Re: dbms/rdbms software & its environment

michael_at_preece.net (Mike Preece) wrote in message news:<1b0b566c.0310300318.7373dfd4_at_posting.google.com>...
> brennie_at_dcsi.net.au (Bruce) wrote in message news:<64ea97cf.0310292012.4d6c2070_at_posting.google.com>...
> >
> >
> > Just don't expect many of the major commercial interests to make any
> > changes until their customers realise that there is something better
> > and that will only come with appropriate education.
>
> So:
> Appropriate education ==> Customer awareness ==> Commercial interests?
>
> Are customers influenced more by education or the major commercial interests?
>
> Maybe it's more like:
>
> Commercial interests ==> Market saturation ==> Appropriate Education?

Mike,

Personal experience follows:

A product had been developed (database) for a telecommunications based company for the design of mobile phone networks. The transmission design engineers had a number of requirements that they wanted. The original development gave them a very uncoordinated and frustrating to used facility to meet their needs. They were told that that was the way it was going to be. As they were not familar with the possiblities that cpuld be achieved, they put up with it.

Then I came along and was working on the system in question. As per my usual behaviour, I was chatting with them regarding how they found it, what extra facilities would be useful for them, what rules the system should hold for them and so on. One of them raised the problem they had with it as a complaint and said that they wished it could do what they wanted. At this point, I told them that what they wanted was quite feasible and this led into a discussion about the details. I then helped them to draft their requirements and told them that they were to push for the changes. Part of their attck was to state that they now had advise that what they wanted was achievable.

It took me a couple of days to incorporate the changes but saved them much more time in getting their job done.

Her it was educating them to the possiblities that were available to them. I repeated this a number of times with different people and project teams. All it required was for them to know that something was possible and to their advantage and they ran with it. They then put out the effort to ensure that the commercial reality of their desires came to be.

As long as people don't know that there is a better way, they will accept what they are given. But show them a better way and at least a small number will push for that to become reality.

The fundamental rule to bringing about change is to get the the gogetters educated (WHETHER GOOD OR BAD EDUCTAION) in the way you want them to go and they will drag everyone else along with them.

This is how the world works - commercial interests "educate" people in how "good" their products are so that people will buy them. But it is always education first before change.

So that if you want:

Interest (commercial or otherwise) ==> Education ==> Acceptance ==> Saturation

regards

Bruce Rennie
from God's Own Country Downunder Received on Fri Oct 31 2003 - 00:23:01 CET