The Concept of Now

South African English (as with any variation of any language) has a number of quirks that have arisen from the context of the melting pot of cultures and languages of the region.  In South Africa these are not seen as quirks.  They are seen as the normal form of expression.

So it was that I came to America, knowing that language would be different, but not realizing that my common, everyday expression would be confusing to those around me.  Take, for example, the concept of "Now".  To a South African it is a concept rich in meaning and nuances.  I soon realized that most other cultures clearly do not experience the present as richly as do South Africans.

To help my friends from other cultures benefit from the richness of this simple word (and so that I don't have to explain myself for the thousandth time) I have posted this simple guide to the South African concept of Now - with clear examples to prevent misunderstandings when people visit the country.

In South Africa the word “now” is used in a number of different ways, and almost all of them refer to a time other than the present.

In most situations the word now actually means “next”

For example:

Guest:  “Would you please bring my bags to my room?”

Porter:  “Certainly sir, I’ll bring them now.”

In this example the porter is telling the guest that the request is next on his list of things to do.  This should not be confused with the concepts “mañana” or “African Time” which mean that it may or may not get done over the next day or two.  “Now” is a definite commitment to get it done as soon as I’ve finished what I’m currently busy with.

So, what if you need something done immediately?  

There are two ways of getting this message across:

Guest:  “Could you please bring my bags to my room right now?”

Porter:  “Certainly sir, I’ll bring them now”

Guest:  “Not now, please, NOW!”

In this example “right now” is a somewhat more polite than the strongly emphasized “NOW”.  However, notice that even when we assert ourselves in such a manner, we are never over-demanding and are sure to include "please" to ensure that the other person knows their assistance is valued.

What if you’d like something done sometime between one and two hours from the present? 

In these cases we use the phrase “just now”.  For example:

Guest:  “Could you bring my bags to my room?”

Porter:  “Certainly sir, I’ll bring them right now”

Guest:  “No need to hurry, I’m first going to get something to eat, you can bring them just now”

In the example the context indicates to the porter more or less how long he has before he takes the bags – probably about 1½ hours (we like to take our time eating).

When using the term “just now” it is important to place a slight emphasis on the word “just”.  It’s “just now”, not “just now” (which doesn’t convey any meaning at all).

If you’d like someone to take even more time doing what you asked (perhaps 2 - 3 hours) you can also stretch out the word “just”. For example:

Father on phone:  “Marie, when should I fetch you from the party?”

Daughter on cell phone:  “Juuuu………………..uuuust now, Pa, we’re having a really good time.”

Father:  “I’m coming RIGHT now!!”

In summary:  Now means “next on my list of things to do”, right now means “immediately” and just now means “at a definite point in the next couple of hours”.

Now, South Africa is a friendly country and it is a very important part of our culture not to inconvenience anyone.  So is there a way we can communicate that we understand the urgency, and are willing to help, but we have a lot to do and we don’t really know if we’ll be able to complete the task immediately? 

Yes, with the term “now-now”.  For example:

Guest:  “Could you arrange some Rugby tickets for Saturday’s game?”

Concierge:  “Certainly ma’am, I’ll need to make a few calls.  When do you need them?”

Guest:  “I’m not in a hurry, but it would be good to know if you have them so I can arrange my week.”

Concierge:  “No problem, ma’am, I’ll call you back now-now”

This means that the concierge will get back to you as soon as he has been able to get the information, but it might take a little longer than usual because there are a number of things he has to do to accommodate your request.  The use of the double “now” actually softens the meaning of “now” instead of intensifying it.  Another translation for “now-now” might be “in due course”.

This should not be confused with the term “now now” when spoken in a cautionary tone.  For example:

Bar Patron #1:  “Have you seen that girl at the end of the bar?  I’m going to get her number.”

Bar Patron #2:  “Now now Frik, she’s an England supporter, we don’t want to consort with the enemy!”

Also not to be confused with the term “now now” when spoken in a comforting tone.  For example:

Bar Patron #1:  “Can you believe it?  She slapped me!”

Bar Patron #2:  “Now now Frik, cheer up, it’s for the best.  Let me buy you another beer.  You’ll feel better now-now.”

