App dev: Martin Heller belts one out about being tasked to integrate an unmanaged C++ application with another company's C# 2.0 program and ASP.NET 2.0 Web site for licensing. "It seemed simple enough," he begins. Not for long. "When it came time to test the code, the Web service call never returned." What did come to Martin, though, is a little tune. I'll not spoil the fun other than to say it's classic Web service blues.

Careers: Many, if not most, of the projects IT professionals deal with daily are too complex for a single person. "The days of the lone ranger were past with the first 8-track player," John West explains in Getting big things done even when you can't change the big picture. West offers advice on doing just that, with a sprinkling of caution, albeit the promising variety. "You will probably not be successful on your first couple of attempts, but the nice thing about failing with this approach is that your teams will still be more energized, creative, and productive than teams resulting from more traditional management approaches."

Columnist's corner: What do Subway commercials and outsourcing have in common? Oliver Rist has been thinking about both. The ads, you see, show a girl chomping down on a sandwich bigger than her head. "We call that biting off more than you can chew. And when that happens in real life, you should take smaller bites ... or outsource," Rist waxes philosophical in Sink your teeth into outsourcing. A great place to start is the help desk. A second is when your company acquires another. The list -- and Rist’s sandwich metaphor -- continues. "Think about it and crunch some numbers. With any luck, you'll regain enough time to leave the office for lunch."

Posted by Tom Sullivan on July 12, 2007 04:39 AM