tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42343522117082624652024-03-06T20:01:35.969+11:00Software Development ManagementSupporting you to unlock the full potential of your IT career and to enable businesses to make the most of their technology investments. Online courses and resources developed by IT professionals for IT professionals.Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-22867645198589952322019-01-25T15:15:00.001+11:002019-05-04T18:24:57.546+10:00What defines a good solutions architect?<img alt="Image result for software architect image wide" class="irc_mi" data-iml="1556958267874" height="560" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/2017/09/21/TheAtlantic_CodeFinal3/1920.png?1506027739" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="1146" /> <br />
I have recently read an interview with Ray Ozzie, Microsoft’s chief software architect where he spoke about his role as chief software architect and what makes a good software architect.<br />
Software architecture is a very complex and vast topic. It definition can be vague and the definition of a software architect can also be vague at times. In the past 10 years of experience in the ICT industry I have met many high level CIOs. I was always surprised to hear from some of them that they found that there is no need to have a dedicated software architect, they said that the role can be fulfilled by the CIO himself in combination with senior software engineers.<br />
If the software engineer is competent in software architecture then in practice you have someone performing the role of software architect.<br />
I have seen many definitions of the core competencies of a software architect. Some of them were so extensive that it would be hard to define the role.<br />
Ray Ozzie’s says that a good software architect are the ones that have spent time building and debugging applications. He says that one can learn a lot by reverse-engineering applications. The more systems you develop and debug, the more you develop an understanding of what good and bad practices and design patterns. “<b><i>It is the library of patterns that defines a good software architect”.</i></b><br />
Ray Ozzie’s view makes sense. A good architect should have plenty of experience in order to develop a comprehensive knowledge of the patterns to use build applications.<br />
A good software architect is the one that is always researching and learning about new technologies and how to apply them to solve real-life business problems.<br />
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-31842457438968352822016-11-26T10:56:00.000+11:002019-01-25T15:17:43.066+11:00SWOT Analysis and IT Strategic Planning<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwEsuds46ZAqMSZWmmdjSt-c1n2JenTs2_830pu8bnh3keD-CYLPpykZNsdwh4gvxfa1iTXDbohsLCRibs16EFv5mwTB4Ep_vMxSyTFseiAm5bkQoT8QmXYueuqFekZYQvqgqYZ5Z1hBQ/s1600/SWOT+Takeaways.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZjcsVHteihyphenhyphenzdvuSL5OTr0enfxL5Ht2pLuC-rqtUo0gCcg8Iie1U0wsWZCsTyZ4knno4fx4Asvr1-EBhdNVjpWkkQwgVA-PSXejXXvIxYQ1fo9qZwj2BhWTqDsYJqKTd4ldhM0zfwhRz/s1600/SWOT2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="731" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZjcsVHteihyphenhyphenzdvuSL5OTr0enfxL5Ht2pLuC-rqtUo0gCcg8Iie1U0wsWZCsTyZ4knno4fx4Asvr1-EBhdNVjpWkkQwgVA-PSXejXXvIxYQ1fo9qZwj2BhWTqDsYJqKTd4ldhM0zfwhRz/s640/SWOT2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://sdm.fetchapp.com/permalink/b48c85" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwEsuds46ZAqMSZWmmdjSt-c1n2JenTs2_830pu8bnh3keD-CYLPpykZNsdwh4gvxfa1iTXDbohsLCRibs16EFv5mwTB4Ep_vMxSyTFseiAm5bkQoT8QmXYueuqFekZYQvqgqYZ5Z1hBQ/s1600/SWOT+Takeaways.png" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> If you have been through a management course you would have certainly come across the 4 management functions: planning, leading, organising and controlling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">IT managers who only focus on the technical aspects of the job will fail in their primary role, which is to </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-decoration: underline;">manage</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> the team. It is therefore important they know what their management functions are and how to perform them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Planning is the process of looking forward in order to develop activities in advance. It encompasses defining goals, establishing a strategies to achieve those goals and developing a detailed plan to achieve a set of objectives. Planning is a vital part of the organisational and departmental strategic process, it establishes coordinated effort, reduces uncertainty and establishes goals and standards to use when reviewing organisational performance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Organisations operate in two environments, internal and external. Effective planning should include both, the internal and external, environments.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The internal environment includes the organisation itself and its culture. The IT manager needs to know how to influence organisational / team culture in order to lead individuals towards achieving common organisational goals. Another important reason for IT managers to know their role with regards to organisational culture is the fact that IT managers are sometimes hired to change the culture of an IT department in order to increase effectiveness and efficiency. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are many perspectives of an organisational / team culture that the effective IT manager needs to consider in order to plan and lead his team. These perspectives include:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Attention to detail</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> - degree to which individuals focus on precision, analysis and attention to detail.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Outcome orientation</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> - degree to which managers focus on results or outcomes rather than the process on how these outcomes are achieved.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic;">People orientation</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> - Degree to which management takes into account the effects of organisational decisions on individuals in the organisation (hard or soft HRM, but this is for another post).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Team Orientation</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> - organising work in teams rather than individuals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Aggressiveness</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> - cultivate a culture of aggressiveness and competitiveness in order to achieve organisational goals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Stability</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> - degree of which decisions and actions are focused on maintaining the status quo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Innovation and risk taking</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> - degree to which employees are encouraged to be innovative and to take risks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The IT manager can work on any of these perspectives in order to manage his team's culture. Take innovation and risk taking as an example. An IT Development Manager may take a critical look at the product developed and compare it to the market needs and other similar products. This exercise may include a </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Gap</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> or a </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic;">SWOT</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> analysis. Once this is performed the manager can promote a culture of innovation to plan and position his product into the market and be the first to innovate in his niche and therefore achieve competitive advantage and potentially increase his market share.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With regards to the actual process of planning, there are a few tools that an IT manager can utilise to support the planning process. These include Gap and SWOT analysis. For the purposes of this article I will describe how a SWOT analysis can be performed to support the IT Development Manager in his planning process.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">SWOT analysis</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> is a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_planning"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">strategic planning</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> method used to evaluate the </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">S</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">trengths, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">W</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">eaknesses, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">O</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">pportunities, and </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">T</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">hreats involved in a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">project</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> or in a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">business</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> venture. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favourable and unfavourable to achieve that objective. The technique is credited to </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_S_Humphrey"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Albert Humphrey</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, who led a convention at Stanford University in the 1960s and 1970s using data from </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortune_500"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fortune 500</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> companies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A SWOT Analysis will include the following:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">- </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">S</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">trengths: attributes of the person or company that are helpful to achieving the objective(s).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">- </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">W</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">eaknesses: attributes of the person or company that are harmful to achieving the objective(s).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">- O</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">pportunities: </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic;">external</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> conditions that are helpful to achieving the objective(s).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">- T</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">hreats: </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic;">external</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> conditions which could do damage to the objective(s).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_analysis"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_analysis</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The following table is an example of some topics to include in a SWOT analysis for an IT Development Manager:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Plans can and should be periodically reviewed and adjusted should circumstances change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In summary, planning is a vital activity performed by IT managers. It involves looking at the internal and external environments that an organisation operates in and devise goals and strategies to achieve organisational objectives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the next post we will discuss the organising management function.</span></div>
Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-46358528091542426572016-05-13T17:13:00.001+10:002019-05-04T18:27:19.581+10:00"It is the library of patterns that defines a good software architect"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<img alt="Related image" class="irc_mi" data-iml="1556958398824" height="588" src="https://www.electronicproducts.com/uploadedImages/Education/Career/software_engineer_vs_computer_programmer.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="922" />I have recently read an interview with Ray Ozzie, Microsoft’s chief software architect where he spoke about his role as chief software architect and what makes a good software architect.<br />
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Over the last 10 years I have met a few CIOs who did not believe in the role of the software architect. More often than not those CIOs left to the senior developer or team leader in charge of the architecture. That is a very dangerous practice with many negative consequences to the organisation.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Ozzie" target="_blank">Ray Ozzie</a> says that good software architects are the ones that have spent time building and debugging applications. He says that one can learn a lot by reverse-engineering applications. The more systems you develop and debug, the more you develop an understanding of good software architecture. “<b><i>It is the library of patterns that defines a good software architect”.</i></b><br />
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Ray Ozzie’s view makes sense. A good architect should have plenty of experience in order to develop a comprehensive knowledge of the patterns required to build applications. A good software architect is the one that is always researching and learning about new technologies and how to apply them to solve real-life business problems. A good architect will not reinvent the wheel, there is probably a pattern out there for most issues in solutions architecture.Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-54051789680556944272016-04-27T21:42:00.000+10:002019-05-04T18:29:06.412+10:00IT professionals - make it your business to know your business<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img alt="Image result for know your business big image" class="irc_mi" data-iml="1556958517250" height="495" src="https://www.thesmallbusinesssite.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/grow-730x495.jpg" style="margin-top: 47px;" width="730" />Over the last few months I have been collecting the skills/experiences that feature more often in IT job adds. It has been quite an interesting little research that highlighted a few interesting points in relation to technology demands in the market.<br />
The research was done during the 3 months leading into April and covered about 60 IT job adds. I was focusing mainly on IT management and business applications positions.<br />
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One of the main findings is the ongoing need for IT professionals to bridge the gap between IT and the business. Professionals who can understand and speak business language, professionals who can translate "IT talk" into something that makes business sense.<br />
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The following chart summarizes the skills that featured more prominently in my research.<br />
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<img alt="" class="center" data-mce-src="https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/AAEAAQAAAAAAAAiSAAAAJDgxOGI1NjZmLTQzNTAtNGFjOS1iZDk2LWE1YzIyYjY4YmZiNA.png" height="383" src="https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/AAEAAQAAAAAAAAiSAAAAJDgxOGI1NjZmLTQzNTAtNGFjOS1iZDk2LWE1YzIyYjY4YmZiNA.png" width="582" /><br />