Final note:  all of these terms can be used in the past tense as well.

For example:

Guest:  “Did you take my bags to my room?”

Porter:  “Yes sir, I took them just now.”

Guest:  “Really?  Because I was up there now, and I didn’t see them.”

Porter:  “Right now?”

Guest:  “Well, now-now.  On my way between the spa and the gift shop”

Porter:  “Oh, I probably just missed you.  If you go up now, you’ll find them”

Guest:  “OK, sorry!”  (always apologize after questioning a person’s actions – although that’s another subject altogether)

Porter: “No problem, sir, enjoy your stay”

A Winter's Trail

Getting to work has been a harrowing experience for me in the past.  (see my blog Getting to Work on my First Day at Forrester for just one example of the ordeal I have to endure on "The Path").

Imagine my delight, therefore, when I arrived at the trailhead for my morning commute to find that it had been transformed into a magical world of indescribable beauty and convenience.






The flag that once snapped stridently in gales now hangs in muted elegance, welcoming me to a smoothly sculpted arrangement of gently curving boulders.























The stone steps are coated with soft snow, inviting one to step onto the cosy trail that envelops one's feet in comfort.

So soft is each step, so silent the tread, that one can no longer even feel one's own feet.

Every turn in the trail reveals a doorway to a new discovery.  Gracefully arched branches form a beautiful picture and then quickly pull one past them - revealing themselves to be simply a frame for the openness that lies beyond.

Benches dot the trail for those who are so overcome by the beauty of the experience that they can proceed no further.  There they sit, huddled figures with awe in their dazed eyes.  Their sense of mortality temporarily suspended by the magic around them.

But one cannot sit there for long.  For the majesty of the trail beckons.  One is drawn onward, ever onward, by the hint of what lies next.

Before long the buttockal evidence of those who reclined in awe is covered softly, so gently, by the pillowy wisps of snow that serve the trail.

It would be a mistake to think that the trail is a quiet place that embraces one in its solitude.  While the snow gently enfolds the trail in peace, it is not a silence devoid of life.

The trail attracts all who strive for release and freedom.  A place where contemplation is as natural as frolicking; a cocoon that contains a world of carefree innocence.

This is a place of living beauty, but it is also a place that celebrates the artistry of the cycle of birth and re-birth.  Discarded branches are transformed into an impromptu sculpture that celebrates the life-giving power of the trees from which they have fallen.

A bough of feathered green is dusted with a delicate coat that calls to the traveler with a promise.  "Pass under me and I will enshroud you with powdered clouds of swirling crystals."

And so coated one rounds the curve onto the sturdy bridge.  A reminder that no matter how perfect this world seems, it is grounded in reality.  The bridge gently connects the surreal world of the trail with the well trodden path beyond.  The transition is marked with a small light of hope and cheer.

And here the trail yields to the lighted pathway - no less beautiful and certainly as welcoming, but in a formal, grand manner.  Marsh and field breaking through the blanket of white, demonstrating the strength and will of the path, in contrast to the whimsical trail.






And there the path ends.  The office, which once seemed like a safe haven, now looms behind an emergency unit.  The atmosphere is fraught.  The threat of the interior hangs heavily in the crisp air.  Soon I will enter this place and leave behind the magic of the trail - I will enter the warm, dry interior and wistfully think about the delightful crisp, wet, cold of the trail...

iOS 7: When Philosophies Clash Customers get Hurt

Last night I made the unfortunate error of downloading iOS 7 to my iPhone.

Before I go any further, let me head off any argument about downloading things before you look at them. I watched the video.  I read the reviews.  I decided to upgrade.  I regret my decision.  So severely that I have decided to blog about a piece of technology.

Let me also head off any discussion about people being stuck in the past.  I am fine with innovation.  I am fine with changing the look of things to make them more accessible.  I am fine with anything that is done to improve customer experience.  So much so that 2 years ago, I made the move to Apple in the first place.  Not just my phone.  Everything.  And that move made my online life so much richer.

