InSIGHT
Knowledge Sharing Resource for Business and Technology Leaders
A Look Inside the Agile Toolbox
Nike Plus
 Forrester Research names the 10 Top ALM Tools 
In This Issue
An Agile Case Study
The Great Rebalancing
Top Agile ALM Tools
Programming Sleep
Case Study 
An Agile Balancing of Methodologies

 

A skillful PM balances SDLC requirements with a young team's Agile preference -- with winning results!

Read the case study.
Contact Info
Software Consortium
877-850-9393
visit our website 
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Business Development 
Baltimore area:
Brian Zernhelt
410-583-9393 x 106 
DC area:
Austin Bachmann
301-273-2126
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Recruiting Management
Baltimore area:
Nancy Clifford
410-583-9393 x 107
 DC area:
Scott Bolden
240-821-9432
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Headquarters
100 West Road
Suite 408
Baltimore, MD 21204
 
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Contact Austin Bachmann about using our GSA schedule to procure IT services. 

Minority Business
Award Winner! 
Software Consortium was recognized in 2008 as one of the Top 100 MBEs in the Mid-Atlantic region.
 
Learn more. 
September 2010
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Greetings!

As Fall approaches, we hope that you are enjoying the cooler weather and the return of Football rivalries.
 
In this edition, we bring business news of the effects of a growing middle class in India and China on U.S. potential for growth. And on a specific technology basis, how Agile methodologies have reached critical mass and the array of tool choices to monitor and improve productivity.  Health wise, we share sage advice on how the best thing to do for your health is to get more sleep.
 
As the economy recovers, keeping an eye on trends will help all American businesses stay strong and emerge as a larger global player with the emerging nations, as well in the U.S. At Software Consortium, we continue to help our clients leverage technology via advice, real projects, real solutions and the right people. As one of our clients recently told us, "you guys really know your stuff!"

All the best,
Janet
Janet Amirault,
President & CEO
                                                                                            

Strategic Vision
Amtrak mobile solutionsAfter the Great Recession: 
The Great Rebalancing

McKinsey and other sources indicate that an economic restructuring will bring opportunities and challenges to American businesses and the time to plan is now.
 

A rapidly growing middle class in a dozen emerging nations is predicted to shift the world's center of economic growth away from developed nations toward developing countries in this decade. Leading analysts including McKinsey expect this economic restructuring to demand a higher level of innovation for American businesses to survive and thrive. 
 
What does this mean for the future of your company?

IT Leadership
A Look Inside the Agile Toolbox:
10 Top ALM Tools
generations
A study by Forrester Research finds 45% of developers surveyed said they use Agile practices.

In the mid '90s, Agile methodologies entered the scene and after the publication of the Agile Manifesto in 2001, gained critical mass to accelerate software development. Now there are many Agile choices. 

How do Agile ALM tools compare?
Programming Better Health
Sleep... Get 8 Hours? 

Only 28% of us do. What's the cost? 

Poor sleep can be causing you memory loss,  decreased mental ability, weight gain, and depression. For women, it can also mean an increased risk for heart disease and diabetes.

Here are 6 tips to getting better sleep.
Software Quotes
"The job of the average manager requires a shift in focus
every few minutes.

The job of the average software developer requires that the developer not shift focus more often than every few hours."

--Steve McConnell, Software Project Survival Guide 
Software Consortium provides information technology services  specializing in software integration and development, with a focus on providing high value / high impact results to our clients. 
 
Contact us to discuss your technology challenges and how we can help. 
 
Software Consortium, Inc., 877-850-9393. www.SoftwareConsortium.com 
Headquarters: 100 West Rd., Suite 408, Baltimore, MD 21204, 410-583-9393 and
D.C. Metro: 4061 Powder Mill Rd., Suite 700, Calverton, MD 20705, 301-273-2126 and 
Silver Spring Innovation Center, 8070 Georgia Avenue, #410, Silver Spring, MD 20910, 240-821-9432
 
All Rights Reserved, © Software Consortium, Inc. 2010