Gunjan Doshi

First-mover Advantage

If you are first in the market and gain a significant market share, you have the best chance of retaining the market share. This is also known as “first-mover advantage”.

For e.g., AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) was the first one to comeup with a branded instant messenger. Several other vendors like MSN and Yahoo released their version of instant messengers. However, since AOL’s instant messenger was the first to market and had gained significant market share, it managed to retain its market leadership. According to Nielsen media ratings, here is the market share:

AOL Instant Messenger: 51.5 million members
MSN Messenger: 27.3 million members
Yahoo Messenger: 21.9 million members

So, how do you retain the market share? Continuously innovate the hell out of your product and make it simple and economic with every iteration. In short, do not get fat and lazy with your success.

A case in hand: at one point Motorola manufactured half the world's cell phones. It was a clear market leader. However, the success made the company lazy; it failed to innovate. Eventually, it lost its leadership to Nokia over the period of time. I think Motorola is one of the rare examples where the company learned from its mistakes and made a comeback with the Razr line of phones. To regain the market share from your competitor is very challenging as your competitor knows the rules and is working hard.

The company that is successfully avoiding the trap is Apple. They are constant innovating and keeping other competitors at bay – look at IPod. There are way too many mini-me's out there right now. But, no one is able to produce a Ipod killer as Apple keeps innovating and delighting the customers.

I think lot of engineering companies fail miserably on this front. They are so focused on technology that they fail to think about the end users. Especially, if you are the first in the market, but have a complex product with expensive pricing, you will loose soon. For e.g. Sony developed VHS format and sold it to JVC, who later made VHS an open license. Sony thought it had a superior format called Betamax. It is true that Betamax had better quality than VHS. However, it was very complicated for average user. In addition, Sony locked down the Beta format. While VHS was simple and had an open license on it, everyone came out with cheap VHS players. The mandate from people was clear: Sony introduced the Betamax home video system in 1975. At one point, it had almost a third of the UK video recorder market. However by 1985 the market had turned sharply towards VHS.

To summarize:
1. If you are first to market and have significant market share, congratulations!
2. Do not get fat and lazy with your success. Continuously innovate and strive for simplicity and lower costs.
3. Do not be technology focused, be user focused.

Good to Great

Before I joined Community Connect Inc., it was already a leader in online community destinations for US ethnic groups and multicultural audiences. It had more than 16 million registered members and 500 million monthly page views. In short, the company was doing well - very well. However, it wanted to be great. So, the engineers started working on a new platform called C9. The new platform was designed from scratch to enable Community Connect to rapidly launch new niche social networks in less than 30 days. As Jim Collins mentions in his best seller book - "Good to Great", the route from good to great is not easy and takes some time. The C9 platform was a massive undertaking was estimated to be completed in 6 months. However, after 18 months it seemed to have lost the path. The engineering team was very smart and dedicated to achieve the goal; but the business was getting impatient. When I joined Community Connect last year, I saw a great dynamic team, great management team and great leadership ready to take the company to new heights. I am very happy to say that in less than a year, we are successfully on the route to greatness. We have achieved the following in less than a year:

1. Launched C9 platform and re-launched all the three sites - AsianAvenue, Migente and BlackPlanet based off C9 platform.
2. We are ready to launch another niche social networking site in fall 2006.
3. In less than a year, we have released more than 40 new products and major enhancements to the platform. We have gone from not releasing anything for 18 months to releasing new features and enhancements every month.
4. Productivity of engineering team has almost doubled

For e.g., our last release had the following new features:
* Enhanced photo management including unlimited photo storage, editing tools, sharing and privacy preferences as well as rating functionality
* User-generated news allowing the community to post, rate and comment on events and articles impacting them
* Professional networking tools providing new ways for users to connect -- establish contacts, find employees and new jobs
* New video section, free instant messaging and improved Personal Page tools provide new ways for members to express themselves, share and connect with the community

Lot of kudos to the product development and product management teams on this 180 degree change in less than a year. With perseverance and persistence and right set of techniques, good to great is achievable and manageable. It is not a easy journey, but even the initial results are very fulfilling.

If you are interested in working with the superior team of product development, check out the current job openings.

