Saint Thomas Moore lucky to have a forward thinking principle

About 4 months ago I received a call from Jerry G, another CIO in the Lafayette community. He called to recruit me for a peer review of Saint Thomas Moore. This was a continuation of the work we did some 8 or so years ago with the Lafayette Parish School System through the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce which resulted in NetDays and the hiring of a CIO, but little more.

Jerry told me - "This time it is going to be different, it is going to be quick and we are going to see results". Despite being slammed with work, I agreed to serve on the committee. After our first meeting, I was cautiously optimist.

As time has gone by, the committee has made several recommendations which is going to move Saint Thomas Moore into a high school which is going to capitalize on 21st Century educational tools.

Recommendations included:
- Hire Technology Evangelist to advocate and guide STM in integrating technology in the classroom
- Adopt a laptop/student model
- Hire educational expert on integrating technology in the classroom
- Adopt cloud computing strategies
- Replace the entire wired/wireless infrastructure of the school
- Embrace LUS' Fiber to the Home (allowing students in Lafayette to connect at 100mb/s speed)

The main recommendation was that the initiative needs to be less about the tools and more about the integration of technology in the teaching curriculum. Additionally, that the school needs to be prepared to address challenges associated with "change".

There were hundred of hours put into touring other schools, researching best practices, and brainstorming. Pretty much a mirror image of what happened with the LPSS some years ago.

I doubt that STM parents will ever know that their principle, Audrey Menard, has moved mountains in a very short time period. She has embraced all of the recommendations and has spearheaded the fundraising and budgeting aspect of the project.

In just a short amount of time, she was able to find private donors to seed the initial purchase of equipment as well as find a highly competitive national grant which will assist with the adoption/training of teachers on how to incorporate 21st Century technology tools in the classroom.

The principle of STM has shown unbelievable leadership and has set the stage for future generation STM graduates to exceed beyond the world of paper and pencil... beyond the world of technology... rather on establishing critical thinking skills through their use of electronic communication and collaboration tools (also known as computers).

With principle Audrey at the helm, there is no doubt in my mind that the program will be a program which can be modeled by other schools.  

2011 - Premier 100 IT Leaders

Earlier this week I was recognition by Computer World magazine as a Premier 100 IT Leader honoree. It goes without saying that I was humbled and honored by the recognition. At the same time, I'm challenged by it. The reality is that the recognition should go to the Information Technology department at Schumacher Group.

I've been exposed to a lot of professionals in the technology industry over the past 15 years. Hands down, what has been created at Schumacher Group is magical. These men and women work day in and day out to meet the needs of one of the fast growing companies in America.

My individual success is only possible because of the individuals who deploy solutions daily to improve the way healthcare is delivered by Schumacher Group. Without such an amazing group of individuals I would simply be a guy with a bunch of ideas in my head and no way to execute.

For those of you who don't know it, Schumacher Group's IT department has been recognized on multiple occasions for our work with Business Intelligence, Cloud computing, and Innovation in general. I've been humbled to work with some individuals within the department for almost 6 years now. Whether a new employee or a veteren member of the team, each bring a unique perspective, amazing influence, and critical thinking skills which are leveraged for the benifit of Schumacher Group as a whole.

While many IT professionals become complacent in their job role, members of Schumacher Group's IT department continue to look for new and creative opportunities to deliver business value. Regularly, I receive compliments on the team's customer service approach and willingness to get the job done regardless of obstacles. Internationally, we get recognized for our opinion on technology trends through multiple media sources.

Frequently, I encounter executives at major brand name companies who was rant about the poor service deliver of their IT team and the close mindedness of solutions. Each time I hear this, I proudly respond with... that's not how we approach IT as Schumacher Group. We view technology as a strategic component of our mission. Ultimately, everyone knows that the solution deployed within our department needs to have a positive impact on how we provide healthcare to 3.5 million patients annually.

I'd also be kidding myself if I were not to recognize that what sets Schumacher Group's IT strategy apart from other companies is the technology department's solid alignment with our primary customers, employees and clinical providers who encounter the solutions we deploy. Without the tremendous executive support we get directly from Dr. Schumacher and the C-Suite we would not be able to deliver half of what we deliver.

