Tayo Solagbade’s
Performance Improvement IDEAS
(PI Squared) Newsletter
Monday 27th February 2017
NB: This PI Squared newsletter will be published weekly, on Mondays, in place of the Speaking/Web Marketing IDEAS newsletter, starting from today – 15th February 2016. I’m reinventing my Monday newsletter content and theme, to accommodate my vision of serving the growing audience of serious minded individuals and organizations reaching out to me, with information, education. news and research findings designed to help them do what they do better.
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PII 055: To Succeed Even When Things Go Wrong, You Need Mastery of Your Craft – Part 1 of 2 | Based on a True Story
Nothing beats being a master of your craft. You need to invest endless time, effort, money and any other necessary resources, to become as proficient as possible at it, so that ANYTIME those you serve demand for your problem solving attention, you will not be found wanting.
It is with regard to my Excel VB Solutions Development that I have narrated the true story featured below, in this week’s issue of my Performance Improvement Ideas newsletter.
I’d made him an offer then which he’d not taken up. Then he’d returned last Tuesday, on 20th February 2017 – calling in at about 8a.m in the morning. About 24 hours later, he’d made payment to take up a new offer I made to him.
In my usual manner, I proceeded to use details he supplied to me about himself and his farm business, to personalize the PFM and accompanying products, which I emailed to him.
I could however never have predicted what happened over the next four days.
The drama began with Tom writing in to say he’d been unable to launch the spreadsheet app, because each time he tried to do so, it returned a “Compile error”.
Past experience with other users who’d initially struggled, made me ask if he was using a computer running a Mac OS. He sent me – in response to my request – screenshots of his PC’s specs as well as that of the error message returned by the app. I noted he was using a 64 bit HP ProBook – so the Mac issue was ruled out.
Long story short, my mind went to the possibility of a 32-bit vs 64-bit conflict. But I had problems accepting that possibility because not only had I successfully run the app on 64 bit computers myself, but I had also seen others do the same – including the manager of a neighborhood café I use.
So, I had a dilemma. In the past, I’d had to follow tips provided on the Microsoft website to adviSe a client in 2014, to step down his Excel version from 64 bit to 32 bit via custom install from the disk.
He’d reported getting a different error message – shown below – from that seen by Thompson:
“Microsoft Forms… Could not load an object because it is not available on this machine”
The problem I had in Tom’s case was however that all he got was a “Compile error” message, so I could not make much of it. I needed more information, and I knew the best/quickest way would likely be to interact directly with the computer on which this was happening.
At a point, Tom wrote an email saying he believed my app did not work – and he challenged me to prove that it did by getting it to work on HIS own laptop!
I replied that I had told him there were other clients who used the app. I told him my suspicion was that his was a unique/peculiar problem that was NOT general to others.
After some heated debates on phone and email, I decided to invite him to meet with me, so I could address the problem he was having. Luckily, this was made easy by the fact that he lived in Lagos, and I was also in town.
By the time we met at Omole Estate Phase 2, I promptly removed the password protection from the Visual Basic Editor. Then I ran the Workbook Open procedure again, with the password removed.
This resulted in more descriptive information being added to the error message that appeared.
Compile error:
The code in this project must be updated for use on 64-bit systems.
Please review and update Declare statements and then mark them with the PtrSafe attribute.
Once I saw that, I immediately knew what the problem was, and what I needed to do. It was the modules in which I’d used Windows API calls that contained the lines of code throwing the error.
I promptly made modifications to the code modules in a way that enabled the app launch fully to the login screen – and beyond. When this happened, Tom’s face lit up. It was the first time since he purchased the app, that he was seeing it working like I’d demonstrated it in the video he’d watched, in deciding to buy it.
While I worked, I deliberately engaged him in conversation and learned from Tom that he worked as a Network Administrator on a 9 to 5 job, and that his laptop was always plugged into the corporate network where daily automatic updates happened to the laptop’s Windows and Office installations.
On hearing that, I told him that updates downloaded to a computer on a corporate network would be designed to minimize chances of unauthorized application being run without restrictions on it.
An Excel-VB app like mine, meant for private use by the owner, when run on that kind of laptop would likely encounter restrictions I may not have provided for.
Note here, that Excel-VB code has been used to create harmful virus applications that cause major damage in the past.
When I made this point, Tom nodded in agreement, and went on to add that he estimated there was a 1 in 50 chance that I would encounter a user with his kind of situation – to which I exclaimed saying; “Now, you see what I meant when I said yours was a peculiar situation!”
We went on to spend over 2 hours looking through the various data entry and reporting interfaces in the app, as I gave him practical tips on how to use it.
At the same time, I also shared real life examples of how to make use of the app to monitor and manage farm operations to ensure timely decision making for optimal performance.
We ended by agreeing to work via email, as I proceed to make the remaining needed changes in the code module declarations by adding the PtrSafe attribute highlighted in the error message.
For now, he’s able to commence posting of farm data from paper records prepared by his farm hands.
By the time we parted, we’d shared a lot of banter, and he even arranged for me to converse, in French, with his wife, who works as a French Language Instructor with a Lagos based institution.
Before he drove off, I got him to take a photo with me and also recorded a testimonial video of him sharing his feelings and observations about what had been done, and the experience he’d had using the app, in the few hours he’d begin using it.
At the risk of stating the obvious, it was my confidence in my Excel-VB coding ability that made me invite Tom to come down with his laptop, so I could fix the problem once and for all.
Indeed, I actually made upfront payment to his bank account to cover to/fro fueling of his car for that purpose. That was how determined I was to solve the problem – and prove that my app worked!
Over the years, I’ve had Farm C.E.Os. from within and outside Africa, by from me – but majority of my buyers continue to come from within Africa, and especially Nigeria, my home country.
The point to note however is that I CULTIVATE and ENJOY healthy relationships with my buyers long AFTER they buy from me.
Some buyers initially need my help to identify why they had issues, but I have NEVER needed to change my code to get it to work!
This experience with Tom, is one that has enabled me demonstrate in a new way, that I deliver on my promises and practice what I preach.
THAT is what I do: I SOLVE problems for those who connect with me, using the solutions I develop. And if a buyer encounters difficulties in trying to make use of my solutions, I ALWAYS adopt a POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE to SOLVE whatever challenge s/he may be faced with.
The above is what I successfully DID today, with the Lagos based Farm CEO shown with me in this above shown photo taken just before we parted AFTER our meeting.
If you make mastering your craft a deeply ingrained habit, like I do, you WILL also be able to succeed in spite of setbacks or problems you encounter in your practice of it!
PS: Tomorrow, in the 2nd and concluding part of this article, I will feature the video testimonial by Tom.
Excel-VB Driven Ration Formulator
1. Click here to learn more about this app – watch demo videos etc
2. Click here to watch a 4 part video in which I demonstrate how to use this app to formulate rations using real life data sent to me by an Algerian PhD student.
Click here to contact me about purchasing this product.
EXCEL-VB DRIVEN POULTRY LAYER FARM MANAGER SOFTWARE
Click here to download a detailed PDF user guide and watch 15 screen shot user guide tutorials of the Monthly Poultry Farm Manager that I now offer Farm CEOs.
Click here to contact me about purchasing this product.
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