Some people jump for the phone the instant something seems to be going wrong with their computer. There are certainly times when a tech guru can help you out of a tech jam, but there are other times when a call to tech support will wind you up on one of those lists of tech support stories about people who can't figure out why the drink holder is asking them to insert a CD. Here are the three instances where you will absolutely want to call a tech guru.
Repeated Freezing, Choppiness and Slowdown
When a computer freezes up the first time, maybe it's overheating. Put it in front of a fan or let it rest a little more often. When it slows down or gives choppy performance now and then, it may just be that it's overworked. Try closing some programs down. If it happens every day no matter what you're doing, call a tech guru because something's wrong.
Random Crashing and Shutting Down
If your computer is shutting itself down completely at random, it may be doing this as something of a defensive measure against viruses, malware and so on, or it could be a hardware malfunction. If it happens once, it might just be an automatic reboot to properly install some software. If it happens twice in a row, chances are it's a real problem that needs to be dealt with quickly in order to prevent any permanent damage from taking place.
Computer Refuses to Start Up
When a computer turns on, but just won't boot up for whatever reason, give it a couple tries and call your tech guru. If the computer just plain won't turn on, then chances are there's something wrong with the power cord or, if it's a laptop, perhaps the battery is dead and the computer needs to be recharged. It could be an issue with the thing just not being plugged in. When the computer starts up, then gives you some sort of error and immediately shuts itself back down, freezes up or shows a warning message of some sort, a tech guru should be able to talk you through just about any common problem.
It is worth noting that no matter how well your tech guru knows his or her stuff, they can't save data that's lost in a hard drive crash or a total system failure. Sometimes getting your computer back on track will effectively require starting over from scratch. If possible, buy or borrow a USB drive in order to store everything that you absolutely need to keep so that you can put it right back on the computer after the tech guys have patched your laptop or desktop back up. If you know how to fix a problem yourself, go for it. If not, call a tech guru.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Defining Scrum: A Compilation of Scrum Terms
Scrum, a software development process developed by Hirotaka Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka in 1986, has become highly popular as a general product development framework in today's businesses. If you're looking into trying this methodology, here are a few key terms that you need to familiarize yourself with before you get started.
• Product Owner - The "Product Owner" represents the customer's voice in the development process. The "Product Owner" is actually a member of the development team who researches customer opinions and stories, and adds them to product backlog for the team's reference.
• ScrumMaster - The "ScrumMaster" (or "Scrum Master") facilitates the entire process. He or she serves as the buffer between the team and impediments or distractions, keeping the team focused on the current tasks. A ScrumMaster can also act as the Product Owner if ned be.
• Teams - The teams involved in this methodology who have cross-functional skills that can used to do the actual development work, including analysis and research, design and development, testing, and even documentation. Scrum teams typically have 5-9 members in them, and are usually self-organized (though team managers/leaders still fall under the authority of the ScrumMaster).
• Backlog - Backlogs are lists of tasks that the team needs to work on. There are two types of backlogs: the product backlog, which is the overall list of what needs to be done during the entire process; and the sprint backlog, which is a list of tasks that need to be completed during the sprint.
• Sprint - Sprints in scrum methodology are time periods wherein the actual action and development occurs. They typically last for 2-4 weeks, and the tasks to be accomplished during each sprint are based on the sprint backlog.
• Sprint burn down chart - This is a checklist of tasks that is updated on a daily basis during a sprint. This is displayed in such a way that all the team members can see and update it easily, and keep track of what remains to be accomplished.
• Daily scrum - Short, daily meetings that occur during a sprint. During this meeting, the team discusses what was accomplished the previous day, what needs to be done, and any problems or impediments that are hindering progress.
• Sprint Retrospective - A longer meeting that occurs at the end of a sprint, wherein team members get together to discuss the previous sprint and how the next one can be further improved.
• Product Owner - The "Product Owner" represents the customer's voice in the development process. The "Product Owner" is actually a member of the development team who researches customer opinions and stories, and adds them to product backlog for the team's reference.
• ScrumMaster - The "ScrumMaster" (or "Scrum Master") facilitates the entire process. He or she serves as the buffer between the team and impediments or distractions, keeping the team focused on the current tasks. A ScrumMaster can also act as the Product Owner if ned be.
• Teams - The teams involved in this methodology who have cross-functional skills that can used to do the actual development work, including analysis and research, design and development, testing, and even documentation. Scrum teams typically have 5-9 members in them, and are usually self-organized (though team managers/leaders still fall under the authority of the ScrumMaster).
• Backlog - Backlogs are lists of tasks that the team needs to work on. There are two types of backlogs: the product backlog, which is the overall list of what needs to be done during the entire process; and the sprint backlog, which is a list of tasks that need to be completed during the sprint.
• Sprint - Sprints in scrum methodology are time periods wherein the actual action and development occurs. They typically last for 2-4 weeks, and the tasks to be accomplished during each sprint are based on the sprint backlog.
• Sprint burn down chart - This is a checklist of tasks that is updated on a daily basis during a sprint. This is displayed in such a way that all the team members can see and update it easily, and keep track of what remains to be accomplished.
• Daily scrum - Short, daily meetings that occur during a sprint. During this meeting, the team discusses what was accomplished the previous day, what needs to be done, and any problems or impediments that are hindering progress.
• Sprint Retrospective - A longer meeting that occurs at the end of a sprint, wherein team members get together to discuss the previous sprint and how the next one can be further improved.
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