Successful MG Launch

Over past few weeks, we have been really busy trying to release Migente.com on a new improved platform. On Sunday May 7th 2006, we successfully launched this new version of Migente.com.

The launch was an exemplary demonstration of teamwork, dedication and discipline. Everything went according to the plan – team of backend developers, tech leads, front-end programmers, information architects, product managers, systems, QA, project managers, member services all worked in perfect harmony and launch the site at around 3.00 PM yesterday.

Click here to see some launch pictures.

Lunch with Ken Schwaber

Today, Court Cunningham and I met with Ken Schwaber over lunch. It was a casual lunch meeting where we talked about topics like critical process practices, agile process adoption, challenges faced by the software engineering community etc.

Ken mentioned couple of interesting statistics. He mentioned that it has been his experience that only around 25% of companies are successful in their pursuit to adopt agility. I found that number shockingly low. Other than one financial client in the past, I think all the agile adoptions, I have seen, have been successful. I think Ken was referring to the challenge in sustaining the adoption after the change to agile is introduced. The satir change model (picture below) can also help explain this better:

A transitioning team needs strong leadership and wisdom to guide them out of the chaos phase to the integration phase. It is only in integration phase that the team starts seeing long term benifits in performance. However, to enter the integration phase, the team has to weather the chaos phase. It is during this phase that many adoptions fail and go awry.
Ken mentioned another interesting metric. He mentioned that there is usually 20% turnover in development and 40% turnover in management due to adoption of agile processes. I will agree with the turnover metric for management. Managers who are used to the traditional waterfall process struggle a lot with the adoption of agile processes. However, my experience with developers has been very positive. They usually have been very happy with the agile transition. Finally, we talked about slow rate of adoption of the agile processes in the New York metro area. Fortunately, the adoption rate is increasing as I am hearing more and more about companies transitioning to agile mindset.

Quick and clean-cut strategic decisions

In my last posting, I talked about viewing the world from your manager’s perspective. In this blog entry, I am going to talk about my decision making process; a four-question model to make and communicate quick, clean-cut strategic decisions.
Whenever, I have to make decisions that could affect other individuals, I use this model without fail. This model has proved to be the sharpest and most effective tool in my decision-making toolbox. Here is the model:

1. Should I be making the decision?
2. How can I make a well-informed decision in timely manner?
3. Whose feedback should I seek before making the decision?
4. What is the process of rolling out the decision?

Should I be making the decision?
This question has prevented me from making decisions that I should not be making.
For e.g., should I be making decisions on vacation policies? Well, the answer is no. Making decisions on vacation policies is the expertise of Human Resources. On the other hand, making decisions on release dates, process changes, and my department’s promotions is my area of accountability. One variation of this question I often use is, “am I going to be 100% accountable for the outcome of the decision I make?” If the answer is no, I know, I am not the right person to make this decision.

How can I make a well-informed decision in timely manner?
Now that you have decided to be accountable, ask yourself, "How can I make a well-informed decision in timely manner?" Making a decision means choosing one route among several available ones. It’s vital to gather as much information as possible before making a decision. If you are feeling rushed, ask for more time.

Whose feedback should I seek before making the decision?
Before making key decisions, I never fail to get feedback from my manager, staff who reports to me and other key individuals. At work, I have a great support staff, which assists me in evaluating all the choices and helps me in making a thorough decision. In today's business, quick and clean-cut decisions is the key and not rushed half-baked decisions.

What is the process of rolling out the decision?
Now that a decision is made, it is time to roll out the decision. Here, I ask two questions:
1. Who should be informed of the decision and when?
2. How should I communicate this decision? Should I communicate it via email, company blog, typed memo or a verbal discussion?
In your communication, try to articulate the decision, the expected changes and improvements. I always prefer face to face communication because of the available bandwidth. I never communicate important changes over email.

Finally, after rolling out the decision, periodically study the outcome of your decision, by talking to your employees or by using other feedback mechanisms like surveys, weekly meetings etc.

