Our generic roadmaps are typically technology independent.  The intent is to make each user experience as simple, rewarding and productive as possible.   Value received is in large part a function of team effort, top-level support, careful planning and attention to detail.

For additional White Papers and Information Resources,
please visit our companion Website:

OutcomeImprovement.com

White Papers - In addition to these topics, please visit our companion website, www.OutcomeImprovement.com for others.

• Biometrics

  • "Helping You Build a Better Business Case for Biometrics or Any Emerging Technology or Project"

  • "Motivating and Facilitating the Change to Biometrics . . . To Address Identity Theft, Privacy and Data Breaches, and Much More"

  • "What are Reasonable, Realistic Expectations for Biometrics?  Putting Perceptions in Perspective"

  • "Misconceptions about Biometrics"

  • "Fingerprint Biometrics 101"

• Contingency Planning & Disaster Recovery

  • "It Can't Happen . . . . or Can It?  How should we deal with risk?"

• Marketing, Sales and Customer Service

  • "VENDORS:  Give Channel Partners What They Need To Help YOU!"

  • "Pitfalls to Avoid When Launching Hi-Tech Products"

  • "Rockwood on Selling AND What to Do About It"

• Managing Technology

  • "INTERIM EXECUTIVES AND COACHING"

  • "Helping You Build a Better Business Case for Biometrics or Any Emerging Technology or Project"

  • "Adopting, using and discarding technology"

  • "SUBJECTIVITY IMPACTS TECHNOLOGY DECISIONS - Based Upon Beliefs, Philosophy, Experience and Underlying Principles"

  • "Technical Synergies Increase Total Value To Customers and Investors"

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Recommended Reading

• Articles

  • "GOING GREEN:  Eco-Rebels.  Few still doubt climate change is real, but now the skeptics are questioning the best way to deal with it," by Bryan Walsh, Time, October 15, 2007, page 72.  Included are examples of "How NOT to Solve Global Warming."

  • "Angle of Questioning," Newsweek, March 19, 2007, p. 13.  It is not just the technology, but how it is applied.  This short article describes how the positioning of video cameras can bias those viewing taped confessions.

                                                      * Indicates items recently added to this listing.

• Books (Links go to amazon.com where you can view excerpts and reviews as well as make purchases.  When excerpts are available, click on "Search Inside This Book," usually found below pictures of the book.  Each one of them is included in the Rockwood Library.

  • *The Genie in Your Genes: Epigenetic Medicine and the New Biology of Intention by Dawson Church, Ph. D. adds an important dimension to typical thinking about healthcare and what it takes to make it successful.  The book has caused me to look more critically at the role of attitude in successful healthcare outcomes rather than limiting my focus to physical aspects of better health such as medicines, nutrition, exercise and surgery.  Many do not work as intended.  The body's control mechanisms are also much more complicated than could have been imagined.  DNA is only part of the story.  Controls that are much faster and more involved than the nervous system are present all the way down to the cellular level and faith healing looks real if only it can be understood and applied. Could it be that other cultures have special insight and knowledge that we have been overlooking and neglecting?  Mind over matter and physician heal thyself could become greater factors in our approach to healthcare.  Although the book lacks all the answers, questioning the status quo could be what we need to be more receptive and seek different ideas and solutions.  Very thought provoking statistics and examples throughout.

  • Chasing Life: New Discoveries in the Search for Immortality to Help You Age Less Today by Sanjay Gupta, MD. This book by the popular CNN medical correspondent is packed with useful information that should help anyone make more informed decisions regarding their health and lifestyle.  Many important details are included about factors that influence quality of life and longevity.  Important to read, but also to have as a reference.

  • The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution in Personalized Medicine by Francis S. Collins.  Dr. Collins was the noted researcher and professor who led the team that deciphered the sequence of the human genome.  His book provides essential background for anyone interested in learning how DNA is becoming the foundation for personalized medicine.  These revolutionary capabilities are enabling personal profiles to be matched to proven solutions based upon a person's DNA.  This will help to avoid costly trial and error approaches to solving health related problems.

