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In my previous blog entry, I talked about the four cornerstones I see as the future of software that will enable exciting changes in our everyday lives:
The cloud, which matches computing and data storage needs with capacity.
Device mobility which enables software access anywhere.
DevOps which is helping to bridge the gap between developing and using software.
The internet of things, which will use software to connect us with the physical world we live in.
I was recently turned on to the TED Talks mobile app as something that was a perfect little distraction to fill one’s mind with thoughtful, entertaining, and sometimes poignant ideas. For those that don’t know TED is a nonprofit devoted to what it calls “Ideas Worth Spreading.” The organization has two conferences annually and has an award winning Ted Talks video site that is now available through Android and iOS mobile apps.
Whenever I’m faced with a shiny new project, I greet it like a new toy -- exciting and full of opportunity. I always hope that this is going to be the perfect project, where everything goes smoothly, the customer is happy and my development team enjoys the work.
Agile, and Scrum in particular, has become the de facto standard for developing new green field projects nowadays. Organizations of every size, from very small to very large, have reported success with it. According to a survey of attendees at a 2012 Agile conference in Dallas, 49% of attendees reported that most of their companies’ development projects are done in Agile, and they estimated that 52% of their customers are happy with Agile projects, while another 28% are neutral.
Toward the end of last year, the frenzy of running internal IT and providing strategic technology oversight in a company that grew by almost 40% over one year, left me unable to read any more status reports, software specs, business requirements, Gantt charts, white papers, etc. Instead, I used my iPad to catch up on what's happening in Star Trek universe. After reading a handful of chapters on the Enterprise crew's adventures I felt ready to again tackle the far less advanced technologies of today.
Data design – the building blocks
It is common knowledge that good BI is based on a standardized and consistent data model. It goes without saying that developing ideal systems is too expensive for the real world. We cannot achieve the standardization and consistency right away because of the complexities and change associated with running a real life business, but there is a core of information in any business that is fairly well-defined and stable that can be used as a foundation.
A few weeks ago I was speaking to a group of MBA students at St. Thomas. The name of the class was “Executive Perspectives” and the interests of the students ranged from leadership and strategy to personal life and personal interests.
A few days ago I had a chance to hear Bill Schley, author of "The Micro-Script Rules". Although I didn't read the book, the main idea became clear. Nowadays people suffer from information overload. In response to this, our attention span has shortened to a bare minimum and we often ignore potentially useful information if it is not presented properly.
