The Axis Technical Group Blog

Companies large and small are continuing to seek out new ways to maximize their technology investments to drive new business and lower costs. Over the last 18 months companies have executed numerous plans to reduce cost and maximize efficiency, and in many cases this led to an increased focus on technology. However, technology itself is not cheap either.

With an increase in the development (and use) of software to help save costs and increase productivity, the development cycle has been heating up at organizations coast to coast. But the multitude of platforms and environments organizations need to support are leading to new cost concerns. The fact is, testing software applications or products that support multiple active versions and/or multiple operating systems can be very expensive and time consuming activity.

Many of the clients and IT Executives that Axis Technical Group works with have focused on ways to deal with this challenge. One such solution is to use virtual environments for software maintenance and testing. By using this solution, The Axis India team is helping several clients realize substantial benefits from reduction in overall costs, to improved turnaround time and increased reliability of the test environment.

Axis Technical Group has just published a new white paper on the subject, and it is available for download by clicking here. We would also like to hear from you about the money-saving efforts your organizations are using as we all continue to navigate this new global economy.

Download: Virtual Environments for Software Maintenance & Testing

Comments about the Axis Technical Group Blog? email us here.

Click Here to learn more about Axis Technical Group, or follow us on Twitter , Facebook , and LinkedIn .

So many brains have spent so many brain cycles on this very single puzzle- the right project metric. In simpler terms a measurement method that determines if the project is on track through the life of the project.  Each individual in the group of the ‘stake holders’ and a few outside it has keen interest in the value that this metric delivers. But what is the right metric? We can probably get a couple of hundred finalists and this can easily overwhelm an already burdened project manager. Leaving the right exact single solution to people from the world of academia we still need to find the right substitute as we await the golden answer.

Experience speaks that that there is one single metric which many high performing managers on the ground swear by and that is (thanks to Ron Jeffries) “Running Tested Features” or RTF. This is a simple common sense approach that tries to capture where the project is in terms of its ‘shipability’. Though using this metric in the polarized worlds of waterfalls, Agiles and others, can be a bit tricky, understanding the concept behind the metric often does the trick.

The focus on delivering “real software” is the gist. Right from the word go the team would need to focus on delivering the real features that the end users can actually use. As long as this number is steady in its growth it can be safely assumed that all is well with the project. Any “dead zone” would indicate trouble and would need immediate attention. The team will have to be consistent in the delivery throughout the project and not just at the end as with most of the projects.

What do you think about RTF?
Does it work? Is it possible to game it?

Please post your comments. We are eager to hear back from you.

Click Here to learn more about Axis Technical Group, or follow us on Twitter , Facebook , and LinkedIn .

What is the Value of Certifications?

Even if you are not in IT, certifications are part of everyday life. For example, if you have to get your car fixed, you want the best service possible and a guarantee that the service you are receiving is done by an experienced professional. When you look for a mechanic, you expect him to hold some kind of proof that he or she is the best in the field. If he or she has a BMW certification, you know your car will be fixed in no time (or at least you hope so).

In the same way, technology certifications show expertise in the areas you are most familiar with, and in turn, transmit security to the client. Certifications will help you open doors, but it is ultimately your job to show your worth. There are so many valuable professionals with no certifications and there are so many certified “experts” with little or no knowledge of the tools they are “certified” to use.

There are several certifications Microsoft has created to allow you to show your expertise. They vary from a single product specialty to a series of skills covering a range of different technologies. There are plenty of certifications out there, and it would take more than a few pages to explain them all. When you pass your first exam you become a Microsoft Certified Professional. If you continue to take exams, you receive a premium certification. However, it is never a good idea to take more exams than you really need. As I will explain later, there may only be a few exams you need to take if you plan correctly.

The first thing you need to decide is what certifications you want to get. It is important to know that the certifications that are closely related allow you to jump from the first exam to the second exam easier than if they were not related at all. For example, the MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) and MCDBA (Microsoft Certified Database Administrator) certifications require expertise in the operating system you use (ex. Windows), so if you get your windows certification that will help you with both of the aforementioned exams. The exams are difficult, but if you plan correctly, you can make your certifications work for you.

When you are aiming for a certification and you review the contents on the web site you will find different elements: Core exams and Elective exams. How those two types of exams interact varies on the certification you are looking for. For example, lets say I want the MCSE and the MCDBA certification. One core exam on the MCSE certification path is Exam 70-290 (Managing and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Environment). Luckily enough, this exam is also a core requirement for the MCDBA path, so that core exam is killing two birds with one stone. If we don’t do this kind of validation we will end up paying a lot more money to get certified, but if you do the math correctly you will be able to be just one exam away from another premium certification.

