Definitions Assignment
Situation: Jody, a junior developer at enterprise software company PAS, has been asked to compose a document for program managers showcasing a new automated testing framework solution. The solution will minimize errors and improve user experience in PAS’s internal business software.
Audience: The intended readers of the document are program managers, who are responsible for the success of a project from beginning to end. The program manager will need to come up with a list of testing requirements, meet with management to determine key performance indicators in order to measure the success of the testing framework, and align with development on these performance metrics.
The goal of the document is to give the program manager a general overview of the new framework.
Parenthetical definition: The framework (structure defining how different components of a software application interact) ….
Sentence definition: A framework is a scalable structure defining how different components of a software application interact.
Expanded definition:
What is a framework?
A framework defines how the various components of a software solution interact. Frameworks are extendable and scalable, and are usually designed to work across multiple systems.
How / when is it used?
Frameworks are used when a piece of software needs to be adaptable to different systems. They are easily modifiable, shortening the time needed to tailor the software to each system.
Figure 1-1 shows an example of a testing framework. Variables (e.g. elements of a web application) and components (parts of an application to test) can be easily changed with limited modification to the code by using the framework. This makes it simple to apply the testing solution to different applications, or business software systems. In contrast, a testing solution tailored for each system (without a framework) would require a complete overhaul of the code each time.
Figure 1-1
Works cited
“Automation Framework Architecture for Enterprise Products: Design and Development Strategy.” Automation Framework Architecture for Enterprise Products -Design and Development Strategy. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2017. <http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/articles/entarch/shrivastava-automated-frameworks-1692936.html>.
“What is a software framework?” What is a software framework? – Stack Overflow. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2017. <https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2964140/what-is-a-software-framework>.
“What is framework? – Definition from WhatIs.com.” WhatIs.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2017. <http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/framework>.
Formal Report Proposal
To: Jane Chen, Human Resource Consultant
From: Judy Chern
June 7, 2017
Subject: Increasing mental health initiatives for employees
Introduction:
SAP Labs Vancouver is part of a large multinational enterprise software company based in Germany. SAP consistently makes the list for best employer awards on websites such as Glassdoor and Fortune based on its promotion of employee learning, sense of global community and various diversity and non-discriminatory policies.
Statement of Problem:
At present, SAP Labs Vancouver has an employee assistance program in place to provide employees with counselling services via a third-party service. However, many employees are unaware of these benefits and there are virtually no outreach initiatives to help those struggling from mental health issues.
Each year, mental health problems cost the Canadian economy $50 billion dollars. This includes the cost of absenteeism, presenteeism (productivity loss from working while unwell) and turnover in organizations. Furthermore, 30 percent of long and short-term disability leaves are attributed to mental health problems. It is clear that both employers and employees would benefit from increased mental health initiatives in the workplace.
Proposed Solution:
This problem needs to be approached from several different angles. Pragmatically, there needs to be better promotion of existing EAP (employee assistance program) counselling services so that more employees are aware of this option. Additionally, SAP could do more to promote a culture of support and awareness of mental health issues. One option could be training for managers / senior employees in equipping them with practical tools to deal with these issues in an empathetic and helpful manner. For employees, workshops with a professional facilitator to promote an open conversation about mental health could be beneficial.
Scope:
To assess the feasibility and logistics required to put this proposal in place I plan to investigate the following:
- What changes on the corporate portal would allow easier access to information about the EAP program’s counselling services?
- What sort of training for managers would be most beneficial? What are other organizations currently doing / have done to equip their senior employees to deal with mental health problems? What is the cost?
- How comfortable are employees in speaking about mental health issues?
- Where would we find a professional facilitator for employee workshops?
Methods:
My primary resource for investigating attitudes and comfort levels with discussing mental health would be the current employees at SAP Labs, where I worked as a co-op student for 8 months. I have access to the employee portal and am familiar with the various components that make up internal websites, so I can explore ways to modify the layout and provide easier access to counselling information. Since I have contacts working in other professional organizations, I can find out what various organizations have done to provide effective training for managers. I plan to interview professionals working in the mental health field for additional information on this, as well as to find out where to acquire a facilitator for employee workshops.
