By Avonelle Lovhaug
Publication Date: 2/1/2023 3:48:01 AM
A question I get regularly from my customers is along the lines of “what does this feature do?” or “how does this feature work?”. This is a bit surprising to me because I always think “I built it as you requested, so don’t YOU know how it should work?”
Of courses that’s pretty unfair. Any non-trivial piece of software will have features that are used less frequently, and therefore may have feature details that are not easy to remember. Also, my contact person at the customer is often not the primary user of the software I’ve built.They aren’t going to ...
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Publication Date: 9/15/2022 4:57:28 AM
It seems to me that there are 4 different types of changes to existing software:
While I wish most software changes were focused on the first two types, it seems to me that we often see the last two changes. The other day, I found ...
Publication Date: 9/14/2022 4:49:15 AM
Unfortunately, the disappearing customer is not any better than the disappearing programmer during a development project. When a customer doesn’t respond to communication requests in a timely fashion, it slows the entire effort down (or in some cases, grinds it to a complete halt!)
If you have hired a programmer for a custom development effort, make arrangements for someone else to respond to questions if you will be on vacation or otherwise unavailable for more than a day or two. And use an auto-responder so that people emailing you know what to expect. Better yet: let others know what is ...
Publication Date: 9/10/2022 5:14:08 AM
Not all businesses do, but it can certainly come in handy. I recently got a call from one of my clients with an urgent request to hide a particular feature from users while they spent some time reviewing it. The issue was that their process to prevent misuse of their site had allowed a bad actor through, resulting in some fraud for a legitimate user. Yikes!
Because this client is a regular support client, I provide a high level of responsiveness for their requests. I was able to adjust their application and get the solution deployed in less than half ...
Publication Date: 9/9/2022 3:43:19 AM
If you looking for someone to build an application for your business, the last thing you need is a Houdini wannabe. I’m continually amazed by programmers who take on projects, start the effort, and then perform their magic act by disappearing, ignoring emails, phone calls, and texts for days or longer.
Whether they are an employee or a consultant, professionalism means regular communication. I know technologists have a reputation for communicating poorly, but that’s no excuse. Answer your phone already! (Bonus points for proactive rather than reactive communication.)
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Avonelle is a rare IT professional who can communicate with business users on a level they can understand, and who can recommend creative technical solutions that are in line with the business goals and the business budget. Avonelle is conscientious not only about meeting deadlines, but also exceeding her customers expectations around quality software while providing superior customer service. Avonelle is an inspiration to me.
Valerie Vogt, Director of IT Advisory Services @ Inetium
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