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Dear Sacha,
Computer
software can be a wonderfully simple tool. As complex as the software
we use may appear to be, in the end it comes down to a binary choice. 1
or 0? Yes or no? By answering a series of these questions you can get a
result that looks complex. For example, by answer three yes/no
questions you can decide whether a particular word or sentence should
have italics, be in bold, or underlined. More importantly, if you make
the same choices on a different computer, with the same software,
you'll get the same result. Always.
If only human interaction were so simple.
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Can Software be our Boon?
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| Time to KISS and make up.
Sometimes
it is inevitable to wonder why everyone isn't jumping on the software
bandwagon. Cost and complexity are issues, of course, but both can be
addressed. Both have been addressed, and addressed very well indeed.
Software as a Service (Saas) can make software available at a fraction
of the cost of purchasing the same or a similar product. Even complex
software can follow the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) principle so that
it remains user friendly.
Our own ElectronicTender System (ETS)
is an excellent example of a comprehensive software product that is
made economical through SaaS and designed to be very user friendly.
An
important aspect of solid software design is that such a product can
make it much harder for users to make a mistake. This is particularly
important in procurement - or any job where mistakes or oversights can
have costly consequences. Human error can never be eliminated but it
can be reduced. Every error that's caught is a return on your
investment.
An investigation the Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform is carrying out reminded me of how dangerous human
(mis)understand can be. To one person it's a friendly pat on the back,
to another it's assault. For one person it's a nice compliment about a
dress, for the other it's sexual harrassment. Neither is a situation in
which we'd ever expect to find ourselves.
Mr. Glenn English, the
Chief Executive Officer of the National Rural Electric Cooperative
Association (NRECA), is perhaps equally bewildered. Did he think that a
concert invitation would result in him giving testimony before the
Committee? Probably not. No doubt he'd have appreciated it if there had
been a little pop-up warning.
There is no software that can help
us in any of those unfortunate circumstances. However, when there is
software to help us do our jobs it becomes very pertinent to ask if it
isn't better to invest in it. For most of us, our jobs certainly aren't
becoming any easier. Many of us couldn't do our work without the
technology available to us. For today it's enough, there is no question
of that. Tomorrow, "so far, so good" may sound hollow.
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"Look
to the future" and "look around" are phrases or thoughts I've used
often. They are mantras of a sort. It is important to look to the
future to try to determine what you will need - doesn't every business
guru say as much? It's equally important to look around, because what
you need or what you've been looking for may already be available. The
future doesn't always cost an arm and a leg.
The letter to Mr. English is available from the Committe on Oversight and Government Reform.
Sincerely,
Sacha Hartmann
YSER Inc.
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