Lest We Forget

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  • Posted by Nancy Stefanik
  • Tuesday, November 16, 2010
    • November 11, 2010: 11:11, a number we so often see when we quickly glance at our watches or clocks. The number’s constant appearance,

    “is… a powerful confirmation that we are on the right track,” and “tend(s) to occur during times of heightened awareness, having a most powerful effect on the people involved. This causes a reactivation of our cellular memory banks. There's a stirring deep inside, a hint of remembrance of something long forgotten.”*

    On this November 11th at 11:00 A.M., we give that symbolic meaning, homage, lest we forget, as some 30-thousand people gather among our Canadian soldiers around the War Memorial in Ottawa’s epicentre on Elgin Street. The sun shines brightly blanketing us with its warmth masking what cannot be unnoticed as a chill in the air.

    Regardless if that cold is brought on by fall’s brisk wind or the solemnity of the ceremony, in a poignant moment of silence we pay tribute to the men, women and dog, who served and are currently serving in the Army, Air Force, and Navy to protect our freedoms.

    It is in that silence one has to wonder what their thoughts carry. Are they catapulted back in time to the bloodshed, the massive graves left behind, the constant harsh explosions burning and ringing in their ears, the smoke of artillery blinding them to safety? Is it sadness? Is it respect? Is it honour?

    A canon fires its tribute, breaking the silence and the Veterans’ haunting thoughts, or so we surmise, only to be filled with the droning notes of the Scottish bagpipes. Canada’s snowbirds rip through the skies overhead with precision and force in an air salute. The trumpet sounds out its so familiar call to these war veterans.

    The families, sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, and children who died or were wounded in the line of duty are honoured in a gesture of tradition, the laying of the wreaths. We look around, they stand tall, but the deep respect and sorrow pushes through their courageous stance and tears well in their honest stares.

    We cannot forget, the Canadian flag blowing in the wind, and our song reminds us, why they sacrificed so much: “our true north strong and free.”
    *Global Physics Inc.

    -By Caroline Redekopp, Sales Manager  - FIT TRACKING SOLUTIONS

    Issue Tracking just got easier!

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  • Posted by Nancy Stefanik
  • Tuesday, September 07, 2010
  • Labels: , ,
    • Version 8.02 (8.02 - [rev 4] updated September 12, 2010 - 5,325,582 bytes)

    Feature List:
    • New option to add/edit groups/projects across multiple tracks.
    • New parent/child custom field types for Cross Context relationships
    • New drill down links to the summary menu.
    • New multi-list ability to user lists.
    • New Rich Text Formatting option for text areas
    • New Attachment Feature with versioning / folders.
    • New Filter Interface - added more explanation to the new filter menu and toggle to use old method (also allows oldFilterMenu option to default to old style).
    • Workflow can now handle multiple rules with separate OGNL formulas.
    • Quickview Improvements (allow ESC key to close window properly, larger quickview window to improve scrolling, allow close icon to scroll for access during scrolling.
    • New checkDate routine to edit menus to confirm date formats before commit.
    • New multiple edit warning to Live Update, which warns you if another user is currently updating the same issue.
    • New checkbox to reports (for userlist fields) to use groups as headings rather than user names.
    • New option to add blank to top of custom list type fields.
    • Allow dates to default to a relative date.
    • New notes option to export
    • New comment/description to .Define filter. tab
    • New second security string option to enable/disable security string in basic response.
    • Added new .email new password. option to login screen for recovering passwords.
    • New edit link to filter definition.
    • Allow accented characters in field hierarchy names
    • Allow substitutions in return messages for email retrieval
    • Make a log of when shutdown option is used.
    • Added oldFilterMenu and oldAttachmentsModel server config options for those wishing to use the old behaviours
    • New OGNL java.util.Date() objects are formatted with sDateFormatInput.
    • New security options - enforce password changes every 90 days, validate that new passwords are significantly different from old ones (by xx amount of characters)
    • Added a checkbox to copy profile tab settings to all groups
    • Event logging feature added
    • Added ability to use AND/OR in searchString field on Quick Filter tab. This was a simple implementation for just a single field but we hope to add more depth in the future.
    • Added filter speed improvement which runs security filters first if the user is using mSearchString which checks all fields and takes longer.
    • Added clone link to quick view menu
    • Added AND/OR option to quick filter tab
    • New option for adding blanks to user dropdowns
    • New priority ladder field (custom feature)
    • new server config option (disableTrackCreateChoices) to disable create dropdown menu choices for other tracks.
    • Field Hierarchy import option to add new field values to the field options when reading in new values for an issue. Fixed single relationship rows for importing.
    New TestSpec Features
    • Testspec - export to Excel/Word added to Generate Document
    • Testspec - added export functionality
    • Testspec - added import functionality
    • Testspec - test set date stamps now reflect the given time zone
    • Testspec - Active test run results are now updating while test run is set
    • Testspec - Added generate document option to test runs

    Everybody's got issues!!

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  • Posted by Robert
  • Thursday, September 02, 2010

    • Yes it’s true!! We all have issues!! I’m not talking about raising a teenager, that’s another story altogether! I’m talking about team communication issues. We get so fragmented with tele-workers (our development staff work from home), global clients and less and less time for teams or departments to “get together” and talk.

    Using an issue tracking tool can certainly help communications. Forget the old way of doing it with spreadsheets or lists that become old and outdated the minute you send it out in an email. What about these meetings, were people come in with different lists? Let’s face it, meetings are boring!! If I could skip every meeting I’d be a happy camper. In real life I know I have to sit down with my staff but I prefer it to be the “exception to the rule”. If I’m going to have meetings then wouldn’t it be nice to view a screen at these meetings and update the tasks/issues on the fly! Forget meeting minutes, it’s already done when you leave and everyone sees the same thing when they go to their desks. If you’ve ever had to write up the minutes, you know what I’m talking about.

    How often have you tried to share a list of tasks within a department or small group and before you know it, it’s so big it takes hours to update it and tasks are late, and people have no idea who’s working on what and where it’s at!!

    In a nutshell that’s when most people give up on the list, and go back to their even less manageable “Cover your butt” mentality. As a consultant for years, I couldn’t believe how many of my clients still did it the old way. There was no accountability, no history or traceability and tons of finger pointing. On the other hand when someone is using a real time issue tracking tool that generates reports to themselves or/and their manager there is total accountability and these people are so much more organized!!

    Whether you are 3 or 300 people solving issues, a good tracking tool is the most effective way of managing it and worth its weight in gold!

    Robert
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