Editing Style in Crash Essay

Paul Haggis’ 2003 film Crash is about Los Angeles citizens with very separate lives. They go through interweaving stories of race, loss and redemption. It shows us how we connect or disconnect with other people. Although we feel separated by a number of factors such as race, class, status or gender we are more connected than we think. The editing used in this film contributes to the over-all theme. Characters involved are a black detective estranged from his mother, his criminal younger brother and gang partner, a white District Attorney and his irritated and pampered wife, a racist white police officer who disgusts his more younger partner, an African American Hollywood director and his wife, a Persian-immigrant father who is distrustful and vigilant of others, and a locksmith who is a Hispanic hard-working family man. A lot of cross cutting is used to connect the different characters together. For example in the end of one scene the door slams. The sound of the door slamming is used to wake up the other person in the next scene. The ending of one scene is pushing a door, and a door opening leads to the next scene. The ending of a scene is a close up of the black detective putting groceries away in his mother’s fridge; the next scene is the District Attorney’s wife talking about grocery shopping. This film uses montage shots so that the overall effect is greater than the individual parts. The length of each shot determines the pace of the action including the change of pace and that affects the mood. The shot of the introduction of each character lasted about the same time. That way we saw the general type of person or attitude each character has. When shots were used to show emotion, the shot lasted a bit longer so that the viewers are able to connect and understand the character. Especially in the scene when the Persian father shot the Hispanic man’s little girl. That went into slow motion and the shot lasted long. The music was sad and dramatic and that shot personally made me cry because I can really feel the pain of the tragedy that just occurred. A scene that sends a message through editing is when the black Hollywood director and his wife were stopped by the white police officer. The white police officer molests his wife and that hurts the couple in many ways. They both become very affected by what happened. Later on in the film the wife gets into a car accident where her car flipped over and gets stuck but needs to get out of the car before it explodes. That event became a turning point in the white officer’s life and changed him. He became the opposite of the man that was introduced to us. This editing plays an important role because it shows us that the same person who hurt us would be the same person that is there in your time of need. The editing used in this film definitely portrays the theme. The techniques used show that all the major events that happened in their lives were caused by each other. People that think that they have no connection with each other actually are connected. The editing used in this film had an important role in sending an important message to the viewers. There may be differences between us but we are all the same, we are all human with feelings and emotions. We are all connected.

Enterprise Resource Planning Essay Example

Enterprise Resource Planning Essay Example Enterprise Resource Planning Paper Enterprise Resource Planning Paper Group Project I Evaluation of an Enterprise Application : ERP Systems of Volkswagen and Nestle Executive Summary Enterprise resource planning integrates internal and external management information across an entire organization, coupling finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales and service. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated software application, facilitating the flow of information between all business functions inside the boundaries of the organization and managing the connection to outside stakeholders. Although ERP systems offer a bird’s eye view in the working of the company and allow users to cross-reference business functions, implementing an enterprise resource system (ERP) project in the estimated time, for the estimated cost, and with satisfying results is a rare occurrence. Most organizations do not understand the costs associated with ERP implementation when they first embark on the project. While the benefits are usually well understood, the costs do not surface until well into the implementation. When everything goes smoothly with ERP resource planning projects, the ratio of savings to dollars invested typically increases over time. As the streamlining efforts start and stall and start again, however, resulting in disastrous detours and cost overruns, savings if they come at all, occur many millions of dollars and many months later than planned. Too many executives see ERP solely as a technology project, believing that if they buy a new software system, inefficiencies will magically disappear. Unfortunately, for companies such as Volkswagen and Nestle, a hiccup in ERP implementation in the pursuit to gain a competitive advantage over their rivals can be disastrous in the short and long term. 1. Case Study 1: Volkswagen The Volkswagen Group is Europe’s largest car maker and one of the world’s leading manufacturers of automobiles. In 2009, according to data published by all three companies, Volkswagen was the third biggest motor vehicle manufacturer, with 6. 29 million units delivered to customers,  after Toyota Group with 7. 23 million units and General Motors, with 6. 0 million units. Although the company offers a variety of mobility-related services in addition to being a leading carmaker, combining all of these subsidiaries and their individual portfolios, brands, missions, and visions under one umbrella is a big challenge for Volkswagen. Through ERP implementation, Volkswagen reasoned that contributions can be made by all the brands and companies of the VW Group without compromising the individual identity of these brands. This would result in added value to the common stream of interest and help the group achieve significant milestones moving forward. Volkswagen Accessories is a VW subsidiary that provides more than 8,000 accessory parts for virtually every model in its parent company’s range of automobiles. These include communication components, car maintenance and fashion products, specially styled rim-and-tire combinations, and other optical enhancements. Until recently, Volkswagen Accessories’ 200 employees analyzed data from the company’s individual SAP ERP modules  by hand before entering them into Excel files. Due to the considerable demands of the Volkswagen group’s internal reporting, this involved a tremendous amount of effort and tied up significant resources. As Project Manager Bjorn Lange states: â€Å"Besides taking far too much time, this method simply couldn’t meet our current requirements anymore. Shorter development cycles are constantly demanding new reports that employees need available on an ad hoc basis whenever possible. † For this reason, Volkswagen Accessories decided to implement a modern business intelligence solution. â€Å"Our goal was not only to establish a uniform basis of data, but especially to ensure our ability to distribute information in a flexible, largely automated way,† Lange explains. From a macroeconomic perspective, the automotive industry has had a number of challenges to overcome in recent years, from  surpluses  in production and  plunging revenues  to  protectionism. Specifically, this means that the industry needed to get a grip on excess capacity in automobile production and the associated revenue shortfalls. As far as choosing the right ERP system, all automotive companies had to deal with three key issues. First, they needed to look at containing costs through standardization. Second, organizations had to have a clear view of all their stock. And third, companies needed to strive for innovation and sustainability. SAP Business Suite 7 seemed to be able to achieve all of these demands by improving business processes internally and across company boundaries. To support this approach, upgrades can be performed during production operation in the form of  SAP enhancement packages. By implementing a  responsive production system, companies could tackle the pressure of competition from increasing globalization. Thanks to flexible and cost-effective production, lead times can be cut and stock levels reduced. As a result, companies will spend less while increasing their ability to deliver. With an ERP system in