I am really pleased to announce an agreement with QFI Consulting to produce an on-line system.

QFI are a consultancy which guarantee businesses see substantial performance increases. QFI use the “Theory of Constraints” to do this which has been developed by the world famous Dr Eli Goldratt, author of the bestseller ‘The Goal’. QFI Consulting are an affiliate company of the Goldratt Group.

We have enlisted the help of Rick Evans, a Spring Framework contributor and well known name in the Java world, presenting at various seminars such as Spring One as well as training many people at the Interface 21/Skills Matter Spring Framework courses. Rick will work alongside Jan, who will architect the system and Tom Kemp, QFI’s own lead developer. This promises to be a really interesting project not least because we will learn all about the “Theory of Constraints” concept.

As promised I said I would talk more about the Strategic Coach programme i have been taking part in for just over a year (http://www.strategiccoach.com/). The Strategic Coach is a programme developed by Dan Sullivan in Canada that helps entrepreneurs to be better equipped to make the most of their personal and business life. I attend a talk four times a year given by Russel who has been on the programme for over 15 years and still attends back in Canada where he runs a highly successful financial services business. At the talk you are given tools which you may find useful to use in life in general and in business as well as the opportunity to spend a day away from e-mail and mobile phones so you can completely focus on what you are doing.

I do feel that the programme has effected me in a positive way which I hope has had a beneficial effect on Cake and my home life. Generally I come away focused having made some decisions and set myself short and longer term targets. I hope that over the next few months/years this will continue. If you would like to have a chat with me about the Strategic Coach I would be only to happy to do so, over a pint!

My first Blog.

Cake received good news today, we have been awarded the contract to build the new National Union of Student Services (NUSSL) centralised billing system. NUSSL has been a client for over 4 years now so we are really pleased that the relationship will hopefully continue for another 4 years. The software will deal with well over 1 million transactions a year from all the student unions around the country, that’s a serious amount of alcohol!

I am off to London tomorrow/Friday for a meeting with a couple of colleagues on the Strategic Coach program which I attend each quarter. I will go in to more detail on the Strategic Coach program in my next Blog. Now its time to go for a “cheeky one” down the pub to celebrate the NUSSL contract with some of the Cake team.