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smartdata1 · 2 years

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Want to accelerate your Digital Transformation process? Go Agile

We tend to throw around the term “Digital Transformation” so casually.

That’s because the entire world is going through Digital Transformation, and the pandemic has only hastened its pace.

Though businesses have been going through Digital Transformation for years now, that’s not to say it’s an easy process. Choosing the right set of technology and tools and, most importantly, trusting your employees to work from the comfort of their homes were all instances of utmost struggle.

Nonetheless, business owners are now more open to taking risks when upgrading their digital assets. Most major enterprises have stuck around to a remote or hybrid working policy despite relaxation.

Remote working and sharing products and services is the need of the hour.

However, you stumbling upon this article might agree when we say that teams achieving high productivity levels without seeing each other and communicating over the desk remains a challenge.

That’s where the need for Agile comes in. Agile methodologies paired with competent software development helps teams become more self-organized and functional within themselves. Going Agile will help your business deliver services faster, with better quality and flexibility for unforeseen change.

Let’s take a closer look at what Agile has to offer.

What does Agile entail?

The Agile framework entails a vast number of technologies such as Scrum, Kanban, Extreme Programming (XP), Lean Development e Crystal

Scrum has become one of the most commonly used technology due to its:

Lightweight process – This means that the technology is relatively simple for employees to understand, so they can focus on getting more important work done.

Increased productivity – As Scrum copes better with change, it’s more likely to deliver higher quality deliverables and provide better predictability in less time.

Since Scrum is the most widely used technology or ‘framework’ under Agile, in this article, let’s understand Agile through its lens.

Whether it be any technology under Agile, it typically consists of a Delivery Manager, a Product Owner, and the Teams. Take a closer look at each of these roles below

Delivery Manager

The Delivery Manager, Flow Master or ScrumMaster (for Scrum), handles the vital job of ensuring the project is running smoothly; teams are organized through regular interval checks and track progress. The Delivery Manager needs to understand the technology such as Scrum or Kanban to the core. As they’ll only be able to assist other members of the Team if they know it thoroughly. A Delivery Manager is in charge of:

Keeping track of the Team’s progress and ensuring they are able to meet all deadlines.

Bringing people on the same page, encouraging teamwork, and colluding team ideas to get structure to creativity.

Clearing the way for any possible obstacles the Team may be facing to accelerate productivity.

Help the Product Owner to understand how to use the dedicated technology to meet the set targets.

To summarize, the Delivery Manager will be held responsible if the targeted goals and deadlines are not met on time. Thus, all their responsibilities become centered around identifying any barriers or blockages from ongoing progress and removing them from sight. Though the Delivery Manager’s role is supervision, ironically, the better they can perform his duties, the less supervision his Team would inevitably require.

Product Owner

The Product Owner is the single point of contact when it comes to deciding whether the product features and implementations are superior enough in quality to be delivered. The Product Owner sets the benchmarks and organizes the Team to achieve them. In other words, they single-handedly deal with the clientele and communicate their needs to their Team on the other hand. Here is precisely what is expected of them:

When receiving bug-fix requests from many sources, they are responsible for distributing them amongst the Team.

Briefing the Team and Delivery Manager of product requirements and their updates.

Maintaining a “Product Backlog” which is a factual document of all the standard requirements and the progress as it is happening.

Discussing deadlines with the customers and informing the Delivery Manager so they can escalate the Team towards them.

They also make the final call on whether the execution of work is of the expected quality to leave the room.

The Team

Although we may seem we’re at the end of the ladder, here lies where the most competent set of individuals carry out the necessary development and testing of the product.

Though the Team may receive instructions from the Delivery Manager and Product Owners regarding bug fixes, deadlines, and requirement updates, they essentially handle their work independently. The individuals that work in this Team usually take the responsibility of distributing their work among themselves.

Contrary to an authoritative leader who assimilates work between Team members, these members understand their strengths and weaknesses to break down their tasks better and distribute them among themselves.

Here are a few pointers to making a functioning team:

Keeping Team members between 5 to 9 for more accessible communication. Large Teams have a more challenging time passing information along, leading to discrepancies and errors.

Although Team is a term used for many individuals that develop the product, they can be divided into sub-teams, with each Team given an important agenda to work upon.

Teams should meet at regular intervals arranged by the Delivery Manager to communicate and to present each other with any feedback.

What are User-Stories?

Although it isn’t a role performed under any Agile technologies, it is still worth mentioning due to its unique organizational relevance.

User-Stories are essentially the work divided amongst each Team, noted down on a piece of paper or software. The key is that each User-Story must make a relevant and unique contribution to the overall product.

These User-Stories become key tangible indicators of what a Team is working on. These information placards are a great way to see how each Team and their User-story is progressing visually. Depending on how the work is moving along, these placards (online or offline) can be moved around.

Thus, they become an essential asset in scheduling and decision-making.

What then is the “Agile” approach to Digital Transformation?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, Agile is the ability to move quickly and easily. Keeping this in mind, the Agile Manifesto was drafted in 2001 by seventeen independent software practitioners.

Together with the Product Owner, Delivery Manager, and Teams – with their independent User-Stories – help to accomplish the following approaches:

Customer Service is a priority. Each delivery must be better than the last.

Instead of delivering value with the end goal in mind (which often leads to a hit-and-miss approach), Teams should focus on increasing value incrementally through each delivery.

Accept the change of requirements, even at the later stage of development.

While traditional methods often resist any changes while the product development is in its later stage, Agile does the opposite. The Agile approach is adaptable to change at any stage. The client is always satisfied by learning something from the customer through each delivery meeting and making small incremental changes. Even if they change requirements last minute, they are not as drastic because the Team kept an eye out for it the entire time.

Deliver working software at regular intervals.

Instead of delivering one gigantic piece of the finished product, which might not be as open to change, the Agile framework offers “working” bits of software. This way, the client can always tap in any new insights along the way.

Frequent meetings between the business people and developers

This is called the “Sprint Review” in Scrum or replenishment meetings in other Agile frameworks. The stakeholders don’t just assign a project to the developers but encounter it only at its later finish stage. Instead, they frequently visit the developers so they are clear of any misunderstandings about the project.

Motivate individuals and trust them to get the work done.

Leaders focus on delivering their Team with the necessary tools, resources, work culture, external processes, and people to ensure their success. Then, they back off and let them do their work. One doesn’t need to run a ‘controlling’ management style as long as they work towards the set goals. Trust is key.

Accepting face-to-face conversation as the most efficient form of communication

Whether through Zoom or Google Meets, face-to-face conversation is a much better form of collaboration than emailing or messaging back and forth. It could be within the Teams or between customer and Product Owner interactions.

The delivery of a working product is the only measure of success

When it comes to Agile, success isn’t about sticking to a plan or measuring the percentage of work that is done. It’s about how well the customer admires the final product. Customer review is the correct measure of success.

The Agile process focuses on sustainable steps toward the end goal

When a deadline is far in the future, employees become lazy and do most of the work near the finish line of the product. This is not the Agile way of working. The Agile process is about dividing the work into a sustainable and equivalent number of steps.

Paying attention to technical excellence and design every step of the way

Whether it’s through regular code reviews or continuously keeping a tab on security standards, ensuring high-quality delivery at the end of the project is possible only by paying attention to each milestone diligently.

It’s vital to focus on what’s valuable first

Instead of focusing on all the possible requirements that will be needed in the future, driving the Team’s attention to the valuable thing to do next can eliminate waste in the long run.

Self-organizing teams develop the best-finished product in terms of architectural design and technical excellence

Giving the Team enough creative control over the product they are developing motivates them to do their best. That’s why self-organizing Teams deliver the best products.

Deliberating its effectiveness at regular intervals

A great Team gives value to everything, even its shortcomings. This has a major role to play in the efficiency of the Team and their collaboration with each other in the long run.

What are the benefits of going Agile?

When it comes to going Agile, there are benefits for everyone that is involved. Let’s take a look at receiving end of all the roles:

Benefits to the Customer

Customers receive more high-end work at shorter time periods and the vendor is more responsive to changes and mid-cycle requests.

Benefits to the Team

When Team members submit more often, they have more chances of receiving appreciation. And because they are trusted to work and communicate independently amongst themselves, they feel valued.

Benefits to the Vendor

Vendors don’t have to go through wastage since they’ve always focused on what’s valuable first. This also results in increased team efficiency, which helps in customer retention and improved customer satisfaction.

Benefits to Product Manager

The Product Manager is the single point of contact between the Customers and their development Team. Nonetheless, the Agile framework ensures regular check-ins, communication, and self-organizing Teams, which takes an excess load off the Product Manager.

Benefits to External Stakeholders and C-level Executives

The Agile framework gives plenty of transparency to the External Stakeholders and C-level Executives in a project. They can use this transparency to adjust their transparency and offer suggestions to revise the product and better align it with their business goals.

That’s it, folks!

The Agile Framework started from the point of helping software development firms better collaborate within themselves as well as their customers.

Due to its tremendous success rate, it has slowly made its way across various avenues such as marketing, HR, and defense. Want to set up your business for success? Then going Agile is a sure-shot way of focusing on what truly matters: customer service.

The answer is: go Agile.

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prurientpuddlejumper · 3 years

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Being Fake Soulmates with Dr. Chilton (Part 6)

<- Part 5

Frederick Chilton x Reader | The Good Place crossover

Final chapter! Warning: The Good Place spoilers, and a timeline that makes perfect sense because Jeremy Bearimy, baby.

2,800 words

“No way. It’s too dangerous!”

“I thought you said we were in this together?” Chilton quirked a brow, eliciting a petulant grumble. You crossed your arms.

“Or maybe you think I’m expendable, so you’re willing to take risks with my life. Afterlife. Whatever.”

Frederick Chilton, who was not, as originally advertised, your soulmate, nonetheless clasped your hand with gentle tenderness. I would never do anything to hurt you is what a normal person would say in that moment, and perhaps his eyes said it, somewhere deep in their searching pools of green. But Dr. Chilton had a repressed way about him, tending toward overly clinical just stating the facts (or the sarcasm). Anything but genuine, vulnerable, sentimentality.

He guided you by your hand to sit down beside him on the baroque loveseat in one of his many living rooms, studies, and salons. After you settled yourself on the velvet cushion, he leaned his shoulder against yours in that quiet way he showed affection.

“After reviewing the town records,” he said, “I believe we may be the only two humans in the neighborhood. Some of the residents are far too dull—Chidi Anagonye, the moral philosophy professor who spent his life writing a single manuscript, Jianyu the silent monk—while others are too perfect—Glen, that one who is constantly volunteering, Tahani, the philanthropist. Real people have flaws, secrets, hobbies. I can only be certain of myself and you.”

“How’d you figure out I’m real?”

“I didn’t. I simply refuse to accept the alternative,” he said with a sad smile, and you began to think Dr. Chilton was sentimental after all.

***

Their voices were muffled even with your ear pressed to the door of Michael’s office—not that it mattered much what they were talking about. You were just waiting for the signal, and at that moment, it came. Their footsteps and voices grew louder as Frederick and Michael approached, and the door handle clicked.

“—which is why cannibalism loses more good-person points than defenestration but fewer than chewing loudly on a crowded bus.”

“Fascinating. I never thought about it that way,” said Chilton, looking genuinely disturbed.

You flattened yourself against the wall next to the door, thinking thin thoughts as the pair exited the office. A tall houseplant barely disguised your presence, and if Michael had any kind of peripheral vision, he would see you standing there plain as day.

But Dr. Chilton spoke animatedly, fixing him with a challenging laser-stare as he asked a probing follow-up question. Locked in Chilton’s eyes, Michael failed to notice the movement just behind his left shoulder as you slipped through the closing door before it could latch shut.

Safe.

Michael’s office was quiet and filled you with serenity in much the same way a teddy bear is filled with stuffing: forcefully and by no will of your own. Like the welcome room with its happy green plants and happy green words on the wall assuring you everything is fine, the office peeled your defenses away. Cream-colored walls yawned out around the perimeter, punctuated with bright windows, a portrait of Doug Forcett (a stoner from the 1970s who guessed, on a mushroom trip, how the afterlife really worked), and various artifacts of humanity enshrined like museum pieces, despite seeming perfectly mundane.

At the top of the room was a large mahogany desk.

Yesterday, Chilton watched Michael put away files in the desk that he wouldn’t let him look at. Chilton was certain they were the key to unraveling the mystery, so he suggested working together—he would distract Michael while you sneaked in to find the files. It was risky, but it might have been your only chance of discovering what was going on, and if there was a way to escape.

You began poking through the desk and found stacks of papers in an unreadable alphabet. The only thing you could read were lyrics to a genuinely terrible song Michael was writing titled “Love Train to the Cosmos.”

The last drawer wouldn’t budge.

Yanking the handle didn’t work. Banging on the side with your fist failed to unstick it. It was locked. Locked drawers were suspicious. The answers had to be in there.

You eyed a mountain of paperclips lovingly displayed on a pedestal labeled “Human Things.” Snatching two off the top, you unbent and re-bent the stiff metal wire, and inserted it into the lock. Faint clicks sounded as you turned and finessed the paperclip, feeling each pin in the tumbler slide into place. Then you gently turned it, and—pop. The drawer opened.

A single manila folder stamped TOP SECRET in threatening red letters rested inside, as if waiting to be found. You picked it up and opened it, and your breath caught. They were reports on “The Good Place.” The Good Place in quotation marks. Reports about you.

A pleasant bing sounded.

Janet materialized in front of the desk. For once, she was not wearing a cheery smile.

***

Frederick Chilton had always been a selfish man. Any opportunity that could advance his career and put him in the spotlight, he would take it no matter who it hurt. “Unorthodox therapy,” he called it in his private chats with Dr. Lecter. They bonded over their shared interest in unorthodox research before he learned Dr. Lecter was a cannibal. That would have been a clue to anybody else that it was time to change his ways, but Dr. Chilton spent the rest of his years just as selfish and petty—more so, even, as his disfiguring injuries gave him more reason for spite.

He could never accept himself as he was.

By the time he died, Chilton was an intolerable asshole who paid back the world’s cruelty with his chronic foul moods and acerbic sarcasm. He kept everyone at a distance.

And yet, here, in death, he found himself worrying over someone else.

The sun was shining in the ever-blue sky, dappled by lush green foliage before reaching the two men as they strolled the neighborhood below. Michael was built like a sapling with longer legs than he knew what to do with, making Chilton nearly jog to keep pace. He had a warm smile and an outgoing demeanor—always flattering Chilton’s ego and asking for his guidance. But something malignant hid behind those smiling eyes, and Chilton’s mind kept rushing back to you, hoping you were OK.

He hoped that you were safe. Not that the plan was going smoothly. That you were safe.

