Drawing on Lopp's management experiences at Apple, Netscape, Symantec, and Borland, this book is full of stories based on companies in the Silicon Valley where people have been known to yell at each other. It is a place full of dysfunctional bright people who are in an incredible hurry to find the next big thing so they can strike it rich and then do it all over again. Among these people are managers, a strange breed of people who through a mystical organizational ritual have been given power over your future and your bank account.Whether you're an aspiring manager, a current manager, or just wondering what the heck a manager does all day, there is a story in this book that will speak to you.

    But will she be able to evade its grasp?Is Ziammotienth just a story of legends and minstrels or much more? Commerce, adventure, and intrigue swirl around the young thief as she fights her way into a far larger world than she had expected to experience.

    This summary explores the fundamental causes of organizational politics and team failure.

    But, as Mandi Walls explains in this Velocity report, DevOps is really about changing company culture—replacing traditional development and operations silos with collaborative teams of people from both camps. The DevOps movement has produced some efficient teams turning out better products faster. The tough part is initiating the change. This report outlines strategies for managers looking to go beyond tools to build a DevOps culture among their technical staff. Topics include: Documenting reasons for changing to DevOps before you commit Defining meaningful and achievable goals Finding a technical leader to be an evangelist, tools and process expert, and shepherd Starting with a non-critical but substantial pilot project Facilitating open communication among developers, QA engineers, marketers, and other professionals Realigning your team’s responsibilities and incentives Learning when to mediate disagreements and conflicts Download this free report and learn how to the DevOps approach can help you create a supportive team environment built on communication, respect, and trust. Mandi Walls is a Senior Consultant with Opscode.

    While Lean methodologies were developed in manufacturing environments, many Lean principles can be applied to any kind of business or activity; from software development to accounting systems to household chores.This short book introduces the core concepts of kanban and offers a step by step guide to getting started with kanban.

    It gives an overview of every learning objective for the TOGAF 9 Foundation Syllabus and in-depth coverage on preparing and taking the TOGAF 9 Part 1 Examination. It is specifically designed to help individuals prepare for certification.This Study Guide is excellent material for:a) Individuals who require a basic understanding of TOGAF 9b) Professionals who are working in roles associated with an architecture project such as those responsible for planning, execution, development, delivery, and operationc) Architects who are looking for a first introduction to TOGAF 9d) Architects who want to achieve Level 2 certification in a stepwise manner and have not previously qualified as TOGAF 8 CertifiedA prior knowledge of enterprise architecture is advantageous but not required. While reading this Study Guide, the reader should also refer to the TOGAF Version 9.1 documentation available online at www.opengroup.org and also available as hard copy from www.vanharen.net and online booksellers

    From difficult employees to demanding bosses, you never know where your next problem is coming from. What you do know is that you'll be expected to solve that problem--and solve it quickly and effectively.The New Manager's Handbook explains the rules of this new game, and gives you invaluable tips and pointers for teaming with your employees while inspiring them to breakthrough performance and results. Let the two dozen rules and guidelines in this quick-hitting manual show you the best ways to:DelegateReview performanceThink strategicallyLead great meetingsGive and get results-oriented feedbackProvide directionSpeak with powerCriticize with honesty and tactAsk the right questionsMotivate average performersPrepare for changeAs a new manager in today's no-room-for-error workplace, you will be challenged and tested every day. Unlike previous positions, however, your success will judged by the performance of others. Give yourself every opportunity to succeed, and learn how to win the respect of both your employees and your supervisors, with the time-tested and field-proven techniques in The New Manager's Handbook.

    But the reality often falls short... Now imagine having a team where everyone steps up and performs all of the leadership tasks. Imagine a team that is constantly sharing knowledge and pushing the envelope--one that does long term planning and produces outstanding performance. A Team of Leaders shows readers how to design systems that nurture the leadership potential of every employee--the key to creating high-performance teams. The book's proven principles and techniques include: ● The Five-Stage Team Development Model that maps the transition from traditional to self-directed teams ● Best practices in team process design ● A Team Value Creation Tool that allows members to appreciate the significance of what they contribute each day ● Visual Management ● And more Filled with real-world examples, this fresh approach transforms passive groups of disparate people into effective teams of leaders--workplace teams that work!

