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.

If you have any questions or would like to be placed on our e-mailing list to receive notification of future broadcasts, please e-mail it to timb001@phmainstreet.com

For a copy of past broadcasts, please contact me directly.

We accept MP3 files with your voice for possible inclusion in the broadcast.

There is no charge for adding a link to "Management Visions" on your web page, for details and HTML code, see the "Management Visions" web site.

Management Visions accepts advertising. For rates, please contact yours truly directly.

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

November 10, 2008

"PRIDE"-ISEM PHASE 5 - SOFTWARE MANUFACTURING (SPECIAL)

This is Part XV 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 6 of the "PRIDE"-Information Systems Engineering Methodology (ISEM), Software Testing.

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...

"Programming is a translation function, going from human understandable specifications to machine processable instructions."

"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 "HABITS"

I've been a baseball fan since I was a little kid. I followed the Yankees of the early 1960's, The Big Red Machine of the 1970's, and now the Tampa Bay Rays. The habits of the players have always fascinated me. For example, the Boston Red Sox all seem to have some sort of ritual they perform just before they get in the batter's box. David Ortiz ("Big Papi") spits into his batting gloves and claps his hands before grabbing the bat; Dustin Pedroia clears his sinuses and carefully examines his bat, and; Kevin Youkilis holds the bat with his hands apart as he performs a strange rocking dance in the batter's box. The Sox are not alone in this regard; you can find a variety of strange habits in a ballpark, all the way from the Majors to Little League. A lot revolves around spitting, grabbing the crotch, and language. Wade Boggs was notorious for his pre-game rituals and how he steadfastly resisted any attempt to alter his regiment.

You have to wonder why habits play such a substantial role in the life of a ball player, and I think it says a lot about humans as creatures of habit. Some players say they do it as a form or discipline in order to get them in the right rhythm of the game, but most tend to be superstitious in nature; after all, what worked in one game, should hopefully work in another. Once a habit is formed, players tend to be afraid to change it. It thereby becomes the coach's job to look for superstitious habits in their players and change them if they become counterproductive.

Baseball fans also tend to pick up a variety of strange habits, such as wearing a favorite hat or shirt, drinking a certain beer, or offering some bizarre prayer or chant to solicit favoritism from the mythical baseball gods. They adamantly cling to these habits as a sign of good luck for their team, regardless of where they are, whether at the ballpark or in front of a television set. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that such rituals by the fans are sheer nonsense as it is up to the players on the field to win the game and not the histrionics of their fans. But if it adds to the baseball experience of the fans on the sidelines, then why not?

As we all know, baseball doesn't have a monopoly on habits. We find them in every sport, in every country. In fact, we find them in both our personal and professional lives. If you were to look around your office you could probably enumerate a substantial list of strange idiosyncrasies of your coworkers in no time at all.

In the workplace, it is the manager's duty to observe worker habits and make necessary corrections just as a baseball coach would. Whether you are in the ballpark or in the workplace, breaking a habit can be a lot harder than people think. Simple reasoning corrects most habits, but when a habit becomes physical, it becomes a lot harder and more painful to correct. In fact, changing habits can be downright difficult particularly for those people who operate in an autopilot mode through life. As a result, managers try threats, ridicule, shame, penalties, even hypnosis to enact change (I kind of like the cattle prod approach myself).

Some people are strong enough to correct a habit themselves if it is brought to their attention, but others will need help along the way which is where the manager comes in. But when studying worker habits, the first question should be, does it have an adverse affect on business? If it doesn't, you might just want to leave it alone. After all, I don't think anyone in Boston wants to change David Ortiz' habit of spitting and clapping his hands. Some habits you just might want to emulate.

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 "Matrimonial Territorialism":

An S.S. in Ankara, Turkey wrote...

"What is mine is her's and what is her's is her's alone." :)

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

"The laundry room Tim! You forgot about the laundry room! (Actually, no one is allowed to touch anything in the laundry room but Mom.) And don't forget we have a strict chores policy; outside chores = man duties, and inside chores = female duties. Unless, of course, one is willing to barter for an assist on "their" respective duty. :)"

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

An M.B. in Clearwater, Florida wrote...

"Loved this one. My husband's whole family were so self-deceptive, I had to imbibe pharmaceuticals to be able to stand being around them, even for a meal. (I have what the shrinks call an 'extreme realist personality type'). When you tell such self-deceptive people the truth, they kill the messenger. You can't win. There are two kinds of people, senders and receivers. I am a strong receiver and as a result, I have some 'abilities'. I can read senders, and can always tell when they are lying. If I concentrate, I can even read what the truth is that they are hiding. This had enabled me to tell my husband what was really going on in his family and give him a leg up, but in general, it has made me very disappointed with humanity. They lie, lie, lie, often times over stupid little things that there is no need to lie about. I never called my husband's family on their lies; I just went home and told him what really happened in a given situation, as opposed to the version he was being fed. I now wish I had repeated to their faces word for word the thoughts I pulled out of their minds. I would have enjoyed the look of panic on their faces at being uncovered. Back then, I was too kind to do it, figuring that liars are generally weak people who need their self-deception to make it through the day, but in light of what they later did to my husband, I regret that. See, I'm so honest, I'll even admit to being vindictive, LOL."

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.

If you have any questions or would like to be placed on our e-mailing list to receive notification of future broadcasts, please e-mail it to timb001@phmainstreet.com

For a copy of past broadcasts, please contact me directly.

We accept MP3 files with your voice for possible inclusion in the broadcast.

There is no charge for adding a link to "Management Visions" on your web page, for details and HTML code, see the "Management Visions" web site.

Management Visions accepts advertising. For rates, please contact yours truly directly.

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

November 3, 2008

"PRIDE"-ISEM PHASE 4-II - SOFTWARE ENGINEERING (SPECIAL)

This is Part XIV 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 5 of the "PRIDE"-Information Systems Engineering Methodology (ISEM), Software Manufacturing.

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...

Good Systems Design + Good Programming = Great Systems
Good Systems Design + Bad Programming = Good Systems
Bad Systems Design + Good Programming = Bad Systems
Bad Systems Design + Bad Programming = Chaos

"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 "FACING REALITY"

Telling the truth has gotten me into a lot of trouble on more than one occasion over the years, both personally and professionally. So much so that I have come to the conclusion that people plain and simply don't want to know it. For starters, it's hard to know when someone is telling the truth. A lot depends on the integrity of the person telling us something, coupled with our ability to apply logic. Erroneous results occur when we are being misled and don't use our heads which is why people act more on perceptions as opposed to reality (which is what politicians running for office count on).

Facing reality can be a daunting task as it can be rather unpleasant. As a result, people retreat into a make-believe world or yearn for a bygone era. Let me give you an example, not long ago I took some time off to do some fly fishing in the mountains of North Carolina. The area I visited seemed to be somewhat depressed and I discussed it with a friend who had moved to the area. At one time, the area was well known as a prominent furniture maker and tobacco grower. But as foreign competition proliferated in the 1980's and 1990's, at a fraction of the cost of what the North Carolinians offered, companies closed their doors. Since the passage of the Federal Tobacco Quota Buyout in October 2004, North Carolina's tobacco industry has been in a "transition" period, meaning tobacco production has sharply diminished in the area, if not disappeared altogether. All of this has given rise to unemployment, government subsidies, and a general bewilderment by the populace as to what to do next.

There are those still yearning for furniture work, but cannot seem to come to grips with the fact that the ship has sailed. Because of the natural beauty of the area, including mountains, streams, hunting and fishing, and gemstones, some would like to develop the area for tourism. Alas, this is pooh-poohed by the locals who are easily alarmed by outsiders and their perceived sinful ways. Instead, the residents have elected to simply do nothing and allow themselves to stagnate in a state of analysis paralysis. You can readily see the effect it is having on the natives as there is no hustle, no service, no nothing, just a defeatist attitude, all because they refuse to face reality.

I'm sure we have all seen instances of this throughout the country, if not in our very neighborhoods; people who are simply unwilling to recognize the truth and deal with reality; people who are unwilling to upset the status quo even at the expense of its demise. There is a scene in the movie "Men in Black" which sums it up for me; in it, Will Smith's character ("Jay") questions why the world doesn't know about aliens living on Earth, "People are smart, they can handle it."

To which, Tommy Lee Jones ("Kay") replies, "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow."

Imagine where we'll be if we don't face reality; maybe somewhere in North Carolina.

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 "The Blame Game":

An L.P. in Crowley, Texas wrote...

