Word spin

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I was impressed/amused by this quote from one of our software vendors:  “we would like to offer our help in realizing your requirements”.  This was in the context of being invited to a requirements planning session along with other companies who use this vendor’s software. There is a lot of subtle meaning hidden within this sentence. It is a very nice way of saying that you, Mr. Customer, don’t know exactly what you want the software to do, and if we take your suggestions without understanding the problem you are trying to solve, we will develop something that you don’t really want.

In addition, I like the spin that is used in offering to help when the vendor is the one really benefiting from the exercise. Granted, each customer of the vendor may benefit some, but this is only if certain requirements get prioritized into a future version of the software. In fact, after gathering all of the requirements from the customers and getting them prioritized, they may not need a lot of product management for 6-12 months.

Running in the street

mikelunt7 Comments

As an avid runner, one of the things I often think about is when I see other runners in the street when there is a sidewalk next to the road.  Granted, everyone has a personal preference and may feel better in the street for various reasons; however, I would offer two contrarian reasons to consider switching to the sidewalk.  First, the sidewalk is further from the cars; therefore, it’s just safer in most respects.  Second, running in the street may be placing extra stress on your body.  This is because most streets have a slope as the street stretches to the curb, while most sidewalks are relatively flat.  Running on an angled surface puts the body in an awkward position for an already jarring form of exercise.  If you’re still not convinced, please drop me a comment explaining why, just to satisfy my curiosity. 🙂