Agile/Scrum Training in Fort Worth, Texas

Social marketing firm Buddy Media is being bought out by Salesforce.com in a $689 million stock and cash deal. The transaction will close Oct. 31 (the end of the third fiscal quarter).

Among its 1,000 customer, Buddy Media includes the companies ofFord, Hewlett-Packard and Mattel. Thanks to its capabilities of sending targeted marketing content through YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook, Salesforce.com will build on the monitoring technology in social media through its recent Radian6 purchase.

According to Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff, the Marketing Cloud leadership will enable the company to take advantage of the massive opportunity within the next five years.

The purchase is arriving on the heels of rival Oracle’s buyout of Virtue, who is the competitor to Buddy Media.

What is Design Thinking and How Does it Apply to HR?

[Jan, 28, 2020] |
Tags:

The Context Of Design Thinking And Its Application In Employee Skill Training

Design thinking is a crucial pillar in today’s problem-solving imperatives. In fact, it is being pursued as a unit course in various institutions across the globe, thus underlying its importance in aiding objective human thinking. It’s not a specific property for designers. Far from it, it has emerged as an innovative solution-seeking tool for all great inventors and innovators.

By description, it is a design methodology used for tackling complex problems that are virtually unknown or ill-defined, through a careful evaluation of the human needs involved, understandably restructuring the problem, by brainstorming to create many solutions, and by adopting a direct approach in testing and prototyping. It helps us come up with creative ways to solve nagging problems that stem from us and especially in the workplace setting.

The ‘overwhelmed/overburdened employee’ is a common term in HR offices across many organizations in the world. Employees are faced with a huge challenge in regards to coping with fast-paced technological and office changes in the working environment. This had led to a massive stagnation in productivity, prompting HR heads to look for new ways to reduce their employees’ stress and workload.

While evaluating many options, this model of thinking has posed as a helpful tool for HR managers when dealing with their vexed employees. IT training, in particular, has helped shape the productive realms of many companies out there.

Let’s explore how this thinking domain can be used to plan employee skill training:

Empathize

If you want to show concern for your employees, first empathize with their situation. Seek to understand the needs of the employees deeply, what they lack, what they need, and the challenges that they are likely facing. This will act as the basis of plotting the problem and working on the next phase of solving it.

You can collect data in this phase through empathy maps and journey maps. In the latter, you endeavor to steadily track the day-to-day activities and tasks of employees. This is achieved through observations or structured interviews. In turn, it aids in elevating the thinking process.

Through empathy maps, you ponder on collected findings and synthesize them keenly. Here, you seek to establish how an employee is thinking, their feelings, and insights into the probable root cause of the problem.

Define the Problem

After a comprehensive analysis of the collected data; the problem definition phase should follow. The idea here is to locate the underlying root of the problem concisely. HR should seek to utilize an analysis framework to help address problems affecting the holistic being of all employees. Therefore, each issue would require a list of underlying causes: lack of motivation, lack of knowledge/understanding, or just lack of skill.

Once the root cause(s) are clearly defined, a clear problem statement should be drawn up alongside performance goals that are firmly based on actual drivers.

Think Solely About Employee-Based Solutions (iterative learning)

Conventionally, customers are at the heart of every organization’s dealings. They inspire and drive the company’s objectives because they are crucial in profit making. However, employees have greatly suffered while working ‘behind the scenes.’ Such situations have led to employees feeling discontent and work under immense pressure, which inevitably leads to underperformance. To avoid this, the experimental learning concept can be utilized by HR offices to engage employees more by creating solutions that directly suit the situations they encounter daily.

Here, trainers are removed as the center of focus. An iterative ‘reflection’ cycle is established to tap continuous employee feedback in a bid to sharpen their skills. This method helps employees adapt to new technology through a well established IT consulting network. In the long run, employees don’t forget how they handled a particular problem, and this effectively raises a firm’s productivity.

Support Employee Tasks with Simple Technology (Ideate)

The simplest way to support employee-working experience is by not sidelining them unprepared with changing technology processes. As an HR Manager, fully engage your employees when transitioning to new tech by making use of effective training or consulting services. Specific training needs can be assessed and addressed within the organization or with a third party industry expert.

According to Deloitte’s 2016 Global Human Capital Trends Report, design thinking was isolated as crucial in crafting the employee experience. 79% of those interviewed identified it as imperative. However, almost a similar percentage agreed that a lot of compliance programs and training are still based on outdated modes of meetings and processes.

