He was the most popular of the Doctors and made the series incredibly popular. He wears the long scarf that has become the symbol for Doctor Who in pop culture. He was also the longest regeneration of the Doctor from 1974 to 1981. He could disarm you with his charm, a jelly baby candy, or his hands if it came to that. His companions included Sarah Jane Smith (who met the 3^rd Doctor first – and she was initially an American), K-9 (who provided analytical power and fire power when needed, but had limited batteries), and Romana (a Time Lord, who I believe was the one reaching out to Donna’s granddad during End of Time).

Genesis of the Daleks

Season 12, episode 5: Picking one episode for this Doctor was very hard; so many of them are personal favorites. I’ve avoided Dalek episodes thus far because I think it would be a good mini-set for you to see separately. However, to help you with what is happening in the new series, it would likely be interesting to learn something more about their past. This is not the first appearance of the Daleks. Every Doctor has had a run in with them going back to the second ever episode. In this episode you’ll get to see a typical Sarah Jane episode, plus Time Lord intervention, the creation of the Daleks, and one of the most powerful moral dilemmas our Time Lord has to face.

The Fifth Doctor

This Doctor was probably the youngest of the Doctors at the time. He moved around in an energetic frenzy and got distracted by cricket.

Earthshock

Season 19, episode 6: The Cybermen are the main villain in this episode. In the Classic Series, the Cybermen are not from Earth and the invention of a Earthling madman. They have many similar traits to the Star Trek Borg, but those firmed up over time. They do, however, often need a human controller for creativity in their battlefield strategies. These cybermen also are susceptible to gold. They “breathe” and when they breathe in gold dust, it shorts circuits in their systems thus killing them. The ending also has some unique insight into the Doctor’s boundaries.

The Sixth Doctor

He was the shortest of all the Doctors and the least favorite of the TV series. However, he has made a strong comeback in the Big Finish audio dramas and a few experimental animated web episodes. He wore bright colors, but thankfully the books and web episodes toned it down. His regeneration was very violent and a scene where he briefly attacked a companion turned many fans off. He survived about 1 season.

Attack of the Cybermen

Season 22, episode 1: This episode was one of the few instances in the TV series where the Doctor repaired the chameleon circuit.

The Seventh Doctor

A much calmer, softer Doctor than the last few regenerations. This Doctor preferred reading and a quieter life; although that was unlikely to happen. He was also the final Doctor of the continuously running TV series.

Remembrance of the Daleks

This episode deals with the Hand of Omega. An artifact the Doctor stole before the series started and hid on Earth. The Time Lord Omega was the primary architect in harnessing the star that became central to the Time Lords’ time travel. The Hand of Omega was the glove that enabled him to do so. No one online has implied the connection, but I believe this glove was the same Rassilon wore in End of Time. The way it was used was different than the intended purpose, but there is no evidence I remember that would discount it.

The Eight Doctor

Seven years after the series ended, Fox attempted to reboot it. They brought back the Seventh Doctor for a cameo and placed him back in the Tardis. The series never did reboot and most non-hardcore fans are unaware the movie exists. However, the 8^th Doctor lives on in several seasons Big Finish audio dramas and a few web episodes. The new series has officially tied him in as the 8^th Doctor and it is believed he was the one who fought in the time war. With the 50^th anniversary coming this year, there appears to be efforts to close the gap between the two series and explain more about the time war; if not tell that story altogether. It’s my belief that he was the one who sealed the Time Lords and the Daleks in the time bubble before regenerating into the 9^th Doctor.

The Enemy Within

I found this completely by accident many, many years ago. I was delighted and excited. The Tardis interior, which has remained essentially the same throughout the classic series (with 1 exception) is completely different. It pays tribute to Jules Verne and has been my favorite interior. The Master returns. Initially I thought some of the changes to him were not consistent with the classic series, but I did recently run across a 7^th Doctor episode that makes me think they picked up where they left off with him (I’ll have to watch it to verify it). 

