I’m sort of a boring guy (go on, just ask those who know me personally) and I’m definitely a busy geek (you will have to decide if that is because I do a lot, or try to do too much, or simply have lousy time management skills, I tend to think the last) and thus most of the blogs I read are 100% technical and informative -- how do I do this, why doesn’t this work, what’s the workaround for this, what are the concepts behind that. You get the idea – boring + busy + always scrambling for ideas = technical blogs, not blogs that espouse philosophy, or a particular Weltanschauung.
But I think maybe I’m doing myself a disservice with this kind of focus. Simply being technically proficient (you decide to what extent I fit that description) is not enough to make me a well-rounded consultant or even person. I don’t write philosophical (opinionated yes, philosophical barely) blogs on the state of EPM, but is there someone who does? Why yes there is.
It’s a secret
Well, I’m not 100% sure it is secret, but at least it isn’t a well-publicized blog. What am I talking about? The “hidden” counterpoint to The Travelling Consultant. Take a gander at the url for that blog: http://thetravelingconsultant2.wordpress.com/ Btw, I like this blog, a lot, strictly on technical grounds. But moving on…Do you see the “2”? The number sort of implies that a predecessor exists (Thanks, John and no, he isn't the author, just more observant than I). Try this url:
http://thetravelingconsultant.wordpress.com/
Ah, now we have something very different. A personal blog but from a (mostly) EPM consulting perspective. There is some very inside baseball, or industry specific stuff here (all names, places, and dates quite rightfully redacted but very interesting) and if you ever wanted to know what it’s like to be an EPM consultant, or what consultants are like, or the nature of EPM consultancy, I can’t think of another place to find it. I would also recommend this for customers who want an insight into how a consulting practice works and what you might (for good or for ill) expect to see in EPM consultants.
Yes, these are told from a particular point of view (one that I mostly agree with). You may not agree with everything written (that is sort of the point of a personal blog) but I think the articles ring very true. I applaud the Travelling Consultant, whoever that is, on his honesty and candor. And sense of humor. :) And no, I am not the writer.
Some of the more interesting posts
This is pretty straight stuff with little controversy:Consulting 101: Project Roles
Consulting 101: Project Phases
I got a lot of pleasure out of these Profiles In Consultancy. And yes, I have met every one of these types. I try not to think too closely about which one I most nearly resemble.
Consultant Profiles: the “Great Guy/Gal”
Consultant Profiles: the “Flake”
Consultant Profiles: the “Diva”
Consultant Profiles: the “Talker”
Consultant Profiles: the “Over Biller”
Want to be a consultant? How does it all work? Read on. I think every new hire to a consulting firm ought to get the links to these stories as part of their welcome package, especially if they are new to consulting.
Consultant Policies
These are good but I’ll bet the really good ones are Too Dangerous To Print.
War Stories
So wrote it?
That’s a secret, too. I think if you read it, you’ll understand why. The posts aren’t negative in any way but some of the truths they speak are…uncomfortable. In the interest of self-preservation aka continued employment the writer is anonymous. Such is life.Go on, broaden your horizons
Given the non-technical nature of the blog, the great thing is that you don’t need to rush through it. I wish there were more EPM blogs like this. I do try to bring at least a little philosophy (some call it idiocy) to my posts but I fall far short of the other The Traveling Consultant. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.Be seeing you over on the non-technical side.
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