My Favorite Swanson's Rule

I like Swanson's Unwritten Rules of Management. I try to revisit these rules once every few weeks. There is lot of wisdom in these rules; each rule is a gem in itself. Here is my most favorite one:
When faced with decisions, try to look at them as if you were one level up in the organization. Your perspective will change quickly: This rule comes in very handy when you do not understand or disagree with your manager's stand or priorities or projects. Remember, this rule is not about compromising your stand but it is about widening your horizons.
Now, when I disagree with my manager, I try to take a step back and put myself in my manager's position. This approach has always enriched my discussions and created fulfilling decisions. For e.g.: recently, a senior executive asked me if it was possible to allocate resources to help someone. My projects were already short-staffed and saying yes to his proposition was tough. This rule came to my mind and I tried to put myself in his position. Immediately, his stand became clear to me and helped me think more strategically from company's perspective and not from departmental perspective. This is just a solo example of where this rule has come in handy. I have lost count of times, when this rule has proved priceless.

What is your favorite rule? If you have not read Swanson’s unwritten rules, continue reading, I have typed them up.

]]> For your reference here is the list of Bill Swanson's '25 Unwritten Rules of Management' (Taken from book).
1. Learn to say, "I don't know." If used when appropriate, it will be often.
2. It is easier to get into something than it is to get out of it.
3. If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.
4. Look for what is missing. Many know how to improve what's there, but few can see what isn't there.
5. Viewgraph rule: When something appears on a viewgraph, assume the world knows about it, and deal with it accordingly.
6. Work for a boss with whom you are comfortable telling it like it is. Remember that you can't pick your relatives, but you can pick your boss.
7. Constantly review developments to make sure that the actual benefits are what they are supposed to be. Avoid Newton's Law.
8. However menial and trivial your early assignments may appear, give them your best efforts.
9. Persistence or tenacity is the disposition to persevere in spite of difficulties, discouragement, or indifference. Don't be known as a good starter but a poor finisher.
10. In completing a project, don't wait for others; go after them, and make sure it gets done.
11. Confirm your instructions and the commitments of others in writing. Don't assume it will get done!
12. Don't be timid; speak up. Express yourself, and promote your ideas.
13. Practice shows that those who speak the most knowingly and confidently often end up with the assignment to get it done.
14. Strive for brevity and clarity in oral and written reports.
15. Be extremely careful of the accuracy of your statements.
16. Don't overlook the fact that you are working for a boss. Keep him or her informed. Whatever the boss wants, within the bounds of integrity takes top priority.
17. Promises, schedules, and estimates are important instruments in a well-ordered business.
18. Never direct a complaint to the top. A serious offense is to "cc" a person's boss.
19. When dealing with outsiders, remember that you represent the company. Be careful of your commitments.
20. Cultivate the habit of "boiling matters down" to the simplest terms. An elevator speech is the best way.
21. Don't get excited in engineering emergencies. Keep your feet on the ground.
22. Cultivate the habit of making quick, clean-cut decisions.
23. When making decisions, the pros are much easier to deal with than the cons. Your boss wants to see the cons also.
24. Don't ever lose your sense of humor.
25. Have fun at what you do. It will reflect in your work. No one likes a grump except another grump.
26. Treat the name of your company as if it were your own.
27. Beg for bad news.
28. You remember 1/3 of what you read, 1/2 of what people tell you, but 100 percent of what you feel.
29. You can't polish a sneaker.
30. When facing issues or problems that are becoming drawn out, "short them to ground."
31. When faced with decisions, try to look at them as if you were one level up in the organization. Your perspective will change quickly. 32. A person who is nice to you but rude to the watiter is not a nice person.
33. Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, an amateur built an ark that survived a flood while a large group of professionals built the Titanic!

Phishing

In this post, I am going to talk about Phishing. Phising is already a widespread activity aimed to steal your personal information. If you are not careful, you can be an easy victim of Phishing at the hands of sprawling fraudsters. According to antiphishing.org, the number of new phishing sites increased to 7197 in December 2005, highest until now. According to Gartner, fifty-seven million U.S. adults have received a phishing e-mail.

So, what is this phishing? It is nothing new. It is the same old crime of an impostor trying to steal your personal information. It is simple, but tricky. Here is how phishing (pronounced fishing) works:
You receive an email message pretending to be from a company that you already know or use.
This email message contains a link that points to a web site disguised as official company's web site.
On the web site, you are asked for personal information such as social security number, account number, password or credit card information.
Let me give you a recent example of phishing that I faced. I received this email from PayPal.