    This book is for anyone who has an interest in SQL Server 2012 and wants to understand its capabilities, including database administrators, application developers, and technical decision makers.

    From lean and project management to statistics and data analysis, the DMAIC process is explained in a clear and insightful manner. Figures, tables, references, useful appendices, and a full sample test only add to this book's comprehensiveness.

    It's Tuesday morning and on his drive into the office, Bill gets a call from the CEO. The company's new IT initiative, code named Phoenix Project, is critical to the future of Parts Unlimited, but the project is massively over budget and very late. The CEO wants Bill to report directly to him and fix the mess in ninety days or else Bill's entire department will be outsourced. With the help of a prospective board member and his mysterious philosophy of The Three Ways, Bill starts to see that IT work has more in common with manufacturing plant work than he ever imagined. With the clock ticking, Bill must organize work flow streamline interdepartmental communications, and effectively serve the other business functions at Parts Unlimited. In a fast-paced and entertaining style, three luminaries of the DevOps movement deliver a story that anyone who works in IT will recognize. Readers will not only learn how to improve their own IT organizations, they'll never view IT the same way again.

    More and more often, those companies look to technology consultants to fulfill their needs. There are real advantages to being a consultant. You make contacts with a lot of different people; you get exposure to many industries; and most important, unlike a software developer in the IT department for a brick-and-mortar company, as a technology consultant, you are the profit center…so long as you are billing. Consulting can be hugely rewarding—but it’s easy to fail if you are unprepared. To succeed, you need a mentor who knows the lay of the land. Aaron Erickson is your mentor, and this is your guidebook. Erickson has done it all—from Practice Leadership to the lowest level project work. In The Nomadic Developer, he brings together his hardwon insights on becoming successful and achieving success through tough times and relentless change. You’ll find 100% practical advice and real experiences—his own and annotations from those in the trenches. In addition, renowned consultants—such as David Chappell, Bruce Eckel, Deborah Kurata, and Ted Neward—share some of their hard-earned lessons. With this useful guidebook, you can Objectively assess whether the consultant’s life makes sense for you Break into thebusiness and build a career path that works Avoid the Seven Deadly Firms by identifying unscrupulous technology consultancies and avoiding their traps and pitfalls Understand the business models and mechanics that virtually all consulting firms use Master secret consulting success tips that are typically left unstated or overlooked Gain a competitive advantage by adding more value than your competitors Continue your professional development so you stay billable even during bad times Profit from both fixed-bid and time-and-materials projects Build a personal brand that improves your resiliency no matter what happens

    Maybe you re going for MCSA first, then MCSE. Maybe you need to upgrade your current credentials. Now, direct from Microsoft, this set brings together all the study resources you ll need. You get the brand-new Second Edition of all four books: for Exam 70-290 (Managing and Maintaining a Windows Server Environment), 70-291 and 70-293 (Network Infrastructure), and 70-294 (Active Directory). What s new here? Deeper coverage, more case studies, more troubleshooting, plus significant new coverage: Emergency Management Services, DNS, WSUS, Post-Setup Security Updates, traffic monitoring, Network Access Quarantine Control, and much more. There are more than 1,200 highly customizable CD-based practice questions. And, for those who don t have easy acess to Windows Server 2003, there s a 180-day eval version. This package isn t cheap, but there s help there, too: 15% discount coupons good toward all four exams. Bill Camarda, from the August 2006 href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/newslet... Only

    In doing so, these otherwise well-intentioned leaders are working harder than they should while not getting all they could out of their teams.Lead Inside the Box gives leaders a way to get the best out of their teams by focusing their energy where it will make the biggest difference. It teaches leaders how to:Figure out where they are currently investing their time and energy across their teamsIdentify the unique leadership needs of each team memberMake smarter decisions about how and where to invest their time and energy to get the best results out of everyoneThrough simple frameworks brought to life with stories from the trenches, leaders will be able to see their own teams--and themselves--from a new perspective. Paradoxically these methods will enable leaders to improve their team's performance exponentially while expending half the effort.

    Using exercises and case presentations, you can apply your own ideas and develop useful analytical skills. Cases found throughout the text present the venture creations or managerial ideas confronted by real-world companies.