Words can't express how appreciative I am to be blessed to work with such amazing people. The ComputerWorld Premier 100 IT Leaders recognition should list all members of the Schumacher Group IT team rather than my name.

Electronic World is Amazing

For the past week, I have struggled with fighting a virus/flu. Thankfully, the staff at my office kicked me out the door. Unfortunately, my wife had to deal with me. I've been pretty much down and out for the week and only opperating at what I estimate to be 30% of my potential.

The amazing part. Despite my health challenges I've been able to stay fairly engaged despite still needing to read some 300+ emails. Over the past 6 years we have worked very hard to be as close to paperless as an office can be. In Information Technology, with the exception of copier leases - we are 100% digital.

The biggest place paper existed was in contracts and approvals. Recently, we moved our Purchase Ordering Process onto Salesforce.com utilizing Echosign. This is a pretty amazing process because our solution allows for me to digitally sign everything from contracts to fairly simple Purchase Orders.

I'm able to use echosign to sign documents on my blackberry, Ipad, and PC. These are the three devices I use the most. In addition to echosign, we have rolled out another product Docusign. Both Echosign and Docusign have their strengths and weeknesses. If the two products were combined they would be the perfect digital signature solution.

Over the past couple of days I've been able to do so many tasks remotely which could have only been dreamed of a few years ago.

- Employee salary adjustments and performance reviews via workday
- Expense reports via PeopleSoft (still have a bief with Oracle)
- Project status reviews via Salesforce.com
- Collaboration via Salesforce.com chatter and Google Docs

The hardest part of all the electronic tools is that they all live in differnt areas and have unique interfaces. The biggest challenge to adoption is having the ability to be nimble and not regimented into a one-size-fits-all thought process. Some of our employees struggle with this inconsistency and we continue to work on the challenges which come with such an approach.

We got the greatest compliment today... one user said "It was dummy proof". To me that's what the goal of every CIO should be. We need to make everything so brain dead that it can't be broken and our customers (typically employees) are excited to give feedback.

"cough" "cough" better get back to emails "cough" "cough"

-dsm

CIO search for the Lafayette Parish

Lafayette, LA -- The CIO search committee for Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG) announced its timeline for making a recommendation to City-Parish President Joey Durel.

In its national search for a new CIO, LCG is seeking an effective leader who addresses current critical needs and continues refinement of recently implemented systems, as well as continues the development of a long-term vision for the government’s information systems. In addition to efficient management of the city-parish technology operations, partnerships with local efforts such as LUS Fiber and FiberCorps will be stressed, as well as partnerships with LEDA, LITE, and other groups aiding and facilitating local technology-based economic development.

The CIO search committee is made up of technology professionals from the Lafayette community and will recommend two or three candidates upon completion of their efforts. These members are:
· Conrad Comeaux, Lafayette Parish Tax Assessor
· Tom Cox, CEO, Golfballs.com
· Jerry Greig, CIO, Fugro Chance Inc.
· Douglas Menefee, CIO, Schumacher Group
· Carol Skarlat, CIO, Stuller, Inc.

Over the past 60 days the committee has solicited feedback via survey mechanisms on what the characteristics and core skills of the next CIO should include. Surveyed groups included Lafayette City-Parish Council, employees of the LCG Information Services and Technology department, and LCG Directors. The information gathered was utilized to create a comprehensive job description which has been approved by City-Parish President Joey Durel. Members of the search committee will be utilizing various connections to CIO networks as well as social media to solicit resumes from interested candidates.

City-Parish President Joey Durel applauded the committee’s work so far and stressed its importance: “This committee has put in a great deal of work to ensure that we receive a host of high-quality applicants and that we have the tools to find the best fit for this government and this community. Technology is now at the heart of who we are as a community, and it is imperative that we find a person for this position that excels both in administration of our internal department and as an ambassador for Lafayette’s progress on the technological front.”

Individuals interested in applying for the position should send their resume to CIOSearch@lafayettela.gov for the committee to review. Candidates should submit resumes by March 3rd to be considered. The committee plans to make a recommendation of the top three candidates to City-Parish President Joey Durel by the beginning of April. The position is an appointed position and reports directly to the Chief Administrative Officer of LCG.

