What a good week...so far

What a difference a week makes! I can now see clearly to what I have to do to get out of here.

• No, I do not have a good coding template yet, but I am well on the way to having one. The new, new one has a lot of good points going for it, but I will have to go back over it again, which sorta stinks but is better than the previous one.
• The interviews since 1/24 (four, with 2 more for this week and one to reschedule) have been outstanding! I can honestly say that I have learned a lot about the cases that I have been studying and also about the software industry in general. Lots of good info on all fronts!
• Received official invitation to a think-tank that will cover the area that I am doing for my dissertation and my writing for the next 4-5 years. Should be an excellent way to get some great contacts. I can even see how this could lead to some personal equity-building activities.
• Wrote a brief which should set up my dissertation writeup, which my advisors think would be ok. Additionally, they want to work on a separate case, which should satisfy the aspirations of the CEO of the case firm.
• Worked on two other non-dissertation related projects, both of which should lead to publications.

A great, great week indeed! Now for the next week, I need to work very, very hard on coding and data analysis to see if I will be able to produce some meaningful insights...

2006 in Review: Accomplishments

This post is to remind myself of all the things that I did in 2006 - just as a reminder that I am not a total idiot even though the dissertation process can make you feel like one.

1. Defended my dissertation proposal.
2. Published a book chapter, a marketing article (actually submitted in 2005), a nursing conference paper, and two MIS articles (CAIS). One other article on education is under review.
3. Ran a successful mini-track (with other folks) and agreed to run the mini-track for a third year.
4. Coordinated the first round of revisions on a special issue of a journal (with two others).
5. Taught two classes for the second time each: data management and network management.
6. Got a job in a tough market (perhaps the most important thing on the list, workwise).
7. Did two trips for my dissertation. Three if you count Evergreen as a pilot study (and I will!)
8. Got most of the data collected for my first case study site. Most, but not all.
9. Helped put a conference together for the ISDSA and ran (successfully) for President this year.
10. Learned quite a lot about qualitative research, ecology/ecosystems, and [critical] realism for my dissertation.
11. Watched my kids get older, taller, bigger, smarter, etc. - which is the most rewarding thing on this list.

All in all, not a bad year for a doctoral student!!