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Ratings based on 4,234 Verified Reviews
They paid and stayed. We double-checked.
4.7 Room cleanliness
4.5 Service & staff
4.6 Room comfort
4.7 Hotel condition
They paid and stayed.
We double-checked.
We double-checked.
for Everyoneby A verified travelerfrom Peru
Near the conference centerPosted Mar 28, 2015
Pros: Location
Cons: Breakfast service. Too small for the attending guests.
Very convenient if you are attending the conference center
for Everyoneby A verified traveler
Wonderful hotel!!!Posted Mar 25, 2015
They make you feel at home, very luxurious ! Best hotel I've ever stayed in!best service ever!
for Everyoneby A verified traveler
GreatPosted Mar 25, 2015
Top notch Attention to detail can be seen everywhere!
for Everyoneby A verified travelerfrom Florida
Very pleasant stayPosted Mar 23, 2015
Pros: Appearance, cleanliness, staff, quiet, comfort
Cons: If the access from self parking could be improved, if even only with better signage, that would be the cherry on top.
Location: You are in the heart of things, and if you are going to the convention center, it's across the street.
Years ago we liked the Peabody, but then it began getting long in the tooth. But, now Hyatt has bought the property and clearly invested a huge sum into fixing it back up (I wouldn't doubt $100 mil). So, now it is a first class property. We only stayed for the night, so we didn't use any amenities, but the pool looks awesome, with a big waterfall and an irregular shape. There is a huge amount of open space in the main part of the hotel which lends to the high-end air of the property. The staff was very helpful. The only downsides were that the self-parking does require a little hiking and the location can have some heavy traffic. (you don't hear it, but we drove there and it was almost like driving the strip in Vegas. that is to say, you aren't going anywhere fast). But, given that the price including parking and resort fees was under $200, this place is a deal. It is big, beautiful, comfortable, quiet and has a great staff.
by A verified traveler
extra chargesPosted Mar 20, 2015
When i checked in i asked the front desk lady would there be extra charges besides deposit(i already paid the room online.) She said no. And then what happened was that they charged me 160 dollars per day, including 70 dollars advance payment per person and 20 dollars resort fee even if we did't use the pool or spa or whatever. The most ridiculous thing was that they charged me 900 dollars after i checked out. And they didn't know what the hell was it! Then i called Expedia. The agent i spoke to was very nice. Expedia contacted the hotel. And now i got the refund. Though i know that most of the charges(deposit) will go back to my card, i'm still very angry. After all i was on holiday and didn't want to waste time. Well, they front desk guys were actually friendly, but they weren't very helpful. Doormen are all very kind and helped us a lot. The room is clean. Bed is comfortable. Though there was one day that the room keeper forgot to clean our room at all. Hope they can offer some HIGH QUALITY SERVICE in the future.
by A verified travelerfrom Maryland
Inexcusable that alarm clock was not reset for DSTPosted Mar 17, 2015
Front desk staff were so busy socializing with each other they could barely stop to check us in even though it was 11pm and there was no line. No welcome, very brusque.
for Everyoneby A verified travelerfrom Orlando, Fl
Nice business hotelPosted Mar 14, 2015
This was a very nice but busy business hotel. My wife and i went for our anniversary. It has a very nice pool and the kiddie pool was nice for our infant. It even had a sand play area.The only issues we had was the room was not ready at checkin but the staff was nice and made up for it with a bittle of wine. We had a balcony room which had a decent view but only a lounge chair and no regular chairs. The room had robes but no slippers which was surprising. The hotel is walking distance to pointe orlando which had an imax movie theatre and nice restaurants. Would definitely recommend for a conference or couple getaway.
for Everyoneby A verified travelerfrom California
Close to all the attractionsPosted Mar 9, 2015
I enjoyed my stay, the hotel was awesome very friendly staff. The dinner stays open 24 hours. I will definitely stay here again.
for Everyoneby A verified travelerfrom Guatemala
Excellent hotel un prime locationPosted Mar 9, 2015
Very convinient for shows un The convention centre
for Everyoneby A verified travelerfrom United Kigdom
Trade show in the adjoining Convention CentrePosted Mar 9, 2015
Pleasant environment with friendly staff and good eating. Only negative was the amount of children staying over the weekend periods who where high on candy from Disney!


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Was £99.00
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Blue mara floral printed shift dress
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
I'd break it down into three categories:
Basic / Tract-Home Grade approx. $600,000
- factory cabinets
- low cost flooring,
- very little trim,
- one paint color throughout,
- bottom grade everything
Semi-Custom approx. $800,000
- custom cabinets,
- better carpet,
- some wood & tile,
- crown moulding,
- granite counters,
- basic stainless appliances
Custom / Luxury +$1,200,000
- Custom cabinets w/ built in bookshelves & entertainment centers,
- Hand scraped solid hardwood floors,
- Expensive tile,
- thick high-grade granite & marble countertops,
- Custom / Faux painting
- Custom Appliances (Viking, Sub-Zero, etc)
- Multi-room audio,
- Surveillance
- Sky is the limit
Like others have stated, look at houses like what you want and see what they're selling for and / or contact a builder in the area you would like to build for some ideas.