For a full size view, click on the image.

If you click on the link in the email above, it takes you to a spoofed site http://201.129.233.227/webscr/paypal/. If you go to this spoofed site, it looks exactly similar to paypal.com. However, it is a paypal impostor. Here is how the spoofed site looks like:

For a full size view, click on the image.

Once you log into this spoofed site, it asks you to the enter your credit-card details:

For a full size view, click on the image.

Even if you are smart enough and do not enter your credit card information, you have given your user id and password away. I reported this incident to paypal.com and they promised me to take some action.

]]> There are several variations of phishing. Here is a recent experience of one variation. The company I work for is home to http://www.blackplanet.com. With around 5.8 million registered users, BlackPlanet.com is a leading destination for African American audience. Recently, I was showed a link on a user's personal profile on BlackPlanet.com. The link pointed to http://www.blackplanel.com. If you are like most users, you may say that it is natural to point back to blackplanet.com. However, study the link in detail; one more time. The link is not pointing to blackplanet.com, but to blackplanel.com. Note, how the link ends with a trailing 'l' and not 't'.
A fraudulent user actually registered this phishing domain and then set up a spoofed login page exactly similar to blackplanet.com's login page. So, an end user who is casually browsing clicks on this phishing link and is taken to blackplanel.com login's page, which is exactly similar to blackplanet's login page. Here is the login page from http://www.blackplanel.com:

For a full size view, click on the image.

which is exactly similar to the following original page from blackplanet.com:

For a full size view, click on the image.

As you see, they look exactly identical. In this case, the phising site is trying to steal end user's user id and password. This personal information is then used by fradulent phishers to send spam emails to members. Fortunately, our sharp legal counsel took immediate action against blackplanel.com and stopped this phising action.
However, there is nothing stopping another phishing site to attempt a similar attack. One solution that was suggested was to purchase all possible domains. It is simply not possible. There are several hundred variations of blackplanet.com that could be used. We can purchase all of them. Then there are hundreds of several other domain extensions like .net, .org, .us and several hundred country specific extensions.
Also, Internet laws are still immature and some countries do not have any Internet laws. For e.g. Google recently had a problem with someone in Belarus buying the google.by domain and creating a similar site like Google. Google’s real Belarus address is http://www.google.com/intl/be/.. Here is the spoofed google page:

For a full size view, click on the image.

Google is trying to pursue legal options to shut down this site.
So,the real question is, “how do I protect myself”. First and foremost, be very watchful and wise in submitting any personal information over the net; especially, in response to an email. Secondly, use anti-phishing tools that point you to probable spoofed emails and phishing sites. I have used ClouldMark's Desktop and Anti-fraud toolbar. Lot of my friends have recommended me to SpoofStick.
Lot of leading companies have started taking measures to protect end users from phishing. I have been told that Microsoft is officially adding a anti-phishing toolbar to its IE7 browser. Gmail is testing phishing protection designed to alert members to potential e-mail fraud attacks. These efforts can be lauded, but there is nothing that can put an end to phishing. Before releasing an anti-phishing toolbar, Ebay's chief information security officer and a former White House cyber security adviser Howard Schmidt mentioned that no technology can solve 100% of the phishing problem. I totally agree with Howard. Like any crime, to prevent yourself from phishing, you will have to be on guard first.

Adopting Ubuntu Linux

Is Linux ready for desktop users? Not yet, but it is getting there. I have been asked many times: when will you know that Linux is ready for mainstream desktop users? The test is very simple – Can my mother use it?
I have tried several times to move to Linux. It was first in 1998 that I attempted to install Redhat Linux on my old Pentium computer. The experience was very disappointing. I ended up re-installing Windows 98. In 2002, I tried installing Redhat Linux on my Dell laptop. Again, the experience was very disappointing. Finally, last week, I tried again. I downloaded 4 CDs of Fedora core 4 for installing on my Thinkpad T42 (2379-DWU). The installation went pretty smooth. However, the support for the Thinkpad hardware was disappointing.
Luckily, my friend suggested Ubuntu. I had to download just one CD. The installation was a breeze. It correctly identified all my hardware and in five minutes my Thinkpad was perfectly set up and running Linux.
For those of you who have not heard about Ubuntu, Ubuntu is derived from Debian Linux. However, Ubuntu is targeted for laptops and Debian is targeted for servers. Here are some of the cool features that finally convinced me to move away from Windows:

A active vibrant community around Ubuntu.

