We have a big QA audit coming up on Tuesday and we may require some documents or other responses from you. For anyone with TS hardware we have new antivirus software to be installed and a few other polcies that need to be adopted, followed by a signed acceptance letter returned to KZ.

I think you'll find all of this pretty low-drag, and it will help us not just comply with our new policies but also have better control of our environment in a way that really does not add much overhead at all.

Thanks everyone for your prompt attention!

Ed

A few quick items to note:

As of today, sitemeter indicates that this blog has had 4019 visits with an average of 10 per day, and 5657 page views with 96 so far this week. Thats neat stuff.

I started this blog primarily out of inspiration from the world of political blogs but also on advice contained in Hugh Hewitts aptly titled book, "Blog". The book attempts to look at blogging from a nonpartisan viewpoint and also touts it as an emerging and powerful business tool.

As I've mentioned in the past, anyone in the company is welcome to write here. We've had inquiries from customers or partners as well and although I can't imagine precisely what they'd want to write, we would certainly welcome input from any source. Anything for the blog should be reasonably well written, positive in tone, and strictly protective of any confidential information.

We have received calls and inquires for products, services, employment and opinions based on writings in this blog. I've also had alot of feedback from employees and others that they enjoy reading the blog and feel connected to the company through it.

Based on all of this, I'm going to call the TS Blog a success. I'll try and keep actively writing and also encourage everyone else to do the same.

Thanks for reading,

Ed

A few notes about 2007 planning:
- it looks like we have more work than we can easily do with our current staff
- therefore we'll be hiring again
- and we have a variety of interesting opportunities in the works

Therefore, if you are on a TS assignment now, maybe been on it for a while, and have interest in moving around to other projects, now is the time to let me know!

Also lets go get some more smart people for the team!

First off, something fun: thanks to those of you who have begun RSVP'ing for the holiday party! We skipped last year due to a variety of issues but prior years have always been quite fun (I say, as the host!) so please please try to make it if you can! This year the event will be at the Endicott Mansion in Dedham, MA - rooms available and you can expense them if you are a TS employee coming from out of state. If you are a TS employee or sub and for any reason you didn't get an invite - let me know! You really are invited! TS veterans will recall that this is the one event of the year that we do with no customers involved, so we can relax and let loose a little. We do invite company Friends and business partners, and spouses or significant others are all invited as well. Dress is - well, people will probably end up going business casual for the most part - but its whatever you want. This is for you guys, lets have fun with it. Personally I'm going in a tux**.

In other news, I've been thinking alot lately about a quote from some military general or other that has been stuck in my mind. I paraphrase: "to be a good leader you need 2 things: honesty and courage." This stuck with me perhaps because it is so short and sweet. It leaves out a raft of other neat leadership qualities and really focuses attention on just these 2. And I found myself largely in agreement. Now, to be sure, a TS employee - leader or not - needs honesty, courage, intellect, work ethic, interpersonal skills, and more. But I thought it was neat to just focus on what you'd have with just these 2. And perhaps, what you'd have without either one. These aren't just qualities for a leader to have, they are qualities for life. For anyone's life. Two important things that will make your life a happier place. Reminds me a bit of this post I wrote a while back on honesty and integrity as core company values.

Take care, see you all at the holiday party!

-Ed

** not true.

Ajaya was the company's second full time employee, and he has been a dedicated and talented worker from the very beginning. In a company where we tend to get alot of customer accolades, Ajaya is the leading recipient of customer appreciation and recognition. He has been working on the Impala project almost since its inception, and is now the primary brains and lifeline behind its day to day operation. Ajaya is a quiet, hardworking guy, who is always willing and able to help, and everyone knows they can count on him. Ajaya lives in CT with his wife and daughter - and if you have a chance to sample his wife's cooking, don't miss it!

Ravi came in a few months after Ajaya, and he has probably worked on more projects than anyone in the company. Ravi has worked on consulting teams and on internal products; in CT and in MA, in pharmaceuticals and also in retail systems. He has a broad knowledge base and has proved his skills and flexibility time and time again by always being ready and able to do what is needed for the company. Having done great work on such a broad cross section of TS projects, Ravi is an extremely valuable part of the Tourtellotte Solutions organization. One thing you notice right away about Ravi is that he always has a very positive attitude and an infectious smile - its hard not to feel good about things when you are talking to him. Ravi lives in MA with his wife and son.

