The document summarizes a presentation given by Barry Saiff on technical writing outsourcing. Some key points:
- Barry Saiff has over 30 years of experience in technical communications and founded Saiff Solutions to provide outsourced content development.
- He discusses the evolution and growth of technical writing outsourcing over the past decades and some of the drivers behind this growth.
- He addresses common fears about outsourcing like loss of jobs but notes that with proper implementation, outsourcing can benefit organizations and technical writers.
- The presentation outlines best practices for successful technical writing outsourcing like choosing the right country and vendor, including all writers, and focusing on process improvement.
Are you involved with, or considering, agile development? Are you interested in technical writing outsourcing? Learn from our experts how to effectively combine these approaches.
Presented by:
Barry Saiff - Founder and CEO, Saiff Solutions, Inc.
Fred Williams - Founder and CEO, Williams Technical
Gaile Milanbilen - Technical Writer, Saiff Solutions, Inc.
Winning your company over to modern product thinkinghopperomatic
To respond to the speed of digital change, teams need to embrace modern product development practices, but organizational change is hard. I outline specific, proven methods for bringing change to your company by using Design Sprints.
Are you involved with, or considering, agile development? Are you interested in technical writing outsourcing? Learn from our experts how to effectively combine these approaches.
Presented by:
Barry Saiff - Founder and CEO, Saiff Solutions, Inc.
Fred Williams - Founder and CEO, Williams Technical
Gaile Milanbilen - Technical Writer, Saiff Solutions, Inc.
Winning your company over to modern product thinkinghopperomatic
To respond to the speed of digital change, teams need to embrace modern product development practices, but organizational change is hard. I outline specific, proven methods for bringing change to your company by using Design Sprints.
Go and See: why go to the gemba and what to do when you are thereChet Marchwinski
The slide deck for out recent free webinar "Go and See" offers tips for what you should do when you go to the "gemba," Japanese for the "actual place" where value is created.
Many startups fail not because of the idea, or its execution, but because of team issues. This talk draws on several resources including Linda Hill's article, "A note on team process" (HBR), and looks at the 6 ingredients that make an effective team. It provides a common language to talk about things like conflict and uneven participation and offers practical tips to build a highly effective team that works well together.
More research, more frequently: How to sell your stakeholders on researchChris Avore
To lead a successful research practice in your organization, you need access—to customers, staff resources, and the availability to identify patterns surfaced over time. Unfortunately, many content strategists, marketers, and designers find themselves with either ad-hoc or sporadic opportunities to really practice strategic research.
This session won’t focus on methods or approaches to research, or why research is important to build better products. But people new to research or those in mature research teams can both learn new perspectives to making research an organizational priority.
In this workshop, we will start with a discussion on the importance of diversity in a well balanced founding team. We will then explore how to work effectively in a team setting. We will cover how to define clear roles and responsibilities for each team member, coming up with effective decision making processes, dealing with task and interpersonal conflict and more. We will explore ways for extraverted and introverted team members to have equal contribution so everyone’s voice can be heard.
What we've learned about learning - PowershopPowershopNZ
Slides from November's Agile Welly meetup: http://www.meetup.com/AgileWelly/events/216188702/
Over the last two years Powershop has grown from 10 developers and two testers to a technical team of 40. We used to work as 10 separate development silos delivering work to a separate test team. Now we have small, integrated and engaged multi-disciplinary teams of development, test, design and product ownership.
We’ll talk about the changes we’ve made to get here, what we did well and what went wrong. And most importantly what we’ve learned about growth through learning and teaching.
Presenters:
Andy Newport - Software Development Manager at Powershop @newportandy
Brian Bannister - CTO at Powershop @nz_brian
Agile Tour Toronto 2013 presentation.
Do you see changes that you want to make at work, but aren't empowered to make them? We present tips and tricks for working on your company, with other people and on yourself.
Co-founders and Startups: What Makes a Successful Team?Mike Chan
This is a presentation from NYU Stern Professor Jason Greenberg about what makes for a successful startup founding team. He highlights the necessary mix of relationships, roles, and rewards that lead to company viability.
Presentation about how you can make effect in your organization.
