Why Developer Stack Ranking Is an Innovation KillerMany companies swear by stack ranking, citing retention of high performers and the ability to track performance as two of the biggest benefits. Despite these claims, stack ranking has numerous unintentional side effects that work against a culture of innovation.
Greenpeace Questions the Cloud’s Environmental SustainabilityThe cloud is often sold as the perfect option for increasing computing and storage needs by reducing the cost and energy usage required to perform these functions with in-house hardware. But what are the true environmental tolls of simply shifting the energy costs to someone else's data center?
Why Even Experts and Professionals Should Use ChecklistsMany people think using checklists will slow them down or indicate that they're not good at their jobs. But in reality, even experts can work faster and better with checklists for some tasks. They make you more efficient, ensure nothing's forgotten, and free you up to focus on more important things.
Make Sure You Aren't Killing Your Employees' MoralePoor morale is an energy zapper and leads to lack of cooperation, raw nerves, unproductivity, and, often, the loss of your best employees. But many managers either don't know or don't care that their behavior has a strong—and potentially negative—impact on their employees’ attitude and motivation.
Configuration Management in the NewsIt’s normal to not hear about configuration management (CM) during the evening news or read about our profession in your local newspaper. However, that doesn’t mean things are not progressing in our field, as this news roundup will detail.
How Easily Can Leaders Change Their Leadership Style?Leading people and situations is not a one-size-fits-all game. Leadership styles evolve, and different situations demand the demonstration of different styles. Anuj Magazine looks at the Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory and Strength-Based Leadership.
Kids in Swaziland to Learn Computer Skills in Raspberry Pi LabThe low cost, versatility, and learning-centered approach of the Raspberry Pi microcomputer makes it an attractive choice for teaching computing skills in developing countries. Thanks to a fundraising campaign, a school in Swaziland is getting a lab full of them to help kids learn computing basics.
Prioritize Testing Tasks by Prioritizing Your AudiencesThe solution to prioritizing work is a matter of prioritizing audiences. A tester’s work has an audience: users, coworkers, and bosses. Testing is a service we provide to each audience, so it is important to know which audience is at the top of the "make happy" list.
