Chen-Gackstatter Minimal Surface, by Paul Nylander

I particularly enjoyed the discussion that occurred during the latter portion of my session. Participants questioned some ideas and shared their own experiences. This is what makes CAST a great conference – lots of conferring!

One outcome of the discussion was a list of handy tools, aids, or methods, that support the use of visualization techniques. With a little creativity, visual models can be crafted on a variety of surfaces – computers are not the only tool for creating visual aids.

Check out the myriad of options for making good use of hand drawn diagrams, pictures, and other visual aids that foster collaboration, communication, and understanding:

Giant Sticky Notes:

• These are great because you get the advantages of writing on paper combined with the portability of typically-sized Post-It notes. Roll them up to store them, then unroll and stick on a wall to continue collaborative discussions and brainstorming.

Make Your Own Giant Sticky Notes:

• Any size and colour of paper can be quickly and easily turned into a giant stickynote – get the advantages of sticky note portability with your favourite paper! Try the following as a restickable adhesive: Scotch Restickable Adhesive Glue Stick, 3M ReMount Spray Adhesive Repositionable.

WhiteBoards:

• Everyone should have access to a whiteboard in their workspace in my opinion. They are great for hashing out ideas, collaborating with colleagues, and making information and visible. If you can swing it, get some really big two-sided whiteboards on wheels that can be moved around to where they’re needed at the moment. These were a big help for some teams I worked with in constrained spaces to house their Sprint Backlog, Issues, and Burndown Charts.

Make Your Own Whiteboard:

• If you’re cash-strapped, or just like to make stuff, you can create your own whiteboards with a few simple items from your local do-it-yourself building store (e.g. Home Depot): Tileboard/Showerboard, Plywood, and Panel Adhesive.
• Giant whiteboards can be made cheaply using Solid White Tileboard (or Melamine tile wall panel), panel adhesive, and plywood. Want higher quality? Invest in ceramic coated metal (e.g. P3 Ceramicsteel) and you also get the added bonus of a magnetic surface.  Thanks to www.kk.org for these tips.
• Use Dry Erase Paint on any surface and turn it into a whiteboard. Combine with Magnetic Primer to get a magnetic whiteboard.

Interactive Whiteboards – eg. SmartBoard:

• If you can get your company to invest in them, these whiteboards are pricey, but incredibly useful. Use them for interactive collaboration with colleagues in the same location, or located elsewhere if you add the conferencing software option.   Save content immediately to a usb drive, network storage, or distribute immediately via email. Some versions even allow you to use the whiteboard as a computer display AND interact with documents, pictures, and video’s with digital ink. How cool is that?

Make Your Own Iteractive Whiteboard with Wii Controller:

• My jaw dropped when I heard this could be done. For a fraction of the cost of a purchased interactive whiteboard (like a SmartBoard), the technically-inclined can make their own interactive whiteboard using an LED pen, Wiimote, Whiteboard, Projector, and a Computer with Bluetooth.

Windows:

• I’m talking about the windows in your office, not the operating system.  Use them with whiteboard markers, and you have readily available collaboration centers. If you’re lucky enough to have glass windows on the interior of the building, you can also keep information confidential.

Digital Camera’s:

• Digital camera’s are pretty accessible these days as they are found in phones, smartphones, secret spy pens, and of course, a traditional digital camera. Work captured on whiteboards, chart paper, and even windows can be saved via a picture and stored on a computer. No need to create a soft copy version, unless you think it needs a ‘professional edge’ or future editing.

Video Camera’s:

• Video camera’s are also more accessible, and can be used for not only capturing visual aids in digital format, but also the discussion’s that went into creating them. This can be invaluable for understanding why certain decisions were made.

Bloomfire.com

• Someone mentioned this site as a tool for online collaboration that was worth checking out. I haven’t looked into it much myself. The website indicates that it is valuable for collaborative learning, team collaboration, and sharing files.

Computer Software:

• There are many programs available that will allow you to create visual diagrams. Mindmapping tools (I use FreeMind, which is opensource), drawing programs, flowcharting software (Microsoft Visio, ConceptDraw Pro), and UML tools are just a few to consider.

Get Input Fast:

• This is a method for creating and improving on existing visual diagrams. By printing many copies of a diagram and distributing to people with crayons, and defining no rules, invite people to contribute. Crayons add an element of fun, and visibility to changes and additions. Ask people to note errors, make corrections & additions, share their thoughts & concerns, or even create new diagrams to capture their understanding of a particular topic. This is a fast and easy way to get everyone’s input into a combined diagram before gathering folks in a room together to discuss it (save time & money!).

