R/A - The Radical Agenda

Researching ways to make our company more productive. We have a formal methodology for conducting projects, but the methodology tools are spread out over hundreds of documents of various kinds. Since this is all proprietary information, we do not want to distribute it to our associates in a format that can easily "walk off", so CDs are out. Adding to the complexity is the fact that the various documents are in a constant state of lux, and most assoicates travel so connecting to a central server many times occurs over a dial-up line. Then there is the problem of getting our associates to actually use the methodology tools. So the problems I have to solve are:

- secure distribution
- on-line/offline clients
- data synchronization
- usability

I have a lead on a solution, and I am doing a good bit of research the last couple of days. But I am also largely working in the dark. The whole methodology "world" here at the company is largely unknown to me, and I worry that I am either re-inventing the wheel or heading off in a direction that has already been rejected.

{sigh}

Such are the travails of the knowledge worker who finds himself between jobs. I should probably brush up my resume and start shopping for another job since I don't need one right now. The state of the economy certainly tends to make me want to be conservative, but the realities of this work culture are that the best time to find a new job is when you don't need one.