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It is no surprise to me that the two skills in high demand are leadership & management and bridging the gap between IT and the business. These are interrelated as quite often leadership relates to leading the business during a transformational phase which certainly involves bridging the gap between IT and the business.<br />
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On a side note, I hate the term "IT and the business". IT is an integral part of the business and IT professionals should not use this language. I always work with my teams to ensure that this term is not utilized and to ensure they position themselves as an integral part of the business. Maybe I will right a post on this topic sometime in the near future.<br />
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Following are a few of my thoughts on how to bridge the gap between IT and the business. I have put all of these ideas in practice and have seen very positive results.<br />
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<b>Business education</b><br />
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I got the shock of my life when I first saw my schedule as a 1st year computer science student. There were no IT subjects, I was so frustrated. All I wanted to do was to write code, instead I had to spend all of my first year, and subsequent years, with a significant focus on business, language and critical thinking subjects.<br />
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Little did I know that the focus on those subjects was going to be so critical for my career. I still remember the struggle we all went through with accounting, and get that, literature. Yes I had literature as a subject in computer science. I count myself fortunate for having that sort of foundation. The only subject we had in the first year remotely close to writing code was logic. I still remember what the teacher said in the first day, she said "This is not about computers, it is all about the business". I have kept this mantra all throughout my career.<br />
<br />
Business education has to be a key educational component for all IT professionals, particularly if you are in the business applications area. Software exists to serve a business purpose, it is imperative for you to know what that purpose is and exactly how your application addresses it. Furthermore having business related education will equip you not only with the expertise but also the terminology you need to be familiar with in order to communicate with business peers.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Know your business</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Business applications are at the core of every business. In order to be a successful applications professional you need to know the ins and outs of your business. It is not good enough to know the industry you are in, you need to know exactly how your business makes money and what is involved in the process.<br />
<br />
Let me give you an example, the performing arts industry. There are many different moving parts in a performing arts business. Good music, programs, artists and artistic management. However, how does the company make its money? It is not through artistic management alone, or even great programs, the company makes its money through the marketing of the performances which leads to ticket sales. There are many parts that make the whole and it is important to consider and support all parts of the business, however without ticket sales the company wouldn't survive at all. IT professionals must know and understand deeply how the business generates revenue in order to support and enable its operations.<br />
<br />
You need to know exactly how your business makes money and all the supporting technology infrastructure and applications that support and enable its operations.<br />
<br />
Make it your business to know your business as well as those who are running the front line business functions.<br />
<blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>IT professionals, make it your business to know your business</i></span></div>
</blockquote>
<b>Be a business professional with a lot of IT expertise</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
In the last few years IT strategies have gone towards business partnership whereby IT business partners work very closely with other business functions in order to drive technology strategy and implementation.<br />
<br />
IT Business Partners must be so close to the business unit they are working with that to an external observer the IT business partner is seen as a member of that business unit.<br />
<br />
A few years ago when I was leading the business solutions team of a fast growing organization. I worked so closely with the Marketing team that I was named an honorary member of that business unit. I did speak their language and understood their function, objectives and KPIs thoroughly. I knew the strategy was working because they considered me an integral part of their team and over time the business partner I appointed to marketing did quite well and we were able to achieve great things together.<br />
<br />
A successful IT professional must be a business professional first, who can advise the organization on the technology opportunities that can support it to achieve its objectives. You must be a business professional first.<br />
<br />
Taking this approach can even lead to IT professionals taking roles outside of IT. For almost one year now I have setup a business function within the Commercial area of my organization. It has been so far a fantastic opportunity despite the many challenges. This assignment will make me a far better IT professional.<br />
<br />
<b>Wrapping it all up</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
IT professionals, make it your business to know your business. The IT function must be seen and operate as a business partner to the rest of the organization delivering value that drives the business forward. In order to be a successful IT professionals you must know your business as well as you know your technology.<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-68158695712777750762013-03-22T21:47:00.000+11:002013-03-22T21:47:17.124+11:00"To improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often"<!--[if !mso]>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Ff38WQbUWMYJ7RReVI49Q4HPCMfV_FmGYoMUqcW3jYvrMQRqpw7aW7hpk0zyRDmQvfAptWjvyAJ-dg1YnelNy1mbw-dvOYGuh8MUyaui-rgsYh6axt36_D3Jlp8PrmNrTzZPzDuLqInX/s1600/change.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Ff38WQbUWMYJ7RReVI49Q4HPCMfV_FmGYoMUqcW3jYvrMQRqpw7aW7hpk0zyRDmQvfAptWjvyAJ-dg1YnelNy1mbw-dvOYGuh8MUyaui-rgsYh6axt36_D3Jlp8PrmNrTzZPzDuLqInX/s1600/change.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSUGLIvDw9JCbzRTbQ67OOCfHhuxU9VfIS0G693vfTJOFMrklTH"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout;"></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The current business environment is very volatile, things are always
changing. Companies need to be able to change quickly in order to keep up with
the market, or even better, in order to drive the market.<br />
<br />
Winston Churchill said "To improve is to change, to be perfect is to
change often". Another interesting quote about change comes from Charles
Darwin, he said "It it snot the strongest of the species that survive, not
the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Organisational change management
is something that not many professionals, including senior executives, know how
to deal with it. I have encountered one too many executives that think that
training is all there is to change management.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Wikipedia defines change management
as an approach to shift organisations or individuals from a current state to a
future desired state. It is an organisational process aimed at helping members
of the organisation to embrace, or even desire, change in their business
environment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Change management uses structures
and tools to control an organisational change effort. The goal is to maximise
benefit and to minimise impact on workers to avoid distractions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Responsibility for change
management lies with executives and managers. They are responsible for
introducing change that brings about improvement in a way that employees can
cope with.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">One classic mistake in change
management occurs when managers spend months working on a change process and
then expect everyone to accept it. Change needs to be gradual but constant.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">John Kotter is a well regarded
author of change management books. He recommmends the followwing steps for
successful change.</span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> Increase urgency. Explain and lead
others into accepting and desiring the change. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Build the guiding team. Gert the right people
with time, commitment and the necessary skills to achieve the desired
future state. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Get the vision right. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Communicate for buy in. Communicate the change
often with the objective to get buy in. You want people to desire the
change and see it as positive to their circumstances. Make communication
simple and straight to the point. Although communication is important,
getting the balance right is vital so you will not be overbearing and bore
everyone to the point they don't want to hear about it. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Empowerment actions. Senior management must
empower change agents into action, remove obstacles and do all they
can to support the process.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Create short term wins. Gradual change is
ideal and easier to process. Constant and positive change minimises the
impact on the organisation and keeps the moment going. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Don't let up. Long change process can be hard
to achieve. Keep everyone motivated and working towards achieving the next
milestone. Gradual change that can be achieve in bite-size chunks will
keep everyone motivated and moving towards the final objective. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo8; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Make change last. Make change part of company
culture, employ workers that embrace change and always want to achieve new
heights.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Business change is not only
necessary but it is vital for businesses to survive in volatile business
environments.</span></div>
Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-35698467580116801352013-03-17T20:37:00.002+11:002013-03-17T20:37:44.467+11:00How to loose your job by being a good manager<a 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" style="height: 174px; margin-top: 0px; width: 290px;" width="400" /></a><span id="goog_858862483"></span><span id="goog_858862484"></span>If you have done any formal eduction in management and leadership you will know that these terms are different and have profound practical differences.<br />
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Let me give you an example. I once worked for an IT manager who was a very good manager. His planning skills were great, fantastic attention to detail, he was organised, he was able to get the team organised and he controlled the activities quite well, ensuring that deadlines were met and the department operated within the budget constraints. These are the basic functions from a manager, planning, organising and controlling.<br />
<br />
This manager was always prepared for his meetings and he was very proud of being logical and getting people on his side using his critical thinking and argumentative skills. However what he didn't realised that he didn't win every argument because people agreed with him, instead, he was always right because nobody could argue him out of his views, even if they didn't agree. He was actually very good at presenting his views and getting others to "agree" with him.<br />
<br />
I must confess that I thought that working under him was great. The team was producing good outcomes and delivering projects on time and within budget.<br />
<br />
However something was happening in the background. Other mangers and directors were getting resented of <br />
<a name='more'></a>his approach and attitude. He was always right and never prepared to give up on his views, even when most people had differing opinions. To cut a long story short, he is a now a very happy man who got a very big redundancy package and, given his age, has retired.<br />
<br />
He had very good management skills but very poor leadership and people management skills. His strong management skills, and lack of leadership, git him to a redundancy.<br />
<br />
So what went wrong. I observed the entire thing trying to learn what to do and what not to do. Working under him I learned a lot about management and also learned a lot how not to deal with people.<br />
<br />
Management skills are very important and managers need to be strong when necessary. However people need to be truly on the manager's side rather than compelled to do what he says just because he is always right.<br />
<br />
So what are the differences between management and leadership? I have come across many articles that explain the difference. In his 1989 book “On Becoming a Leader,” Warren Bennis composed a list of the differences, as follows:<br />
<br />
– The manager administers; the leader innovates.<br />
– The manager is a copy; the leader is an original.<br />
– The manager maintains; the leader develops.<br />
– The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people.<br />
– The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust.<br />
– The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective.<br />
– The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.<br />
– The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line; the leader’s eye is on the horizon.<br />
– The manager imitates; the leader originates.<br />
– The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.<br />
– The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his or her own person.<br />
– The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.<br />
<br />
I don't necessarily agree with every point above. For example, I don't agree when he says that a manager has a short-range view and a leader a long-range perspective. A manager can be strategic as well as manage short term deadlines.<br />
<br />
I often say that managers must lead their organisations to achieve the set objectives. A manager can also be a leader, and vice-verse.Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-70570162617385962472013-02-26T21:10:00.003+11:002013-02-26T21:20:18.319+11:00Project management tools for Agile projects<h1>
</h1>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This is a post by guest <span style="font-size: x-small;">blo<span style="font-size: x-small;">gger</span></span> Steward Copper</i></span></span> </b></span></h1>
A few days ago I was attending the IT Project Management Conference and participated in a survey. All the attendants were asked one question: "What project management tool or solution do you use for the Agile projects?" Among the Top-10 Agile tools there were the ones I'd used to manage, plan and track my projects and processes - MS Excel, Pivotal Tracker, Comindware and VersionOne. So, let me share my thoughts and experience of using them for task management, sprint and iteration planning, daily meetings, burn-downcharts creation, project tracking and other Agile techniques.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel">MS Excel</a></b><br />
<br />
