Chapter 21. Concept Over Process

Becoming A Value-Added Technologist

It should be obvious, after reading the previous chapters, that I place a huge emphasis on soft skills. In fact, nothing in this book pertains directly to identifying technical skills or particular trends.

I hope to help the ambitious and directed career builders develop those transcendent and technology-independent skills, the value of which remains pertinent for a lifetime.

The development of such skills makes the adoption of a given technical skill set simpler to attain while simplifying changing career direction and focus.

Strong conceptual knowledge is a defining talent. This chapter attempts to lay the foundation for strong conceptual knowledge without diminishing the technical know-how to implement any given process.

Concept Over Process (COP) is a project development methodology. Much has been written on project management, the monitoring and measurement of the resources and tasks in the project. However, less information is available on the actual analysis and creative processthe process that occurs prior to and during a project's life cycle.

Most project management books include sections on defining the project. They explain the importance of identifying the project scope. The actual thought process involved in the analysis, however, is less readily available.

Throughout my career, I have created a simple, yet powerful method for generating the creative/analytical thought that must occur prior to and during a project. This method has been formalized into COP to provide a starting point for those who perform project work.