Getting Web projects done right and delivered on time is all about efficiency. Putting the information you need and tools you can rely on at your ready disposal-Managing Web Projects-is a complete guide for project managers in the Internetworking industry. Whether you are a Web developer or an Internet Service Provider, whether your project is a quick fix, a complete overhaul, or a new start-up, this resource provides you with an organized path. It will walk you through a typical project life cycle, while providing you with all the tools and definitions needed to take charge and instill confidence in your staff and your customers. Invaluable for those seeking ISO 9001 certification, the text includes a number of detailed Work Instructions that can be used to develop a formal quality management system specific to a project management organization. They can also be leveraged in a TQM (Total Quality Management) or a Six Sigma environment. The book includes: Management guidelines for web hosting, data center migrations, site security, content development, application and Web site loading and testing, VPNs, VoIP, business continuity, and disaster recovery An Internet project management glossary, a technical Internetworking glossary, and a project management acronym table A tools suite with a proven record of success for project initiation, planning, execution, control, and close out This complete resource provides the resources needed-including dozens of time-tested templates, schedules, checklists, and flow charts-to become fully versed in and aligned with the nine knowledge areas and five major processes codified by the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK (R)).

Close collaboration across agencies and international borders is mandatory for public health officials. A powerful tool for sharing knowledge, knowledge management (KM) can help public health professionals quickly collaborate and disseminate knowledge for solving public health issues worldwide. The latest initiatives for reforming healthcare have put the spotlight on the need for maximizing resources. In addition to providing a platform for sharing knowledge, KM can help healthcare professionals do more with less. One tool, two problems solved. Yet the sharing of knowledge and KM continues to be a major challenge in the public health field. Knowledge Management in Public Health provides a general introduction to KM and social networking in the public health arena. The book begins with coverage of basic principles, components, and methodologies as well as trends and key issues in public health. It includes ten case studies illustrating applications of KM and social networking in public health. The chapters are written by leading individuals from organizations involved in applying KM in public health worldwide. The editors and chapter authors explore the many elements of KM, delineating how and why to start such an initiative. They provide specific examples of the development and value-added benefits of KM in a variety of public health environments. Tough or quick decision making has always benefitted enormously from knowledge based on the maximum amount of pertinent information available at the time-this has not changed. What is new in the present public health environment is the need to do this more often, with fewer personnel available, and increased expectations relative to the services expected by the public. Better use of information under a KM system is well suited to serve that purpose. This book explores the many ways to use KM to anticipate potential health issues and quickly resolve key incidents when they occur.

Edited by Jussi Kantola, the founding faculty member of the world's first university Knowledge Service Engineering Department at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and Waldemar Karwowski from the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems at UCF, Knowledge Service Engineering Handbook defines what knowledge services engineering means and how it is different from service engineering and service production. This groundbreaking handbook explores recent advances in knowledge service engineering from the accomplished researchers and practitioners in this field from around the world and provides engineering, systemic, industry, and consumer use viewpoints to knowledge service systems and engineering paradigms. The handbook outlines how to acquire and utilize knowledge in the 21st century presenting multiple cultural aspects including US, European, and Asian perspectives. Organized into four parts, it begins with an introduction to the main concepts of knowledge services. It then explores data, information and knowledge based engineering methods and applications that can be used to develop knowledge services, followed by discussions of the importance of human networks in knowledge services. The handbook concludes with descriptions of high-performance knowledge service systems. This structure allows different uses: the information can be looked up as needed or read in the order presented. As with any new field, the excitement lies in seeing how to combine these advances in data, information, and human parts of knowledge services in the future. While most books on this subject concentrate on data, information, or knowledge, this handbook integrates coverage of all three, thus providing a complete examination of sustainable knowledge services. The handbook has been carefully designed to be of use to professionals who develop new knowledge services and related businesses, for academic researchers and lecturers to start new research projects, and for students studying knowledge services, knowledge service production, and knowledge service business.

