Click on our Sponsors to help Support SunWorld

Harris & Randy's First Annual Survey

We've been preaching the New IT gospel for two years.
Now it's our turn to listen.

April 1996

Mail this
article to
a friend

We've been writing columns on the subject of implementing and managing the proper client/server infrastructure to support the new enterprise for more than two years. Hopefully some of the information has been useful.

We've also talked to thousands of IT professionals and executives in the past few years on the subject of rightsizing, downsizing, capsizing (whatever you want to call it) to discuss the adventures they've experienced navigating unchartered waters.

Wouldn't it be nice to consolidate all this data and have it available for everyone to read? What a novel idea!

For a couple of old IT managers/technoids going from airport to airport in every corner of this planet, compiling this type of data can be a bit difficult -- until now. Nothing beats the World Wide Web for collecting information quickly from far flung sources.

Please take a few minutes to answer the questions, then select Submit Form. We'll share the results of the survey in an upcoming column.

Advertisements

Which of the folowing best describes your primary job duties:
Non-technical manager Technical manager Systems analyst
System administrator Network administrator Programmer
Student/educator Other non-technical Other technical
Have you been involved in any "rightsizing" or "reengineering" efforts?
Yes (please continue to the next question)
No (please skip to question 14)
Describe the general scope of your most recent reengineering or rightsizing effort:
Department Several departments at one location
Several departments at several locations
One discipline (i.e., accounting, HR, or inventory) enterprise-wide
Several disciplines enterprise-wide Entire enterprise
Describe the relative performance of your most recent reengineering or rightsizing effort:
Exceeded performance expectations, generally speaking
Met performance expectations, generally speaking
Failed to meet performance expectations
Describe the functional success of your most recent reengineering or rightsizing effort:
Exceeded functional expectations, generally speaking
Met functional expectations, generally speaking
Failed to meet functional expectations
Pick the statement that's most accurate for your most recent reengineering or rightsizing effort:
Overspent our financial budget by about 50% or more
Overspent our financial budget by about 11 to 49%
Met financial budget, give or take 10%
Underspent our financial budget by 11% or more
I don't know
Pick the statement that's most accurate for your most recent reengineering or rightsizing effort:
Took longer than planned by about 50% or more
Took longer than planned by about 11 to 49%
Took as long as expected, give or take 10% of the allotted time
Took less time than expected by 11% or more
I don't know
In general, your organization's leaders consider the most recent reengineering or rightsizing effort:
a success neither a clear success or failure
a failure I don't know
In general, you consider the most recent reengineering or rightsizing effort:
a success neither a clear success or failure
a failure I don't know
Your most recent reengineering or rightsizing effort's primary goal was to:
save time (time-to-market or customer care issues)
save money (reduce personnel or process costs)
cut other costs (retire old equipment, procedures)
I don't know
Your most recent reengineering or rightsizing effort resulted in:
Net decrease in employment No net change in staffing levels
Net increase in employment I don't know
Your most recent reengineering or rightsizing effort resulted in:
Increased costs No change in costs
Cost savings I don't know
In your experience what causes a rightsizing or client/server effort to fail? Succeed? (Give us examples!)

Select the primary platforms and products your department is working towards:
- Desktop
  DOS Windows Windows 95
  Windows NT OS/2 Unix Other
- Server
  NetWare MVS VM VMS
  Unix Windows NT Other
- Network
  IPX SNA DECnet
  TCP/IP Other
Select the primary platforms and products your enterprise is working towards:
- Desktop
  DOS Windows Windows 95
  Windows NT OS/2 Unix Other
- Server
  NetWare MVS VM VMS
  Unix Windows NT Other
- Network
  IPX SNA DECnet
  TCP/IP Other
In general, computing standards in your department are controlled by
My department Some by department and some by central MIS
Mostly by central MIS My department is MIS I don't know
In general, computing standards in my enterprise are controlled by
Departments Some by department and some by central MIS
Mostly by central MIS I don't know
How has setting and following computing standards succeeded or failed at your organization? (Give us examples!)

Pundits are suggesting that Web technologies will make a profound impact on sharing information within organizations in general, and will alter the notion of client/server computing in particular. Which statement reflects most accurately what's happening in your department:
Web technologies do not apply to my department's core mission
We are evaluating the Web, but continuing other development efforts
Conducting some Web development now, continuing other efforts
Primary development effort uses Web technology
Which statement reflects most accurately what's happening elsewhere in your organization:
Web technologies do not apply to my organization's core mission
Evaluating the Web, but continuing other development efforts
Conducting some Web development now, continuing other efforts
Our primary development effort uses Web technology
I don't know
How will your organization use Web technology internally? Will this replace or enhance client/server efforts? (Give us examples!)

Optional: Indicate your name, company, and e-mail address below so that we can contact you for additional follow-up questions.

Name:
Organization:
Email:

Harris Kern (harris.kern@sunworld.com) is Sun's Open Systems Migration Consultant for NAAFO Market Development. Randy Johnson (randy.johnson@sunworld.com) owns R&H Associates, a full-time rightsizing consultancy in Boulder Creek, CA. R&H Associates helps people worldwide in implementing and supporting client/server infrastructures based on their proven methodologies. © 1996 Harris Kern and Randy Johnson. All rights reserved.

Pick up a copy of their book Rightsizing The New Enterprise: The Proof Not the Hype SunSoft Press/PTR Prentice Hall, ISBN# 0-13-132184-6 or their new book Managing The New Enterprise: The Proof Not the Hype by Kern, Johnson, Hawkins, Law, and Kennedy, SunSoft Press/PTR Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-231184-4. SunSoft Press has a URL at http://www.sun.com/smi/ssoftpress

Click on our Sponsors to help Support SunWorld

Resources

Other Unix Enterprise
/sunworldonline/common/swol-backissues-columns.html#unix

If you have technical problems with this magazine, contact webmaster@sunworld.com

URL: http://www.sunworld.com/swol-04-1996/swol-04-unix.html
Last modified:

Comments:
Name:
Email:
Company Name:

Harris & Randy's First Annual Survey

We've been preaching the New IT gospel for two years. Now it's our turn to listen.

We've been preaching the New IT gospel for two years.
Now it's our turn to listen.