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxiO8MgYu9QSCwi7nvnDhUoA2o62uTYDyh_5CLxT3hiI7IHZQRoPhVQo87Qa31lvC2sWHGCBl2uHRCaIGW8uuj_pW7DYEMV09hKzJC7wVIL8Ux2jihNyiEUAQ0x6MV9xiYAT3LX3PD6UJ/s1600/Excel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxiO8MgYu9QSCwi7nvnDhUoA2o62uTYDyh_5CLxT3hiI7IHZQRoPhVQo87Qa31lvC2sWHGCBl2uHRCaIGW8uuj_pW7DYEMV09hKzJC7wVIL8Ux2jihNyiEUAQ0x6MV9xiYAT3LX3PD6UJ/s320/Excel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The tool is a standard part of the MS Office package. The main general advantage of choosing it for your next project is that almost everybody is familiar with it and you don't need to spend time for the team training. It's used by many Agile PMs because it:<br />
<br />
- allows to create a product backlog while listing user stories, placing estimates and deadlines;<br />
<br />
- allows to plan iterations or sprints (it's good to create a template on a specific sheet);<br />
<br />
- allows to group tasks into sprints using a using a standard group tool;<br />
<br />
- allows to add any kind of comments for the tasks, stories and other entities using a standard commenting tool;<br />
<br />
- allows to support daily stand-ups while filling a sprint progress data;<br />
<br />
- provides very high level of flexibility while drawing graphs including burn-down chart, creating custom reports including digital dashboards and so on.<br />
<br />
Excel helps many of us to manage projects but it's not so good for remote teams and big projects. Some managers don't use Excel because it doesn't provide the set of predefined processes.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.pivotaltracker.com/">Pivotal Tracker</a></b><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4o1-9p4o2VN8Z_TJJbTQGjDDs02mz6i6P7eDEGodAK_OIg10V2TorRTl3ootV47YD7XJ0nubtJuWhN7ZzB7Uf77F8GiyLWN4fkaiff25A5-b4gkEW-6e-IacHj3QGAxkoGcrwhDl-7EV/s1600/pivotal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4o1-9p4o2VN8Z_TJJbTQGjDDs02mz6i6P7eDEGodAK_OIg10V2TorRTl3ootV47YD7XJ0nubtJuWhN7ZzB7Uf77F8GiyLWN4fkaiff25A5-b4gkEW-6e-IacHj3QGAxkoGcrwhDl-7EV/s320/pivotal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The tool was created as a SaaS issue tracking system and evolved into a complex solution to support all the main processes of an Agile project. It's chosen thanks to the following:<br />
<br />
- it's developed especially for Agile projects and uses Iterative Management Workflow approach;<br />
<br />
- it allows to create iterations or sprints including tasks (tickets) of different priority;<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
- user-friendly dashboard provides one view of theentire project allowing to see the real time information for all the project stakeholders;<br />
<br />
- it's good for the team collaboration including daily stand-up meetings and remote teams management;<br />
<br />
- it automatically creates charts, including release burn-down, iteration burn-up, story type breakdown, and historical velocity;<br />
<br />
- it is available for the iOS platform (iPhone andiPad) and so on.<br />
<br />
The tool is recommended by many Agile evangelists including those using Kanban, Scrum Lean and XP. But it's not the only solution on the market. New solutions appear with new additional features. Comindware is a good example.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.comindware.com/">Comindware</a></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKOcPp022aH7tMkdIMKlmr_iQSWhzzL9IOPpXlzOw5fBU_V6QHwGzkLU8KEd1vgUBbRgdI5xqdDZGEolWFXJsDgJbNezDAS-4BWdttqbpisAZiqMVU-l0NnBtfM5Lc1odFlPMkigGknL0/s1600/comindware.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKOcPp022aH7tMkdIMKlmr_iQSWhzzL9IOPpXlzOw5fBU_V6QHwGzkLU8KEd1vgUBbRgdI5xqdDZGEolWFXJsDgJbNezDAS-4BWdttqbpisAZiqMVU-l0NnBtfM5Lc1odFlPMkigGknL0/s320/comindware.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The tool is little bit more than just an Agile software. It combines collaborative task management with workflow automation capabilities. The main feature that allows Comindware to compete successfully with the other solutions is its 100% flexibility (or better to say agility). Project or process manager may create a specific workflow or edit predefined processes even in the middle of a project. The other interesting features used to manage Agile projects are:<br />
<br />
- creating and assigning tasks (auto-generated tasks from workflows andtraditional task lists created manually), setting up their priorities;<br />
<br />
- project team collaboration which is very essential while managing remote and virtual teams;<br />
<br />
- real time status reports including priority, deadline and other reports that are very helpful during daily stand-ups;<br />
<br />
- customizable visual dashboard that is perfectly used not only to create all possible types of charts and graphs but also to provide visual information to project stakeholders;<br />
<br />
- portfolio management feature allowing to manage multiple projects and generate aggregated reports;<br />
<br />
- easy integration (if necessary) with the other tools like SalesForceCRM and MS Outlook.<br />
<br />
The Comindware solution may be used as a cloud-basedservice (more cost-effective option) and as a on-premise software (to get the maximum control). It's really a good solution with plenty of different useful features that go far over just an Agile project management. But for those who feel that it's too flexible and has too many features there is a VersionOne.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.versionone.com/">VersionOne</a></b><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-epFWb-_GTWd2swf2mjHRiDW885SlTqpiEyHfig8lHv9qbhuuwbE-S1JAeM5lInhB9u7RLW7URiJuOSKtqbmVe_mzqeu1lcxTVcqAMeZK93_QXe-8rsbRgh0o-rbDS-AE4Y7fdGAPNQ0/s1600/versionone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-epFWb-_GTWd2swf2mjHRiDW885SlTqpiEyHfig8lHv9qbhuuwbE-S1JAeM5lInhB9u7RLW7URiJuOSKtqbmVe_mzqeu1lcxTVcqAMeZK93_QXe-8rsbRgh0o-rbDS-AE4Y7fdGAPNQ0/s320/versionone.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The tool is better known as a Scrum project management solution, but thanks to a big amount of functionalities it can be used for all Agile methodologies. I've listed the main reasons why managers prefer VersionOne nowadays:<br />
<br />
- it allows to manage multiple projects and iterations at the same time;<br />
<br />
- it allows to plan sprints and to manage requirements, user stories and epics using very user-friendly interface (I've even heard that some experts named VersionOne as the tool of the best usability);<br />
<br />
- it may be used for the team collaboration (sharing files, ideas and messages);<br />
<br />
- it allows to create visual burn-down charts, so as storyboards, trackboards,testboards;<br />
<br />
- it may be connected with other tools used in software development projects like CruiseControl, Jira,<br />
Bugzilla, TeamCity and etc. allowing better flexibility;<br />
<br />
- it provides almost everything for a good reporting andanalysis because there are more than 50 agile metrics and reports, so as a custom analytics platform.<br />
<br />
<b>Instead of a conclusion:</b><br />
<br />
Today we have so many software tools that even a very professional project manager may face a problem of choice. So, while choosing the best solution for your next Agile project don't forget the golden rule: a tool is nothing more than an instrument that has to serve the goals of your project and to help you and the team to be effective. As for me for my current projects I use MS Excel (simple on-site projects and to-do lists) and Comindware (middle-size and big projects, processes, managing remote teams).<br />
<br />
<b>Author </b><br />
Hi, my name’s Steward Copper and I am the owner of Project Management Insights. While working as a project coordinator and BA, I have tried almost all possible PM tools, BA instruments, collaboration programs, including tracker and <a href="http://www.comindware.com/solutions/human-resources/">hr system</a> solutions. I also write for different blogs sharing my knowledge and observations.Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-48831250027719287052013-02-12T22:34:00.002+11:002013-02-12T22:37:22.032+11:00How to develop effective professional relationships<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGrOugymHlx9mF00sGFy9LVu1gvQPBlz8rQR21uiJSPPZyZFsiSEIB9rwb3TNxtrn0c3EgnC7-cMrItO6mffya1S94Lre78wU8bDQTWAh93dqBgKSLBTMYiwUufNL30nlFoZrKRFn7B5o/s1600/relationship+management.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGrOugymHlx9mF00sGFy9LVu1gvQPBlz8rQR21uiJSPPZyZFsiSEIB9rwb3TNxtrn0c3EgnC7-cMrItO6mffya1S94Lre78wU8bDQTWAh93dqBgKSLBTMYiwUufNL30nlFoZrKRFn7B5o/s1600/relationship+management.jpg" /></a></div>
We all know how important it is to build effective professional relationships. Relationship management is a very important skill for
every professional that wants to get ahead. This article will focus on
how effective relationship management helps the CIO to get ahead.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
The
top IT job is very complex and demanding, effective relationship management enables the CIO to build rapport with his/her peers and
will most certainly make the job of managing IT much easier.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Before
proceeding, it is important to define what the term
"effective professional relationships" means. The CIO should spend most of his
time interacting with his peers in order to understand the organization's needs and provide adequate IT solutions. Furthermore, the
CIO needs to be able to convince other members of the organization that a
particular IT project will deliver positive outcomes to the business.
Effective relationship management are the ones that enable the CIO to
effectively interactive with every member of the organization in order
to enable him to achieve his objectives.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
The following points provide useful insights on how to develop effective professional relationships.<br />
<br />
<div>
</div>
<h4>
Know your company and the people you work with</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
<div>
</div>
This
should go without saying, but it is really important that CIOs know
their business. What I find interesting about IT management is how broad
the role really is. As an example, a Supply Chain Manager is required
to know all about supply chain.He is not meant to know anything about
how to operate the email server. However, the IT Manager, the one who
wants to do a good job, is required to know not only about IT but also
about every other area of the business. Obviously the IT manager is not
required to know everything in detail, however he needs to know enough
about every area of the business in order to have systems in place that
support the various business processes. I find this quite interesting
and is what makes the job so interesting.<br />
<div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
As the head of
IT you need to know the vision and mission of the organization, the
products it sells or the services it provides, how it makes money, how
it spends money, the competition, the industry, etc... The list is quite
long and varies depending on the nature of the organization. The point
here is to know everything you can about your business in order to
enable you to be a valuable member of the board and/or the senior
management team.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
I have heard many IT managers complaining
that they don't get a chair in the company board of directors and/or
don't have opportunities to participate in strategic meetings. Maybe
the reason that happens is because the CEO, CFO and other members of the organization perceive the CIO as only a technical resource. That limits
the effectiveness of IT. The CIO needs to not only know the organization
but he also needs to show to the other members of the senior management
team that he can positively contribute to non-technical discussions.<br />
<br />
<div>
</div>
<h4>
Build a good track record</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
<div>
</div>
This
really means do what you said you would do. Honor your commitments.
Your peers should be able to trust you. Ensure to deliver on every
deadline. If you know you will not be able to get something done speak
to everyone involved as soon as you can. People will trust you because
you always do what you say.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Having a good track record will help you to build a good reputation and nothing is more important than a good reputation.<br />
<br />
<div>
</div>
<h4>
Quote your peers whenever you can</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
<div>
</div>
This
is quite powerful. When giving credit to someone, you are giving
someone else a good reputation. This is especially powerful if the
person is present in the conversation. They will always be thankful to
you and are likely to return the favor.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Think about it
the other way. If you take someone's idea and quote it as your own,
you are actually robbing them a reputation they deserve. Worse still,
remember that people talk in organizations and that particular idea you
are taking ownership may have already been discussed so others might
know whose idea that is. People may pick up on it and it can actually
destroy your reputation.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Quoting your peers, positively that is, will go a long way in building rapport with them.<br />
<br />
<div>
</div>
<h4>
Discuss your concerns directly with the people involved</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
<div>
</div>
It
is very important to raise your concerns with the people that are
involved in it. Say for example that you have a concern about a
particular business practice related to complaint handling. You will
look really bad if you approach your boss, especially if he/she is the
CEO. The best option is to organize a meeting and raise it directly with
the relevant people and not only raise issues but also propose
solutions.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
However, it is easy for IT managers to be
perceived as nosy and wanting to solve someone's problem, or even
worse. You need to be careful about the reasons you are raising the
issue and try to make it relevant to IT as well. It is not a good idea
to say that complaints are not been handled effectively unless your
issue relates to IT and you can provide some sort of solution.<br />
<br />
<div>
</div>
<h4>
Be professional, speak calmly, accurately and concisely</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
<div>
</div>
In
order to build good, professional relationships, it is important to be
professional and consistent at all times. Your emotions should not
dictate how you react to an issue. There is nothing worse than knowing
that you have to deal with someone but you never know how that person
will react because he/she has a reputation of being unstable.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Ensure
to always be professional, polite and accurate. Most importantly, do not
lie. Others can probably see through you so don't even think about it.<br />
<br />
<div>
</div>
<h4>
Ask insightful questions and encourage a response</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
<div>
</div>
There
is nothing worse than being in a meeting with someone who keeps on
asking irrelevant questions and is always interrupting others before
they finish talking. It is annoying and a waste of everyone's time. Make
sure you are not the one making those mistakes.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
It is
impossible to plan for every interaction with your peers, however when
attending meetings, ensure that you know thoroughly the topic at hand
and only ask meaningful and insighful questions. Don't waste anyone's
time.<br />
<br />
<div>
</div>
<h4>
Listen to what people are saying</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
<div>
</div>
Have
you ever been in a conversation and got the feeling that the other
person was just not listening? This is even worse if it happens at work.
