Posts Tagged ‘Education’
The role of leadership in software development
Google Tech Talks
May 6, 2008
ABSTRACT
When you look around, there are a lot of leaders recommended for software development. We have the functional manager and the project manager, the scrum master and the black belt, the product owner and the customer-on-site, the technical leader and the architect, the product manager and the chief engineer.
Clearly that’s too many leaders. So how many leaders should there be, what should they do, what shouldn’t they do, and what skills do they need?
This will be a presentation and discussion of leadership roles in software development — what works, what doesn’t and why.
Speaker: Mary Poppendieck
Mary Poppendieck started her career as a process control programmer, moved on to manage the IT department of a manufacturing plant, and then ended up in product development, where she was both a product champion and department manager.
Mary considered retirement 1998, but instead found herself managing a government software project where she first encountered the word “waterfall.” When Mary compared her experience in successful software and product development to the prevailing opinions about how to manage software projects, she decided the time had come for a new paradigm. She wrote the award-winning book Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit in 2003 to explain how the lean principles from manufacturing offer a better approach to software development.
Over the past six years, Mary has found retirement elusive as she lectures and teaches classes with her husband Tom. Based on their on-going learning, they wrote a second book, Implementing Lean Software Development: From Concept to Cash in 2006. A popular writer and speaker, Mary continues to bring fresh perspectives to the world of software development.
Speaker: Tom Poppendieck
Tom Poppendieck has 25 years of experience in computing including eight years of work with object technology. His modeling and mentoring skills are rooted in his experience as a physics professor. His early work was in IT infrastructure, product development, and manufacturing support, and evolved to consulting project assignments in healthcare, logistics, mortgage banking, and travel services.
Tom led the development of a world-class product data management practice for a major commercial avionics manufacturer that reduced design to production transition efforts from 6 months to 6 weeks. He also led the technical architecture team for very large national and international Baan and SAP implementations.
Tom Poppendieck is an enterprise analyst and architect, and an agile process mentor. He focuses on identifying real business value and enabling product teams to realize that value. Tom specializes in understanding customer processes and in effective collaboration of customer, development and support specialists to maximize development efficiency, system flexibility, and business value.
Tom is co-author of the book Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit, published in 2003, and its sequel, Implementing Lean Software Development: From Concept to Cash, published in 2006.
Duration : 1:32:4
Technology Management Program UCSB: Healthcare
Ron Werft is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Cottage Health System. The 600-bed Cottage Health System is today the largest private employer in Santa Barbara County, caring for more than 20,000 inpatients each year at its three facilities. Mr. Werft is the driving force behind the five hundred million dollar construction and seismic retrofit that is in progress at this time. He talks about this project and it’s impact on both Cottage Hospital and the community. Series: Technology Management Program [6/2006] [Public Affairs] [Business] [Show ID: 11693]
Duration : 0:58:51
Software Technical Illustator Writer – Working in Canada
For more FREE and useful resources, visit http://WorkinginCanada.gc.ca or http://cfee.org. –
The videos in this unique career series represent an innovative production process in two important ways: First, to ensure that the VECTOR videos represented reasonable employment possibilities, CFEE worked with the Industry Sector Councils to identify the most appropriate careers and occupations to profile via the videos. Second, in an exciting new approach to production, Canadian youth from colleges and universities across Canada were engaged to produce the videos.
To learn more about occupations in Canada, visit Working in Canada (http://workingincanada.gc.ca), a source of free and useful information that can help you to decide where to live and work. Use the Working in Canada Tool to produce a report on job descriptions, wages, skill requirements, language training and job opportunities based on your occupation and a location. By researching different occupations and different locations, you can make settlement decisions that are right for you and your family.
The information contained in this video is for information purpose only. For up to date labour market information about wages and salaries, you can use http://WorkinginCanada.gc.ca/tool to produce a detailed report on job descriptions, wages, skill requirements, language training and job opportunities based on your occupation and a location.
Duration : 0:5:7
Drafting & Design at Texas State Technical College
www.tstc.edu Drafting is a universal language. Drafting is the language used for communicating in manufacturing, engineering, public utilities, electronics, aerospace and architecture. While the professionals in these industries read and work with the language of drafting, they rely on skilled, knowledgeable drafting technicians to translate.
Drafters and drafting technicians lay the groundwork for everything from skyscrapers to spacecraft with precise technical drawings. The drafter’s plans provide the vital details and visual guidelines used in manufacturing, construction and chemical processing.
Texas State Technical College designed the Drafting & Design Technology programs to prepare talented, professional drafters for today’s industries. Drafting & Design Technology offers intensive, industry-specific instruction in the Architectural/Civil Specialization and the Mechanical/Electronics Specialization.
As a graduate of the DDT Mechanical/Electronic Specialization, you can look forward to a variety of excellent career opportunities. Job titles that graduates may hold include designer, CAD operator, architectural detailer and project manager. Drafting technicians also hold many responsibilities. In addition to design, PCB layouts and detailing, these professionals provide material takeoffs, work with customers and supervise others.
As a graduate of the DDT Architectural/Civil Specialization, you can look forward to outstanding career opportunities in a variety of positions. Job titles that graduates may hold include designer, CAD operator, architectural detailer and project manager. Drafting technicians also hold many important responsibilities. In addition to design, layout and detailing, these professionals often provide material takeoffs and on-site inspections of building projects, work with internal and external customers and supervise others.
Duration : 0:5:7
Administrative Assistants & Executive Secretaries Skills using Harvard University Global System™
An executive assistant discusses her outstanding achievements, promotion and excellent career success, partly as a result of attending Alain Martin’s Administrative Assistant & Executive Secretary public workshop (USA Canada), in-house: worldwide, by The Professional Development Institute PDI, www.executive.org). She describes the training (quality, seminar leader, hands-on learning, course materials): Managing Difficult People and Conflict, Time Management Tips: Managing Priorities, Deadlines, Meetings, E-Mail, Interruptions, Saying No; Meetings Bloody Meetings Checklist; Harvard Planner; Managing Boss; 7 Critical Success Factors of Great Team Leaders (Sheila Bair, Carol Bartz, Ursula Burns, Whitman, Obama, Buffett); Harvard University Global system™ tools; Harnessing the Power of Intelligence; Project Management; Risk Management; Negotiation roadmap, Responsibility Accountability; How to Be Proactive; How to influence, How to Motivate; How to Delegate, How to Search the Web.
Summary of her comments:
“One the most rewarding learning experiences. It helped me improve my performance, earn the authority and trust of top-management and co-workers, and advance my career, then report directly to the Board Chairman and two years later be accepted in a full-time MBA program.
Being an executive assistant is a demanding job. We are struggling with an increasing workload and resource constrains; striving to improve productivity, build a winning-team with co-workers and management, and maximize our value to the organization. Apart from conference calls, meetings and daily administrative priorities, we have to work with difficult people, resolve conflict, delegate, take charge without the benefit of authority, meet multiple-bosses expectations, manage projects and negotiate with clients, providers and staff. We must balance work demands with fitness and family obligations, while building our own careers.
PDI workshop is the best choice, a must for administrative and presidential professionals who wish to add value to their company, understand organization challenges, and pursue sound professional growth. ”
The course content was partially adjusted to our expectations. Two weeks before the workshop, the instructor initiated a dialogue with participants. I was able to share, in private, my personal goals and work-related problems and priorities. This helped make the in-class learning productive and beneficial to each participant.
I keep coming back to the course materials. Harvard Productivity Time Log helps me schedule my time, negotiate priorities with bosses, deal with drop-in visitors, procrastinators, and eliminate time wasters. I use the practical tips in Martins book Bringing Time to Life and Harvard Time Management Road Map. FIRO-B helped me understand interpersonal compatibility and improve my relationship with colleagues. SDI increased my understanding of my strengths in normal and difficult situations. I was more effective in planning meetings, recording conclusions and following up decisions using Harvard Meeting Template.
Apart from these practical skills, what helped me most is the concept of exemplary leadership and teamwork. Executive assistants are in the position where their work is highly dependent on others doing their share: bosses, peers, subordinates, clients, providers. It is very important for us to be able to work, build and lead teams, by example, with tact, diplomacy, respect and professional care.