There was a difference, and Dr. Chilton noticed right away that his twitchy nervousness was not wrought of self-preservation. It was a new type of panic—worse than fear for himself, which he never thought possible considering the amount of terror he had experienced on his own behalf.

To distract himself, Chilton threw himself into the role of Michael’s assistant, focusing on his task of supposedly identifying psychological issues causing problems with the neighborhood.

“Our interviews should go in alphabetical order, under the pretense of a survey—a sort of afterlife census—to avoid suspicion. It should be feasible, with only three hundred residents—”

“We know,” Michael said coolly. His voice dropped from the usual friendly, flattering demeanor, slipping off like a mask.

“You know how you are going to handle the interviews? It is imperative the subjects do not suspect they are being studied.” Chilton swallowed, knowing full well that he was talking to the real Michael for the first time.

“Don’t play dumb.” Michael smiled an entirely different type of smile, twisted and clever with no warmth in it. “We’ve been watching you, Dr. Chilton. We knew you would figure it out eventually. It was only a matter of time before you saw through a psychiatric study.”

Chilton’s interest piqued at the same time his blood went cold. He wet his lips. “Is that what all this is, then?”

The pair came to a stone bridge that arched gracefully over a reflection pool. Michael stopped midway across, leaned one of his long, pointed elbows on the railing, and cocked his head at Chilton.

“You haven’t figured it all out yet? That’s disappointing. You humans really are so dense.” His tone was so mean that Chilton took an unconscious step back. Michael only laughed and told him there was no point in running away. “But I think you’ll want to hear what I have to offer,” he promised.

Most of what you had been told about the afterlife was true, Michael explained. There was a real good place, and there was a real bad place where bad people were tortured for all eternity. But the bad place had a problem: it was boring! Humans get used to physical pain after the first few centuries, no matter how creative the punishment.

“Once you’ve flattened a thousand penises, you’ve flattened them all. I’m trying to do something new here. Innovate!” said Michael with an energetic swoop of his hand. “Emotional torture can cause the same level of discomfort, but in a more sustainable and (more importantly) entertaining way. That’s what this neighborhood is for—to study you humans and find out what makes you miserable.”

And then he offered Dr. Chilton something that grabbed his attention. The opportunity to design bad place neighborhoods.

“You are asking me to help implement psychological torture?” Chilton turned over each word cautiously.

“Oh,” Michael scoffed, “Don’t tell me you’re concerned about the ethics? Doctor, I’ve read your file.”

Chilton winced. He had done truly amoral things in the name of discovery—things it made him sick to be reminded of. Strange, though. In the past, he would have been proud to be treated as a peer by a psychopath. Not ashamed.

“Think of it, the glory, the prestige. You would be designing the afterlife for billions of souls. You will be remembered throughout eternity as the man who reformed the bad place!”

“And my soulmate?”

Chilton blurted it without thinking. It sounded so childish and naive, and sure enough, Michael shook his head and had a long chuckle at his expense.

“There’s no such thing! I thought you knew,” Michael slapped his knee. “I made it up so you would torture each other! But once again, I underestimated the human libido. You people all think with your genitals, it’s—it’s gross. Humans are gross.” He made a face. “That’s why I need your help to design a better system. With your understanding of the human mind, we can make condemned souls miserable for thousands of years.”

Chilton couldn’t muster any enthusiasm for this plan, and Michael frowned.

“If it makes you feel any better, consider this the humane option. The alternative is going back to scooping eyeballs out with melon ballers and replacing them with live bees. What do you say, doctor? Join my team.” Michael extended a hand, and Chilton eyeballed it.

“Can my soulmate—”

“Not a soulmate.”

“—come with me?”

“This offer is only open to you.”

“So they will be tortured? Alone? For eternity? In a system I help design?”

“Nothing you can do will change that. They are going to be tortured—the only person you can save is yourself, if you decide to help me.”

Frederick’s brow knit together. He thought about refusing. He really did. Abandoning you seemed unthinkable, especially after your promise to each other to stick together. But he was a selfish creature, and choosing to be punished wouldn’t protect you. If he was lucky, by teaming up with Michael, he could design a more comfortable torture for you one day.

“Maybe this will help make up your mind,” Michael said. “Hannibal Lecter.”

“Lecter?”

“He’s here. In the bad place. So far, he has been especially resistant to traditional torture. I thought you might have a personal interest in taking a crack at him?”

***

On a floating, room-sized projection screen, Frederick Chilton shook Michael’s hand. Your head fell forward, shoulders slumping. The screen flicked off and dissipated into the office air.

“This is the 764th time he has failed,” said Janet, giving a sympathetic simulation of a sigh. “We were sure he was going to make the right decision this time.”

You shook your head. “Fame and glory? Revenge? He’ll never refuse those. Trust me—he died because of them and still never learned his lesson.”

“That is what we’re afraid of. Some people never pass their tests. Fun fact!” she perked up, “Hannibal Lecter’s test is working at a Burger King where he can only cook Impossible Whoppers, and his 19-year-old manager calls him pee-paw. He gets reset every time he eats a customer. His longest record is twelve hours.”

When Janet found you snooping in Michael’s desk, you expected to be dragged away, never to see Frederick again. Instead, she explained everything to you—the truth.

A long time ago, the bad place was exactly how Michael described it—a place where souls were sent to have their orifices filled with spiders for eternity. Then he decided to try something new. Originally, he paired you with Dr. Chilton hoping you would drive each other crazy. But no matter what happened, you kept falling in love. You kept supporting each other, and taking care of each other. The same happened with his other human test subjects—they kept improving and becoming better people than they were on Earth. Eventually, Michael changed, too.

He redesigned the bad place to be a test—a chance for human souls to earn their way into the good place. At the end of each test, you either pass and go to the good place, or your memories are erased and you start over again.

“So, what happens to me now?”

“You passed. You can go to the good place now, and spend the rest of eternity in paradise. The real one.”

“And Frederick? He’ll be alone?”

Janet nodded.

“Put me back in. Reset me, and make me his soulmate again.”

“Are you sure?” Janet asked.

“I��m not going without him.”

“He would leave you behind. You just saw that.”

“That wasn’t fair. Anyone would accept that deal. I would accept that deal!”

“No. You wouldn’t,” Janet said. “You passed your test a long time ago.”

For a while, a heavy silence fell between you as you processed this. Finally, you thought of the only question worth asking. “How many times have we had this conversation?”

“762.”

“Well then,” you said. “You know what I’m going to say.”

“I do. But you retain a vague sense of your memories from previous tests. At a subconscious level, you might realize you’re tired of this.”

You smiled. A big, genuine one that balled your cheeks and creased the corners of your eyes. “That’s not how I feel at all. I think I love him more every time.”

Janet nodded, but gave one last warning before erasing your memories again. “If he never passes, you could be stuck here forever.”

“Stuck falling in love with that insecure jerk over and over again for thousands of years? Sounds like heaven to me.”

“I thought you might say that.”

***

The first day, you really wanted to punch his pretentious snobby face for thinking he was so much better than you.

The first time you laid eyes on Dr. Frederick Chilton, he was waiting behind a mahogany desk with an ancient hardcover book in his hands. Not reading it—waiting, posed deliberately to be discovered that way, and give the impression of intellectualism.

“This is your soulmate,” said Michael, introducing you.

Chilton took a step back after shaking your hand and looked you up and down critically, as if he were appraising livestock. And right away, you knew there had been a terrible mistake. Who the fork did he think he—

Fork. Fork! Why couldn’t you say fork?!

***

Bright light streamed in through the open bedroom window. The weather was always perfect here, except when some glitch made it rain caviar and jelly beans. Or that time Frederick had a vivid nightmare, and organs began falling from the sky. Every day, something horrible seemed to go wrong in the good place. Things that challenged you and pushed your soulmate to his limits.

But most mornings were like this. Quiet. A time just for the two of you.

Your fingers lightly stroked his chest, delving into the soft hairs that rose and fell with his steady breathing. You pressed a soft kiss to his skin, then another, tracing a line of them lower, over a jagged, raised line down his abdomen. His scars let you know he was waking up. This was the good place—he didn’t have to let them show. Usually, he chose to appear as a younger version of himself, before all the indelible trauma. But on peaceful mornings like this, he would let them show just so you could soothe them. He never thought he would be that comfortable with anyone. That he could trust anyone so much.

Every day, you both knew you could overcome anything, so long as you were together.

#Frederick Chilton #Frederick Chilton x reader #The Good Place crossover #my writing

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geekgirles · 3 years

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Your Heart

A centuries-long feud between two of the world's most mysterious and otherwordly species is put to a halt by a sudden crisis. Danny Phantom, unofficial protector of Amity Park and indisputable King of the Ghost Zone, seeing no other choice, must make a risky decision for the sake of his people and loved ones.

But can a ghost truly trust a witch given their people's history? Or will he fall under the spell of the hypnotising Queen of the Witches of Amity Park?

READ ON AO3

Word Count: 5725

CHAPTER 1 -- Desperate Measures

Neon green.

Neon green eyes.

The same sight that has accompanied him ever since that fateful day when he was fourteen and he entered his parents’ portal to the Ghost Zone.

The very first time he looked himself in the mirror after the accident he was greeted by those very same eerily green eyes, coupled with no little amount of panic and anxiety. And how could he not be frightened at the sight? Not only his eyes had changed colour, he himself had drastically transformed, too.

What once was a cascade of black hair falling down his face had become an avalanche of white strands. The black and white jumpsuit he’d worn as he entered the portal was still black and white, but the colour scheme was reversed. Surprisingly, instead of looking even paler than usual, his complexion gained a healthy tanーas soon as he learned what he had turned into, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the ridiculous notion of a dead guy having more flesh-coloured skin after dying. He couldn’t even recognise his own voice! And it wasn’t the typical “my voice sounds different now that I hear it recorded” type of different. No. There was a certain...echo to it.

Just what had he turned into?

As that first excruciating month after the accident would prove, he’d become a half-ghost, half-human hybrid.

He, Danny Fenton, was a halfa, as the locals liked to call him.

And by ‘locals’ he didn’t mean the people living in his hometown, Amity Park. He meant the ghosts living in the Ghost Zone. The parallel dimension to Earth that his parents had dedicated years to find, hence the creation of the Ghost Portal that led to the start of his rare condition.

And no, he couldn’t say ‘unique’ because there was another halfa that had been around for twenty years prior to his own accident. But he wasn’t going to go in detail about that; thinking about the fruitloop always put him in a bad mood. And he already had enough on his plate as it was.

To say his first year as a halfa was difficult would be an understatement, maybe as much of an understatement as it would be to call the sinking of the Titanic a midnight swim.

His first year with ghost powers had been brutal. There was just too much to take into account when living a double life. And if having a secret of such magnitude could take its toll on an adult, then that was nothing compared to what it could do to the already delicate psyche of a teenager. Wait, psyche? He wondered to himself, Where did that come from? Maybe Tucker is right and I need to meet some new people… Psychological talks are always a tell-tale sign that I’ve been spending too much time with Jazz.

But it was true, wasn’t it?

While his classmates at Casper High worried about pimples, or getting their first girlfriends or boyfriends, or fitting in with the A-listers, thoughts of his secret being discovered plagued his mind 24/7. It was a miracle he hadn’t outed himself the moment he got his powers, given how little control he used to have over them.

And it wasn’t like he could just train his powers and figure out what to do from there in peace. Oh, no. That would’ve made things easy for him and, as he would come to learn over the years, the universe just loved making things unnecessarily difficult for him. He was the cosmos’ favourite chew toy.

No, of course not. He had to learn to use his powers while countless mischievous ghosts set out to complete whatever crazy agenda they had or to pummel him to the ground materialised in Amity Park for the first time in...let’s see...ever?

He also met the fruitloop which, of course, always brought lots of pleasant memories of an obsessive psycho attacking him, mocking him, drooling and pointlessly flirting with his mum, trying to kill his dad, only to then do a complete 180 and try to convince him to abandon his ‘idiot father’ and join him as his own son… No, no! Not going there! He really couldn’t afford losing his temper at the moment.

His only saving grace those first few months had been his best friend, Tucker Foley and, some time later, his older sister Jazz.

Tucker was the first to know about his secret because he was there the day of the accident. Though not a fan of the paranormal, Tucker was really into technology; always had been. Unfortunately, that earned him the nickname of ‘Techno Geek’ back in their high school days. But it was precisely that interest in the crazy inventions his parents often came up with that had led them to checking out the, then busted, Ghost Portal. And it had been his friend’s conviction that the two of them could surely make it work that had led to his molecules getting rearranged.

Jazz was a completely different case.

Growing up with ghost-hunting parents, meaning they focused their inventions on the paranormal side of life (and that included ectoplasm-filled dinners), Jazz had taken it upon herself to be the ‘responsible, trustworthy, and caring’ (her words, not his) older sister. Since they were little, his sister wholeheartedly believed it was up to her to make sure her brother was safe and got the attention he needed, seeing as their parents could be scatterbrained, at best.

It goes without saying that such a mindset, though appreciated as they grew up, turned her into a meddlesome know-it-all in the eyes of any younger sibling. But if the aforementioned younger sibling happened to have developed ghost powers just as he hit puberty...well, that made her a nightmare.

The first few months Danny tried keeping his sister at arm’s length, much to her chagrin. But she eventually learned his secret anyway and kept it away from their parents, something her little brother could never thank her enough for.

How did she learn his secret? According to her, she found out during Danny’s first encounter with the misery-inducing ghost known as Penelope Spectra. But she didn’t reveal that she knew until a certain turn of events.

Said turn of events?

In his shortsighted search for power, the fruitloop had freed Pariah Dark, the dreaded Ghost King, from his eternal slumber and imprisonment. And not only did he free an ancient, power hungry spectre, he also stole the Ring of Wrath, the powerful item Dark needed to gain infinite power alongside the Crown of Fire already in his possession, and took it with him to Amity Park, endangering everyone in the process.

Pariah’s plans to conquer the Ghost Zone anew, only this time he coveted Earth as well, had led to many events in a surprisingly short amount of time. But the most surprising of them all was his ascension to the throne of the Ghost Zone.

After an agonising battle where he risked his very life from merely trying to go toe to toe with the tyrannical spirit, his quick decision-making made a difference that day. Stealing the Ring of Wrath and the Crown of Fire from Pariah Dark in an attempt to keep such raw power away from his person, Danny finally succeeded and imprisoned him once and for all inside the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep.

That day, he saved both his world and the Ghost Zone.

That day he became Danny Phantom; Amity Park’s greatest hero.

...until he, and everyone who had previously been celebrating him, found out that a link between him and the ring and crown had been formed after he defeated Pariah Dark, which made him the new ruler of the Ghost Zone.

