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Kobayashi Maru or Redefining the Problem

March 17, 2013 in Project Management, Web design/development with 0 Comments

English: This poster provides a good visual of the standard Agile Software Development methodology. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many fans of the Star Trek franchise are familiar with the Kobayashi Maru. In the fictional series, cadets are taken through many training exercises designed to test their intelligence and leadership skills. One of the most difficult tests is the Kobayashi Maru, which is a test designed to be unbeatable. The test pitted an unwitting cadet as a starship captain on a mission to save a crippled vessel in enemy territory. The computer simulated exercise was designed to counter any actions the captain attempted and would always end in the destruction of their ship and the vessel in need of help. The only person to pass the test was a young Captain Kirk who reprogrammed the computer to allow him to defeat the no-win scenario. Although we can’t correct life’s toughest problems with a few keystrokes, we can make changes which allow us to redefine our problems which allow a new solution to be worked.

Agile software development can be considered as operating within the same boundaries of the fictional test. When there are changes to be made, they are designed, applied, tested, and given to stakeholders for their approval. These iterations continue until a workable product is created. In fact, continuous planning, collaboration, design, development, and testing occur until an acceptable product is produced. Instead of relying on the old methods of following one plan until the end, Agile practices allow developers to change the game in midstream, adapting to new challenges, without having to go all the way back to the drawing board. If a team member has an idea, it can be integrated into an iteration of code at the time of discovery instead of wasting time and money redesigning it from the very beginning of the process. Much like the young Captain Kirk, by constantly correcting issues, thereby redefining the code and the problem, developers are able to quickly adjust to programming problems and stakeholders’ changing requirements.

Consulting Tips (Part 1)

December 3, 2012 in Project Management, Technology with 0 Comments

Courtesy of Zolark.com

There is a saying that states: “Those who can…do. Those who can’t…teach.” Although this has never sounded like a positive description of teaching, it can also apply to consultants. The best teachers are experts in their field who have turned their careers towards academia to instruct the next generation of specialists. Consultants operate under the same premise but instead of passing on their knowledge to educational institutions, they aid businesses by giving them tips in their areas of expertise.

Many types of consultants exist for many types of industries. Medical consultants can provide advice on topics as diverse as equipment, supplies, or procedures. Consultants give businesses the edge in all aspects of design, implementation, and operation of information technology. Some of these agents can be company subject matter experts, but most are usually brought in from the outside to perform and advise on short or long term projects. Consultants rely on many skills to ply their trade. Of course, the most important skills are technical. All the knowledge and skill acquired throughout years of work and study provide the foundation for consulting. A good consultant must also have great interpersonal skills. They must have the ability to put ideas into words, provide support, and give constructive criticism where needed. More than a salesman, the consultant is brought in to provide help to the clients rather than try to drum up business or sales for themselves. The combination of these skills builds upon and creates consulting toolkit. So to provide good business advice, the consultant must rely on their knowledge and skills to convey the correct message to their clients. In the next segment, we’ll discuss the first steps required to set up a consulting plan.

Small Businesses Can Benefit From Big Businesses Practices

November 25, 2012 in Project Management, Web design/development with 0 Comments

a 3-step schematic description of introducing business processes in an organization (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many of us who live, work, and breathe technology like to be given the moniker “geek.” The term that used to be looked upon negatively not so long ago is now almost a badge of honor as we have seen how important design, information assurance, security, and basic ease of living and communicating have become. We have all accepted the way products and services are presented to us by many major companies and voice our opinions on them after we use them. Most of these companies consistently use processes that have been proven to boost their sales, customer loyalty, and, ultimately, their bottom line. There is an infinite amount of information that can be learned from the big business processes which is why it is important to become a “process geek.” A process geek is someone who not only understands their product and their customer base, but also has a consistent method of presenting and delivering it.

Let’s face it, many of us would like nothing more than to discuss code, design, network, and server information to our clients, many of whom could care less because they just want a working product. Many of us are enamored with terms, diagrams, and acronyms, while our customers are not. Learning how to use words and phrases that communicate how we can solve their problems without overwhelming them with “geek speak” is a major component of a winning formula for customer service. They usually don’t want to know how you’ve made their site operate so well as long as it works. The good news is once you have it up and running, it is easy to reproduce as long as you have good documentation which doesn’t end with code comments. You must document how you got there which involves the method used to gather requirements from the customer (survey, face-to-face questions, etc.), which language was used and why, and how it was executed. Although it seems like a long arduous process, successful businesses have a plan they use and stick to it, tweaking it along the way for improvements. So, although your business may be as small as 1 – 2 people, creating, documenting, and following your processes will eventually lead to less confusion and, hopefully, an improved bottom line.

