Archive for January, 2010
Why Just Enough Technology?
Posted by: | CommentsJust Enough Technology means providing the right technology to solve the right problem at the right cost. Not too much, not too little. The objectives of the business must be prioritized and kept in mind from concept to design to implementation to maintenance. Every decision made along the way must map to a business objective. Every software requirement must map to a business objective. This is the foundation of Just Enough Technology – clear and concise business objectives. Those objectives drive the requirements, and the requirements drive the design and implementation.
This is how I ended a short article about Just Enough Technology a while back. I’ve reproduced here for your reading pleasure. Differing opinions are invited 
Windows Azure Videos
Posted by: | CommentsHere are the videos of the Windows Azure sessions at PDC09. Lots of useful content, the sessions were well attended and well received.
Cloud Computing Introduction
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If you have not lived in a technological box for the past few years, you’ve heard the term “Cloud Computing“. “It’s become the phrase du jour” according to Gartner senior analyst Ben Pring. How does the idea of Cloud Computing fit in with the idea of Just Enough Technology? To answer that question, we’ll need to come to an understanding of what Cloud Computing is. In this article, we’ll go over the basics of Cloud Computing at a very high level. Later, we’ll delve into more specific aspects. First, we’ll define Cloud Computing, then we’ll look at its basic components and finally we’ll take a peek at its potential benefits. Read More→
Enable Joins WebSiteSpark
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1/12/2010 – Today Enable Web Technologies has been selected to join the Microsoft WebSiteSpark program. Enable Web Technologies (www.enablewebtech.com) is the consulting company owned by myself and Victoria, my wife. We recently joined the Microsoft WebSiteSpark program.
Is Software Engineering Dead?
Posted by: | CommentsA new article by Tom Demarco states: I’m gradually coming to the conclusion that software engineering is an idea whose time has come and gone. I still believe it makes excellent sense to engineer software. But that isn’t exactly what software engineering has come to mean. Read More→
Craftsmanship and Software Development
Posted by: | CommentsIn a previous post I quoted a colleague who stated :
I like how they use the term “Craftsman” to describe what we do….[the craftsmen are] the ones who have taken the time to master the tools that have been made available to them to assist in their craft.
Craftsmanship in the manner used above, refers to an attention to detail and a pride in one’s work product. A craftsman is more than a worker – he or she truly cares that they do things right and to the best of their ability. I agree with this thought in principle, but I want to expand on it a bit and speak to one difficulty with software craftsmanship as a methodology. Read More→
A Good Tech Resume
Posted by: | CommentsAs an application development manager for a Fortune 100 company based in the US and a business owner, I have reviewed many resumes. Most of the resumes I’ve seen are frankly very poorly done. Unfortunately, when I post for a new position, I typically receive 50 to 100 resumes for 1 or 2 positions. There is no way I can interview every candidate, so I must rely on the resume as my first-line qualification tool. If a resume “grabs” me, I will schedule a phone or face to face interview. Most of the time I find myself struggling to dig out the details from a resume to determine if a phone interview is in order. This not good for the candidates. I know I can be missing qualified applicants, but I have no choice but to base my first impression on the resume alone.
Because of what I see daily in resumes that I review, I thought it might be helpful to others if I wrote down my thoughts on what I look for in a resume and provided some hints on creating a more successful resume. Be sure to read this entire article and don’t miss the general remarks section for some specific hints that may be very helpful to you. I have written this article from my point of view as an Business Owner / Application Development Manager. Other managers may view things a bit differently from me. In any event, I believe if you apply what you read here and do a little research on the web into resume writing techniques, your success rate in winning interviews will be enhanced.
Why Do We Need Software Architects?
Posted by: | CommentsAnother Blast From The Past Article – Originally Published in Sept. 2003
I am a software architect, but I’m not a “Blue Sky” thinker; I’m more of a practical thinker. I asked myself some questions about architects. What is a Software Architect and why do we need them? What do we expect from architects and why not just have a tech lead? Is there real benefit in an architect and are some projects too small for an architect? If so, what qualifies a project as needing an architect? Read More→
