Thursday, February 25, 2010

effectiveness & efficiency and the use of them

1. Discuss the difference between effectiveness & efficiency with suitable examples.

In management terms, efficiency is "doing things right" and effectiveness is doing the right things"

Effectiveness relates the input or the output to the final objectives to be achieved (the outcome)

  • efficiency=quality/Input quantity
  • Effectiveness=objectives/Input Quantity

In management, effectiveness relates to getting the right things done. Peter Drucker reminds us that effectiveness is an important discipline which “can be learned and must be earned.”

The effectiveness is more difficult to assess than efficiency, since the outcome is influenced political choice. The effectiveness shows the success of the resources used in achieving the objectives set.

Example:
When deploying a transport service, efficiency and effectiveness both comes together to complete the task successfully. In this scenario, effectiveness could be identified by "buying/hiring" vehicles. It means the management should understand the use of the vehicles before buy/hire them. If the management buy wrong type of vehicles to use them for transport service, will lead to bankrupt because some vehicles will not meet the requirements well and will not provide the service which has expected. Some vehicles will not enough for passengers and will make to hire more vehicles. Then it will lead to increase the staff and will make more expenses (vehicle expenses/ salaries to the staff)
Then shall we talk about the efficiency. If the transport service provide the services at unneeded times that less number of passengers using the service, the service will not make profits. So, using a timetable is a must when thinking about the efficiency. It means "doing things right".


2. Which is more important for performance? and Can managers improve both simultaneously?

Efficiency and effectiveness both comes together because both of them are connected to each other. We can't think about the effectiveness without efficiency and we can't think about the efficiency without effectiveness.

Efficiency alone will put the company on the fast track to bankrupt .

Effectiveness (efficacy) alone *may * allow the company to survive. How ever the company will not reach it's maximum potential if it is inefficient.

  • Low Efficiency / High Effectiveness
    • there is a right goal, but less/poor usage of resources. (leads to expansive result)
  • High Efficiency / Low Effectiveness
    • Inappropriate goals but right usage of resources. (leads to deliver unwanted products at lower price)
  • Low Efficiency / Low Effectiveness
    • Works on a wrong target and less/poor usage of resources. (leads to deliver expensive, unwanted products)

  • High Efficiency /High Effectiveness
    • Works on a Right goal using right resources in a right way. (delivers good/useful products at affordable price)

So, effectiveness & efficiency relates to each other by connecting inputs, outputs and outcomes.

Programming best practices

good programming practices 
using best practices when developing a program/project will help to make successful product without bugs. here are some best practices which needs to follow when developing a project.


Omit needless codes

Needless codes will make the codes unreadable and hard to understand. It will make hard to find the errors when any error has occur. Needless codes will add “lines of code” to the project and will support to earn more money to the developer. But when he/she needs to troubleshoot, needless codes will make hard to find the errors. Sometimes the needless codes will make some critical/hard to identify errors.

Identify duplicate codes
Identifying duplicate codes will helps to remove unnecessary “lines of codes” and will ease the debugging process. Editing the same code at several places will waste some time and delays the deployment of the project. So, it's better if the developer could identify duplicate codes and use that particular code at one place and linking that code to everyplace that needed. It will ease the editing/debugging process because developer no need to find everyplace to edit/debug and editing/debugging a single place will affects to the everyplace which the code is linked.

Using less number of “lines of codes”
When lines of code increased , the project will become large/heavy in size and hard to troubleshoot. So,the developer should use less number of “lines of codes”. Then the project will be smaller in size and will ease the troubleshooting process.

Commenting the codes
When developing a project, it's better if the developer could “comment” the every part of the program. It will helps to identify the usage of that particular “lines of code” and will ease the management/troubleshooting/update process of the program at later time.

Plan Development Process/Life-cycle
Planning the development process/life-cycle helps to determine every part of the development according to a structured plan. Then developer will not forget to do something important on his/her development process.

Plan the time line
Planning the time line will help to identify every work which have to do according to the time and developer could identify what should do in particular day and he/she could predict the development process according to the time.

Gathering Requirements.
Gathering requirements helps to develop the exact program which needs to built. If not programmer will end up with missing some requirements and will be unsuccessful. If the programmer didn't develop the program to fulfill the needs/requirements then developing the program will be useless.

Design
Selecting a suitable design will ease to use program by the user.

Coding separate parts and integrate them in to the main program.
It will ease troubleshoot and testing process as well as the coding process.

Testing
Without testing the developer can't identify the errors. If the developer didn't test his/her codes till the end of the development process, when he/she find any error will make him to edit/code many “lines of code” and it will make many errors. Editing many “lines of code” at the last time will make the programmer unsuccessful.

Performance testing
programmer should develop the program to give the actual performance to the user. So, performance testing will help to identify the missing parts and several errors which leads to minimize the performance.

Deployment
This is the last stage of the development process. This is the stage that user gets the project. Sometimes it will be failed due to some reasons and if it failed , user can't use the project as expected. Before deployment, developer should check a “deployment checklist” to ensure that user could use the product as expected.

System operations and support
There should be a method to identify errors when running the program. So, if there is a method to collect/identify the errors/bugs when running the program will be ease the work of “debugging”

Data migration
It's better if the program could support to the files/data which used in older/other programs. It will help to save the time to enter data into the new program because if there is an older program, user could use the data which associated with that old program inside the new program.

Project Management
Project management is the main part of the development process and it ensures that the existence programming best practices and follows the best practices.


Measuring success
checking the final project meets the industry standards.


