AutoGov

Running Ahead

Humorist and showman Will Rogers said “Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.”

 

This quote is the epitome of our technological world. Small businesses must keep trying to out run, out think, and out maneuver the corporate big dogs or risk getting run over.  Doing the best today isn’t going to be good enough for tomorrow.

 

Working for AutoGov, I have firsthand experience with continuously striving to be bigger, better, faster etc. The necessity for innovation and change is ever present and is the heartbeat of the small business.

 

AutoGov is a prime example of a successful company because we continuously mold and transform into what is needed. We aren’t stagnant and you can’t put what we do into a box. We determine the needs of our clients as well as our potential clients. We use our resources wisely. We stay up to date on trending technology and new innovations in our marketplace and use this information to create new and improved products and ideas.

 

With all of this said, you can’t have a successful company without a successful team. Independently, we are all strong but when a core group of people get together and brainstorm, implement action, and create a finished project, that’s when the company is at its best and a force to be reckoned with.  

 

I wanted to take the time to express my gratitude to everyone behind the scenes at AutoGov. In response to the quote “Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there”, I say, we are the leaders of life's marathon and keep on running team!

 

 

 

AutoGov at the University of Alabama's Business Analytics Symposium

"Be brave. You have to be brave." -Gregg Phillips on small businesses going for goals and challenges.

— AutoGov (@AutoGov) February 2, 2012

55% of all denials of eligibility of Gov't healthcare benefits comes from lack of data on the applications.

— AutoGov (@AutoGov) February 2, 2012

Constant Innovation

We made a pile of mistakes during the development of CaseVue, our flagship software offering. 

In spite of all the warnings from consultants, books and advisers, we trudged through years of development without stopping to think about the next round of innovation. 

The result was a fabulous product that delivers massive returns on a limited investment for our clients. 

Good enough, right? Wrong. Even software as good as ours requires care and feeding, failure to do so renders the software outdated quickly.

I was reminded of this fact this week. Rocking along believing all is well, one of our lead technology advisers suggested a simple solution to issue related to efficiency and intellectual property. Almost on queue, our CEO, Rose Hayden, made a suggestion regarding our user interfaces and deployment that solved two major challenges that have faced our implementation teams.

Two innovative ideas in two days that hold the promise of solving problems that we had chosen to ignore.

AutoGov Films: Joe the Caseworker

We are happy to finally announce that our long running "Joe the Caseworker" video has finally made its way to YouTube. Please watch and share our first of many video's to come.

Please don't forget to subscribe to our new YouTube Channel to get the latest:

Data Mining: The Tool of the Information Age

In this Stanford produced webinar, you will learn how to explore, analyze, and leverage data sets of any scale in this 60-minute webinar with Google's Search Scientist and Stanford Instructor Dr. Rajan Patel.  The content is a little technical but offers insight into the science behind dating mining and the reasons why data mining and analytics are the tools of the information age.

AutoGov's Library Shelves Are Proof That We Are What We Read!

AutoGov's library shelves are full of books that support our fanantical interest in data mining, business analytics, statistics and business focused books. Our recommended reading list builds on these themes and a few more that make us click.

http://www.squidoo.com/autogovs-library-shelves

All fees generated through our Squidoo reading list are donated to our favorite charity - in fact, the worlds best - Room to Read.

Reflections from the Week

While most folks race for the door on Friday afternoons, I find the time is perfect to reflect on the chaos of the week – quiet time for my brain.  No phones, no deadlines, no payroll and no cash flow issues to concern me.

The week was productive.  Working to ensure our business intelligence solutions are meeting our client’s needs, we have explored the BI markets newest stars – those whose model includes software as a service.  SaaS meets our client’s needs and allows us to practice what we preach – our flagship software is a SaaS offering.  Mashing a BI solution with our own will provide significant benefits to our clients.

AutoGov sales and marketing efforts are blowing and going.  The company has a pipeline (yes, I know it’s cool, right?) for the first time since we crawled away from our consulting business years ago.  We are exploring new methods of reaching our target markets.

The Mississippi Healthcare Summit held at Mississippi College in Clinton was enlightening.  While the State has challenges eclipsed by few others in the United States, the leadership stands tall offering solutions and hope rather than doom and gloom.  Soon to be elected Governor Phil Bryant, Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney and newly elected Senator Josh Harkins were a few of the players that will be key to Mississippi’s continued push forward.

Operations are solid, the technology is smokin’ hot and our customer service team ready’s for a month end drawing for an iPod.  The team, led by our CEO (Rose Hayden) and lead data scientist (Taylor Phillips) produced a comprehensive analysis for one of our clients.  The analysis provides a clear path forward and a bright future for the client’s operations.

Now my week is done.  These musings bring clarity.  Monday is certain to bring the return of the chaos of a small software company, but – at least for now – all is well.

Google Research and the Search for Perfection Yields $1,000,000 Award

The search for perfection isn't always conducted by the rocket scientists of the world. A music teacher with little knowlege about baseball uses web-based research to win a contest and $1 million.

Just an Idea or a Real Innovation?

AutoGov owns and operates a technology platform that has allowed us to create an easy to use web based application driven by advanced business analytics.

We had the idea first. But it was only a cool idea. We had to find a way to build the idea.

The innovation occurred when we developed a method for turning the unintelligible (read: useless) data mining driven algorithm into a useful product that saves our users millions each year.

Ideas are a dime a dozen. Innovations are "practical ideas" -  ideas that can be implemented.

Technology is an enabler for millions of ideas, but the game changer is the entrepenuer who turns ideas into an innovation through blood, sweat, tears and usually a pile of cash.

They may not be changing the world but they are the rare breed that understand that ideas are just ideas until somebody makes it happen.

AutoGov's F-bombs: Focus and Finish

Alabama football coach, Nick Saban, is famous for drilling several key words into the everyday lives of his players – focus and finish. 

The Crimson Tide has been successful in winning when these two words drive the everyday actions of the team.  Similarly, Bama has stumbled when they haven’t focused; and, they most certainly fell when they haven’t finished.

These two words – focus and finish – are also critical to success in business just as they are in sports. 

Focus on the achieving the goals of your business must be part of the lexicon in spite of the inevitable distractions that plague day to day operations.  More sales, completing technology builds, recruiting talented people, or whatever the goal; success will only come when business people are focused.  Eyes must remain on the prize. 

Finish.  Sound simple, doesn't it?  Finish means never quitting, never giving up on the dream.  Whether ahead of projections or crashing, finish the effort.

Winning only comes with focus.  Winning can’t come without finishing.