place, Volkswagen would be able to efficiently deal with business obstacles and drastically improve service-delivery to end user and business cycle performance among many other areas. SAP was designed to make sure that the critical data, analytical tools and applications are readily available and accessible by the employee while simultaneously supporting the organization’s model for different process of shared services. From a business cycle standpoint, the complete end-to-end cycle of business processes for procurement and logistics can be managed with the ERP module available for care business operations. Furthermore, in context of the VW Group, the entire life cycle processes of product manufacturing and development in real time can be effectively managed by delivering high quality products, directly increasing customer satisfaction. Unfortunately, although SAP implementation is good in theory, if implemented incorrectly, the platform can be disastrous for the company, as Volkswagen found in 2000. In 2000, Volkswagen had trouble delivering spare parts to some car dealers in Germany after turning on SAP AG’s R/3 software- enterprise resource planning software produced by SAP AG and designed to coordinate all the resources, information, and activities needed to complete business processes such as order fulfillment or billing- in its central parts warehouse. The error occurred when the ERP vendor had assigned 13 employees to help Volkswagen fix the problems, which were forcing some owners of VW and Audi automobiles to wait several weeks for needed repairs. One of the main problems in ERP implementation is customization. The R/3 applications being used at the parts warehouse were heavily customized to fit Volkswagen’s business needs. The system was so complex however that what seemed like a benign change, upset operations downstream. In this case, system problems delayed shipments to customers and caused product inventories to build up. With the proper ERP implementation, however, Volkswagen could have realized the benefits of a more integrated, single, low cost system. The Future Looking ahead, Volkswagen plans to develop a set of ERP systems by 2015 in order to improve the quality and speed of information sharing between its manufacturing and management departments. The IT processes and organization strategy aims to maximize the effectiveness of the ERP system by giving IT departments a greater say in how they are used by the business. The IT function will also have a say in how staff that operate the ERP systems should be organized. Volkswagen predicts that by 2011 the strategy will allow it to design new ERP systems and integrate them with business processes much more quickly, giving it an edge over its competitors. The pressure to reduce production costs and complexity by increasing the efficiency of our IT applications is a key driver for our IT function being able to influence business processes, said CTO Stefan Ostrowski. According to Ostrowski, the IT function would become a co-designer of the business processes. Steering committees, consisting of both business and IT representatives, would be formed to take joint responsibility for IT budgets. Although companies have seen the errors of their ways in managing ERP systems and have taken small, but important corrective actions for the future, the above examples illustrate the impact that ERP mismanagement may have on the organization in both the short and long-term. As Eric Kimberling, president of Panorama consulting, states: â€Å"The amount of ERP implementations that are meeting or exceeding corporate expectations is distressingly low. To best manage implementations, companies need to plan every detail up front, focus on business operations, secure strong project management and ensure that every key staff member is adequately trained and completely committed to the process. † 2. Case Study 2: Nestle Nestle, headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland is the largest food and beverage company in the world. With 250,000+ employees, stationed in 500 facilities in over 80 countries, its annual revenue is more than $70 billion. Despite its large operation, Nestle was faced with the task of deciding â€Å"how to operate as a single unit on a global scale. † With an ERP system in place, Nestle would be able to standardize their business processes, resulting in more efficient operations for the company and greater realized benefits for the customer. IT Situation before ERP Before its ERP Implementation, Nestle ran a very inefficient, high cost operation due to the lack of standard business processes in place. Local units throughout the world conducted business operations based on their own conditions and cultures. To support this decentralized strategy, Nestle has had 80 different information technology units that ran nearly 900 IBM AS/400 midrange computers, 15 mainframes, and 200 UNIX systems, enabling observers to describe its infrastructure as a veritable Tower of Babel. Nestles management had found that allowing these local differences created inefficiencies and extra costs that could prevent the company from competing effectively in electronic commerce. The lack of standard business processes prevented Nestle from, for example, leveraging its worldwide buying power to obtain lower prices for its raw materials. Even though each factory uses the same global suppliers, each negotiated its own deals and prices. For example, Nestle USAs brands were paying 29 different prices for â€Å"vanilla† to the same vendor due to the fact that each of Nestle’s divisions had assigned a different name to â€Å"vanilla. † In order to resolve the aforementioned inefficiencies, Nestle implemented an SAP’s R/3 ERP software which enables a company to standardize and coordinate its information system and business processes. While not fully realized company-wide, Nestle is working on extending its enterprise systems to all of its facilities to make its 500 facilities act as a single-minded e-business. Once this project is completed Nestle will able to use sales information from retailers on a global basis to measure the effectiveness of its promotional activities and reduce overstocking and spoilage caused by having products sit around too long on grocery shelves. The experience of Nestle USA illustrates some of the challenges Nestle had to face in implementing enterprise systems. In 1991, Nestle USA reorganized itself and brought together the disparate rands under one umbrella with ultimate control to the parent. However, the Nestle division headquarters were still dispersed, and each division was still free to make its own business decisions, with all reporting to Nestle headquarters in Glendale, California. The arrival of Jeri Dunn in 1997 as vice president and CIO of the American company sparked chan ge. Dunn had been familiar with Nestle due to her prior association with the company, for in 1991, as associate director for application systems at Nestle-owned Stouffers Hotels, she was sent to Switzerland to attend meetings whose intentions were to establish a common methodology. Later, in 1995, Dunn was promoted to assistant vice president of technology and standards for Nestle SA, and it is during that point in her career when she fully grasped the unequivocal value of establishing common systems for Nestle worldwide. Embarking on such a wholesale change would facilitate group buying which would reduce overall costs. In June 2000, Nestle SA contracted with SAP to purchase and roll out the new version of their software: mySAP. com. The new system standardized the companys information systems and business processes, and extended SAPs enterprise software to the Web. In addition, the new system allowed each Nestle employee to log on to a personal web computing space tailored to his job function. The employees job is structured to conform to the best practices defined by SAP for 300 work roles. Nestle has created up to five computer centers around the world to run mySAP. com enterprise financial, accounts payable, accounts receivable, planning, production management, supply chain management, and business intelligence software. The SAP contract would cost $200 million, which was the largest software purchase in ERP history at the time, plus an additional $80 million for installing the software system for the global company. The Implementation Processes: Main Difficulties The major problem that Nestle faced in the United States was that both the CEO and most of the key stakeholders failed to realize how much change they had effected with the SAP contract. Their business