When talking to someone or participating in a meeting, make the other
people you are talking to feel that they are the most important people
in the world. Give them your full attention, be interested in what they
are saying, value what they are saying even if you think they are wrong.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
It is only when you really listen to people that you are able to ask meaningful questions and have positive interactions.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Many other points could be raised on this topic, however the list above
provides a good summary on ho to go about building effective
professional relationships.Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-34570987785994648002013-02-04T21:51:00.000+11:002013-02-07T21:37:24.278+11:00The Good Product Manager vs. The Bad Product Manager<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WTLkpURENqnToZKUZX57q7rDaOk5SWL4U9EG1GSUKzpW3EwTdOttZseKDDEU-Up5-eOcUt1QYxhius2FzeKHLjy56EZYq4PdrUcaPsNe0eM4Y21gs2PvMlbNBkq5BAbVcnsC8Ht2aKTt/s1600/product-management.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WTLkpURENqnToZKUZX57q7rDaOk5SWL4U9EG1GSUKzpW3EwTdOttZseKDDEU-Up5-eOcUt1QYxhius2FzeKHLjy56EZYq4PdrUcaPsNe0eM4Y21gs2PvMlbNBkq5BAbVcnsC8Ht2aKTt/s200/product-management.png" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today I came across the Good Product Manager/Bad Product Manager
courtesy lecture at the Stanford university by Ben Horowitz, I believe this post is a classic for
product management. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have summarized Ben's points as follows:</span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Bad Product Manager</span></h4>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Always makes lots of excuses.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A bad product manager is not the product's CEO.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lacks in communication skills. Bad product managers don't communicate
well with the engineering team and tend to blame them when things go
wrong due to bad communication.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Puts out fires all day and complains that is swamped by questions and interruptions.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When things go wrong they quickly point out that they predicted they would fail and the "powers of be" didn't do anything about it.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bad product managers focus the team on the feature that the competition is building.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bad product managers get confused on how to position their products on the market and how to leverage it.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bad product managers don't know how to work with the press, they don't manage the press.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bad product managers always want to be told what to do.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bad product managers don't produce status reports on time and are not disciplined.</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bad product managers don't take responsibility and tend to blame others.</span></li>
</ul>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good Product Manager</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a name='more'></a></span></h4>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Knows the product, the market and the competition really well.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Is the CEO of the product.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Takes responsibility for all aspects off the product.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Manages himself based on the product's performance on the market.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Takes responsibility for devising and executing a winning plan.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good
product managers manage the product team and not every detail of every
aspect of everyone's work. He/she knows how to delegate and manage the
team effectively.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good product managers are focused on strategic decisions, ensuring that the product is flexible and adaptable to a
changing business environment.</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good product managers create lots
of collateral to support the day-to-day operations of the
team. He/she is not swamped by questions about the product and ensure
that they are not the only ones that can answer questions about the product.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Following from the previous point, good product managers equip their team
to handle the day to day activities allowing them to focus on strategic
topics such as market positioning, timing, etc...</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good product managers focus the team on revenue and customers,</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good product managers focus on delivering value to the market place and not on just matching the competition.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good product managers think about the story they want published on
the press and they manage the press, not the other way around.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good product managers are disciplined and produce status reports on time.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The courtesy lecture I read today can be found <a href="http://www.stanford.edu/class/e140/e140a/handouts/ProductMgmt.txt" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One skill that is vital for good product management is the ability to build good professional relationships. In <a href="http://softwaredevmanagement.blogspot.com.au/2010_09_01_archive.html" target="_blank">this article</a> I explain the importance of building professional relationships in the context of IT Management. The same principles apply to product management, in fact, these principles apply to any profession these days.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Whilst the following articles are not written in the context of product management, the principles apply. As a matter of fact, I believe that many product managers lack good planning and management skills which hinder their ability to really excel in their product management career.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://softwaredevmanagement.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/management-theory-and-it-management.html" target="_blank"> Management theory and IT Management Part 1 - Planning</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://softwaredevmanagement.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/management-theory-and-it-management_23.html" target="_blank">Management theory and IT Management Part 2 - Organizing</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://softwaredevmanagement.blogspot.com.au/2010/09/effective-it-manager-importance-of.html" target="_blank">The effective IT manager, the importance of relationship management</a></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> In
essence a good product manager is the CEO of the product, knows how to
manage the team, the press and ensures to deliver value to the market
place.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What are your experiences in product management, what makes a good product manager in your view?</span></div>
Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-19654023719558978812013-01-22T21:16:00.001+11:002018-08-12T20:52:13.990+10:00Effort Estimation in Agile Software Development - Applying the Pert Weighted Average formula - Part 2<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ-MJecaAjCehHhH1gO2yNayM31d1pVG5FFLt1-6P6LTH80i-5Uoi7LyGeujBgghjsHnyMrnJdk-V5NMfBO44NQaCjz9I1bGGoHOl7Xg29md7a1CXyJgM2NFHtVqiMZS9m1o1oBOxy8jG9/s1600/effortestimation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ-MJecaAjCehHhH1gO2yNayM31d1pVG5FFLt1-6P6LTH80i-5Uoi7LyGeujBgghjsHnyMrnJdk-V5NMfBO44NQaCjz9I1bGGoHOl7Xg29md7a1CXyJgM2NFHtVqiMZS9m1o1oBOxy8jG9/s1600/effortestimation.jpg" /></a>Back in May 2010<b>,</b> I posted an article entitled <a href="http://softwaredevmanagement.blogspot.com.au/2010/05/effort-estimation-in-agile-software.html" target="_blank">Effort Estimation in Agile Software Development - Applying the Pert Weighted Average formula</a>, which has been one of the most popular<span style="color: #0000ee;"><u> </u></span>articles on this blog. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Amongst
the feedback received there were man<b>optimistic, pessimistic and realistic</b> components of the Pert Weighted Average formula.<br />
y requests asking me to provide
more details on how to devise the numbers to apply on the formula. This article
expands on the topic by explaining my way of coming up with the numbers
for the <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
As
explained <a href="http://softwaredevmanagement.blogspot.com.au/2010/05/effort-estimation-in-agile-software.html" target="_blank">here</a>, the I use the following formula to estimate the
duration to develop each user story that make up an iteration:<b> (Optimistic + (4 * Realistic) + Pessimistic) / 6</b> . <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3>
<a href="http://sdm.fetchapp.com/permalink/824fa7" rel="nofollow" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="http://sdm.fetchapp.com/permalink/824fa7" border="0" data-original-height="147" data-original-width="320" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQE80Wu8YZtB4mbq52rI2KtXHNW8bxW2Hjwx0joQDhBgmwFXFhg5ZsVcgBCUmAe_KdgfaqmavMBO2oqkxPL2QGguzltFP3sXhhKTGqdahU3euLHlSCk8JnzzHWehBOP7O2YnBJTibSSHg/s320/Development+Estimation+Calculator.PNG" width="320" /></a>
How to apply the formula</h3>
</div>
<b></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b>Optimistic</b>
- I ask each developer to provide me with an estimation of how long it
will take to complete each story they will work on. This is the number
that I use for the optimistic component.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
To estimate the
other components of the formula I use a combination of grading user
stories by size and complexity as outlined in the first article.
However it is not as simple as that.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
I don't see estimation
as an exact science and therefore blindly applying a formula will not
work under all circumstances. However, the formula does provide me with a
consistent estimation procedure that has worked for at least 10 years
now.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Another variable that I use in estimating the
development effort is my team's velocity. I have a detailed record
of the team's velocity recorded against functionality deployed to production. This
helps me to compare actual duration of completed user stories against the
effort that was originally estimated and use it as a basis to estimate the effort to develop stories that are similar in size and complexity ratings.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
So here is how I devise the numbers for the rest of the formula.<br />
<br />
<b>Realistic</b>
- I search TFS (Team Foundation Server) for
completed stories with similar size and complexity ratings and take the
actual time that it took to develop it as the
realistic component of the formula. <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>Pessimistic</b> - It is hard to estimate what a pessimistic duration would be because of many different variables that
come into play such as risks associated with the particular piece of
functionality, complexity, developer experience
and many other variables. I have met some development managers that double the
duration estimated as the realistic and use it as the pessimistic. I don't blindly assign a number to it, I try to take everything into
consideration in order to come up with an estimation that makes sense.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
I don't
think that there is a formula that you can blindly take to estimate
software development effort. It is not as simple as that as there are
many components that come into play in effort estimation, project management and software development.Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-85033994537064061422013-01-15T21:58:00.001+11:002013-02-07T21:50:07.721+11:00What makes a good software developer?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55y0BwvoJZK7o6PZzY1mWAPuQNGQa-5mpyKnVW2lExuRpkBG0F6ZOIdVadZOKy_-Xwb6ts2Md8q30uNEtXMrtBADGMajoLlzFtcyYOLe6m1-84eFp3aXQnPwe_4mhl_I1ZsznFvhy8F_m/s1600/successful+software+developer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55y0BwvoJZK7o6PZzY1mWAPuQNGQa-5mpyKnVW2lExuRpkBG0F6ZOIdVadZOKy_-Xwb6ts2Md8q30uNEtXMrtBADGMajoLlzFtcyYOLe6m1-84eFp3aXQnPwe_4mhl_I1ZsznFvhy8F_m/s200/successful+software+developer.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
Today at work I started to do some performance reviews. As I prepared the review papers I started thinking about what makes me rate one developer
higher than another.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<br />
So the question really is, what makes a good software developer? There are certainly many answers to this question and viewpoints will vary greatly. I don't think there is a definitive answer as the definition of "good" will change depending o what you are trying to achieve.<br />
<br />
The following sections provide a high level summary of my thoughts on this very interesting topic.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>Technical Skills</b><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Technical skills are definitely very important, however I think that it is
overrated. Attitude is far more important than technical skills. More on
that later.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Possessing well developed technical skills
enables developers to complete their tasks faster and therefore it has the potential to make them more efficient. In the past 2 or 3 years I have introduced new
technologies in my current organization. Those projects didn't come without challenges, there were some rough days and times of low productivity. The developers with more advanced technical skills were able to understand those technologies and become more productive faster than the others. The
real good developers became mentors to the other ones, without making
them feel bad.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div>
</div>
<b>Attitude</b><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Attitude is by far one of the most important skills a developer can have.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
We
all have different strengths and weaknesses, we can't all be technical
geniuses or specialists in every single area of software development.
When a developer faces a technical challenge and "hits the wall", no
matter how good he/she is technically, attitude will determine the
outcome. A good attitude and the ability to stick with it until the issue is resolved is key in this situation. <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
What I find particularly annoying
is a developer that lacks these skills and as soon as there is an issue
he/she immediately starts to ask the other developers without even
researching the web or the team's wiki. Having said that, when facing technical challenges, there is a line when one needs to
decide to stop researching and ask for help. I don't like to see
developers stuck and not ask for help. Once research is done and a
solution is not found, there is nothing wrong with putting your hand up and asking for help. <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>Business Knowledge</b><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Business
knowledge is also very important to enable a developer to work productively. Whether you work for an internal IT team or for a
development house, having good domain knowledge enables developers to
better participate in design meetings and to decide what delivers real
value.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
The time has past when developers sit in the
corner and writes code according to the specs without asking questions or participating in solution architecture and other related tasks. We are all doing <a href="http://softwaredevmanagement.blogspot.com.au/2010_04_01_archive.html" target="_blank">agile </a>these days and moving to self-managed teams. Against what many
people believe, implementing agile and self management is actually very hard. In order to have self managed teams you need developers that
understand the business and are able to have meaningful discussions without project stakeholders. Without domain knowledge this is practically impossible.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Furthermore, well developed
business knowledge enables developers to question the completeness and
accuracy of user stories, either before or during development.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Lack
of business logic is actually very dangerous because the developer
does not actually know what it is that is being developed and what value
it delivers to the business.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
I would say that domain knowledge and attitude are some of the most important skills a good developer needs to have. <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>Openness for discussion</b><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
There
are many different ways to address a particular technical issue or to
develop a new function item. In my team we have daily stand up meetings
and longer design/review meetings depending on what is going on.<br />
<br />
Every so often we hold meetings to discuss the
architecture and/or the best technical solution for a particular issue
or functional item. During these meetings we discuss what the is the