Source:
Best practices for software development projects
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/websphere/library/techarticles/0306_perks/perks2.html
Accessed on 02/24/2010 07:16 AM

Friday, February 19, 2010

A new day has come...

Is the world is equal to a Ball? or is it a Plate? Is the world is beautiful? or isn't beautiful? Doesn't a matter if the world is a Ball or a Plate or it's beautiful or isn't beautiful. A new day has come..

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Lyrics - Mandy Moore - Cry

I'll always remember
It was late afternoon
It lasted forever
And ended so soon (yea)
You were all by yourself
Staring up at a dark gray sky
I was changed

In places no one will find
All your feelings so deep inside (deep inside)
Was there that I realized
That forever was in your eyes
The moment I saw you cry (cry)

Moment that I saw you cry

It was late in September
And I've seen you before (seen you before)
You were always the cold one
But I was never that sure

You were all by yourself
Staring up at a dark gray sky
I was changed

In places no one will find
All your feelings so deep inside (deep inside)
Was there that I realized
That forever was in your eyes
The moment I saw you cry

I wanted to hold you
I wanted to make it go away
I wanted to know you
I wanted to make your everything, all right....

I'll always remember...
It was late afternoon...
In places no one will find...
(Baby oh no nooooo)

In places no one will find
All your feelings so deep inside
(forever was in your eyes)
It was there that I realized
That forever was in your eyes
The moment I saw you cry
Baby cry
The moment that I saw you cry
I think I saw you cry
The moment I saw you cry

Fade out
I wanted to know you
I wanted to know you
I wanted to know you

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Lyrics- Celine Dion - Eyes On Me

I know that once in love
You don't think of the devil who's inside
And maybe it will come one day
When you'll feel safe and I won't have the time

You hear what you wanna hear
Play it once I could disappear
Some rules to the game of me
Get it right for both of us

Just say what you wanna say
I've got it to give away
We both want to make it last
So keep your eyes on me
Your eyes on me

It's not an illusion
That you're the one
And I have fallen deep
I said it from the start
When we're apart
You must only think of me

Temptation is all around
Take good care of what you found
That's why when I turn around
You better keep
You better keep your eyes on me
No matter what you think I need
No matter what you once believed
If you're mine

So you better say

No matter what you think of me
No it doesn't really matter what you once believed
I wanna be the air you breathe
Yeah you better be everything you said you'd be

I'm gonna be your only one
We really can't go on
No matter what you think of me
You better keep your eyes on me

You say that you want me
Open up your heart
Even if it's hard
Say that you need me
Then let him know
Baby don't put on a show

You say that you need me
Tell him how you feel
Let him know it's real
And if you love me
Never turn your back
Gonna keep my eyes on there

Temptation is all around
Take good care of what you found
That's why when I turn around
You better keep
You better keep your eyes on me
No matter what you think I need
No matter what you once believed
If you're mine

So you better say

No matter what you think of me
No it doesn't really matter what you once believed
I wanna be the air you breathe
Yeah you better be everything you said you'd be

I'm gonna be your only one
We really can't go on
No matter what you think of me
You better keep your eyes on me
Your eyes on me
Your eyes on me

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Pros and Cons of the HTML

this is an another post of mine for our LMS-forum...

HTML stands for "Hyper Text Markup Language" and it's widely spread all around the web.

there are many advantages of HTML and I think there aren't too many disadvantages.

Advantages

  • We can use HTML mixed with scripting languages like JavaScript.
  • HTML is easier to learn (for me)
  • HTML could be read using many programs like email clients, web browsers and many.
  • Runs on the client side. So, we could view the source using a web-browser.
  • Universal, versatile and free to use.
  • Supports to multiple platforms. ( doesn't matter if that HTML page was created using a Windows PC or a MAC, that page runs well on Linux as well.)
  • Could be read using even a text mode web-browser.
  • Easy to read by the Search Engines.
  • Many scripting languages like php needed to use HTML. (when creating forms using php we couldn't do it using just php and HTML helps to the scene to make easier the creation of the form)
  • No need to install anything in to the client PC although it runs in the client side.
  • Lightweight. (html pages are consists from texts and because of that reason the pages are very small in size)so it's easy to upload and download. (in to the server and from the server)
Disadvantages ( I think there aren't too many disadvantages of HTML)
  • HTML is far behind than other languages because it's "Static" language.
  • Couldn't used for Database connectivity.
  • Couldn't create Dynamic pages using just HTML only. need to mix some other scripting languages with it to create dynamic pages.
  • Lack of security. But it doesn't matter because other scripting languages help it and never used (HTML only) for any secure web pages.
  • need to create several pages when distributing. It means there will be several/many files. (we could distribute as one file for everything when using a programming language)

How networking helps to a bank ...

this is an another post of mine for our LMS forum...

Banking System needs a very good network with its every branch. If not, customers couldn't deposit or withdraw money from everywhere in the island and they will have to go to the branch that they opened their accounts when they needs to deposit or withdraw money. because every branch is connected to each other, customers wouldn't face to any difficult when banking for their needs and they can do their banking needs at any branch in the island. It means , if anyone borrowed any loan from any branch, he or she could pay it using any branch of the bank.

If there's a bank without the network, customers never come to that bank to do their banking needs, because if any customer done any banking with any branch, he or she should come to that particular branch to do the rest of their banking. It makes the customer unhappy.

Keeping the customer happy and making their works too easy , attracts more customers to the business.
Networking helps to ease the management of the bank by a central location.

If there is a natural disaster or something occurred and if any branch becomes faulty and out-of-service, customers could use another branch to do their banking needs.

So, networking is essential to the banking system in Sri-Lanka.