An exploration of the benefits of cloud computing in geoscience research and applications as well as future research directions, Spatial Cloud Computing: A Practical Approach discusses the essential elements of cloud computing and their advantages for geoscience. Using practical examples, it details the geoscience requirements of cloud computing, covers general procedures and considerations when migrating geoscience applications onto cloud services, and demonstrates how to deploy different applications. The book discusses how to choose cloud services based on the general cloud computing measurement criteria and cloud computing cost models. The authors examine the readiness of cloud computing to support geoscience applications using open source cloud software solutions and commercial cloud services. They then review future research and developments in data, computation, concurrency, and spatiotemporal intensities of geosciences and how cloud service can be leveraged to meet the challenges. They also introduce research directions from the aspects of technology, vision, and social dimensions. Spatial Cloud Computing: A Practical Approach a common workflow for deploying geoscience applications and provides references to the concepts, technical details, and operational guidelines of cloud computing. These features and more give developers, geoscientists, and IT professionals the information required to make decisions about how to select and deploy cloud services.

The definition and parameters of teacher education have recently been changed by the concept of mentoring. Supporters of the concept maintain that it is an effective technique for inducting and retaining new teachers, but who and what are mentors, and what attributes do they possess? Previous research has identified collaboration, enthusiasm, emotional commitment, and sensitivity as the necessary traits of an effective mentor. It has also been found that mentors are available, give immediate feedback, listen attentively, and collaboratively solve problems with mentees. Epistemological structures that best serve the mentor-novice relationship, gender issues between mentors and proteges, and moral development orientations within the mentor-intern relationship have also been investigated. Thus, mentoring is a complex activity that involves a mentor, an intern or novice, and a process within a predetermined structure. The articles in this special issue validate the fact that the terms "good mentor" and "effective mentoring relationship" often elude easy definition. However, a common theme emerges: The mentor-mentee relationship is a transformative one that can change the course of one's life.

This is the second edition of the classic on the history of British horse racing. It provides a detailed and far-ranging social and economic analysis of the major changes in British flat racing, in particular in the period between 1830 and 1939. Four major themes are explored. Firstly, the changing character and structure of the sport. Secondly, the morality of racing, which was a corrupt sport par excellence for much of the nineteenth century. Thirdly, on four categories of participants in racing jockeys, trainers, owners and breeders. Here, the author assesses whether or not these could make money out of racing. Fourthly, the book examines gambling and its important symbiotic relationship with racing. The televised, sponsored, carefully governed sport today is a vastly different affair from that of the 18th century. Then racing was a free, social event, the highlight of the entertainment calendar for the bulk of the local community. By the late 19th century most race meetings were highly commercial enterprises, requiring payment from all spectators, many of whom had travelled some distance to attend. The excitement and historical interest of these meetings is well captured here."

The Complete Guide to Cybersecurity Risks and Controls presents the fundamental concepts of information and communication technology (ICT) governance and control. In this book, you will learn how to create a working, practical control structure that will ensure the ongoing, day-to-day trustworthiness of ICT systems and data. The book explains how to establish systematic control functions and timely reporting procedures within a standard organizational framework and how to build auditable trust into the routine assurance of ICT operations. The book is based on the belief that ICT operation is a strategic governance issue rather than a technical concern. With the exponential growth of security breaches and the increasing dependency on external business partners to achieve organizational success, the effective use of ICT governance and enterprise-wide frameworks to guide the implementation of integrated security controls are critical in order to mitigate data theft. Surprisingly, many organizations do not have formal processes or policies to protect their assets from internal or external threats. The ICT governance and control process establishes a complete and correct set of managerial and technical control behaviors that ensures reliable monitoring and control of ICT operations. The body of knowledge for doing that is explained in this text. This body of knowledge process applies to all operational aspects of ICT responsibilities ranging from upper management policy making and planning, all the way down to basic technology operation.

Whether you're preparing for your service management foundation exam, or simply want to understand service management better, this new edition of our popular book covers the latest thinking and provides a comprehensive, practical introduction to IT service management. Building on their collective service management experience, the authors walk you through essential concepts including processes, functions and roles and illustrate these with real-life examples.

