blossoms apr 2006
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Blossoms April, 2006TRANSCRIPT
From the Editor’s Desk
Bouquet 3, Blossom 1Issue : April 2006
Director’s Message
Articles and feedback for the n e w s l e t t e r a r e w e l c o m e . Please mail your inputs to [email protected]
From the Editor’s Desk
Editorial Committee
Editorial Coordinators
Mullai Manavalan
Ravindra Kumar
Padmakumar A
Rangachary M C
Arun Srinivasan R
Arvind Murari
Balaji D
Deepalakshmi J
Dhanasekar V T
Geetha Mohandass
Gaurav Gupta
Krishna Kumar K
Satish Natarajan
Thomas Komban
Venkatesh M R
Biz Lounge
Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark - Rabindranath Tagore
- Padmakumar A, Marketing
Third Party Evaluators
Third Party Evaluators
(or TPEs) are a new breed
of analysts , who help
customers choose vendors
for offshore out-sourcing
deals. They get involved
fairly early in an out-sourcing
process and help customers
bui ld object ive models
for the assessment
process.
Their primary role is to provide oversight of the out-sourcing process by
validating the customer's strategy and direction, draft the RFI and RFP
documents, evaluate response from qualifying vendors, compare vendor
offers, short-list vendors, who present the best value proposition, and assist the
customer in negotiating the contract with the final chosen vendor.
Dealing with a TPE has its pluses and its minuses. While many TPEs have
technically qualified people on their staff and are able to appreciate technical
nuances, some tend to play to the gallery with these skills. There
is also the legal aspect that some TPEs tend to overplay, particularly if
their skill sets and customer mandate include the contract negotiation
phase.
Selling our capabilities to a TPE is definitely more challenging. It calls for a
different approach, than selling to an end-user of our services, and takes more
of our resources to do; but, it is time and resource well invested, since returns
can span over more than one prospective customer.
The Quarterly Newsletter of HTC Global ServicesThe Quarterly Newsletter of HTC Global ServicesThe Quarterly Newsletter of HTC Global Services
Dear Colleagues,
Indian sportsmen and women put up a reasonably good show, winning 50 medals in the just
thconcluded 18 Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne. Samaresh Jung of India won us3 team gold, 3 team silver and1 individual bronze medals. He was deservedly declared the
thOutstanding Athlete of the 18 Commonwealth Games.
Of course, Australia the host country, bagged over 200 medals and topped the medals tally.
At HTC, we had our Annual Games 2006. Watch out for a report on “Great Encounters in Cricket” in the next issue of Blossoms.
- Editorial Committee
Illustration: Balakrishnan K
CMM Level 5
Dear Friends,
I would like to take this opportunity to appreciate all of you for all the hard
work that you are putting in. We are growing and as a result work is expanding.
Our project teams are formed from various groups from multiple locations.
This imposes on us a greater need for effective communication, persuasiveness,
tolerance and uncompromising attitude towards commitments and quality.
Let us be mindful of this in our interactions, promote mutual respect and
work towards the common goal of customer satisfaction.
- Chary Mudumby
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong - Mahatma Gandhi
- Balaji Desikan, ProjectsManagement Article
Techies Corner
User Experience
We all hear a lot about “user friendliness”, when we buy a cell
phone, washing machine or any gadget, for that matter.
What exactly is a “user friendly” system ?
In all Windows applications and most other applications, we
press Ctrl+S to save a working file; imagine an application in
which pressing Ctrl+S closes a window. Can we call
such a system user friendly ?
Usability is a measure of the quality of a user's experience
when interacting with a product or system. It addresses the
'ease of use' of a product or system, which can be easily
learnt, understood and used efficiently and effectively.
Ease of learning - How fast can a novice user learn to use
the user interface well enough to accomplish basic tasks ?
Efficiency of use - How fast can an experienced user
accomplish tasks using the application ?
What is Usability ?
Memorability - If a user has used the application earlier, can he
or she remember enough to use it effectively the next time, or
does the user have to start over again, learning everything ?
