Increasing Chances for Software Reuse Accelerating software development through reuse has long been a goal of IT. Previously, I discussed that development methodologies tend to encourage development rather than reuse. Because Agile is so focused on quickly delivering to the customer, it could be particularly susceptible to subtly discouraging reuse. Code Conjurer is an interesting...
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Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a popular choice for object-oriented systems analysis, so it is interesting that Microsoft’s development products currently have limited support for UML. Because Microsoft is a major player in the world of software development, it is important to understand its position and how it plans to interact with UML. In this...
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The following is the second article in a series called Engaging IT: The Story of One Team. In the first article in this series, Engaging IT: The Story of One Team, I described the impact of employee satisfaction on team performance. In this second article, I would like to share some insight on transforming...
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In working with nonprofit organizations, I have become familiar with the need for powerful, low-cost tools. Recently, I was part of a team launching a WordPress-based website to provide both a public and a members-only presence. We knew that the entity-relationship (ER) model would be complex since it had to support WordPress, a membership...
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Accelerating software development through code reuse has been a goal of IT since the invention of the subroutine. More recently, the technology industry has taken many approaches to reuse including object-oriented development and software as a service (SaaS). In Accelerating Agile Development through Software Reuse, Janjic, Hummel, and Atkinson discuss a tool designed to promote fine grained...
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As you can imagine, the opinions on executive blogging range from “You must and you had better hurry!” to “Executive bloggers haven’t thought through legal issues and may be in for nasty surprises.” You will need to decide for yourself whether you take the plunge as a blogger, but I thought I would share a...
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I found a wonderful online magazine, Reforming Project Management.  Hal Macomber  did a great job with the online magazine format and  takes a smart, thoughtful approach to an important subject.  I especially appreciate his arguments for project management as a profession.  Of course, TechnologyProfessional.Org implicitly makes the argument that disciplines within IT should be professions...
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The Happy and Productive Employee By: Phil Stevens The following is the first article in a two-part series called Engaging IT: The Story of One Team.  The cultural wisdom that happy people will work harder and produce better results is subtly embedded everywhere, which may explain why many leaders make a significant effort to keep...
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As I was talking to some friends about the impact culture can have on communication, I was reminded of a fantastic book that I read a couple of years ago: 7 Secrets of Marketing in a Multi-Cultural World.  The author, Clotaire Rapaille, was born in France and his first experience of Americans was as...
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The Resilience Factor: 7 Keys to Finding Your Inner Strength and Overcoming Life’s Hurdles A friend of mine is the chief medical officer for a clinic in Austin. We have talked about the difficult economy and the impact it has had on people. He recommended this book: The Resilience Factor: 7 Keys to Finding Your Inner Strength and...
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