With more than three decades of experience as a thought-leader and expert practitioner, PMI Fellow Dr. David Hillson shares practical insight into how upside risks can be identified, assessed, and managed as opportunities. After reviewing the benefits of identifying opportunities, the book steps through the opportunity identification and management process in detail, describing proven tools and techniques as well as specific tips to make them work in practice. The book places opportunity management in the context of traditional risk management, providing a familiar pathway that leads project managers to discover new benefits and successes. David Hillson is one of the foremost authorities on risk management. With his latest book he presents a strong case for managing opportunities. As with all of David's books, the style of writing is engaging and easy to understand. There are many nuggets of wisdom in this book, as well as a hands-on approach to leveraging opportunity management as a way of improving project performance. - Cyndi Snyder Dionisio, PMI Fellow, Coronado CA, USA. (Chair of the PMBOK (R) Guide, Sixth Edition) I enjoyed reading this book, which is precise, clear, logical, and persuasive. The clarity of thought and expression explains why David is such a sought-after speaker. This book is a must-read for project risk practitioners, as well as for project professionals who are serious about addressing all the risks on their project, including the good ones. - Dr Dale Cooper, Cammeray NSW, Australia. (Director, Broadleaf Capital International) At last, a clear and valuable book linking both sides of the coin in risk management: threats and opportunities. David Hillson truly engages the reader on how to deal with these two types of risk in projects, sharing his wisdom and extensive experience in creating value from risk management. Anyone who has to manage risk in real-world projects should read this book to enhance their opportunity management skills. - Professor Salim Al-Harthi, Muscat, Oman. (Director of Risk Management Office, Sultan Qaboos University) It is vital for value creation in business and in life that we consider uncertainties that would have upside impacts on our objectives (opportunities), as well as downside impacts (threats). Business gets confused between opportunities where there is a binary choice to take or not, and true uncertain opportunities that can be seized, or left to chance. David has persevered in helping us understand this and this important book is a must-read for all leaders who want to create value through the proactive management of risk. - Dr Ruth Murray-Webster, Wakefield, UK. (Partner, Beyond the Deal LLP and Editor, APM Body of Knowledge, 7th Edition) As project managers, we always seem to focus on threats, negative risks. David Hillson, one of the foremost thought-leaders on risk management, explains approaches to identify and manage opportunities, positive risks and how this will help achieve project success. As with his previous books, David provides a structured approach with examples, tools, and techniques. An excellent resource for all project managers in today's world. - Peter Monkhouse, Toronto ON, Canada. (Past Chair PMI Board of Directors)

There is considerable connection between growth of the personnel in the organization and the ability for the company to compete over time. Looking outside for help training may be required but looking within for opportunities for enhanced training and growth, will foster a continually improving and growing organization. This book examines the opportunities for learning, within the organization and its' activities, along with the connection to motivation. Additionally, it provides information on the characteristics of organizations that are able to quickly disseminate, along with approaches for improving this distribution of that learning throughout the organization.

The PMI-PBA (R) Exam Practice Test and Study Guide attempts to address all your questions and concerns by providing two of the most sought-after study aids: memory maps and practice questions. The systematic use of memory maps helps aid in the efficient recall of information and can boost confidence during the exam. Well-crafted practice questions are fantastic study aids that can be used to track your progress as you learn new concepts, introduce you to the complex sentence structure that is likely to appear on the exam, and concentrate your studies by domain, essentially preparing you to pass the very challenging PMI-PBA (R) Exam in the allotted four hours. In addition to study hints and exam topics, this book provides references to tools and techniques that should be incorporated into your work immediately. For each of the five domains outlined in the PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA) (R) Examination Content Outline 2013 (the ECO), twenty practice questions test your knowledge. Also included is a challenging 200-question practice exam, which is representative of the actual exam. To enhance your studies, a timed, online simulated exam is also provided. At the end of the simulated exam, you can see your score per the number of questions you answered correctly. These exam questions are crafted to foster learning and reinforce content; they are not obscure or overly complicated, but rather are representative of the actual exam. Knowing what to do must be translated into doing what you know. This book helps you prepare for the PMI-PBA (R) exam by instilling knowledge and encouraging critical thinking. As a result, the skills attained can lead to improved project success and outcomes, and you'll have a much stronger understanding of the material, along with the tools and techniques of business analysis. PMI-PBA (R) is a registered trademark of the Project Management Institute.