And I did not end there.  At the first glimmer of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), I jumped in with 3 devices.  I suppose there is no stronger advocate than a convert.  And that is exactly what I was.

And now this... this... this bunch of illegible doodles on a piece of fine engineering.

So I go online to see what everyone is saying.  And what I get is a lot of heated tweets and posts.  And in the midst of it all, a high-brow and smug discussion on the battle between two opposing design philosophies.

"You see," says the one side (the Flatlanders), "look at all the functionality you can get when you flatten out the design and take away components that make them like real world artifacts."  Bull!!!!  Since when did the design of an icon have anything to do with the functionality that lies behind it?

"But," says the other side (the Skeumorphists), "you need designs that look like things in the real world so that users can make the connection between what they do in real life and how they use their device."  Seriously?  We can't figure out abstract representations?

Both sides have a point.  Icons should not be so elaborate that they become an object in and of themselves.  At the same time you need some semblance to real life so you can navigate through what your phone does.  You wouldn't put a picture of a sketchpad to represent the camera function - even though they both have to do with recording images.

This article sums up the argument quite nicely:  Wired.com Article about skeumorphists and flatlanders

But this is where I take issue.  Analysts and reviewers are having a great time debating the merits of these approaches and how each type of design has its advantages.  But I don't see anybody actually talking about how real customers are getting hurt in the crossfire.

Simply put - the new iOS 7 is a design and aesthetic disaster.

"Come on!" I hear you saying.  "It can't be that bad.  This is Apple, the epitome of Attention to Detail and the Champion of the Customer Experience."

That's what I thought - and that's why I trusted the upgrade.  But I was wrong.

The new functionality is great.  Control Center, AirDrop, the ability to block contacts, the camera interface.  But that functionality is hidden behind garish colors, barely legible text and washed out icons that fly in from the edges of the screen every time you log in.

The designers did away with the textures of real life - the leather, wood, paper and fabric.  Fine.  I'm OK with that, as long as you have something really good to replace them with.  Something that makes the icons easy to distinguish, and the text and symbols easy to read.

So I get that they did not want to simulate real life.  That they wanted to provide an interface to a virtual world that represents the virtual-ness of that world.  But did they have to represent a virtual world that looks like a hospital ward, or an avant-garde art gallery that drapes white sheets over every surface and projects blobs of light against them - with text that is light so you don't actually offend the emptiness with meaning that might be permanent?

Summary:  Apple I have no issue with your changed philosophy - but I hate the way you executed it.  Whatever comes next, please leave my MacBook alone!

So all this is my opinion.  But let me share just four screenshots that illustrate why I hold this opinion.  And then you can make up your own mind.  The first three took place during a phone call (note the green strip at the top).  The pictures were taken using the iPhone screen shot utility and I uploaded them as is.

Great color use on the banner,
especially with the white font

The phone screen while on a call.
I don't know about you, but I like
to see the picture of the person
I'm talking to.  This frosted glass
effect was taken way too far.
---
And how big does the "End"
icon need  to be?
I ended this call by mistake twice
(Name of caller deleted)

Note the great color use of the
"Notes" and "Reminders" icons.
White on white is a great choice!

Sharp and clear...

As long as you're not trying to

check the status of your email

at a glance.  (Name of my

employer deleted, since this is

a personal opinion)

Getting to Work on my First Day at Forrester

When I accepted my new job at Forrester in Cambridge, MA I had no idea of the challenges I would face just getting to work.

On my first day I braved "The Path".  Every day that I reach the office from now on will be a triumph over almost insurmountable odds.

First, I have to struggle to the head of the trail.  Clambering over huge boulders and cliff-like stairs, while the flag snaps in the staunch wind.

 

After stumbling past the last boulder, I encounter an oppressive bank of trees closing in on the one side and wild grass and plants grabbing at my legs on the other.

Ducking under low hanging branches as I try to follow the barely discernible path.

Where trees are sparse, the sun beats relentlessly down on my exhausted frame.

Testament to the arduous nature of the "trail":  Resuscitation stations like these have been positioned at regular intervals along the way for wayfarers who take on more than they can handle.

Then a precarious balancing act over a wooden bridge suspended over treacherous swamps...