Committee members also issued statements on some of the traits they will be seeking as they make their recommendations. Jerry Greig shared the following about the committee’s focus: “Lafayette Parish has made much progress over the past six years on the deployment of technology to improve the way services are delivered. It is going to be important to find a CIO who has experience managing large budgets and enterprise technology solutions. The ideal CIO will have a solid foundation in technology architecture, with a passion for leveraging technology applications to drive process improvement.”

Douglas Menefee stated, “It is important that the parish of Lafayette find a CIO who can lead innovation while delivering on the core customer service needs of the parish residents and employees of LCG. Lafayette’s CIO needs to continue deliberate delivery on Joey’s vision of leveraging online services which can be accessed 24 hours a day/7 days a week.”

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Carlee Alm-LaBar, MPA
Assistant to City-Parish President Joey Durel
P.O. Box 4017-C
Lafayette, LA 70502
337.291.8307
calmlabar@lafayettela.gov

!st Gear Business plan bootcamp

Wow - can't believe how long it has been since I've posted to the blog. Very very busy. At anyrate I'm on the steering committee of the Opportunity Machine (Business Excellerator focused on development of high tech companies). Part of our strategy is to work with companies on the business plans.

This is a press release for an upcoming session. $70 - well worth the content.

1stGear Business Boot Camp scheduled for March 15




Lafayette, LA— On March 15, 2011 LEDA will host 1stGear— the inaugural session of the Opportunity Machine (OM) and the Louisiana Small Business Development Center's (LSBDC) collaborative series of seminars designed for technology start-ups, spin-offs, and the development of new service lines. The session will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at LEDA, 211 East Devalcourt Street in Lafayette, LA.

The 1stGear “business boot camp” will focus on teaching attendees how to develop a robust and functional business plan optimized to facilitate the growth and success of their company. Attendees will learn methods for effective business planning such as research, industry analysis, positioning for target markets, risk assessment, and putting their business plan to use. They will also receive a copy of one of the most practical resources on the topic, Successful Business Plan: Secrets and Strategies by Rhonda Abrams. This book is frequently cited as one of the leading texts on the subject. Q&A sessions and group exercises will be interspersed among the presentations. At the end of the day there will be a discussion of future Opportunity Machine events.

“This series is an in-depth look at starting and growing the kinds of companies that form a new facet of our economy,” says Mark Galyean, LSBDC Director. “Louisiana entrepreneurs have a history of creating high-tech, high-growth companies, and this program will help today’s entrepreneurs continue that tradition by exploring how to ensure a better chance of success for their vision right here in Acadiana.”

“Lafayette has in place leading-edge technology infrastructure that allows individuals and companies with creative ideas to thrive in the digital economy. However, even in today’s digital world, successful entrepreneurship requires a special set of knowledge, tools and personal character,” says Dr. Joby John, Dean of the UL Lafayette Moody College of Business Administration. “These boot camps will help participants understand what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur and what Lafayette has to offer to an emerging business.”

1stGear costs $70 per person. This provides participants with the Opportunity Machine’s GearBox, a business development resources kit, and the hands-on feedback of seasoned executives. A flash drive loaded with the speakers’ presentations is also available to participants who provide feedback for the development of future sessions. Space is limited so preregistration is required; payments may be made in advance or upon arrival. Lunch will be provided. For more information, or to pre-register for 1stGear, please contact the Louisiana Small Business Development Center by calling (337) 262-5344, by emailing lsbdc.ull@lsbdc.org, or by visiting www.acadianasmallbiz.com.

The Opportunity Machine is a business accelerator whose goal is to encourage the creation of innovative businesses and related jobs in Acadiana through start-ups, growth of existing firms, and the recruitment of technology-intensive companies. OM is a partnership between the Lafayette Economic Development Authority, the Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, and the Louisiana Small Business Development Center.

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When "social" works... and when it doesn't

The proliferation of businesses trying to discover how to leverage "social" media continues to intrigue me.

Today, I tweeted that I was excited about ordering my new NordicTrack treadmill.You can see my tweet stream here.  http://twitter.com/#!/douglobb Within 5-10 minutes of tweeting @NordicTracklive posted a tweet telling me that I would be happy with the product and that if I send them my tracking number - they will keep me posted. This is truly an example of a company that gets "social". They didn't push anything on my, they simply engaged me in a conversation.