processes would change and problems mounted atop previous resolutions. The problem began during the early planning stage of the project when the staff that would be irectly affected by changes was not included in the key stakeholders team. By the beginning of 2000 it was obvious that no one wanted to engage the new processes, and that there was resistance to change. There was no preparation or education on the new processes, and the only hope was to call the project help desk. There was frustration at every level and ultimately no one wanted to take the necessary steps to learn. Turnover among the employees who were to use the Manugistics software to forecast product demand reached 77 percent, while those who stayed found it easier to use their familiar spreadsheets. The project was halted in June 2000 as Nestle removed the project co-leader leaving Dunn as the sole project leader. Results To resolve their problems, the team focused on the technology aspect and decided to start anew by first determining the business requirements and then a new completion date. The focus was to integrate the existing components and to complete the work on the sales and distribution modules. It was all agreed upon that all employees will be briefed as to what, why, when and how during each step of the new plan of action. The project team created a detailed design and project road map by April 2001. Nestle named Tom James director of process change, giving him complete responsibility for liaison between the divisions and the Best project. The team even took surveys of the effect of the project on employees and looked for ways to better tackle the issues raised. In addition, more meetings were held with division heads and as a result of the information gathered in this way, James and Dunn determined the manufacturing users were not suited for the forecasted changes and delayed the project an additional six months. The new project seems to be a boon as all of Nestle USA are using the same software and standardized data. The company had already saved $325 million by spring 2002 and Nestle’s global organization benefitted from standardizing its data and business processes as well. By the end of 2004, about ten percent of Nestle’s global food and beverage business was operating with standard processes, data and systems. Within the next few years most of the companys food and beverage business will undergo system implementations to bring them up to these standards. 3. The ERP Market ERP software companies are part of an extremely competitive and complex market; therefore, constant change and improvements are vital in order to remain competitive. After two decades, the raison d’etre of successful ERP software companies have been: 1) Meet and exceed consumer demands and expectations; 2) Invent and enact new technologies; 3) Customer Support; and 5) Remain competitive. The Top Five The five largest ERP software companies are, in no particular order: (1) Oracle (2) SAP (3) Microsoft (4) Infor and (5) Epicor. Oracle is considered one of the biggest and priciest ERP companies and is well-known for its database and hardware solutions. Its solutions are recognized for their great flexibility coupled with the newest technologies as they claim to have the number one share of the CRM market, while holding the number two share of the ERP market. These solutions offer a variety of tasks related to financial management, Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). SAP currently has the number one share of the ERP market with customers worldwide in over one hundred countries. They also have CRM solutions and SCM solutions esteemed in high quality, which allows SAP to charge prices at the top end of the market. Their solutions cover a myriad of industries, which was once astutely focused on Fortune 500 companies. Recently, however, SAP has begun to design their solutions packages to fit mid-sized and smaller companies. Microsoft Corp. is better known for its Windows OS but is surprisingly a â€Å"normal† player in the ERP market. It has, however, like many of its successful counterparts, managed to acquire smaller ERP companies in order to boost its offerings to customers and has traditionally catered to mid-sized and small companies. Its prices range from the moderately to low-priced end of the ERP market. Infor is an ERP company with over 70,000 customers in 100 countries offering a bevy of ERP solutions over a broad range of industries. It is considered the third biggest player of the ERP software companies. Infor has products that encompass the public and private sector, CRM, ERP, finances and expenses, HR functions, SCM, and performance management but essentially competes with Microsoft in the moderately to low-priced product range. Epicor, with 20,000 customers in over 150 countries, has had a long and rich history of quality products. Its primary focus is ERP software and retail software as over 400 of the world’s leading retailers use Epicor’s solutions. It should be noted that Epicor has recently acquired several smaller companies, indicating that it is still in a growth stage. They are also well-known for their moderate to low-priced products as well as excellent after sales support. Market Trends to Watch Tired legacy code-bases and disastrous implementation projects have become standard in the discussion of the ERP software landscape, which suggests that these issues are here to stay. Recent growth has accelerated in the market, which has allowed for a few predictions for 2011. ERP vendors are faced with the reality that cloud-based computing solutions for CRM, HR and other functional areas are gaining market share. As a result, it is suggested that many ERP prospects will ask why they, too, are not able to employ a cloud-based platform. The current technologies for cloud-based ERP are PaaS (Platform as a Service) and BPM (Business Process Management), which are able to facilitate the extension and customization of cloud software. Maintenance of ERP systems is big business, as evidenced by SAP’s large dependency on this type of revenue. However, in light of the $1. 3 billion Oracle verdict in its corporate-theft suit against SAP, third-party maintenance will slow as the litigation process unfolds. As a result, ERP vendors should be forewarned of the impending reduction in maintenance spending. As is the case, with most new technologies, the ERP market will inevitably venture into social media. Social-themed ERP products will present a wealth of opportunities for vendors to capitalize on real-time information, group collaboration and sharing. The research firm, Gartner, released numbers suggesting that 14. 9 percent more will be spent on enterprise social software in 2010 in comparison to 2009. It is suggested that the figure will jump to 15. 7 percent in 2011 to approximately $769. 2 million. As intimated, acquisition of smaller companies has been the modus operandi of the top ERP market vendors. Infor’s current status was achieved through acquisitions and will not stop in 2011, as it is now led by Charles Phillips, who was pivotal in Oracle’s acquisitions in the last decade. It has been suggested that Lawson Software (LWSN) will be Infor’s latest acquisition target, and that SAP may delve into social media. 4. Case Study Analysis While Volkswagen and Nestle come from very different industries, the former being the automobile industry and the latter being the food and beverage industry, the challenges faced by them both with regards to business processes were very similar. Both are global conglomerates with several subsidiaries. Issues such as cost, inefficiencies and centralized management plagued both companies which ultimately lead them to both utilize ERP systems. Using Porter’s five force model, it is clear that using ERP to better their systems would assist Volkswagen and Nestle in thwarting the main five threats to their individual industries. Direct Competition Both companies have several competitors in their respective industries that were likely operating at better efficiencies. Volkswagen has to compete with the top American brands like Ford and General Motors and Japanese brands like Honda and Toyota, which are known in the industry for their efficient assembly lines and advanced business processes. Volkswagen lagged behind, to some extent when it came to end-to-end cycle of business processes. Nestle also has strong competitors in the likes of PepsiCo and Cadbury that are far reaching global companies. However, unlike the auto industry, Nestle might be in a strong position compared to its competitors or at the least in the