Your best be would be to start speaking with builders in the area and have a good idea of where you want to build so you can get some accurate numbers. As you get closer make sure you get multiple bids and take a good hard look at their track records. I would also make sure you talk to several home owners who have used the builder and ask about their experiences with them.
Not making the right decision when choosing a builder can not only cause you a lot of money but also a lot of headaches.
Hope this helps.
Don Groff
REALTOR® & Mortgage Broker
Austin Real Estate Pros | 360 Lending Group
office: 512.669.5599 mobile: 512.633.4157
websites: http://www.AustinListed.com | http://www.360LendingGroup.com
email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Let's just say 1mil and make it simple.
Of course you can make it more complicated.
Do you want a house with very basic finishes...vinyl and carpet floors.
Or do you want marble and hand scraped hardwoods throughout.
Carpet might be $1-$2 square ft.....$10,000 worth of floors in 7200sqft.
Marble and wood might be $10/sqft or $72.000.
Now take that theory and apply it to cabinets, windows, doors, kitchens, baths, landscaping, pools, etc.
and land....do you need a lot...or do you have it already and just need to build now? How big a lot?
What you might do is search for newer homes about the size you want. Look at the prices. So they are not new homes perhaps, but might give you an idea of what you can get for different price points.


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Our members write across a variety of media. See some examples of their latest work on our Facebook page: https://t.co/cg5RdcRrzS
TV Drama Writers' Festival 2012
Booking is now open for this year's BBC TV Drama Writers' Festival
When: Wednesday 11th and Thursday 12th July 2012
Where: Leeds College of Music, Leeds
The TV Drama Writers' Festival is the festival for professional television writers. Providing a unique opportunity to mix with BBC drama commissioners and producers, and writers who are at the top of their field, the festival is a mix of masterclasses, conversation and debate - led by writers for writers. It is an opportunity to be inspired, challenged, and to have your say. The theme of this year's festival is 'Ambition'.
The 2012 festival will be chaired by Peter Bowker - with Stephen Butchard, Danny Brocklehurst, Toby Whithouse, Emma Frost, Ashley Pharoah and Jack Thorne helping to put the sessions and masterclasses together.
The closing date for bookings is 20 June 2012.
Full details are on the BBC Writersroom website.
Children's shows to leave BBC One
A statement from the Writers' Guild
The Guild has been aware for some while that the BBC will moving their children's programmes from BBC One and BBC Two to CBBC and CBeebies. No date has yet been set for the move.
The BBC has stated that spending on children's programmes won't be affected. The Guild has also received an undertaking that no changes will be made until fully agreed with the BBC Writers' Forum, which consists of the WGGB, PMA (a.k.a. agents) and the BBC.
As ever, the Guild will protect its members.
Age rage
Frances Greenwood is fed up with being considered too old to write TV drama
'"I work in TV"; just saying it gave him satisfaction……Secretly, he liked the fact that it was one of the better-looking industries, and one that valued youth. No chance, in this brave new world of TV, of walking into a conference room to find a group of sixty-two-year-olds brainstorming. What happened to TV people when they reached a certain age? Where did they go?'
(from One Day, by David Nicholls, Hodder and Stoughton, 2009)
Sixty-two years old? That's me. And I didn't go anywhere. In fact, I spend a lot of my time brainstorming ideas for TV. OK, so I'm usually doing it alone in my study, but I still have a brain and it still storms.
All over the UK, there are older writers like me who, once the brainstorming is over, struggle to be heard. Of course, there are some older writers in TV, but they are in a tiny minority of an industry increasingly dominated by two main groups.
First, there are The Heavyweights - not many of them, but they're pretty much guaranteed a slot somewhere on TV. They start with one successful TV series, and now there's no stopping them. And good on them, I say! These are our top-notch writers, who are rightfully occupying their thrones at the peak of the scriptwriting Parnassus. They are there because they're good -- bloody good. They're also lucky. And I use that word advisedly, not in some mealy-mouthed, bile-spitting way. They're lucky because, having written that one breakout series, there will be no stopping them – for the moment. (I will come back to them when they're 62.)
