Category: evaluation

Embracing Fractional Careers: A New Approach to Hiring and Job-Seeking

Finding a new position in today’s challenging job market can be daunting. However, a fractional career can provide the solution you’re seeking. This concept, famously used for CTOs in growing companies that need a CTO but lack the budget for a full-time hire, can be extended to other positions in the tech field. This blog delves into the benefits of fractional careers for both job seekers and hiring managers.

Continue reading Embracing Fractional Careers: A New Approach to Hiring and Job-Seeking

Why a Process is Important

A Software Development Perspective

A process is important as it creates an expectation of an outcome. Outcomes can measure a process and result in different ways making the process essential to follow. Without a strategy, we will not confidently be able to measure. Without measurement, we will not know we are doing something correctly.

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Journaling

Journaling is something that I have been doing off and on for a while.  I journal using low-tech methods.  I have a leather bound book and a nice pen.  I love my pens.  I used to have fountain pens, but I have no idea where to buy the pens or ink anymore.  I think chosing my low-tech method is more appealing to me since everything else I do is high-tech.  There is something to be said about mixing things up a bit, and I believe it makes my journal time more my personal time. Continue reading Journaling

Importance of Code Refactoring

By continuously improving the design of code, we make it easier and easier to work with. This is in sharp contrast to what typically happens: little refactoring and a great deal of attention paid to expediently adding new features. If you get into the hygienic habit of refactoring continuously, you’ll find that it is easier to extend and maintain code.
—- Joshua Kerievsky, Refactoring to Patterns

I had recently seen the above quote while sifting through some periodicals that I read and it reminded of the importance of Code Refactoring. Refacotring is a mindset that you must put yourself into. You have to decide that you do not write perfect code the first time and that there may be some room for improvement. An hour or two a day may be all you need to review your own code.

I recently spent two hours reviewing code from one of my modules that I had written. It had the same or similar code written in 5 sections in the code and had the same purpose to these sections. Each section had 11 or more lines of code in it. I took one of those sections of code and converted it to a function and then replaced the 5 sections with this new function. Ultimately I had eliminated 51 lines of code out of one module.

Reasons for Refactoring Code
1. Consolidating and eliminating “Like” or “Similar” Code
2. Breaking out a extraordinary long function into more manageable bites
3. Make error trapping easier to handle
4. Make code more readable and maintainable
5. Removing nested IF or logic Loops
6. Make it easier to document
7. Create Reusable code
8. Better class and function cohesion.

The benefits now are the following:
1. Similar code is now the same which is the way it was meant to be ( coded over three days, the code morphed a bit ).
2. Since the code had the same purpose, it looks the same now and behaves the same.
3. Code is in one spot instead of 5 – makes it easier for a base change
4. Error trapping is much more controlled.

If you cannot review your own code ( some people cannot and should not be ashamed for it ), you should get yourself someone you can trust to review the code for you. The do not have to modify the code, they can either insert comments to you, print out and scribble on the pages or meet with you. Never take it as bad thing if someone wants to change your code; take it as a learning experience. If you are using someone else, challenge them back. Make sure they know what they are talking about. A face to face meeting is always a good idea. A mentor, or team lead should be taking on the role of code reviewer. Code reviewer should be recommending ways to refactor your code. This should be done prior to release, deployment and ending a project. The review should always be done with the developer(s) responsible for writing the code. Should never be done without as that undermines the developer(s) and no one learns anything from it.

What Languages do I Use

I was recently asked what I use to develop software and websites. I mostly use DotNet Technologies as it is often interchangeable between websites, web applications and desktop applications. I can often use the same data access classes and business logic between multiple platforms. I find that DotNet allows me to easier structure objects visually and logically.  I prefer to develop using C-Sharp, but I get requests to use VB.NET and J-Sharp on a regular basis.

When I went to college, I had learned C, Pascal, COBOL and some Mainframe language that I cannot remember.  Upon graduating I taught myself VisualBasic 3, RPG.  My first programming job was Visual COBOL.  I had created a company in the Caribbean Islands programming public utility and insurance software in RPG.   I can honestly say since I sold my shares of the company, I cannot foresee myself developing in RPG again.

Why don’t I use PHP?  Well I do use PHP, but for specific purposes and upon request by a customer. A specific purpose is when I create a WordPress site or other content driven sites. I will not often create a website or web application from scratch using PHP as Microsoft made ASP.NET easy for rapid development.

Do I use JAVA? Yes; I do believe there are cases where JAVA is still relevant. JAVA is still a good tight platform for developing small single purpose applications.  I have used JAVA 3 times in the past 2 years for applications that I believe fit the bill well.

Now, I am curious;  What do you use and why?

Who Is Andrew Pallant

I was recently asked the question “Who Is Andrew Pallant?“.   Although I am Andrew Pallant; I find this question very complex and complicated to answer.   One must reflect ever so often to rediscover who you are and what you are doing.   As I was caught off guard by the question, I had to pause and think.  This was hard.  Can you answer the question freely?

Here is a series of questions to ask yourself:

  1. Who is <>?
  2. What am I doing?
  3. Am I adding value to my life?
  4. Am I adding value to others?
  5. What are my current goals in my personal life and professional life?
  6. Am I completing my goals?
Here is my answer that I had given to the person who asked: “Who is Andrew Pallant?“.

Andrew is a proud father of 2 children.  I am a confident person who works hard.   Whenever I am given a task or take on a task, I give 120% of myself.  I never take short cuts.  When I manage or lead a team, I am firm, fair and open to new ideas.   I do not like to miss deadlines, but if I do, there must be a really good reason.   I am friendly, generally fun, and always sincere.  When I am on a team, I listen to others, and try to learn from them.  I am continuously learning and listening as I believe no one can know everything.   

Now I am currently reflecting on who I am and what I am doing.   I am making sure that I am the best that I can be.   After reading this blog, you may want to read:  http://unlatched.com/blog_How_To_Be_Awesome.aspx
At the end of the day, be true to you and be the best you can be.

Importance of Tracking Daily Activities – A Personal Perspective

When the cat is away the mice will play.

This famous saying suggests that when a person in authority is not present, the people under his rule will enjoy their freedom. However; this should not be the case. The employee should be relied upon to get work done that was assigned as well as conduct themselves professionally and with dignity. “Farting Around”, should not occur. There is always something to be done in every organization. Push a broom, re-index a database, setup a new help desk system, sort papers, refill the toner in a printer. Even researching a new technology or idea can be beneficial.

We as paid workers with self worth, should be keeping a log when the boss is away of our daily activities. This log should include all interruptions, lunch, breaks, and tasks. Do not spend a lot of time, but spend enough time to make yourself look productive. The activity log could be in the form of a blog or a text file and should be easily printed in a readable format.

There is two main reasons for the log. It keeps you as the employee focused on activities that require your focus and it keeps the bosses informed.

If done on a daily basis it can show the boss weakness and strengths in the team that he/she is responsible for. It can help allocate tasks to those who are best suited for the task. It can also point out where time is being spent, which can be either allocated to someone else or reviewed closer. It is mostly about following trends in the logs in which we can extrapolate productivity value.

For the employee, it should be considered a review of one’s self worth within the organization. Even if the boss never sees it; review it yourself and see what you have done. I would bet you have been doing more than you had thought. Often it can be used to improve your resume, your feeling about the work you can do. I know myself I sometimes think I should have gotten things done faster, but in review of my day, it makes sense why I did not.

I believe every employee should want to do this at least on a part time bases, and every boss should want to have the ability to review the work logs weekly of their employees.