IT Operations, Controls, Reporting, and Maintenance Essay Example for Free

IT Operations, Controls, Reporting, and Maintenance Essay Following Office of Inspector General Report the major number of mistakes was aloud in Information Resources Management (IRM) section and in evaluation of information technology performance. EPA has failed to produce sufficient IRM Policy Manual, with strict provided Interim Policy regarding the evaluation of performance of information technology program. One of the most crucial mistakes is the lack of necessary project documentation therefore the complete list of project risks was not documented and accounted, as well as there was any appropriate documentation to track the different phases of development cycle, that makes the process of risks and budget monitoring not transparent and project management rather troubles shooting than project management process oriented. The Agency final recommendations were focused on EPA management involvement in key decision points of the information technology projects thus obligated them to create a proper management manual with these key decisions documented before moving to another stage of the development cycle. So at this stage EPA management was required to provide a written response to the Report within 90 calendar days including an action plan for corrections with milestone dates. OEI response from 15th of June, 2005th has answered the main concerns underlined in OIG report, however, I believe that it should be more detailed with delivery dates on each issue and concrete responsible person entitled for each particular step. There is no possibility to create post reports based on this action plan. Additionally the actual stage of management documentation was not analyzed in response; therefore the concrete plan of documentation line change was not presented. However within the both reports we can get only a skipped overview of management processes and the main background of critical issues, it is absolutely clear that time and budget failure could be prevented with development process improvement by retrospectives, OEI (as a client) involvement and at least more frequent (I suggest two weeks) iterations. These measures are dictated by Scrum approach and supported by Agile methodology. The main issue of OEI management response is in being not time efficient. I believe that building an action plan based on Agile Scrum approach will take 90 calendar days at the planning stage but will save 50% of time in production. The current OEI action plan is not acceptable within the present situation of time and budget over limiting. Why use Scrum at OEI case? The answer is: â€Å"Scrum approach was invented to drive rapidly the innovative products to market, so Six month releases used to be a reasonable time from for an enterprise system. Now it is three months for a major new release, one month for upgrades, and one week for maintenance releases. The initial version of the Agile Scrum development process was designed to enhance productivity and reduce time to market for new product† (Schwaber Beedle, 2002) Due to the issues with project risks evaluating MetaScrum Planning is one of the most appropriate tools to use in the situation. Gantt Charts will become an additional (missed) chain in project documentation as well as a deliveries’ data plan in addition to OEI response. Dynamically generated Gantt chart is able to manage multiply releases. At our circumstances we receive an opportunity to track the major resource problems as well as have any significant delays rather balanced. Weekly MetaScrum meetings allow managing all problems in real time because every chart is based on concrete data, so management is able to see immediately where optimization is necessary. It really makes the project managers work more efficient because they have a short iteration period of time to sort the current problem and to stabilize the chart before the next meeting. Over or under estimation of tasks is one of the most crucial reasons for delivery delays, so it is better to track frequently the status of small assignments. OEI has the project with high degree of unpredictability, so we cannot use traditional planning techniques or Gantt/PERT charts only, at this case we have a high risk of requirements change. Scrum weekly meetings promote communication and expertise sharing, they increase the average level of urgency, encourage sharing of knowledge, team work. One of the most valuable benefits of Scrum approach is high predictability of risks and problems; they are visible long before the release. I suggest that 90 calendar days devoted for creation of new operation plan for management should be used completely for management process refactoring; special changes are to be performed in deliveries section. Within changes of requirements MetaScrum is a best approach for OEI to get self-organized around their current problems. Planning and delivery changes will be reflected immediately through decisions to be made on weekly basis in the MetaScrum. As the result of using MetaScrum approach OEI will receive more flexible, more decisive, more adaptable project management process. Project management will become totally automated. Company will save on paperwork, effective project management reporting and additional reporting before moving to next project stage will be achieved without additional human work intervention. Automated data collection and reporting system will allow tracking and implementing of update easily, which is a valuable tool for OEI executives. MetaScrum tools will allow us to reach transparency of processes, companywide visibility, metrics driven by decision makers, efficient productivity results. According to Dr. Beedle (1999): â€Å"Scrum will increase speed of development, aligns individual and corporate objectives, will create a culture driven by performance, supports shareholder value creation, achieves, stable and consistent communication of performance at all levels, and enhances individual development and quality of life. It also drives functionality out into the marketplace at a pace that can overwhelm competitors and achieve industry dominance†. Employing Scrum oriented approach on their action plan OEI managers will reach the great transparency of development/ deliveries processes, efficient monitoring of progress, they will become flexible with time and efficient with budget.