All at the tender age of fourteen.

At first, he tried bargaining with the Observants and Clockwork, ghosts who would act as his rule’s Council from them onwards; he tried convincing them of how unfitting he was to rule an entire dimension. And to this day, he still maintained that belief. Back then he was fourteen, he couldn’t even drive, let alone rule over an entire race he barely knew the basics of! Many of the Ghost Zone’s inhabitants were his enemies, on top of that. Just because they’d agreed to fighting by his side during Dark’s return didn't mean they would suddenly be okay with him being the boss of them! What’s more, many of them would surely challenge him for the throne; his rule would be forever accompanied by war and anarchy! And most importantly, he was half-human. How could someone like him, who had an entire life outside the Ghost Zone, ever be fit to be its king?

But the Observants and Clockwork would have none of it.

The Ghost of Time took advantage of his “I know everything that could and will happen” powers to toy with his weakness: protecting his home and loved ones. Clockwork simply pointed out that, as the new Ghost King, he could actually keep a closer eye on his subjects than he did in the Human World, and use his position to protect Amity Park from ghosts by merely implementing some laws. Not to mention, that due to the sheer power he would possess, most of his adversaries would have to be complete morons to even entertain the thought of challenging him, meaning the amount of ghost attacks his hometown endured would decrease drastically just with him as their ruler. And, of course, there was the issue with Vlad… As Clockwork would helpfully remind him, if he didn’t accept his position as new king of the ghosts, then Plasmius was sure to take advantage of it to claim the Ring of Wrath and the Crown of Fire for himself.

And a world ruled by Vlad Plasmius promised to be a thousand times worse than anything Pariah Dark could submit his subjects to.

All of it, every single point in his favour, Clockwork said completely offhandedly. As if he were talking about his plans for the weekend instead of slowly but surely bending Danny’s decision to what he and the Observants believed was the best outcome. Every word was uttered as if he didn’t know the, then, ghost boy would do anything to prevent such a terrible future from happening.

As if the choice was truly his to make.

And that led him to where he was now, seven years since he accepted his newfound role.

In some ways, he remained the same.

His hair was still the same snow white mess falling down his face. His green eyes were still vibrant and alert, if perhaps filled with a maturity and sense of responsibility that weren’t always there. His skin was still the same tanned complexion he wished he could get after sunbathing, rather than the nasty burns he would easily get. And most importantly, he was still doing his best, dedicating every single minute of his life, to doing the right thing, to protecting the innocent, and to trying to balance his responsibilities as Danny Phantom, the Ghost King and unofficial protector of Amity Park, and Danny Fenton, an university student trying to get his degree in Astrophysics while keeping his parents and acquaintances in the dark when it came to his secret.

He still loved space and, albeit harder to achieve, he still dreamed of eventually becoming an astronaut. His sharp wit and tongue had only been honed with the passage of time; his ability to outsmart and to get his opponents to lower their guards enough to defeat them had saved his butt countless times over the years. Deep down, he was still the same Danny. The kind, compassionate, and caring boy who wanted to ensure everyone was safe. Sometimes at the price of his own mental health.

But for every single thing that had remained unchanged, many more evolved alongside the boy.

For starters, he no longer was a boy, but a man. At twenty-one, there was no trace of the baby fat that once adorned Danny’s face, having been replaced by a sharp jawline and sculpted muscles caused by several years of physical exertion. His once scrawny figure was now replaced by broad shoulders, defined pectorals and abs, and bulging biceps. With his jumpsuit accentuating every single sinew of his body.

The jumpsuit itself had undergone minor yet noticeable changes. The white collar covering his neck and collarbone had gradually extended until it reached his shoulders. His biceps were now adorned by two white bracelets each, and his white gloves included several bottoms which activated the different mechanisms he had scavenged from his parents’ trash and had Tucker include in his suit over the years. Just like he traded his old belt for a far more refined utility belt, which also held several surprises. And yet, the biggest change was the logo on his chest. Or rather, the fact that he now sported a logo at all. It was a rather simple, yet witty, design. A white ghost shaped to include both his alterego’s initials; ‘DP’.

It was rather ingenious.

He couldn’t claim the credit for himself, though. He hadn’t created the logo. It was the strangest experience and still, one of the most touching.

One day he was flying over Amity Park, patrolling to make sure everything was as it should, when, thanks to his enhanced senses, something caught his eye. Sitting on a bench in the park was a girl but, for once, he didn’t pay attention to her appearance. He couldn’t, for he was too entranced with what she was doodling on her notebook. Doodles. That was all there was to it, really, but amongst black cats, roses, and the occasional “spooky ghost”, her design for his logo stood out.

He asked Tucker to add it to the latest update of his suit as soon as he went back home.

That very same logo adorning his chest was also engraved on the verdigris medallions keeping his black and white cape on his shoulders. That cape, alongside the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Wrath, were his designated attire as the Ghost King. Jazz figured he could alter his appearance a little depending on the role he played at the moment in order to avoid making the citizens of Amity Park jittery. “We want them to accept you as their protector, Danny,” she once said, “the less you remind them that you’re the current king of the Ghost Zone, the better.”

That was him. The self-appointed protector of Amity Park, and the leader of the Ghost Zone, and his highest priority would always be to ensure everyone’s safety.

Which was why he was about to do what he was going to do.

“Great One,” Frostbite, the honorable, trustworthy leader of the Far Frozen, called out to him, “are you certain there is no other way?”

His King appraised him with a resigned look. Frostbite and his people were some of the first ghosts to accept and respect him, immediately declaring themselves at his service after he defeated Pariah Dark. His imposing appearance, that of a hairy snow monster with sharp teeth and claws and an almost unmatched proficiency in the art of cryokinesis, hid his noble, gentle, and wise interior. The leader of the Far Frozen was an ally, a mentor, a friend...But, unless he came up with an alternative of his own, he couldn’t be of much help at the moment. Sighing, Danny shook his head.

“There probably is, Frostbite. But we’ve already lost enough time. If we don’t act soon, who knows what could happen.”

“I would.” A disembodied voice announced from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. If he were still fourteen, that trick would’ve made Danny jump a few feet high. But that was no longer the case, and he knew the owner of the voice all too well. “High chance, it wouldn’t be pretty.”

“Have you come here to offer an alternative, Clockwork?” Danny crossed his arms. A part of him knew it was futile to expect a straight answer from the Ghost of Time, his lips were sealed when it came to revealing the future. But, somehow, he still hoped he wouldn’t have to resort to, as of date, his most reckless decision.

In a way, the ghost’s appearance seemed fitting. With his fluctuating age and his cloaked self, carrying a staff around, he resembled the Grim Reaper himself. Depending on his answer, he could either save or doom him.

“I’m afraid not, boy. And even if I did, I most likely wouldn’t be allowed to tell you.” Clockwork shrugged, but the smile on his face somehow made the halfa suspect he didn’t lament anything.

Gesturing with a hand at the child-like ghost, Danny turned to address Frostbite. “There you have it. This seems to be our only hope.”

“But, sire,” Frostbite started, worry apparent on his canine features, “surely you are aware of the risks we will be taking ifー”

“I know,” his King interrupted him with a raised hand, “you don’t have to remind me. I was hoping things wouldn’t come to this but we can’t afford to lose any more time. You said it yourself, Frostbite. Aside from a very few ghosts like Wulf, who doesn’t even fully understand the workings behind his power, they are the only ones who know how the Ghost Zone’s portals work. If we want to put an end to our current problem, we have got to ask them for help.”

Shoulders slumping in defeat, Frostbite sighed, “I know, Great One. But I cannot help but fear they will either refuse to aid us in our time of need, or agree to it only to eventually betray us.” A low growl erupted from his throat. “These are extremely treacherous and unpredictable beings, my King.”

“I’m well aware of the risk, Frostbite.” The halfa reassured his friend, putting a hand on his furry shoulder. “But think about it this way: if they refuse, we can start looking for alternatives and avoid any unnecessary trouble from them; and if they accept with any sort of hidden motive, all we have to do is keep our guards up.”

Now presenting himself as an old man, Clockwork nodded at Danny’s words, “It’s truly all we can do.”

Seeing as there truly was nothing else they could do, the leader of the Far Frozen could only pray his King’s noble, yet dangerous, decision wouldn’t become their downfall. Sighing, he finally nodded, silently expressing he and his people’s loyalty to their king, no matter what path he chose.

The halfa smiled at his friend’s understanding nature, but it was short lived. Squaring his shoulders, he motioned to his companions to follow him. “Come on, we don’t have much time.”

The three ghosts made their way around the corridors of the king’s lair inside the Ghost Zone. The hallways and rooms were empty, for once, since the ruler had previously given orders to stay away from his lair that day. It was a day for deliberating his next move, the last thing he needed was to be distracted by his subjects.

He was doing this for them, after all.

Opening the gates, they stepped out into the island, where a green-skinned, ghostly postman was waiting for them. The irony was not lost on Danny: the same ghost Vlad had used to trick his mother and him all those years ago would now be essential for his plan.

With Frostbite and Clockwork flanking him, the young king approached the spectre, a serious look on his face. Extending out his gloved hand, he handed him an envelope. “You know what to do with this.” He stated firmly.

Bowing his head as a sign of respect and understanding, the postman took the envelope from his hand, flying away to the nearest portal.

All that was left to do was wait.

....................

Purple.

Purple eyes.

Once again, she was greeted by the very eyes that marked her fate. Just by having violet eyes, her fate was sealed and outlined for her the day she was born. For twenty-one years she had been greeted by the same sight: striking violet eyes, glossy raven hair framing her face, and fair skin that contrasted greatly with the rest of her features. And even to this day a part of her was still surprised that it was all happening to her.

When she was a little girl, her mother and grandma would often warn her of the future that lay ahead of her, a future she wasn’t even sure she wanted. Whenever her mother spoke of what was expected of her, it all sounded far too difficult for her little mind to understand. And worst of all, far too boring.

Why would she want to host parties and ceremonies? She was too young to even know what they were like! Whenever her mother started talking about the parties she would attend, a bubble of excitement grew inside of her. She was going to go to the grown-up parties instead of staying at home! She was going to have fun and do whatever it was the older girls did there!

...only for her mother to burst her little bubble, as always.

The moment she felt the slightest excitement about the things her mother told her about, the woman would then go into a hundred details that sounded anything but fun.

No, she wouldn’t be having fun at the parties, but tending to her guests. No, she couldn’t dress however she liked once she was older, there were expectations set on her. No, she couldn’t turn anyone she disliked into a frog; of course not!

And her younger self always found herself wondering: what’s the point in being a witch if you couldn’t do anything with your magic?

Thankfully, when her mother became too much to bear, her grandma was always near. Growing up, Grandma Ida had been her role model. She was fun and understanding when her mother was strict and unyielding. She was wise and the ideal mentor when Pamela acted hysterical or unreasonable. But above all else, her Grandma understood her when she was an outcast in her own society.

Being an outcast among witches, how cruel could destiny be?

When she was a little girl she didn’t understand she was an outcast so much as she knew something was wrong with the other girls from her clan. They were never mean to her, per se, but they also never wanted to play with her.

Not like she was ever allowed to play much, anyway.

She spent most of her time awake listening to her mother’s lectures, or trying to pay attention during her governesses’ lessons, or, and this was her favourite part of the day, watching her Grandma in action.

As she grew up, she started connecting the dots, understanding the reasons behind her sheltered and lonely upbringing.

The other girls would never say a mean thing about her, nor would they get too close to her, because she was off-limits. If they ever disrespected her, their families might find themselves in a tight situation and fall from grace. But if they ever included her in their activities, making her feel like one of them, then she could be distracted and get sidetracked from her studies and her true purpose.

Such was the life of the future Queen of the Witches.

Growing up, she often tried to rebel against the role imposed on her since birth. A role she was forced to play ever since she opened her eyes for the first time and that forsaken violet colour appeared from behind her eyelids.

Although a witch didn’t exactly become the queen of her people due to their genes. That is to say, the position wasn’t inherited; it depended on the most important asset a sorceress could ever possess.

Her affinity to magic.

Whoever had the strongest, and hence was the most powerful spellcaster among them, was destined to be her clan’s leader. But that didn’t necessarily mean anyone could be queen either.

That popular belief among pop culture that spread the idea that anyone could do magic if sufficiently trained was absolutely ridiculous. You were either born with the ability to do magic, or you weren’t. Period.

Another popular misinformation humans seemed to be suckers for was the idea that magic came from ancient artefacts or spellcasting. In reality, magic came from within every witch; from their anima. Their own essence. In truth, magic was the ability to channel their essence and project it into the physical realm with the added help of their knowledge of the secrets of life.

Because when it came to magic, there was nothing more powerful than knowing the secrets of the universe. If you knew the secret to something, you knew how to master that something.

Based on those principles, witches chose their queen according to the strength of her anima, and although the throne wasn’t supposed to be passed down from mother to daughter, it was worth mentioning that they did have a Royal family of some sort:

The Mansons.

The family she, Samantha “Sam” Manson, belonged to.

And what was it that turned the Mansons into the closest thing her people had to a Royal family? Their violet eyes.

Their eyes were a tell-tale sign of a superior kind of anima. Just like their irises, it would manifest itself into purple energy; the only kind of energy that could survive dark magic without being corrupted. Sam’s own energy manifested itself in the form of a sparkly, purple mist, confirming her potential as her clan’s greatest spellcaster.

Sam spent the first years of her life cursing her luck. She didn’t want to be queen! She wanted to have friends, to play, to see the world from beyond the clan’s manor’s windows...She...she wanted...she wanted to live.

For years she hated her amethyst gaze, a cruel reminder of a fate that had already been outlined for her the moment she was born and from which she could not escape. But then, her Grandma Ida, the Witch Queen before her, died when she was fourteen, and Sam learned to value her unique eye colour.

It was the only thing she had to remember her grandmother by, after all.

Since Ida never had a daughter, but a son who would eventually marry Pamela, a lesser witch, the clan had seemingly fallen into anarchy. Several witches tried battling each other for control, while the members of the Council deliberated in search for a better solution than mindless duels that could massacrate the coven’s numbers.

And it was during that time that Sam finally embraced what for years had been her greatest curse.

Taking a stand, she casted a paralysing spell in the manor’s Grand Hall, forcing everyone present to stay put and listen to her. With that simple move, she achieved two things. Firstly, she got her people’s undivided attention, and secondly, she reminded them just who possessed the strongest anima.

Although Sam would never admit it, having so many unwavering gazes looking down on her disturbed her a little, but she forced herself to go on with her plan before she lost her nerve. Using that newfound courage, she reminded everyone that, not only was she Ida’s only granddaughter, but she also had violet eyes and, as they’d just witnessed, the anima to match. She brought up the countless hours she’d spent studying to become their coven’s next queen, and she fought tooth and nail until they recognised her as the heiress to the throne.