Book Review: Project Management Professional Study Guide, Third Edition

August 2, 2012 in Project Management, Reviews with 0 Comments

This book, by Joseph Phillips, fulfills all your needs project management learning needs. I believe it will help you prepare for the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification exam, but of course it still depends on the individual to put forth the effort to really learn the material. There is no silver bullet where the exam is concerned. It covers everything you will need to know to prepare and gives a little insight on some of the background material, but does not guarantee you will pass the test just because you read through the material. It will literally take many hours of studying just to get close to a passing score.

I have many colleagues who have taken the PMP exam several times and have still not passed it. It is said to be one of the most grueling exams on the market and will consume every bit of the time given to take it. This book helps to prepare you for it by giving drills at the end of every chapter, simulated exam questions, and an exam readiness checklist. It even contains a CD with hundreds of questions and reviews snippets to help you along the way. It also covers all of the mandatory phases of project management. Of course, every project is different and may not follow the same path to completion, but they will all contain most of the elements contained within this book. This makes it good for your every day project management needs as well as for exam preparation. Although there are many good study guides out there, I recommend this one for exam preparation because it does not contain a lot of fluff, just the material you need. It details every bit of the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) in an easy to read format. This is definitely one to check out!

There Can Be Only One – The Life Cycle of A Project

July 17, 2012 in Project Management with 0 Comments

Several factors must be considered when preparing for a new project. The type of method used will depend on the needs of the stakeholders and the timeline provided for completion of the project. Let’s look at some of the most popular kinds of software development methodologies and evaluate them in terms of usefulness. Projects differ, so one methodology can be suitable for one project, while totally wrong for another.

Waterfall model – A consistent method of development with clearly defined output products at each stage.

Many experts in IT are followers of this model and still strictly carry out analysis and revisions in order to ensure the availability of satisfactory criteria for entry to the next step. This model is suitable for standard projects with clear requirements.

Iterative model – Step by step creation of a system beginning with basic functions and then gradually adding other functions until the whole system is ready for deployment.

In comparison to the waterfall model, iterative development allows larger flexibility in the application of new requirements or changes. Iterative models also provide the opportunity to make some improvements in subsequent iterations based on lessons learned from previous phases. Within the confines of such an approach, a project passes through a repeated cycle: Planning – Realization – Testing – Evaluation. Such models can be appropriate for more complicated projects.

Agile - Methodology appeared as a result of the development of the Internet and the need of more complicated and non-standard applications.

To some extent, Agile models are a modified variant of the iterative model mentioned above, where output results are provided at each stage. The main distinction between Agile and iterative models is that output results are presented in weeks rather than months. Agile methodology places importance on the communication between members of a project team and the customer, and also interaction within a project team between its members. Documentation is of secondary importance. A good workflow management system allows managers to optimize the project schedule to better utilize and distribute the roles of specialists. This allows a more effective and efficient use of all resources.

Gem of the Day: How to Accomplish More By Doing Less

December 18, 2011 in Life & Culture, Project Management with 1 Comment

I'm way too busy to tell people how busy I am!

Do you ever feel like no matter how much time you have there is still never enough of it to get things done? If so, this little gem is for you. This article was shared on the LinkedIn network and written by Tony Schwartz, who is is the president and CEO of The Energy Project and the author of Be Excellent at Anything.

How to Accomplish More by Doing Less (Source)

Two people of equal skill work in the same office. For the sake of comparison, let’s say both arrive at work at 9 am each day, and leave at 7 pm.

Bill works essentially without stopping, juggling tasks at his desk and running between meetings all day long. He even eats lunch at his desk. Sound familiar?

Nick, by contrast, works intensely for approximately 90 minutes at a stretch, and then takes a 15 minute break before resuming work. At 12:15, he goes out for lunch for 45 minutes, or works out in a nearby gym. At 3 pm, he closes his eyes at his desk and takes a rest. Sometimes it turns into a 15 or 20 minute nap. Finally, between 4:30 and 5, Nick takes a 15 minute walk outside.

Bill spends 10 hours on the job. He begins work at about 80 percent of his capacity, instinctively pacing himself rather than pushing all out, because he knows he’s got a long day ahead. Continue Reading…

Can You Buy Company Loyalty?

