No More Building Tire Swings
Joe Forestal - VP, Solution Delivery

Most of us have probably seen the decades old cartoon of the Tire Swing. This cartoon depicts various renditions of the classic tire swing, as construed by different groups. Using the same basic building blocks, engineers, managers, and marketing have developed wildly different definitions for what the customer wants. While this cartoon was originally intended to convey the broad and deep misunderstandings that can exist within highly departmentalized groups, I believe it also provides a wonderful analogue for the process of exploring, gathering, and capturing application requirements.

Our industry once believed that through masterful, disciplined requirements management, one could describe a piece of software through written statements. Would you purchase a piece of furniture for your home based on the following narrative: "This piece has a sturdy wood frame that's corner-blocked for stability. Generous rolled arms invite hours of relaxation, while plump polyester-wrapped cushions and steel seat springs provide support and comfort along the seat and back. The seams offer detailed inseam with piping." Sure it sounds nice but this is not how my family selects a new sofa. We need more. We need visualization. We need the experience. The fact that I don't like the dimensions and fabric of a sofa is apparent from the written word, that I don't like how it looks is apparent from a picture, but the fact that my wife and I can't both snuggle on it is only revealed by laying on it.

Enter interactive visual design. Using a collection of sophisticated visual application modeling tools, we can create an actual working blueprint of what an application will look like and how it will function.

Continue reading Joe's article

Google Like a Pro
By Birgit Konig - January 2009
The McKinsey Quarterly (Free registration required)

Google's appetite for information is its strength, but for overwhelmed users sifting through results can present a challenge. Many tools exist to help tap Google's higher-level indexing capabilities and make your queries more efficient. Here are a few easy ones.

10 Hot IT Certifications
BaselineMag.com

The premium paid for IT certifications has been declining steadily over the last several years, but some specialties still command good money. Foote Partners' IT Skills and Certifications Pay Index shows that recent big winners have centered around security and architecture.

10 IT Certifications Not Worth the Trouble
BaselineMag.com

As IT managers have become less willing to pay a premium for candidates who hold IT certifications, some specializations have lost value faster than the overall market. The following IT certifications have fared particularly poorly over the last year, according to the Foote Partners' IT Skills and Certifications Pay Index.

"Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there."

~ Clarence W. Hall