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What should be minimally learnt to get a job as a software developer?

Submitted by Kamal Wickramanayake on

Someone asked me about studying a programming language aiming for a job. I thought I would expand and write a bit about it. What should be minimally learnt to get a job as a software developer?

From job to job, the exact requirements differ. In general, a lot of software developers make database driven web based applications. Taking into consideration such a job and as per how software is developed these days, below is a list of key areas that one might want to learn in general.

What can be considered a good effort estimate for a software project?

Submitted by Kamal Wickramanayake on

The effort required to complete a software project is a prime factor that is used to arrive at the price. A good effort estimate for a software project also helps create a realizable development plan and support realizable plan revisions. A good estimate is not the only factor that determines the success of the software project. Nevertheless, having a good estimate is surely a factor that has significant benefits.

Here are the characteristics of a good software project estimate:

What makes a winning software project proposal?

Submitted by Kamal Wickramanayake on

A winning software project proposal needs to address two concerns. The first is whether the proposal describes a credible solution that solves the given problem of the client. The second is whether the proposal has successfully addressed the proposal evaluation criteria of the client.

What is omnichannel architecture?

Submitted by Kamal Wickramanayake on

Omnichannel architecture is a form of how an organization communicates with engaging people over a number of communication channels. It can be called a user experience architecture with respect to how people experience it. It can be called a business architecture with respect to how business processes are organized to deliver an omnichannel experience. It can be called an IT architecture with respect to how IT is organized to deliver an omnichannel experience.

To distinguish omnichannel architecture, let us explore some other forms too.

Postfix email server spam reduction using DNSRBL services for both blacklisting and greylisting

Submitted by Kamal Wickramanayake on

Even if DNS Real-time Blackhole Lists (DNSRBL) are used to blacklist the IP addresses of e-mail spammers, spammers could change to unlisted IP addresses and continue spamming. While greylisting reduces the spam since spammers don't always reattempt to send the same e-mails, it also has the advantage that the delay introduced gives some time for the DNSRBL services to blacklist the IPs of bad senders. However, greylisting could delay legitimate messages. An improvement is to apply greylisting only for the e-mails sent from suspected IP addresses.

What level of detailing is sufficient for software architecture documentation?

Submitted by Kamal Wickramanayake on
Developing software with no documentation is not uncommon. It could be that the bulk of software is developed like that. I have seen even the significantly large systems and product suites with no documentation about architecture, design or other technical aspects. Even though the documentation process could be seen as a burden by some developers, documentation provides multiple benefits to development teams. How to determine what level of detailing is sufficient for software architecture? Put in another way, at what level should we stop documenting?

Make the business case development process efficient

Submitted by Kamal Wickramanayake on

Development of business cases is a time consuming process. So as evaluating them. An effective way organizations can employ to optimize the whole process is by following a two stage process. Here, the business cases are first described in a brief manner and send through an initial evaluation phase. Those that pass the initial evaluation can then be fully dressed, made more accurate and sent through a detailed evaluation.

Preparing an agenda for an effective meeting

Submitted by Kamal Wickramanayake on

Meetings in many instances are organized without much clarity about what the ultimate objectives are. It is also possible to find meetings where time is spent unnecessarily. Someone who is result oriented and keen in effective time management can achieve better outcomes from a meeting by spending a bit of time to prepare a focused agenda.

Governance of strategic alliances

Submitted by Kamal Wickramanayake on

Introduction

A strategic alliance is a purposive relationship between two or more independent firms that involves the exchange, sharing, or co-development of resources or capabilities to achieve mutually relevant benefits.

It is important that such relationships are well governed to make sure that the operational or strategic benefits the relationships purport to provide are actually realized.

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Governing the adoption of cloud computing - presentation slides

Submitted by Kamal Wickramanayake on

In 2011, I did two presentations for an ISACA seminar on cloud computing. The slides were on that site, but now the site has been replaced. The slides that I used had content still applicable and useful. So here you find the deck of slides I used for the second presentation.

Presentation title: Governing the adoption of cloud computing

Topics covered: