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Dana Craig

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CEO, Quickstone Software, LLC

548 points

Dana has over 15 years in the software industry in both technical and business roles. She has been involved in several large-scale, high volume projects, including data processing projects for Amtrak, the 2000 US Census, several high-profile health insurance companies ...

Dana has over 15 years in the software industry in both technical and business roles. She has been involved in several large-scale, high volume projects, including data processing projects for Amtrak, the 2000 US Census, several high-profile health insurance companies and the banking industry.

Quickstone Software, LLC produces high quality, purpose-built solutions for small to midsize companies in well-defined vertical markets.
@quickstonesw - Follow us on Twitter!

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April 23, 2012

Dana Craig and 1 other person answered this question

Can a business survive without social media?

There are plenty of businesses that survive and even thrive without a social media presence. Social media is one more avenue for businesses to market, brand, promote, and support their services. Depending on your industry and offerings, the market may have a different expectation of ... more

March 13, 2012

Dana Craig and 5 other people answered this question

Who is winning? The government or Anonymous?

The situation between Anonymous and the government is not a zero-sum game. It's more like playing whack-a-mole (anyone remember this game???). Anonymous is creative and is currently writing the script, while the government is editing it once it's been written. The government can and should ... more

Information Technology

March 13, 2012

Dana Craig and 1 other person answered this question

Single Sign-On: What are some of the downsides to using SSO authentication?

I agree with Andrew, and it's kind of the age-old question of whether or not it's better to have a single point of access when it also means a single-point of failure. This is a scenario in many technology solutions.
Within an enterprise, single sign-on ... more

Information Technology

Feb. 15, 2012

Dana Craig and 6 other people answered this question at this roundtable

ERP – Priming Your Business to Deliver Value From Strategy to Operations [2/15 @ 1 pm]

When defining requirements, is business process mapping a useful exercise?

Yes, yes, and more yes!! Business process maps are invaluable tools to understanding what's going on in different areas of the business, what's required to kick off a process, and what's the expected output of a process. These are the blueprints that act as the ... more

Enterprise Software

Feb. 10, 2012

Dana Craig is speaking at this roundtable

ERP – Priming Your Business to Deliver Value From Strategy to Operations

Enterprise Software

Feb. 4, 2012

Dana Craig recommends this answer by Steven Moody

What is the best and most cost effective way to email businesses without obtaining their permission?

David, check your premises. Do you need to email market to small businesses? Other things that may work just as well:
* writing useful guides for them and publishing on your blog (or itunes or amazon)
* Cold calling 20 prospects and asking them what ... more

Email Marketing

Feb. 4, 2012

Dana Craig and 7 other people answered this question

What are some of the worst things to say in a team setting?

Belldon's point is an important one because there's no doubt that language can and should change depending on the nature of the group. The higher the trust and familiarity, the more that can be said without being taken out of context or misconstrued. This is ... more

Human Resources

Feb. 4, 2012

Dana Craig and 7 other people answered this question

Does it make sense to implement ERP if your business isn't planning to restructure its operations?

If a business is unwilling to restructure, refine, or consider change, then they aren't ready to implement an ERP system. There are too many failed ERP projects out there that are a result of that very thing.
Perhaps the 'ideal candidate' for an ERP implementation ... more

Information Technology

ERP Implementation

Organizational Change

Jan. 24, 2012

Dana Craig and 4 other people answered this question

With regards to ERP, what is a hybrid deployment method?

A hybrid deployment model for ERP refers to mixing cloud or SaaS solutions with on-premise ones. During the analysis phase, businesses should consider how a potential vendor’s deployment method promotes or inhibits the business objectives. When looking at department level information or processes, businesses may ... more

Information Technology

Cloud Computing

Enterprise Software

Jan. 13, 2012

Dana Craig is now following Dr Natalie Petouhoff and 2 other people

Jan. 12, 2012

Dana Craig and 2 other people answered this question

Developers, what languages are you using?

Lauren,
The VentureBeat article is a great read! I'm not a developer (although I play one on TV...:)), but here are the languages that my company primarily uses:
Ruby, Ruby on Rails
Java
Javascript
In general, we use the tool or technology that can deliver ... more

Information Technology

Dec. 13, 2011

Dana Craig and 2 other people answered this question

Is the Amazon Price-Check App an attack on small business?

Small businesses may feel attacked or at least at a loss for how to compete against the app, but I don't think it's Amazon's direct intent. They've achieved the success they have in large part because of their ability to respond to customers' needs, and ... more

Information Technology

Dec. 13, 2011

Dana Craig and 2 other people answered this question at this roundtable

ERP: A Year in Review and Predictions for 2012 [12/12 @ 11 am]

What are the important elements to cover when planning an ERP implementation?

