The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

I got a book, a small book for a run-down price during the MPH sales near my house. I think I have got more than what I have bargained for. For a few reasons, reason no. 1 is that it is small enough for me to finish reading within the appropriate time frame. I found that this days, I do not have the endurance to finish a book. It happened when I try to read the last thick book, that is, one of the Lord of the Ring book. Even when I tried to read the Harry Porter book, I couldn't finish one. So having bought and completed Randy's book is one of my personal achievement, that yes, I am still able to find the concentration to finish a book.

OK, moving forward, like to share with you what I have learned from the book, I figured that there will be a couple of people who is like me, who will always try to look for synopsis of the book rather than going through the whole book. The story begin frankly with our Professor Randy Pausch who has been diagnosed with cancer. The story goes on to tell us how he thinks life is all about, how he navigated it through and how he summarizes it for the benefit of his students and also his family in his last lecture in Carnegie Mellon University.

A few of the things that strikes out in the book or lesson learned are

1. Life meaning is about fulfilling your childhood dream (well, yes, that is what Randy has achieved)

2. He throws in a couple of adventure and the lessons that he had learned throughout life. I remember especially the one on head-fake.

3. It is also one of his happiness to be able to enable other people's dream, which is what a lecturer's life is all about. Training the students for the coming future in his field of expertise, that is the virtual reality.

4. His second last section is on how to life your life, that is, to Randy how he had live his life or his life lesson thus far. He is telling us his way that he thinks best of living it. No argument there with our professor.

5. His final remark is a bit touching. It is mainly for his wife and his kids, which he may not be able to see very much of in the time of his writing of this book. Nevertheless, he has given much thought and communication with his wife. The think about him is that he views communication, jovial and his choosing not to succumb in sadness or depression really sticks out strongly for him.

The book contains some photos which shows that the professor in his 40s still look very boyish and handsome and has been able to exude a strong sense of friendliness and influence in the place he works and people around him. The way his think and a piece of his thought throughout the book gives us a fresh insight of a dying man with a strong and firm battling spirit for the betterment of his family is really an inspiration to me. Not only that I am not facing such issues, but I am living my life so much less 'treasured' compared to him. Well if one thing Randy did in this book is to tell me to live my life to the fullest and in every moment of it. Live my life to the very minute of it, with the people that I treasure most.

Go get the book, the author is already dead now, that is, somewhere July/August 2008 this year. However he will always be remembered, at least by me. Go 'google' this famous name out or get a hand on his book. Have a nice day :)

The Power of TeamWork

There is something about team work which is important in the society today. I glanced through the other day, on a newspaper article, regarding how workers nowadays do not need to be micro-managed. Instead the managers is suppose to provide room and space for the worker to enable them to demonstrate their ability and facilitate their creative thinking to be brought into an organization. Often time, the idea provided by this empowered workers may turn out to be one of those that has the most impact to the organization.

Apparently there is a story in the company 3M regarding the glue that they are trying to develop turns out to be a flop. The glue is suppose to be tough and sticky, however it turned out the opposite. The creative idea here was to re-use this to create post-it-notes. And today, the post it notes is one of the most popular tool in office. See how a flop turns out to be a multi million product with a stroke of creativeness. I bet that didn't come from top management. I am not discounting the contribution of top management here by the way, but, to emphasize the vast possibility that may come from the workers working on the floor and are in fact the subject matter expert (at least in what they are doing). Soliciting their ideas is a MUST.

Some of the advantages of empowering workers and managers as team lead and motivator are:

1. Free flow of new idea from the worker who is on the ground level performing the job day in and day out.

2. Creative ideas (and sometimes not so creative ones) flows out from every level on the work floor. This gives an opportunity for the expert who is doing the work to be able to tell what is the best way to get something done. Traditionally, this has always been held by managers, but time has changed now and most knowledge workers will appreciate this.

3. We are at a Knowledge Economy where work is not limited to what the hand can do, but rather what does the head knows that turns out solution for the client. Client wants solution at the end of the day and company is selling them solution to their every day problems. Empowering thinker from every level in the company does create a little 'structure-upset' but, it improves the overall idea that is flowing out from an organization. Imagine 5 heads thinking compared to 50 heads. The 50 heads scenario, by normal rule should churn out more solutions.

4. Motivation to workers that indirectly promotes the organization. Motivated workers will produce much more compared to de-motivated ones. And more than often, people will be attracted to work for this organizations, either from word of mouth or by recommendation one to one. Knowledge Economy worker appreciates that they are able to voice out and their voice and contribution at least being heard and understood.

5. Friendship - I believe in this. People who help other people to become successful. The world is no longer how we keep knowledge to ourselves. It is no longer scarcity of information or knowledge. Now the knowledge is abundance. How are we going to empower team members to learn from one another and to create a network of learning workers who enrich each other by open sharing and open learning from one another. 1 head learns just this much, but 10 heads learn 10 times as much and as fast as each person master a subject and train the rest. This will also create a positive working culture and also enrich each other to a healthy knowledge gaining society instead of a worrying knowledge scarcity society. This in turn will create a long lasting bond and friendship.

Well, team culture is here to stay I say and if Malaysia is going for Vision 2020, we better cultivate the team spirit fast...

Buggit and Test Case Manager

Of all the software that I have come across, the software Buggit and TCM represents some of the older based database type and a typical design on an Access system. Of course it cannot be compared against system running on SQL server and have all those web based functionality. In itself, it is a very good FREE system.