November 12, 2011 in Project Management, Uncategorized, Web design/development with 0 Comments

How much are you willing to pay your top professionals to stay with your organization? A New York business owner is willing to “pay to play” by offering his full-time employees $50,000 to stay with his company for five years and $250,000 if they stay for 25 years. First, I like his optimism to believe his company has the staying power to remain in business that long, and pull in that type of revenue. For many, this type of incentive would be enough to make them a lifer, but as we know, we live in a time where money and satisfaction are often at odds. Some are satisfied with a decent salary and working in an “okay” environment while others have to work in the right conditions all the time. Continue Reading…

When Good Designs Go Bad

October 1, 2011 in Project Management, Web design/development with 0 Comments

It’s game day and your group is prepared to deliver its finished design to a new customer. Unfortunately, they inform you that although the design is complete and contains every app, color, drop-down, and hover the customer required, it is still flawed. It’s not broken like the link to your favorite free movie download site, or your favorite quarterback’s hand. Its fault is discrete, but can become a large problem similar to Microsoft Security Essentials anti-malware utility deleting Google Chrome from your system (clearly incidental). This can put the design team’s project manager in a tight spot. Should she advise the customer upon delivery and risk losing time and wasting money on the contract? Or, deliver the product and prepare a patch for the problem when it arises? The importance of delivering a fine product to your customer coupled with technological innovation and maintaining a strong public image have become key factors of success for today’s business model. Besides the customer, there is another obstacle to plow through: the creative team. Creative individuals have always been loved or hated and viewed as either geniuses or clueless and communicating the difference between the “as is” design and what is required can be a chore. The training these individuals possess is what the client lacks and can evolve into a mountain of misunderstanding between all parties.

Overall, the best approach is to take the high road, advise the client of any issues upon delivery and let them know there is already a fix in the works. The company’s integrity will not be sacrificed, the client will appreciate your honesty, and the company may have gained a business partner for years to come.

Written by Duane

Reviewing Current Operations is Crucial to Customer Satisfaction

September 24, 2011 in Project Management, Technology, Web design/development with 0 Comments

What does a crashing and burning six ton satellite have in common with Web design? Of course by now, everyone has heard of NASA’s Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite plunging to Earth somewhere near you. NASA expected what’s left of the massive structure to return home in many, many pieces around midnight 23 September. Almost never appearing to be wrong (except in some pretty widely publicized instances), NASA seems to have a talent for running finely tuned operations seemingly without a hitch. I observed how calmly the public was informed and their fears were assuaged by NASA’s incessant mantra: “there is no danger to the general public.”

NASA assessed the surroundings, culture, and operations of many nations during this “crisis.” They tried to understand what millions of people were feeling as they went about their daily rituals of school, work, church, mosque, sports, and, most importantly, social networking. NASA also had a plan just in case some of these people were unfortunate enough to have one or more of these hell stones from above rain on their parades. Similarly, when we design for our customers, we must understand their surroundings, culture, and operations. How large is their company? It could range from the size of a mom and pop hardware store to the local java mixer making your favorite brew. Where are they located physically and how do they want they presence represented on the Web? And, most importantly, what are the consequences if the site crashes? Online payments could be hampered and their operations could be crippled. It is very important to understand what the customer requires, but equally imperative to know how they operate. Just ask NASA.

If you are an independent developer, or a growing organization, and require information on project principles, please contact us via facebook, twitter, or Email me here: Duane.

Written by Duane

Requirements Define Web Development Projects

September 16, 2011 in Project Management with 0 Comments

*Cue the cheesy British accent* “Well, this isn’t exactly what we had in mind. We want our site to connect with the customer in a way that they feel we are sitting right next to them.” Sound familiar? Maybe the accent doesn’t sound familiar, but, definitely the awkward situation does. There are innumerable ways to construct a good product, and almost as many ways to communicate with your customers. But, instead of relying on statistical probability and guesswork, some principles of sound project management will put you in the best position to deliver a quality design. Eliciting detailed requirements from your stakeholder allows you to understand exactly what they need, and lets them know what to expect in the end. The intricacy of the process lies in its simplicity. If you are an independent developer, or a growing organization, and require information on project principles, please contact us via facebook, twitter, or damckoy@nugenerationwebdesign.com.

“If you care at all, you’ll get some results. If you care enough, you’ll get incredible results.”
–Jim Rohn

-Posted by Duane

Kobayashi Maru or Redefining the Problem

Consulting Tips (Part 1)

Small Businesses Can Benefit From Big Businesses Practices

Book Review: Project Management Professional Study Guide, Third Edition

There Can Be Only One – The Life Cycle of A Project

Gem of the Day: How to Accomplish More By Doing Less

Can You Buy Company Loyalty?

When Good Designs Go Bad

Reviewing Current Operations is Crucial to Customer Satisfaction

Requirements Define Web Development Projects

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