As part of software development I have used tools that are helpful during the development process. Two of these tools are version and issue management tools. These tools are used in software development for organization and monitoring status of the software development. While they are associated with software development, I have found them useful for other types of projects such as technical manual development. I've successfully used version management for technical manuals development for fifteen years and issue tracking for five years.

I've used computers for many years in many ways. I've developed software for them, used software tools, supported computers on a local network and helped users with computer problems. During that time I've seen software used in many different ways by different users.  A common problem I've seen is users excited about using a software tool at the start of a project only to lose interest and fall back to older software or real world tools. The chosen software didn't work as expected and it is easier to fall back on old methods of doing a task.

After several months of writing about computers and business, I am ready for a break. I've enjoyed a change of pace, especially since I felt that my writing was becoming repetitive for my topics. However, I also like a change of pace and writing about the seasons and daily life is easier for me.

I am enjoying the holiday week with my family so my normal blog post will be delayed a few days. Instead, here is my prayer for this day.

To a higher power, a divine being of love and light
On this day of thanks, I thank You for the good in my life
The roof over my head, the food on my table,
Time with my loved ones, my health,
Freedom from fear and my safety
In these troubling times.

Folding laundry tonight
Memories popping up as I pulled things out
A sheet, a memory of folding wet sheets at our motel
Pinning them to a clothes line under a sunny, blue sky.
Later collecting them, crisp, fresh, folding them and
Placing them in our rolling laundry basket

I'd like to share an additional way to keep up with news of people. If a person has a website there is a good chance they also have something called an RSS feed.

I'm starting with a look at teams and team building in companies. Effective teams are considered an important part of businesses yet business practices seemed designed to hobble the people who are working together. Specifically, I want to look at the assumptions people make when using these business practices. Based on my observation and anecdotal evidence, when people don't understand the assumptions of a business practice, they may apply those practices to problems that don't fit them well.

I've now completed my series about the basic functions of computers. My intent was to share information about the stack of technology that is used to perform modern computing. As part of the process I learned some new facts about the history of computers and reminded myself of the basic concepts that underly the current set of computers.