best solution and we move on to implement it without wasting too
much time. I find very entertaining to see the developers argue to have
their opinions or solution implemented. My own entertainment aside, these
discussions are very important for the ultimate quality of our work
because nobody knows everything, it is when we all sit around and workshop ideas that the best solutions are implemented.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
I
need to be careful and manage these meetings very well. Once we agree on
a solution I quickly move on to the next topic or I end the meeting. The overall process works well, it has
increased team cohesion and even the quietest developer starts to
participate which is a bonus to everyone.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
It is a win-win situation for me.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>Appetite for new knowledge</b><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
IT is always changing. New technologies are often
released to the market, new frameworks and methodologies are reviewed
and update. It never stops. In order to keep up with it, developers
need to be curious and have a appetite for new knowledge. You never really graduate from uni if you work in IT.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
I
could keep on going and identifying many other skills like
knowing your tool set and many others, however I will stop here because I
think that, in broad terms, I have touched on what really makes a good
software developer.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
I find really amazing that after a quick search on the web, most of the articles on this
topic highlight technical knowledge, the need for good tools, knowledge
on how to use those tools and other related technical skills. Although these skills are
very important, they do not make great developers.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
When I interview new developers
I often ask if they know a particular technology or tool that is not
listed in their resume. If they say that they know I probe a little
further and may even ask why it is not on the resume, depending on the circumstances. The good ones,
those who often get the job, say that whilst they don't have
experience working with this specific technology, they can learn quickly
and become productive in a reasonable period of time. If I can find
evidenced of it in the resume and I confirm during reference checks, that
will be the developer that gets the job.<br />
<br />
In conclusion, I don't think that there is a definitive list for what makes good software developers as it varies depending on the circumstances. In broad terms, I find that attitude, openness to discussion and business knowledge are some of the skills that will give developers the edge they need to succeed in their careers. Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-52633196547826125472012-06-07T21:56:00.000+10:002013-02-07T21:48:13.263+11:00Product backlog - key to agile success<div>
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
<img height="150" id="il_fi" src="http://media.agile42.com/content/Whiteboard_Product_Backlog.JPG" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="200" /> </div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The product backlog is an organized and structured list of work items that reflect your customer needs in relation to a particular product. The product backlog is used to categorize customer requests and ensure the development team is working on the most important features for your business.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Getting started</b></div>
<br />
Before work begins on a new software release, the product manager needs to organize and categorize the items in the product backlog. For new products this may involve spending time with business stakeholders and documenting their requirements into work items. In the case of an existing product this may involve reviewing the list of known customer requests, bugs (defects) and new features.<br />
<br />
<b>Adding features to the product backlog</b><br />
<br />
The product backlog can be made of different types of work items. The following list shows the typical work item types in a product backlog:<br />
- Bugs<br />
- Outstanding technical work (technical debt)<br />
- New features<br />
<br />
Bugs are known defects that are found during the development, testing and production use of the system.<br />
<br />
Technical debt relates to any technical work that needs to be carried out. It can be code refactoring, work to address performance and scalability issues,upgrading 3rd party components, etc... Technical debt is often not visible to the end user unless it impacts the daily system usage such as performance issues. Outstanding technical work needs to be prioritized and scheduled so there is visibility of it in the work plan and all stakeholders are aware of what the development team is working on.<br />
<br />
It can be hard to prioritize purely technical work because, often, users don't see the value in spending time in these kind of tasks, however it is important to prioritize and address any technical debt before they become a real hindrance to the system and/or the development process.<br />
<br />
New features are functional items that are not currently available or potential improvements to current functionality. Depending on the size and complexity of the system, I tend to separate new feature requests from improvement requests.<br />
<br />
A good product backlog will contain a number of work items of various different types including bugs, new requests, improvement requests and technical debt.<br />
<br />
Once you have your product log, the next step is to categorize and prioritize the each work item.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<b>Organizing the product backlog in preparation for a new sprint</b><br />
<br />
The next step is to classify and prioritize your product backlog. A backlog is useless if you cannot find the most important tasks or if you don't have the ability to group items together.<br />
<br />
Start by classifying your list into themes that make sense to your project. Themes could be "search", "usability" or anything else that is useful to group work items together. <br />
<br />
Classifying work items into these themes will help you to quickly identify all types of work items that relate to a certain function and you may decide to have sprints based on themes.<br />
<br />
Once you classified your work items it is time to start prioritizing. I find it easier to set priorities once my backlog is organized into themes, however you may choose to prioritize first and then classify your work items, it is really up to you.<br />
<br />
It is very important to involve business stakeholders in the process of setting priorities. At the very least,the product owner needs to be able to set high level priorities for your next set of work. This can be done at the theme level, say the next sprint will be about improving usability issues, or he may contribute by setting the relative priority of work items that will be include in the next release.<br />
<br />
In my experience, if your product backlog is logically categorized product owners tend to set priorities at the category level (themes), not for each individual work item. It will be your job as the product manager to set the relative priority of the tasks and confirm the final list with the product owner or business stakeholder.<br />
<br />
This may sound like a very segmented and inefficient process, however it is important to ensure that you involve the product owner at this stage of the work so that your priorities are aligned with business priorities and strategies. <br />
<br />
Once your backlog is categorized and priorities are set it is time to organize your sprint.<br />
<br />
<b>Generating your sprint backlog</b><br />
<br />
Once the team knows what features go into the sprint backlog, the development team decomposes the work items into tasks and get on with the work.</div>
Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-309252051080890662012-06-06T22:55:00.001+10:002013-02-07T21:48:13.261+11:00Project vs. Program vs. Portfolio Management<div>
Many people get confused with project vs. program vs. portfolio management.<br />
A <b>project</b> is a temporary undertaking to achieve a defined output. The output of a project may be a tangible product or other things such a the answer to a question. A project has defned start and end dates as well as well defined outputs. A project must not be confused with normal operational work which is defined by processes, procedures and job descriptions. A project is temporary as opposed to operational work which is ongoing.<br />
A <b>progam</b> is a group of related projects managed together to achieve specific benefits and controls that would not be achievable if the projects were managed separately. While projects focus on achieving individuak objectives, programs are defined to achieve a strategic objective. The program manager is responsible for ensuring that the various projects are working together to achieve the defined strategic objectives.<br />
A <b>portfolio</b> is all the programs and/or projects of an organisation managed together to achieve strategic goals. A portfolio may be all the programs for an entire organisation, a division or a business unit.<br />
<br />
The image below depicts the difference between portfolio, program and project. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="358" id="il_fi" src="http://selharti.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/portfolio-program-and-project-organization.png" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="454" /> </div>
</div>
Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-88841878671988872010-10-25T08:03:00.000+11:002013-02-07T21:50:07.727+11:00Software Architecture in an Agile Development Environment using the Sashimi approach<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EIqN4qozCUw5oNSS8CevKAMNaFm9m0jbCn4hm0Pz449xT8X0aTlDGK0vhSYoVPhhzIrsScgMyHAmIxXomU3dM9IOyCwfibSHFOpHXMrewI-5Bpk3EEdQNbTKwL4tBbe-wHbxgZEj1954/s1600-h/teamwork%5B4%5D.jpg"><img align="left" alt="teamwork" border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwCTmy6HY9vIz56LSYRxY6iFxBZ7zVJ5wqZPcfQuSN28KHxsOLOjXg6426iGx72jkJIokp-RwcrkC-w0N2FIxTxjWmBpFW9MX1UBmq3E3UxC4MBLruT21i3oQ1eAh5xksnmUTZMoS79p7D/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; float: left; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="teamwork" width="171" /></a>Agile software development methodologies are now widely accepted and utilised within the software development industry. There is however a lot of debate on how to perform effective and efficient software architecture within an agile environment. <br />
<br />
In an non-Agile environment there is usually a lot of architectural discussions and decisions are made at the beginning of a project, practice which is discouraged in an agile environment.<br />
<br />
So the question remains, how do you ensure that your architecture addresses the business requirements whilst keeping up with the agile practices. One of the 12 principles of the agile manifesto says that “the best architectures, requirements and designs emerge from self-organising teams”. I believe that this is the key to incorporating software architecture into the agile development approach, self-organising teams..<br />
<br />
An Agile environment involves shared responsibility. The traditional role of the architect, as the one who defines the high-level solution, is diluted. The software architecture is performed by the entire team. This practice does not remove the need for a software architect, it just means that the architect contributes to the discussion with a broader and probably more experienced perspective, nevertheless all members of the team contribute towards the architecture of the software.The whole team participates in discussions and understands the consequences of design decision as they are made and, more importantly, these design decision are constantly evolved and evaluated.<br />
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Most of the architectural challenges are tackled by including them in iteration reviews, stand up meetings or any other development meeting. These discussions usually include lots of charts, diagrams, white boarding and other techniques. All of which helps to understand architectural challenges and to cement agreed solutions into everyone’s minds.<br />
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<b>The Sashimi approach</b><br />
There are several approaches to incorporate software architecture into an agile framework whilst keeping with the Agile principles of high customer involvement and feedback, continuous delivery of working software and attention to technical quality, amongst others.<br />
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One of these approaches is called <b>Sashimi</b>. In this approach the focus is on velocity. Instead of developing an architecture focused on tiers and layers you build the minimum amount of code that is necessary to connect all of the parts of the software and start building the actual functionality, which provides an early delivery of the software and enables the development team and customers to experience the software very early in the development process.<br />
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As the iterations progress the implementation is incrementally completed following the needs of the functional parts of the software, the business requirements. When performance and load tests are performed there is the opportunity to further tune the original design.<br />
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To be able to support this incremental approach to software architecture, the key is to implement well defined APIs over a <i>“very”</i> decoupled code, If the implementation details are moved outside the API, coupling with its consumers, then it becomes very difficult to refactor the architecture. Therefore it is key to have a well defined, decoupled API which will enable the Agile’s incremental approach. That is why API development is a key activity early in the lifecycle of the project.<br />
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Developers and architects that are not used to Agile development usually say that a detailed architecture design is necessary up-front because it is too hard and costly to change architectural building blocks once they are in place. The Sashimi approach deals with this argument and enables software architecture to be fully implemented into the Agile environment.<br />
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<i>Reference: The Architecture Journal #23 pg. 13.</i> Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-40841904559984384312010-10-25T08:01:00.001+11:002013-02-07T21:56:27.312+11:00Software Development Compilation<!--<br />InstaCarnival Beta<br />Draft HTML for Carnival Edition<br />http://blogcarnival.com/bc/spreview_39948.html<br />--> <br />
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<b><a href="http://softwaredevmanagement.blogspot.com/2010/10/software-architecture-in-agile.html">Software Architecture in an Agile environment using the Sashimi approach</a> - </b>Agile software development methodologies are now widely accepted and utilised within the software development industry. There is however a lot of debate on how to perform effective and efficient software architecture within an agile environment. <br />
<b>Reader’s Sponsored Articles</b><br />
<b>Jennifer Saksa</b> presents <a href="http://nchsoftware.blogspot.com/2010/07/software-buying-trends.html">Software Buying Trends</a> posted at <a href="http://nchsoftware.blogspot.com/">NCH Software Blog</a>. <br />
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<b>Bernice Frankel</b> presents <a href="http://mastersdegrees.org/2010/top-20-mobile-education-apps-iphone-vs-android/">Top 20 Mobile Education Apps: iPhone vs. Android</a> posted at <a href="http://mastersdegrees.org/">Masters Degrees</a>, saying, "Mobile educational apps can give you an edge in and out of the classroom. Here are 20 great mobile education apps, 10 for the iPhone, and 10 for Android phones." <br />
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<b>Lindsay Samuels</b> presents <a href="http://librarysciencedegree.org/the-bookworms-guide-to-the-ipad-100-tips-tools-and-tutorials/">The Bookworm?s Guide to the iPad: 100 Tips, Tools, and Tutorials</a> posted at <a href="http://librarysciencedegree.org/">Library Science Degree</a>, saying, "With any new piece of technology, confusion, turmoil, and frustration can quickly set in when spending so much money, along with learning something new. To help, the article has compiled a Bookworm’s Guide to the iPad: 100 tips, tools, and tutorials." <br />
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<b>Chris Davis</b> presents <a href="http://www.criminaljusticedegrees.com/robot-wars-10-recent-developments-in-unmanned-warfare-you-havent-heard-about">Robot Wars: 10 Recent Developments in Unmanned Warfare You Haven?t Heard About</a> posted at <a href="http://www.criminaljusticedegrees.com/">Criminal Justice Degrees</a>, saying, "When the war in Afghanistan kicked off, the U.S. military only had a handful of drones or unmanned weapons on the battlefield. Now it’s one of the military’s main concerns as they race to outdo the competition developing innovative robots that do the dirty work." <br />
<!-- Carnival Submission --> <br />
<b>Carrie Oakley</b> presents <a href="http://www.onlinecolleges.org/40-ipad-apps-that-librarians-love/">40 iPad Apps That Librarians Love</a> posted at <a href="http://www.onlinecolleges.org/">Online Colleges</a>, saying, "Librarians wear many hats at one time. Besides managing their space, they also organize events, reach out to the community and enhance the feel of the library, making it a timeless treasure that is making a major comeback." <br />