Subjective satisfaction - How much does the user like using
the system?
Let's see another example. Don't read the words shown
below, but say what color the word is written in.
The reason is, we are accustomed to thinking in a certain
way, and our mindset doesn't allow us to think otherwise;
the same goes for the users of software applications.
When you design software, you must not make users think
and figure out things. You must design in such a way that
users can easily learn to use the application.
Was it easy ? No.
Black BlueYellow Blue
Green
Red Green Purple
Orange Green Pink
Illustration: Geetha Mohandass
Allow me…In a certain high-technology institution, the scientists had the habit of working nearly
12 to 18 hours a day. There were about seventy such scientists working on a very
important assignment. All of them were really stressed out due to the high work
pressure and the demands of their boss, but everyone was loyal to him and never
felt dissatisfied with their work.
One day, one of the scientists came up to his boss and said, “Sir, I have promised my
children that I will take them to the children's exhibition in our town. So I would like to
leave the office early, at 5 pm today.
His boss replied “Ok… Go ahead”.
The scientist went back to his work. He was working on a crucial aspect of the
assignment. He got so involved in his work that he didn't realize how much time had passed. Finally, when he looked at his
watch, he saw that it was already 8.30 pm. He suddenly recalled his promise to his children about returning home early
and taking them to the exhibition. He felt utterly miserable that he had not kept his promise. He looked for his boss.
The boss had already left. He did not know how he would explain to his children and make them understand.
Reluctantly, he left for home. With great trepidation, he rang the doorbell. His wife opened the door. He peeped in; he could
not see his children in the living room. He had not the courage to ask his wife whether the children were upset. He tiptoed
to their room; the lights were off. He thought they had cried themselves to sleep. He switched on the night lamp, so that he
wouldn't disturb the sleeping children. The beds were empty.
He heard his wife say, “Would you like some coffee or shall I serve you dinner?” Unable to contain himself anymore, he
blurted out… “Where are the children?”
“Oh, you didn't know ? Your boss came at 5.15 pm and took the children to the exhibition”.
He found out later, what had really happened. The boss had seen him deeply engrossed in work at 5 pm, with no sign of
closing for the day. So he decided to keep up the promise by taking the children to the exhibition!
Loyalty from his subordinates was never an issue for this boss.
Health Tips !!Water, water everywhere... But not a drop to drink !
Water is not only a valuable resource for our daily needs, but also a low cost medicine. Water, a solvent as
you know, has the power of dissolving water-soluble fats in our body. Medical science says that it is good to start
your day by drinking two glasses of water on an empty stomach. It flushes out the waste from your system and cleans
your renal system. You could also add a few drops of lime in the water (without salt and sugar).
- Jansi Rani, Training
The season of failure is the best time for sowing the seeds of success - Paramahansa Yogananda
Wedding Bells
Buds
Sushma J S
Satya Prakash J
Srimathi S
Gopi A
Theodore Wilson M
Suvitha
Nandakumar P
Arulmurugan Subramanian
Geetha R Ramesh E
Gayatri M
Rajukannu
Kamatchi K
Annapoorani V
Manimaran C
wed Joshua Daniel on January 5, 2006
Anupama wed on January 25, 2006
wed V Balaji
on January 25, 2006
Deepa P wed on February 3, 2006
Daisy Mary L wed
on February 3, 2006
wed Sankar on February 3, 2006
Prasannakumari K wed
on February 8, 2006
Vanmathi wed
on February 10, 2006
wed on February 12, 2006
wed Manimaran V on February 12, 2006
Radhika wed on February 17, 2006
wed Sundaresan R on March 2, 2006
wed Logesh D on March 2, 2006
Gayathri R wed on March 9, 2006
In my opinion, an IT organization of today
should provide a suitable canvas for an
employee to portray his talents for a cause
that is beneficial to the organization, its
customers, and most importantly, the employee himself.
HTC has done precisely that for me, in my three and a half
years of association with it. I sincerely feel that I have
contributed enough to HTC and its customers, in return
for my gains.