When the Head of the Council had reminded her of her age, still being too young to rule, Sam made a deal with them. The Council would act as her regents until her 18th birthday, when she became of age and would ascend to the throne as her Grandma, who was considered one of the best queens they’d ever had, would have wanted. In exchange, the girl promised she would dedicate those years to study and train to become the leader her people deserved.

After much deliberation, the Council accepted her offer.

Just as Sam kept her part of the deal.

The four years she dedicated to her duties as future queen shaped Sam’s view on her lifelong duty. She always wanted to change the world for the better, now she had the means to do so. As Queen of the Witches of Amity Park, she would focus her efforts on diplomacy between the rest of the covens spread throughout the globe and hers. She would personally deal with any trespasser or crook who dared threaten her witches’ safety. She would focus her energy on rebuilding the link with nature her people used to profit from.

But above all else, now that they were wandering freely around Amity Park, her coven’s home, she would protect her people from those traitors.

No witch would suffer because of them ever again.

That was three years ago. Now at twenty-one, Sam was proud to call herself the Witch Queen, a duty and a privilege she was honoured to shoulder.

Lost in thought, she gently stroked DeMilo’s head. The venus fly trap had been her familiar since her Rite of Passage back from her 14th birthday; it was the last ceremony Grandma Ida was able to attend. Unfortunately, the memory of her rite was tainted by a rather...unpleasant event, making it almost impossible to reminisce without the feeling of nausea creeping up on her.

After their Rite of Passage, witches got their familiars, signalling they were finally full-fledged members of their birthclan. But while most young sorceresses got cats, or ravens, or any other animal ーsome animals being more stereotypically “witchy” than othersー, Sam got DeMilo. As unusual as getting a plant as her familiar was, it didn’t matter. The girl’s natural affinity to nature made it incredibly easier to harvest the herbs and plants they needed for their spells.

And DeMilo was ten times more interesting than any house cat, anyways. And a hundred times more hygienic than a drooling dog.

“You’ve been staring at the mirror for almost an hour now.” A heavily accented voice broke her out from her stupor. “And then they say I’m vain.”

Turning around, the queen found her lady-in-waiting, Paulina Sanchez, leaning against the door of her quarters, her arms crossed. At her feet lay several toiletries and different kinds of make-up.

Avoiding her gaze, flustered, Sam apologised, “I...I’m sorry. I was waiting for you to come back with what you needed and I guess I got lost in thought.”

“No kidding,” Paulina snickered as she made her way to her Queen’s side. With a wave of her hand, she beckoned the items currently resting on the floor to float towards her, a soft pink glow enveloping them. “Is there, like, anything on your mind? Anything we should worry about? Because, last time I checked, everything was going smoothly for us. Except for that one nutcase still trying to hunt us, but nobody is taking her seriously anyway.” She shrugged, not feeling concerned in the slightest.

Sam frowned a little at her words. She knew of the so-called witchhunter, and although Paulina was right that nobody seemed to take her seriously, it wouldn’t be unwise to keep an eye on her. The last thing they needed was another massacre like the one from The Great Burning. “No, no. Nothing like that, don’t worry.” She dismissed the idea with a motion of her hand. “I was just thinking about the past, that’s all.”

Paulina replied with a noncommittal sound as she started brushing her Queen’s hair. Normally, Sam limited herself to be pampered exclusively if she had an important meeting with the Council or the other clan leaders to attend, such as Coven Night, her people’s most sacred ceremony. But there was another reason why she had called Paulina to dress her up for.

“Is there anything going on that I should know about?” she asked her lady-in-waiting, her eyes never leaving her reflection on the mirror.

The Latina’s gaze hardened, “Harriet is trying to get more witches on her plan to get rid of them, but, so far, everyone seems to be loyal to you and your orders.”

“As they should.”

Unbeknownst to anyone, the Queen’s two handmaidens, Paulina and Star, were also her most trustworthy informants. They had eyes and ears all over the manor, without even using any surveillance spell. The other witches tended to look down on them due to their Valley Girl attitude, which often made them look far less capable than they really were. Which was perfect for them and Sam, because that way any possible conspirators would lower their guard around them.

If anyone sneezed in the manor, they would tell her.

Paulina was about to ask about what course of action they should take, when a shrill voice broke the quiet atmosphere, immediately drawing the attention from everyone present in the large house.

Sam hastily stood up from her chair just as Star burst the doors open, surprise etched to her skin. Making eye contact with her queen, she hurriedly arrived next to her, doubling over and panting from racing all the way there.

Concerned, Sam put a hand on her shoulder as she ordered Paulina to bring her friend some water, but the blonde stopped her with a wave of her hand. “No,” she breathed, “this...this is...too important.”

“Star, what’s wrong?” The violet-eyed girl asked.

Instead of an answer from her handmaiden, she received a neon green envelope closed by a wax seal. If the colour of the envelope weren’t unusual enough, the seal was shaped after a glaringly familiar logo:

A ghost shaped to include two initials; ‘DP’.

In cursive, the envelope said it was directed to the ‘Witch Queen of Amity Park.’ And an array of red, capital letters was pressed against its green surface, reading:

URGENT

Sam couldn’t hold back her astonishment, a hand barely covering her gasping mouth. Absent-mindedly, as if under a spell, she took several tentative steps back, until her back collided with her vanity. She could not believe her own eyes.

The Ghost King was personally addressing her.

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callisto-rants · 3 years

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Now that Sk8 the Infinity is over. . .

Can y'all imagine if Adam wasn't actually written like that.....

Am I the only one who thinks the Sk8 the Infinity Anime kinda wasted the potential of Adam's character as well as Tadashi's character? I mean looking at the limited content they presented us with. . . Gave me a bunch of ideas / HCs of what they could have done. . . Instead of doing THAT. . .

Ever notice how we see Adam's dad and his aunts but we never see his mother?

What if Adam was half Japanese and half Spaniard? This could have been an actual explanation for his Spain theme in his skateboarding style! That would be pretty cool too! And maybe the reason why his mother is absent was because she couldn't stand the environment with the Ainosuke family being so unwilling to help her adjust to her new life in Japan, so she just left and abandoned her son. . .

With that I feel like it would have also been kinda interesting if Adam had internalized hatred for his own culture that pushed his mother away? Like it would make sense to why he has an Obsession with European Concepts if it means he could further divide himself away that he's related to his father's family. . .🤔 + To why Adam does not respect / care about cherry, considering how Cherry really embraces his own culture more than the rest of the cast.

While Tadashi could have been the one thing that reminded Adam that he doesn't have to hate everything that reminds him of his father. That is until his father finds out about the skateboarding but instead of the whole . . .

Ainosuke: "What's your opinion on this?"

Tadashi: "I have no opinion"

Adam: Angry for a million years.

What if his father finds out while Adam is away on some errands and Tadashi is there at home with his father and takes the blame for Adam to protect him from his family. Knowing full well that his family can turn abusive in a flash, he insists that he forced Adam to try skateboarding to live a little and that he didn't even want to try in the first place. So, his father just fires Tadashi and his family. When Adam comes back home and asks his father where Tadashi is he tells him he quit and he never cared about Adam in first place. That he should only ever rely on his family, because those are the only people who will stay by him till the bitter end. Which personally to me would create a better reason why Adam would be very bitter towards Tadashi, as well as add an interesting shock value, when he does come back to enter the competition.

Of course this goes without saying but. . . Yeah the whole Adam being creepy towards Langa?

R e m o v e d .

Instead have him just be interested / excited that his skating style is unique and causes you to take more risks as he does. Hell, you could have it where instead of Adam trying to find his Eve he's trying to find the next thrill, because the only way he can feel anything anymore if he's putting his life at risk and getting extremely hurt. As his aunt's tell him pain = love, he's not loving skateboarding unless it's hurting him.

So, he puts on these weekly competitions and tournaments in these dangerous conditions and zero regulations, to challenge the final victor to get a thrill out of it. Winner gets to be the new king of 'S' and gets to decide how 'S' operates from there on. A main motivation for Joe and Cherry, since they don't agree with what Adam is doing, Plus, they also just want to flex they're better at him by playing his little game to stop this madness.

But most importantly. . . IMAGINE THE ANGST. . .

How would Adam feel after seeing Tadashi again after all those years since he left? I can just see him yelling at Tadashi saying "How dare you show your face here, after you abandoned me!" And Tadashi not understanding the misunderstanding here and getting upset as well "I didn't have a choice! You thought I would leave willingly? Not a single day went by where you weren't in my thoughts! If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't be here at all!"

If you think about it Tadashi and Adam could've been a Foil to Reki and Langa. Reki and Langa show a healthy relationship where they both enjoy skateboarding together, in contrast to Tadashi and Adam who's relationship fell apart and they both lost their love for skateboarding over the years. But, by the end of the anime it would be nice if they made up! Adam learns he doesn't need to put his life in danger to enjoy skateboarding and he can forgive and trust Tadashi again.

Although, if Adam isn't going to go to jail at the very least he could transform 'S' into a legal skatepark for the public to boost his political image and his small attempt to make up for his shitty actions. AT THE VERY LEAST.

But, that's just my fun two cents on the whole concepts that could've been implemented or explored more!

#sk8 the infinity #sk8 #mod rey #sk8 infinity #sk8 anime #sk∞#sk8 adam #sk8 ad*m #sk8 ainosuke shindo #sk8 tadashi

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taxtotal · 3 years

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The 7 most common fears of starting a business

A lot of people would like to commence a business of their own. However, we all have our own lives and responsibilities, which we have to fulfill. If I leave the job, how will I meet my expenses? What if I am wrong? Will I let people down? Will I get a good job if I fail to succeed in my venture? Every individual goes through all these kinds of thoughts before starting their own business, which pulls back the majority. Fear is not an uncommon thing limited to a few. Everyone has one or the other fear and, people have various fears while commencing their own business. Let us discuss some of the roadblocks and how you must overcome these fears of starting a business.

The fear of failure

The most common reason and why the majority hold themselves back at the thought process. Will I be able to implement the plan and be successful or, will I be a failure. If you fear your success, it affects your mind and brain, restricting you from performing to the best of your abilities. Guaranteed success is not an option that everyone can choose. If it was then, the world would be filled with millionaires and billionaires. Success comes for individuals who believe in the idea and work. Our mind-set is the key to how we perform.

Billionaire and business tycoon Sir Richard Branson of the Virgin Group said that failure is one of the most valuable learning tools. It is what you learn from your mistakes and, the ability to bounce back ultimately leads to success.

Considering other people’s opinions.

One of the major fears of starting a business is listening to other’s opinions. If you are someone who wants to start a business and, you say this to your peers. Even if there might be motivations, but people tend to overthink what, if I fail? This is not helped by some of the pushbacks which you receive.

People will always have different viewpoints, and objections are bound to arise. If we start doubting yourselves and consider others’ opinions, then we are holding ourselves back. You have to believe in yourselves and prepare for an onslaught from your peers.

The importance of the right state of mind has been widely mentioned by Napoleon Hill in his best-selling book Think and Grow Rich. “Opinions are the cheapest commodities on earth. Everyone has a flock of opinions ready to be wished upon anyone who will accept them. If you are influenced by opinions when you reach DECISIONS, you will not succeed in any undertaking.” — Napoleon Hill.

The only person with any loss is you, so you should forget about all the negatives and concentrate on what you want to achieve. Set proper targets and milestones for yourself to ensure you are on track. You will feel better when you complete these milestones.

The fear of starting a business due to lack of knowledge

If knowledge was the deciding factor for success, many of the leading minds would not have made it. By no means this means you can wake up and start a business. Yes, you need knowledge in your industry, but more importantly, you require knowledge to commence the business and operate accordingly.

The business has a dynamic environment where you learn new things every day. If you want to start after you become perfect. Then you might have to wait for a long time. You start and, then you learn along the way. It takes time to be an expert in any sector or industry. You might be close to being an expert in some field and, then there will be another innovation that comes along. That’s just the way how things work today. Start and then strive to be the best.

The risk involved is a major fear of starting a business

The risk factor for any business is high. There are a lot of factors that contribute to the risks and that change from industry to industry. Success comes for individuals who are willing to take the risk. An economic theory proposed by professor and economist F.B. Hawley states profit is a reward for the risk taken in business.

Lack of Funds

Cash is the lifeblood of business, and most of the budding entrepreneurs lack the capital to commence their venture. Even if it’s bootstrapped numerous, organizations run out of money. According to an analysis conducted by CB insights, lack of funds is the second highest reason why startups fail.

Therefore effective management and utilization of cash are vital for your success. There are more opportunities today to raise capital from angel investors and different events. But if you are unlucky, just take one step at a time. Sell your product and reinvest the money into the business. The road will be long and hard, but perseverance and good business acumen will pay off.

Customer Response

It is essential to find out that there is a real need for the product in the market. In the CB insights analysis, the biggest reason causing the failure of a start-up is the lack of demand for the product. Our ideas are always going to be close to our hearts. Be true to yourself and consult with as many potential customers as possible. Gather the data and find if there is a need for the product or service in the market. This needs to be done before a ton of money is invested in the business. Once need is established, you can set up your go-to-market strategy for your product or service.

Competition

The possibility that your product or service has a competitor in the market is very likely. If you do not have a competitor, it does not guarantee that it’s good news. It could be due to the lack of need for the product. It could also be a new category that needs a massive amount of money to propel the business.

How to overcome the fears of starting a business?

Don’t most of us hope that we know how to overcome our fears of starting a business? Maybe not everyone but most of us have this wish somewhere in us. The truth is there is no secret formula on how to do this. If we look at all the leading organizations and entrepreneurs in the world. At one point, they have faced challenges and, even they would have faced similar fears.

But they have overcome those fears and found a way to succeed. What is ubiquitous in the successful entrepreneurs of this generation and past generations? Their perseverance, belief in the idea, and execution brilliance. Is there a way to overcome your fear? You need to ask yourself the question if you are ready to make the leap of faith. In the end, we all have our own lives and responsibilities. We have commitments for which we are responsible. So you need to decide if the time is right for you to start chasing your dreams.

“I knew that if I failed I wouldn’t regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying.”

— Jeff Bezos

#business failure #Grow #startup #Customer #fund manager #The7mostcommonfearsofstartingabusiness

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eat-the-richard · 3 years

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Why Super Mario Sunshine is kind of bad (and how to fix it)

It’s safe to say that in our current hellscape that there are few games in the Mario franchise with as strong of a following online than Super Mario Sunshine. And how could it not? It’s so unique and fun that most people could probably have a good time with it. But it’s interesting to note just how much this perspective has changed over time.