  • Cheating Death: The Doctors and Medical Miracles that Are Saving Lives Against All Odds by Sanjay Gupta, MD. Interesting, fast paced reading.  Although useful from a personal health perspective, the book provides valuable lessons for introducing any new product, process or technology.  Despite potential benefits, there is often much inertia to be overcome.  Beyond being perceptive, knowledgeable and experienced, it takes determined, persistent sponsors, advocates and mentors who can learn and fine tune solutions until they can get everything right.

  • The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology by Ray Kurzweil.  A very interesting, futuristic view of artificial intelligence and the combination of factors that can make it a reality.  Cliff Notes would be helpful, but reading is well worth the effort.  The book is indeed thought provoking and helps to put current accomplishments into perspective as being mere building blocks to rapidly escalating progress.  After reading it, who can expect any technology to be around for very long until something better supersedes it.  Here is the big question to consider while reading this book.  What does all this mean to humans, as we know them?

  • The Unthinkable:  Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why by Amanda Ripley.  An amazing piece of work.  A potential lifesaver dealing with risk, psychology of survival and a multitude of real life examples and statistics that drive points home.  It could be one of the most important books anyone ever reads.  Although the book focuses on physical disasters, we see a parallel with those who delay preparing for personal exposure to identity theft and cyber warfare.

  • Zero Day Threat:  The Shocking Truth of How Banks and Credit Bureaus Help Cyber Crooks Steal Your Money and Identity by Byron Acohido and Jon Swartz.  Could it be time for a grass roots movement to do something about this?  A visit to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse website should convince you further.

  • Step-by-step QFD (Quality Function Deployment): Customer Driven Product Design by John Terninko.  An excellent, practical, visual guide that details an effective process for translating customer needs into customer satisfying products that outperform the competition.

  • Security Metrics: Replacing Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt by Andrew Jaquith.  The author uses Lord Kelvin's profound quotation, ""If you can not measure it, you can not improve it."as an inspiration to stimulate a reasoned approach to security and risk management.

  • Biometric Technologies and Verification Systems by John R. Vacca.  Between its two covers, you will probably find out more than you will ever need to know about biometrics in a well organized, accessible format.

  • They Just Don't Get It by Colonel David Hunt.  Interesting for its perspective on the war on terrorism.  However, it is hard not to see parallels with typical business management situations.

  • Automation, Control and Complexity: An Integrated Approach edited by T. Samad and J. Weyrauch.  The book addresses opportunities to turn complexity into unforeseen business value through automation and integration.

  • Breakpoint, a novel by Richard A. Clarke.  Fast interesting reading with fantastic insight into technology, its expected implications and the growing impact it is having on our future.

  • Who Goes There?  Authentication Through the Lens of Privacy.  From the National Research Council of the National Academies.  Promotes broad understanding as it puts key facets of privacy, identity theft and protection in perspective.

  • How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman.  Identifies important considerations when designing fail-safe medical systems, tools and solutions.  Why not consider parallels with other disciplines?

  • So You Built It And They Didn't Come. Now What? by Jackie Bassett.  Sound advice for entrepreneurs with high tech products who need help to get sales going.

  • The Business Case Guide by Marty J. Schmidt.  Focuses on an essential tool in justifying and planning projects.

  • Major Bob Unvarnished: Why We Keep Making the Same Mistakes by Bob Bevelacqua & Brian Fugate.  The entire book is interesting reading and provides a useful perspective on the U. S. military and government and the current Iraqi situation,  Of special importance is Chapter 4 (Corporate Security:  What Can We Do?) which provides 25 pages of common sense that every business leader should take to heart and use as a yardstick to measure the performance of employees, subordinates and advisors.

                                                    * Indicates items recently added to this listing.

Important Organizations and Associations . . . . Following are ones that we have found to be of special interest.

• The Shadowserver Foundation (www.Shadowserver.org) is an all volunteer watchdog group of security professionals that gather, track, and report on malware, botnet activity, and electronic fraud.  It is the mission of the Shadowserver Foundation to improve the security of the Internet by raising awareness of the presence of compromised servers, malicious attackers, and the spread of malware.