Articles - The Kelso Group - Information Technology and Management Consulting - Latest comments

Kris Kelso [Member] in response to: Builders vs. Maintainers

Kris Kelso [Member] — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:45:31 +0000

Joe - you are correct in that I am very much a "Builder". I have tried not to show bias toward one or the other, but I suppose that's hard to avoid. I will say that I have developed a presentation around this topic, and I go a little more in-depth regarding the strengths and weaknesses of each (maybe it's time to re-vamp my article). The ones you identified are spot on - those are areas where Maintainers are typically stronger than Builders.

Joe K [Visitor] in response to: Builders vs. Maintainers

Joe K [Visitor] — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:55:01 +0000

This is interesting, and I tend to agree. However, I would like to hear the perspective of some maintainers as I have a feeling this was written by a builder. What additional strengths do maintainers have that builders might not have? Are maintainers better at continuous improvement, KPI's, and customer service?

Liz W. [Visitor] in response to: Search Engine Optimization Can Drive People Away

Liz W. [Visitor] — Fri, 28 May 2010 09:24:31 +0000

I guess everyone should be extra careful not to overdo every seo strategy they implement

Jean Eaton [Visitor] in response to: Project Management Fundamentals Part 2 - Communication

Jean Eaton [Visitor] — Wed, 05 May 2010 21:45:27 +0000

An organization can never have too much of the right communication and on a timely basis. Nice article Kris.

Kris Kelso [Member] in response to: Project Management Skills != People Management Skills

Kris Kelso [Member] — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 18:01:49 +0000

For the non-techies out there, the expression "!=" means "does not equal" or "not equal to".

Kris Kelso [Member] in response to: Mangement is a Skill, Not a Career Path

Kris Kelso [Member] — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 18:24:14 +0000

Amy -

Great point about the difference in responsibility - often, managers bear more of the burden of responsibility, and should be compensated as such. I wonder, though, if it is necessary for "business decision maker" and "functional manager of people" to be the same job role. Maybe there is a burden of responsibility that should not be on some managers, and maybe there are people who should bear the responsibility of decision making, but not necessarily the job of management.

One example within the technology industry is the "architect" role, which usually has a lot of decision making responsibility and serves in a leadership capacity, but does not necessarily have "direct reports".

Amy A. [Visitor] in response to: Builders vs. Maintainers

Amy A. [Visitor] — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:45:47 +0000

Fabulous description - and spot on. (I'm a builder)

Amy A. [Visitor] in response to: Mangement is a Skill, Not a Career Path

Amy A. [Visitor] — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:40:35 +0000

It is interesting your comment about being in a free market, people should be independently compensated based on the value they provide, regardless of their position on the org. chart. I would agree with you. The problem is that the value being provided is very subjective. Another point to consider is that managers in an orgainization have to take responsibility upon their shoulders and the "buck" should stop at their desk. I believe this is where the manager compensation comes into play and should be more than that of those who work for the manager. As far as the salary grades and compensation schedules - it does indeed force people into a management role if they want to continue to increase their rate of pay. But at the end of the day, how much is the job worth to the company? How much are they willing to pay for that particular position? It is indeed a free market and the employee has the option to pickup their bags and move on.