So many elements, Caty! But these are a few of my 'favorites' that are sometimes missed or short-changed, resulting in potential delays and disappointments later.
1. Assemble a multi-department project team, with intended end users as well as management. Make sure the team members are able ... more

Information Technology

Dec. 6, 2011

Dana Craig is speaking at this roundtable

ERP: A Year in Review and Predictions for 2012

Information Technology

Nov. 15, 2011

Dana Craig and 2 other people answered this question

Should you send an email to your subscriber base every time you make a change to your website?

All website changes are not created equally!
There is such a thing as communicating too much. My general opinion is that I appreciate communication that adds value, and it's unlikely that every website change falls into the category of things that need to be communicated ... more

Company Website

Email Marketing

Nov. 7, 2011

Dana Craig and 18 other people answered this question

POLL: Do you read job seekers' cover letters?

A. I always read it, if available. Unfortunately, more and more, they aren't being included (even when requested, which is inexcusable). While it's true that I may not know if the candidate personally wrote the letter, if it's poorly written, then I know all I ... more

Human Resources

Oct. 25, 2011

Dana Craig and 10 other people answered this question

Is outsourcing a one-way street?

When price is the primary or sole consideration, the one-way street is almost a sure bet. But if other factors are in the mix, then it's likely that work can come back in-house over time.
In addition to cost issues, one other key reason for ... more

Human Resources

Information Technology

Oct. 19, 2011

Dana Craig and 3 other people answered this question at this roundtable

FSI Sales Office Hours: Understanding How Your Customers Make Decisions [10/20 @ 1 pm]

Do you need to change tactics when selling to a C-level exec vs mid-management?

Lauren,
My comments are made from the frame of reference of an enterprise software sale...
With all sales scenarios, knowing your audience is half the battle. Under the assumption that mid-level managers are tasked with tactics more than strategy, then their needs are more likely to revolve ... more

Decision Influencers

Decision Makers

Oct. 12, 2011

Dana Craig recommends this answer by Michael Sracic, CMC

What are your favorite motivational quotes?

“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.
Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. ... more

Human Resources

Motivational Quotes

Sept. 22, 2011

Dana Craig and 5 other people answered this question

What strategies do you use when coordinating project teams from different cultures?

Prakash, #4 is a good point. Even though in-person discussion is really important, written communication can help distill the discussion and acts as something everyone can review to see how effective the communication was. I find I often have to re-visit conversations, particularly when defining ... more

General Management

Human Resources

Aug. 31, 2011

Dana Craig and 3 other people answered this question

What "requirements" need to be gathered in software selection and implementation projects?

This is a really big question, Jonathan - or at least, a question with a big answer!
With regards to selecting software, there can be a slightly different approach depending on what problem the business is trying to solve. For example, if the problem is very ... more

Information Technology

Business Intelligence

Aug. 24, 2011

Dana Craig and 47 other people answered this question

What's the best project management advice that you've ever been given?

Two things...
1. Plan for the worst; hope for the best. This can be harder than it appears since there will often be pressure to come up with a plan that supports a pre-conceived notion of how long things 'should' take, or a plan that reinforces ... more

Information Technology

Project Management

Project Planning

Aug. 21, 2011

Dana Craig and 10 other people answered this question

Is it fair to say that CRM and ERP projects should "never end"?

The projects themselves must end. They need to have definitions of success assigned to them early in the process, including a discrete list of objectives and achievements. The end of the project is the recognition that the tool now belongs to the business rather than ... more

Information Technology

Aug. 8, 2011

Dana Craig answered this question

Can the health of executive leaders affect the success of an organization?

The health of executive leaders can absolutely affect the trajectory of an organization. The more influential the leader is, the greater the affect can be. Steve Jobs is a good example of this. He's not only an Apple leader; he's synonymous with the entire brand. ... more

General Management

Human Resources

Executive Leadership

July 28, 2011

Dana Craig and 2 other people answered this question

POLL: What's the most important criteria for you when selecting a job, especially at a start-up?

Picking just one is so painful, Michael!! But you set the rules, so I'll try to follow them. My answer would be #4 - the market opportunity and positioning of the company. Great ideas with bad timing go nowhere. Average ideas with good funding can ... more

General Management

Human Resources

Career Development

July 21, 2011

Dana Craig and 7 other people answered this question

Do fixed-price ERP projects protect against expensive cost overruns?

I don't think there's anything inherent in a fixed-price project that protects from additional costs being levied later. In general, some clients feel more comfortable beginning a project from that standpoint, perhaps in the believe that they've achieved protection. But once the ball starts rolling, ... more

Information Technology

Enterprise Resource Planning

July 18, 2011

Dana Craig and 20 other people answered this question

Are you willing to turn off your digital life when on vacation?

If I've planned properly for my vacation, then I don't find it too intrusive to 'quietly' keep up with things while I'm gone. Especially, the closer the vacation comes to an end - it's easier to return to work if I've cleared out some of ... more

Following 9 Topics

Blog Best Practices

Cloud Computing

Enterprise Resource Planning

Information Technology

Project Management

Following 18 People

Followed by 72 People

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