Excellent support for hardware. For e.g. I plugged my USB mouse and it immediately started working. Wireless internet works excellent. CD burning is great. Media playing is excellent. Scroll wheel in my mouse worked great.
Ubuntu ships with apt-get for downloading and installing packages. Ubuntu ships with a cool visual interface to apt-get, which makes installing and uninstalling software a breeze.

It is possible to hibernate to not only to hard disk but also to RAM.

Automatrix, installs all the other miscellaneous software like codecs, Firefox 1.5, plugins etc.

Open Office is not as good as Microsoft Offic, but I am happy.
Overall, I am happy to see a distribution of Linux targeted for desktop users. Ubuntu has definitely won me over. I have decided to use it for all my personal needs. If you have not tried Ubuntu, give it a try. You will be happy you tried.

"Want to blog, but cannot" virus

I have a confession to make. Off late, I have not been a responsible blogger. I feel that personal blogging is a true test of self-discipline. Am I disciplined to frequently update my blogs? I did not want to fall into the trap of "Start blogging - Stop blogging - Start blogging" cycle. However, I did.

Unless, you are committed and self-disciplined, this is how your blogging cycle will go:

Excitement Phase: You install the blogging software on a server.
Commitment phase: You write your first blog entry. You even go to Google and add your blog to the search index. You update your blog every day.
Marketing phase: Now, you go and check the traffic on your site. You even check bloglines to see how many people have subscribed to your blog. There are few clicks here and there, but not many. You find that only people commenting on your site are spammers and viagara salesmen. Well, you are still dedicated. You also mention about your blog to your friends and they even subscribe to your blog. Finally, you include a link to your blog in your email signatures.
Infected phase: Now, comes this dreaded phase. The “want to blog, but cannot” virus infects you. All of a sudden, your frequency of blogging decreases. You want to update it, but do not feel like it. This is the turning point for most blogs. Either, your blog starts dying a slow death or you fight against the virus and come back.

Well, I want to fight back. In addition to agile software development, I will also be blogging about my other learning experiences as Vice-President of Product Development and Process Excellence at Community Connect Inc. I have changed the focus of my blog from agile software development to continuous learning and growth. Let us see, how long it takes for the “want to blog – but cannot” virus to infect me again.

New Platform Launch

Last weekend was very fulfilling. On October 30th 2005, We released a new platform called Community 9.0 on AsianAvenue.com.

This new platform is a total rewrite of the existing platform and is intended to serve as an easy launching pad for new communities. For business folks, this platform is guaranteed to provide a huge leap ahead in the market. For technology folks, this platform provides a robust groundwork for new community portals. More than 100 folks from various groups like system administrators, DBA, testers, design technologists, visual designers, information architects, programmers, product managers, project managers, and technical development managers worked in harmony to launch this new platform.

Here are few pictures taken during the launch.

Openworkspace in the morning

Few hours before the launch, everyone was relaxed

The excitement during the launch

The whiteboard in my office

Microsoft tosses code?

I have been scorned by many, for my suggestion to toss complex code and start fresh. Programmers love challenges; complexity is challenging and awakens the dare-devil in us. I try to tell them that any complex piece of code has to be maintained by someone, preserved in the source control system, checked out – checked in every time. I also mention that if they find the code complex, everyone else in the team will.

In a recent articlearticle of Wall Street Journal, Robert A. Guth talks how the LongHorn engineers tossed away years of old LongHorn code and started fresh.
Here are some interesting points from the article:

“Jim Allchin, a senior executive tells Mr. Gates that the new version of Longhorn will fail because of its complexity. “The new version was so complex its writers would never be able to make it work properly”.
….
Srivastava and Allchin suggested that Microsoft throw away out years of computer code in LongHorn and start out with a fresh base. It would set up computers to automatically reject bug-laden code. The new LongHorn would have to be simple. It would leave the bells and whistles for later including WinFS, Messrs etc.
……
A key goal is now to make Microsoft more nimble in producing and delivering software.”

