1. Personal Plan for Kip M. Twitchell
   1997

This personal plan reviews last years' goals and discusses goals for the coming year.

1. Review of Last Years Goals

I set the following goals last year

I have achieved these goals to a remarkable extent I believe.  The following are highlights:

• I have improved my technical skills by working with networking much more over the last year. I have written Visual Basic applications (the Excel Sizing Document) and have had a significant impact on the new Geneva interface.  I  have worked with Windows NT and 95 extensively, OS/2, and continued working with MVS.  I have not done much work with UNIX, nor did I create any web pages.  
• I learned a great deal about practice building this year.  I coordinated our involvement with IBM at the IGN Customer Conference successfully.   Beyond this I have done a good job forming a business relationship with State Farm, which it appears will result in two Geneva licenses.  I am part of the contract negotiations on the State Farm project.  I have also been involved in 15 - 20 presentations over the last year.  
• Although no specific goals were set in relation to project management, I have effectively managed PW involvement in the General Ledger project at State Farm.  This included creating work plans, reporting status, supervising staff, and managing client expectations and involvement.  I have received high marks, given my level of experience, for the project management at State Farm.

1. Serious Obstacles

Although the results of the year have been very encouraging, I must admit I have suffered a significant amount of dissatisfaction with my work as well.  The Intel project was extremely intense for a little over a month, creating tremendous physical, and mental challenges as well as difficulties for my family.  Work on Keebler last year required slightly lower level of effort but covered three months.  

I would like to be more involved in my community, but the nature of our assignments prevents me from making any significant commitments.  The State Farm project has required fairly consistent travel but the travel was preferable to the level of effort required to work at Intel.  We seem to have more leads for work in the Midwest region than in the West region, where I happen to live.

I am also not pleased with the growth and improvement in the product over the last couple of years.  My assignments require me to consistently use the Geneva screens.  I don’t like working with them.  They were adequate for a time, but have grown disjointed over time.  They are the major impediment to exploiting the power of the batch process.  They are also the major stumbling block to greater acceptance and use of the product.  

For these reasons, I have seriously considered the possibility of accepting other employment.

2. Reasons for Staying

I have chosen not to pursue other employment for the following reasons.

• I still believe in the fundamental structure and purpose of the product.  Geneva is a good idea.  I also have a long history with the product.  I know something, I know it well, and am an important part of it.
• I enjoy the variety consulting work provides me, and on occasion I like the challenges as well.  I am good at what I do.  I have value to my employer and the company’s and individuals that use Geneva.
• I like the freedom to live in Sacramento.  My family is well integrated with the community.  I don’t have any desire to move in the near future.

1. Goals for the Year

To reconcile my dissatisfaction with the past year with the rewards I receive from my work, I have set the following goals for the coming year.

• Continue and even increase working with the product as a main technical support.  This work can be done anywhere.  Because of Ran dy’s involvement at Intel I have been performing this function.  Over the last two months it has required from 5 - 20 hours a week.  
• Help develop a new user interface.  The product will not be viable for much longer without a new interface, and I would like to be part of that.
• Continue involvement in both selling the product, project management, and technical consulting when possible.   However I feel my travel time may need to be reduced to one week a month for me to be more involve with community work.
• Work on other projects in Sacramento, even as a sub contractor to another consulting firm if necessary, to keep my chargeable hours at an acceptable level when I cannot travel.