WorkTamer Conference 2010: Sessions
Please note: we are currently in the process of selecting speakers and sessions for Toronto and Montreal.
Call for Speakers OPEN for Toronto and Montreal
Please visit our Call for Speakers page if you are interested in speaking at one of our events.
Conducting Workshops
Conduct a Workshop to:
- gather data when customer participation is required (e.g., confirm requirements and design)
- facilitate problem solving by a group
- obtain group involvement and consensus on an issue (e.g., a strategy or plan)
- improve communication between system designers and system users
- increase consistency in data gathering (i.e., multiple participants are present and any differences in information supplied must be resolved)
- reduce time for data gathering (i.e., ideas are generated in a short time frame, feedback is immediate, and information does not have to be repeated)
Workshops are also referred to as Joint Application Development (JAD) sessions.
Workshop sessions, guided by a facilitator, bring together a team of customer representatives and information systems
professionals for a structured group discussion.
Presented by Craig Borysowich from Imagination Edge.
Design Planning
We all complete a full design document prior to coding, don't we? What elements should be included in the design document?
This session will explore a number of techniques for producing a solid design document and obtaining buy-in from the end users.
This session is presented from the viewpoint of a SQL Server developer but the majority of the information provided will apply
to all software projects. Sample documents from real system implementations will be provided.
Presented by Michael Lato from DataTamer.
Doing Business with the Government of Canada
Learn about the fundamentals of selling goods and services to the Government of Canada. This seminar provides information
on how to market to the federal government, how the government does its buying, and how to keep track of opportunities to bid
on Canadian government purchases. An introduction to the MERX and SRI systems is included.
Presented by John Johnstone from the Government of Canada.
Fail Fast and Succeed
Software development projects are notorious for change. It's a fact of our profession. Clients can't adequately communicate
their needs or desires and the development team doesn't provide the software for approval frequently. On top of that, unforeseen
technical issues appear and block our planned paths. These and other reasons slow projects to a grinding pace. Re-work of the
application, the project plans and the schedules are required any time that change occurs. Because we tend to reveal our progress
late in the game, the re-work effort can be quite large.
This session is going to look at techniques and tools that any development team can use to increase the speed of the
success/failure feedback loop. We'll talk about why it's important to increase the speed of that feedback at project and
individual levels.
Presented by Donald Belcham from igloocoder.com Consulting.
How to Get Promoted and Dump Your Pager
IT jobs can be a never-ending on-call cycle of racing into the office or fixing broken servers. Learn several routes to a
better career including consulting, management, and writing. Brent Ozar has tried each of these routes, and he'll talk about
the pros and cons of each approach. He'll share his proven methods to get ahead on each career track and get you started on your way.
Presented by Brent Ozar from Quest Software.
Inbox Zero: The Art of Email
If you're using Outlook rules to filter server alert emails out of your inbox, or if you can't even count the number of
unread emails you've got, you're not going to advance your career. Bosses notice who's really on top of their email and they
see it as a sign of a successful employee. Brent's taught dozens of IT staff how to manage their priorities and their inboxes
better and he can help you too. In this session he'll pass on his lessons on how to ruthlessly prioritize, how to triage your
inbox, and how to do it all without offending your boss and your customers.
Presented by Brent Ozar from Quest Software.
My Co-workers Are 9000 Miles Away! How to Succeed on a Distributed Team
More and more technology professionals work with colleagues who are based all over the world. Being part of a distributed
team means dealing with differences in communication style, work culture and time zones. Based in the U.S., Denise McInerney
works on a team that has 50% of its members in India. In this session Denise will share her tips and techniques for how to
be successful when working with people on the other side of the world.
Presented by Denise McInerney from Intuit Software.
