I admit it: I’m an add-in junkie. I hear about a great new add-in for my work environment (development, testing, or quality control — it doesn’t matter) and I absolutely have to have it. Two hours later, I find that the add-in doesn’t do what I wanted – and now I wasted two hours instead [...]
productivity
An Agile Pace
by Tim Ottinger | Comments
Anyone who has been in software long enough recognizes an ongoing need for overtime as a “process smell,” a sign of an organization needing rescue. Once there is a mandate for exceptional, regular, weekly overtime — officially instituting a “death march” project — it is past time to pull in an Agile process consultant. A [...]
Fabrice Bellard: Portrait of a Superproductive Programmer
by Cameron Laird | Comments
Computing in the movies is hard to recognize: Typographical errors are non-existent, crackers break through tested defenses in seconds, and practitioners create twenty-function-point programs in fewer keystrokes than the count of bullets whizzing by their heads. Hollywood portrayals are more rooted in comic-book superheroics than the realities of software development. Except that in programming, superpowers [...]
Informative Workspaces: Using White Boards to Increase Productivity and Build Trust
by Eugene Nizker | Comments
Effective communication attained through transparency is a sure way to build or improve trust in any organization. When people see that we have nothing to hide, get visibility into our operations, and assess real progress rather than “reported” one – this builds trust, and creates cohesion. I spoke with one CTO who builds transparency into [...]