<!-- Carnival Submission --> <br />
<b>Chirel Jack</b> presents <a href="http://www.hire-computer-consultant.com/index.php">Freelance Jobs - Freelancer for hire</a> posted at <a href="http://www.hire-computer-consultant.com/">Hire consultant - Freelance jobs</a>. <br />
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Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-10756943681589397292010-10-17T16:20:00.001+11:002013-02-07T21:50:07.705+11:00Software Development Compilation<!--<br />InstaCarnival Beta<br />Draft HTML for Carnival Edition<br />http://blogcarnival.com/bc/spreview_39825.html<br />--> <br />
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<b><a href="http://softwaredevmanagement.blogspot.com/2010/10/common-challenges-of-managing-software.html" target="_blank">Common Challenges of Managing Software Development Articles</a> - </b>There are many challenges in managing software development projects. The following list discusses a few topics that have been highlighted as common challenges of software development. The list is not exhaustive, it does however highlights some of the common challenges I have encountered, and addressed, over past 10 years working in software development.<br />
<a href="http://softwaredevmanagement.blogspot.com/2010/10/use-of-mashups-in-enterprise.html" target="_blank"><b>The use of mashups in the enterprise</b></a> - A mashup is a technique for building applications that combine data from multiple sources to create an integrated experience. Many mashups available today are hosted as websites on the internet, providing visual representations of publicly available data.<br />
I have been observing a new trend in the software industry where applications are there to serve data and not the other way around. Data is at the centre of the <i>universe</i> and not the application. <br />
Take twitter for example, it is all about the data and not the application. There are so many twitter applications available to serve the data. Business Intelligence proves that when data is utilised effectively it can help organisations to achieve competitive advantage and consequently make more money. Super,markets organise the products on the shelves based on data served to them via business intelligence products such as reports from data warehouses and other. Another example is blogging which is all about what the author is saying, the data. There are many different blogging providers on the internet and many more applications that enable bloggers to create their blog posts and publish them to their website. <br />
<b>Reader’s Articles</b><br />
<b>Maureen Fitzsimmons</b> presents <a href="http://mphdegree.org/2010/top-20-most-influential-obesity-experts/">Top 20 Most Influential Obesity Experts</a> posted at <a href="http://mphdegree.org/">MPH Degree</a>, saying, "If you are looking for ways to improve your ability to write research papers, you are in luck. Technology makes it simple to get help with research papers, as these 20 iPad Apps demonstrate." <br />
<!-- Carnival Submission --> <b>Heather Sanders</b> presents <a href="http://onlineengineeringprograms.org/2010/50-interesting-engineers-worth-a-follow-on-twitter/">50 Interesting Engineers Worth a Follow on Twitter</a> posted at <a href="http://onlineengineeringprograms.org/">Blogineering</a>, saying, "If you are interested in learning a little bit more about engineering, you can follow these 50 interesting folks — including some engineering students — on Twitter." <br />
<!-- Carnival Submission --> <b>Chris</b> presents <a href="http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/chuck-norris-google-facts/">Chuck Norris Google Facts</a> posted at <a href="http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog">Martial Development</a>, saying, "Read these all-original "facts" about Chuck Norris' involvement with the world's most powerful search engine." <br />
<!-- Carnival Submission --> <b>J Dumire</b> presents <a href="http://web-2-point-0.info/computer-issues/computer-memory-issues-excessive-pop-ups-and-slow-operating-speed">Computer Memory Issues? Excessive Pop Ups? And Slow Operating Speed?</a> posted at <a href="http://web-2-point-0.info/">LightSpeedPC: No More Computer Lag</a>. <br />
<!-- Carnival Submission --> <b>J Dumire</b> presents <a href="http://web-2-point-0.info/computer-issues/don%E2%80%99t-buy-a-new-computer-you-probably-don%E2%80%99t-need-one">Don�t Buy a New Computer! You Probably Don�t Need One!</a> posted at <a href="http://web-2-point-0.info/">LightSpeedPC: No More Computer Lag</a>. <br />
<!-- EDIT THIS: the conclusion begins with this paragraph: --> That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of <b>software development compilation</b> using our <a href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_11539.html" target="_blank" title="Submit an entry to “software development compilation”">carnival submission form</a>. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our <a href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/cprof_11539.html" target="_blank" title="Blog Carnival index for “software development compilation”">blog carnival index page</a>.<br />
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Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-81017687574897057332010-10-10T14:48:00.001+11:002013-02-07T21:50:07.719+11:00Software Development Compilation<!--<br />InstaCarnival Beta<br />Draft HTML for Carnival Edition<br />http://blogcarnival.com/bc/spreview_39726.html<br />--> <br />
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<a href="http://softwaredevmanagement.blogspot.com/2010/10/common-challenges-of-managing-software.html" target="_blank"><b>Common challenges of managing software development projects</b></a> - There are many challenges in managing software development projects. The following list discusses a few topics that have been highlighted as common challenges of software development. The list is not exhaustive, it does however highlights some of the common challenges I have encountered, and addressed, over past 10 years working in software development.<br />
<a href="http://softwaredevmanagement.blogspot.com/2010/10/use-of-mashups-in-enterprise.html" target="_blank"><b>The use of mashups in the enterprise</b></a> - A mashup is a technique for building applications that combine data from multiple sources to create an integrated experience. Many mashups available today are hosted as websites on the internet, providing visual representations of publicly available data.<br />
I have been observing a new trend in the software industry where applications are there to serve data and not the other way around. Data is at the centre of the <i>universe</i> and not the application… <br />
<a href="http://softwaredevmanagement.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-makes-good-software-architect.html" target="_blank"><b>What makes a good software architect</b></a> - I have recently read an interview with Ray Ozzie, Microsoft’s chief software architect where he spoke about his role as chief software architect and what makes a good software architect… <br />
<a href="http://softwaredevmanagement.blogspot.com/2010/09/effective-it-manager-importance-of.html" target="_blank"><b>The effective IT manager – the importance of relationship building</b></a> - Relationship building is an important skill that any IT manager should possess and develop in order to be an effective manager. <br />
<b>Reader’s Sponsored Articles</b><br />
<b>Bridget Nicholson</b> presents <a href="http://oedb.org/library/features/100-all-time-greatest-popular-science-books">100 All-Time Greatest Popular Science Books</a> posted at <a href="http://oedb.org/library">OEDb: Online Education Database</a>. <br />
<!-- Carnival Submission --> <b>Raphael Pereira</b> presents <a href="http://blog.rmontanaro.com/2010/09/26/great-resources-to-learn-haskell/">Great resources to learn Haskell | Raphael Pereira</a> posted at <a href="http://blog.rmontanaro.com/">Raphael Pereira</a>. <br />
<!-- Carnival Submission --> <b>Jennifer Saksa</b> presents <a href="http://nchsoftware.blogspot.com/2010/03/hello-world.html">Hello World!</a> posted at <a href="http://nchsoftware.blogspot.com/">NCH Software Blog</a>, saying, "One software developer compares programing and trying to make user-friendly software to the "guest experience" in the restaurant industry and really taking the time to think about all of the little details and listen to customer feedback to help improve the entire process." <br />
<!-- EDIT THIS: the conclusion begins with this paragraph: --> That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of <b>software development compilation</b> using our <a href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_11539.html" target="_blank" title="Submit an entry to “software development compilation”">carnival submission form</a>. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our <a href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/cprof_11539.html" target="_blank" title="Blog Carnival index for “software development compilation”">blog carnival index page</a>.<br />
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Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-52646484899567905742010-10-08T17:20:00.001+11:002013-02-07T21:48:13.266+11:00Common challenges of managing software development projects<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtvOzwNlKmZqk837JM4u_3duOcwMyQFu03arGwmkaWfyaeH8m-TYzZ4hvp5BKpCDs6e3_ZeUibZlyaktbg1lL5Fs2kstxFfqGp_vfRTwGZdc99SP9egq9Wncsqcg2iW6Kpm-A5pDTBV178/s1600-h/devchallenges%5B3%5D.jpg"><img align="left" alt="devchallenges" border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Pbb7J-sN4QHI2ekt6HP1c6XfOyytQ0qbq2lgwA4DdQ2RaFL9rf7BNbto-z0ITasXTVbL7cZbOA4qxPhpwa0Z3xarVNV-l8u89z7zjOVaiI7L9dOvT6vuZaEVgXoMZt-MgxFikvF9WFrR/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="devchallenges" width="241" /></a> There are many challenges in managing software development projects. The following list discusses a few topics that have been highlighted as common challenges of software development. The list is not exhaustive, it does however highlights some of the common challenges I have encountered, and addressed, over past 10 years working in software development.<br />
<b>Interpersonal skills – managing the stakeholders</b><br />
Every IT project is also a business project, interaction with the business is a must. When declaring a project I always insist on having non-IT project owners and stakeholders. Even the most back-office related project needs to be reported to the business. I have recently participated in a project to provide new desktops to members of my organisation. A key part of the project was to involve members of the business to articulate requirements and to evaluate potential options for a desktop replacement.<br />
Interpersonal skill is a very important skill that every IT manager needs to posses in order to be successful. Managing IT projects of any type (software development, security, etc…) will require a lot of interaction with other members of the business. Establishing and nurturing a healthy relationship between IT and other business units should be one of the priorities for any manager within the IT department.<br />
Unfortunately many IT managers fail to address this topic and in doing so they minimise their chances of conducting successful projects.<br />
<b>Business requirements – the uncertainty factor</b><br />
One of the main challenges in software development is gathering clear business requirements. When a project fails, many IT managers blame the lack of clear business requirements or the lack of communication from the business to notify changing requirements. I personally think that IT managers should take responsibility for their projects, stop blaming and start acting on it.<br />
In my experience, business users may think they are communicating their requirements clearly but once the software is built they realise that they asked for the wrong functionality. This happens way to often. One of the possible strategies to address this issue is to use an agile methodology that builds the system in increments and gets the business users to review every increment built. This way if the requirement is not addressed as the users expect the issue can be dealt with before the system is live. This can save a lot of time and money.<br />
<b>Project management – real project management skills please</b><br />
I have seen a few development projects being managed by individuals who do not posses the necessary project management skills to manage a project, let alone a software development project. Sometimes good software developers that evolve into management positions fall into the situation where they need to manage the projects, however, more often than not all that they do is create a good looking project plan that once approved is never revisited again.<br />
Regardless of the background of the person managing software development projects, it is necessary that he/she possesses real project management skills and a track record of successful delivery of real life projects.<br />
<b>Resource management – managing IT and non-IT resources</b><br />
One of the challenges in delivering software development projects is resource management (IT and non-IT resources). Non-IT staff need to be managed from different perspectives depending on their role in the project. Business managers that are not stakeholders in a project only care about high level updates, project stakeholders are interested in detailed updates and they are the ones providing the requirements for the project. . <br />
It is very important that IT personnel develop professional relationships with members of the business in order to support business related communications. This relates to the first point mentioned above where I mention that IT managers need to have well developed interpersonal skills. For more information on relationship building please visit the article entitled <a href="http://softwaredevmanagement.blogspot.com/2010/09/effective-it-manager-importance-of.html" target="_blank">The effective IT manager – the importance of relationship building</a>.<br />
In terms of IT resources, the project manager needs to ensure that the right IT resources with the necessary skills and experiences are allocated to the various projects. He needs to make sure that resources allocation is based on the requirements of each project. If your project requires a lot of complex T-SQL, the manager needs to allocate a developer that has enough knowledge and experience in that area in order to maximise the chances of delivering a successful project.<br />
<b>Software architecture – maximising the use of IT assets</b><br />
When working on software development projects, it is important to maximise the use of previous development investments by reutilising your IT assets. An IT asset may be a web service, a stored procedure or any architectural building block of an application. Development managers need to be<br />
managing their team in way that a valuable library of development assets is built and they need to ensure that those assets are reutilised whenever there is an opportunity to do so.<br />
Te list above is not exhaustive and barely scratches the surface on challenges related to software development. Many of my readers will be able to add many more challenges. I guess that is what makes software development interesting, solving those challenges and enabling organisations to achieve competitive advantage through the effective and efficient use of technology.<br />
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Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-33406974125548838082010-10-05T08:09:00.001+11:002013-02-07T21:37:24.276+11:00The use of mashups in the enterprise<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwuFvNHpKQM537MncIoMpK5PxGhO6xUmu5lC1akdUcSaceMJgC9L0hL-QmhoIZfVOoZxAwwHFWrawNM7dOscwpFfdyE8n5N-0chyphenhyphen3fd4QNoC6uVQOqm_Yh8JLj_jUzvq8jXn00865ZsnpX/s1600-h/mashups%5B3%5D.jpg"><img align="left" alt="mashups" border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIvJECSk4A7xfJsqY_B4ZPifQCHv61FD2qgb1iWgSgLDubGmQ9MBeO29N5CB-LGrXGYG5NPl3E73gBoHRGvY8jKybIEHwWxh-JnTTlJwPdrrWgj2h8PQwrxtMe9LPmhjwiXj2R-lJgIkj/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="mashups" width="240" /></a> A mashup is a technique for building applications that combine data from multiple sources to create an integrated experience. Many mashups available today are hosted as websites on the internet, providing visual representations of publicly available data.<br />
I have been observing a new trend in the software industry where applications are there to serve data and not the other way around. Data is at the centre of the <i>universe</i> and not the application.<br />
Take twitter for example, it is all about the data and not the application. There are so many twitter applications available to serve the data. Business Intelligence proves that when data is utilised effectively it can help organisations to achieve competitive advantage and consequently make more money. Super,markets organise the products on the shelves based on data served to them via business intelligence products such as reports from data warehouses and other. Another example is blogging which is all about what the author is saying, the data. There are many different blogging providers on the internet and many more applications that enable bloggers to create their blog posts and publish them to their website.<br />
<b>History of mashups</b><br />
Mashups have become popular within the last few years, along with the popularity of web 2.0. Early mashups used data to combine it with maps of photos. However organisations are becoming more interest in mashups for the enterprise.<br />