Until finally, my haven appears as I run the gauntlet between the outstretched, nightmarish boughs grasping at my clothes.

And then I have to make the trip back again in the afternoon.  And I haven't even started talking about those Canada geese and their polite aggression.  How am I going to survive this?

The Importance of (not) being (too) Earnest

Everyone has demons that arrive at unexpected times to inset into their placid lives cringing moments of embarrassment and regret. I am no exception. My demons come in the form of memories of unfortunate things I have said in the past, or of times that I have done something really stupid. In my case these demons appear regularly and in throngs, often jostling for position in my meagre consciousness, like an enthusiastic mob of shoppers when a store opens for the Black Friday sale.

And just when I manage to escape their clutching claws to find peace in a figurative forest glade, where the summer shade of the trees is just warm enough to ease my slide into figurative sleep, someone nudges me gently. Ever so politely they introduce me to a new demon. The thing I said or did that I didn't even remember.

Now some people would prefer to remain ignorant of their stupidity, simply shrugging off the stranger's nudges and going back to sleep, where sweet dreams of their nobility and heroism are unbroken by reality.

I, however, am too curious. If someone nudges me gently, I am taken in. I expect that what they have to say will be as gentle and as kindly as their nudge. It's not like they're running at me, yelling and making murderous insinuations with a knife, a heavy ITIL book, or some other deadly weapon. In those cases I prefer to remain ignorant, perhaps even distant.

No, I smile back at them and invite their comments. It is then that I am advised, ever so nicely, that something I said (with the best intention, of course) some years beforehand resulted in the type of turbulence that causes airlines to declare an emergency and cancel all flights.

I pause, not knowing whether I should try to keep smiling or immediately admit guilt and break down unconsolably. Instead I manage a look of what I hope reflects the concern I feel and, wanting to appraise the effect this particular demon will have on me in the coming weeks, ask for more details.

And so it happened that at the itSMF LIG meeting in Bloomington last night I was gently approached by a very kind gentleman, who had asked some interesting questions during the session. I recognized him, but couldn't remember the circumstances under which we had met.

Those precise circumstances, however, were indelibly imprinted on his life, and it was this remarkable impression on him that he wished to discuss with me. About four years ago, I was invited to a session at the company where he was working to provide my expert opinion about their ITSM strategy and some tactical issues they were having. As I recall this session consisted of me seated in front of a large group of people who fired various questions at me. I don't recall any of the faces due to the distinct impression that a spotlight (on their part) and a copious amount of sweat (on my part) were involved.

Apparently, though, my role had been cast (unknown to me, I must stress) as that of Arbitrator-in-Chief.  According to the gentle nudger every innocent and well-intentioned answer was duly transcribed and acted upon forthwith.  My opinion, it seems, carried so much weight that it was accorded the power of decision-making.  What seemed like innocent questions were actually a quest to settle long-standing political debates and petty disagreements alike.  The boxing gloves were left in the ring - I alone would declare the winners and losers.

Had I known of my dubious status in this group, I would no doubt have derived a certain feeling of power and importance - and I would have remembered every detail of the day.  However, the questions  they asked were similar to those asked in every organization that has embarked on a journey of ITSM.  My answers were fairly similar too, as I recall.

And so it was with some surprise that I sized up the demon that my gentle nudger began to unleash.  He had asked a question about defining services - mainly so that they could set up a service catalog.  The question was whether a service organization should define their services before speaking to the customer, or whether they should define their services based on what the customer tells them.

My answer, as I recall it, was that before you speak to your customer, you should first figure out what services you think you are providing.  Imagine walking into a restaurant and being told that there is no menu - you have to define your own meal.

CUSTOMER:  Well, what kind of food do you make?  Italian, Indian, Steaks, Seafood?  What do we have to choose from?
SERVER:  Whatever you like
CUSTOMER:  Surf and Turf with buffalo filet and lobster tail
SERVER:  Sorry we don't have that, what about a beef sirloin and a couple of shrimp?
CUSTOMER:  You guys really suck!
SERVER:  But it's the best sirloin and shrimp in the world.....