Zen in the Art of Archery Essay -- essays research papers

Zen in the Art of Archery, by Eugen Herrigel describes the ritualistic arts of discipline and focus that the Zen religion focuses around. In this book, Herrigel describes many aspects of how archery is, in fact, not a sport, but an art form, and is very spiritual to those in the east. The process he describes shows how he overcame his initial inhibitions and began to look toward new ways of seeing and understanding. In the beginning of the book Herrigel tells us that he is writing about a ritual and religious practice, â€Å"whose aim consists in hitting a spiritual goal, so that fundamentally the marksman aims at himself and may even succeed in hitting himself.† (Herrigel p. 4) Through his studies, the author discovers that within the Zen ritual actions, archery in this case, there lies a deeper meaning. Herrigel explains throughout this book that it is not through the actual physical aspect of shooting arrows at targets that archery is Zen, but through the art and spiritual ity through which it is performed. It is not merely shooting an arrow to hit a target, but becoming the target yourself and then, in turn, hitting yourself spiritually. By meeting this spiritual goal, you will then meet the physical goal. The struggle then is, therefore not with the arrow or the target but within oneself. Archery, in this book, was the way that the author found his way into Zen Buddhism. One of the most important lessons that Herrigel’s master taught him was, to correctly master the art of ar...

Biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts, on July 4, 1804. His parents were Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Elizabeth Clark Manning. His father dies of yellow fever when he was four years old. He then grew up in the manning household with his grandparents, uncles, and aunts. Nathaniel Hawthorne was fond of taking long walks by himself and reading excessively. He studied Shakespeare, Pope, Milton, and Thompson. He went on adventures while he took these long walks and he wrote about his adventures, this is how his writing skills developed. When Nathaniel Hawthorne turned 15 he moved to Maine with his uncle and later attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick. While in college he did poorly in most classes accept his literary classes, in which he excelled. He graduated 3 years later. While in college He became friends with Henry W. Longfellow, Franklin Pierce, and Henry D. Thoreau. After college he returned to Salem, Massachusetts and resided in the manning household. He then withdrew f rom society. H followed the same schedule everyday. He studied in the morning, took long walks in the afternoon, and then wrote in the evening. In 1828 he published his first book anonymously, Fanshawe. He later then destroyed all copies and was not proud of it. His first publication that was a success was â€Å"The Token†, and â€Å"Peter Parley†. In 1830 he served as an editor for a number of publications. He also began to write children’s books. He then took a job in a custom house. In 1840 he left his job knowing that he would soon be fired due to the outcome of the election going on during that time. He married Sophia Amelia Peabody. In 1844 he had his first daughter. He then returned to Salem due to financial pressures. â€Å"Him losing his job turned out to be a blessing as he had the time to write some of his best works†. Such as The Scarlet Letter, The House of Seven Gables, and The Birthdale Romance. In 1860, he published The Marble Faun, our old home, and later went on a tour with Franklin Pierce because Pierce was running for president. Nathaniel Hawthorne lived in an important time period. In 1820-1830, Nathaniel Hawthorne was about 16-26 years old. During that time the Erie canal made new York the empire state, also during that time period Andrew Jackson’s inaugural party wrecked the white house. In 1830-1840 when Nathaniel Hawthorne was about 26-36 years old. During that time Andrew Jackson beat up the man who tried to kill him, also during that time Charles Darwin visits the Galapagos Island, and the idea of natural selection and survival of the  fittest is introduced to the world. During 1840-1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne was 36-46 years old. The gold fever struck California and people were greedy and ambitious. Also during that time in 1852 Franklin pierce was elected president. Nathaniel Hawthorne helped Pierce with the campaigns for the election. During 1850-1870 Nathaniel Hawthorne was 46 and he died and in 1864 he died. During that time compromises over slavery delayed the civil war, and then later the United States was torn over the civil war. Nathaniel Hawthorne accomplished a multitude of things during his lifetime and at a young age as well, but in his early years when he was four his father died. Nathaniel Hawthorne was the only boy but had two other sisters. His early years were spent in Salem, Massachusetts. When he graduated from Bowdoin college he went on summer tours through the northeast. He in 1839 he took a job in a custom house in Boston, and served as an editor for a number of publications. He also started out his writing career, writing children’s