When Sunshine came out it was considered by some to be the black sheep of the series. Or at the very least a noticeable step down from 64. There’s quite a lot wrong with Mario Sunshine. While there’s a great game at the core of this thing, there’s certainly a few miles of paint-like goop to sift through.

What’s frustrating is that a lot of these problems could have been solved with just a bit more development time. Mario Sunshine was rushed. This can be observed even without prior knowledge, but it becomes plainly evident when you look at some of the prerelease videos. In some instances it doesn’t even resemble the final product. Even at E3 2002, just three months before launch, there are a lot of noticeable differences to the final product.

Because of this rushed development, a lot of corners needed to be cut to pad out the game’s relatively lacking amount of content. The result is a game that is fun and well designed in some instances but a complete and utter disaster in others.

The issues plaguing Mario Sunshine were emblematic of a Nintendo-wide issue. At the start of the GameCube’s life, many prominent franchises were rushed along development to meet strict deadlines to fill out the console’s thinning library and boost sales. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is a textbook example. A lot of people had issues with that one too when it came out. Despite some clearly dumb points about the game’s art style, there’s definitely a lot to say about how Wind Waker pads out limited content. Doesn’t that sound familiar?

Thankfully, in 2013, the Wind Waker received an HD rerelease for the Wii U. Alongside a hefty visual overhaul, there were many under the hood changes to make the game an overall smoother experience stemming directly from those 2003 critiques. Sailing is made way simpler and faster in this version and the Tingle-inspired back-half of the game is shortened significantly. These two changes alone make this version superior, at least to me.

In the years since, I believed that Sunshine could have benefited from a rerelease similar to Wind Waker. Not necessarily in terms of its visuals (which I think have held up rather well) but in terms of its structure. Some small changes to the way Sunshine progresses could really benefit it overall, and I believed, erroneously, that it was only a matter of time before it received this treatment.

But we live in a post-3D All Stars world, and Nintendo’s response is clear. They believe Mario Sunshine is perfectly fine as is. Just touch up some of the textures, give it a resolution increase, and you got yourself a solid product. And yeah, its still pretty fun like this. But its hard to look past the missed potential in refining some of Sunshine’s rougher edges.

Which is what I plan to outline in this video. If I were to be given the reigns to nosedive Nintendo’s current plans to revamp a 2002 GameCube game, what would I change? After a suitable amount of complaining, I’ll discuss a fan project that comes close to doing what I think Nintendo should do.

So sit back, relax and let me refresh your body and spirit.

The first changes I’d make have to do with the frame rate. It’s evident that Super Mario Sunshine was supposed to be a 60 frames-per-second game. Some prerelease footage even shows as much. But somewhere late in development, the framerate was capped at 30, making it the only 3D Mario Game post-64 to not reach 60. Using Gecko codes, it’s possible to unlock the framerate and play at a pretty consistent 60. It’s so consistent that it starts raising the question of why Nintendo didn’t implement this into the Switch rerelease. This code isn’t emulator exclusive either, it also works pretty well when used on Wii consoles. Also, a hypothetical rerelease using the source code wouldn’t even have to deal with this anyway. But it’s good that the game works so well like this even without more structural changes. I don’t really need to explain the benefit of an increased framerate, so strike that one down.

And with that out of the way, it’s time to outline the biggest change my hypothetical Mario Sunshine remaster would make. One seemingly small but with major ramifications towards the rest of the game. But first, some background.

Super Mario 64 took a pretty big risk back in 1996 by significantly changing the main objective of playing a platformer. It was no longer about clearing a level. You aren’t going through these areas to reach an end point. The objective is now to find certain major collectibles, in this case power stars. But the game doesn’t want you to collect all of them. I’ve heard a lot of discourse recently about the boot-out system, but even when I was a kid I realized that 64 kicked you out of every level not just to pad out game length but to keep you moving around the castle.

64 is always inviting you to explore new areas with a constant trickle of new content the more total stars you collect. At first, the amount of stars needed to unlock a new level are small. The first area of the castle has every level besides Bob-omb’s Battlefield locked behind a small star total. And the amount needed to progress onto the next full area with five more major levels is only 8. But these star totals gradually increase over time, requiring 30, 50, and finally 70 stars to unlock new content. But what stars you got never mattered, just how many in total. This allows for free exploration where the player doesn’t have to think about where their next objective is. For instance, exploring pretty much every cardinal direction of Lethal Lava Land will lead you in the direction of a star. And because it doesn’t matter which star you get, it allows players to choose how long they invest in each level. Are the constant treks up Tall Tall Mountain or Rainbow Ride annoying you? Well all those stars are completely optional, you just have to compensate by completing more of the other levels. It’s an ingenious system that allows for a lower total amount of levels to feel more rewarding.

Super Mario Sunshine is practically begging to be like this. In fact, for the first few hours, that’s exactly how it works. New levels are unlocked progressively through getting Shines. But it doesn’t work in quite the same way. These shine totals are never outlined to the player. It shows you that you’ll eventually be able to use the Rocket Nozzle and has objects like the pineapple blocking Sirena Beach to make you yearn for a Yoshi. But you’re not told when these things are to be unlocked; it just sort of happens. Which is fine, it definitely makes the game feel more mysterious. But it lacks that forward momentum of 64 where your end goal is always simple and in the back of your mind. Oh, I need 30 stars to unlock this big door. Sunshine doesn’t have this despite literally operating in the same way. But it still maintains the ability to slowly unlock content to players through playing more of the game, which is good. And importantly, which stars you get for these gates aren’t important, just that you’re getting them at all. And if the game stuck to this principle, that would’ve been great.

Except it didn’t.

After the rocket nozzle is unlocked and Pianta Village becomes accessible, your total amount of Shines is never relevant again. Instead, game progression is contingent upon completing mission 7 of every level. Not every shine is valued the same according to the game. The progression is far more linear than in 64. You can no longer choose to avoid the Chuckster mission. Or the Sand Bird mission. Or the teeth cleaning mission. Or racing Il Piantissimo three times. Or fighting Gooper Blooper three times. Or fighting Petey Pirahna twice. Or defeating these same Piranha Plant Gatekeepers five times. Or even chasing down and squirting on Shadow Mario E L E V E N T I M E S. There’s a lot of repetition here which would’ve been eased simply by allowing the player to avoid doing these missions wherever possible. 64 had similar situations of reused content, but it’s not as egregious when there’s no incentive to collect stars you don’t want to.

This structure is also weird because there’s a ton of extra missions in this game. Some of the game’s most, err, fun segments are hidden away in Delfino Plaza. These can be some pretty time-consuming tasks. You know what I’m talking about. But that’s not all. Every course also has some bonus shines. Every secret stage has an additional Red Coin challenge. There’s some “cleverly” hidden shines even within certain missions. There’s even a mission 8 to every level. Every level also has a 100 coin mission which, just to get it out of the way, should absolutely not spawn the shine somewhere 100 feet away from you AND boot you out of the level upon collection AND not be possible in every mission. Like c’mon, Mario 64 got this right on the first try. So Nintendo went out of their way to put all these extra shines in the game, and yet none of them matter towards game completion. Which makes me wonder what the point of completing them is supposed to be?

All this extra content, regardless of quality, would benefit from a system similar to Mario 64. In its current state, there’s not much of a reason to even bother with these extra missions, especially when some of them are of questionable quality. On that same token, there’s some pretty fun missions hidden in this extra content, and it’s a shame that they aren’t more important.

Well, with that...

B L U E C O I N S

I almost forgot about you!

Blue Coins are pretty despised. But in concept they’re pretty smart to put in a game like this. It’s kind of like the Red Coins but on a broader scale. They’re packed into every little tiny corner of the levels, giving players more of a reason to explore the pretty environments. And once you collect 10 of them, you get a Shine Sprite from the local beavers. If these Blue Coin shines counted towards a grand total for game completion, Blue Coins could give players a nice buffer to replace some of the games more questionable missions. But just like all of the extra content, Blue Coins matter not one iota towards finishing the game. So, the only reason to collect Blue Coins at all is if you wanted to collect them all.

And that’s precisely why people hate them. Because collecting all the Blue Coins is an absolute nightmare. Let’s not even talk about how cryptic some of these coins are because honestly I’ll be here all day. Let’s instead talk about how impossible it is to know how close you are to getting every Blue Coin in a level. You can intuit through previous levels that it caps out at 30 per level, but the game never tells you that. There’s obviously no Blue Coin tracker like there is for shrines in Breath of the Wild, so if you’re frantically darting around Noki Bay looking for the one coin you missed that's hidden inside a wall for some reason, you’ve only got GameFaqs and Jesus to help you at that point.

To top it all off, just like the 100 coins missions, it’s impossible to get every Blue Coin in every mission in a level. Some blue coins are exclusive to certain missions. And it’s impossible to know how many are exclusive, which ones are exclusive, how many exclusives you’ve gotten, how many exclusives you need. Must I continue? This process is a disaster and gives Blue Coins a bad name. If they were put in a game like Mario 64, I feel like these things would have much more of a positive reputation. But as it stands these things are so toxic they’ve been reduced to POW switch fodder in later games.

I think Blue Coins summarize the issue with the extra content pretty succinctly. In a game like Mario 64, they’re harmless. But in a game where none of it is tied to beating the final level, the only purpose they have is 100% completion. And 100% completion should never be the focus of 3D Platformers. Some players prefer playing to completion but there’s a reason why most don’t. Fully completing a game is a soul commitment as much as it is a time commitment. It’s saying to yourself that I am willing to go through all the unfinished, janky, and cryptic content Mario Sunshine has to offer all for the extensive reward of… a different end screen. So yeah, there is no reason to get 100% of Mario Sunshine’s content. Even completionists are going to be disappointed. Not only is this content useless towards Any%, it’s aggravating for 100%, since fully completing the game is so unrewarding.

So, how do we fix this issue? Well to do that, let’s take a look at a mod that, in my opinion, does exactly that: Super Mario Sunburn, made by Epicwade.

The biggest change Sunburn makes is in its requirements for completion. Rather than Bowser being locked behind completing the seven Shadow Mario shines, the door to Corona Mountain is opened when the player attains 70 shines overall. If you recall, that’s the exact same amount 64 requires of the player to reach the final level. This change, by itself, adjusts Sunshine more towards what I would like it to be. But if you’re crazy enough to prefer the previous mode of completion, it’s still there as an option.

That’s not all, though. Now, when you collect a Shine, you’re no longer booted out of the level, and instead are simply asked to save and then you’re free to explore the rest of the level. My feelings on this essentially boil down to which mission I’m playing. I think the first two shines of Bianco Hills show this working pretty much perfectly. You squirt on the gatekeeper to get the first shine and then you’re immediately free to go forward and fight Petey Piranha. This feels far more natural than having to get booted out after the first shine and make the entire trip through the first half of Bianco Hills just to get back to where you just were. So in this case, it’s a positive.

However, Sunshine very often changes its course layout per mission. And when that happens, it feels a bit unnecessary to have to boot out of a level manually and boot back in just to get the next event to trigger. Sometimes you can chain getting a bunch of shines out in the open with a secret stage which resets the level upon entering the newly placed warp pipe at the end of it. But otherwise you’re stuck pausing and exiting. I feel this issue may be able to be streamlined by doing something like Mario Odyssey does, where collecting certain Moons boot you to the beginning of the level with the new mission unlocked. This might be outside of the reach of Sunshine modding at the moment, though.

This isn’t the only change set to make Sunshine more open. One of my favorite parts of the original game was that you could see other levels whenever you looked around. Turning at the start of Bianco Hills and being able to see not only Delfino Plaza but also the yet to be unlocked Ricco Harbor and Pinna Park was fascinating to me when I first played it. Sunburn takes this concept one step further by allowing players to travel from stage to stage. For instance, taking the river in Bianco Hills spits you out Ricco, and climbing a vine in Ricco allows you to travel back. This is a pretty novel idea and definitely makes replaying the game an entirely different experience, especially when combined with the lack of boot out. It does lose me a bit in how it necessitates for every level to be unlocked at the start. As I mentioned previously, slowly unlocking stages to the player by collecting whatever collectible they’re using allows for 3D Platformers to have constant forward momentum, which is lost here. But for those who’ve already played the game I think this is a fun option.

Other quality of life changes are strictly positives. In most instances, Blue Coins are now accessible from any mission in a level. I say most because it’s impossible for some of these coins to make the transition. But in the vast majority of cases, it’s been done. More coins have been added to each stage, along with Red Coins counting as collecting two coins just like in 64. This makes getting 100 coins a lot easier, especially when you’re doing multiple missions of a stage in a row. Two of the game’s weakest sections become far more manageable with these changes. There’s some smaller changes too, like being able to skip cutscenes, Blue Coins no longer bringing up a save screen, and Shadow Mario’s invisible health bar being restored. There’s also new content here, with additional secret stages being accessible from the main courses. Nothing mind-blowing, but it’s at least pretty neat to run around Outset Island as a FLUDD-strapped Mario.

Super Mario Sunburn addresses a lot of my issues with the original version, which was exactly the point. I’m not the first to bring up these issues, nor will I be the last. There’s so much potential within Super Mario Sunshine to be one of the best examples of its genre, so to see it fall short in such fundamental areas is undeniably frustrating. As usual with Nintendo, and even with other publishers, it’s often the community that sees itself to correct the issues with the games they feel deeply passionate about. Basically the only difference between Sunburn and an official Sunshine remake or remaster would be a significant layer of polish. That still might happen, but I’m not holding my breath at this point. So if you find yourself feeling similarly as I do about Sunshine, it might be worth it to check Super Mario Sunburn out. Here’s the download link again if you’re curious.

#mario #super mario sunshine #nintendo #essay #rom hack

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copperdigitalinc · 4 years

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Mobile Applications- The Secret Ingredient for the Success of the Transportation and Logistics Industry

If you’re here, the chances are that you are from the transportation and logistics industry. So, you can very well relate that in this increasing real-time economy, timing and speed are essential. Now, it may sound true for all the industries, but its significance on supply chains, transportation, and logistics could easily be doubled. That’s where mobile technology comes into the picture.

The automation phase is not something the logistics industry has seen recently. It has seen its share of phases with companies replacing manual labor with technology.

Mobile technology is not new to the transportation world. The early usage of mobile applications was mainly for navigation and location-based services. As of 2016, it’s used for applications focusing on engineering, education, traffic data collection, travel information ridesharing, and route planning.

The introduction of Qualcomm’s OmniTracs™ in 1988 and UPS’ roll-out of the DIAD (Delivery Information Acquisition Device) four years later are supreme examples of pioneering companies invested in mobile technology to drive efficiencies and create competitive advantage.