Presented at Agile Tour Toronto, Agile Ottawa and PMI-SOC Professional Development Day.
Mohinder Kohsla Design thinking A complimentary approach to agileAgileCymru
With so many projects not meeting their projected goals, either through over delivery of functionality to not fit for purpose or not meeting market needs due to our inability to accurately capture customer requirements. Developers are looking at new ways of product development such as design thinking that is user-centred in its ability to capture not only the functional, but also the emotional unmet needs of the customer
Startup Playbook for founders & employees, written by toucan's foundersToucan Toco
As a founder or startup employee do you find your 24 hours-a-day too short ?
After 5 years growing Toucan Toco we do too.
In the end there is only one solution : prioritize !
“But what should I focus on when we are 2 founders in a garage ? A 10 people team with no fundings ? A structured team of 50 ?
I heard about OKR, 360 Reviews, Squads, BSPCE, Wiki, core values… But what should I do in the next weeks among those actions, process and strategies ?”
To help you answer these questions, we’ve created an easily consumable documentation, full of ressources, to share our learnings and documentation efforts.
Looking for the right process at the right stage ? This slideshare is for you.
Your UX Career Path: In-house, agency, both or neither?Fell Swoop LLC
With User Experience designers in such high demand, those entering the field today have more choices than ever before. There’s no single right way to embark on your journey, but many before you have uncovered a path to success, so why not learn from them? Matt Dente has shared insights from surveys and interviews with UX professionals in this presentation. If you’re planning your first step in a career, or considering your next move, this presentation will provide insights that will help you make the right choices for your own path.
Presented by: Barry Saiff, founder and CEO of Saiff Solutions, Inc., and Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler & technical communication management strategist.
Go and See: why go to the gemba and what to do when you are thereChet Marchwinski
The slide deck for out recent free webinar "Go and See" offers tips for what you should do when you go to the "gemba," Japanese for the "actual place" where value is created.
Many startups fail not because of the idea, or its execution, but because of team issues. This talk draws on several resources including Linda Hill's article, "A note on team process" (HBR), and looks at the 6 ingredients that make an effective team. It provides a common language to talk about things like conflict and uneven participation and offers practical tips to build a highly effective team that works well together.
More research, more frequently: How to sell your stakeholders on researchChris Avore
To lead a successful research practice in your organization, you need access—to customers, staff resources, and the availability to identify patterns surfaced over time. Unfortunately, many content strategists, marketers, and designers find themselves with either ad-hoc or sporadic opportunities to really practice strategic research.
This session won’t focus on methods or approaches to research, or why research is important to build better products. But people new to research or those in mature research teams can both learn new perspectives to making research an organizational priority.
In this workshop, we will start with a discussion on the importance of diversity in a well balanced founding team. We will then explore how to work effectively in a team setting. We will cover how to define clear roles and responsibilities for each team member, coming up with effective decision making processes, dealing with task and interpersonal conflict and more. We will explore ways for extraverted and introverted team members to have equal contribution so everyone’s voice can be heard.
What we've learned about learning - PowershopPowershopNZ
Slides from November's Agile Welly meetup: http://www.meetup.com/AgileWelly/events/216188702/
Over the last two years Powershop has grown from 10 developers and two testers to a technical team of 40. We used to work as 10 separate development silos delivering work to a separate test team. Now we have small, integrated and engaged multi-disciplinary teams of development, test, design and product ownership.
We’ll talk about the changes we’ve made to get here, what we did well and what went wrong. And most importantly what we’ve learned about growth through learning and teaching.
Presenters:
Andy Newport - Software Development Manager at Powershop @newportandy
Brian Bannister - CTO at Powershop @nz_brian
Agile Tour Toronto 2013 presentation.
Do you see changes that you want to make at work, but aren't empowered to make them? We present tips and tricks for working on your company, with other people and on yourself.
Co-founders and Startups: What Makes a Successful Team?Mike Chan
This is a presentation from NYU Stern Professor Jason Greenberg about what makes for a successful startup founding team. He highlights the necessary mix of relationships, roles, and rewards that lead to company viability.
Presentation about how you can make effect in your organization.