The report also recommended the need to put necessary consideration on employees through proper IT training for far colossal efficiency. One way to make this work is by drawing a connected roadmap of skills and information needed at certain work intervals. Shedding off overwhelming and irrelevant amounts of data for new employees is vital in retaining their concentration and output. What’s more, a customizable app can help employees undertake appropriate tasks at the specified time, thus resulting in higher revenue for the long term.

Implementing an Intuitive Tech Learning Approach (Ideate)

The basis of this argument is that not every employee is the same. All of them are differently gifted and shouldn’t be forced to use one inflexible technology or system that doesn’t cater to their individual needs in a buzzing work environment. This mode of critical thinking brings to life personas such that fictive employees representing a defined group of external employees are drawn up. In this set-up, the personas should be able to learn and work efficiently within their own small environment while quickly utilizing their own skill set and the required information to make things work.

An HR manager can replicate this working scenario through the use of role-plays. This can be achieved by conducting short-term soft skills training sessions to sharpen their ability to handle similar situations. In the case of new technology, video-replays on how to use it in a one-on-one customer scenario can help relieve the pressure and spur the employee to be more productive.

Prototype and Testing

Here, the HR Manager should run a couple of tests to ensure whether the desired model of skill training is working. One way to get started is by crafting a simple prototype of the technology required, probably as a single module to establish its viability.

The new technology should be vigorously tested during prototyping to pinpoint any leaks, disjoints, or performance issues. Structured walkthroughs can be implemented to help employees navigate the solution through proper IT training sessions.

What’s more, HR should conduct sessions to get the employees’ views, emotions, or feelings regarding the new solution. In case of any cause for concern, the prototype should be improved until it meets the intermediate needs of its users.

Iterations are also a common occurrence in this phase. Refinements and alterations are curved out to make sure that the final thing suits every employee in some understandable capacity.

Wrapping Up

Design thinking is crucial in any organizational setting in making sure that employees sync properly with the technology in place. This will go a long way in improving their productivity.

What are the different versions of linux, and how do they compare?

[Jul, 22, 2012] |
Tags:

Attempting to create an intelligent entry about Linux for such a wide ranging audience is a bit like trying to compare a presentation on quantum mechanics for physicists while being readable by somebody with a junior high school education.

If you are a *NIX expert, then I suggest you keep on reading so you know how to explain this world to mere mortals.

I called it *nix for a reason. It represents a family of thinking. It is not unlike the difference between the language C and C++. Are there differences between the two? Certainly. And it is not like the difference between COBOL and C.

Years ago when I ran my own vo-tech school I would teach the students there are only two things in life. MS and *NIX. A friend of mine, a genius developer in her own right was aghast.

Top Innovative Open Source Projects Making Waves in The Technology World

[Mar, 17, 2014] |
Tags:

A whole new world was thrown wide open with the advent of the concept of open source. The biggest advantage of open source projects is the easy availability of the source code and also the rights to tweak it or modify the code as we deem fit.

Listed below are some top open source projects that are making waves with their innovative ideas at this moment.

ProjectLibre

Project Libre is the open source replacement of Microsoft Project. It was one among the top 10 open source projects of 2013. With over 6 million downloads; it has most certainly captured the imagination of people around the world. Details of project Libre could be found at http://www.projectlibre.org/ . Project Libre has separate release for mainframes. It also has a web based version which further increases its overall appeal. One of the main advantages is that it has a list of tasks that can be tracked to closure. It can also be used in conjunction with LibreOffice to provide a great set of tools to the team leaders.

Diaspora

Tech Life in Texas

Austin may be considered the live music capital of the world but the field of technology is becoming the new norm in the The Lone Star State. Home to Dell and Compaq computers, there is a reason why central Texas is often referred to as the Silicon Valley of the south. It?s rated third on the charts of the top computer places in the United States with a social learning and training IT atmosphere. Adding the fact that Austin offers fairly inexpensive living costs for students, software developers may take note as they look to relocate.

A novice asked the master, 'What is the true meaning of programming?' The master replied: 'Eat when you are hungry, sleep when you are fatigued, program when the moment is right. Geoffrey James

other Learning Options

Software developers near Fort Worth have ample opportunities to meet like minded techie individuals, collaborate and expend their career choices by participating in Meet-Up Groups. The following is a list of Technology Groups in the area.