The classes were exceptionally interesting, where collaboration was valued over competition. We, people of different nationalities and from different industries, worked in goal-focused teams. Whether solving cases or in a role-play, we learned from each other, shared our experiences and work-related problems. This knowledge was essential to succeed in recruiting the right people, coaching young professionals and undertake greater responsibility for my work team.
The course was taught by Alain Martin, PDI President, chief architect, Harvard University Global System, author of books on time management, strategic intelligence and proactive thinking that were used in the course. Theory was followed by in-class discussions, and numerous role-plays on, for example, negotiating with difficult people. Practical applications in planning and project management were demonstrated and practiced individually and in teams. We also learned smart ways to conduct advanced search on the Internet and dig deeper without wasting time.
Mr. Martin is an exceptional instructor. More than most trainers, he understands the issues facing executive assistants. His experience in coaching administrative professionals from the Americas and Europe in a wide spectrum of industries was very helpful to us. He shared the best practices of Boeing, GE and Procter & Gamble. In a broader sense the course focuses on helping you realize your full potential and turns it into a lifelong success!”
Duration : 0:9:59
E-teaching
Can you teach music over the Internet? How? Can you teach with Youtube? Nirvana? Piczo? Audacity? Billboard? Newsfeeds? Can you teach in a way that is engaging for the learner?
What does it mean to be a learner-centered teacher of music in a technology-mediated context? I created this video to answer this question. The video is a knowledge mobilization outcome that is part of of a collaborative inquiry in which Andrew Mercer(the teacher profiled in the video) and Andrea Rose, School of Music, Memorial University are participating.
The project is funded through a grant for a Community University Research Alliance (CURA) on e-learning from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Canada. Visit http://www.killickcentre.ca for the project information. To discuss learner-centeredness of teaching with technology, visit http://www.learnercenteredeteaching.blogspot.com/
On a technical note, the original file was well in excess of the allowable 100 megs. I uploaded the converted wmv file of 17 megs to youtube which converts it to a swf-flash file. Unfortunately swf does not render the transitions very well.
You can view youtube videos of the e-teacher profiled in the video if you search under buckydurddle.
We have been relying on youtube to conduct reflective sessions and conversations about learner-centeredness in teaching. Why youtube? because it is a symbol of user-centeredness and of the democratisation of knowledge. Youtube is a part of the WEB 2.0 which provides so many tools for social knowledge construction and sharing (Blogs, Wikis, podcasting etc). Social knowledge construction and sharing is, I believe, at the heart of learner-centeredness.
If you’re interested in more, please contact me: emurphy@mun.ca
Duration : 0:9:4
Achieve Work/Life Balance While in School
Technical Project Management student Nelson Ohl discusses how he uses the principles taught in the program to balance school, work and spending time with family.
Duration : 0:0:58
Sharkworld – A project management game
Sharkworld is an intense experience of the exciting daily activities of an international project manager. The game allows aspiring project managers to experiment with project management in a setting where game and the real world are flawlessly intertwined. The game is played via both the online and mobile channels. Projects develop in (accelerated) real-time (24/7) so players have to keep up with a fast pace and act and intervene immediately. Additionally Sharkworld is propelled by an underlying suspense story.
The story is set in Shanghai, where a high-tech large scale shark aquarium is being built on an Olympic location. A Dutch installation company got the job but their last project manager on site has mysteriously disappeared. The Sharkworld player has to take his place. To successfully finish the project he needs to cooperate with for example the Chinese customer, the Chinese authorities and the workers on site. The game interacts with players in many different ways: through websites (both fictional and real), cut scenes, e-mail, newspaper articles, chat, voice-mails and text messages (on the players own telephone).
Sharkworld covers not only economic aspects of project management like planning and budgeting, but also social aspects, such as conflict management, cultural sensitivity and diplomatic skills.
Sharkworld won the European innovation award 2008 “Most innovative Software”
Duration : 0:0:58
Technology Resources at the LGC
Technical Project Management student Nelson Ohl explains the use of Mediasite technology to record his classes at the Lowcountry Graduate Center.
Duration : 0:0:55
Value of the Technical Project Management Certificate
Citadel student Nelson Ohl discusses the value of the Technical Project Management Certificate in his career as a Program Manager.
Duration : 0:1:17