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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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.

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

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.

By 1 pm, Bill is feeling some fatigue. He’s dropped to 60 percent of his capacity and he’s inexorably losing steam. Between 4 and 7 pm, he’s averaging about 40 percent of his capacity.

It’s called the law of diminishing returns. Bill’s average over 10 hours is 60 percent of his capacity, which means he effectively delivers 6 hours of work.

Nick puts in the same 10 hours. He feels comfortable working at 90 percent of his capacity, because he knows he’s going to have a break before too long. He slows a little as the day wears on, but after a midday lunch or workout, and a midafternoon rest, he’s still at 70 percent during the last three hours of the day.

Nick takes off a total of two hours during his 10 at work, so he only puts in 8 hours. During that time, he’s working at an average of 80 percent of his capacity, so he’s delivering just under 6 ½ hours of work — a half hour more than Bill.

Because Nick is more focused and alert than Bill, he also makes fewer mistakes, and when he returns home at night, he has more energy left for his family.

It’s not just the number of hours we sit at a desk in that determines the value we generate. It’s the energy we bring to the hours we work. Human beings are designed to pulse rhythmically between spending and renewing energy. That’s how we operate at our best. Maintaining a steady reservoir of energy — physically, mentally, emotionally and even spiritually — requires refueling it intermittently.

Work the way Nick does, and you’ll get more done, in less time, at a higher level of quality, more sustainably.

Create a workplace that truly values a balanced relationship between intense work and real renewal, and you’ll not only get greater productivity from employees, but also higher engagement and job satisfaction.

There’s plenty of evidence that increased rest and renewal serve performance.

Consider a study conducted by NASA, in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration, of pilots on long haul flights. One group of pilots was given an opportunity to take 40 minute naps mid-flight, and ended up getting an average of 26 minutes of actual sleep. Their median reaction time improved by 16 percent following their naps.

Non-napping pilots, tested at a similar halfway point in the flight, experienced a 34 percent deterioration in reaction time. They also experienced 22 micro sleeps of 2-10 seconds during the last 30 minutes of the flight. The pilots who took naps experienced none.

Or consider the study that performance expert Anders Ericcson did of violinists at the Berlin Academy of Music. The best of the violinists practiced in sessions no longer than 90 minutes, and took a break in between each one. They almost never practiced more than 4 ½ hours over a day. What they instinctively understood was the law of diminishing returns.

The top violinists also got an average of more than 8 hours of sleep a night, and took a 20-30 minute nap every afternoon. Over a week, they slept 16 hours more than the average American does.

During my 30s and 40s, I wrote three books. I sat at my desk each day from 7 am to 7 pm, struggling to stay focused. Each book took me at least a year to write. For my most recent books, I wrote in a schedule that matched the great violinists — three 90 minute sessions with a renewal break in between each one.

I wrote both those books in six months — investing less than half the number of hours I had for each of my first three books. When I was working, I was truly working. When I was recharging — whether by getting something to eat, or meditating, or taking a run — I was truly refueling.

Stress isn’t the enemy in the workplace. Indeed, stress is the only means by which we can expand capacity. Just think about weightlifting. By stressing your muscles, and then recovering, you gradually build strength. Our real enemy is the absence of intermittent renewal.

Dan Schneider, CEO of the consulting firm SIB, is willing to pay his employees the amounts mentioned above.  He came up with the plan when he realized that training new employees was expensive.  An even larger waste is to train a programmer, or developer, and watch them leave your company right when they are about to make a real contribution to the organization.  What are you willing to do to compensate your top draft picks to remain with your company?

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

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

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

-Posted by Duane