Productivity

Do you have a software development metrics program? Does it work? SD Times, 6th Sense Analytics and Rally Software Development Corp. participate in this recorded Roundtable Discussion focused on developing a metrics program that gives you the information you need to make informed decisions regarding your software development efforts.

Offshore development has been embraced by the vast majority of commercial software vendors and enterprise application development groups. Why? Because a world flattened by globalization makes it possible to improve competitiveness by taking advantage of the easy exchange of low-cost, high-quality technical skills.

Jake Sorofman, Vice President of Marketing for 6th Sense Analytics interviews Rusty Weston, editor in chief of CMP Media’s Global Services magazine, a premier publication focusing on the trends of off-shoring and outsourcing. The discussion focuses on the trend of globally distributed software development.

This whitepaper outlines a way for organizations to build a modern framework for managing distributed teams that overcomes the structural challenges of working across far-flung locations, and ensures projects come in as expected—on time, on budget and on target with business goals. This framework reuses your existing development infrastructure to restore visibility and empowered decision making within your globally distributed software development projects.

Dana Gardner, Principal Analyst with Interarbor Solutions, discusses the limited insight into developer productivity with Greg Burnell, Chairman, Co-founder and CEO of 6th Sense Analytics.

The later in the system development life-cycle that major errors are discovered the more expensive it is to fix them. But the earliest stages of the systems development lifecycle (SDLC) are most often the least consistently executed. This paper describes a methodology that brings the early stages of the SDLC up to a high level of maturity: consistent, proven, and optimized for success. 

In this paper, two case studies illustrate different approaches to unlocking the value of existing investments through mobilization. Each case study provides an overview of an application we mobilized, identifies the characteristics that made the application a good candidate and explains the value realized by enabling access to these applications from mobile devices.

Major retailers and mass merchandisers are turning up the pressure on their trading partners and even other retailers to implement Global Data Synchronization (GDS) within their organizations. These advocates see GDS and participation in the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) as the best path to improving the timeliness and accuracy of their supply chains, particularly once these efforts are broadly supported across the retail supply chain landscape.

When companies adopted Just-In-Time (JIT) tactics, they did so primarily to reduce inventory costs. For the most part, this strategy worked. Reducing stocks of raw materials, parts, assemblies and finished goods reduces carrying costs, allowing companies to invest the freed-up funds in more productive assets and projects.

This white paper provides an overview of the growing opportunities for EDI managers and coordinators. It highlights how their role can change from being responsible for implementation of technologies for operational activities to being infrastructure leaders. It shows how they can deliver increased efficiencies and velocity for value chain automation, which increases visibility, control and agility for a business.

No enterprise is an island. Goods and services flow in from suppliers. When you include suppliers of wares for raw material extractors, along with recyclers that turn consumer and commercial waste into new raw materials and finished goods, it is a supply chain with no beginning and no end.

In this white paper, we measure how end users of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications describe the impact of Microsoft and SAP applications on their business productivity. This research found that Microsoft Dynamics end users on average rated their experience with Microsoft applications more favorably than SAP users rated their experience with SAP.

Businesses don’t garner insights or make decisions. Businesses don’t close deals, invent new products, or find new efficiencies. People do. Companies excel when they empower their people to drive the business forward. But to see results, you also have to give your people the right tools, information, and opportunities—because success ultimately comes down to your people.

In this whitepaper, you will learn how configuration audit and control can be used effectively to ensure system management productivity, and help reduce costs and sustain configuration viability within the bounds of operational, security and regulatory standards.

In this white paper we do not make specific recommendations for manufacturers to follow; rather, we present suggestions for competing effectively in a fast-paced industry. From adopting lean manufacturing practices to strengthening bidding and quoting processes, opportunities exist for companies to grow and thrive despite relentless cost pressures.

This white paper outlines ways that technology can help manufacturers meet these challenges, increase operational efficiency, and step ahead of competitors with more proactive planning, greater shared visibility, and more agile and more profitable responses to change.

Until recently, many high-tech manufacturers – especially small and medium-sized businesses – have been able to survive by applying 80% of their operational focus to 20% or less of their critical customers and suppliers. That was then. The new mandate from channel masters is for more intense, collaborative relationships with fewer suppliers.

This white paper addresses business and technical decision-makers for ambitious companies in which product distribution and transportation play key roles in daily operations and profitability. It describes how the comprehensive, integrated management solution represented by Supply Chain Execution for Microsoft Dynamics AX can help build an integrated logistics solution.

The objective of this white paper is to review various aspects of retail financial management and to draw important lessons for small and mid-size retailers. The paper addresses a wide range of topics that impact a retailer’s financial success. Many of these are common to retailers of all sizes, but some are specific to mid to small tier businesses and many cautionary notes are given.

By providing integrated, adaptable functionality within one scalable platform, Microsoft Dynamics AX helps midsize retailers improve their agility with an all-in-one solution based on an open technology platform. And it provides the ability for retailers to connect and interact with customers, partners, and employees around the world.

Tight IT budgets demand that desktop and laptop PCs remain in service well beyond their prime. But as these systems age, performance degrades. The culprit most often is file fragmentation. Download this paper to find out how Diskeeper can help your systems perform longer.

Sooner or later, disasters happen to every computer user. They delete important files, on purpose or accidentally. Or they update a document and save it, overwriting the original version. Download this paper to learn how to protect against accidental file erasure.

If your company uses a contact management or customer relationship management (CRM system), you need to ask one additional key question. Does your CRM or contact management system tie your consultative sales, ROI analysis and proposal production process together?

This white paper walks through the key areas of a financial management solution so when you are evaluating current and future financial management software, you are prepared to avoid challenges and maximize your investment.

This white paper is structured so that each page is its own "mini-white-paper" but each is also part of a total look at better structuring requirements documents, processes and content completeness. At the end of this paper is a one page "tear-out" summary which is both a shortened distillation of the content, and a diagnostic tool to start a peer discussion on your organization's performance.