books. However in 1840, he resigned knowing he would be fired. In 1842 he married Sophia Amelia Peabody, and in 1844 his first daughter was born. A few years later, financial pressures forced him to return to Salem with his family. He then became a surveyor of the port of Salem. In the early 1850’s he lived in red house in Lennox and made a friendship with Novelist, Herman Melville. In 1853-1858 Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a campaign biography for Franklin Pierce, he was later rewarded with united states consulship at Liverpool. Since the civil war was going on during that time he wrote articled about the civil war and his last years he joined an experimental brook farm community filled with transcendentalist. He then went to Europe and spent seven years there before he died of a brain tumor in his sleep. Nathaniel Hawthorne is a unique writer and had a unique writing style heoften wrote about the daily life and community and puritan destruction. Although he was a puritan he was not the typical puritan writer and wrote from a different perspective about the puritan life. His most The novel The Scarlet Letter is perhaps one of the most widely-read and most representative of many of the themes in the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Aside from the fact that it is set during the Puritan period in American history, it deals with many subjects other works, most notably his famous short story The Minister’s Black Veil, approach—the theme of sin, especially secret sin. Hawthorne was fascinated with the idea of sin and punishment and  this theme is expressed overtly in The Scarlet Letter by the wearing of the embroidered letter itself and covertly through many of the minor characters such as Roger Chillingworth are literally eaten away by sin. Like Esther’s lover the preacher in The Scarlet Letter who is troubled by secret sin, so too is the minister in the short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Minister’s Black Veil. Aside from using the allegory form to tell moral tales, it is important to note that the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne are not at all simple mortality tales with a religious purpose. Hawthorne was writing during the Romanticism movement and he also seeks to explore themes of nature and humankind as well as to push the limits of human imagination and creativity. One mark of this style is the use of the supernatural, which certainly occurs in nearly every tale by Nathaniel Hawthorne, although to different extents. Novels such as, The House of the Seven Gables. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s contribution to American literature can be taken literally or simply his introduction of a new writing style and a different view on puritan ways. In 1824 he published Fanshawe anonymously, and leter that year he published â€Å"the token† and peter parley. In 1832 he published young goodman brown† Roger malvin’s burial† and â€Å"My Kinsman major malineux†Ã¢â‚¬ a women’s tale â€Å" The hollow of the three hills†. In 1835 he published â€Å"anthencieum†. In 1837 he published, â€Å"twice told tales† American Magazine of useful and entertaining knowledge. In 1841 he published â€Å"grandfathers chains†* and the next year he published†democratic review† and his most famous work was published in 1845

Essay on Stress Survey - 612 Words

University of Phoenix Material Stress Survey Name: Ngoc Quach 1. Check off any of the following symptoms you have experienced in the past 6 months. x Headaches or migraines Insomnia or sleep problems Irritability Fatigue Digestive trouble Sinus Pain, tension, or numbness Constipation Allergies Neck Legs Diarrhea Menstrual problems Shoulders Arms Gas Bladder trouble Hands Low back Bloating Ringing in ears Nervousness Dizziness Weight trouble 2. Choose the one above that causes you the most problems: Does this cause you to be any of†¦show more content†¦I learn to not let the financial strain distract me from taking care of myself. 2) In what situation could eustress also be considered distress? Explain. A situation I would describe is stressing about bills causes me to be distracted from everything activities like eating and sleeping. This would cause distress in my life because I would lose sleep and my appetite has also diminished. 3) The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the fight-or-flight response. What are the physiological changes that happen to the body during this response? I believe the adrenal medulla produces a hormonal chemical that will then results in catecholamines. This is seen in the first stage of general adaptation syndrome. 4) What are some ways to deal with stress? How will you deal with stress? Explain. I learned that exercising is a big stress reliever for any individual. Your body might be out of shape but there are so many kinds of exercises from lifting weights to dancing. I also think choosing a hobby like sewing, knitting, or even painting has helped as well. 5) Chronic stress is linked to about 70% of disease. In the textbook, under â€Å"Physical Effects of Stress,† it list various ailments associated with chronic stress. How have these affected you or someone you know? 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