Friday Links 07-15-2011

From the Archives
Customer-Connected Engineering – Involving customers throughout your software development cycle can help you make sure you make something your customers need and want.  It also helps you better understand the requirements and prioritize more effectively.  It also helps you get more relevant and timely feedback so you can ship stuff that people will use.  We’ve called the approach we’ve used in patterns & practices, Customer-Connected Engineering (CCE), and this is the approach in a nutshell.

Methodologies at a Glance – At the heart of every software methodology, there are core practices.  When you know the key activities and artifacts that make up a methodology, you can easily compare across methodologies to find the best fit.  You can also fill your toolbox with practices so that you can use the ones that you need, when you need them.  This is a bird’s-eye view of some of the more popular software project and product development methodologies.

From the Web
Focus Guidelines – It’s been said that the difference between those that succeed, and those that don’t is focus.  Focus is a skill you can build and use throughout your lifetime, to counter distractions, fully engage in what you do, reduce stress, and improve your results.  This is a comprehensive set of guidelines that give you an edge in today’s world.

How To – Set Goals and Achieve Them – This is a step-by-step guide for setting compelling goals, and making them happen.  If goals leave a bad taste in your mouth, this can help you turn it around.  It’s all about creating goals that inspire you and that help you achieve whatever you set out to do.