If you’re bugged by bugs in your software system, you may find yourself on the phone to technical support more often than you’d like. Sometimes those developmental problems never seem to go away. But by standardising your bug tracking software and taking part in a bug tracking program, you can help the help desk staff to do a better job.

In today’s ever-changing computer environment, software bugs are an unfortunate fact of life. Such is the pressure on design companies to release new and updated versions of popular software that bug tracking is never complete before it comes out – and, of course, some bug tracking can’t be done effectively until the software is functioning in the wider world. These days, most new software releases come with built-in bug tracking software which allows users like you to inform developers when you encounter a problem. You don’t have to understand the technical details of what’s going on to be helpful in bug tracking – you just need to note what you did and what happened, or failed to happen, as a result.

Because they deal with user problems at a different level from software developers, and with different priorities, support desk staff often keep bug tracking records of their own. You’ll get much more effective service if you report problems in the appropriate way, and this can speed up the service for future customers with the same problems, too. When you report a problem, ask your support staff what you can do to help with bug tracking in that area. This will not only help to resolve your immediate difficulties, it will assist with larger scale bug tracking endeavours.

Although you may often feel like you’re at the bottom of the heap as an end user of problematic software, efficient bug tracking means that you too can contribute as it improves and moves forward. So don’t be afraid to speak up and do your bit.

Bug Tracking

Most computer users sit in hope every day; simply because they need to backup now. The hope they have is that their computer will not crash because if it did they would lose hundreds if not thousands of files, photos, images, emails, letters and the list goes on â?? does this situation familiar to you, if yes then you need to backup now to ensure that if the undesired happens you have not lost all those thousands of files and you can save yourself a lot of lost work, a lot of time and a lot of stress. You may now be asking yourself do you need the stress of a backup solution to save the stress that may not occur.

The answer to do you need to backup now is yes, and the correction in the above question is that backing up does not have to be stressful, confusing or complicated and you can now backup your entire data and software in literally the click of a button. This is a reassuring factor for those of use that are not so electronically minded and can speak the geek lingo when it comes to computers and software, but also a benefit to those that can as it will allow you to speed up the backup process, regardless of who you are and what skills you have there is the benefit that you can backup now and it can be easy.

So, now we know why it is needed and how we can do it let`s look at the best software to make things easy when you do backup now. With so many different backup solutions on the market it can be difficult to decide what is best for you, I always believe that it is better to go for a software that you will reap the most benefits from, not necessarily the one that has the most benefits. Personally, a backup solution with endless options, menus and buttons would not benefit me â?? there would be a vast number of benefits in the software, but not having the ability to use them would prevent me from receiving those benefits â?? so what do we do in order to be able to backup now and benefit.

That`s easy, we use a backup software that is easy to navigate, easy to use and easy to allow us to backup now. There are some great backup solutions available and providing you select the best then you will benefit immensely and have great security and peace of mind when you backup now with software such as Backup Now EZ 2010.

As a family-law attorney for over 35 years, I can tell you that the secret to a successful divorce is to minimize your involvement with the legal system and to avoid using lawyers who work in it. Where one spouse is a controller abuser — 5 to 10 percent of all cases — this advice does not apply, but for everyone else, going to an attorney as your first step is the worst thing you can possibly do and court is the worst possible place to settle divorce disagreements.

Here’s why.

To get a divorce, you need to tell the court how you will divide marital property and whether there will be spousal support. If you have minor children, you must also tell the court how they will be supported and parented after the divorce — the visitation schedule. That’s all a divorce is about.

If you can be sure your spouse will not come to court to oppose you on any of these matters, all that’s left is some paperwork to get your judgment (decree in some states). This can be done inexpensively in California or Texas by using Nolo’s “How to Do Your Own Divorce” kit. In other states, you can get it done for a few hundred dollars by using a divorce typing service or by shopping your easy case around to various attorneys until someone gives you a fair price.

If your spouse is in the picture and cares about the terms, then you need to work out a written agreement on property, parenting and support. There is software to make this easy for you. Once you have an agreement, finishing your case is now just a matter of paperwork and can be done for a few hundred dollars as described above.