same position regarding business process efficiencies. The food and beverage industry in general is known for its lack of sophistication in operations when compared to the auto industry. Nestle might actually be in a position to be leader in its industries if it can withstand the costs of ERP implementation and make use of this application in centralizing its operations on a global scale. New Market Entrants Volkswagen and Nestle are both top companies in their industries, especially Nestle which is the largest food and beverage company in the world. The threat of new market entrants into the industry is minimal due to the command these two companies have over their respective industries. However, a lack of ERP presence could lead both companies to fall behind their competitors. Lack of efficiencies and resource planning could cut profits and could allow other companies in both industries to assume leading positions over Nestle and Volkswagen. Substitute products and services Both companies’ main needs were centralized planning, which is a natural need since they are both globally based and operate across many continents. ERP systems would help in better managing their procurement and process planning in order to get products to the customer in an efficient manner. While there is no threat of alternative products or services that could arise due to the lack of ERP, there is a the strong possibility that certain subsidiaries that were operating efficiently already, would create their own individual processes, thus resulting in the mushrooming of several mini-business units, with no cohesiveness. This was already a problem at Nestle; where (as mentioned in the case section) Nestle USA was paying 29 different prices to the same vendor for vanilla. If ERP is not implemented, the companies risk uncontrolled growth of their subsidiaries which is detrimental from a global perspective when unified growth is imperative for success. Suppliers Suppliers stand to gain the most when ERP is absent. As in the Nestle example above, the same supplier received 29 different prices for the same product from the same customer. Such mistakes can add up to large losses for companies. In addition, bad ERP could also cause suppliers to terminate their relationship with companies as such inefficiencies on a company’s part could also cause large losses to its vendors. Customers From a customer standpoint, proper ERP implementation is extremely important. As noted in the Volkswagen case, ERP was improperly operated resulting in a back-log of customer parts orders. In all industries, servicing the customer is vital. Causing errors or bad enterprise resource planning could damage customer relations that could ultimately result in losses for the company. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) surround any important decision made in the business world. SWOT analysis on both cases reveal that ERP ultimately is a very important piece in managing operations, as both company operate on such a large global scale. Strengths Proper ERP planning has great strengths. It leads to greater efficiencies, better production, greater employee satisfaction, increased supplier and customer satisfaction, and most of all could lead to substantial firm profits. Weaknesses As seen in both case, lack of proper ERP can be a great risk to costs and customer relationships. In addition, implementing ERP alone is not enough. Managers need to have good foresight. Employees need to be trained appropriately. The ERP systems need to be built with intelligent design so that one small glitch doesn’t lead to a domino effect or magnified problems causing disruption in processes that the ERP was meant to aid in, in the first place. Opportunities ERP allows for great business opportunities. Not only can a firm create efficiencies for its own business model, it can emerge as a leader in its industry, setting benchmarks for its competitors and partners. Innovative ERP can also set benchmarks in areas outside a company’s own industry. Threats While the opportunities are encouraging, the threats are many. Improper use of ERP can cause great damage to processes and incur high costs, ultimately lowering revenue. Bad ERP can also lead to customer dissatisfaction, which is highly cherished in both the automobile as well as the food and beverage industries. As discussed before, both Nestle and Volkswagen are international companies operating on a global scale. It is very easy for such companies to fall into operational traps where different subsidiaries in different countries operate on different scales as well as different management cultures. It is not uncommon for some subsidiaries to embrace high operational standards, while other might prefer a more traditional approach. Such inconsistencies can be difficult to control, which ultimately could affect the bottom line for firms. Proper ERP can aid in creating the operational processes of a global firm to run more smoothly and efficiently so that the company can focus on its main business – innovating ideas for building its core business. References Cruz, Amy, â€Å"ERP Software Companies – Five of the Biggest Players You Should Know,† May 30, 2011, erp. com/section-layout/337-erp-software/10076-erp-software-companies-five-of-the-biggest-players-you-should-know. html May 30, 2011 Editorial Staff Report: â€Å"ERP Implementations Take Longer, Cost More and Yield Less Satisfaction than Expected. † January 2011. sdcexec. com/web/online/IntegrationERP-News/ReportERP-Implementations-Take-LongerCost-More-and-Yield-Less-Satisfaction-than-Expected/35$10956 May 30, 2011 Kamath, John-Paul, â€Å"Volkswagen gives IT staff bigger say in ERP system. June 2007. computerweekly. com/Articles/2007/06/18/224849/Volkswagen-gives-IT-staff-bigger-say-in-ERP-system. htm May 30, 2011 Kanaracas, Kris, â€Å"Top ERP Predictions for 2011. † December 21, 2010. cio. com/article/648524/Top_ERP_Predictions_for_2011? page=1taxonomyId=3000 March 30, 2011. â€Å"Nestle Struggles with Enterprise Systems. † http: //wps. prenhall. com/bp_laudon_mis_9/32/8212/2102272. cw/content/index. html May 30, 2011 Stedman, Craig, â€Å"ERP Problems Put Problems on Volkswagen Parts Shipments. † January 2000. schirtzinger. com/pdf/ERP_at_Volkswagen. pdf Volkel, Frank, â€Å"Processes Keep the Auto Industry Rolling. † December 2009. http://en. sap. info/processes-keep-the-auto-industry-rolling/18079 World Ranking of Manufacturers year 2009. OICA. 2010-07-27. http://oica. net/wp-content/uploads/ranking-2009. pdf. 2011-05-16. [ 1 ]. World Ranking of manufacturers year 2009. † OICA. 2010-07-27. http://oica. net/wp-content/uploads/ranking-2009. pdf. Retrieved 2011-05-20. [ 2 ]. Stedman, Craig, â€Å" ERP Problems Put Problems on Volkswagen Parts Shipments. † January 2000. schirtzinger. com/pdf/ERP_at_Volkswagen. pdf [ 3 ]. Kamath, John-Paul, â€Å"Volkswagen gives IT staff bigger say in ERP system. † June 2007 computerweekly. com/Articles/2007/06/18/224849/Volkswagen-gives-IT-staff-bigger-say-in-ERP-system. htm [ 4 ]. Volkel, Frank, â€Å"Processes Keep the Auto Industry Rolling. † December 2009. http://en. sap. info/processes-keep-the-auto-industry-rolling/18079 [ 5 ]. Ibid. [ 6 ]. Ibid. [ 7 ]. Ibid. [ 8 ]. Stedman, Craig, â€Å" ERP Problems Put Problems on Volkswagen Parts Shipments. † January 2000. schirtzinger. com/pdf/ERP_at_Volkswagen. pdf [ 9 ]. Ibid. [ 10 ]. Kamath, John-Paul, â€Å"Volkswagen gives IT staff bigger say in ERP system. June 2007. computerweekly. com/Articles/2007/06/18/224849/Volkswagen-gives-IT-staff-bigger-say-in-ERP-system. htm [ 11 ]. Editorial Staff Report: â€Å"ERP Implementations Take Longer, Cost More and Yield Less Satisfaction than Expected. † January 2011. sdcexec. com/web/online/IntegrationERP-News/ReportERP-Implementations-Take-Long erCost-More-and-Yield-Less-Satisfaction-than-Expected/35$10956 [ 12 ]. â€Å"Nestle Struggles with Enterprise Systems. † http://wps. prenhall. com/bp_laudon_mis_9/32/8212/2102272. cw/content/index. html May 30, 2011 [ 13 ]. Ibid. [ 14 ]. Ibid. [ 15 ]. Ibid. 16 ]. Ibid. [ 17 ]. Ibid. [ 18 ]. Ibid. [ 19 ]. Ibid. [ 20 ]. Ibid. [ 21 ]. Cruz, Amy, â€Å"ERP Software Companies – Five of the Biggest Players You Should Know,† May 30, 2011, erp. com/section-layout/337-erp-software/10076-erp-software-companies-five-of-the-biggest-players-you-should-know. html. [ 22 ]. Ibid. [ 23 ]. Ibid. [ 24 ]. Ibid. [ 25 ]. Ibid. [ 26 ]. Ibid. [ 27 ]. Kanaracas, Kris, â€Å"Top ERP Predictions for 2011. † December 21, 2010. cio. com/article/648524/Top_ERP_Predictions_for_2011? page=1taxonomyId=3000 March 30, 2011. [ 28 ]. Ibid. [ 29 ]. Ibid. [ 30 ]. Ibid. [ 31 ]. Ibid.