Organisations are utilising mashups to combine their data from different sources to arrive at new, more creative ways, of utilising their data. Some of the uses may include combining data from multiple sources, apply business intelligence to it and display it to information consumers in a way that can help to utilise the information in a meaningful way.<br />
<b>Architecture of a mashup</b><br />
There are<b> </b>some common architectural patterns utilised to create mashups. All mashups use REST (Representational State Transfer principles)<br />
Data is the core element of any mashup. The data does not need to be stored in a database that is local to the application, It can be anywhere on the internet, served through web services serialised as XML or JSON. RSS feeds are another source of data for mashups because they are in easy to use XML format.<br />
Web services are also utilised in mashups. They can be used to provide extra services to the data or used to transform the data on the mashup.<br />
Developers should think of the mashup application as a combination of middle-tier and some business logic. The client is usually traditional internet or RIA applications.<br />
<b>The use of mashups in the enterprise</b><br />
There is really no limit to how mashup can be utilised in the enterprise. Combining internally available data with information from the internet can deliver some interesting services to the enterprise. You may create a website to help customers to find service centres, on the same page you may want tot display local weather and traffic conditions.<br />
Another potential application is the use of mashups to lookup data on the internet that would add value to the information available in the enterprise, You can use information from your CRM application and lookup extra data available from various sources on the internet in order to learn more about your customer or potential new customer.<br />
Mashups offer great potential to enterprises by adding value to information that was previously unrelated and serving that data to internal information consumers to to deliver services to clients.<br />
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Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-51364192152302246642010-10-02T12:43:00.001+10:002013-02-07T21:50:07.714+11:00What makes a good software architect<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkY-5YTjG1MSfGbpbP8pA9BdikJ27Uz2CYdjN-6j9058CFdANnaWUpLEYfgJ-zys5Yt49fijBsxYSN47bj89ZD3R140GRw0TQfRHj3sSYlxrIWb7WP1hm8c6eftPS49kyGlN-518jU9SDF/s1600-h/architect%5B3%5D.jpg"><img align="left" alt="architect" border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv87etBOmGF8ELt8f6W-veqc6MIcIpcesPx3uDGuTLEA4F3JUqok5uhIN8OfSJ5XtjwpryXfpG838Pp7ZhHRQWaYzVIaElkN6T9S-WqzWT7vxzzcQ05PSejTbOJEoymIr99PlgGJ5uD9Xh/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="architect" width="229" /></a> I have recently read an interview with Ray Ozzie, Microsoft’s chief software architect where he spoke about his role as chief software architect and what makes a good software architect.<br />
Software architecture is a very complex and vast topic. It definition can be vague and the definition of a software architect can also be vague at times. In the past 10 years of experience in the ICT industry I have met many high level CIOs. I was always surprised to hear from some of them that they found that there is no need to have a dedicated software architect, they said that the role can be fulfilled by the CIO himself in combination with senior software engineers.<br />
If the software engineer is competent in software architecture then in practice you have someone performing the role of software architect.<br />
I have seen many definitions of the core competencies of a software architect. Some of them were so extensive that it would be hard to define the role.<br />
Ray Ozzie’s says that a good software architect are the ones that have spent time building and debugging applications. He says that one can learn a lot by reverse-engineering applications. The more systems you develop and debug, the more you develop an understanding of what good and bad practices and design patterns. “<b><i>It is the library of patterns that defines a good software architect”.</i></b><br />
Ray Ozzie’s view makes sense. A good architect should have plenty of experience in order to develop a comprehensive knowledge of the patterns to use build applications.<br />
A good software architect is the one that is always researching and learning about new technologies and how to apply them to solve real-life business problems.<br />
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Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-25323665063591154542010-09-28T08:05:00.001+10:002013-02-07T21:48:13.254+11:00The effective IT manager - the importance of relationship building<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9ggWZRz63urZl1tXzJQaJqFIsfFCAKg_oSYR-a5jhkCT6ingF6brEBl7mFZ3_Ga5OFxxAAiE7vsZFNxWIA1x5-oQFt-hSRd8orx-7tkBSQG8DZbzpsihnPYDngFBoCHjYt4sDL_FxW8A/s1600-h/relationship-building%5B3%5D.jpg"><img align="left" alt="relationship-building" border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxOGkoVVBvSU4WEK_FmOzeOebbCWVOo-35OnA_YCdQnldXhuUtwYe1BAo88tZeCeG21Fi6V4mUildcOpCq1DQ5KFPhL0SUSD-CIOoOcso1CG3cycnK1W57xjoql15GKkWl2NCG6Byvk1_/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="relationship-building" width="161" /></a> Relationship building is an important skill that any IT manager should possess and develop in order to be an effective manager.<br />
The IT department delivers technical assets that an organisation utilises to support its daily activities. These technical assets impact the entire organisation and therefore the IT manager needs to have an in-depth understanding of how the organisation operates, the needs of each individual department and the correlation between between the requirements of all business units within the organisation,<br />
Delivering effective IT services requires a lot communication with members from different areas of the organisation, it is not an isolated service, communication is a vital aspect of delivering effective IT services.<br />
When communicating with other members of the organisation, clients or suppliers, they will respond better to you if they like and trust you.<br />
It is much easier to talk to stakeholders, internal or external, if they like and are open to you in the first place.<br />
<b>Networking as a key to relationship building</b><br />
Networking is essentially about building solid business relationships. To do this you need good skills in creating rapport and listening. <br />
If you can make a connection with people on subjects you have a genuine interest in, their confidence in you will grow. Use this connection to engage them and then ask genuine questions and just listen. They'll often tell you what you need to know. Strong relationships will inevitably stem from commonalities discovered in simple conversation. <br />
<b>Being interested in people</b> <br />
Building good relationships means being truly interested in the people you deal with, both from a business and personal view. While discussing business issues is usually the main purpose of speaking with someone, finding out something personal about them takes the relationship to the next level and makes the business conversation much easier. <br />
Learning about hobbies, special interests, family, leisure time activities, organisation memberships and anything else that might be of interest will help you make a deeper connection with your peers. It is important to also be able to “read” individuals as you communicate with them. Some people are not comfortable discussing personal matters, you should be able to quickly understand this and make sure that you are not invading other people’s personal spaces or being inappropriate. <br />
The important thing is what you do with the information you get. When dealing with team members, suppliers, clients and stakeholders try to mix personal information in the conversation. Every contact doesn't have to be about business. It's about peeling away the layers of formality and resistance to improve your chances of achieving what you want to achieve from the interaction. <br />
<b>Promoting a culture that favours relationship building</b> <br />
The best managers are those that develop a good sense of community within the team and across business units. Establishing a healthy culture as part of the community can help win the hearts and minds of clients, staff and suppliers. Culture is about sharing values and a healthy culture will be one that has people who care about each other. In projects it's about creating a 'community' within the project team that shares a common purpose. <br />
It's not just a nice idea. A healthy culture can give a team an edge both in performance and in attracting good quality team members which is of vital importance. A good culture includes (often unspoken) expectations about the way things are done. In a project team these can be about how members respond to inquiries, how they greet each other, and how they behave when the pressure is on. <br />
It's about treating people with respect and listening to their point of view. This doesn't mean you have to agree, but it does mean you respect their right to think differently and to express their views. <br />
Cultures need leaders to set expectations and offer guidance on what's important. As a manager you will need to be aware that people are watching you for clues as to how to behave in relationships with others. Actions speak louder than words. <br />
<b>Relationship with suppliers</b><br />
The contractual relationship is often one that's all about who has the power. One of the best ways that managers can improve their supplier relationships is to develop loyalty. Loyalty is a two-way street and to earn trust of suppliers, project team members need to demonstrate their value. It includes being professional and respectful in dealings with suppliers, being efficient in delivery of orders and specifications and working one-on-one when the supplier needs it. <br />
In essence, it's about remembering that suppliers are people too and will respond well to a personal touch. When making a judgment about how their client will be treated, a supplier can't help but consider how he or she is treated by that organisation. Managers can cultivate supplier loyalty through open and honest communication. Keep them informed about major decisions and show them you have thought about how decisions will impact on them. <br />
<b>Good relationships are a key to success</b> <br />
It's easy to have good relationships when everything is running smoothly. But relationships really count when projects or related activities start to come undone. As with anything that involves people, establishing processes to encourage good communication and relationships and make clear expectations, provides the cornerstone for success in any project.<br />
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<br />Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-82135702175154932082010-07-23T07:59:00.000+10:002013-02-07T21:51:19.024+11:00Management theory and IT management part 2 - Organising<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">The purpose of <span style="font-weight: bold;">organising</span> is to efficiently achieve objectives through the combined efforts of individuals. Organising can be done at several levels including organisational , departmental, team and project levels.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Organisation Structure</span> refers to the way jobs are divided, grouped and coordinated within the organisation. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Organisational design</span> is the process which managers use to organise the jobs, structures, reporting lines and all other aspects needed to achieve organisational goals.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">There are several factors that may drive change in the way an organisation is designed. These include, changes in the external environment such as new competitors, changes in the legal or political systems, reduction in market share and others.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">The internal environment my also drive changes in an organisation. Factors such as changes in key staff members, strategic direction and even organisational culture may drive the need for organisational design changes.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Organisational structured may be designed in an mechanic or organic way.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">An organisation with mechanic design is more structured, with more levels and reporting lines. It is not suited to operate in a volatile environment with high level of change. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">An organic organisational design is less structured with less reporting lines and more individual empowerment. An organisation with an organic design can operate well in highly dynamic and volatile environments.</div><div style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">An organic organisation design is characterised by cross functional and cross hierarchical teams, with free flow of information, decentralisation and less formalisation.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">The IT organization structure should serve the purpose of the IT department depending on its strategy. IT managers must select the most appropriate structure based on sound justification and based on explicit coverage of their needs. If the structure does not fit the purpose, problems will begin to arise in performance, roles, communications and many others.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">As the Information Technology field is continuously changing and emerging, IT department managers should review the structure of their IT departments and adjust them according to any changes in</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">the strategy or any input that contributed in the current structure (internal and external environments).</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">The IT management conducts the IT organization design process at strategic and tactical levels. It aims to achieve the following objectives:<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">1. Alignment to new strategic directions of the organization<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">2. Solve problems resulting from structure inefficiencies<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">3. Eliminate job conflicts<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">4. Minimize errors and deficiency resulting from human behavior<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">5. Clarify uncertainty regarding the hierarchy and distribution of work and</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">Responsibilities<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">6. Enable the ability of predicting results by minimizing the personal behavior options</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">The final design of the IT department needs to take into consideration the IT customers, services, functions and processes.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">When all of those variables are considered the It manager can make an informed decision with regards to the organisational design. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">The IT manager can implement a mechanic or an organic structure to achieve his objectives. It is also possible to combine a mechanic and organic structure within the same IT organisation.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">A mixed design can take advantage of the best of both worlds. Projects that require a lot of control and centralised decision making can be organised in a mechanic, well structured way. On the other had, projects where the requirements are unclear and require flexibility, discussion and decentralised decision making can take advantage of a organic design.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div>Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-13702012091145510062010-07-14T08:03:00.000+10:002013-02-07T21:50:07.707+11:00Weekly Software Development CompilationWelcome to the July 11, 2010 edition of computing technology.<br />
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The purpose of this compilation is to promote readership and feedback to posts on this blog and on other Reader Sponsored articles.<br />
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We hope you enjoy this week's compilation.<br />
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<strong><em>Software Development Management articles</em></strong><br />
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<div style="background: lightgrey;"><a href="http://softwaredevmanagement.blogspot.com/2010/07/management-theory-and-it-management.html">Management Theory and IT Management Part 1 - Planning</a> This is the first articl of a 5 part series with the purpose to analyse traditional management theory and its application to modern IT management.</div><div style="background: lightblue;"><a href="http://softwaredevmanagement.blogspot.com/2010/07/benefits-realisation-register.html">The Benefits Realisation Register</a> is a valuable tool to support the project manager to manage the realisation of anticipated business benefits available from the implementation of a new system</div><br />
<strong><em>Reader sponsored articles</em></strong><br />
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Thank you to all who contributed to this week's compilation<br />