Next on the pile are The Young Turks. They are aged somewhere between 20 and 35 – or even 40, if they can sell themselves as younger than they actually are. Basically, the younger the better. They swarm all over television drama, eager, energetic, confident, full of ideas. They write Hollyoaks, Skins, telly for Young People. Now, however, they also write Holby, Casualty, Doctors - telly for the not-so-young. Why? What has happened here? Well, as far as the BBC is concerned, some of the flak has to be directed at its Writers' Academy. Again, this is not a personal attack on its creators, for whom the idea must have seemed to tick a vast array of boxes marked compliance. But, just to give you a flavour of its intentions, here is part of the Academy's call to writers put out last year:
'The Writers' Academy is a major initiative aimed at discovering and training the next generation of writers for BBC 1's flagship shows: EastEnders, Casualty, Holby City, and Doctors. The scheme works as an apprenticeship for writers.' This call for applicants also included a quote from a writer, who says: 'Writing for television can feel like running across a muddy field at night being pursued by man-eating pigs - the Academy gives you a torch.' Well, I have news for him: those are not man-eating pigs, they are grey-haired writers. As one agent recently told me: 'You just have to do the maths. Seven years of the Academy. Eight graduate writers getting an episode each of Doctors, Holby and Casualty. If they keep on getting employed by these shows, that's a total of 56 new writers pushing out 56 writers who were already there.' Although the Writers' Academy is open to people of all ages, and some of more mature years do get in, the emphasis is inevitably on youth. Another TV agent told me that he has difficulty selling even his 30-year-old writers, such is the demand for the 'next new bright young thing'.
Richard Carpenter dies at the age of 78
Richard Carpenter, a Life Member of the Writers' Guild who created Catweazle and Robin of Sherwood and wrote numerous other TV scripts for children and adults, died earlier this week.
Having started his professional life as an actor for stage an TV, Carpenter created Catweazle, a comedy-drama about an 11th century wizard transported to the present day. First broadcast in 1970, it ran for 26 episodes and became one of the best-loved children's shows of the decade.
Carpenter went on to write for children's drama series such as Black Beauty, The Ghosts of Motley Hall, Famous Five and Doctor Snuggles.
His best known show for adults was Robin of Sherwood, first broadcast in 1984, which ran for three series. His most recent screen credit was a TV adaptation of Philip Pullman's novel, I Was A Rat.
Carpenter, a one-time member of the Writers' Guild's Children's Committee, was a tireless campaigner for writers.
Lucy Daniel Raby writes:
Richard was an inspiring mentor for new writers in children's TV, books and film, always willing to listen and advise. His storytelling abilities were legendary and he was one of those rare writers who could produce a near perfect 1st draft! His humour was also legendary, and he kept us all entertained on the Children's Committee at the WGGB, at the same time keeping us all focussed. He was a tireless campaigner for children's TV and for writers' rights, and he never lost his enthusiasm or sense of fun. He will be sorely missed by all his fellow writers.
Writing for long-running BBC TV series
In response to popular demand, the Writers' Guild of Great Britain will be holding an event to discuss BBC long-running TV series. It will be at the Free Word Centre 60 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3GA on Monday Feb 20th from 3 - 6 PM.
This event is open to any writers who have written for a BBC long-running series in the past two years; Guild members and non-members welcome. Please note this is not an event for people who aspire to write for long-running series or last wrote one before 2009. It's also for writers only.
The event is likely to be heavily subscribed and space is limited. Please let the Guild know if you wish to attend ASAP
TV Good Practice Guide
Due to current demand, the Guild thought it timely to feature our Television Good Practice Guide, Working With Writers, once again. The Guild recommends that everyone in the industry, both writers and production personnel, read it and abide by it. The WGGB exists to protect writers' rights and working conditions.
Download Working With Writers (pdf)
Ronnie Wolfe 1922-2011
Gail Renard pays tribute to a long-standing Guild member who died last month
Ronnie Wolfe, co-creator of sitcoms On The Buses and The Rag Trade died at the age of 89 following a fall. His career reads like the history of radio and television comedy.
Ronnie started in the early 1950s, writing Beryl Reid's material for the BBC radio comedy, Educating Archie. He quickly worked his way up and, when lead writer Erik Sykes left, Ronnie took his place. It was also where Ronnie met his future writing partner, the resident harmonica player, Ronnie Chesney. Ronnie W persuaded Ronnie C to give up his successful act so they could write together. Their partnership, known as 'The Other Two Ronnies', lasted harmoniously for 50 years.
Ronnie C excelled at writing the plots and technical bits; whereas Ronnie W was a master of comic dialogue. He was also good at acknowledging the talents of others; including a young Marty Feldman who joined his series as a junior writer.
Growing in fame, Ronnie wed Rose Krieger in 1953. The headline of the now defunct Evening Star newspaper read: "Ronnie Married His Secretary Because He Knew A Good Thing When He Saw It'. Quite right. As a labour of love, as Rose typed and collated 95% of his work.