Inability to agree is almost never about the law, almost always about personalities and emotional upset. If you can’t agree, you don’t need a lawyer; you need a mediator or a collaborative law attorney. If you still can’t agree, you don’t need a lawyer, you need an arbitrator.

There are absolutely no solutions for personal problems in a lawyer’s office or in a courtroom. In fact, the legal system is almost certain to make things worse. This is because our adversarial legal system is based on argument and conflict, where one side argues, fights, and struggles to win, to beat the other side. This is a terrible way to settle family disputes. It increases conflict and expense, greatly increases the time it will take you to rebalance your life, and reduces chances for cooperative parenting.

Before you retain an attorney to represent you, remember this simple equation: “The more trouble you have = the more money your attorney makes.” This is not a good basis for a smooth, successful negotiation.

Many attorneys become so frustrated with the legal system that they leave litigation behind in favor of more constructive forms of practice, such as mediation and collaborative law. These are both discussed below.

Better alternatives

Self-help. The things you can do to help yourself are far superior to anything an attorney can do for you. Specific steps you should take depend on your situation and are discussed in detail in my book, Make Any Divorce Better. If you follow my advice, things will get better soon.

Get organized. Before you can get advice, work out an agreement, or decide what you want and what is fair, you need to organize the facts and documents in your case. You will need to do this sooner or later no matter what, so why not do it yourself for free instead of paying a professional hundreds of dollars an hour to help you do it? Inexpensive worksheets are available to help you make this task easy. Doing this work won’t take long and it will help you understand your case, clarify your thinking, and make clear what questions you want to ask of an attorney, if you decide to see one.

Get advice. After you’re organized, if you have questions about the law in your state you should seek advice from an attorney who mostly does family law mediation, very little or no litigation. This way, you are more likely to get neutral, useful advice that will lead to solutions rather than court. Be sure to ask if the laws of your state are such that you can predict what any judge will order based on the facts and issues in your case. In most states, the outcome of any case is highly unpredictable, which is one of the reasons that a settlement by the parties is far superior to taking a chance on what some judge might decide, a stranger who does not have more than a few minutes to try to understand your family and the facts of your case.

Get help. If you and your spouse can’t work out a written settlement agreement on your own, you have two good alternatives.

Mediation. If both sides agree, you sit down with a mediator who will help you work out an agreement. Mediators are trained to help balance bargaining power, keep communications on point and useful, prevent bullying or abuse in the negotiation, and help the parties find common ground and eventual agreement. Mediation is usually very effective.

Many attorneys claim to mediate, but you should look for a family law specialist who is primarily a mediator, someone who does very little or no litigation. There are also some excellent non-attorney mediators but in general these are best used when the issues of your case are limited to personal discord and parenting. If your case involves money, property or support issues, you’d be better off with an attorney mediator who can bring knowledge of state law and local judges into the discussion. Ask if they do that, because many mediators will not bring in legal information even if they could, preferring each party to have separate counsel, something that greatly increases your cost.

Collaborative law. A collaborative law attorney represents you and speaks for you, but they enter into a written agreement with the other side not to go to court to solve problems. Instead, they concentrate on negotiation and mediation. Depending on your case, they might form a team with an accountant, therapist, child specialist, or financial planner. This approach only works if the party and attorney on the other side are willing to enter into this arrangement. Collaborative divorce has a good track record and even with all the professional services it will still cost less than a court battle. This is a new but rapidly growing subspecialty, so there may not be any collaborative lawyers near you. Go on the Internet and search “collaborative law” plus the name of your state or city, or call the local bar or other attorneys and ask if they know of any collaborative divorce lawyers near you. When you talk to one, find out how many other such cases they have conducted.

© 2008 Ed Sherman

Author

Ed Sherman is a senior partner in Sherman, Naraghi, Woodcock & Pipersky and a family law attorney since 1967. He founded Nolo Press in 1971 with How to Do Your Own Divorce in California and forever changed the way legal services are delivered through his many books on divorce, creation of the independent paralegal movement, and co-founding of Divorce Helpline. He has made it his life’s work to help people keep their family problems out of the legal grinder — our adversarial court system.

