business analysis

Cassandra’s Curse: You Can’t Make Clients Take Action

According to Greek myth, Cassandra's curse was that she could predict the future but no one would believe her prophecies. Sometimes the same can be said for project proposals. You can give the best assessment possible, but that doesn't mean the client will heed your words. Read on for encouragement.

Payson Hall's picture
Payson Hall
How to Manage a Crisis So Your Business Saves Face

No company is immune to a crisis. If you find your organization in a position where it could stand to lose customers, money, or its reputation, the first thing you need to do is own up to the situation. This story talks about what communications actions companies can take to mitigate a crisis.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
Understanding Effective Organizational Politics

Many people say, “I refuse to participate in politics,” perhaps imagining they are above the fray. You can still choose to be honest, ethical, and reasonable in your approach to politics. But if you choose not to participate, then you and your slice of the organization will lose to those who do.

Payson Hall's picture
Payson Hall
The Value of “What’s Unique about” Questions in Information Gathering

A highly effective angle for drawing useful information from customers is the “What’s unique about…?” question. What’s unique about this problem? What’s unique about your current process? What’s unique about your company? You're likely to get a deeper understanding of what your customer wants.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
Twitter’s New Analytics Feature Reveals Your Social Reach

With the introduction of Twitter’s analytics, everyone—not just advertisers or verified users—now has a way to measure the reach of their social media campaigns without cost. This new metrics offering will help people understand their online impact and fine-tune their communication strategies.

Jennifer Bonine's picture
Jennifer Bonine
Take a More Agile Approach to Problem Solving

Your managers want you to estimate features or projects months or even years in advance. But the work changes—or the code changes, or the people on the project change. What you thought might be a reasonable estimate four weeks ago looks wacko when you revisit it in six months. What can you do?

Johanna Rothman's picture
Johanna Rothman
Why You Should Take a Bow When You Deserve One

If the project you're managing goes better than planned—you finish ahead of schedule, under budget, or with greater results than expected—you might be inclined to chalk it up to luck and not want to draw attention. But here's an argument for why you should make sure people notice and you get credit.

Payson Hall's picture
Payson Hall
NSA's Data Spying Driving Tech Business Overseas

Major tech companies can expect continued resistance and suspicion from users if the National Security Agency’s power to spy on customers is not reduced or further regulated in the near future. United States technology companies could lose $35 billion in just three years over data concerns.

Josiah Renaudin's picture
Josiah Renaudin