Presented at Agile Tour Toronto, Agile Ottawa and PMI-SOC Professional Development Day.
Mohinder Kohsla Design thinking A complimentary approach to agileAgileCymru
With so many projects not meeting their projected goals, either through over delivery of functionality to not fit for purpose or not meeting market needs due to our inability to accurately capture customer requirements. Developers are looking at new ways of product development such as design thinking that is user-centred in its ability to capture not only the functional, but also the emotional unmet needs of the customer
Startup Playbook for founders & employees, written by toucan's foundersToucan Toco
As a founder or startup employee do you find your 24 hours-a-day too short ?
After 5 years growing Toucan Toco we do too.
In the end there is only one solution : prioritize !
“But what should I focus on when we are 2 founders in a garage ? A 10 people team with no fundings ? A structured team of 50 ?
I heard about OKR, 360 Reviews, Squads, BSPCE, Wiki, core values… But what should I do in the next weeks among those actions, process and strategies ?”
To help you answer these questions, we’ve created an easily consumable documentation, full of ressources, to share our learnings and documentation efforts.
Looking for the right process at the right stage ? This slideshare is for you.
Your UX Career Path: In-house, agency, both or neither?Fell Swoop LLC
With User Experience designers in such high demand, those entering the field today have more choices than ever before. There’s no single right way to embark on your journey, but many before you have uncovered a path to success, so why not learn from them? Matt Dente has shared insights from surveys and interviews with UX professionals in this presentation. If you’re planning your first step in a career, or considering your next move, this presentation will provide insights that will help you make the right choices for your own path.
Presented by: Barry Saiff, founder and CEO of Saiff Solutions, Inc., and Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler & technical communication management strategist.
I led a workshop at MX Conference on March 30 2016 where I taught participants how to increase their organization's appreciation and respect for the design process.
How Working Abroad Will Help You in Product by former Lenovo PMProduct School
Main Takeaways:
- Living and working overseas is a great way to accelerate your professional career
- Having cross-cultural skills can help you be a great Product Manager because it will make you empathetic
- If you want to launch a product in Japan, there are a just few things you need to remember
- If you do want to get out of town and do something wonderful overseas as a Product Manager, I highly recommend Japan
Common Questions about Career & EntrepreneurshipAamir Qutub
Building a successful career takes time, effort, and patience. If you’re willing to sacrifice some free time and you’re willing to get out of your comfort zone, you will succeed. It’s not that hard, honestly. It just takes courage and commitment to follow everything that you’ve targeted.
For more information, watch my Youtube Video by clicking the link in the description box:
https://youtu.be/EewegaQ2Am8
DEVELOPING LEADERS IN YOUR ORGANIZATION - STARTING THEM OFF RIGHTHuman Capital Media
Do all leaders need the same things? In this webinar, we will explore the importance of competency alignment to different levels of leadership, focusing on developing new leaders for long-term career growth. This includes a discussion around whether each level of leader should receive the same leader competencies, and if not, how should they vary. Once leadership competencies are agreed upon in the organization, it is essential to find an effective leadership program that complements those competencies and your business objectives. This webinar will help you develop an action plan for choosing the most effective leadership program that’s right for your organization.
Attendees will learn:
Which competencies are the most valuable for your new leaders
How to effectively instill those competencies in your new leaders
How to select the right leadership program for your organization
CTO Universe Leadership Series: More Effective Agile LeadershipAggregage
This talk distills hundreds of companies’-worth of real-world experience into the proven Agile leadership practices that work best. McConnell presents an impactful, action-oriented prescription that leaders need to know to attain the full benefits of modern Agile. See how to adopt the specific parts of Agile that will benefit your teams and your business. Learn how to adapt your implementation of Agile to your industry context. Understand how to communicate with your teams to make your Agile implementation most effective. This talk seamlessly threads together traditional approaches, early Agile approaches, modern Agile approaches, and the principles and context that underly them all—creating an invaluable resource for Agile leaders, their teams, and their organizations.
9 Keys to Increasing Competitiveness through LeanVative
If you've been thinking about introducing Lean but aren't sure where to start, then this eBook is for you. And if you've attempted to introduce Lean, this book will help you assess what may be done better to ensure a smooth and profitable implementation.
