November 17, 2008

"PRIDE"-ISEM PHASE 6 - SOFTWARE TESTING (SPECIAL)

This is Part XVI in our series on the "PRIDE" Methodologies for IRM. In this edition we provide a description of the concepts and philosophies used in the "PRIDE"-Information Systems Engineering Methodology (ISEM).

The full text for this section can be obtained by clicking: HERE.

NEXT UP: Phase 7 of the "PRIDE"-Information Systems Engineering Methodology (ISEM), Sub-System Test.

If you would like to discuss this with me in more depth, please do not hesitate to send me an e-mail.

Keep the faith!

OUR BRYCE'S LAW OF THE WEEK therefore is...

"Systems are designed by 'explosion' and implemented by 'implosion'."

"MORPHING INTO THE REAL WORLD"

Friends, be sure to check out our book entitled, "MORPHING INTO THE REAL WORLD - A Handbook for Entering the Work Force" which is a survival guide for young people as they transition into adult life.

Bonnie Wooding, the President of the Toronto Chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) said, "Many of our members are just starting their careers and I will be recommending that they read this book, especially Chapter 3, Professional Development - a primer for business skills and filled with basic common sense advice that is simple, easy to follow and extraordinarily practical; and Chapter 5, Do’s and Don’ts of the Workplace, an excellent resource for those questions you are too embarrassed to ask for fear of looking foolish."

The Miami Hurricane recently reviewed it (10/22/2007) and said,

"the abundance of information the book provides is a good start for anyone about to take the first step into the real world. Though the concept of adulthood may seem intimidating, it's comforting to know that someone has at least written a guidebook for it."

Reviewer Bill Petrey praised it by saying, "Every young person entering the workplace for the first time should be given a copy of this book."

The book includes chapters to describe how a young person should organize themselves, how to adapt to the corporate culture, develop their career, and improve themselves professionally and socially. Basically, its 208 pages of good sound advice to jump start the young person into the work force. Corporate Human Resource departments will also find this book useful for setting new hires on the right track in their career. It not only reinforces the many formal rules as contained in corporate policy manuals, but also includes the subtle unwritten rules we must all observe while working with others. The book lists for $25 and can be ordered online through MBA or your local book store. Complementing the book is a one day seminar of the same name which can be purchased separately for $4,000.00 (U.S.) plus instructor travel expenses. For more information on both the book and the seminar, visit our corporate web site at: http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba/morph.htm
ISBN: 978-0-9786182-5-4

MY "PET PEEVE OF THE WEEK" IS "HANDLING FAILURE"

Failure is something we don't handle very well as a species. You would think we would be better at it since we all experience some form of failure in our lives, from major blunders to minor snafus. We fail due to errors in judgment, unforeseen circumstances outside of our control, or perhaps we underestimated the amount of risk involved, or we were just plain wrong about something. We have all failed at something and I cannot imagine life without failure. Yet, we don't seem to know how to handle it with tact and dignity. We even go so far as to cover-up our failures or blame others as opposed to acknowledging defeat. Admitting failure is a bitter pill to swallow, yet I have more respect for the person who admits and takes responsibility for his failings than someone on the sideline who does nothing but jeer or condemns the failure. Nobody should be made to suffer embarrassment from failure if they have put their best foot forward. There is no disgrace.

I'm certainly not suggesting we encourage failure, but we should at least understand it. For example, I've noticed people today tend to be sore losers. This may be because of our competitive nature and our inclination to try and win at all costs. Consequently, we do not tend to be gracious in defeat. In contrast, Abraham Lincoln shocked everyone after losing his first Senate race by appearing at the victory party of his opponent and offered a genuine hand of friendship and support. This did not go unnoticed and was well remembered by his opponent who fought for his candidacy years later. From this perspective, Lincoln teaches us that you are not going to lose all of the time, and it might not be wise to burn bridges to those who might assist us later on.

I've also noticed some people become so obsessed with the possibility of failure they go into a state of paralysis whereby they prefer doing nothing as opposed to risking the sting of defeat. This is a tragedy as it represents the arrest of progress.