Literary Essays and School Essays

Literary Essays and School Essays Literary Essays and School Essays Literary Essays and School Essays By Maeve Maddox As a literary term, essay is defined as â€Å"a short non-fiction composition.† What many people mean by â€Å"essay† these days, however, is quite different from what it means as a literary genre. The Literary Essay The word essay comes from the French word essayer â€Å"to try, to attempt† and still has this meaning in English, both as a noun and as a verb: Thats his first essay into the cattle business. We shall essay to remedy the situation. The first writer to apply the term to the type of reflective and entertaining pieces he liked to write was the Frenchman Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592). The writer who popularized the essay form in English was Francis Bacon (1561-1626). For the professional writer, the essay is the ideal genre with which to practice the writing craft. It offers the opportunity to focus on a topic and discover what one thinks about it. In a much quoted passage from his Collected Essays, Aldous Huxley describes the essay as a literary device for saying almost everything about almost anything.† Huxley says that essays can be studied â€Å"most effectively within a three-poled frame of reference† and goes on to identify the â€Å"three poles† as: the pole of the personal and the autobiographical the pole of the objective, the factual, the concrete-particular the pole of the abstract-universal Huxley’s opinion is that most essayists are at home in one, or at most, two, of the three types of essay. The writer comfortable with all three writes â€Å"the most richly satisfying essays.† Montaigne remains a model for modern essayists because he was able to combine the three poles. George Orwell is another useful model. For more recent examples of the literary essay, browse the pages of such publications as The Village Voice and Slate. How Long is an Essay? Although an essay is defined as â€Å"a short non-fiction composition,† in the hands of a professional writer with plenty to say, it can be pretty long. The essays of Montaigne and Bacon, for example, can run to 4,000 words. The famous essay â€Å"Self-Reliance† by American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) exceeds 10,000 words. For the non-professional writer, the high school student applying for college, for example, the â€Å"essay† is quite short. College entrance essays fall in the 500-700 word range. It’s rare that a high school student or college freshman is asked to write an essay any longer than 1.000 words. The greatest difference between the literary essay and the school essay is that the literary essay springs from the interests of the writer and can be a joy to write. The essay written as a school assignment is often regarded by the writer as drudgery. The Essay as Chore Two main reasons that essay writing is perceived as a chore by students are 1) they don’t want to do it 2) they’ve had insufficient reading experience. We learn our first language by hearing it spoken. We absorb the forms of written language by reading it. Students with limited reading experience will find essay writing more difficult than those who are avid readers. They have not internalized the patterns of written English. As a result, sentences written by ill-read students seldom vary from simple or compound. The most common coordinating conjunction found in this type of essay is and. The most common subordinating conjunctions are because, then, and before. The reading level of this type of â€Å"assignment essay† rarely rises above sixth grade. That in itself is not necessarily a bad thing within the framework of communication. Much popular material is written at this level. The vocabulary in student essays tends to fluctuate between the elementary and the exotic. Many, if not most, high school students acquire advanced vocabulary by studying word lists, not by encountering them in the context of books. As a result they often misuse words because of insufficient understanding of their meanings. Nevertheless, even without a strong reading background students can master the skill of producing a five-paragraph essay that is acceptable for most school assignments. The Five-Paragraph Essay The five-paragraph essay is often criticized for being too restricted; too cut-and-dried. It is said to inhibit creativity. Perhaps. But not all the young people being asked to write essays are gifted with creativity. And even the creative ones need to learn the basics of composition before soaring off to their creative heights. The five-paragraph essay remains a useful workhorse. Parts of the Essay Every essay has three main parts. In the five-paragraph essay they are arranged this way: Introduction (first paragraph): states the topic and theme; Briefly states three points to be made about the theme. Body (paragraphs 2-4): each paragraph expands and supports one of the points mentioned in the introduction. Conclusion (paragraph 5): restates the theme and sums up the argument in a satisfying way. The Hardest Part of Writing an Essay Essay writing guides can help, but the most important aspect of any writing assignment lies with the writer. Only the writer can answer this most important question: What do you want to say? Time spent in pinning down the topic and theme of your essay is never wasted. Don’t begin writing before you know 1. what you are writing about 2. what you want to say about it 3. to whom you are saying it With school assignments, the essay topic is often part of the assignment, but the student is usually given a choice of more than one. If at all possible, choose a topic in which you feel some interest. Have a destination. It’s not enough to say you’re writing about â€Å"war† or â€Å"civic responsibility† or â€Å"gun control.† What do you want to say about the topic? What do you want your reader to feel about it after having read your essay? One of the most frequent faults of freshman essays is that they leave the reader wondering â€Å"so what?† Who’s your reader? Picturing your reader in your mind as you write will influence your writing style. If a teacher is your target audience, nonstandard vocabulary and grammar are not an option. Supporting Statements A common fault among student writers is the failure to distinguish between a general statement and a supporting statement. Inexperienced writers often attempt to support one general statement with another general statement: My sister is annoying. She really bothers me. I can’t stand some of the things she does. All three of these statements are generalizations. Specific, concrete examples are needed to support general statements. General statement: My sister is annoying. Supporting statement: She eats my favorite cereal on the sly and then puts the empty box back into the cabinet. Some helpful links A good starting place for the insecure writer is Ali Hale’s article on the writing process. A good guide to and discussion of the five-paragraph essay can be found here. A detailed step-by-step guide to writing the student essay can be found here. The steps include pre-writing, outlining, drafting and revising, Finally, here’s an example of a five-paragraph essay Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Dialogue Dos and Don'ts60 Synonyms for â€Å"Trip†Educational vs. Educative