No matter how good the sirloin and shrimp are, they're never going to be as good as the customer's original request.  So what was the answer I should have provided?  There are two scenarios:

1. Services that we already provide.  They were defined by the customer at some point, but the documentation no longer exists, and the person who developed it can no longer remember the details (or is no longer employed by us).  Before you ask the customer about that service, you should have an idea of what it looks like from your side.  It doesn't have to be sophisticated, but you need to be able to talk sense to the customer about a service that you are supposedly already delivering.  Under no circumstances should you hand the customer a blank sheet of paper and ask them to tell you what service they would like.  Remember that the budget has already been spent on delivering what they are already getting - you can't create the impression that you're going to give them everything they have ever hoped for without paying anything.
2. New services.  Here, the customer has to define what they want.  Our job is to sit and make notes, nod encouragingly and get excited.  Then we go away and calculate what it will take to deliver the service and how much it will cost.  We also define a lower budget (lower performance) offering so that we can show willingness to work with the customer to get them as close as possible to their budget AND requirements

However:  VERY IMPORTANT NOTE (and one which seems to have been forgotten in the victory dance of the gentle nudger's opponents):  No matter where you begin defining a service, it HAS TO end up being defined from the customer's point of view.  No matter what the IT components look like, and how they relate to one another, the customer is interested in three things only:

• Will this service make my job easier?
• Will it help make us (me) successful?
• Will it help me to increase business performance at an optimal cost?

To my gentle nudger of last night:  I apologize sincerely for the turbulence I caused you by an answer that appeared to have supported your opponents.  As it happens you both have a valid point.  Your point was strategically correct.  Their point was tactically pragmatic.  I stand by my answer, qualified as above, but I didn't know the background to the question.

So what are the lessons I have learned from this?

Don't be too earnest about ITIL.  There is no ultimate truth or authority in IT Management, not even ITIL and its authors.  Readers should evaluate carefully what they read and judge how it will work for them (or not).  Authors should remain humble because they simply formalize what they have seen in the industry.  Also, don't be too earnest about being right - the truth is often a combination of different points of view.  Take time to listen, debate and distill the common sense.

I am grateful for this particular kind of demon, even if it does torture me a little.  It will help me to grow and learn, and to remember to remain humble, because I never know how my words will be used.  I choose not to remain ignorant, and I genuinely appreciate the gentle nudgers of my life.  I consider you my friends and fellow travelers.

Introduction

Today, I once again proved that I have no life, as I used some free time to muse about metrics and services and customers.  It struck me that most of my more profound thoughts were not publishable in any sane forum.  This is not in dispute.  Those who have sat on one of my classes, or "benefited" from my advice in a consulting project would most certainly agree.

However, sanity should never be the criterion by which we judge the quality of a thought.  How sane did the contemporaries of the Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison and Noah judge their ideas?  And so I mused, why not give the world the benefit of some of my more dubious thinking?

Unlike famous people, some of whom have employed scribes to record their every musing, much what I think will never be recorded for the benefit of others.  Some would greet that realization with enthusiasm.  I can hear their encouragement resounding through the domains of the internet.  "We have often thought" they say reassuringly "that silence is a trait that would suit your personality.  You should seek to grow in the area of keeping your opinion to yourself."

Much though I respect this heartfelt morale-boosting, I have never been one to depend to heavily on the crutches of my supporters.  "No," I mused "a thought that sounds dubious coming from me, might grow wings and be taken to new levels if it were stumbled across on the internet - that authoritative source of all wisdom."

And so begins a record of my musings about the world of Service Management.

Dear Reader, what I write here has no authority beyond that it comes from the darker recesses of my tortuous mind.  You are free to use it if it helps, but I make no promises as to its usefulness.  Read with extreme caution or with cheerful abandon.  The facts I put forth are almost certainly embroidered to within an inch of falsehood.  The discoveries I make have almost certainly been made long before me by people with a brain that actually functions as a brain should function. The feeling with which I write, though, is genuine.

My idle thoughts are designed to entertain myself and anyone who shares my wicked sense of humor.

Enjoy my blog!