Microsoft is adding new certifications all the time so you will need to read more and verify if the exam you want to take is really worth it. Make sure you review each certification’s requirements and find the exams that match your goals (a core exam on one can be used as an elective on another).

This adds another question, which exams are easier and which ones are harder? How valuable is my certification? There are several useful web sites listed below that will help you answer those questions.

Recommendations To Get Ready

Decide Which Certification Is Right for You: Review all the available options and verify the best path.

Gain Hands-on Experience with Microsoft Products: Practice makes perfect.

Expand Your Experience with Training : Find training resources to add to your study regimen; there is a lot of free information out there.

Know What to Expect on Exams: Verify the requirements and use study guides to prepare.

Take a Trial Run with a Practice Test : Take as many as you can find; they will give you a close perspective on the knowledge you have and how prepared you are for the exam.

Take Your Required Exams: Exams are administered by independent testing organizations at locations worldwide. Schedule your exam, prepare, and good luck!

Useful Websites

How many certified professionals are required to change a bulb?
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/certified.mspx

If I get confused, where can I read more?
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/default.mspx

I am certified in notepad, how much is my certification worth?
http://www.cramsession.com/

For training information:
http://www.microsoft.com/learning

Post Contributed by: Gilberto Ramirez is Software Development Manager on the Axis in Motion Consulting Team. He has numerous premium certifications from Microsoft including Certified Trainer, Solutions and Application Developer and Professional.

Want to learn more about Gilberto, the Axis in Motion Consulting team, and Training  Email Gilberto here

Comments about the Axis Technical Group Blog? email Axis here.

Follow Axis on Twitter , Facebook , and LinkedIn .

Improving the Software Development Experience

It is no news that Software Development is a complex process that requires a successful methodology in order to get high quality final products. The challenge is not following a methodology, but choosing a successful one. This difficulty of doing so grows with the inner complexity of organizations, where every single process is handled differently. So, a methodology or process that works with one company, might not really work with another. It might need to be adjusted, thus eliminating the certainty of success and leading to the failure of countless Software Development organizations and companies. Recently however, development groups are riding the “Agile Development” wave and with it a framework, NOT a methodology: Scrum.

Using the Framework, not building from Scratch
Everybody is reinventing the wheel to fit their organization; but a wheel is still a wheel, and a tire, a tire, regardless of if it is on a small import sedan or a flashy sports car. The tires may be different sizes and offer different performance values, but the functionality remains the same. This is what Scrum provides for the Software Development process: a Framework, not a methodology. You can build your own process and define the elements of the Framework that you want to use. More importantly, the framework is so rich, that you can add or remove elements as you go along, depending on your needs, and avoiding the need to tailor your own with trial and error. This is a major leap for project management and software development, since most methods usually focus on staying on track and making sure things are followed exactly by the book, not allowing any room for flexibility. With Scrum, the focus is on getting things done and delivering value all of the time. This, of course doesn’t mean that with Scrum time doesn’t matter. But it will only matter if you want it to. Scrum has elements for measuring speed. So if your project is focused on time, you will most certainly use the Speed elements. That is the beauty of Scrum. It is just like a development framework in the sense of .Net or ATL. The framework provides a set of building blocks, and you build your process according to your needs.

People not Technology
The problem with most methodologies is they focus on the technology. For example, Rational Unified Process is centered on the technology you use, be it C++, Java, etc.; with Scrum, the focus is on people. Project Managers sometimes lose focus on what is most important – the team members. Their work is what makes the final delivery a success, so focusing on the technology as part of a Software Development process is not really a priority. The main focus of managing people is not to make them work like slaves until they deliver what the client expects; the main focus is to improve productivity and collaboration in the team so that they can all deliver innovation and value to the client.

Conclusion
Software Development is still an art and not an exact science. The people who make up software development organizations, like the team at Axis Technical Group , are finding intuitive ways to solve complex problems and focus on getting things right the first time. This is a major shift and is helping rid the industry of a ghost that has haunted it for so long. The answer has never been in copying successful companies, but creating a tool that actually works for each project and organization. With a set of elements and rules that can be combined as needed, there is no stopping innovation.

Post Contributed by: Alex Espinoza – Software Development Manager on the Axis in Motion Consulting Team

Want to learn more about Alex, the Axis in Motion Consulting team, and Scrum? Email Alex here

Comments about the Axis Technical Group Blog? email us here.

Follow Axis on Twitter , Facebook , and LinkedIn .