Meno and Phaedo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Meno and Phaedo - Essay Example The following will present three succinct (and related) arguments which defend the position concerning the immortality of the soul. The arguments in question, are as follows (1) ‘argument from opposites’ [69e-72e], (2) argument from recollection [73-78b], and finally, (3) ‘the argument from affinity’ [84c-88b]. The focus of this analysis will be on the above three sections, however, both a consideration of some of the objections will follow, and finally, the final or summary refutation provided by Plato’s mouthpiece (Socrates). The first position in question, is the argument from opposites. This is an argument which is based on an inference which is an extension of observation. What we perceive around us, is a process in nature where opposites turn into each other. In this section in question, Plato observes the following opposites which typify this process of â€Å"becoming† [72B], namely, the opposites of ‘small/larger’ [70E]â₠¬Ëœfaster/slower’, ‘waking/sleeping’[71D], and ‘hot/cold’[71B]. As mentioned, these are processes whereby opposites turn into one another. There are, however, some problems with this argument. First, the very notion of ‘opposite’ is problematic. ... in Celsius) between ‘hot’ and ‘cold’, but they are not opposites in the contradictory sense of ‘life’ and ‘death’. In other words, ‘life’ and ‘death’ are binary opposites in the sense that a person is either ‘alive’, or they are ‘dead’. A difference in the sense presented by Plato with respect to ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ or conversely, ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ are not binary opposites – the admit of a middle ground, and moreover, they are united or related in some sense. They are related in the sense of being relative to another. While a tortoise is relatively slow when compared with a hare, a hare is slow when compared to the speed of light. Thus, is the ‘hare’ fast or slow? In normal logic, one cannot predicate real opposites of the same thing, this is the law of non-contradiction [Wagner 28] and this is actually that which brings into question some of what Plato is claiming concerning these opposites. This said, Plato is claiming that â€Å"all things come to be in this way, opposites from opposites† [71A]. Further, he infers that among â€Å"all† of these â€Å"things†, must also be the soul and the body. Thus, if everything turns into its opposite, then, the soul must turn into the body, and the body must turn into the soul. Phrased in terms of a syllogism, (1.) if it can be said â€Å"that to be dead is the opposite of being alive† [71D], and (2) â€Å"all things come to be in this way, opposites from opposites† [71A], then, (3) it can be inferred that the body and soul turn into each other. As has been noted, the form of this argument is an inference, and there are some problems, and second, his very notion of opposites includes ‘contraries’ and not just ‘contradictories’ – that is,

The Dialogues of Plato Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Dialogues of Plato - Essay Example Plato has made immense contributions in the field of philosophy where he wrote about the ideas regarding knowledge, metaphysics, forms and other similar ideas. More importantly, Plato wrote about the state where he gave ideal forms of governance. Though a few of his ideas were derived from Socrates, yet he was often found being deviated from that of Socrates. Out of all the works, the most intriguing one is in the state, where he identified three classes or castes in society (Plato & Benjamin 88-89); Furthermore, he gives the idea of the philosopher king who should be the central figure governing the state, and proper training of those eligible for this office must go through a rigorous education system. Thus, his work on the state and republic is one of the most applauded efforts and is appreciated till time. The positive side of the idea is the classification which clearly identifies and divides individuals based on their inherent capabilities. This ideal is pragmatic to date since it is now an accepted notion that individuals must be assigned careers according to their capabilities. This concept is clear and distinct and is thus one of the most celebrated works associated to Plato. On the negative side, his inclination towards an aristocratic state is deemed to be the most negative side to this theory. According to Plato, aristocracy is the kind of governance where a philosopher king is the central figure of the state, and thus, he is the one who must rule the republic based on reason and wisdom. Also, he further stated that the aristocracy would decline to a timocracy over time, which would further deteriorate first into an oligarchy and then to a democracy and finally to tyranny (Plato & Benjamin 66-68).  

Labor issue paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Labor issue paper - Essay Example In this case, the competency of the new management was a decisive factor in the resolution of the dispute. However, to minimize losses associated with labor disputes, it is far from enough to wait for the advent of competent management. Business administration must get in front of studies on measures to prevent and handle any disputes associated with employment adjustment by sorting out the problems of managerial ability issues. 1. Aim The aim of this study is to make a preliminary discussion on critical turning points of one prolonged large-scale labor dispute about economic dismissal, which lasted for over 14 years including the trial period. The author has studied actual litigation cases associated with employment adjustment. ... For example, some employers did not make appropriate efforts in labor bargaining before trial, and many of them dismissed workers who chose to bring actions to the court with little change of winning the lawsuit (or without such standpoint), despite their financial difficulties due to the economic dismissals1. Even when important and well-known legal judgments such as the high court decision for the Toyo Suiso case were received, quite a few parties pressed ahead with a full appeal and after all trials, many of them still continued bargaining. In other words, they make significant sacrifices for trials that might seem to be unnecessary from the viewpoint of innocent bystanders and moreover, they spend enormous amounts of time to find resolution to the dispute aside from ongoing trials. Things they lose and social costs they pay through such disputes are too much. Employment adjustments do not necessarily cause labor disputes and not all disputes are brought to the court. Where are th e turning points that make disputes about employment adjustment to be prolonged and large-scale? A number of studies are necessary to provide an appropriate conclusion of such a critical issue. Therefore, the goal of this study is narrowed down to make working hypotheses about managerial turning points in a prolonged large-scale dispute about employment adjustment. In concrete terms, as there are only few past studies on cases where a dispute about employment adjustment was brought to the court, the past studies of the author et al. are reviewed to clarify managerial turning points that made the disputes to be prolonged and large-scale as well as make a basis for future studies. 2.

