Bad SW update in Microsoft Office!!

Just now, while reading the last post of the blog MELIDS (see The others section) I have remembered that I wanted to talk about the new Microsoft Office 2007.

Everyone who knows me, know that I am a pro-windows fan, but in this case I have to say stop. Based on what SE-3, SE-2, SE-1 and all the other subjects about knowledge acquisition, have shown me, it's that when you develop a SW project you must take into account what the user needs and wants and not do some showy application or interface that people is going to get frustrated with.

This is the case of the last Microsoft Officec 2007, over all Power Point and Word. Almost all the people that I know and try to work with them, get mad and shut off the computer where it is installed and try to do it again with an older version of Office like 2002 or 2003. Why??

Simple, because nobody can really understand the interface, you get lost, you don't find the icons or the functionalities. And if you save without really looking, it saves the doc into a new format called .docx or something like that.
So when you try to open it in your personal computer you can't.

This is my example of a very bad SW update; people don't like it, and if WE (engineering students) can not really get it, how are the normal users do it?? )

Please follow the rule:

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools". Douglas Adams

Thanks

Nieves

Audit!!

Hello everyone:

Although we though that if we did the selling we didn't have an audit, that was a wrong assumption of our part. We have to do it also.

The audit consists on recording a CD (good that it's before the canon law is in use) with all the repository of the project: folders, old versions of documents, etc.

Then the customer or in this case the auditor will tell us the result on the audit and how we have to change some documents.

That's all, so finally it's not a lot of trouble, and the CD has already been delivered to the auditor.

Hope we get good results.

Cheers

Nieves

P.S I am on holidays break, if someone wants to read a book about SE, this seems good enough (it could be a christmas presents ;-) ) :
Title: Practices of an Agile Developer: Working in the Real World
Authors: Venkat Subramaniam and Andy Hunt
Publisher: Pragmatic Bookshelf
Chapters: Excerpts from Introduction and Chapter 1
ISBN: 097451408X; Copyright © 2006 The Pragmatic Programmers, LLC.

Huge Discovery!!!

Hello bloggers:

Today I have realised a very important fact, but first I have to explain the situation.
This last month, I have been in some job interviews (yeah, I know, bu that's not the point), anyway in everyone of them, they have asked me:

• How do you work in group?
• How do you solve conflictic situations?
• How do you deal with someone that does not do his/her job?
• Can you follow an schedule and a list of tasks?
• etc.

And let me tell you, in that moment I though: Hey, that's what I am doing in this project!!! And also what we have been doing for almost the last 3 years of the degree.
So, that has been my discovery, that although the project can seem boring, hard-work, and all those things that we know; in reality it is preparing us for what is about to come, so we don't go blind in the next 4 or 5 months when we begin really working.

But although all this seems like I should thank my teachers of SE3, sorry but cannot do; it goes against the student rule:
"the student is always the one that suffers"
LOL

Anyway, you can contradict me, support me, etc. But if you do, please say so giving reasons.

Thanks a lot

Nieves

Review of the DDD and SVVP comments

Hello again!

Today we had another review regarding the huge changes we had to make in the previous version of the DDD and I am happy to inform everyone that this time, the customer was really happy with it; so we don't have to make any changes from the final delivery of this document. That time we can use it in other documents.

Also today we sent the first draft of the SVVP document; and in this case we had a little problem with it, because of some 'communication issues', let's say. But finally and thanks to the hard work of our team, the document could be delivered before deadline (Today at 1 p.m., Madrid time).

So now we have begun our christmas holidays for this project. But before we go, we are going to divide a little work for each member, so they don't get lazy with all the food and parties and then we have a not so tight schedule.

But we are happy, because the worst of a software project has passed.

Congratulations Team

Your project manager

Nieves

How did the selling go?

Hello people:

The selling was mmmmm... interesting is a good word. It was my first one, so I didn't know what to expect. But I had a great time listening to the elevator pitches and when we had to show our presentation, we were really nervous.

At the end, we had some mistmatches but in general it went well. I don't know if we sold the product or not; but the important thing is that now we know what we can meet in an event like this.

One of my mistakes was about the SW methodology in Mexico, because I though there was none, but apparently it exist as is something like PROMOVER or PROVER or so. But I have searched again in the Internet, and I have not found anything related to that. So I believe what the customer told me, because he was from Mexico, but I didn't find it.

Anyway, we did it and now it's in the past; yesterday we delivered the pre-final version of the DDD and tonight or tomorrow morning we will deliver the SVVP or Tests.
This week the schedule has been changed, so now we are going to have reviews on Monday and Tuesday because our customer can not meet with us on Thursday, so we accomodate his needs as best as we can.

And then it'll be christmas break; in that time, our development team will keep on working to finish the last 2 documents. So then we have time off after the break.

Post more tomorrow after the review.

Cheers

Nieves

Huge Review of the DDD

Hello everyone:

Yesterday we had a meeting with our customer about the DDD or Detailed Design Document, and as predicted the complaints were important. Although the problems can be summarized in 3 points:

• The interfaces field is required
• The data field is required
• The data model must appear, becuase the implementer can not have access to the ADD.

Our opinion and reasoning behind our decision was that we have granularity zero in our components, so each component is an operation (to make life easier) and that the data and interface aspect appeared on the ADD. But as the customer is the one that commands our actions, then we must follow his premises.

So as we had 57 components, and at the same time we have to develop the SVVP or Test document and also prepare a selling; we have divide the work into two groups:

• First group: Make the changes of the DDD based on what the customer wants.
• Second group: Develop the test document.
• Already done: The presentation of the selling is already prepared and divide the presentation tasks between the members.

With this delegation of the work we are going to try to do everything the customer expects us to do; without creating a risk situation in our planning; to avoid putting a contigence plan into action.

