tools & techniques

Blog Post

10 best practices for successful project management

July 23, 2009 2:10pm PDT

The right mix of planning, monitoring, and controlling can make the difference in completing a project on time, on budget, and with high quality results. These guidelines will help you plan the...

2 Latest comment by merlynn@...

Blog Post

When to use functional programming languages and techniques

May 21, 2013 10:30am PDT

If a project requires lots of concurrency/parallelism, its own language, or lots of math, you should think functional programming.

7 Latest comment by Mark Miller

Blog Post

Project management: One size does not fit all

May 31, 2013 6:03am PDT

Some projects are not suited to a Waterfall approach, and they're not a perfect fit for a 100% Agile approach. The solution might be a combination of the two project management methodologies.

27 Latest comment by sherry23

Articles

Convert an XML file into an Excel spreadsheet with this technique

March 1, 2007 4:39pm PST

One way to present XML information to a user is by converting it to a file format the user actually knows. Edmond Woychowsky walks you through his process, including all the necessary sample code,...

18 Latest comment by Cobynsoft

Blog Post

BoxCryptor vs. DropSmack: The battle to secure Dropbox

April 29, 2013 10:30am PDT

Can DropSmack malware be stopped? Michael P. Kassner asks the creators of BoxCryptor if it is up to the task of securing the Dropbox file-synchronization service.

15 Latest comment by Michael Kassner

Blog Post

10 techniques for gathering requirements

January 2, 2008 10:01am PST

It's difficult to build a solution if you don't know the requirements (in spite of the fact that many teams still try to do it today). The "elicitation" step is where the requirements are first...

Blog Post

Four Google Apps project managers should consider

September 6, 2012 11:31am PDT

Will Kelly shows us some of the top project management apps available in the Google Apps Marketplace.

4 Latest comment by johne2

Blog Post

Three reasons to have a post implementation project

November 19, 2009 3:11am PST

Jay Rollins reminds PMs not to forget about the post-project project. Here are three considerations for following up after the implementation of a software project.

11 Latest comment by sysdev@...

Blog Post

A simple Excel conditional format technique that highlights input cells

September 4, 2012 10:26am PDT

Use this simple conditional format technique for Excel to solicit input values from users.

8 Latest comment by ssharkins@...

Blog Post

10 more classic mistakes that can wreck a software development project

May 30, 2012 6:47am PDT

It turns out there are more dev project mistakes than one 10 Things post can hold. Justin James revisits the topic with input from TR members.

20 Latest comment by TsarNikky

Blog Post

Use PERT technique for more accurate estimates

June 25, 2007 8:16am PDT

Regardless of the technique you use, the tendency in project estimation is to provide one number for each estimate. In other words, if you have 100 activities on your schedule, each activity would...

14 Latest comment by joebailey77

Blog Post

Five uninstallers that really work

April 27, 2012 7:59am PDT

Remove all traces of unwanted programs with the help of these uninstaller tools.

29 Latest comment by techlans

Articles

Understanding the pros and cons of the Waterfall Model of software development

September 22, 2006 2:08pm PDT

Waterfall development is a software development model involving a phased progression of activities, marked by feedback loops, leading to the release of a software product. This article provides a...

13 Latest comment by Newtechy

Blog Post

Top five reasons organizations fail at project management

August 20, 2008 7:11am PDT

Why are many organizations still so bad at project management? After pondering this question on many consulting and training engagements, Tom Mochal has come up with his top five reasons.

103 Latest comment by billsherlock

Blog Post

Best practices for software license management

November 5, 2012 4:33am PST

Organizations spend a fortune on licenses every year, and a lack of management around it can result in heavy fines. Here are some best practices to follow.

4 Latest comment by secureoncloud

Blog Post

Top five features in System Center Configuration Manager 2012

August 25, 2011 8:00am PDT

Colin Smith describes five of his favorite new features in Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2012. You can try these out by downloading the prebuilt Hyper-V VM of the Beta 2 release.

4 Latest comment by birumut

Blog Post

Create a flexible project log with Squish

June 4, 2013 10:50am PDT

For small project teams looking to move past Google Docs or a large organization looking for an issue tracking alternative, the web-based Squish is a viable alternative.

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Blog Post

Use conditional formatting to compare lists in Excel

December 20, 2010 12:00am PST

Comparing two lists in Excel is an easy task using a conditional formatting expression and color to visually identify the differences.

16 Latest comment by nshomo

Blog Post

Five apps to prep for Microsoft certification exams

February 27, 2012 7:38am PST

If you're looking for a good way to get ready for your next Microsoft certification exam, these tools may give you the edge you need.

10 Latest comment by ethantaylor

Articles

Techniques for successfully importing Excel data into Access

July 23, 2004 7:00am PDT

Importing data from Excel to Access can be a little dicey, often resulting in missing information, incorrectly converted values, or data that's difficult to work with. These pointers will help you...

7 Latest comment by brigzy@...