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Archives for June, 2016
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Requirements – Five Steps to Great Requirements
Requirements are the key to getting a good solution, whether in procurement or just choosing between options. Most people get their requirements wrong, largely because they haven't drawn this connection. Requirements analysis is the first stage in the systems engineering process and software development process. Systems Engineering Fundamentals Defense Acquisition University Press, 2001 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Common Mistakes This list isn't exhaustive, I'm sure there are many more ways that requirements can go wrong. having too many not prioritising not engaging end users to develop requirements that meet their needs just throwing everything in that users ask for, without analysis of necessity (the big stapler approach) having requirements that constrain options to a specific solution ( "we need to upgrade Oracle" rather than "we need a database"). I've spent years as an analyst, and leading teams of business analysts, coming up with requirements…
Staked by Kevin Hearne [Book Review]
Staked by Kevin Hearne My rating: 4 of 5 stars I'm a fan of the Iron Druid. So much so that I pre-ordered Staked in paperback. All the previous ones I've read as catch up on my Kindle. However Kevin Hearne has made my pre-order on sight list (along with Ben Aaronovitch, Terry Pratchett, Iain Banks and Charles Stross). Staked Staked is the eighth full novel, and I've lost count of the novellas. The paperback version also has Prelude to War in the back of it, which is handy because Staked makes more sense when you've read Prelude to War. Just in case you've not read any Iron Druid, it's a very sensible urban fantasy series set in the modern day. I say sensible because the universe isn't too strange. You can imagine it coexisting with the world we…
Five Days in January by R.T. Lowe [Book Review]
The Felix Chronicles: Five Days in January by Lowe My rating: 4 of 5 stars Five Days in January is the second in the Felix Chronicles series and follows on from where The Felix Chronicles: Freshmen left off. Five Days in January Felix and his friends return in early January for the new semester, amid a backdrop of world-changing events. One of the aspects of Five Days in January that intrigued me was the development of Felix as a character. Initially Felix annoyed me, he was killing casually. The internal monologue though showed that Felix was starting to feel uneasy about this. Allison and Harper encouraged him though, keeping him steady and ensuring that he didn't lose the plot. As Five Days in January progresses Felix changes. As do the other main characters. The world around them is getting more…
The Serpent’s Root by M.J.Logue
The Serpent's Root by M. J. Logue My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Serpent's Root is the fifth in the Uncivil Wars series. Hollie Babbitt, Russell and Luce Pettit find themselves in Cornwall in 1646. The King's Army surrenders and they're hoping for an easy summer. However they find themselves laying siege to a castle. The Serpent's Root They've brought their own Cornishman home with them, Captain Kenelm Toogood. However they quickly discover that to the locals Cornwall isn't part of England. While most of the Cornish fight for the King, this is an expedient to get their own ruler, not a loyalty to the crown. Even Toogood seems to have divided loyalties, even though is fellow Cornish kicked him out when the Parliamentarians were defeated at Lostwithiel. Like the rest of the series The Serpent's Root is more…
Time Heals No Wounds by Hendrik Falkenberg [Book Review]
Time Heals No Wounds by Hendrik Falkenberg My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed reading this. A new author for me, and although I read the odd bit of crime fiction I don't read it as often as I read other things. Time Heals No Wounds The story is mainly told through the point of view of Hannes, an elite sportsman who is also a police officer. Bored with routine police work he requests a transfer. Time Heals No Wounds is his first assignment as a detective. There are interludes with unspecified other characters. Some tortured dream sequences, and also from Merle, a woman being held captive. These hang together very well, and provide clues that I only recognised when I'd read all the way to the end. The story is internally consistent. There are plenty of hooks to keep…