This book provides techniques for offshore center managers and head office managers to motivate and manage globally distributed teams, which are spread across the offshore center and the head office, and thereby achieve higher productivity. Readers learn how to integrate the offshore center with the head office to make the offshore team an extension of the head office. While integrating teams with the head office, offshore center managers can still retain independence and authority to meet team aspirations. The book provides insight into devising new organizational structures to balance the authority and responsibilities of offshore center and head office managers. Head office managers responsible for managing globally distributed projects learn how to achieve a higher success rate on their projects and be better rewarded for their efforts in offshoring. Head office managers also learn techniques to make more significant contributions in their expatriate assignments to the offshore center. This book guides both the offshore center managers and the head office managers to fully realize the potential of the offshore center, which can result in higher revenues and profitability.

Going where no book on software measurement and metrics has previously gone, this critique thoroughly examines a number of bad measurement practices, hazardous metrics, and huge gaps and omissions in the software literature that neglect important topics in measurement. The book covers the major gaps and omissions that need to be filled if data about software development is to be useful for comparisons or estimating future projects. Among the more serious gaps are leaks in reporting about software development efforts that, if not corrected, can distort data and make benchmarks almost useless and possibly even harmful. One of the most common leaks is that of unpaid overtime. Software is a very labor-intensive occupation, and many practitioners work very long hours. However, few companies actually record unpaid overtime. This means that software effort is underreported by around 15%, which is too large a value to ignore. Other sources of leaks include the work of part-time specialists who come and go as needed. There are dozens of these specialists, and their combined effort can top 45% of total software effort on large projects. The book helps software project managers and developers uncover errors in measurements so they can develop meaningful benchmarks to estimate software development efforts. It examines variations in a number of areas that include: Programming languages Development methodology Software reuse Functional and nonfunctional requirements Industry type Team size and experience Filled with tables and charts, this book is a starting point for making measurements that reflect current software development practices and realities to arrive at meaningful benchmarks to guide successful software projects.

The U.S. economy thrives on the development of new products, new systems, and new processes. Usually, these advances start as a flash of inspiration by highly creative individuals. It is complex and difficult to go from initial inspiration to a final product, process, or system. So it is not surprising that approximately one out of every four development programs fails. A development program or project in trouble is distinct from a program encountering typical development difficulties. Such a program or project can appear to be in free fall. This book identifies the essential fundamentals for executing a program or project turnaround effectively. These fundamentals include: Clearly identifying the next critical accomplishment needed for success Assigning responsibility for each program task to one person Capitalizing on colocation and face-to-face communication Recruiting problem solvers Wining commitment from team members Using team accomplishments to propel high team morale The guidance provided in this book is applicable to all program or project genres, including manufacturing, nonprofit work, education, medicine, investment management, and municipal management. Software has become a great part of both providing product functionality and assisting with managing product development. A special chapter devoted to software development dispels common misconceptions and provides guidance for turning around this special type of project or program. This book is a highly valuable source of insight for a wide range of readers, including management professionals, business students, and executive managers. Every member of a product or project development team will find its recommendations to be of high value.

This book on performance fundamentals covers UNIX, OpenVMS, Linux, Windows, and MVS. Most of the theory and systems design principles can be applied to other operating systems, as can some of the benchmarks. The book equips professionals with the ability to assess performance characteristics in unfamiliar environments. It is suitable for practitioners, especially those whose responsibilities include performance management, tuning, and capacity planning. IT managers with a technical outlook also benefit from the book as well as consultants and students in the world of systems for the first time in a professional capacity.

Are you still searching for the workplace that deserves someone like you? Do you really have a good understanding about what is going on out there, in the business world? In this book, we will discuss the importance of agility and how it affects the solutions that are being delivered by an organization. We will also talk about how a blend of strategic innovation, visionary leadership, and organizational agility go hand in hand to ensure the success of an organization. Enterprise agility is not a far-fetched possibility. Once the problems of the organization are identified, with the right tools and effort, the agility, efficiency, and effectiveness of an organization, as well as the processes that the success of the organization are based on, can all be maximized. This book will broaden your thinking and will help you expand your horizons.

