Category: Technology
My thoughts, ramblings and learnings on technology, from Microsoft Windows and Android apps to the exciting and growing Microsoft Dynamics 365, Office 365, Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI), Microsoft Project, Microsoft Teams and SharePoint products.
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What is Kanban?
The concept of kanban is poorly understood by many. In most cases, the level of understanding between two experts discussing kanban will vary, even if they both gain something of value from the conversation. So, what exactly is Kanban – a card, a board, a system or a method? The short answer is – all… Continue reading
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Improving Government Operations with the Power Platform
Mint Delivery Lead, Shaun Dicker, is joined by Microsoft’s Business Applications Specialist, Marc Gower, to discuss how Microsoft solutions helped improve the South African government operations to improve efficiency and quality of service. Continue reading
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Vastly improve chat responses with this one simple tip
Please don’t type “Hi” or “Hello” in chat and press Enter When we use modern chat tools, such as Microsoft Teams or Slack, we should do so in a way that saves us time and allows for an efficient, real-time exchange of information. Do not expect an answer if you type “Hi” or “Hello” and… Continue reading
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The Ultimate Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365 Training Guide
This guide is a collection of learning & training links, resources, and videos for consultants who build & run Business Application solutions using the Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365. I believe that right now, in 2022, the Microsoft Power Platform is everything. This is where it’s happening, and it’s time to double down and… Continue reading
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How “Success by Design” Can Help Your Project Implementations
“Success by Design” helps project teams benefit from Microsoft’s collective experience of implementing thousands of real-world customer projects. It does this by providing topic-specific reviews and prescriptive guidance for project teams on using the Power Platform and Dynamics 365 to their fullest potential. A successful implementation means that the project has clear goals, proven methods,… Continue reading
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Quantifying the value of collaboration with Microsoft Teams
In today’s global work environment, organizations and their employees must effectively communicate across different locations, time zones, and languages to drive their businesses forward. Microsoft Teams puts everything organizations need—chats, meetings, calling, and Office 365 apps—to make faster, more informed decisions in a single, intelligent hub. With Teams, every type of worker—from the Firstline Worker to the C-suite—is empowered to contribute… Continue reading
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10 of the latest Microsoft Teams integrations to help you work smarter, not harder
Microsoft built Microsoft Teams as a platform to bring together all of your workplace tools, apps, and services—whether or not Microsoft built them—to allow you to deliver better workday flow for you and your employees. A lot of you recognize the power of Teams, and you’ve been asking how to use Teams to its full… Continue reading
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New tools to enable teamwork and enhance security in the workplace
This month, Microsoft released new features in Microsoft 365 to help you boost teamwork, save time, and streamline your IT management. Here’s a look at what’s new in March 2019. Collaborate more easily New features and services give you more ways to collaborate with colleagues and LinkedIn connections across platforms. Boost meeting productivity and meet… Continue reading
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Beyond email: Microsoft time management exec and Satya Nadella mentee on the future of Outlook
Outlook is one of Microsoft’s oldest products — at nearly 22 years old, it is the same age as some of the fresh-faced interns that arrive on the company’s Redmond campus every summer. But it just keeps humming along, outlasting many programs and initiatives that have been conceived, released and discarded during its lifetime. Microsoft… Continue reading
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Microsoft Teams, the hub for teamwork in Office 365
Today’s workplace runs on teamwork. With the right tools, teams are more productive, more profitable, and more engaged. Continue reading
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The power of Office 365 – a key part of a business’ digital transformation journey
Office 365 energises the traditional office suite with AI and Modern Workstream Collaboration New, powerful applications are available to users, elevating the nature of work A more dynamic, fluid, and virtual workplace becomes a reality The shift from on-device installations of Microsoft software – the likes of Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and other familiar tools… Continue reading
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Did the app kill email?
Although email is not as productive as some other tools available, it does seem it may be here to stay, in conjunction with new solutions such as Microsoft Teams. Continue reading
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Smart Process Apps improve customer engagement
Smart Process Apps (SPAs) are becoming essential for businesses to meet growing customer expectations. This is according to Shaun Dicker, who notes competitive pressure is driving organisations to look at process improvements. Forrester Research coined the term Smart Process Applications, calling them a “new category of application software designed to support business activities that are… Continue reading
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Smart Process Apps – the key to unlocking operational efficiencies and enhancing the customer experience
In an increasingly competitive and globalised marketplace, attracting new customers and retaining existing ones has become one of businesses’ biggest challenges. Since the majority of products have become highly commoditised, the only real point of differentiation available for organisations to leverage is the service and customer experience they deliver. Delivering excellent customer service and an… Continue reading
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Elevating the Finance Function with Automated Accounts Payable solutions
in KofaxWith automated Accounts Payable solutions, organisations can expect to see a return on their investment within the first six to twelve months. From that point onwards, the solution starts generating increasing returns for the business. In fact, there are many benefits when automating the processes of receiving invoices, automated reconciliation of invoices against associated statements,… Continue reading
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Don’t Hold Back Your Emojis – It’s a text world
We lose so much emotion in our text messages and emails—the tone of voice, gestures, facial expressions, body language, that quiver of excitement. This poem called Indirect by BABYRUTHBEER caught my attention today: To sigh after a long story,or to gasp when you hear something silly;Two of the wonders you can’t doif online chat is… Continue reading
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How to create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
A well-crafted Work Breakdown Structure can be invaluable on a project. Follow this short step-by-step guide on how to create a basic Work Breakdown Structure for your next project. I create a WBS as soon as possible, preferably while the sales team is still busy proposing the solution to a client. Using the approach I… Continue reading
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What is the difference between duration, work, effort, hours, and man-days?
I come from the Microsoft Project world, where schedules are built using duration and work. However, team members often refer to effort, hours, or my pet peeve “man-days”. What are all of these, and how do they compare? My nonprofessional definitions are summarized as follows, with examples below: Duration – the amount of time it… Continue reading
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Develop a change management methodology
A South African software developer and solution provider that focuses on the delivery of intranet, portal and business process automation solutions for the enterprise market, has developed a change management methodology for customers undertaking intranet and portal implementations. “In the past, intranets were touted as the next best thing for enhancing organisational efficiencies and driving… Continue reading
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Automated Software Quality simplifies dev & test process
A South African software development company, has seen a significant improvement in its development, testing and time to market since implementing Compuware`s solutions for Automated Software Quality (ASQ). The tight integration between Compuware`s DevPartner Studio and QACenter, which provide industry-leading automated software quality capabilities, made it possible for us to start product testing earlier in… Continue reading