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<div style="background: lightgrey;"><b>Thomas Bale</b> presents <a href="http://www.tomology.co.uk/index.php/nettop-htpc-comparison/">Nettop HTPC Comparison</a> posted at <a href="http://www.tomology.co.uk/">Tomology.co.uk</a>.</div><div style="background: lightblue;"><b>Dave Moran</b> presents <a href="http://www.softwareresults.us/2010/04/good-enough-software-agile-definition.html">Software Results: Good Enough Software: An Agile Definition</a> posted at <a href="http://www.softwareresults.us/">Software Results</a>, saying, "A post about how the definition of "good enough" software should change with Agile development."</div><div style="background: lightgrey;"><b>Beth Ziesenis</b> presents <a href="http://www.cheapskatefreelancer.com/2010/06/typewith-me-easy-online-document-collaboration/">TypeWith.me: Easy Online Document Collaboration</a> posted at <a href="http://www.cheapskatefreelancer.com/">Cheapskate Freelancer</a>, saying, "Thumbnail review of TypeWith.me on of the easiest and fastest solutions to share documents. This is a free online collaboration tool."</div><div style="background: lightblue;"><b>Samantha Miller</b> presents <a href="http://www.universityreviewsonline.com/2005/10/50-ways-to-use-twitter-in-the-classroom.html">50 Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom</a> posted at <a href="http://www.universityreviewsonline.com/">Online University Reviews</a>, saying, "critics of Twitter believe that the 140-character microblog offered by the ubiquitous social network can do little for the education industry. The listed projects provide them with a few ways to incorporate the site’s features into important and lasting lessons."</div><div style="background: lightgrey;"><b>laptopreviews</b> presents <a href="http://laptopreviews.com/brands/lenovo/ideapad-y460.html">Lenovo IdeaPad Y460 Review</a> posted at <a href="http://laptopreviews.com/">Laptop Reviews</a>, saying, "An original, hands on review of Lenovo's solid y460 laptop."</div><div style="background: lightblue;"><b>Harry</b> presents <a href="http://itadmins247.blogspot.com/2010/06/how-to-install-license-in-cisco-san.html">How to install license in CISCO SAN switches</a> posted at <a href="http://itadmins247.blogspot.com/">IT Admins 24*7</a>.</div><div style="background: lightgrey;"><b>Chris Solomon</b> presents <a href="http://jazzpresentation.com/tips-to-build-presentation-to-influence-and-ensure-control/">Tips to Build Presentation to Influence and Ensure Control</a> posted at <a href="http://jazzpresentation.com/">Jazz Presentation</a>.</div>That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of<br />
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<div style="clear: right;"></div>Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-26689518946445832242010-07-13T21:41:00.000+10:002016-05-24T18:23:59.856+10:00Management theory and IT management part 1 - Planning<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the next few weeks I will be posting a few articles regarding management theories and IT management. It is a vast topic, I will not be able to even scratch the surface, nevertheless, the objective is to start a discussion on how contemporary IT managers are operating "in the real world" when considering traditional management theories.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The plan is to briefly discuss each management function and conclude the series with a brief discussion on modern theories and how they compare to the traditional ones.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have been through a management course you would have certainly come across the 4 management functions: planning, leading, organising and controlling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">IT managers that are primarily focussing on the technical aspects of the job will fail in their primary role, which is to </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration: underline;">manage</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> the team. It is therefore important that IT managers know what their management functions are and how to perform them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first of the five parts of this series is a discussion on Planning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Planning</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A very simple definition of planning follows: planning is the process of looking forward in order to develop activities in advance. It encompasses defining goals, establishing a strategies to achieve those goals and developing a detailed plan to achieve a set of objectives. Planning is a vital part of the organisational and departmental strategic process, it establishes coordinated effort, reduces uncertainty and establishes goals and standards to use when reviewing organisational performance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Organisations operate in two environments, internal and external. Effective planning should include both, the internal and external, environments.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The internal environment includes the organisation itself and its culture. The IT manager needs to know how to influence organisational / team culture in order to lead individuals towards achieving common organisational goals. Another important reason for IT managers to know their role with regards to organisational culture is the fact that IT managers are sometimes hired to change the culture of an IT department in order to increase effectiveness and efficiency. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are many perspectives of an organisational / team culture that the effective IT manager needs to consider in order to plan and lead his team. These perspectives include:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Attention to detail</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - degree to which individuals focus on precision, analysis and attention to detail.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Outcome orientation</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - degree to which managers focus on results or outcomes rather than the process on how these outcomes are achieved.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">People orientation</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - Degree to which management takes into account the effects of organisational decisions on individuals in the organisation (hard or soft HRM, but this is for another post).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Team Orientation</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - organising work in teams rather than individuals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Aggressiveness</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - cultivate a culture of aggressiveness and competitiveness in order to achieve organisational goals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Stability</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - degree of which decisions and actions are focused on maintaining the status quo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Innovation and risk taking</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - degree to which employees are encouraged to be innovative and to take risks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The IT manager can work on any of these perspectives in order to manage his team's culture. Take innovation and risk taking as an example. An IT Development Manager may take a critical look at the product developed and compare it to the market needs and other similar products. This exercise may include a </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Gap</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> or a </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">SWOT</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> analysis. Once this is performed the manager can promote a culture of innovation to plan and position his product into the market and be the first to innovate in his niche and therefore achieve competitive advantage and potentially increase his market share.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The external environment of an organisation is divided into two environment types, the General Environment and the Specific Environment. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Specific Environment is composed of external entities that have direct impact into the organisation. These can include customers, pressure groups such as environmental agencies, suppliers and competitors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The IT manager needs to actively manage the external environment to achieve certain goals such as developing a better software than the competition or get the best value for money from suppliers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The General External Environment encompasses the broad environment in which the company operates. It includes the economy, political or legal issues, demographics and others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With regards to the actual process of planning, there are a few tools that an IT manager can utilise to support the planning process. These include Gap and SWOT analysis. For the purposes of this article I will describe how a SWOT analysis can be performed to support a IT Development Manager in his planning process.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">SWOT analysis</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_planning"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">strategic planning</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> method used to evaluate the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">S</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">trengths, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">W</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">eaknesses, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">O</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pportunities, and </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">T</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hreats involved in a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">project</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> or in a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">business</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> venture. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favourable and unfavourable to achieve that objective. The technique is credited to </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_S_Humphrey"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Albert Humphrey</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, who led a convention at Stanford University in the 1960s and 1970s using data from </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortune_500"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fortune 500</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> companies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A SWOT Analysis will include the following:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">S</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">trengths: attributes of the person or company that are helpful to achieving the objective(s).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">W</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">eaknesses: attributes of the person or company that are harmful to achieving the objective(s).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">- O</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pportunities: </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">external</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> conditions that are helpful to achieving the objective(s).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">- T</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hreats: </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">external</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> conditions which could do damage to the objective(s).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_analysis"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_analysis</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The following table is an example of some topics to include in a SWOT analysis for an IT Development Manager:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzU-sW-Pi1VtP_-2HJ_YsTo24jcMfcT5pnfM008jR1-YqJHqtPrwMtUb6cejuBEW3TdpNja9nfEhRgub3Wn8yIqCfn276zIavNnXs8xVCfsuYN_48MSidi2gDB0_wb7dZjpObZScjW9vzt/s1600/SWOT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzU-sW-Pi1VtP_-2HJ_YsTo24jcMfcT5pnfM008jR1-YqJHqtPrwMtUb6cejuBEW3TdpNja9nfEhRgub3Wn8yIqCfn276zIavNnXs8xVCfsuYN_48MSidi2gDB0_wb7dZjpObZScjW9vzt/s400/SWOT.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plans can and should be periodically reviewed and adjusted should circumstances change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In summary, planning is a vital activity performed by IT managers. It involves looking at the internal and external environments that an organisation operates in and devise goals and strategies to achieve organisational objectives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the next post we will discuss the organising management function.</span></div>
Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4234352211708262465.post-86045343194455449052010-07-04T20:49:00.000+10:002013-02-07T21:50:07.723+11:00Weekly Software Development Compilation<div><div style="float: right;"><script src="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/logolink_37827.js" type="text/javascript">
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Welcome to the July 5, 2010 edition of Software Development Compilation.<br />
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<b>Daniel Ros</b> presents <a href="http://www.newvideogamesandcheatcodes.com/used-nintendo-64-console/">Used Nintendo 64 Console</a> posted at <a href="http://www.newvideogamesandcheatcodes.com/">Hottest Video Games and Cheat Codes</a>, saying, "Find out the latest video games reviews, information on new games, beta testing, sales on video games and more."<br />
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<b>Biswajit Basu</b> presents <a href="http://technolocus.blogspot.com/2010/05/ethical-hacking-footprinting-basics.html">Technolocus: Ethical Hacking: Footprinting Basics</a> posted at <a href="http://technolocus.blogspot.com/">Technolocus</a>.<br />
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<b>Biswajit Basu</b> presents <a href="http://technolocus.blogspot.com/2010/05/ethical-hacking-why-does-your-port.html">Technolocus: Ethical Hacking: Why does your port scanner show slow performance</a> posted at <a href="http://technolocus.blogspot.com/">Technolocus</a>.<br />
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<b>Biswajit Basu</b> presents <a href="http://technolocus.blogspot.com/2010/05/tools-required-for-assembly-language.html">Technolocus: Tools Required for Assembly Language Programming</a> posted at <a href="http://technolocus.blogspot.com/">Technolocus</a>.<br />
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<b>Biswajit Basu</b> presents <a href="http://technolocus.blogspot.com/2010/05/how-to-use-emu8086-for-assembly.html">Technolocus: How to use Emu8086 for assembly language programming</a> posted at <a href="http://technolocus.blogspot.com/">Technolocus</a>.<br />
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<b>Biswajit Basu</b> presents <a href="http://technolocus.blogspot.com/2010/05/emu8086checking-length-of-two-given.html">Technolocus: Emu8086:Checking length of two given strings</a> posted at <a href="http://technolocus.blogspot.com/">Technolocus</a>.<br />
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<b>Biswajit Basu</b> presents <a href="http://technolocus.blogspot.com/2010/05/calculating-average-of-3-given-numbers.html">Technolocus: Calculating the average of 3 given numbers</a> posted at <a href="http://technolocus.blogspot.com/">Technolocus</a>.<br />
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<b>Biswajit Basu</b> presents <a href="http://technolocus.blogspot.com/2010/05/program-for-multiplication-of-2-numbers.html">Technolocus: A Program for Multiplication of 2 Numbers</a> posted at <a href="http://technolocus.blogspot.com/">Technolocus</a>.<br />
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<b>Engelbert Hudson</b> presents <a href="http://mastersinforensicscience.com/2010/top-25-startups-revolutionizing-computer-forensics-security/">Top 25 Startups Revolutionizing Computer Forensics & Security</a> posted at <a href="http://mastersinforensicscience.com/">Masters in Forensic Science</a>, saying, "Online identity security is a hot commodity, and the following 25 startups offer revolutionary techniques to protect and secure both individual identities and personal or business data."<br />
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<b>Jennifer Saksa</b> presents <a href="http://nchsoftware.blogspot.com/2010/05/twitter-principle-for-software.html">The Twitter Principle for Software</a> posted at <a href="http://nchsoftware.blogspot.com/">NCH Software Blog</a>, saying, "Small files that are fast to download, install and start using."<br />
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<b>Adam Park</b> presents <a href="http://www.computerscienceschools.net/blog/2010/10-famous-computer-science-grads/">10 Famous Computer Science Grads</a> posted at <a href="http://www.computerscienceschools.net/">Computer Science Schools</a>.<br />
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That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Weekly Software Development Compilation using our <a href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_10266.html" target="_blank" title="Submit an entry to “computing technology”">carnival submission form</a>.<br />
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Past posts and future hosts can be found on our <a href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/cprof_10266.html" target="_blank" title="Blog Carnival index for “computing technology”"> blog carnival index page</a>.</div>Alex Aidar's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303252389786780994noreply@blogger.com