I think the biggest problem with failure is that we do not recognize it as a natural part of life. For every success, there is usually one or more failures not far behind. To illustrate, I believe bankruptcies have quadrupled since the 1980's, probably due to some rather liberal bankruptcy laws. If you have declared bankruptcy, you may have saved yourself, but I can guarantee you someone else is suffering a loss, such as the creditors you owe money to. If we establish a system where it is beneficial to fail, people inevitably will (see Murphy's Law).

I tend to believe in the old axiom, "If you make 51% of your decisions correctly, you will be a success." In other words, you don't have to bat 1.000 to be considered a success, just stay ahead of your mistakes. Frankly, it's a matter of carefully picking your fights and contests.

Perhaps Rudyard Kipling put the best spin on failure in his famous poem, "If"; to paraphrase:

"If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"

Perhaps the only thing we do worse than failure is success.

Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week.

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

"BRYCE'S PET PEEVE OF THE WEEK"

Folks, a couple of years ago I started to include my "Pet Peeve of the Week" in these "Management Visions" podcasts. They have become so popular that I now syndicate them through the Internet and they are available for republication in other media. To this end, I have created a separate web page for my writings which you can find at phmainstreet.com Look for the section, "The Bryce is Right!" Hope you enjoy them.

Also, if you happen to be in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, be sure to stop by and check out our new Palm Harbor Business OASIS, a new business venue offering local business people a place to meet, work, network, and relax. Why pay a lot for leasing office space when you can become a member of the OASIS for as little as $100/month? For more information, visit our web site at: http://www.phboasis.com/

AND FINALLY...

I received the following e-mail regarding my Pet Peeve on "Election Day":

A C.M. of Khost Province, Afghanistan wrote...

I have no problem with a "negative election". My wife makes no secret of the fact that she despises the policies of Barack Hussein Obama. She does not like Mr. McCain either. So she is holding her nose, and voting for the candidate she despises least. The constitution does not specify WHY a person must vote for a candidate, thank God for this.

A D.W. of Kenneth City, Florida wrote...

"To me, one of the rights you get from voting is the right to complain about actions that we feel are detrimental or opposite to either what they campaigned on or what you think is right. If someone does not vote then you have given up that right to complain about the job they are or are not doing that you hired them for. As we can't fire our elected officials, the best that we can do is complain."

I received the following e-mails from my "Pet Peeve" entitled, "Be Careful What You Wish for...":

An E.H. of Newland, North Carolina wrote...

"I agree Tim. I don't believe Obama has any clue what it takes to be president. He has made promises that he can't deliver. I just can't believe so many people are enthralled with this man."

A C.S. in Palm Harbor, Florida wrote...

"Sadly you are so right."

I received the following e-mails from my "Pet Peeve" entitled, "Habits":

A J.S. in Skidway Lake, Michigan wrote...

"I worked in a large department at an HMO. One employee was consistently late, by ten to fifteen minutes, in the mornings. She hit the groung running, however, and significantly out-performed her collegues. She also stayed as long as a half hour after closing, to finish up paper work. The late arrival was not worth addressing."

Again, thanks for your comments. For these and other comments, please visit my "Bryce is Right!" web site.

Keep those cards and letters coming.

MBA is an international management consulting firm specializing in Information Resource Management. We offer training, consulting, and writing services in the areas of Enterprise Engineering, Systems Engineering, Data Base Engineering, Project Management, Methodologies and Repositories. For information, call us at 727/786-4567.

Our corporate web page is at:

http://phmainstreet.com/mba/

Management Visions is a presentation of M. Bryce & Associates, a division of M&JB Investment Company of Palm Harbor, Florida, USA. The program is produced on a weekly basis and updated on Sundays. It is available in versions for RealPlayer, Microsoft Media Player, and MP3 suitable for Podcasting. See our web site for details. You'll find our broadcast listed in several Podcast and Internet Search engines, as well as Apples' iTunes.

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Copyright © 2008 by M&JB Investment Company of Palm Harbor, Florida, USA. All rights reserved. "PRIDE" is the registered trademark of M&JB Investment Company.

This is Tim Bryce reporting.

Since 1971: "Software for the finest computer - the Mind."

END