Salesforce delivers innovative experiences and vision to our customers every day. Learn from the Global Innovation Solutions team exactly how they build innovation into our process, product, and culture.
So what happens when you're brought in to a team and asked to "introduce a metrics culture" or "measure all the things?" This talk will cover just that: how to assess the state of affairs in your team or organization regarding measurement, how to decide what things to measure for maximum impact, and how to best communicate and iterate those measurements throughout the journey. The talk will cover these topics using my own journey at Chef as well as journeys I see at other companies that I meet and consult with.
In today’s fast-paced business climate, the ability of an organization to remain flexible and respond quickly to fast-changing market conditions is vital to success. The same holds true for individuals.
Navigating dynamic career paths and staying abreast of new development opportunities demands an agile approach as well. Especially as we consider new realities for the modern worker, such as the estimate that 85 percent of all jobs that will be available in 2030 have not yet been invented*.
Join Julie Winkle Giulioni, co-author of the bestselling book “Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Organizations Need and Employees Want”, and Hawley Kane, Head of Organizational Talent and Leadership Development for Saba Software for a one-hour webinar. You’ll learn how agile development planning can yield a living, breathing tool that guides employees toward making development a daily part of their lives.
You’ll gain insights into:
How to create nimble development plans that support multiple goals and business outcomes
When to revisit development plans and what adjustments should be made on an ongoing basis
How to enable meaningful conversations between managers and employees around agile development plans
The role of technology in facilitating and delivering an agile development plan framework
Crossing the Chasm - From Agile to Business AgilityMaurizio Mancini
Presented by Maurizio Mancini of Exempio and Paul Ryan of OpenX. Listen to webinar here https://youtu.be/J9QYZIirIxg
Atlassian Webinar presented on June 16th, 2020.
Learn about Business Agility and OpenX's journey towards Business Agility.
Desperate Need to Reinvent the L&D professional in Australia – Learning Cafe ...LearningCafe
The L&D profession is facing stress in Australia bought about reduced budgets, outsourcing, increased speed of business and the impact of technology. This is being reflected in the changing quality and quantity of L&D jobs and career paths available. We cogitate on the skills needed to ensure L&D professionals keep themselves in demand including digital and business skills. We discuss the options and alternative career options and pathways for L&D professions.
Similar to You Say You Want a Revolution: Quality Content & Global Sourcing (20)
In the rapidly evolving landscape of technologies, XML continues to play a vital role in structuring, storing, and transporting data across diverse systems. The recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) present new methodologies for enhancing XML development workflows, introducing efficiency, automation, and intelligent capabilities. This presentation will outline the scope and perspective of utilizing AI in XML development. The potential benefits and the possible pitfalls will be highlighted, providing a balanced view of the subject.
We will explore the capabilities of AI in understanding XML markup languages and autonomously creating structured XML content. Additionally, we will examine the capacity of AI to enrich plain text with appropriate XML markup. Practical examples and methodological guidelines will be provided to elucidate how AI can be effectively prompted to interpret and generate accurate XML markup.
Further emphasis will be placed on the role of AI in developing XSLT, or schemas such as XSD and Schematron. We will address the techniques and strategies adopted to create prompts for generating code, explaining code, or refactoring the code, and the results achieved.
The discussion will extend to how AI can be used to transform XML content. In particular, the focus will be on the use of AI XPath extension functions in XSLT, Schematron, Schematron Quick Fixes, or for XML content refactoring.
The presentation aims to deliver a comprehensive overview of AI usage in XML development, providing attendees with the necessary knowledge to make informed decisions. Whether you’re at the early stages of adopting AI or considering integrating it in advanced XML development, this presentation will cover all levels of expertise.
By highlighting the potential advantages and challenges of integrating AI with XML development tools and languages, the presentation seeks to inspire thoughtful conversation around the future of XML development. We’ll not only delve into the technical aspects of AI-powered XML development but also discuss practical implications and possible future directions.