What led to the evolution of mobility?

Who doesn’t like remembering good old days, eh? Only the days were not so sorted back then!

Considering the complexity of the process itself, the industry still suffers from the issues arising from lack of automation and management inefficiencies; imagine what would have been the condition earlier.

Let us help you paint the picture:

● Loopholes in the logistic system: The lack of an efficient transport software created considerable loopholes in the logistics system, creating stagnancy and impacting truckload and less-than truckloads methods adversely within the supply chain. Speed, which is the soul of the industry, was becoming an obstacle in the absence of the automation software. ● Inconsistent Communication: The lack of communication across the organization increases the time-lag within the systems. Due to the lack of transparency and interdepartmental communication, the system’s optimization was next to impossible, resulting in a loss of clients and, ultimately, business. ● Management of Inbound Transportation: The hassle of managing inbound transportation in the absence of a properly integrated process leads to an increase in cost, damaging the delivery performance, and hampering the PO visibility. ● Tracking the delivery: Without software, tracking of supply and delivery was impossible. Leading to goods getting lost along with the delay in the process. Giving the client and the company’s nightmare!

Where are we today?

Smart devices have changed the entire spectrum’s faces, whether it’s enterprise companies, service providers, organizations, or even customers, so how could the transportation and logistics industry be left untouched!

It is now witnessing the latest innovations and breakthroughs in mobile technology. Here are a few stats to prove the point:

● Transportation and logistics companies can save almost 6.9 million dollars every year by implementing mobile devices throughout their companies. ● Organizations can save up to 4.2 million dollars if they deploy mobile, location-based technology. ● 60% of managers believe that broadband mobile communications will be their largest driver of ROI. ● 44% of managers believe that integrated vehicle telematics will be the largest driver of ROI. ● 38% of managers believed that radio frequency identification would improve ROI.

Let’s look at a few reasons responsible for such impressive stats, which further elaborate on why your business needs mobile technology:

The sophistication of processes

The primary business source for transportation and logistics companies is to deliver consignments from the manufacturing point to storage or delivery points. The success of which requires a smooth operation, punctuality in delivery, and speedy performance.

Using mobile technology, companies can not only achieve their consignment objectives but also give a competitive advantage to their customers.

Superlative tracking of cargo and productivity

Mobile technology provides unique real-time tracking features, which enable the customers to track their shipment and logistics companies to track their field employees’ movement accurately and effectively.

Improves Safety

Another significant advantage of mobile technology is that it enables effective communication between transit directors and drivers, ensuring a smooth and safe transition.

We can take Spain’s railway system as an example that uses a GSM network for high-speed train lines to ensure operational safety. The radio network equipment enables the conductors to communicate with the operation centers and with one another, allowing the trains to run smoothly without compromising on safety.

Improves Fleet Management

Mobile technology not just helps enhance safety in public transportation but also fleet management in the logistics business, as applications for route planning ensure that pickup and delivery are done more efficiently.

Nowadays, several route planning applications help businesses plan their routes, sharing updates such as traffic, any accidents or construction on the road, or even avoiding U-Turns downtown!

However, it’s not just the bed of roses situation. Mobile technology comes with its own set of challenges and weaknesses. Avoiding talking about them would be like ignoring the elephant in the room.

So let’s quickly have a look at the pointers which businesses need to either embrace or overcome:

● High development cost ● Internet could be a problem in certain areas ● Customer disloyalty towards your mobile application ● Confidentiality of information ● Competition

Now, before your mind starts getting cloudy with the dilemma that whether mobile technology is suitable for your business or not, let us give you a few examples of applications that have overcome the challenges and changed the transportation and logistics industry’s fate:

DHL Supply Chain

DHL is the global leader in supply chain management & third-party logistics, implementing innovative logistics solutions across various industries. Their DGF Cargo Mobile Tracking app offers tracking on the go with features like user shipping history, shipment status, and tracking details. The mobile app is available for free on iOS and Android, making DHL a consumer-first logistics business.

XPO Logistics Inc.

XPO Logistics is an American multinational transportation and contract logistics company that manages supply chains for 50,000 customers, including 69 of the Fortune 100. The Drive XPO mobile app is part of the XPO Connect digital freight platform that offers features like finding loads, negotiating rates, book freight, and many more.

UPS Supply Chain Solutions

UPS Supply Chain Solutions offers a comprehensive portfolio of services to enhance customers’ business performance, including logistics and distribution, transportation and freight, consulting, customs brokerage, and international trade services. Their offering: The UPS logistics app can help manage multi-location shipping from various locations, such as distributions centers, warehouses, and retail stores, with seamless integration and efficiency.

We talked about the past and where we stand today. But we understand that to come to any decision; a businessman needs to foresee the future. Keeping that in mind, let’s have a look at the future technology and trends that will rule the transportation and logistics industry in the coming years.

Mobile Computing

In today’s era, the consumer is dictating mobile consumption and driving the transportation market. Hence, the IoT is ensuring smart decisions in fleet management. It not only ensures the timely delivery but effective transportation of temperature-sensitive goods as well.

AI-augmented mobility

When powered by artificial intelligence, the transportation community can access the potential of data, cloud, and, most importantly, analytics to help reduce the time consumed in commuting, support air traffic, enable on the feet decision making, and really what not!

Frictionless travel

With a rise in mobility-as-a-service, innovations in micro-mobility, multimodal transportation enabled by mobility hubs, and platforms for ticketless travel, transportation planners can expect more seamless travel with minimal checkpoints and hindrance.

Digital identity

Digital technology is enabling improved security and driving a better experience for users, and thus, no wonder, transit and transportation industries are accepting the trend with open arms. The benefits like digital driver’s licenses for enhanced security, biometric, and facial recognition to improve efficiency and throughput at airports proves further that it is here to stay.

Cloud and Platform engineering

The evolution of cloud and platform engineering is bringing a change in attitude in the organization towards its core technologies, and transform their applications as per the changing expectations and needs of the customer. Breaking down the core technologies into microelements improves the visibility of risks associated with them, reduces them, and enhances user experience. This, along with the introduction of the DevOps mindset, improves the ability and speed of introducing new technologies. Thus, it proves to be the most significant facilitator of the transformation of core business applications over the next decade.

In the coming years, Transportation, Logistics & Supply Chain businesses will witness a shift towards Machine-to-Machine Communications to increase efficiency, security, tracking, monitoring, information, connectivity & collaboration. You could read more about emerging technologies in the logistics industry here.

Feeling all set to gather your team, sit down, and brainstorm the mobile application ideas tingling in your head while reading it? Great!

However, before you start working on the applications’ nitty-gritty, do you have enough resources to develop the app in-house? Or Do you want to create an app by saving time and money? If so, it is advisable to outsource to an app development company.

If you have never done outsourcing before, we understand you must be feeling like you need to take a step back and think about it! And yes! We also suggest you do that. Let us help you get started with some advice on things to look for in your application development companies…

Development Portfolio:

The logical first step is to ask the development company about the last few projects that they have delivered. This will give you a good idea of their past projects’ type and scale, and their competence vis a vis various technologies.

Operating System:

At the outset, it should be determined which platform is the best fit for your application. In case you haven’t decided, it is best to take inputs from your app developer. You may want to know whether the development company can build apps for different operating systems. Building cross-platform or hybrid apps also requires specific skills and experience, so it is wise to know whether the developer can handle those. There are deep guidelines for Android & iOS; therefore, the development company should have a thorough knowledge and experience.

UI/UX Design:

Developing an app is not just about coding; rather it is also about developing an attractive user interface. Creating a functional, easy-to-use design will not only enhance the appeal of your app but will also help you in achieving higher success during the marketing and promotions phase.

For these reasons, it is vital to ask the developers on their approach to user experience and design principles. That will help you in getting a clear vision of how the app is going to be designed. You might want to set out the expectations at this stage and point them in the right direction so that the prospective companies have a good idea of what you are looking for.

Pricing & Cash Flow:

When it comes to developing mobile apps, the oft-quoted advice is, “don’t let the price drive you.” In other words, your focus should be on developing a great product rather than a cheap product. It is good to have a flexible budget in mind and then choose the prospective company basis for their budgetary limitations.

Ease of Communication and Feedback:

Effective communication between clients and developers is essential for the success of any software development project. When you interact with a company, keep track of how often they communicate. Do they reply to your messages and phone calls actively? Are they keen to put forward their ideas and observations? You can try to judge whether they have a genuine interest in your project. If they are not eager to communicate at this stage, then it might be a good indication of how they will perform during development.

A decent app development company will actively participate in these discussions and be proactive in offering valuable inputs to help your needs. Based on their experience and knowledge about similar apps, they should be able to provide some useful insights and creative ideas for developing your application. This will help you determine if they are reliable enough to respond to challenging situations and keep your application development work on the right trajectory. Please feel free to ping us anytime, and let’s meet for a coffee cup to discuss how we can turn your dream into reality.Connect with us here.

Source https://bit.ly/31tKAKT

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commiedervish · 4 years

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Before we decide to get our news from and make conclusions based on Bloomberg, let’s not rush to misconstrue what President Xi said as an abandonment of the CPC’s commitment to Marxism and its ultimate goal of realizing communism.

Xi says: “We’ve come to the understanding that we should not ignore the blindness of the market, nor should we return to the old path of a planned economy.” Xinhuanet goes into further detail regarding this statement:

Reiterating the necessity to view current difficulties, risks and challenges from a comprehensive, dialectical and long-term perspective, Xi said efforts should be made to boost confidence of the whole society, especially market entities.

Limited markets have played a significant role in China’s rapid growth and development, and the state remains supreme over those market entities, and continues to strengthen state-owned enterprises. We’re already well aware of the compromises needed to engage in a US-dominated global market. Otherwise, China risks isolating itself.

People’s Daily reports:

"Noting that this year marks the end of the 13th five-year plan for military development, Xi said extraordinary measures must be taken to overcome the impact of the epidemic to ensure major tasks on the military building are achieved.

He demanded good planning on the next five-year plan. On defense expenditure, Xi said every penny must be well spent to produce maximum results."

(Emphasis mine)

China has decided to scrap its planned GDP target for this year -- the focus is shifted onto other targets:

Xi called for consolidating the fundamental role of agriculture, ensuring stability on the six fronts and security in the six areas, and accomplishing the targets and tasks of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and winning the battle against poverty.

The six fronts refer to employment, the financial sector, foreign trade, foreign investment, domestic investment, and expectations. The six areas refer to job security, basic living needs, operations of market entities, food and energy security, stable industrial and supply chains, and the normal functioning of primary-level governments.

(Emphasis mine)

As @Rainer_Shea shared on Twitter:

A comrade writes... “People are sharing this Bloomberg article as proof China is revisionist and now I have to explain that Xi was referring to not returning to the old, stagnant 20th century model of socialism that failed catastrophically to replace capitalism/imperialism as the global economic function. China's market economy will always be planned centrally through a proletarian dictatorship. Deng Xiaoping's market reforms were based on the science of dialectical materialist philosophy allowing China to rapidly create massive amounts of material wealth nothing in history has come close to matching through understanding matter and development. Now the Chinese Century is upon us and socialism is decisively an inevitable trend in historical development. Nothing changes the historical role China has paved for proliferating material wealth, infrastructure and socialism. Anyone against China has fallen for idealist deviations and bourgeois sophistry.”

Furthermore, the “market” as understood here is not the same as that of a liberal free market economy. It’s difficult to predict what socialism will look like and what the effects of these plans will have on reaching the 2049 goal - we can concede that. That’s expected and fair as what we’re seeing in China is unprecedented, yet the experiment provides exciting prospects. What we do know is that the path to socialism is gradual and is bound to be interceded by certain compromises along the way. Most importantly here, the CPC is working to address disparities in resource allocation due to the economic effects of COVID-19. Not going back to Mao-era planned economy does not mean that Xi has changed the CPC’s plan -- it remains the same.

Xi Jinping detailed the plan before:

1.) 2020-2035: Socialist modernization. Creating larger and sustainable capital to support socialist initiatives of the people.

Xi described the period from 2020 through 2035 as a phase for the nation to realize modernized socialism and a time to expand the middle-class and narrow the wealth gap to create a more harmonious society.

2.) 2035-2049: Transition to a modern socialist country.

The period from 2035 to mid-century, on the other hand, will be spent building a great world power based on a fully modernized socialist society. He said Chinese citizens would live in a moderately prosperous society, while the nation itself moves toward a focal position in the world.

Effectively, they are implementing several consecutive five-year plans to build up their economy and continue on the goal of raising people out of poverty, and this is part of that. Yes, unfortunately, capitalism remains in some form for the time being. I don’t know what this is going to look like in the long-term or how that will translate into achieving the 2049 goal (and what the ends will look like), but we’ll see.

Once again, this is as important a time as any other to give ourselves a chance to better understand Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.

#china #prc #cpc #socialism with chinese characteristics #socialism #communism #xi jinping #planned economy #deng xiaoping #peoples daily #xinhua news agency #bloomber #command economy #market economy #market #capitalism #private sector #covid 19

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pro-skills-blog · 4 years

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Skills For Managing Projects

Skills for Managing Projects - What is the key to success? Are you really going to be in a position to succeed?

The answer will vary according to the project, but most projects require managing, whether large team or individual projects. This means that the key to success is management of people and the implementation of quality work culture.

As the project manager you must understand how the people of the project relate to each other. If you are not good at developing trust and rapport with your people then you will have a hard time with every single team member. It will take time for you to build the trust, and this takes time.

Trust and rapport are essential if you want your people to be productive. Most of the time the communication between team members is done through email and SMS. I have seen several projects where the team did not communicate very much at all. They communicated through email and if the team did not communicate, the project was doomed.

When you are a project manager, or co-manager in any type of team, it is essential that you are able to encourage your people to communicate. If your people do not know they can come to you with any problem, then the results will be poor.

Good communication skills means that you are able to get the message across to your team members, and this is important in the workplace. A lot of times team members will get too used to being self-managed, and think that this is a top priority.

If the team does not feel they are able to get in touch with you, they will not get the confidence and energy to deliver. You must realize the role that trust plays in the project. If your team feels that they cannot trust you to manage the project, it will cause them to fall behind, and you as a manager will have wasted time and resources.

Trust is built on a series of things. First it involves knowing who your team members are, the issues that they bring to the table, what they want, and the problems that they face. By talking to them directly you are building a relationship with them, and trust will follow.

Understanding and taking an interest in the problems that your team face, and the solutions that you provide will help them to develop trust. People need to be open to the idea that you understand them, and understand what they are trying to achieve. They will want to be part of the team, and that includes being part of the solution, because if they see that you are solving their problems, they will want to be part of the solution.