The grass is always green, as long as it is attached to its
roots. To me, the grass will always be green in
HTC, because it is well connected to its roots. By roots,
I mean the basic human values.
- Bharath Devanathan, Projects
Eureka Factorl
l
The man who sold it did not want it.
The man who bought it did not need it.
The man who used it did not know it.
What is it ?
What is the product of the fol lowing series:
(x-a), (x-b), (x-c),... (x-z) ?
Do you have an answer for these puzzles? Send it to [email protected] or submit it to anyone of theBlossoms committee members. Interesting answers willbe published in the Blossoms intranet site.
Stumped ? The answers to these puzzles will be available in the “Blossoms” website / your notice board on April 25, 2006.
- Muthukumar, RAD
Keep users in mind while designing, because, in most
cases, users are not technical persons. They may not
understand a short form, or terminology that we
techies, use.
Easy- to- use products compete better in the market place
Usability cuts costs for both producers and users
Focus on usability, during early life cycle of the development,
reduces the need for expensive re-design work later
Enhancing usability improves the quality of the product
and reduces the demand for support and training
Users will efficiently use the interface, without wasting
much time
Enhanced usability provides satisfaction to both users and
producers
Why usability ?
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The factors affecting usability are :
Tips to achieve user-friendliness in an application
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Users - Who is using the product ? Are they highly trained
and experienced users, or novices ?
Users' Goals - What are the users trying to do with the
product ? Are they able to accomplish the desired tasks
with the product ?
Maintain consistency of design features (colors, fonts,
layout, images).
Ensure that all aspects of an interface behave consistently
at all times.
Ensure that the commands, terms, and icons used in the
application are consistent across all its windows or features.
Navigation within the application must be unambiguous.
For example, an action button must be clearly distinguished
from a hyperlink.
Pramod Kumar Sahu blessed with a baby girl
on January 1, 2006
Meenakshi K H blessed with a baby girl
on February 20, 2006
Padmapriya blessed with a baby girl
on March 3, 2006
Raj M S blessed with a baby boy on March 21, 2006
‘Sonali Sahu’
‘Swaroopa Mangal’
Rallying together... after the volleys
Familiarizing parents... on the work we do
Paying tribute... to great cricketing
This Quarter in Pics
Delivering results...in ITES and cricket
Bonding together... through games
Helping Madras University... in e-Governance
w w w. h t c i n c . c o m
HTC Global ServicesSDF II, Phase II, MEPZ, Tambaram, Chennai - 600 045. India Phone: (044) 2262 3522 Fax: (044) 2262 7713
- Sowmya G, Testing
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5
8 9
7
6
21
13
4
CR
OS
SW
OR
D
Across
1. British colony, restored after 150 years, to China (4, 4)
4. Chinese Currency, or Ilayaraja’s son? (4)
5. Eaten with ChopSticks, and takes just 2 minutes ! (6)
7. Puncture or picture the body? (6)
8. 12 signs that hold the key to your future and fortune (6)
11. First bank from India to open a branch in China (3)
12. Ancient Chinese Calculator, now a maths coaching program for kids (6)
13. Is mobile, has just flown in from China (4)
14. Explosive invention that led to a good shot (3, 6)
Down
2. Only man-made structure visible from the moon (5, 4)
3. Vaasthu Shastra for us... (4, 4)
4. If you were to color Huang Ho River, you would color it... (6)
6. Great Chinese philosopher, thought not very clear (9)
7. Plant leaves hot drink and good taste for guests (3)
9. Chinese Kitchen, now generic term for type of food (7)
10. Longest Chinese Dynasty; may have lent prefix to this marvel city (5)
Across:
1. Hong Kong 4. Yuan 5. Noodles 7. Tattoo 8. Zodiac 11. SBI
12. Abacus 13.Bird 14. Gun Powder
Down:
2. Great Wall 3. Feng Shui 4. Yellow 6. Confucius 7. Tea 9. Cuisine
10. Shang
Answers for the crosswordChina
Theme
10
12
14
11