Securing your Kubernetes cluster_ a step-by-step guide to success !KatiaHIMEUR1
Today, after several years of existence, an extremely active community and an ultra-dynamic ecosystem, Kubernetes has established itself as the de facto standard in container orchestration. Thanks to a wide range of managed services, it has never been so easy to set up a ready-to-use Kubernetes cluster.
However, this ease of use means that the subject of security in Kubernetes is often left for later, or even neglected. This exposes companies to significant risks.
In this talk, I'll show you step-by-step how to secure your Kubernetes cluster for greater peace of mind and reliability.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Essentials of Automations: The Art of Triggers and Actions in FMESafe Software
In this second installment of our Essentials of Automations webinar series, we’ll explore the landscape of triggers and actions, guiding you through the nuances of authoring and adapting workspaces for seamless automations. Gain an understanding of the full spectrum of triggers and actions available in FME, empowering you to enhance your workspaces for efficient automation.
We’ll kick things off by showcasing the most commonly used event-based triggers, introducing you to various automation workflows like manual triggers, schedules, directory watchers, and more. Plus, see how these elements play out in real scenarios.
Whether you’re tweaking your current setup or building from the ground up, this session will arm you with the tools and insights needed to transform your FME usage into a powerhouse of productivity. Join us to discover effective strategies that simplify complex processes, enhancing your productivity and transforming your data management practices with FME. Let’s turn complexity into clarity and make your workspaces work wonders!
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 6DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 6. In this session, we will cover Test Automation with generative AI and Open AI.
UiPath Test Automation with generative AI and Open AI webinar offers an in-depth exploration of leveraging cutting-edge technologies for test automation within the UiPath platform. Attendees will delve into the integration of generative AI, a test automation solution, with Open AI advanced natural language processing capabilities.
Throughout the session, participants will discover how this synergy empowers testers to automate repetitive tasks, enhance testing accuracy, and expedite the software testing life cycle. Topics covered include the seamless integration process, practical use cases, and the benefits of harnessing AI-driven automation for UiPath testing initiatives. By attending this webinar, testers, and automation professionals can gain valuable insights into harnessing the power of AI to optimize their test automation workflows within the UiPath ecosystem, ultimately driving efficiency and quality in software development processes.
What will you get from this session?
1. Insights into integrating generative AI.
2. Understanding how this integration enhances test automation within the UiPath platform
3. Practical demonstrations
4. Exploration of real-world use cases illustrating the benefits of AI-driven test automation for UiPath
Topics covered:
What is generative AI
Test Automation with generative AI and Open AI.
UiPath integration with generative AI
Speaker:
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
Unlocking Productivity: Leveraging the Potential of Copilot in Microsoft 365, a presentation by Christoforos Vlachos, Senior Solutions Manager – Modern Workplace, Uni Systems
Encryption in Microsoft 365 - ExpertsLive Netherlands 2024Albert Hoitingh
In this session I delve into the encryption technology used in Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Purview. Including the concepts of Customer Key and Double Key Encryption.
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
Why You Should Replace Windows 11 with Nitrux Linux 3.5.0 for enhanced perfor...SOFTTECHHUB
The choice of an operating system plays a pivotal role in shaping our computing experience. For decades, Microsoft's Windows has dominated the market, offering a familiar and widely adopted platform for personal and professional use. However, as technological advancements continue to push the boundaries of innovation, alternative operating systems have emerged, challenging the status quo and offering users a fresh perspective on computing.
One such alternative that has garnered significant attention and acclaim is Nitrux Linux 3.5.0, a sleek, powerful, and user-friendly Linux distribution that promises to redefine the way we interact with our devices. With its focus on performance, security, and customization, Nitrux Linux presents a compelling case for those seeking to break free from the constraints of proprietary software and embrace the freedom and flexibility of open-source computing.
Alt. GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using ...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
GraphSummit Singapore | The Future of Agility: Supercharging Digital Transfor...Neo4j
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Sudheer Mechineni, Head of Application Frameworks, Standard Chartered Bank
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Removing Uninteresting Bytes in Software FuzzingAftab Hussain
Imagine a world where software fuzzing, the process of mutating bytes in test seeds to uncover hidden and erroneous program behaviors, becomes faster and more effective. A lot depends on the initial seeds, which can significantly dictate the trajectory of a fuzzing campaign, particularly in terms of how long it takes to uncover interesting behaviour in your code. We introduce DIAR, a technique designed to speedup fuzzing campaigns by pinpointing and eliminating those uninteresting bytes in the seeds. Picture this: instead of wasting valuable resources on meaningless mutations in large, bloated seeds, DIAR removes the unnecessary bytes, streamlining the entire process.