My Qualifications:
As a co-op student who worked at SAP Labs Vancouver for 8 months, I am familiar with the various resources and outreach initiatives provided for employees on various topics such as physical health and safety. I believe that from a logistical standpoint I can apply this knowledge to implementing mental health initiatives.
As someone who has struggled with a generalized anxiety disorder in the past, I have the empathy and first-hand experience required to have a sense of what sort of implementations would be necessary.
Conclusion:
A software organization’s biggest asset is its employees. In order to maintain a healthy pool of talent, organizations need to help reduce the stigma of mental health and make help easy to find for struggling employees.
Works Cited:
“Workplace.” Workplace | Mental Health Commission of Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 June 2017. <http://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/focus-areas/workplace>.
“SAP America Named One of the 2017 Fortune 100 Best Places to Work For.” SAP News Center. N.p., 09 Mar. 2017. Web. 09 June 2017. <http://news.sap.com/sap-america-named-one-of-the-2017-fortune-100-best-places-to-work-for/>.
Complaint Letter
Consumer Affairs Department H&M Canada
93 West Cordova
Vancouver, BC V8F 5R69
June 20, 2017
Dear Ms. Smith,
I am a frequent customer at your Pacific Centre location and enjoy shopping at H&M for both basics and on-trend items. Unfortunately, I am writing to bring to your attention a very unpleasant customer experience while shopping at your Pacific Centre location on June 12, around 3 o’clock in the afternoon.
I was returning several items at the upstairs cashier located in the children’s section when I was rudely treated by two of your staff members working there at the time.
The two staff members, both women with long brunette hair, appeared annoyed and reluctant to process my refund. I hoped (and it would be understandable) that they were just having a long day, but when returning my change they dropped the coins callously on my palm so that they scattered all over, making me scramble to pick them up from the floor and the counter. Meanwhile, your staff members watched without a single word of apology.
To add insult to the injury, when I turned to leave the store I heard one of them loudly proclaim “Why do people buy so much stuff and then return it?!”
While I usually have pleasant exchanges from helpful staff members at H&M, I was humiliated by this experience, which amounted to nothing but plain bullying from any point of view. I have been a loyal customer for several years and love how affordable and on-point your clothing is. Unfortunately, this experience makes me very reluctant to return. I hope that you can address this problem and improve your training for customer representatives in the future.
Regards,
JC
Judy Chern
Peer Review
Name of the Reviewer: Judy Chern
Author’s Name: Albert Kim
Title of the Expanded Definition: Collaborative Development
I have reviewed your assignment defining the phrase “collaborative development”. As a someone with a background in the same industry but unaware of the specifics of this term, similar to your target audience, I found your definitions informative and useful.
Audience / Situation:
Your description of this was clear and to the point. The situation of Albert the co-op sets up an example scenario in which collaborative development is needed and is a good lead-in for the definitions that follow.
Parenthetical definition:
This is a good example of a brief and concise parenthetical definition that might be used as part of a sentence or paragraph for the intended audience.
Sentence definition:
Expanding on the definition in the second sentence helps to clarify any questions or misunderstandings the reader may have from the initial sentence.
Extended definition:
There were good use of examples in this section of your assignment. The explanation of different types of collaboration (open vs closed networks) as well as comparison between the two using pros and cons helped my understanding of the topic.
However, you are missing a visual — one of the key components of this section.
Additional comments:
Please double-check your work as there are several areas where typos were distracting, ex. “…worked on my multiple people…”.
Paying more attention to when to use the passive vs. active voice could help clarify and strengthen your sentences. For example:
Collaborative development is used when a job is expected to be worked on by multiple people either due to the complexity or the sheer size of the project.
Can be changed to:
Collaborative development is used when multiple people will be working on a job, either due to the complexity or the sheer size of the project.
Overall, good job on this assignment! I went away with some newfound knowledge after reading it.