As the U.S. government’s economic stimulus money works its way through the economic system, Pacific Timesheet, a leading DCAA timesheet software and software as a service company reports a significant increase in demand for its software.

As government contracting and government agency activity increases at all levels, the company is reporting, customers are being required to have DCAA compliant timesheets using electronic software programs. Pacific Timesheet reports that inquiries and purchase of DCAA timesheet software has increased by 200% over the past three months.

Jim Dickerson, VP of Operations, stated, “In all the years we have been providing DCAA compliant timesheet software and solutions we have never seen an increase in demand like this.”

In particular, many government contracting organizations seek to manage their growth in  contracting activity through web-based timesheet software. As well, non-contractors are being asked by auditors to ensure that their timesheet management process is DCAA compliant.

Dickerson says, “Our DCAA timesheet software allows government contractors and non-government contracting organizations to be DCAA compliant in all aspects of the time management process – including authentication and security, timesheet submissions, approvals, rejections, adjustment and corrections and integrating with third party systems.”

About Pacific Timesheet Enterprise

Pacific Timesheet Enterprise is a leading J2EE compliant and DCAA compliant time sheet and web time tracking software. Architected for the web, Pacific Timesheet Enterprise runs on any browser, operating system, database and middleware. Its n-tier architecture allows its timesheet systems to scale to tens of thousands of users. Single sign-on integration is also available with LDAP, OpenID, Netegrity and Microsoft active Directory. Pacific Timesheet’s timesheet software offers a significant and rapid Return on Investment, allowing customers to save millions of dollars while improving their visibility into employee projects, work and attendance.

About Pacific Timesheet

Pacific Timesheet is a leader in time tracking software. Offering self-hosted and “software as a service” solutions, it provides robust yet easy-to-use global solutions for the enterprise supporting more than 75 locales worldwide. Pacific Timesheet’s Time Management Systems are used by some of the world’s leading organizations. Its main product, Pacific Timesheet Enterprise, provides unprecedented ease-of-use, flexibility and reliability. The Company is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, and has offices throughout North America and Europe. For additional information about Pacific Timesheet please visit www.pacifictimesheet.com or call 866-416-2061.

Project management requires managers to use a unique group of skills and a much different approach than general management. In today’s e-business world, project management requires technical tools and knowledge that were not a consideration even a decade ago. As a project manager, you will be primarily concerned with keeping your projects on time and under budget, and with achieving the projects’ predetermined goals. Over the course of a project, you will fi nd yourself balancing theory, practice and psychology while handling the fi ve critical components involved in executing such an undertaking. These components are: 1. Cost accounting. 2. Progress measurement. 3. Variance tracking and change control. 4. Performance evaluation. 5. Productivity evaluation. Project managers can combine proven practices with new, innovative techniques and the attached Project Management software to achieve several key goals including: Plan projects that maximize productivity. Subdivide and quantify the tasks. Create a work breakdown structure (WBS). Sequence, budget and schedule the tasks. Document all expenditures. Track progress accurately in all areas. Create progress and status reports. Maintain variance tracking. Create an objective way to evaluate performance. Perform variance analysis, that is, problem identifi cation. Prepare productivity reports. Find and correct productivity problems. Create and address alternate views and hierarchies. Sequence and schedule using Modern Project and Microsoft Project software and other tools. Employ an automated interface between scheduling and management. Understand government terms, models, reporting and managerial methods, including fulfi llment of legal requirements. Quantify and manage risk. Turn around a problem project. Deal with unplanned detours. Eliminate unexpected barriers. To succeed as a project manager, disregard two common misconceptions.

One is that project management is just an organization’s general management when that organization is set up as an ongoing project. The other misconception is that managing a project is mostly schedule managment. Actually, scheduling is only one detail of project management. In fact, on big jobs, project managers typically turn over specifi c details to a hired team of specialists, such as project schedulers, cost accountants, project administrators and control package managers. Project management can and must be dealt with in an integrated way, yet project management training is usually “unnecessarily disjointed,” and most project management tools are also disjointed. Automated project management software can help you implement all aspects of each project management task more smoothly, including depicting the progress you are making on understandable charts and graphs.