In this work, we equipped AFL, a popular fuzzer, with DIAR and examined two critical Linux libraries -- Libxml's xmllint, a tool for parsing xml documents, and Binutil's readelf, an essential debugging and security analysis command-line tool used to display detailed information about ELF (Executable and Linkable Format). Our preliminary results show that AFL+DIAR does not only discover new paths more quickly but also achieves higher coverage overall. This work thus showcases how starting with lean and optimized seeds can lead to faster, more comprehensive fuzzing campaigns -- and DIAR helps you find such seeds.
- These are slides of the talk given at IEEE International Conference on Software Testing Verification and Validation Workshop, ICSTW 2022.
You Say You Want a Revolution: Quality Content & Global Sourcing
1. You Say You Want a Revolution:
Quality Content & Global Sourcing
Barry Saiff
Founder and CEO, Saiff Solutions, Inc.
Tagaytay City, Philippines
@SaiffSolutions #LavaCon
2. • Technical communications leader
• 30+ years of experience
• Led writing teams at 6 US companies
• Founded Saiff Solutions, Inc. in 2011
• Provides content development to Fortune 500
companies in Japan & US
@SaiffSolutions #LavaCon
20. The GROWTH of Outsourcing
From 1970 to 2010, outsourcing grew exponentially.
Some examples:
• By 2003, 77 global software development
firms had R&D operations in India.
• By a recent (2013) estimate, there
were 80,000 software developers in
the Philippines.
• There are now technical writers
in the Philippines with 10+ years
experience in topic-based authoring.
21. DRIVERS of Outsourcing
• Labor cost differentials
• Growth of global labor
market = availability
• Communications cost reductions
• Global market growth/economic
liberalization
• Increased ease of doing business
globally
• Convergence of global business culture
• Increasing productivity
• Increasing customer-centric focus on quality
22. Discuss: TWO Issues, Fears, Pitfalls
What do you think are the major
problems with technical writing
outsourcing? Let’s write them down,
and I’ll address each one.
26. OUTSOURCING
Successes
What happens when TWO works well?
• Effective global collaboration
• Learning
• Process Improvement
• Improved quality
• Reduced costs
• Increased global
responsiveness
• Productivity improvements
28. OUTSOURCING
Pitfal
Can bad things happen as a result of
outsourcing technical writing?
• Yes, sometimes.
• Often when outsourcing
decisions do not involve
technical communicators.
• Resisting outsourcing makes it
less likely that you’ll be
included in the decision.
• What you resist persists.
29. Can good technical writers lose jobs to outsourcing?
OUTSOURCING
Pitfalls
• Yes, sometimes. But not always.
• Over 4 years, the # of Saiff Solutions
clients that laid off of in-house writers:
0
• Yes, 0. We’ve never been in that
situation.
30. Discuss: TWO Key Success Factors
What things do you think need
to happen to make technical
writing outsourcing successful?
31. The Evolution of TWO
For a long time it seemed that:
• Technical writing outsourcing may not
work.
• Opposing TWO is the best way to
keep local TW jobs.
33. The Evolution of TWO
Now it clear that:
• Technical writing outsourcing can
work very well.
• With technical communicators in
management, we can author TWO
strategies, instead of being victims.
• How TWO is done is a crucial
question.
35. TWO IMPLEMENTATION
If you have writers:
- As work grows, you can expand capacity
at lower cost via outsourcing.
- By reserving advanced tasks for the in-
house team, you can improve team
morale and cost-effectiveness.
36. TWO IMPLEMENTATION
To determine if TWO is right for
YOU:- No one-size-fits-all formula
- No simple rule to follow
- Quality varies everywhere
37. TWO IMPLEMENTATION:
What do process maturity and
content strategy have to do with
TWO:- If technical writers struggle to discover
design changes when co-located with
engineers…
- Outsourcing may magnify problems.