Buggit and TCM is virtually free. What we do need to have is Microsoft Access licenses. It can be installed over a network, meaning the database sits on one PC and the rest of the PCs can act like clients. It is suppose to only support about 5 concurrent users updating, but since my project team is not big anyway, so the system works just nicely and all for FREE. I have had the opportunity to get Mercury team to come in for a presentation and from the sound of it, it will cost us a lot. With what we had I think Buggit and TCM is just as great and serves the same purpose. I look forward to continue using it at this moment of time..

Installation, Training and Standby at D**by Park

It seems funny for me to join my fellow developer to do an installation at D**by Park, near KLCC. What is funnier is that there is 5 of us there. I think we must have frighten the staff and the folks working in D**by Park. It was a wonderful experience for all of us and I thoroughly enjoyed my work there although it was a bit tiring for us.

The first day was on the 10th where I arrived there about 3+ pm. The guys already installed the system. Before I left the office, they have called me numerous times to bring this and that. So, I am travelling with 3 telephone set, a bunch of manuals, some discs and this and that.... My travel there was further hazed with the road seems to be in the middle of some cloud... Everwhere seems clouded with the haze.

Arrived to help up here and there. Do some testing. Watch them do some testing. Show them how things should work, basically learning myself as well as contributing my knowledge.. Went for dinner with the guys... the Naan was crazy... It caused me RM14... phenomenal.. more phenomenal then the haze.

Continued work and before I knew it, it was 1am... went home but was there again the next day... today it was luckier as we had a room to stay in. We used the room phone for testing purpose, but the TV set was so much more entertaining. As it the bathroom. I took the opportunity to bath before I went home that night. It feels great...

I am hoping that the installation is successful. I am hoping everything is smooth. We don't know yet and one of us might go back on Wednesday to check things out. Anyway a good experience and definitely worth going...

The crucial bug elimination stage

The environment have not been as tense as it is now. All the developer in the team are in a mad rush to eliminate bugs. Some are overworked, others have a darkish ring around their eyes. The project leader seems to have her dark hair turn white overnight (i mean from a closer angle). So things are pretty tense here so to say.
As a QA person, it is this kind of mad rush that we have been trained to avoid all the time. Whatever steps that we have implemented, it seems that it is inevitable everytime a need product is to be launched, it always ends up in this kinda tense, sleepless and worrisome environment. Has it been the lack of support from management to foresee this problems causes all this? or is it the capability of the technical team? or is it the uncompromising schedule that the management is pushing the team to commit?
All the questions seems so senseless now as we move on to the last stage of the development cum bug fixing cum regression test cum load test cum..... everything you need to do with the amount of time you have. I am not complaining here, but I am in a battle to improve my company's product. I am thinking of what is the best way to help prevent this situation.
I guess, I have to go back to the beginning of another SDLC and start to push more things to be done, then to leave it to the last minute.

Current Status

Firefighting on the existing products. The company felt that it is time to change the current product and replace it with the newer version. Strong push has been applied by management to have the new products rolled out by certain unreasonable time line.
The possibility of me having to approve unqualified product is my concern right now. The status quo is that we must roll out a product within 10 days of its modules integration. It is totally not something that can be achieved. I managed to get the team to calm down and work towards the dateline, doing our very best.
Sometimes I do wonder whether this is something good for the organization and its people or not. But that is the way Malaysian companies stay competitive. Providing the minimum and expecting the maximum. The programmers having learned all this from the predecessor have also been defensive and doing only minimal or what they are required to. The rest, they just don't want to take the initiative to know and find out.
So being QA in all this environment is certainly challenging. But I believe, with teamwork and proper channel of communication, couple with the implementation of proper processes, things might just change for the better. We'll see until the end of this project what happens....

Requirement Specification

Trying to come up with the requirement specification for my organization. It will not be easy and it is a continuous process to come up with something that suits the organization without upsetting or changing too much the current organization.
Wish there is a step by step book that can help me thru, well at least I have not found one so far. Still looking for it though. I know that there is no one book fits all scenario kinda solution but I really gotta kick start this without much time given to me. :(
Well ... what can I say, I'll do my best and see how the result it.... Be positive...

ASQ Training

Next weekend, the ASQ CQM training will be starting. Excited with the possible prospect of meeting up with people of the same field and of the same concern. Of course at the same time, I am quite worried with the development of HMS project. It seems a big concern that our partners and prospective customers feel differently about our product.

I am planning to enforce more stringent rule especially for the group so that the support could be improved. It is inevitable that changes need to be made and made fast. As my boss is still away on business trip. I'll propose to her once she get back.

The start of the blog...

This is in addition to what I blog on msn space and Y360. MSN space would be dedicated to info on my Christian walk... :) while Y360 would be for something casual and friendly. I guess I am going to use this for work purpose.
Bout work... great... boss not around (well even if she is around, I work as hard anyway)... but it does reduce a certain amount of pressure when she is not actually around. Ermmm doing my work but at a slower pace.
And the rate of the bug finding, I'm really worried about the final product of the version 2. I am keeping my fingers cross that my findings will help them improve sooner then later. In the meantime I will just do whatever I can.
1 more week to the presentation of requirement analysis. I am a bit worried. Never tried that before, it is my first time presenting in this area... a bit worried but excited all the same.
OK, i'll continue to work now...