Project Manager As Uninspired Taskmaster Information Technology Essay

Project Manager As Uninspired Taskmaster Information Technology Essay PROJECTS change. This simple fact is not fundamentally due to a lack of planning or incompetence on the part of project managers and project developers. Rather, change is an inherent characteristic of any growing entity. Embedded projects grow as much as they are built. Living things adapt to their environment. The environment surrounding any embedded project is ever in flux. Budgets change. Resources change. Schedules change. Competition changes. Customer needs change. Even if this changing environment could be eliminated, another form of change would continue to affect embedded projects. A project learns as it grows and must change in response to this learning. That is, as features come to fruition, the developers, users, customers, and managers become more fully aware of the projects reality. First, by traditional project management we refer mainly to any methodology where project development is viewed as a specialized version of manufacturing or as a construction project. This ty pe of project management is identified by its sequential phases of design, implementation, and testing (the waterfall approach) planned out through critical path analysis (usually represented via Gantt charts). Second, we address here only those projects that include any sort of variability or unknowns in their requirements Agile methodologies such as eXtreme Programming (XP), SCRUM and Feature-Driven Development strive to reduce the cost of change throughout the project development process. For example, XP uses rapid iterative planning and development cycles in order to force trade-offs and deliver the highest value features as early as possible. In addition, the constant, systemic testing that is part of XP ensures high quality via early defect detection and resolution. In spite of some early success with agile methodologies, a number of factors are preventing their widespread adoption. Agile methodology advocates often find it difficult to obtain management support for implementing what seem like dramatic changes in application development. These methodologies require developers, managers and users alike to change the way they work and think. For example, the XP practices of pair programming, test-first design, continuous integration, and an on-site customer can seem like daunting changes to implemen t. Furthermore, these methodologies tend to be developer-centric and seem to dismiss the role of management in ensuring success. Traditional management theory assumes that: Rigid procedures are needed to regulate change Hierarchical organizational structures are means of establishing order Increased control results in increased order Organizations must be rigid, static hierarchies Employees are interchangeable parts in the organizational machine Problems are solved primarily through reductionist task breakdown and allocation Projects and risks are adequately predictable to be managed through complex up-front planning Within this context, it is small wonder that the new methodologies appear informal to the point of being chaotic, egalitarian to the point of actively fostering insubordination, and directionless in their approach to problem solving. We believe that the slow adoption of agile methodologies stems mainly from this misalignment between the fundamental assumptions of traditional management and those of the new agile development methodologies. As such, there is a significant need for a change in assumptions and a new management framework when working with agile methodologies. Specifically, we have begun to build the notion of complex adaptive systems (CAS) into our management assumptions and practices. Complexity scientists have studied the collective behaviour of living systems in nature such as the flocking of birds, schooling of fish, marching of ants and the swarming of bees. They have discovered that, while the individual agents in these complex adaptive systems possess only local strategic rules and capacity, their collective behaviour is characterized by an overlaying order, self-organization, and a collective intelligence that is greater than the sum of the parts. The theory of CAS has been applied successfully in several areas economics, life sciences and more recently, to management. These concepts of CAS led to the inspiration that like the XP team, project managers also need a set of simple guiding practices that provide a framework within which to manage, rather than a set of rigid instructions. Following these practices, the manager becomes an adaptive leader setting the direction, establishing the simple, generative rules of the system, and encouraging constant feedback, adaptation, and collaboration. This management framework, covered in detail in Section 4, provides teams implementing agile methodologies with: An intrinsic ability to deal with change A view of organizations as fluid, adaptive systems composed of intelligent living beings A recognition of the limits of external control in establishing order, and of the role of intelligent control that employs self-organization as a means of establishing order An overall problem solving approach that is humanistic in that: It regards employees as skilled and valuable stakeholders in the management of a team. It relies on the collective ability of autonomous teams as the basic problem solving mechanism. It limits up-front planning to a minimum based on an assumption of unpredictability, and instead, lays stress on adaptability to changing conditions. The Problem: Project Management as Uninspired Taskmaster Traditional project lifecycle development methodologies grew out of a need to control ever-larger development projects, and the difficulties of estimating and managing these efforts to reliably deliver results. These methodologies drew heavily on the principles from engineering such as construction management. As a result, they stressed predictability (one has to plan every last detail of a bridge or building before it is built), and linear development cycles requirements led to analysis which led to design which in turn led to development. Along with predictability, they inherited a deterministic, reductionist approach that relied on task breakdown, and was predicated on stability stable requirements, analysis and stable design. While these methodologies may have worked for some organizations in the past and may still work in some circumstances, for many companies these methodologies only added cost and complexity while providing a false sense of security that management was doing something by exhaustively planning, measuring, and controlling. Huge costs were sunk in premature planning, without the rapid iterative development and continuous feedback from customers that we have come to realize are prerequisites for success today. The results are stark repeated, public failures such as the London Ambulance System and the Denver Airport Baggage system earned the project industry a reputation for being troublesome with huge cost overruns and schedule slippages. Consider the results of the Standish Groups CHAOS surveys. In the first survey, it was estimated that only 18 percent of all project projects were considered successful, 31 percent were failures and 53 percent were challenged. Comparatively, the 1998 figures showed a marked improvement in which 26 percent were successful, 46 percent were challenged and 28 percent were failures. The study attributed the increase in success to scaling the size of projects back to manageable levels using smaller teams. This result is clearly in line with the principles of agile methodologies. Furthermore, many established project management practices still apply to agile development projects with some adaptation and a strong dose of leadership. While managers designed traditional methodologies in an effort to control projects, the technical community gave birth to agile methodologies in response to their frustrations with traditional management (or lack thereof) and the resulting impact on their produc ts and morale. For example, the principles of XP are focused almost entirely on the development process. While the technical community has championed these principles, very little has been written about the management side of agile development projects. The traditional project manager is often seen as a taskmaster who develops and controls the master plan that documents (often in excruciating detail) the tasks, dependencies, and resources required to deliver the end product. The project manager then monitors the status of tasks and adjusts the plan as necessary. So for many managers comfortable with traditional methodologies, the prospect of implementing agile methodologies on their development projects can be daunting. But it doesnt need to be. In fact, independent of agile methodologies, other trends in project management indicate a point to a convergence between the management community and the technical community. The Solution: Project Manager as Visionary Leader The best project managers arent just organizers they combine business vision, communication skills, soft management skills and technical savvy with the ability to plan, coordinate, and execute. In essence, they are not just managers they are leaders. While this has always been the case, agile project management places a higher importance on the leadership skills than ever before. For example, XP teams create and monitor their own iteration plans in collaboration with the customers. The customer creates stories (features) and prioritizes them based on business value. Agile methodologies free the project manager from the drudgery of being a taskmaster thereby enabling the project manager to focus on being a leader someone who keeps the spotlight on the vision, who inspires the team, who promotes teamwork and collaboration, who champions the project and removes obstacles to progress. Rather than being an operational controller, the project manager can become an adaptive leader if sh e can relinquish her reliance on old style management. The basic phases of an agile development project are really no different from those of any other project. He still must define and initiate the project, plan for the project, execute the plan, and monitor and control the results. But, the manner in which these steps are accomplished is different and require the project manager to retrofit what they know about traditional management to a new way of thinking the thinking of complex adaptive systems. The practices outlined below provide a framework for project managers working in this new world. The Means: An Agile Project Management Framework The authors have applied XP successfully on several projects over the past years, and evolved the use of XP practices as an integral part of a CAS inspired framework for agile project management, as described in Section 4.2. Section 4.1 provides a guiding philosophy of the team as a complex adaptive system. 