Jeremy also joined TS in 2001, and has worked on a variety of consulting projects always with great success. Jeremy is an extremely diligent and thorough worker, who quickly makes himself expert in any technology and subject matter that he is working with. I recall the time when we first interviewed Jeremy, and he was asked a very difficult technical question. He paused and thought about it, casually wrote the answer on the whiteboard, looked at it, and said "I think its something like this...". At that point we knew we had a technical ace, and no further questions were asked. Like Ravi and Ajaya, Jeremy is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. He is always willing to help, and usually quite able to do so. Jeremy has historically been the company gaming ringleader, introducing us to such titles as Settlers of Cataan and Munchkin, resulting in many hours of fun for all of us.

Thanks for a great 5 years, guys, you are all awesome.

Ed

Well, I'm back from vacation and frankly amazed at how incredibly well things have gone in my absence. We've been really busy! I've got a ton of blog entries to write, not least of which will be 3 5-5 program profiles but also a bunch of updates for all aspects of the business and maybe some culture thoughts as well.

I'd like to take a moment and welcome the new hires that started recently: Welcome Sino, Ben and Reena to the RockBlocks team, we are all excited to have you on board! We've seen escalating demand around RockBlocks all year, and we will continue to increase our development and PSO organizations going forward. We are also hiring for tcVisualize development team in the wake of a few new pending deals there. Opportunities on the consulting / custom development side seem to be springing up with greater frequency as well, so it seems to me that we are growing on all fronts. Great job everyone, lets keep up the good work and keep our ears to the ground for fresh talent!

Ed

ps: In case you haven't seen the press floating around, we announced our first major new customer for RockBlocks: The Bon-Ton Stores! I'm certain that I speak for the entire RockBlocks team when I say that we are absolutely thrilled to be working with the top notch team at Bon-Ton to enable their Global Sourcing process.

Sometimes its hard to believe we've been around for so long. Earlier in the year, Ajaya passed his 5 year anniversary with the company, and recently Ravi did as well. Jeremy's 5 year will be coming up shortly. Looking back upon all the amazing work done by these folks, all the dedication and excellence and customer accolades, it seemed appropriate to do something special for their 5 year anniversary. So, inspired by the service of these 3, the company is announcing this week the 5-5 plan: on an employee's 5th year anniversary of service, we will provide a few tokens of our appreciation:

- A company announcement and blog entry
- A lunch or dinner with Ed
- A certificate of achievement
- A company gift
- A modest $5000 bonus

As Kristina pointed out in her announcement earlier in the week, this is our way of saying "Thank You" for your reliability, professionalism and support day after day, year after year.

I can only hope that we'll be contemplating a 10 year program in the not too distant future!

I (Ed) will be on vacation from July 16 - Aug 6 2006. During this time I will be generally not reachable except in case of emergency. While I am away, the business shall continue to run as usual. The top decision making responsibility while I am away will break down as follows: For the consulting side of the organization, Ken Clark will be in charge. For the sourcing side, Gary Hynes will be at the helm. For tcVisualize, Nick Lenares will be run the show. All three of these folks will work closely with Kristina Zak to ensure continuity and consistency across the company. In an emergency the business leaders will be able to contact me, but otherwise I will not be available by phone or email.

I expect there will be a few new faces around by the time I get back, and I hope you all make them feel welcome and at home. Work hard, play hard, and please - no office evacuations due to phantom mold!

Thanks all!

Ed

Once again we find ourselves in need of Java (J2EE), Oracle, and .Net resources in various locations, including Wayland MA, Groton CT and Bangalore India. If you know someone good, please let us know!

One of the best things you can do as a consultant - or in any job for that matter - is to strive to be replaceable. For some, this is counterintuitive: How can you be replaceable if you are really good? Don't you want to ensure job security by being irreplaceable? These sentiments are not uncommon, and sometimes you even see someone striving to make themselves ever less replaceable by sheltering information from others, or writing undocumented or complex code, or in other ways. Its no good though, and here's why:

First, if you are not replaceable then you are not serving your customer or employer very well. What if you get hit by a bus? Or quit? Or get sick? Or go on leave? Then they are in tough shape. You left them in a bad spot by being irreplaceable. Serve your customers by being open and sharing information, documenting your activities well and training others to do what you are doing. Try and proactively transfer knowledge if you can, and if not, start sending out pings up the chain to suggest that at least one other person share your knowledge and skill set.

Second, if you are not replaceable then you will have a hard time moving, advancing, trying new things, and looking like a positive team player. The only way up (or to other interesting places) is to NOT be locked into the position that you are currently in. Customers and employers usually realize when someone is serving them well (e.g. by making themselves replaceable) and so doing this serves your career interests again by generating positive sentiment among your customers.

Becoming replaceable is a little scary, but its a good way to serve your customer and its a good way to advance your own career and move on to new and interesting things.