Category Archives: Process

Tech Fluency

Contributed article by Yvonne Burton of Burton Consulting International and Silicon Valley Alliance Associate.

Technological fluency is a major part of global business skills and in the age of remote work, the need for companies to have Tech Fluency has become more and more apparent. I work mainly with Japanese companies and although many major corporations are proactive in utilizing technology to the fullest, I find that an equal number are not. Whether, small, medium, or large, many Japanese companies are behind in using technology tools for maximum benefit and suffering for it.

This first article provides a general introduction to the theme,  a look at what is missing and the state that a lot of companies found themselves in when the pandemic propelled all of the world into remote work. Some companies seamlessly adapted, but for many others, it was and continues to be more of a challenge. Going forward, I will be writing more on this theme and what companies can and should be doing to increase fluency.

‘Tech Fluency’ was first published on JapanCulture-NYC where, as Business Editor, I write a bi-monthly column. I am re-posting the complete article here.

Technological Fluency

That is a mouthful. I call it Tech Fluency.

What is Tech Fluency?

Let me define it by looking at its components.

Technology: Techniques, skills, methods, and processes used in the production of goods or services or in the accomplishment of objectives.

Fluency: The quality or condition of being fluent. In addition, it is also defined as the ability to express oneself easily and articulately. It is usually applied to languages.

In this article, I am taking creative license and applying fluency to the language of technology to describe the level of proficiency and/or comfort in using the technological tools and applications that are needed to perform work responsibilities.Continue reading→

Tips for Creating a User-Friendly Mobile App

Contributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

The use of mobile phones for different functions, aside from communication, has become a natural habit for the average adult. In this age, millions of people shop, make payments, study, book flights, watch videos, and even perform daily work right on their phones. As a mobile app developer, a great user experience goes hand in hand with your app’s mobile-friendliness.

It is thus important to consider the aspects that will make your mobile app user-friendly. We have compiled 5 tips below for creating a great user-friendly mobile application.Continue reading→

Best Apps to Efficiently Organize Your Every Day & Get the Most Out of Your Week

Contributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

It goes without saying we all lead busy lives. And that’s good because it means we’re doing something and pushing forward. Nevertheless, it can easily become overwhelming to do everything you simply have to do and this results in stress.

We decided to check if there are any apps that can help with productivity and after some research, we stumbled upon a website with a list of the best to-do apps that caught our attention. The list is pretty straightforward so we dug into some of the apps and decided to pick out the top 3. Here’s the list in case you want to check it later.

List of the Top To-Do Apps

But no need to check it as we filtered and tested 3 of them that we think might be helpful to you.

Wunderlist – Organize Yours and Your Family’s DayContinue reading→

Is Your Business Missing Out on Voice Recognition Software?

Contributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

Personal assistants powered by voice recognition software are currently the new trend among tech giants. Apple has Siri, Google has Google Assistant and Samsung is planning to launch Bixby very soon. However, that’s just consumer tech. What about business? Can your business benefit from voice recognition in any way? Yes it can and we are not only talking about warehousing and medical transcription either. If your business can benefit from a software that translates voice into text with pinpoint accuracy, you already have a reason to invest in voice-to-text software. After getting the hang of it, even the slowest typist can produce documents at the speed of a professional Grade-A typist! If you find that interesting, read on to discover how you can integrate advanced voice recognition into your business in other ways as well.

The Perfect Tool for Ideas

The thing about the human brain is that it doesn’t necessarily always work in the way we want it to. Continue reading→

Tips on How to Manage Projects More Effectively

Contributed article in our PM series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

Do you find that many of your business projects take too long or they are not completed properly? This inefficiency in business is a common problem and it affects all types of organizations. However, you can reverse this situation by following the tips below.

Learn How to Manage Projects

If you don’t already have the expertise required to manage a business project, you need to address this situation as quickly as possible. You can hire a person or people with these capabilities, but you should also improve your own business skills by completing a project management course like an online MSMPP degree.

Once you have completed a masters in project and program management degree like this, you will have the knowledge and know-how required to make more confident business decisions and manage future projects in a much more professional manner.Continue reading→

The Stories We Tell: Creating and Perpetuating Your Corporate DNA

thumbnail(Originally posted on projectconnections.com)

Recently, several of my clients have become extremely interested in exploring what they call their “corporate DNA.” At first I resisted, because I was concerned that this metaphor implied that they were incapable of changing. But for the most part, this model is being used to explore the unique identity of an organization — the strengths that are admired, and should be preserved and transmitted to future generations.

Most every kid who has the luxury of getting an education learns the basics of DNA. DNA is what causes a giraffe to have a long neck, kangaroos to have pouches, and porcupines to have quills instead of fur. Tadpoles turn into frogs, not butterflies, because of their DNA. And a lot of behavior has its roots in an organism’s DNA. Birds have wings, but dogs don’t, therefore dogs don’t fly. Snakes, lacking both legs and wings, resort to crawling. But what is the meaning of the DNA of an organization?
Continue reading→

Take a Shot of Scrappiness and Call Me in the Morning by Emily Hennessee

iStock_000010925929XSmall-300x199(Originally posted on SVProjectManagement.com)

I’m delighted to post this story on behalf of Emily, who sent it to me as evidence that she was becoming more scrappy. In this story Emily shows us how we can help our teams think things through and clarify goals by asking good questions and facilitating discussions that people are “too busy” to have without our influence. It can take courage to schedule a meeting when people feel they have “real work” to do. But – done right – meetings ARE real work. Read and learn from Emily’s courageous leadership! – Kimberly Wiefling, Author,Scrappy Project Management Continue reading→