6 Things You Can Do To Make the Office 2003 to 2010 Transition Smooth For Your Employees

Background

Here is truth #1: 

Office 2010 (and 2007 for that matter) is a dramatic step change for the Office 2003 user. There are countless articles and videos explaining the differences and how to use the new features. For the users' though there is one critical element missing: Convince me why I need to make the change.

This is where your IT department can come out either looking like a hero or looking like a villain.

Here is truth #2: 

Deploying the software is simple, getting people to be equally productive in the new software, quickly is more complex. The secret is you need to create desire and the support systems. If you set these things up first people will want to make the transition, they will want to learn, and you will not need to shell out a fortune to re-train everyone.

The Secret: Create Desire and Support

The main principles shown here are borrowed from Influencer: The Power to Change Anything. Look at each of these 6 principles and use them to create ideas that would work within your organization. You may not be able to do them all, but the more you leverage the better chance for success you have: shoot for 4 or more, if you do 3 or less, you are likely to fail.

1. Create Motivation for the Individuals to Change

It is not enough to pick a launch date and send out an advance email. This is turning the users into "victims" of IT. Rather you need to show them why this is something they need. In your communications:

• Focus on what will make their job easier.
• Focus on the features that will make them more productive and more effective.
• Focus on the things they can now do in 2010 that they couldn't in 2003 to give them that extra, cool edge in their documents.

Look at this video link as an example. Ayca Yuksel of Microsoft does not start with all the technical differences, rather she emphasizes how much easier it is, new features to make your document even better, and subtly talks about the impact that will have on other people.

What can you do in your company?

• Communicate: Don't just use a mass email to tell everyone what is going on. Leverage multiple communication methods: person to person, email, posters. 
• Focus on benefits not what is different.  As the video example shows, Ayca starts with what is cool about the new software, not what is different or what will be challenging. Use examples to show people what their final products can look like. You want to create excitement about the change before the change occurs. 
• Don't turn people into victims: One company I interact with gave the user zero head's up that today was their day and they were getting the change right now. They just pushed the software. One of the employees told me that the push happened in the middle of a class he was teaching and if it wasn't for a spare laptop, the class (of about 25 employees) would have come to a halt for 2 hours while the software was being pushed. Instead, put them in the driver seat, let them advance deploy the software to their PC prior to the mass force push. If you've generated curiosity and interest, then make the option available for them to "pull" the software early. This will allow them to schedule when the change takes place (like perhaps the week before class) and will allow them time to play with the new software when it is convenient. Employees could schedule a convenient block of time to make the change over and schedule time to get acquainted with the software and tour the training videos. 

Why should I spend the time to do this?

As mentioned in the example above, this company's IT department decided for everyone when they would get the software and there was little the users could do about it. Sometimes the software was deployed mid-meeting (and mid-training as the one employee said). For others it was during times when they needed to get a document out the door. As a result, two months after the change over most employees resented the change  and their IT department. 

On the flip side, the same company also deployed several other software packages and people were incredibly excited, they welcomed the changes, they were training each other in how to use the software, and  it was seen by IT as a success..

What did they do different? It wasn't communication, actually these deployments were under communicated and it was the one main criticism. It was that people started with what they could do now that they could not before; the benefit was clear. It did mean "training" but the excitement actually created an organic training and support network. 

2. Enable the Individuals to Learn the New Software

Office 2010 is difficult to use at first because it is such a dramatic difference there past experience one can leverage to help them use the new software. This is where training can come into play: more importantly practice! Microsoft and other companies have produced free videos and training material you can use to help with this; make it readily available and communicate it. But be selective, find high quality training material. Things to look for:

• Does the training show learners how to solve practical problems? Theory and explanation is the "traditional" way of teaching and it has been repeatedly proven to be ineffective with adult learners. Instead, look for training that starts with "let's say you want to make a graph..." not training that focuses on how the ribbon is structured. Office does have an intuitive feel to it. The headings are basically verbs that describe what you want to do, getting people to think in this manner instead of "edit", "view", and "table" is key to helping them learn the new ribbon. 
• Practice is more important than lecture. Does your training set up give them the opportunity to practice? If you show employees video based training, have you given them a place they can go and practice prior to it being deployed on their computer. Ideally, they should find something interesting they want to try, see how to do it, and then (right away) give it a shot. 
• Quantity does not equal quality. Making a lot of training available is not the right answer either. Employees do not want to spend hours learning how to use the new software. Find short, effective materials. Better yet, provide resources (not training) so people can answer their own questions. For example, this video from Microsoft shows them how to use a tool they developed so you can find your favorite 2003 commands quicker.