Interesting enough... as I was research treadmills this week they had posted on Facebook and Twitter that there was an extra $100 off the model that I wasn't considering... Seeing the savings I explored the model they were offering the discount on (which ended at midnight last night) and ended up expediting my purchase and buying a slightly more expensive model. Marketing that worked!

On top of that... I engaged in a chat session with a customer service rep while I was browsing the site who was able to clearly and accurately able to answer my questions.  He threw in a "tread mill" mat just for engaging him.

Let me break this down for you guys on ROI.

1) I was a buyer doing research
2) Nordic is a major brand and had great reviews from an online site Treadmilldoctor.com which lead me to look at the Nordic website
3) Saw a model I was interested in but was looking for "testimonials" on the ifit live and google maps integration... took me to Nordic's facebook site... from there I saw a discount on a model... saw same thing on twitter site and clicked on link to alternative model than I was originally looking at
4) Looked on YouTube for ifit and google map treadmill... really thinking to myself this is jut too good to be true
5) Went back to Nordic site and engaged a CSR in an only chat session comparing models... he told me if I send him the order number he will get an extra mat appended to my order
6) Still wasn't sold 100%... drove to "Sears" to look at the physical footprint of the Nordic unit (didn't have the exact model I was looking for)
7) Place my order online
8) Tweeted about it... now blogging about it

I can only assume that the marketers behind the scenes are monitoring my interactions with facebook, twitter, chat, and the website

NordicTrack gets it and social worked to seal a deal when I was comparison shopping.

On the other hand let's take another favorite brand of mine... Continental
There marketers opted to post the fact that they took delivery of a new airplane today on their facebook site:

a) They are not responding to comments
b) They never respond to tweets or facebook posts
c) They post a photo of new airplane which seemed to frustrate some "stranded" travelers who can't get through on the phones and email channels

There is so much power to be harnessed with the power of the social medium. Companies who get it will prosper (by get it I mean "engage" in conversation with their customers)... companies who only use it as the same ole' "push" medium will never see a true ROI.

Open letter sent to Schumacher Group IT

The work that Schumacher Group IT does is too good for me to not publicly acknowledge. Below is an email I sent to the department after our datacenter experienced a short outage due to the failure of a redundant UPS which is supposed to guard against electrical outages.

Information Technology:

It is only fitting that Schumacher Group IT close out the year with a stunning example of team work and poise under pressure. I doubt that I can find the words to express my true gratitude to each and everyone of you for your exemplary service this past year and during the great outage of December 23.

We all know a real problem exists when Jamie D leaves the server room to come to my office with the following statement; "we have a serious problem, there is no electricity in the data center". It was the most emotion I have ever seen come from Jamie and it was most appropriate for the situation. Never panicked, only focused the journey was underway.

For the life of me I can not figure out why these electrical issues seem to always occur on holidays.

Despite only having myself, Felix, Brian, and Jamie on site at the time of the incident the response didn't feel a hiccup. Sean ditched Christmas at the in-laws leaving behind a disappointed wife and headed to the office as others ended their plans with family and friends to offer a helping hand.


Thirty minutes of electrical trouble shooting resolved the initial issue. From there came booting 100+ servers, routers, and switches. Call trees within IT were executed and many disregarded their well deserved personal time off to ensure that we got all systems back on-line.

Though most were working remote and over cell phones, the systems rapidly started to come back online. Everyone kept a cool, calm, and collected head on their shoulder without a complaint being aired. So many things were done by so many people it is impossible for me to go through the list. It was truly a departmental effort working at it's best.

I always say, it is not a matter of if technology will fail, it is a matter of when will it fail and how do we react. Each time we go through these situations it makes us stronger. Today, you demonstrated to me that we are a well oiled machine in a time of crisis and that each of you have an outstanding commitment to the Schumacher Group.

I continue to remain honored and humbled to work with you as individuals and as a department. Not just for today's performance, rather for the work that you do everyday to allow Schumacher Group to have a positive impact on the healthcare industry and the 3.2 million patients who entrust us with their lives and confidential health information.

During new hire orientation I often explain my job with the quote "my job is to see to it that you are successful".

The work that each of you do makes me successful and for that I owe you my gratitude. I can't think of a better group of individuals to tackle what is sure to be a challenging 2011.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Douglas Menefee
CIO
Schumacher Group

Location:Houston,United States