The Austin Python Meetup · Dallas .NET User's Group · El Paso Web Professionals (Beginners to Advanced) ·

Fortune 500 and 1000 companies in Texas that offer opportunities for Agile/Scrum developers

Company Name	City	Industry	Secondary Industry
Dr Pepper Snapple Group	Plano	Manufacturing	Nonalcoholic Beverages
Western Refining, Inc.	El Paso	Energy and Utilities	Gasoline and Oil Refineries
Frontier Oil Corporation	Dallas	Manufacturing	Chemicals and Petrochemicals
ConocoPhillips	Houston	Energy and Utilities	Gasoline and Oil Refineries
Dell Inc	Round Rock	Computers and Electronics	Computers, Parts and Repair
Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P.	Houston	Transportation and Storage	Transportation & Storage Other
GameStop Corp.	Grapevine	Retail	Retail Other
Fluor Corporation	Irving	Business Services	Management Consulting
Kimberly-Clark Corporation	Irving	Manufacturing	Paper and Paper Products
Exxon Mobil Corporation	Irving	Energy and Utilities	Gasoline and Oil Refineries
Plains All American Pipeline, L.P.	Houston	Energy and Utilities	Gasoline and Oil Refineries
Cameron International Corporation	Houston	Energy and Utilities	Energy and Utilities Other
Celanese Corporation	Irving	Manufacturing	Chemicals and Petrochemicals
HollyFrontier Corporation	Dallas	Energy and Utilities	Gasoline and Oil Refineries
Kinder Morgan, Inc.	Houston	Energy and Utilities	Gas and Electric Utilities
Marathon Oil Corporation	Houston	Energy and Utilities	Gasoline and Oil Refineries
United Services Automobile Association	San Antonio	Financial Services	Personal Financial Planning and Private Banking
J. C. Penney Company, Inc.	Plano	Retail	Department Stores
Energy Transfer Partners, L.P.	Dallas	Energy and Utilities	Energy and Utilities Other
Atmos Energy Corporation	Dallas	Energy and Utilities	Alternative Energy Sources
National Oilwell Varco Inc.	Houston	Manufacturing	Manufacturing Other
Tesoro Corporation	San Antonio	Manufacturing	Chemicals and Petrochemicals
Halliburton Company	Houston	Energy and Utilities	Energy and Utilities Other
Flowserve Corporation	Irving	Manufacturing	Tools, Hardware and Light Machinery
Commercial Metals Company	Irving	Manufacturing	Metals Manufacturing
EOG Resources, Inc.	Houston	Energy and Utilities	Gasoline and Oil Refineries
Whole Foods Market, Inc.	Austin	Retail	Grocery and Specialty Food Stores
Waste Management, Inc.	Houston	Energy and Utilities	Waste Management and Recycling
CenterPoint Energy, Inc.	Houston	Energy and Utilities	Gas and Electric Utilities
Valero Energy Corporation	San Antonio	Manufacturing	Chemicals and Petrochemicals
FMC Technologies, Inc.	Houston	Energy and Utilities	Alternative Energy Sources
Calpine Corporation	Houston	Energy and Utilities	Gas and Electric Utilities
Texas Instruments Incorporated	Dallas	Computers and Electronics	Semiconductor and Microchip Manufacturing
SYSCO Corporation	Houston	Wholesale and Distribution	Grocery and Food Wholesalers
BNSF Railway Company	Fort Worth	Transportation and Storage	Freight Hauling (Rail and Truck)
Affiliated Computer Services, Incorporated (ACS), a Xerox Company	Dallas	Software and Internet	E-commerce and Internet Businesses
Tenet Healthcare Corporation	Dallas	Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals and Biotech	Hospitals
XTO Energy Inc.	Fort Worth	Energy and Utilities	Gasoline and Oil Refineries
Group 1 Automotive	Houston	Retail	Automobile Dealers
ATandT	Dallas	Telecommunications	Telephone Service Providers and Carriers
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation	Spring	Energy and Utilities	Gasoline and Oil Refineries
Apache Corporation	Houston	Energy and Utilities	Gasoline and Oil Refineries
Dean Foods Company	Dallas	Manufacturing	Food and Dairy Product Manufacturing and Packaging
American Airlines	Fort Worth	Travel, Recreation and Leisure	Passenger Airlines
Baker Hughes Incorporated	Houston	Energy and Utilities	Gasoline and Oil Refineries
Continental Airlines, Inc.	Houston	Travel, Recreation and Leisure	Passenger Airlines
RadioShack Corporation	Fort Worth	Computers and Electronics	Consumer Electronics, Parts and Repair
KBR, Inc.	Houston	Government	International Bodies and Organizations
Spectra Energy Partners, L.P.	Houston	Energy and Utilities	Gas and Electric Utilities
Energy Future Holdings	Dallas	Energy and Utilities	Energy and Utilities Other
Southwest Airlines Corporation	Dallas	Transportation and Storage	Air Couriers and Cargo Services

