Technology As Innovator

Problem defined

Managing thousands of artifacts within the requirement phase alone in a project is not an easy task.

Solution

Automation have been provided by these popular software packs

• Documenting Use Cases and documents: Microsoft Word already gives all we need.
• Artifact Repository: Thousands of ways and tools satisfy this purpose. I’d suggest Microsoft SourceSafe and Microsoft SharePoint server.
• Diagram authoring: Rational Rose and Microsoft Visio do better.
• Version control: Many CVS tools are already out there.
• Project Planning: Microsoft Project rocks! Agile’s Product Backlog is also a good tool.

Single Solution

Single solution that addresses most, if not all, issues - a professional Requirement Management Tool that enables the following factors

• Traceability: The efforts spent in wiki(traceability) are greatly reduced. Hence, productivity and team moral are boost.
• Consistency: In a team of nearly twenty people, it might come out that different artifacts owned by different authors vary slightly in styles, indents, numbering. A tool helps to reduce this factor.
• Requirement linking: Reference to other documents, dependencies, extensions are handled in the form of URL links.
• Use Case-to-diagram generation: Many tools allow users to create flow charts from Use Cases

TopTeam Analyst

I recommend this tool: TopTeam Analyst

Demo screenshots

Vendor: technosolutions

TopTeam Analyst is wiki(RUP)-compliant

There are many more requirement management tools, but the reason I am attracted by TopTeam Analyst is that the product is compliant with standards from Rational Unified Process, which I’m am currently working with.

Tai Tran, Windows Vista Screenshots

John Clyman, Windows Vista Review with Slideshow, PCMag 2007

Inevitably Infamous Windows Annoyance

“An anarchic, messy, snobbish herd!”

Many times I’ve heard complaints from college students, especially those on their internship about their employers, bosses and co-workers. The complaints are about them (the working people) not being as professional, process-compliant, collaborative, positive, forward-thinking as what is described in text books. The students and fresh graduates are so frustrated that they either go for higher education or form their own group of interest for self-employment.

Before going on, I’d like to explain ‘the perfect world’. Most text books are written with reference to the operation of world’s top firms. Coca-Cola, Microsoft, NASA… Text books describe these enterprises’ operation, try to explain their essence, have case studies around them. Why? Because they are the best and are the models. Do you know who work in there? The genies who move Mount Fuji.

Let’s get back to the story above. The fact is, the employers have gone through a quasi-similar educational system. They are fully aware of ‘the perfect world’. Why they choose to behave differently is because of the C-o-n-t-e-x-t. It would cost them all their arms and legs if they buy all the process, infrastructure, management system from world’s top and ‘standard’ firms. It would be a delirium if their hire all people who think forward, say positive, know how to collaborate, comply with process and act professionally. It’s about business, about making money, about ensuring that the price of the product remains competitive while meeting satisfactory levels of quality. They do know what they are doing.

You can do it better. Oh yes, you can.

“A flock of horsy brats!”

Even more often I’ve seen sneers from more experienced white-collars towards the naive youngsters. Yes, it’s good that they’re experienced enough to understand all the constraints of the industry and tricks of the environment, in order to act in a way of cost-saving, effort-optimizing, price-competing. The perfect world just doesn’t exist anyway.

It’s right at this point that they are trapped within their own self-limitation. The perfect world is right there, visualized via the Coke we’re drinking, the Windows version we’re playing at, the bank from where we beside with joy from; or can even be the invisible but tremendously powerful cash flow that determines our career paths. Their aspiration has been buried under their self-made constraints. They’re happy with the current state that they have lost the will to fight – fight against one’s self – for more organized management, more mature process, more glamorous branding, more natural way of charging ten times more from Rockefellers.

Experience gives a lot, but it also silently takes lots away.

Utopia is there, for those who dare to aspire and know how to reach.