PROCESS
40. • Focus where you can have an impact.
• Prepare yourself for change.
• Focus on the success of your
enterprise.
• Focus on improving quality.
TWO IMPLEMENTATION:
LESSONS
41. • Start with process improvement and
content strategy.
• Focus on morale and effectiveness.
Don’t ignore the need to sell change
effectively.
• Use inclusive planning.
• Be aware of potential cultural pitfalls.
TWO IMPLEMENTATION:
LESSONS
For management:
42.
43. Assess process maturity and content
strategy first, and improve if needed.
- Include Tech Comm in planning.
- Ensure a realistic financial analysis.
- Identify & communicate vision &
benefits.
- Incorporate team feedback.
- Focus on career development.
TWO: KEY SUCCESS FACTORS
44. Carefully choose country:
- Consider language, infrastructure, labor pool.
- #1 country in business English: Philippines
(http://www.globalenglish.com/business_english_index)
TWO: KEY SUCCESS FACTORS
Carefully choose provider.
Start with a low-risk pilot project.
45. Understand and accommodate the
differences:
- Time zone
- Language
- Culture
- Expertise
- Background, context
TWO: KEY SUCCESS FACTORS
46. Include all tech writers in meetings,
reviews, scrums, defect tracking,
wiki/intranet, email list, etc.
Document testing, review = key
parts of the project schedule
TWO: KEY SUCCESS FACTORS
49. What is your overall impression of
TECHNICAL WRITING
OUTSOURCING?
50. How can outsourcing your technical writing benefit your organization?
How would it work? How will you start? Is now the right time?
I’m happy to help you think this through.
Email me to set up a free, 30-minute
consultation!
In your email, please include your: name, title, company, time zone, phones,
suggested times/dates.
barrysaiff@saiffsolutions.com
2200 mAh
Power Bank
Invitation
51. By 2030, in a typical US company, what % of technical
writing will take place outside of the US, Canada, Australia,
New Zealand, and Europe?
a. 25% c. 75%
b. 50% d. 95%
Final questions
In 2030, how will the number of technical communication
jobs in the USA compare to 2015:
a. At least twice as many jobs as in 2015?
b. More, but not twice as many?
c. The same?
d. Less?
54. Bonus Slide2: responses to surveyquestionsat lavacon
2015
How many of you have
experienced:
Work with off-shore writers: 7
Lay-offs due to TWO: 3
Involved in TWO decision: 6
Well-crafted TWO plan: 2
Poorly-crafted TWO plan: 2
Any negative TWO impacts: 6
Any positive TWO impacts: 2
Overall impression of TWO (at
start):
Positive: 0 Negative: 4
Overall impression of TWO (at
end): Positive: 4 Negative: 0
Neutral: 9
By 2030, what % of technical
writing will be offshore?
25% -0, 50%-6, 75%-4, 95%-0
By 2030, how will the # of TW
jobs in USA compare to 2015?
2x-0, 1x-2x-6, 1x-0, <1x-4
Editor's Notes
Few technical writers, academic programs, tech writing managers
An infant is unable to effectively use words to communiticate its needs.
Some tech writers, few teams, few TW managers, few academic programs
Youth can communicate effectively, yet are often not respected.
More tech writers, some teams, some managers, some academic programs
Adolescents rebel, and often struggle against the dominant culture.
Tech writing managers, directors, central TW support groups
Unified Content Strategy revolution starts
Information designers & architects, documentation tools developers
The rise of globalization and localization
Young adults discover the workd and begin to conquer it.
Unified Content Strategy revolution in full swing.
Content strategists
Technical writing outsourcing begins to grow.
Adults command respect, and understand how to influence others.
TW starts to transition from Engineering to Marketing depts.
Pressures to outsource increase.
Social media offers new opportunities and pressures.
Localization is the norm.
Automation raises the bar for technical skills.
Middle-aged adults often experience paradigm shifts that challenge their sense of identity.
We are lucky that technical communications matured as a field before technical writing outsourcing became widespread.