The Bumble Bee

The secret to building simple verifiable business models

Mon, 14 May 2012 14:17:07 +0000

Many business models used by enterprises have never been calibrated using the organisation's own historical data which seriously undermines their usefulness. This is generally not due to the lack of historical data but because of the way the models have been designed. So can you build business models which do not suffer from this fatal flaw? Absolutely!

Zoho Reports: good free tool for building web dashboards

Sat, 05 May 2012 08:37:44 +0000

It's a common problem - you have developed some very useful excel charts and dashboards and now you need to publish and share them on the web. There are lots of excel add-ins and add-ons (and I must have tried them all) - the problem is most will either be very expensive or disappoint you either in terms of their restrictions or how nicely they present your data.

How to Make Decisions about Decision-Making

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:33:35 +0000

It has been said that how a team decides how to decide is the most important decision it will make. I am pleased to feature a very interesting article by Jamie @ THOUGHT Stream which suggests practical tips for engaging your team, getting buy-in and how to use the Bioteams Action Zones and Rules to help.

New Research on Hard Benefits of Online Customer Communities

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 12:10:25 +0000

According to a 2011 survey, almost 50% of the top 100 global brands host some kind of network or community but are there any indications that these investments are paying off? Strategy and Business Magazine have just published an article which suggests the answer is "YES".

PathXL: Leading Edge Digital Collaboration in Pathology

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:18:24 +0000

The boundaries of digital collaboration extend way beyond document sharing and communications. PathXL are a Belfast-based Digital Collaboration/Big Data company who have developed workflow/data analytics software to help pathologists and clinicians make quicker, faster diagnoses of complex cancer tumour patterns and to work more effectively with colleagues in clinical cross-functional teams.

Trello - Simple Collaboration with Cards and free

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:09:48 +0000

I have been invited to participate in a software beta test which is using an online tool called Trello to coordinate test feedback. Trello is very simple and powerful and sits halfway between a forum and a wiki. It is a great tool for capturing and structuring feedback from a community in a really easy way and very compatible with a bioteams style of working.

Ken Thompson's bioteams microblog

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:43:00 +0000

You might not have noticed but a few weeks back I launched my bioteams microblog for short articles you can read in under a minute. It also suits me when I am travelling and want to post via mobile phone. I have been busy posting away each day and there are already lots of articles so please head over, check it out and let me know what you think.

Rules and warnings for building successful online communities

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:12:29 +0000

Most online communities are simply online ghost towns. People register, get their login details, visit once, decide its not for them and never return. This pattern is repeated over and over. Maybe online communities are not for you? Here is how to decide, and if you still want one - here is how to avoid the most obvious mistakes.

Learned Optimism 101

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:30:04 +0000

Learned Optimism is an approach to self-improvement invented by American psychologist, Doctor Martin Seligman and described in his book, Learned Optimism (1990). Seligman argues for the benefits of an optimistic outlook and describes how to learn to be optimistic.

Astute Labs: Community Engagement through Mobile Apps

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 09:45:49 +0000

Astute Labs is an exciting Belfast-based software start-up in the mobile app building space with a particular emphasis on large communities such as schools. They have only been going about 12 months but have already secured a large number of customers globally and just raised their first round of private investment.

Best practices for better meetings

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 09:33:48 +0000

"If we want to do something creative, outside the box, innovative and un-traditional I am doubtful that sitting in a traditional meeting room, having a traditional meeting and following a traditional meeting script is going to move us toward that vision". Jamie Billingham summarises best practices for radically improving meetings.

Stop people making bad commitments and poor estimates

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 12:53:51 +0000

Imagine the scenario. The all-day team workshop went so well. You just stopped short of a group hug. You finished off by agreeing the actions. Everyone was so pumped up and committed. Fast forward 2 weeks and all the actions are forgotten - just words on a page somewhere! Sounds familiar? What went wrong and how do you stop it next time?

Four rules for collaborating well in meetings

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:06:13 +0000

A lot of my work involves facilitating large meetings where groups need to collaborate to resolve difficult issues or develop future plans for working together. Over the last 12 months I have started to share 4 Golden Rules with the participants which always seem to significantly improve the results we get. Here they are!

The Intelligent Way to Ask Dumb Questions

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:04:50 +0000

Its easy to get the wool pulled over your eyes especially when you talk to experts! Communications consultant Jodi Glickman Brown offers three concrete steps to get the information you need in a conversation with an "expert" even though you might know very little about their subject.

RepKnight creating a storm in social media monitoring

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:34:07 +0000

RepKnight is an exciting Belfast-based software start-up in the reputation monitoring, crowd-sourced news and public opinion space. Even though they have only been going 12 months and without any external funding they are already in profit and fast becoming the "go-to" company for major private and public enterprises who need high volume real-time social media tracking.