Parachuting Into a Brownfield
During our careers as developers, we will work on code that is not greenfield and not legacy. You'll start on projects
that have been under development for some time, probably have sizable codebases, are working with newer technologies and may or
may not, have been released to testers, let alone production. Starting on projects like this has its own set of technical and
professional problems. What is the most efficient way to get up to speed with the code? How do you approach trying to move the
project to implement industry best practice without causing too big of a stir? This session will look at things that you, as
"Joe Developer", can do to make your transition smoother. We will also talk about how you can make incremental movement to
improve the project's ecosystem and practices.
Presented by Donald Belcham from igloocoder.com Consulting.
Production Release
Abstract pending.
Presented by Michael Lato from DataTamer.
Project Management: Old School
Are you responsible for the organization and planning of your own projects? Would you like your projects to complete
successfully on a high note? This session will provide the project management tools needed to produce a successful
production release for your code. Highlights include writing successful beta tests, quality review and rollback plans.
Presented by Michael Lato from DataTamer.
Running Better Meetings
Meetings should be used for communicating with team members and promoting group problem solving. The meetings technique can be used for any form of meeting from small gatherings of two or three participants to large scale gatherings. The approach needs to become more formal as a meeting gets larger. Topics include:
- Things to do before the meeting
- Meeting climate
- Controlling the meeting
- Handling Problem Situations
- Resolving Conflicts
- Role of the scribe
- Tips & Tricks
Presented by Craig Borysowich from Imagination Edge.
Software Craftsmanship
Developers are in a special place. We're not a formally recognized profession like lawyers, opticians, dentists or your
proctologist. We do, however, have an enormous amount of business trust placed in us by our employers. Business regularly asks
us to build critical applications which, when they fail, can have enormous financial impact. With that amount of trust being
placed in us why are we commonly seen as a bunch of dark room residing, un-kempt, anti-social freaks? Is it justified? Should
it be this way? The development community has for far too long, taken this image and their subsequent failures and worn them
with a badge of pride. It is time for this to change, and change starts with you. How you approach yourself, your daily tasks,
your peers, your employers and your career reflect on the overall state of the IT (and software development specifically)
industry. How are you going to change from being a burger flipper with a computer and desk to being a highly touted craftsman
with finely honed tools and earned respect in your repertoire?
Presented by Donald Belcham from igloocoder.com Consulting.
Successful Telecommuting
Would you rather work from home or fight traffic to the office every day? Telecommuting has grown exponentially in recent
years but it doesn't work for everyone. This session explores the positives and pitfalls of telecommuting along with techniques
for avoiding the downsides. We will also discuss ways to gain your manager's acceptance. Presented by someone who has been
telecommuting for the past three years - come learn from real-world experience.
Presented by Michael Lato from DataTamer.
Talk Your Way to the Top
Abstract pending.
Presented by Michael Lato from DataTamer.
Team Building
Good teams don't just happen, they are built. The team building technique identifies a set of guidelines for building the kind of effective teamwork that is necessary for optimum team performance. The team building guidelines have been organized into the following topics:
- Characteristics of High-Performing Teams
- Stages of Team Growth
- Understanding Personality and Temperament
- The Team Building Process
- Tips for Becoming an Effective Team Member
- Working With Diversity
Presented by Craig Borysowich from Imagination Edge.
Time Management
With the current economic pressures facing almost every industry, we are being called upon to do more with even less. This
session will discuss techniques for increasing daily productivity without increasing your stress.
Presented by Michael Lato from DataTamer.
Women in Technology: Special Challenges & Common Ground
What issues do women working in the tech field confront? Is the hi-tech playing field level, or do women face particular
challenges? This session will explore the realities of the world of today's female technology worker and discuss why having
more women succeed in tech would benefit their male co-workers.
Presented by Denise McInerney from Intuit Software.
Zero to Blogger in One Hour
Blogging is your shortcut to the top of the resume stack. It differentiates you from the hundreds of other people out
there who will beat you out for the very best jobs and highest billable rates. In this session, Brent Ozar will spend 5-10
minutes showing you why it's important to blog, and then focus on the mechanics of building a blog. By the end of the session,
you'll know exactly how to get started blogging and avoid many common pitfalls.
Presented by Brent Ozar from Quest Software.