4.2 A CAS-Based Project Management Framework: Six Practices for Managing Agile Development Project We have established a CAS-based project management framework with six Agile Project Management (PM) practices for managing agile development projects Guiding Vision, Teamwork and Collaboration, Simple Rules, Open Information, Light Touch and Agile Vigilance. Together these practices help us to manage our teams as complex adaptive systems while allowing us the freedom to overlay our own personal leadership styles. The six practices build on the fundamentals of CAS, as shown in Table 1. These practices are explained in further detail in Sections 4.2.1 through 4.2.6. Practice #1: Guiding Vision Establish a guiding vision for the project and continuously reinforce it through words and actions. As articulated by Margaret Wheatley [1], when a project vision is translated into a statement of the greater purpose and dreams of the organization, and communicated to all members of the team, it serves as a field that has a powerful effect on their behaviour. It can permeate the project environment and influence team behaviour in extremely positive ways, much more so than a simple task can. A real example of this principle is the use of the commanders intent in the U.S. Army. The Army knows that its leaders cannot be everywhere in the field of combat controlling all the decisions. Therefore, Army leaders clearly establish the commanders intent to serve as a guide on which soldiers can base their own initiatives, actions and decisions. Thus, even if the mission falls on the shoulders of the lowest ranking person, she must be able to understand and carry out the mission. Likewise, the agile manager, can guide the team and continuously influence team behaviour by defining, disseminati ng and sustaining a guiding vision. At the outset of the project, work closely with the customer to understand the vision for the project, how it is expected to support business goals, and how it will be used. A strong grasp of the vision will help the team through difficult decisions about business value and priority and keep them focused on and inspired by the ultimate goal. 4.2.2 Practice #2: Teamwork Collaboration Facilitate collaboration and teamwork through relationships and community. The project managers role is to actively facilitate collaboration and establish the conditions for good relationships. Good relationships among team members start with the project managers relationship with the team members. Know what makes each of them tick outside of work and what motivates each of them at work. He should help team members get to know each other by creating opportunities and the right conditions. Opportunities can be created from planning games, everyday interaction, and special events. To set the right conditions, he must establish an environment in which team members treat each other with respect. He may even need to intervene to stop disrespectful behaviour. Some people may not be comfortable bringing their technical problems to the group. The project manager must monitor the team dynamics and decide when to intervene. As the project progresses, continue to look for special opportunities to get to know people better and to help the team know each other. For example: Establish a regular day for group order-in or potluck lunches Giving team members fun (positive!) nicknames Celebrating successes and milestones with nominal gifts that reflect knowledge of staff interests (e.g., music, gift certificates, special foods).The team that laughs and plays together works together better. Practice #3: Simple Rules Establish and support the teams set of guiding practices. In a CAS, agents follow simple rules, but their interactions result in complex behavior emerging from the bottom-up over time. For example, birds in a flock follow simple rules such as avoiding objects, keeping pace and staying close to other birds. By following these simple rules, flocks of birds exhibit complex, collective behavior by flying in formation for long distances and adapting to changing conditions along the way. Similarly,These XP practices provide the team with a flexible structure within which to work Take a leading role in encouraging the team to try certain practices about which team members may be doubtful. In applying the XP practices, he must set up simple generative rules that are just enough to provide clear boundaries, but not so much as to restrict the autonomy and creativity of the team. Throughout the project, appropriately point out when practices are not being followed and seek to understand why, looking for opportunities to adjust and improve on the pract ices or their practical use. 4.2.4 Practice #4: Open Information Provide open access to information. For an agile team to be able to adapt, information must be open and free flowing. Traditional managers have long prevented this openness and freedom because of a fear that it will result in chaos. Because of this fear, traditional managers have controlled information and meted it out on a need to know basis. On traditionally managed projects, teams often feel like they dont know what is going on only the project manager has the master plan and only the project manager interacts with project sponsor. In the agile world, information is freed to leverage its power. To promote open information, he can try a variety of techniques: Place team members within close proximity of each other whenever possible. Make use of information radiators such as whiteboards, charts, etc to disseminate information. Establish daily status meetings to promote the flow and exchange of information. 4.2.5 Practice #5: Light Touch Apply just enough control to foster emergent order. We believe that control and order are related in a way as illustrated in Figure 1. Without any control at all, there exists a certain level of order due to self-organization, depending on the team skills and dynamics. Initially, as control increases, order increases somewhat linearly, and reaches a narrow plateau quickly, decreasing very rapidly afterwards. Of course, the conventional view holds that the initial condition of no control starts off without any order atall, with an increasing linear relationship. Visionary control is a delicate mix of emergent and imposed order. To impose order, he must impose some control, but do it with a light touch. With a progressive light-touch mindset, lay out project plans at a high-enough level to give the team room for innovation, creativity and rapid response to dynamic environments. Ensure that the project plans are synchronized with her guiding vision, and that they are based on functionality to be delivered and not tasks 4.2.6 Practice #6: Agile Vigilance Constantly monitor and adjust. In leading a team by establishing a guiding vision, fostering teamwork and cooperation, setting simple rules, championing open information, and managing with a light touch, the job of the agile manager has been likened to herding cats each person has his or her own ideas, and is likely to behave in accordance with those ideas. The agile manager, therefore must be continually vigilant to merit the mantle of leadership: monitoring progress, and keeping a finger on the pulse of the development team. Reinforce the guiding vision at every opportunity examine project decisions to see whether they line up with the vision. Continually encourage teamwork and collaboration. Establish simple rules, but take every opportunity to conduct process reflections: regularly examine what works and what needs improvement Operate with a light touch. Intervene quickly, but wisely to solve personnel issues. Motivate and reward initiative, but manage expectations. Recognize and encourage self-organization, but disallow cliques. Conclusion The lack of guidance for project managers of agile development projects has been a gaping hole in the project development community over the past several years. The contrast between the world of agile project development and traditional project management has left many managers wondering what their role should be. By viewing the agile development team as a complex adaptive system and the manager as an integral part of that system, we have begun to develop a framework for managers. This framework of practices is meant to overlay the practices of existing agile methodologies such as XP, and provide clear guidelines for the visionary leadership of projects that use them. These six practices of agile project management do not provide a sure-fire recipe for success.