Your team members should know that they are valuable to you, and they are valuable to your company. They are the best assets that you can find in the workplace. You should have people who feel valued, and who want to be part of the team.

Most importantly, you need to encourage these people to come to you with problems, and you should be able to handle their problems. The way that you will build trust is to have open and honest communication with them, and also tell them the reasons that you are making a particular decision.

Skills for Managing Projects - This can be an easy task, but you must be willing to approach it as a team. If your team does not feel important and valued, you will be struggling to manage a project, and you will be missing out on a lot of opportunity to improve the productivity of your company.

Sources

This brief scanned the following sources (title, domain, description):

Training & Development (pmi.org) - Professional development isn't a one-time thing; it should be a continuous part of your project management career.

Training project management Projectmanagement-training.net (projectmanagement-training.net) -

Just a moment... (systemation.com) -

28 Project Management Courses - Training.com.au (training.com.au) - Find the Leading Project Management Courses near you and online. Begin your path in Project Management jobs with a Project Management course. Funding opportunities available.

Project Management Training (imd.org) - Discover IMD's Project Management Training - Executive Education at IMD Business School - Project Management Training.

Australian Institute of Project Management (aipm.com.au) - The Australian Institute of Project Management is the leading body for the profession. Execute successful projects with our resources, tools, and certifications.

Project Management (aim.com.au) - Visit the Australian Institute of Management (AIM) to find out about our Project Management Courses. Book online today!

PRINCE2® Project Management Training Courses - Melbourne and Perth (prince2training.com.au) - Get internationally recognised project management training in Australia. We are an accredited PRINCE2 training organisation and have trained thousands of people in PRINCE2.

Project Management Training - ProjectManager.com (projectmanager.com) - Get tips to deliver projects that are on time & budget with our resources on project management training, including videos.

Jason Crouch on Project Management Training Program (bluefield.com.au) - “This was more challenging than first thought, as like any real-world projects, the implementation didn't go without its surprise changes along the way causing chaos for the teams constructing the robot.”

Project Management Training Courses, Project Management Certifications (hilogic.com.au) - Hilogic offers Project management training courses and project management short courses. All our courses end with project management certifications.

Agile Project Management Training & Certification (hilogic.com.au) - Choose HiLogic for your Agile Training and certification courses . Contact us today to book your Agile Project Management Training at Melbourne and Perth or Online.

Full Project Management Course Schedule & Availability (pm-partners.com.au) - The complete PM-Partners Group project management course schedule is available here. Plan your project management training with us!

Project Management Training Courses and Project Management Implementation Programs (icml.com.au) - Looking for great Project Management training courses? Gain a clear understanding of how projects work and how to manage them smoothly with confidence.

The Importance of Training and Development in the Workplace (2020projectmanagement.com) - The Importance of Training and Development in the Workplace

Project Management Courses - AGS Consulting and Training (agsconsulting.com.au) - AGS provides AIPM endorsed Project Management courses in Certificate IV and Diploma Dip. Management, Risk Management and Assessment and Consultancy services.

The Top 5 Project Management Certifications for PMs (exchange.telstra.com.au) - The project management certifications that top the list for project professionals to demonstrate their level of knowledge, experience, and competency.

Agile Project Management Training & Certification Program (mav.asn.au) -

Topics

These topics were mentioned multiple times across various sources:

Project management training

team member

project management skills

project team

Practitioner

project plan

successful project

agile project management

body of knowledge

Training Courses

management process

Project Management Body

management system

Project Management Institute

successful change

project situation

Management Training Programs

Managing projects

risk management

Project Management Professional

experience level

agile management

programme management

change management training

management courses

given scenario

project implementation

action plan

project lifecycle

requisite certification

Questions

These are some relevant questions found across sources:

What Do You Do as a Project Manager?

How to Do a Project Management Audit

What Does a Project Manager Do

What Is the Project Management Life Cycle?

How to Conduct a Feasibility Study

How to Define a Workflow Process

What Qualification Should You Take On? (New Guide)

How to Create a PERT Chart

Is This Profession Right for You?

What are people going to do differently?

Statistics

These are some factual sentences found across sources:

With a predicted 15.7 million project management roles to be available globally by 2020, there's no better time to get involved. (training.com.au)

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ziyadnazem · 4 years

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Social Distancing is a Must

Even in less challenging times, many of us try to avoid close contact with someone who is sneezing, coughing, or running a fever to avoid getting sick ourselves. Our attention to such issues has now been dramatically heightened by the emergence of a novel coronavirus causing a pandemic of an illness known as COVID-19.

Many have wondered if we couldn’t simply protect ourselves by avoiding people with symptoms of respiratory illness.

Unfortunately, the answer is no.

A new study shows that simply avoiding symptomatic people will not go far enough to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s because researchers have discovered that many individuals can carry the novel coronavirus without showing any of the typical symptoms of COVID-19: fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath. But these asymptomatic or only mildly ill individuals can still shed virus and infect others.

This conclusion adds further weight to the recent guidance from U.S. public health experts: what we need most right now to slow the stealthy spread of this new coronavirus is a full implementation of social distancing.

What exactly does social distancing mean?

Well, for starters, it is recommended that people stay at home as much as possible, going out only for critical needs like groceries and medicines, or to exercise and enjoy the outdoors in wide-open spaces. Other recommendations include avoiding gatherings of more than 10 people, no handshakes, regular handwashing, and, when encountering someone outside of your immediate household, trying to remain at least 6 feet apart.

These may sound like extreme measures. But the new study by NIH-funded researchers, published in the journal Science, documents why social distancing may be our best hope to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Here are a few highlights of the paper, which looks back to January 2020 and mathematically models the spread of the coronavirus within China:

For every confirmed case of COVID-19, there are likely another 5-10 people with undetected infections.

Although they are thought to be only about half as infectious as individuals with confirmed COVID-19, individuals with undetected infections were so prevalent in China that they apparently were the infection source for 86% of confirmed cases.

After China established travel restrictions and social distancing, the spread of COVID-19 slowed considerably.

The findings come from a small international research team that included NIH grantee Jeffrey Shaman, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York.

The team developed a computer model that enabled researchers to simulate the time and place of infections in a grid of 375 Chinese cities. The researchers did so by combining existing data on the spread of COVID-19 in China with mobility information collected by a location-based service during the country’s popular 40-day Spring Festival, when travel is widespread.

As these new findings clearly demonstrate, each of us must take social distancing seriously in our daily lives. Social distancing helped blunt the pandemic in China, and it will work in other nations, including the United States. While many Americans will likely spend weeks working and studying from home and practicing other social distancing measures, the stakes remain high. If this pandemic isn’t contained, this novel coronavirus could well circulate around the globe for years to come, at great peril to us and our loved ones.

As we commit ourselves to spending more time at home, progress continues to be made in using the power of biomedical research to combat this novel coronavirus. A notable step this week was the launch of an early-stage human clinical trial of an investigational vaccine, called mRNA-1273, to protect against COVID-19. The vaccine candidate was developed by researchers at NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and their collaborators at the biotechnology company Moderna, Inc., Cambridge, MA.

This Phase 1 NIAID-supported trial will look at the safety of the vaccine—which cannot cause infection because it is made of RNA, not the whole coronavirus—in 45 healthy adults. The first volunteer was injected this past Monday at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Seattle. If all goes well and larger follow-up clinical studies establish the vaccine’s safety and efficacy, it will then be necessary to scale up production to make millions of doses. While initiating this trial in record time is reason for hope, it is important to be realistic about all of the steps that still remain. If the vaccine candidate proves safe and effective, it will likely take at least 12–18 months before it would be widely available.

In the meantime, social distancing remains one of the best weapons we have to slow the silent spread of this virus and flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic. This will give our health-care professionals, hospitals, and other institutions more valuable time to prepare, protect themselves, and aid the many people whose lives may be on the line from this coronavirus.

Importantly, saving lives from COVID-19 requires all of us—young, old and in-between—to take part. Healthy young people, whose risk of dying from coronavirus is not zero but quite low, might argue that they shouldn’t be constrained by social distancing. However, the research highlighted here demonstrates that such individuals are often the unwitting vector for a dangerous virus that can do great harm—and even take the lives of older and more vulnerable people. Think about your grandparents. Then skip the big gathering. We are all in this together

#covid #social distancing #isolation

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jamescrumpblog · 4 years

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10 PROJECT MANAGEMENT TIPS FOR NON-PROJECT MANAGERS

Project management is an increasingly important business function, essential to organizations looking to increase the efficiency and timeliness of their work.

The official responsibilities of project managers typically include initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and closing projects. They also oversee several key tasks in pursuit of successful project completion, including assembling a project team, monitoring project budget, setting timelines, overseeing deliverable, and communicating with stakeholders.

It’s not only project managers that are tasked these types of responsibilities, however. Even without the title of ‘project manager’, many professionals can still benefit from learning the skills and techniques project managers utilize every day. Read on to explore 10 tailored tips to help you improve your project management skills, even if you aren’t a project manager.

1. Begin with the End in Mind

Through his years in the industry, Joe Griffin—certified PMP and associate teaching professor in Northeastern’s Master of Science in Project Management program—has discovered that all successful projects have a specific starting and ending point. “Like a marathon runner envisioning the finish line, if you understand that arc and constantly envision your goal, you’ll remain true to it,” he explains. Envisioning your end goal is also impactful when keeping distractions at bay and remaining focused and on-task through the completion of your work.

2. Understand Your Goal

When you’re managing any kind of project, it is essential that you understand your overall mission before diving deeply into the many tasks required to complete it, Griffin explains.

During the process, for example, you may find yourself confronted by situations that aim to influence you to change the project’s direction. When situations like this arise, Griffin suggests asking yourself, “What do I need to produce for these influencers to meet their expectations?”

“These items are considered ‘mission critical’ and, ideally, you should feel comfortable declining other requests. Really,” he says.

Although it may seem daunting to say “No” to a request (particularly if it’s from a supervisor,) when you have taken the time to understand the vision of the project beforehand, what you’ve actually done is develop the tools and language needed to properly articulate the realistic goals of the work. In doing this, you will help keep everyone on track toward that predetermined objective.

3. Be Considerate

On the personal side of project management, it’s important to take time to communicate with family and friends about the scope of your work, your deadlines, and the amount of focus required to accomplish your goals. This will create a much-needed understanding of your limitations as you work toward the project’s completion.

“When you’re managing a project, it’s easy to get so bogged down that you forget life is actually going on without you,” Griffin says. “Come up for air and let your colleagues and family understand your needs.”

From an in-office angle, it’s important to communicate with your team members about your schedule, working style, and personal life in order to manage expectations.

“Keep your colleagues and classmates informed about your schedule,” Griffin says. “When do you work best? What time do you reserve for personal commitments? Be clear and firm.”

4. Manage Risks

“Risk management is hugely important to project management,” Griffin says, offering the example of an adult learner trying to go back to school while simultaneously balancing work and family responsibilities. He explains the importance of identifying what the risks are in this instance and developing a “risk response strategy” that can be implemented if things don’t go according to plan.

An example of a risk-response strategy within this scenario, “could be as simple as realizing you don’t work well at night,” he says. “Maybe you’re a morning person. Plan a classwork strategy that mitigates the risk of unproductivity. Set aside time in the morning for working and let people know that that is ‘your’ time. Set up a process that works for you—even if it’s at 2 a.m.—and stick to it.”

5. Avoid Perfectionism

It’s human nature to aim for perfection when taking ownership of a project or task, yet there are dozens of factors and unforeseen circumstances that have the ability to negatively influence outcomes. For this reason, Griffin explains that employees should forget about perfectionism and instead focus on simply meeting the predetermined project goals. If the completed project meets the overall expectations of its stakeholders, then you should feel as if your project was a success.

Rather than slowing down the process by focusing on every little detail that could be improved, Griffin also suggests concentrating on big-picture success instead. He provides this example from the classroom as a representation of this idea:

“Each week, my classes have discussion board questions, and students need to post three times. Some post three times, others post 15. You can get full credit either way. Maybe it matters to you personally whether you get a 3.7 versus a 3.4, but nobody else is going to know or care…If you’re balancing other priorities—work, family, and life—recognize that time management and restraint is a big part of success.”

6. Effectively Manage Your Time

Managing your time effectively is a vital part of successfully completing any project in any setting. There are several time management strategies you can employ in your personal and professional lives to help you achieve success.

Having a well-defined project plan is one of the most productive strategies for time management, as it affects every phase of a project from beginning to end. If you attempt to execute a project without a plan, you will ultimately spend more time throughout the process deciding what needs to be done and how it should take shape. On the other hand, creating a thorough plan ahead of time acts as a road map for the project and eliminates the common time wasters that would otherwise be encountered.

Additionally, communication with stakeholders is an important aspect of time management. Delays in communication are some of the biggest time-related issues that project managers and other professionals encounter. To combat this, strive to keep stakeholders actively engaged throughout all stages of a project in order to maintain timeliness.

7. Avoid Multitasking

Although multitasking seems like the best way to get several things done in a fraction of the time, there is one problem: multitasking doesn’t actually work. In fact, our brains aren’t wired to handle more than one or, at most, two complex tasks at a time.

Research from the American Psychological Association found that switching between tasks can actually cause up to a 40 percent loss in productivity, as switching from one task to another causes us to lose focus, attention, and, most importantly, productivity.

Instead, there are strategies you can use to avoid multitasking and complete your work as efficiently as possible. For example, cutting down on interruptions of all kinds can help you improve your focus and boost efficiency, as doing so reduces the frequency of disturbances that can force you to split your attention.

8. Use the Proper Tools

In a world where efficiency is key, professionals need to take advantage of the tools available to them that can help make their jobs easier. Project management software tools can help managers, administrators, and other employees deliver projects as effectively as possible by offering features that allow you to manage tasks, track progress, and streamline communication.

When choosing which tools to use, it is important to analyze your needs and identify which options are able to meet your requirements. Having the right project management apps or software in your tool belt can help you adequately communicate with your team, stay organized, and deliver projects on time.

For those who want to explore the features and benefits of different tools before making a commitment, there are free project management software options worth considering.

9. Get Familiar with Project Management Methodologies

Regardless of whether or not you hold a formal project management position or see yourself pursuing one in the future, the core methodologies of project management can be valuable to virtually all professionals.

Project management methodologies are considered to be the tools, techniques, processes, and best practices that guide someone through a set of tasks efficiently.

10. Pursue a Degree in Project Management

One of the best ways to refine your project management skills is to pursue a degree in the field. Companies are challenged to deliver projects on time, on budget, and according to specifications, and without skilled project managers, these tasks are nearly impossible to complete.

If you are looking to build your project management skill set and advance your career, consider whether earning a master’s in project management is worth it in the pursuit of your goals.