Software is one of the most important products in human history and is widely used by all industries and all countries. It is also one of the most expensive and labor-intensive products in human history. Software also has very poor quality that has caused many major disasters and wasted many millions of dollars. Software is also the target of frequent and increasingly serious cyber-attacks. Among the reasons for these software problems is a chronic lack of reliable quantified data. This reference provides quantified data from many countries and many industries based on about 26,000 projects developed using a variety of methodologies and team experience levels. The data has been gathered between 1970 and 2017, so interesting historical trends are available. Since current average software productivity and quality results are suboptimal, this book focuses on "best in class" results and shows not only quantified quality and productivity data from best-in-class organizations, but also the technology stacks used to achieve best-in-class results. The overall goal of this book is to encourage the adoption of best-in-class software metrics and best-in-class technology stacks. It does so by providing current data on average software schedules, effort, costs, and quality for several industries and countries. Because productivity and quality vary by technology and size, the book presents quantitative results for applications between 100 function points and 100,000 function points. It shows quality results using defect potential and DRE metrics because the number one cost driver for software is finding and fixing bugs. The book presents data on cost of quality for software projects and discusses technical debt, but that metric is not standardized. Finally, the book includes some data on three years of software maintenance and enhancements as well as some data on total cost of ownership.

"Vivek Kale has written a great book on performance management that focuses on decision-making; on continuous, incremental improvement; and on identifying common patterns in becoming a more intelligent organization." -James Taylor, CEO of Decision Management Solutions and author of Real-World Decision Modeling with DMN "Introducing the concepts of decision patterns and performance intelligence, Vivek Kale has written another important book on the issues faced by contemporary organizations."-Gary Cokins, author of Predictive Business Analytics and Performance Management: Integrating Strategy Execution, Methodologies, Risk, and Analytics Enterprise Performance Intelligence and Decision Patterns unravels the mystery of enterprise performance intelligence (EPI) and explains how it can transform the operating context of business enterprises. It provides a clear understanding of what EPI means, what it can do, and application areas where it is practical to use. The need to be responsive to evolving customer needs and desires creates organizational structures where business intelligence (BI) and decision making is pushed out to operating units that are closest to the scene of the action. Closed-loop decision making resulting from a combination of on-going performance management with on-going BI can lead to an effective responsive enterprise; hence, the need for performance intelligence (PI). This pragmatic book: Introduces the technologies such as data warehousing, data mining, analytics, and business intelligence systems that are a first step toward enabling data-driven enterprises. Details decision patterns and performance decision patterns that pave the road for performance intelligence applications. Introduces the concepts, principles, and technologies related to performance measurement systems. Describes the concepts and principles related to balance scorecard systems (BCS). Introduces aspects of performance intelligence for the real-time enterprises. Enterprise Performance Intelligence and Decision Patterns shows how a company can design and implement instruments ranging from decision patterns to PI systems that can enable continuous correction of business unit behavior so companies can enhance levels of productivity and profitability.

There are a number of books on computational intelligence (CI), but they tend to cover a broad range of CI paradigms and algorithms rather than provide an in-depth exploration in learning and adaptive mechanisms. This book sets its focus on CI based architectures, modeling, case studies and applications in big data analytics, and business intelligence. The intended audiences of this book are scientists, professionals, researchers, and academicians who deal with the new challenges and advances in the specific areas mentioned above. Designers and developers of applications in these areas can learn from other experts and colleagues through this book.

While emerging technologies create massive opportunity, especially for investors and companies that seek more adaptable forms of economic growth than currently available, value is held inert by traditional approaches, patents, and other closed systems. Yet, open data, content, and information may be the key to mass innovation for future technologies, although they bring difficult challenges to private-industry models that depend on the established ideas of intellectual property. It is from this foundational observation that OpenXFORM (a blending of the words Open and the engineering abbreviation for Transformation) was developed and is explored and described in this book. The intent of the model design is to synthesize an approach to the process of innovation, inspired by natural systems and human-centric design processes. OpenXFORM describes how an open system of innovation can adapt to the unregulated world of information, data, and content; can decompose its own information to release to the open world; and can discover ways to find the points of synergy among the studied and tested methodologies that put human relationships first. This book presents an explicit innovation process that shows how to move from a breakthrough idea through a process that encourages innovative thinkers to test their assumptions, validate hypotheses, and tune and tweak their ideas, not only to drive solutions for users but also to meet the strategic goals of their companies. The anatomy of innovation through OpenXFORM contains the process for moving ideas from a flight of fancy to an explicit concept that is ready to produce.