Longhorn was actually scraped and we now have - Vista. I have not seen Vista, but the article claims that it is far better than LongHorn.

Agility applied for Bible study

We have been enjoying great success applying Agility at work.

In fact, we are trying to apply principles and practices of Agility to various departments within the company. However, when Felix Figuereo, a manager narrated his experience of applying principles of Agility for Bible study, I was thrilled. Here is his email:

"My family and I, my wife, my 13 year old, my 9 year old and my 5 year old have been conducting bible studies at home Wednesday evenings for years now. After sitting through your Agile process class - I had a thought of applying what I had learned with you to my home bible study session. It just might work.

I got home and quickly pulled out some post it notes, wrote down five tasks - Prayer, song selection, reading, developing the topic, conclusion.

I then explained the new process we would go through to get through the bible study in an orderly and timely manner, and they agreed.

We began with my 5 years old picking first - he chose prayer. He likes to do that and heard the other family members who objected to him doing it. We over ruled any objections that were not valid or real or based on opinion. Next, my 9 year old picked song selection, and 13 year old reading the bible.

The interesting part of the evening came when my wife's turn came to pick and she picked developing the topic. At her selection all the kids screamed out "NO WAY MOM!" and when asked why they objected - the raised the point that "mommy takes too long." something which, by the way - I had voiced to her in the past but she did not accept it coming from me. She argued at first that she did not take long, but the kids insisted that she did. She agreed finally to keep it to five minutes at which we were all in favor of. I got the conclusion part with no objections.

Gunjan - like I said before, we have done this for years and I was at a point lately where I dreaded doing it, because there was always strife about who did what, and the kids getting tired quickly as the session dragged on. But, last night was nothing short of fun, productive, instructive, qualitative, and plain old good for us for once!

I am looking forward to using Agile techniques in things like planning and preparing for a family trip, going to the super market - as we buy our kids school lunch, and for simple household chores which would require all our family's hands or support.

Thanks man. If you have some of the process documented, please send me some attachments. I would love to continue to read up on Agile process :0)".

It is really interesting to see how simple principles like self-accepted responsibility scale everywhere.

Big Change

Since past few months, I have been coaching teams at Community Connect Inc, a company based in New York City. The company creates and maintains online communities. Its three major sites: blackplanet.com, migente.com and asianavenue.com have over 22 million registered users.

Last month, I was offered a full-time position of ‘Vice-president of product development and process excellence’. I have accepted the offer.

Many close friends asked me the reason for accepting the offer. My answer: “Young and dynamic culture with lots of potential. To top that, I will be in the business of communities, touching lots of people. I love it!”

XP Coach with TDD experience needed.

One of my old clients in New York city needs a hands-on XP coach \ consultant with prior experience in mentoring teams on test-driven development and refactoring. It is an hands-on coaching position for 3 months. There is no relocation or travel reimbursement. Works starts immediately.

Requirements:

* Strong TDD skills using Java in Eclipse
* Strong refactoring skills
* Past training & mentoring experience
* Well averse with Agile practices

About the client:
They are a well-established financial services organization located in downtown New York city.

Experiences Of A New Agile Project Manager

A major New York based dot-com organization has hired Instrumental Services for agile coaching and mentoring services. This successful dot-com organization creates and maintains online communities for ethnic audiences. It has more than 16 million users.

Last week, I finished coaching one of the teams. Dennis Kwok, the project manager on the team, has nicely summarized his experiences in this report (pdf).

To summarize the challenges that Dennis experienced:
1. Initially it felt chaotic.
2. Storng dependency on the product manager.
3. Complex stories were difficult to accept.

To summarize the benefits that Dennis experienced:
1. Team’s spirit and moral increased.
2. There was a better sense of a team.
3. The developers became more focussed.
4. The quality of the code was better.
5. It was easier to manage change.
6. Estimates became more accurate.
7. Less time spent on documentation.

Next week, I will be training the customer team composed of Information Architects and Product managers.