A New Dawn...

New beginnings….

What’s not to like about the sound of those two words together? To most people, when they use or hear those words, it is truly a positive thing. No different in the case I will use today. I believe we are on the initial edge of a “New Beginning” within the Technical Services Group (TSG). Recent changes both programmatic and personnel wise (and with more changes promised,) have opened some doors to changing the way the TSG conducts its work.

The most recent news of a Development Staffer relocating to a work place that more closely fits his individual needs, serves as yet another opportunity to bring about some positive change. This vacant position will be re-evaluated on a larger scale to determine where and how is the best way to proceed. Rest assured that there are a number of opportunities that will present themselves during the review process of that position, from a simple refill to perhaps more creative solutions. I tend to be more excited about the “creative solutions”…but we’ll have to wait and see what appears to be the best solution. Stay tuned…

With the advent of the Team concept for Application Development, new beginnings are underway to improving work flow and delivery of product. A perfect example of how effectual this process can be is through the Ag Crop development process. The Lead Developer experienced an unplanned; extended absence…another team member was redirected to continue the work in the program to help ensure the release date was met. Even though the Lead was out for weeks…the application development continued and will certainly meet the original promised release date. THAT is a perfect example of new beginnings that pay dividends. Without that change, the application would have laid dormant until the Lead returned to resume work. I happen to believe the change is positive.

Drop shipping on the Desktop Technology side will likely add significant value and opportunity for change within this group too. Last FY years’ numbers reflect that Desktop group spent one FTE in the seat of a vehicle traveling to conduct PC replacements. That’s a lot of seat time and as you might guess…non productive time. All of the hard work that this group has put into developing a plan to drop ship PC’s to our customers and conduct remote builds/configurations will no doubt add great value. The time savings from this task alone will enable Technical Staff to focus on other projects, including R&D which is sorely needed in this Org.

Another first….CI-IT! This change brings about a method to ensure that the entire Agency’s view of what is important to writing software is in place. We are an Agency resource and focusing on smaller projects or allowing the distractions of the “squeaky wheel” detract from the work that move the entire Agency forward. Our efforts should be broad brushed and concentrated on what Leadership determines to be the most important thing to Conservation. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a project that the Agency’s Leadership says: “This is our number one priority for Conservation.” That direction will help focus our limited resource on the important things. Another good move….

I could go on for pages here talking about other new beginnings/changes that have taken place…some more subtle than others….but the point is:

Change is needed;
Change is happening and
Change will continue.

Attitude and acceptance of these changes will be crucial to our success. While change isn’t always simple or easy…it can be very beneficial. Those who have the ability to recognize the need for change and the desire to ensure its success are as one with our new direction. On the other hand, it’s easier to sit back and be critical….frankly my opinion is that is a Cowards way of doing business… Lying in wait for any new idea to jump on and criticize. I think if you will take notice and analyze this person…likely you will see that they are the ones who have no ideas of their own, they don’t offer suggestions on how to improve anything. They are almost like a cancer of sorts….feeding on the good and causing destruction in their path.

But of course we don’t have those types of folks working here, so we have the added advantage of high quality staff with a professional mentality. It’s all about the people….You reap what you sow…your efforts are rewarded to the extent of the energy you exert…the good outweighs the bad. We have much work to do in the future and many new opportunities will arise. Professionalism, high energy, commitment and support will ensure those goals are met…..for everyone.

I look forward to the new challenges that await the TSG. Yes, there will be bumps and there may even be some growth pains…but if we all focus on the goal---Which is to move Conservation forward from a Technology standpoint---then those efforts AND results will be positive.

TAFN