"During the Cold War I would blame anything and everything that annoyed me on 'a dirty communist plot to drive me crazy'. Now I just blame everything on 'mind controling aliens trying to drive me crazy'. Remember when Hilary C. blamed Bill C.'s infidelity on a Republican plot to disrespect his presidency? And she 'still' ran for president. I think people have short memories or she thinks the common person in the USA is stupid. Maybe I am. Are you trying to tell us that hurricane Ike wasn't President Bush's fault?"

A J.S. in Columbia, Missouri wrote...

"I couldn't agree with you more in saying that we don't want to take responsibility for ourselves and look for a scapegoat at every impass. It's always someone elses' fault."

I received the following e-mails from my "Pet Peeve" entitled, "The Four Day Work Week":

A J.D. in Tampa, Florida wrote...

"I've thought about this often, if only because I've found a 3-day weekend to be much more conducive to relaxation and 'recharging', than a normal 2-day weekend. To accomplish this, we could have four 10-hour workdays (thus providing the needed 40-hour work week), or switch to a 9-day rotation of 6 days on and 3 days off. The latter may sound incredulous, but Macy's had tried to institute that very policy back in the 40's. They wanted to have 3-day rotations, with various employees working 2 on and 1 off, staggered so that the store was always open. The idea was canned due to the confusion it would cause. But the idea of a 4-day work week would be successful, if, as you say, the focus is on productivity and not on the clock."

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.

If you have any questions or would like to be placed on our e-mailing list to receive notification of future broadcasts, please e-mail it to timb001@phmainstreet.com

For a copy of past broadcasts, please contact me directly.

We accept MP3 files with your voice for possible inclusion in the broadcast.

There is no charge for adding a link to "Management Visions" on your web page, for details and HTML code, see the "Management Visions" web site.

Management Visions accepts advertising. For rates, please contact yours truly directly.

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

May 7, 2007

"HIRING THE RIGHT PROGRAMMER"

Finding a good programmer can be a difficult task. Often times you will come across a candidate who interviews well and appears to have impressive credentials, yet you discover too late that he is simply not as proficient as you thought he was. Now you have someone you will either have to eventually eliminate or invest considerable money in to bring him up to speed (or both). What to do? True, you should probably improve your interviewing skills and learn to read between the lines of a resume, but there are a few other things you can do.

Basically, there are three things you, as a manager, want to know about a new employee; his background (job history), his knowledge, and how well he will adapt to your corporate culture. His background should be revealed by the interview, his resume, and any references he might have, but determining his knowledge and adaptability to the corporate culture is a little trickier.

CORPORATE CULTURE

I have discussed the importance of corporate culture many times in the past; in particular, see: No. 28 - "Understanding Corporate Culture" - June 13, 2005

Basically, in order for any employee to properly function and succeed, it is imperative that he is able to adapt to the corporate culture. If not, the culture will reject him and the employee will become an outcast. Before we can evaluate the employee's adaptability though, we should understand our own culture first. For example:

• What are the corporate ethics? Do you value honesty and integrity or are you a politically charged environment with considerable backbiting, finger pointing, piracy, and other questionable office tactics?

• Do you commonly seek "quick and dirty" solutions or do you operate more as skilled craftsmen?

• How rigid are your operating policies, e.g., dress codes, hours of operations, conduct, etc.?

• What are interpersonal relations/communications like in your office; e.g., speech, form of address, decorum, cooperation, etc.?

• What form of management do you practice; dictatorial with considerable supervision or do you empower your employees to make decisions?

Ascertaining a candidate's adaptability will be primarily based on your observations of the candidate during the interview.

SKILLS & PROFICIENCIES

A candidate's resume will say one thing, but you may be looking for something else. As part of the interview, you may want to ask the candidate to complete a Skills Assessment which lists the skills pertaining to your area and his level of competency (proficiency). After the candidate has completed the Skills Assessment, it should be compared against his resume in order to look for discrepancies.

In terms of pertinent skills, the programmer should be able to list the languages he knows, including computer control languages and tag languages, operating systems, DBMS architectures, and the various development tools he is familiar with.

KNOWLEDGE

Now, more pointedly, you need to know if the candidate truly knows how to program or not. College degrees, certificates, and participation in trade groups are important, but you need to convince yourself the person has substance as opposed to facade. Samples of work are useful, but then again, are you sure the person actually produced it? We have always found it useful to provide a simple programming test for the person to verify he knows what he is talking about. He can either substantiate his knowledge through a test or he cannot. The test should be designed in such a way as to reveal the person's general knowledge as well as to demonstrate he has the skills he claims.