I hope that this list gives you some new idea’s to try out. Personally, I’m going to make a giant whiteboard, and then try out the interactive Wiimote whiteboard. These will get some good use in my home.

Are there other things that you would add to this list?  Please share them with everyone by leaving a comment!

Yesterday my husband, son, and I took a road trip to seek out interesting places in our area. We have found it is easy to take local attractions for granted when they are so close, and often think “we’ll get there one day”, but that day rarely comes.  It was time to correct that for some select places of interest.

Castle Kilbride

The first stop was Castle Kilbride, a heritage site located in the small town of Baden, Ontario. We had driven past signs for it countless times over the last 16 years but had never been there. It proved to be more of a large opulent house than a castle, but it was interesting to see.

The Puzzling Tombstone

Our next stop was a small cemetery north of Wellesley, Ontario, which was purported to contain a tombstone with an inscription that was in itself a puzzle. Readers had to decipher the puzzle in order to understand what was written upon the tombstone. Being a lover of puzzles, we spent time sitting in the cemetery in front of the infamous gravestone, and proceeded to decipher the message. It took some time, but we did figure most of it out. What fun!

Take a look at the photo below, and see if you can decipher it’s message. No cheating!

So… Did you solve it?

What techniques did you use to get started?

What methods did you apply as you deciphered the message?

Did you use any heuristics, oracles, design, or testing techniques to help you solve this puzzle?

Consider how this exercise can help you in your day job, whether you are a tester, a programmer, or general agilist.

Please share your insights and thoughts!

To finish my story…

The last stops on our road trip were searching for Pioneer Tower in south Kitchener, Ontario, and Sheave Tower in Blair, Ontario. Unfortunately we did not have exact locations, and were unable to locate them.

After returning home, we did some searches online and discovered we drove right past the access points for them. They turned into an adventure for today, instead.

PS. You can see the solution to the tombstone puzzle, and the history of the origins of the tombstone at the link provided here. Please do not post this information on this blog. If you are trying to solve the puzzle, do not look at this page until you have finished. Tombstone Puzzle, Rushes Cemetery, Woolwich Township

Today I actually read the weekly LinkedIn update I receive, and noticed that one of my connections had added a book to their recommended reading list.  I had no idea LinkedIn had an application for that!  Very cool.  This will save me some time by not having to track all my books on this site, which I had intended to do (yes, that means you need check out my LinkedIn profile for books for the time being).   So, the first thing I did was throw up a number of books I’m reading right now – admittedly there are a few others I’m in the middle of as well, but those will wait for another time.

From there, I wondered if there was anything of interest in any of the groups I was a member of.  I noticed that I had a group for PSL (Problem Solving Leadership, a course I took with Jerry Weinberg, Johanna Rothman, and Esther Derby about 1.5 years ago).  I had completely forgotten there was a group for it, never mind that I had joined it!  I felt like I had found $20 I had hidden in a pocket months ago – what a great feeling!

Clicking on the link, I found a message on the PSL news list titled ‘A Profound Learning Experience in PSL’.   Given my experience with PSL, I had to agree that it was an incredibly profound experience.  I was curious to read about this person’s experience.  It turns out that the author, David Barnholdt, had recently taken the course, and had learned more in one week at PSL than he had in months.  His debrief of his experience at PSL is worth reading, so be sure to check it out.

At some point, I will summarize my experiences, insights, and outcomes of my own experience at PSL.  As soon as I’m ready to share the very personal nature of the week with the world wide web.  That is pretty scary to think about, but I think I’m nearly there.  :)

I have recently found myself in a bit of a slump.  There are a lot of things I want to do, but I’ve been having difficulty focusing in on one at a time – both at work and personally.  After some reflection, I have discovered that this stems in part from being frustrated in my seeming inability to empower and enhance the environment with colleagues at work recently.  To put it bluntly, some people are annoying the heck out of me, and I’m having trouble getting past that to be at my best.

David’s post was a really great grounding agent for me, reminding me of what I had personally experienced and learned while at PSL.  It also brought to light how effective I can really be in shaping a positive environment around me with only a slight change in how I approach each day and in interactions with other people.  I really needed this!  I am looking forward to seeing how I improve through the rest of the week with people around me.

My final thought for today:  The Problem Solving Leadership course is a wonderful, and life-altering experience.  It will challenge you in ways you could never expect, but also help you find parts of yourself you didn’t know you could ever find.  There is another offering being held in March of 2009.  Please do attend if you can find a way to make it happen.  I can guarantee that you won’t regret it!