3. Leverage "Peer" Motivation

"Peer pressure" is another method for enabling change. In many change efforts, peer pressure can actually be a source of resistance. People will look at what others are saying and doing and people (most) are influenced by the reactions they get. So use this to your advantage:

• Look for people who have influence within the various parts of the organization. This is not, necessarily, top management. Rather look for the leaders without the titles or positions; the people everyone turns to during major announcements to see their reaction. Focus on winning these people over. They can easily amplify your attempts to get buy in and support.
• Encourage people who are in support of Office 2010 to speak up about why they like it. Initially they might be hushed down, but continue to support and encourage them. Being "hushed down" is a natural reaction. However, repeated research has shown that there is a tipping point where when about 33% of the people are behind something, that number will snap to over 75% overnight. 

4. Create Peer Support Systems

This is great especially if you don't have a lot of money for training. Do things to enable employees to help each other. Enable the people who are good at Office 2010 to help others. Most folks do not call their IT department when they want to learn something, they ask someone on their floor who knows and get help from them. Leverage that in your deployment. Some ideas may include:

• Offer to advance deploy Office 2010 to select people. Look for those who can quickly make the transition (maybe they have it at home) and who are willing and capable to help others.
• Make sure their management identifies them as someone who got the software early and is available to help. This will set those folks apart as special individuals (a personal motivation force which some people respond to). 
• Create a user forum where people can help each other out. Several benefits: 
• Willing experts can contribute in a signifcant way to a wide circle of people
• People who are still learning can contribute which enhances their understanding (think of the adage "you don't know something until you've taught it")
• The forums can be searchable for quicker help
• If you can't create a forum, think about an email group where people can volunteer to be on distribution.
• Set up meetings where people can bring their computers, or make computers available and they can pull up files and get questions answered. It will solve individuals practical problems, a number of people can see and learn, and it might spawn additional discussions on other features that are available. 

 5. Acknowledge Efforts

Traditionally, this means setting up reward and incentive systems to encourage the change; which may or may  not be an appropriate option for you. However, think about:

• How can you publicly acknowledge those who have contributed to the change over? Also what is the criteria for that acknowledgement?
• How can you reward those who have contributed significantly? Remember, money is not the only motivation. Besides public acknowledgement, can you give them something? Could be the traditional "pizza party" or maybe tools to make life easier: wireless mouse, second monitor, better quality office equipment? Beyond money, most people want to contribute to a larger purpose (be significant), be self directing, and master new skills. Look for easy ways you can answer those needs.

6. Give the Employees the Tools

Many ideas that would fall under tools have already been discussed; things such as training, resources (like the reference sheet in the video above), forums, and people who can help. Look for ways you can enable the other 5 elements to happen, those are tools.

Conclusion

Although this article mainly focused on the Office 2003 to Office 2010 transition for your company, these six elements apply to making any significant software change a success. Success is not about simply putting the software on everyone's machine. It is about enabling them to use the tools quickly and effectively and the main driver there is setting the systems in place to both motivate and enable them to use that software.

Adirondacks Trip Blog: 1st day (Packing)

When I was camping every month, I could get home from school, shower, eat, and pack in under 60 minutes. Now it's taking me the better part of the morning. I'm definitely out of practice. However, when I was doing it in under 60 minutes, that didn't count troop gear or food. Plus I left most of the hardware in the pack year round.

Surprises this round
- Not using my pack. It is big, bulky and unnecessary for car camping. Instead clothes are in a duffle bag; probably first time in over 200 trips.