CONCLUSION

Testing is an invaluable means for determining if candidate qualifications as stated in resumes are legitimate. Basically, it helps differentiate between facade and substance. Some Human Resource departments frown on such testing, others welcome it. For programmers, I consider it vital. Frankly, you have better things to do than waste time on someone who is not truly qualified for the position. Remember, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

OUR BRYCE'S LAW OF THE WEEK therefore is... "A resume is either an accurate description of a person's capabilities or demonstrates how well someone can write fiction."

MY "PET PEEVE OF THE WEEK" IS "SPRING CLEANING"

Whenever someone brings up the idea of "Spring Cleaning" it conjures up an image of people stuck in cabins during the winter and need to clean out their shack after hibernating inside for several months. But basically, Spring Cleaning is used to force us to get organized. There are a lot of us who are just plain slobs who tend to act like pack-rats and collect a lot of debris, be it at home or in the office. Spring Cleaning, therefore, is intended to clean up the flotsam and jetsam around us. And I think this is important, particularly in offices.

There are those who believe a sloppy desk is indicative of a brilliant mind. Baloney. A sloppy desk is indicative of a pigpen and the person is disorganized and undisciplined. Too often people use a cluttered desk to give the illusion they are being overworked and use it as an excuse for being late on a project. For managers who have been around the block a couple of times, a cluttered desk doesn't fool anybody anymore. In our office, we would tell our programmers to subscribe to the military concept whereby you either work on something, file it, or throw it away. If we need more file cabinets, we'll get them, but let's not let our desks become pigpens. To enforce this rule, we would periodically go through the office at night and throw all of the debris on the desks into the garbage. You do this a couple of times and people finally take you seriously. Keeping a clean and orderly workplace can have a dramatic and positive effect on the demeanor of your office workers and they will start to behave more professionally.

People still practice Spring Cleaning at home as well. You see signs of it by the many garage sales in the Spring where people circulate their junk to other people who recycle it around the neighborhood. I tend to believe there is a certain amount of junk we simply rotate from one household to another, so why bother with the garage sales? Let's just play musical chairs with it. Better yet, why don't we just dispose of it once and for all?

I remember my Scottish grandmother in Buffalo, New York was a big believer in Spring Cleaning. Every year she would lead the family in cleaning the house like Atilla the Hun. Beds would be turned, rugs taken out and beaten, windows washed inside and out, silverware polished, kitchen and bathroom floors and fixtures scrubbed, etc. You get the picture; she was very thorough. But she wouldn't stop with inanimate objects, to her way of thinking "Spring Cleaning" also meant cleaning up the family. To this end, once a year she would brew a pot of tea made from Senna Leaves, a very powerful herbal stimulant laxative. I guess she figured it was needed to clean out the toxins in our system, and as anyone in our family can testify, it works, perhaps too well. Not long after drinking a cup of this tea, your system would be flushed of impurities right down the toilet, perhaps hours at a time. It was rather brutal. This stuff was so strong, it would even clean the dirt from behind your fingernails and the wax from your ears. Small wonder Spring Cleaning conjures us a bad image in my mind.

As a result, I tend to keep things orderly and tidy all the time as opposed to waiting for a Spring Cleaning. Maybe that is what my grandmother was trying to teach us all along. Nonetheless, I haven't had a cup of tea in years.

Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week.

"PRIDE" METHODOLOGIES FOR IRM

Friends, the "PRIDE" Methodologies for Information Resource Management (IRM) is a common sense solution for Enterprise Engineering, Systems Engineering, Data Base Engineering, and Project Management. The methodologies include defined work breakdown structures, deliverables, and review points that promote quality and the production of industrial-strength information systems. Building information resources is a science, not an art form. Our methodologies clearly explain the concepts that govern them, which remarkably, is derived from engineering/manufacturing practices. Now you can get these acclaimed methodologies for free at our corporate web site at: http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba/pride/

AND FINALLY...

I received an e-mail from a Q.B. in Minnesota regarding my recent "Pet Peeve" on "Weathermen."

Q.B. writes -

"Yes, being a weatherman is an odd career choice. How often can one find a career where you can be downright wrong MOST of the time and still keep your job?"

Thanks Q.B. for your comments.

Again, thanks for your e-mail. 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. For a complete listing of my essays, see the "PRIDE" Special Subject Bulletins section of our corporate web site.

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 © 2007 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