training details locations, tags and why hsg

the hartmann software group advantage

why take Agile/Scrum Training with the hartmann software group?

A successful career as a software developer or other IT professional requires a solid understanding of software development processes, design patterns, enterprise application architectures, web services, security, networking and much more. The progression from novice to expert can be a daunting endeavor; this is especially true when traversing the learning curve without expert guidance. A common experience is that too much time and money is wasted on a career plan or application due to misinformation.

The Hartmann Software Group understands these issues and addresses them and others during any training engagement. Although no IT educational institution can guarantee career or application development success, HSG can get you closer to your goals at a far faster rate than self paced learning and, arguably, than the competition. Here are the reasons why we are so successful at teaching:

Learn from the experts.
1. We have provided software development and other IT related training to many major corporations in Texas since 2002.
2. Our educators have years of consulting and training experience; moreover, we require each trainer to have cross-discipline expertise i.e. be Java and .NET experts so that you get a broad understanding of how industry wide experts work and think.
Discover tips and tricks about Agile/Scrum programming
Get your questions answered by easy to follow, organized Agile/Scrum experts
Get up to speed with vital Agile/Scrum programming tools
Save on travel expenses by learning right from your desk or home office. Enroll in an online instructor led class. Nearly all of our classes are offered in this way.
Prepare to hit the ground running for a new job or a new position
See the big picture and have the instructor fill in the gaps
We teach with sophisticated learning tools and provide excellent supporting course material
Books and course material are provided in advance
Get a book of your choice from the HSG Store as a gift from us when you register for a class
Gain a lot of practical skills in a short amount of time
We teach what we know…software
We care…

learn more

page tags

what brought you to visit us

Fort Worth, Texas Agile/Scrum Training , Fort Worth, Texas Agile/Scrum Training Classes, Fort Worth, Texas Agile/Scrum Training Courses, Fort Worth, Texas Agile/Scrum Training Course, Fort Worth, Texas Agile/Scrum Training Seminar

training locations

Texas cities where we offer Agile/Scrum Training Classes

·Victoria, Texas · League City, TX · Brownsville · McKinney, TX ·Corpus Christi, Texas · Euless, TX ·Arlington, Texas · San Angelo, TX · Bryan · Abilene, TX ·Killeen, Texas · Richardson, TX ·Amarillo, Texas · Tyler, TX · El Paso · Pearland, TX ·Mesquite, Texas · Lubbock, TX ·Port Arthur, Texas · Pharr, TX · Mission · San Marcos, TX ·Waco, Texas · Sugar Land, TX ·Beaumont, Texas · Denton, TX · Frisco · Round Rock, TX ·Longview, Texas · Midland, TX ·North Richland Hills, Texas · Grapevine, TX · Harlingen · Dallas, TX ·Flower Mound, Texas · Garland, TX ·Wichita Falls, Texas · Houston, TX · Pasadena · Carrollton, TX ·Plano, Texas · Allen, TX ·Temple, Texas · New Braunfels, TX · Cedar Park · San Antonio, TX ·Lewisville, Texas · Galveston, TX ·McAllen, Texas · College Station, TX · Baytown · Fort Worth, TX ·Irving, Texas · Odessa, TX ·Laredo, Texas · Edinburg, TX · Conroe · Rowlett, TX ·Austin, Texas · Grand Prairie, TX ·Missouri City, Texas

Agile/Scrum Training Classes in Fort Worth, Texas

Agile/Scrum Training Catalog

Course Directory [training on all levels]

Blog Entries publications that: entertain, make you think, offer insight

Tech Life in Texas

training details locations, tags and why hsg

Interesting Reads Take a class with us and receive a book of your choosing for 50% off MSRP.