Developing Real Skills for Virtual Teams

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:58:08 +0000

The Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina recently published a useful white paper on the topical area of developing skills for virtual teams. It is available online and in PDF. What I found most interesting was the section on Virtual Team Challenges.

5 things NOT to do when you get malware or a virus

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:52:59 +0000

My windows 7 PC got infected by an innocent looking piece of malware (mystart incredibar) which took over my search bar and home page on all browsers. Yuk! I checked it out on the web and found that it is definitely malware and I want to get rid of it. That was my first mistake!

Are you a tradesman or a craftsman?

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:45:37 +0000

A tradesman does their work as a means to an end whereas a craftsman does their work from a desire to do the job well for its own sake. Which are you or are you a bit of both?

Data mining made easy with DMF

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:58:02 +0000

Data Mining, a hi-tech buzzword for many years, is about excavating useful patterns which are hidden deep in your data to give you valuable insights you could not otherwise find. I was looking for a data mining tool in the same broad price bracket as Excel but which was also robust and did not require you to be a mathematics genius to use it. Surprisingly I managed to find a product which exactly met my needs!

Smart Bees first to solve complex mathematical problem

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:08:51 +0000

Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London and Royal Holloway have discovered that bees learn to fly the shortest possible route between flowers even if they discover the flowers in a different order. In doing this they are effectively solving the challenging 'Travelling Salesman Problem' and despite their small brains are the first creatures discovered who can do this.

Building an Integrated Social Media Dashboard

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:13:47 +0000

I have been looking for way to monitor and track all my websites/blogs plus all my social media accounts (linkedIN, Twitter etc) from a single dashboard. I figured this would be pretty easy - a thing that most people would want to do! Not so - despite the abundance of great social media tools I found it surprisingly difficult to find one which met all my requirements.

Data visualisation - which diagram should I use?

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 10:34:17 +0000

Here is an excellent web link plus two great books which address the question which diagram or chart should I use to best communicate different types of information visually. With at least 40 types of diagram and new ones/variants constantly being invented this is a hot topic!

Instant Customer Data Analysis using Excel: worked example

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:12:55 +0000

One of the most useful aspects of Microsoft Excel is its ability to quickly slice and dice customer data from live systems to identify important trends and behaviors which can inform strategy. In this article and screencast I share a 7-step plan, illustrated with a worked example, for Instant Customer Analytics using Excel.

Iphone 4s: constant loss of mobile signal problem

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:54:33 +0000

In early December 2011 I upgraded from an iphone 3G to iphone 4s on the Orange UK network. Since upgrading, a month ago, the iphone 4s has been losing the mobile signal at least 10-15 times per day for periods ranging from a few minutes to one hour. During this time it is not possible to make or receive phone calls or texts. In my view there is an unacknowledged issue with the iphone 4s - my advice would be NOT to purchase one until it is resolved - watch this space!

The River Diagram: Strategic community change management

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:40:49 +0000

I am always on the lookout for good simple visualisation techniques to support change management. Chris Collison has introduced me to The River Diagram - a great strategic tool for moving a community of groups forward via common initiatives and best practice sharing.

All you ever learned about meetings is wrong

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:07:24 +0000

I have been piloting a radically different approach to meetings which I am calling "Egoless Meetings" which addresses three popular unwritten rules about good meeting practices which are unfortunately totally wrong. RULE 1 is that everybody gets to speak. RULE 2 is that discussions in themselves can be useful. RULE 3 is that when you meet you must work as a team not as individuals.

Google, Amazon - Whisple?

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:11:31 +0000

One of the most interesting collaborative business networks to emerge recently is a group of ambitious Northern Irish technology companies who have founded Whisple and are now actively recruiting new members from software and service companies who need a ready-made platform into the multi-billion global cloud-services market.

Bioteams and the beliefs of high performing teams

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 17:17:10 +0000

Team Beliefs are the fuel which can really energise or kill team effectiveness. Unfortunately this is often the most neglected aspect of a high-performing team initiative. In this article I remind people of the key beliefs of high-performing teams.

Is your collaboration SAFE: a simple model for collaborative viability

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:04:30 +0000

Most collaborative ventures don't turn out quite the way we envisage. It would be great if we could determine in advance if a particular collaborative project or joint venture will be worth the required investment. Here is a simple way you can assess the merits of any collaborative endeavour BEFORE you invest time, effort and money in failing to make it work.

New City Community building simulation game

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:16:10 +0000

Building Community and Computer Simulation are two of my hot topics. So it really grabbed my attention when Channel 4 Education announced a forthcoming game, Fallen City, to let us explore how our cities might be mended by empowering communities.