This book highlights the practical aspects of using Oracle Essbase and Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE) as a comprehensive BI solution. It explains the key steps involved in Oracle Essbase and OBIEE implementations. Using case studies, the book covers Oracle Essbase for analytical BI and data integration, using OBIEE for operational BI including presentation services and BI Publisher for real-time reporting services, Self-service BI- in terms of VLDB, scalability, high performance, stability, long-lasting and ease of use that saves time, effort, and costs, while maximizing ROI.

Written for those starting a career in IT or whose career is well advanced, this career guide shows how to blaze a path to success through the jungle of modern IT. With a career spanning five decades, the author shares lessons he learned the hard way so readers do not have to learn them the hard way. By emphasizing the importance of business processes and applications to IT, this book explains how to understand the value and positioning of hardware and software technology in order to make appropriate decisions. It addresses the importance of IT architecture and the roles service and systems management play. It also explains service level agreements (SLAs) and provides sample SLAs. Readers learn how to conduct IT assessments using SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. It also shows how to use root-cause analysis (RCA) to detect the sources of failure and poor performance. An overview of risk management and the steps involved in developing a business continuity plan are also included. The book looks at all facets of an IT professional's career. It explains how to build an IT team and examines the roles and responsibilities within the team. It shows how to provide professional customer care to IT clients. Business executives recognize the importance of IT, and this book shows technology professionals how to thrive in the business world. It covers: Making effective presentations Report and proposal writing Negotiating and persuasion skills Running productive meetings Time and stress management The book also discusses such important career skills as listening, continual and incremental learning, and communicating at all levels. From its templates and checklists to its comprehensive and holistic view of a successful IT career, this book is an indispensable guide for every professional working in IT today and tomorrow.

* Provides simple, conceptual descriptions of everyday technologies * Includes clear examples and diagrams that demonstrate the principles and techniques, not just a "how-to" punch list * Covers advanced topics for readers who want to dive into the deep end of the technology pool * Avoids jargon-where terminology does appear, the text will provide clear, concise definitions

Unique selling point: Advanced technology and applications in the education domain Core audience: Academics and researchers Place in the market: Academic reference book

Building a data-driven organization (DDO) is an enterprise-wide initiative that may consume and lock up resources for the long term. Understandably, any organization considering such an initiative would insist on a roadmap and business case to be prepared and evaluated prior to approval. This book presents a step-by-step methodology in order to create a roadmap and business case, and provides a narration of the constraints and experiences of managers who have attempted the setting up of DDOs. The emphasis is on the big decisions - the key decisions that influence 90% of business outcomes - starting from decision first and reengineering the data to the decisions process-chain and data governance, so as to ensure the right data are available at the right time, every time. Investing in artificial intelligence and data-driven decision making are now being considered a survival necessity for organizations to stay competitive. While every enterprise aspires to become 100% data-driven and every Chief Information Officer (CIO) has a budget, Gartner estimates over 80% of all analytics projects fail to deliver intended value. Most CIOs think a data-driven organization is a distant dream, especially while they are still struggling to explain the value from analytics. They know a few isolated successes, or a one-time leveraging of big data for decision making does not make an organization data-driven. As of now, there is no precise definition for data-driven organization or what qualifies an organization to call itself data-driven. Given the hype in the market for big data, analytics and AI, every CIO has a budget for analytics, but very little clarity on where to begin or how to choose and prioritize the analytics projects. Most end up investing in a visualization platform like Tableau or QlikView, which in essence is an improved version of their BI dashboard that the organization had invested into not too long ago. The most important stakeholders, the decision-makers, are rarely kept in the loop while choosing analytics projects. This book provides a fail-safe methodology for assured success in deriving intended value from investments into analytics. It is a practitioners' handbook for creating a step-by-step transformational roadmap prioritizing the big data for the big decisions, the 10% of decisions that influence 90% of business outcomes, and delivering material improvements in the quality of decisions, as well as measurable value from analytics investments. The acid test for a data-driven organization is when all the big decisions, especially top-level strategic decisions, are taken based on data and not on the collective gut feeling of the decision makers in the organization.