http://www.optimation.co.nz/blog/ http://www.optimation.co.nz/sharpening-up-our-competitive-edge/ We’re sharpening up our competitive edge in more ways than one with the roll out of a company-wide wellness programme and a Summer Shape Up contest. Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:22:00 +1200 http://www.optimation.co.nz/sharpening-up-our-competitive-edge/ http://www.optimation.co.nz/people-skills-for-geeks/ Last year, I was fortunate enough to attend, and speak at, the inaugural AgileRoots conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. The core of my presentation was "people skills for geeks", and I shared some of the tips I've learned since I first got involved in the industry. You can now watch the first part via YouTube. Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:40:00 +1200 http://www.optimation.co.nz/people-skills-for-geeks/ http://www.optimation.co.nz/keeping-what-matters-most/ The recent theft of a family’s home computers with all of their photographs and videos has highlighted the fact that secure backups are not just something that corporates need to think about. With over 10 years of video and photos, adding up to almost a Terabyte of data, I’ve been asking myself recently, “How do I back that all up securely?” Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:01:00 +1300 http://www.optimation.co.nz/keeping-what-matters-most/ http://www.optimation.co.nz/are-we-really-in-recovery/ After all the battening down of collective hatches over the last year or so, we’re now being told that the ICT sector is creeping back into recovery mode. But can we trust the pundits? And what will be your key strategies for surviving 2010? Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:41:00 +1300 http://www.optimation.co.nz/are-we-really-in-recovery/ http://www.optimation.co.nz/agile-projects-using-ms-team-foundation-server-201/ I've added a new article to the Resources section on our website, which takes a high level look at the value and functionality of key Microsoft Team Foundation Server 2010 features from a Project Manager's point of view. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:35:00 +1300 http://www.optimation.co.nz/agile-projects-using-ms-team-foundation-server-201/ http://www.optimation.co.nz/the-key-challenges-with-cloud-services/ James Tarquin, an Enterprise Architect with Google, will be addressing the February meeting of the Wellington Solution Architects Forum on the key challenges with cloud services. Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:29:00 +1300 http://www.optimation.co.nz/the-key-challenges-with-cloud-services/ http://www.optimation.co.nz/we-re-an-onyas-web-awards-finalist/ We're thrilled that the new Optimation website has been selected as a finalist in the ONYAs website awards in the category ‘Best use of HTML & CSS’. Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:22:00 +1300 http://www.optimation.co.nz/we-re-an-onyas-web-awards-finalist/ http://www.optimation.co.nz/leadership-for-tough-times/ Leadership during these difficult times has become more critical then ever as it's harder for businesses to be able to afford the cost of replacing good people. Good leaders empower those around them. They are trusting, they listen, and possibly most important of all, they are fair. Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:40:00 +1300 http://www.optimation.co.nz/leadership-for-tough-times/ http://www.optimation.co.nz/is-there-a-better-way-to-document-it-solutions/ Good documentation is vital to enhance problem-solving and to preserve the knowledge and IP gained on a project for future. But good documentation requires much more than simply creating a set of 'documents'. Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:25:00 +1300 http://www.optimation.co.nz/is-there-a-better-way-to-document-it-solutions/ http://www.optimation.co.nz/building-better-agile-teams/ Retrospectives are a vital part of a successful agile development process. They provide the opportunity for the team to pause on a regular basis to assess progress and process, adjust and make improvements, rather than waiting until the end of a project to gather up lessons learnt. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:10:00 +1300 http://www.optimation.co.nz/building-better-agile-teams/ http://www.optimation.co.nz/why-google-can-host-your-apps-for-free/ One of the most common questions I've heard about Google's app engine is, "why would they host your application for free?" Well think about what else they give away for free to anyone who comes to your website. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:17:00 +1300 http://www.optimation.co.nz/why-google-can-host-your-apps-for-free/ http://www.optimation.co.nz/welcome-to-our-new-website/ We hope you’ll find our new website easy on the eye, simple to navigate and full of helpful information. Sign up for the RSS feed to get the latest news and content updates, and visit the Comments section to let us know what you think. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:15:00 +1300 http://www.optimation.co.nz/welcome-to-our-new-website/