#Project Management Tips

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diarrheaworldstarhiphop · 5 years

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Great civilisations are not murdered. Instead, they take their own lives.

So concluded the historian Arnold Toynbee in his 12-volume magnum opus A Study of History. It was an exploration of the rise and fall of 28 different civilisations.

He was right in some respects: civilisations are often responsible for their own decline. However, their self-destruction is usually assisted.

The Roman Empire, for example, was the victim of many ills including overexpansion, climatic change, environmental degradation and poor leadership. But it was also brought to its knees when Rome was sacked by the Visigoths in 410 and the Vandals in 455.

Collapse is often quick and greatness provides no immunity. The Roman Empire covered 4.4 million sq km (1.9 million sq miles) in 390. Five years later, it had plummeted to 2 million sq km (770,000 sq miles). By 476, the empire’s reach was zero.

Our deep past is marked by recurring failure. As part of my research at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge, I am attempting to find out why collapse occurs through a historical autopsy. What can the rise and fall of historic civilisations tell us about our own? What are the forces that precipitate or delay a collapse? And do we see similar patterns today?

The first way to look at past civilisations is to compare their longevity. This can be difficult, because there is no strict definition of civilisation, nor an overarching database of their births and deaths.

In the graphic below, I have compared the lifespan of various civilisations, which I define as a society with agriculture, multiple cities, military dominance in its geographical region and a continuous political structure. Given this definition, all empires are civilisations, but not all civilisations are empires. The data is drawn from two studies on the growth and decline of empires (for 3000-600BC and 600BC-600), and an informal, crowd-sourced survey of ancient civilisations (which I have amended).

Collapse can be defined as a rapid and enduring loss of population, identity and socio-economic complexity. Public services crumble and disorder ensues as government loses control of its monopoly on violence.

Virtually all past civilisations have faced this fate. Some recovered or transformed, such as the Chinese and Egyptian. Other collapses were permanent, as was the case of Easter Island. Sometimes the cities at the epicentre of collapse are revived, as was the case with Rome. In other cases, such as the Mayan ruins, they are left abandoned as a mausoleum for future tourists.

What can this tell us about the future of global modern civilisation? Are the lessons of agrarian empires applicable to our post-18th Century period of industrial capitalism?

I would argue that they are. Societies of the past and present are just complex systems composed of people and technology. The theory of “normal accidents” suggests that complex technological systems regularly give way to failure. So collapse may be a normal phenomenon for civilisations, regardless of their size and stage.

We may be more technologically advanced now. But this gives little ground to believe that we are immune to the threats that undid our ancestors. Our newfound technological abilities even bring new, unprecedented challenges to the mix.

And while our scale may now be global, collapse appears to happen to both sprawling empires and fledgling kingdoms alike. There is no reason to believe that greater size is armour against societal dissolution. Our tightly-coupled, globalised economic system is, if anything, more likely to make crisis spread.

If the fate of previous civilisations can be a roadmap to our future, what does it say? One method is to examine the trends that preceded historic collapses and see how they are unfolding today.

While there is no single accepted theory for why collapses happen, historians, anthropologists and others have proposed various explanations, including:

CLIMATIC CHANGE: When climatic stability changes, the results can be disastrous, resulting in crop failure, starvation and desertification. The collapse of the Anasazi, the Tiwanaku civilisation, the Akkadians, the Mayan, the Roman Empire, and many others have all coincided with abrupt climatic changes, usually droughts.

ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION: Collapse can occur when societies overshoot the carrying capacity of their environment. This ecological collapse theory, which has been the subject of bestselling books, points to excessive deforestation, water pollution, soil degradation and the loss of biodiversity as precipitating causes.

INEQUALITY AND OLIGARCHY: Wealth and political inequality can be central drivers of social disintegration, as can oligarchy and centralisation of power among leaders. This not only causes social distress, but handicaps a society’s ability to respond to ecological, social and economic problems.

The field of cliodynamics models how factors such as equality and demography correlate with political violence. Statistical analysis of previous societies suggests that this happens in cycles. As population increases, the supply of labour outstrips demand, workers become cheap and society becomes top-heavy. This inequality undermines collective solidarity and political turbulence follows.

COMPLEXITY: Collapse expert and historian Joseph Tainter has proposed that societies eventually collapse under the weight of their own accumulated complexity and bureaucracy. Societies are problem-solving collectives that grow in complexity in order to overcome new issues. However, the returns from complexity eventually reach a point of diminishing returns. After this point, collapse will eventually ensue.

Another measure of increasing complexity is called Energy Return on Investment (EROI). This refers to the ratio between the amount of energy produced by a resource relative to the energy needed to obtain it. Like complexity, EROI appears to have a point of diminishing returns. In his book The Upside of Down, the political scientist Thomas Homer-Dixon observed that environmental degradation throughout the Roman Empire led to falling EROI from their staple energy source: crops of wheat and alfalfa. The empire fell alongside their EROI. Tainter also blames it as a chief culprit of collapse, including for the Mayan.

EXTERNAL SHOCKS: In other words, the “four horsemen”: war, natural disasters, famine and plagues. The Aztec Empire, for example, was brought to an end by Spanish invaders. Most early agrarian states were fleeting due to deadly epidemics. The concentration of humans and cattle in walled settlements with poor hygiene made disease outbreaks unavoidable and catastrophic. Sometimes disasters combined, as was the case with the Spanish introducing salmonella to the Americas.

RANDOMNESS/BAD LUCK: Statistical analysis on empires suggests that collapse is random and independent of age. Evolutionary biologist and data scientist Indre Zliobaite and her colleagues have observed a similar pattern in the evolutionary record of species. A common explanation of this apparent randomness is the “Red Queen Effect”: if species are constantly fighting for survival in a changing environment with numerous competitors, extinction is a consistent possibility.

Despite the abundance of books and articles, we don’t have a conclusive explanation as to why civilisations collapse. What we do know is this: the factors highlighted above can all contribute. Collapse is a tipping point phenomena, when compounding stressors overrun societal coping capacity.

We can examine these indicators of danger to see if our chance of collapse is falling or rising. Here are four of those possible metrics, measured over the past few decades:

Temperature is a clear metric for climate change, GDP is a proxy for complexity and the ecological footprint is an indicator for environmental degradation. Each of these has been trending steeply upwards.

Inequality is more difficult to calculate. The typical measurement of the Gini Index suggests that inequality has decreased slightly globally (although it is increasing within countries). However, the Gini Index can be misleading as it only measures relative changes in income. In other words, if two individuals earning $1 and $100,000 both doubled their income, the Gini would show no change. But the gap between the two would have jumped from $99,999 to $198,998.

Because of this, I have also depicted the income share of the global top 1%. The 1% have increased in their share of global income from approximately 16% in 1980 to over 20% today. Importantly, wealth inequality is even worse. The share of global wealth from the 1% has swelled from 25-30% in the 1980s to approximately 40% in 2016. The reality is likely to be starker as these numbers do not capture wealth and income siphoned into overseas tax havens.

Studies suggest that the EROI for fossil fuels has been steadily decreasing over time as the easiest to reach and richest reserves are depleted. Unfortunately, most renewable replacements, such as solar, have a markedly lower EROI, largely due to their energy density and the rare earth metals and manufacturing required to produce them.

This has led much of the literature to discuss the possibility of an “energy cliff” as EROI declines to a point where current societal levels of affluence can no longer be maintained. The energy cliff need not be terminal if renewable technologies continue to improve and energy efficiency measures are speedily implemented.

#on target #but meanders into libdem horseshit #civilization

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requiem-dailyprophet · 5 years

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Witch Tips & Horoscopes 5/8 ~ 5/14

Aries

March 21-April 19

You’re now motivated to find new ways to sustain your wealth—even contemplating expanding your personal views. The humdrum life never suited your sentiments, and this week both your personal and monetary portfolio is transforming in major ways. There may be some bumps along the way, which are common for the risk takers and innovators such as yourself. While your views on the material world are shifting, you are also growing your confidence and your ability to achieve success . Your cup may overflow with ideas and impending partnerships related to your finances, but it’s essential to only commit to endeavors that peak your interests—even if they are off the beaten path. Just remember to to find balance between work and play in order to stay grounded.

Taurus

April 20-May 20

This week is high time for you to shed your skin and move towards personal evolution. You’ve recently been toying with the notion of growth, but you haven’t been ready to fully let go (which is understandable because change is hard), but now you are finally ready to throw caution to the wind and transform. Whether you gamble on love or yourself, the only thing which is certain is that you will start to embrace and create the life you always wanted. Stepping out of your “norm” will bring up anxieties and past traumas—prepare yourself to be emotionally challenged. As long as you are prepared to do the work in squashing the demons and fears in your past, you will breeze through this week with flying colors.

Gemini

May 21-June 20

Inquisitive by nature, your mind will certainly be overworked this week due to your desire for answers. You may find yourself searching for meaning in situations and relationships that have lost their luster. Instead of using your Mercurial mindset to fester and obsess, try using magic to get the answers you crave. Taking a trip to the astral plane during the First Quarter Moon will reveal the truths you are looking for (when you go to the astral plane remember to make a circle of protection with your finger to ensure your safety). Also, meditating and reflecting with friends will be beneficial, as their feedback and support will help you navigate through your issues, as well as offering insights and advice that will help you.

Cancer

June 21-July 22

A sensitive being by nature, you often give your time to others freely (at the cost of your sanity). These days, you’re not the shrinking violet you used to be. In fact, you are learning that being selfish and putting your needs first is a priority. You will be emotionally torn this week, as you are at a crossroads within many of your personal relationships. Deciding who you should lend your empathetic ear to may be hard because of your nurturing spirit. It’s important to set boundaries with others (even yourself). Knowing when to let go and take a step back isn’t something you normally do, but you are learning that it’s adequate to be selfish and care from the distance, especially if the relationship isn’t functioning properly.

Leo

July 23-August 22

“A wish is a dream your heart makes,” Leo. This week, you are manifesting your passions and professional desires. The First Quarter Moon is giving you the push you need to bravely and courageously implement your dreams into reality. Challenges may arise from fear, but as long as you stay on the righteous path you will be able to move past these setbacks. Embrace the elements of earth and fire, by writing a letter of intention then burning it in a bowl and planting the ashes in soil under the First Quarter Moon. This will allow you to conjure and bring forth such goals into your life. As long as you manifest your dreams using your innermost heartfelt aspirations, the universe will make your wishes come true.

Virgo

August 23-Sept. 22

You’re currently in flux within all interpersonal relationships, as you are undecided about where things are headed. In the recent past, you have let situations and partnerships stay put, due to your optimism and hope. This week, you are changing your views—even questioning whether or not you want to continue the never ending merry-go-round with your heart. As your emotions start to unfold, you will see that right now you crave independence within partnerships. Instead of choosing someone else—you opt to choose yourself. While you may feel extra emotional under the First Quarter Moon, allow yourself a momentary reprieve away from the work and others. Use this luminary to set yourself free. Put all the energy you’ve spent focusing on others onto yourself for maximum splendorous results.

Libra

Sept. 23-Oct. 22

This week starts off with a big bang in the personal and relationship sector of your chart. While you may be over the drama, the universe is giving you one more issue to sort out. A lover of love and a constant giver of kindness, you tend to put others needs first. Unfortunately, others to take advantage of your generosity and compassion. Over time, you’ve felt neglected, unseen, and unheard. Giving your all to those who don’t deserve it will motivate you to take back your power—which may ruffle their feathers. Cutting out the energetic vampires will free yourself from the endless chaos, raise your self-esteem, and restore balance in your life. Remember, relationships are a two way street. Give your time to those who appreciate you.

Scorpio

Oct. 23-Nov. 21

You’re on an endless quest for truth this week. You may feel as though others are gaslighting you, and not owning up to their part in a bad situation (or a recent argument between you both). The curveball you are given, in this cosmically charged week, is that you don’t have to accept what others say as the truth. Learn to lean into your intuition more and quench your thirst for justice and to gain a deeper understanding of the situation at hand. You don’t have to make yourself anxious by looking outwards for answers. Look within. Trust yourself. Trust your judgement. Evoke the bridge between your subconscious and conscious mind by simply meditating with Obsidian to awaken your third-eye chakra and to free your subconscious under the First Quarter Moon.

Sagittarius

Nov. 22-Dec. 21

Often lustful of the finer things in life (eating, drinking, and being merry), this week your values are shifting. You are learning that materialism and earthly delights are not as important as inner happiness—prosperity is not found outward, but inside. Your newfound relationship with the world and yourself will allow you to open yourself up to others in ways you never thought imaginable. Learning that self-worth and love is solely based on the immaterial will rock your spiritual core and shakeup your fundamental beliefs—for the better. If self-evolution is what you are searching for, the First Quarter Moon will allow you to connect to a new philosophical perspective on a soulful level. Expanding your mind will lead towards exponential growth in all areas of your life.

Capricorn

Dec. 22-Jan. 19

Always at the top of your game, you’re taking a step back and away from the public glare. Giving yourself time to disconnect from the outside world will allow you to nourish yourself. The heart is like a garden, it needs to be tended to. Taking time for yourself will help you gain your confidence back and strategize your next steps. Giving yourself extra TLC and self-care will take the edge of inner stresses, as well as burn off the negative vibes from others. You can create your own tranquil oasis within, as long as you actually disengage from the noises and frenzy of the outside world. Positive affirmations and a calming bath under the First Quarter Moon will get you moving in the right direction. Let your mind unwind with White Sage and Lavender Smudge Sticks to relax this week.

Aquarius

Jan. 20-Feb. 18

You’re currently stuck between two worlds, Aquarius. Your recent spiritual journey has helped you clear up quandaries that have recently percolated within. However, it has also left you confused about how to move forward with others. You may feel as though the past has come to haunt you, as old issues surface and others are dragging their feet in opening themselves up to you again. It may be quite possible that you have handled matters unfairly in the past, and are now stuck between a rock and a hard place. The first step to remedying such matters is to forgive yourself and others. Free and vindicate yourself under the First Quarter Moon by clearing out stagnant energy with Hummingbird Sage . Most importantly, tend to others how you would like to be treated to avoid future conflicts.

Pisces

Feb. 19-March 20

A free thinker at heart, this week you are swimming upstream with enthusiasm with your unique mindset. Learning that you do not confirm to any societal expectation is your weekly cosmic lesson, as you are now being pushed to be more assertive and independent in expressing your desires. The world (or in your case the ocean) may seem big and overwhelming with many options and people. However, there’s only one you. And, no one else’s creative mind can surpass yours this week. Believing in yourself will bring maritime bliss, as long as you let go of the phobias associated with success. Using the power of visualization, you can alter your mindset and allow yourself to break down the roadblocks and swim towards victory.

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