In general we have to deliver the DDD on a saturday (we are planning finishing it tomorrow or thursday the latest) and the Test on Monday morning the latest; but we are hopefull that with our hard work, everything will have a good outcome.

Besides that, on thursday we will tell how the selling and elevator pitch went; wish us luck

Regards

Nieves

Reflection exercise about the whole project

At this point in the development of the project, we can say that we are almost finished with it, or at least, that the most complex and time consumming part is done.
That does not imply that we are going to begin being lazy about it, but now we have a clear idea of the project and the documents left are a recompilation of the work done up to this moment.

It's true that everything can fall down, but I don't think so, because if we have worked hard all these weeks(10), then we are not going to let everything go down the river in the 4 weeks left.

My general idea of the project is that we have realized that not everything is 'pink' or ideal; and that we must take responsabilities of our actions, and also if we are working in a group we have to be there for the others and left the differences apart. That does not mean that we don't have an opinion, it's more I know that I am stubborn sometimes; but when if you explain your opinions giving proofs and reasons, it's okay and an agreement is reached.

Another important aspect that this project has shown me; it's that a document TAKES HOURS and hours and hard work. And that a simple thing like a dot in a document means more that what I though it could mean.

So we will see how it goes, now that we begin the last part of the project, because we have done 75% of the project and time.

But up to this moment, I am quite content with the work done.

Nieves

3rd BPR and ADD Final Draft

Hello or goodnight readers! Yesterday we delivered the third BPR without any problems, we are going okay based on the schedule, but I am sure in the next one we are going to change it a little bit because of the selling.

Also today we delivered the last draft of the ADD, mainly is the same one as last one but adding a new operation in a component and rephrasing some parts that were left forgotten. But anyway, we will have to wait and see how it goes.

Also we are preparing now the selling an tomorrow before the meeting with the customer for the review of the DDD (we will explain tomorrow), we are going to decide who is going to do the elevator pitch and how the selling is going to be, who is going to say what, and all that jazz.

So we are in for a busy week in the project, because don't forget the SVVP or test document. Than we haven't begun yet.

So we will explain more later on.

Goodnight

Nieves

Elevator Pitch

Hello people!
While looking for information about elevator pitch in order to do a good job next thursday; I found this great web page. It is a summary of a whole book about this topic: Elevator Pitch 101.

In it an idea that I found quite interesting and that it changed what I though about what I had to prepare is:
One reason why so many people deliver completely ineffective elevator pitches is they don’t understand the purpose of an elevator pitch. They act like the purpose of an elevator pitch is to close the deal while in truth the purpose of an elevator pitch is to just interest The Audience in continuing to talk.
No more, and no less.

So now, that I know that important topic I can concentrate on what to tell following the rule of the 8 Cs:

1. Concise: Few words but to the point.
   
2. Clear:use non-technical expressions, acronyms... explain to a 3 years old (ok 5 is also valid, haha)
   
3. Compelling: explain the problem to solve, why is a problem and who are the final users
   
4. Credible: why we can solve the problem; merits, etc.
   
5. Conceptual: what the system is doing
   
6. Concrete: specific met goals and what has been done (very briefly)
   
7. Customized: addressed to the public
   
8. Consistent: don't create misunderstandings

So in those 2-3 minutes we have to convey all that infomation.. the question is how will we do it?

The answer on Thursday night.

Thanks and Cheers

Nieves

First draft of the DDD and group multitasking!!!

Hello everybody, we have hot news to explain to all of you.
As of today, we have delivered the first draft of the DDD and this document has a total of 153 pages, based on the granularity of the component. We almost freaked out when we realised it, so I hope when the customer reads it, he has a drink near him, haha.

Another important aspect is that this holidays break we have to do a lot of job, because we have to deliver the final version of the ADD on sunday, on saturday it's the turn of the third BPR and meanwhile we have to work on the selling, the elevator pitch and also begin planning the SVVP. So as you see lots of work.
Based on these problems, we have decided to multitask or better to delegate the work in mini-groups. Some people is going to do the BPR, some other take care of the final revision of the ADD, also others will think about the selling and some will begin planning the SVVP.

We don't know how it is going to be, but by monday; the BPR and the ADD are out of our hands, so the selling and the SVVP will be a group issue.

So wish us luck with the work.

Thank you all

Nieves

Oldie Joke and pic I have found in the Internet:

A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts: "Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?"

The man below says: "Yes you're in a hot air balloon, hovering 30 feet above this field."

"You must be a software developer," says the balloonist.

"I am," replies the man. "How did you know?"

"Well," says the balloonist, "everything you have told me is technically correct, but it's of no use to anyone."

The man below says, "You must work in business as a manager." "I do," replies the balloonist, "but how did you know?"

"Well," says the man, "you don't know where you are or where you are going, but you expect me to be able to help. You're in the same position you were before we met but now it's my fault."

And then the typical image that shows the process of SW Engineering.

New month, new deliverable!

Hello everyone, to celebrate the beginning of December, the christmas month, we have begun a new deliverable in our project. This time, it its the DDD or detailed design document. As we have the components and operations of the ADD more or less clear (waiting for a review). We have been able to separate the workload between the members of the team more or less equally.
WE are going to have 57 components in this new document; because we have decided to create a document for each operation in the interfaces of the ADD (basically we are using a great granularity with this component). This way the codification of the components should be easy and straigh forward, although I don't think the programmers would love us, anyway. LOL

Apart from the deliverable, we are thinking about a new milestone in our schedule. WE have to do a SELLING of our project instead of an audit. So we are thinking which things to explain and how to do it. Hope we reach and understanding and make a good impression.

Anyway, that's all for today.

Keep in contact.

Nieves