Ronnie was a kind, warm, family man and staunch Writers' Guild member for half a century. Until his health prevented, he was a regular at Guild AGMs. 'The Other Two Ronnies' work is still appreciated on telly and DVDs. His latest book, My Life In Memoirs, was brought out by Kaleidoscope Publishing just over a year ago.
My sincere condolences to his wife, Rose, his two daughters and also to Ronnie Chesney. He'll be very missed.
Gail Renard is Chair of the Guild's TV Committee
More obituaries for Ronnie Wolfe:
BBC TV minimum fees for writers rise 2%
The Writers' Guild has agreed an increase of 2% in minimum fees for drama and comedy writers, in line with pay rises for BBC staff. This brings the flagship minimum fee for a 60-minute original drama to £10,680 – although many established and in-demand writers will earn much higher amounts. The minimum rates for series, soaps and other genres all go up by the same percentage. The new rates cover all contracts from 1 November 2011 - download a full list of minimum rates (pdf).
The Guild, along with the agents' trade body the Personal Managers' Association has now concluded all substantive negotiations on a new suite of agreements that will introduce a new system of paying writers for the use of their work on the iPlayer and other online on-demand services including the planned BBC online archive. The deal also expands the coverage of the agreements to scripts shorter than 15 minutes, including comedy sketches, material commissioned for online use only, and some material for animations and documentaries. We expect to make a major announcement about the new agreements early in the New Year.
The negotiations and increased fees come against a background of yet more BBC cuts under the slogan 'Delivering Quality First'. The latest plans identify 'Ambitious original British drama and comedy' among the 'five pillars of the BBC's future strategy' and the Guild intends to monitor commissions and output closely to ensure this pledge is honoured.
Armando Iannucci wins Guild prize at Comedy Awards
Gail Renard (pictured with Armando Iannucci) reports from the British Comedy Awards
The Writers' Guild of Great Britain was proud to be part of the British Comedy Awards once again. The recipient of our "Outstanding Achievement In Writing Award" was Armando Iannucci. As the standing ovation on the night proved, the choice was a worthy one.
Armando Iannucci has been responsible for such ground-breaking shows as The Day Today, I'm Alan Partridge and The Thick Of It and manage to fit in the libretto for an opera, Skin Deep as well. How could the Guild not honour a man who gave us Malcolm Tucker?
His long-time friend and colleague, Steve Coogan, presented the Award to Armando on the night.
Congratulations also go to Guild members Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, who received an award for their new comedy series, Fresh Meat; Victoria Wood who was named Best Female Comic and Dave Cohen who scored not one but two wins for Horrible Histories and Have I Got News For You. Some people can just be too talented.
Gail Renard is Chair of the Guild's TV Committee
Writing TV soaps
An edited transcript of a Writers' Guild podcast
I suppose the first thing we'd better check is whether you're happy with the term 'soap' because sometimes people prefer to talk about continuing drama - I know the executives seem to - rather than soap. What do you think?
Chris Thompson: It doesn't bother me too much. I think I'm not too precious about it really. It is what it is isn't it. And it is continuing drama but if soap's a useful shorthand then so be it. It doesn't offend me.
Dawn Harrison: I've always thought of it as a soap.
How did you come to be writing for TV?
Dawn Harrison: I started off as a teacher and then I became a youth worker. When my kids were little I started writing - children's fiction to start with but I found it a lot easier to get good feedback about the television stuff I was writing. So I wrote a couple of original scripts for kids, teenagers, sent those off and that led to being invited to pitch stories for Doctors, which I did. I was very lucky and got eight episodes in my first year. So it was a fairly easy decision to give up being a teacher, being a youth worker, and do it as my full-time job.
Chris Thompson: I was also a teacher and I became a Deputy Head of a big comprehensive school. Then I realised that I was moving further away from teaching English and Drama, which is what I began doing. I started writing plays for kids and I sent various scripts off to television companies, all of which were rejected. And I entered a competition in the Radio Times to write a half-hour radio drama/comedy with the potential to be a series. That was in 1985. It didn't win but it was shortlisted and it got me the chance to produce a radio drama at Manchester. I didn't give up the day job straight away. I had two small children and was the main breadwinner. But over the next three years I sold another five radio plays so I had a bit of a CV. I gave up teaching in 1989 and within two years I got a job on a daytime soap called Families, which was Kay Mellor's first show. I didn't have an agent. I blundered in – this is how not to do it by the way. Roy Barraclough (who played Alec Gilroy in Coronation Street) was in my second radio play. And when I decided I'd try and get into television I wrote him a letter asking him to pass on my details to a television producer. Which he did. Granada were having a workshop for writers to work on Coronation Street and though I didn't get that job, two or three of us were given a job on Families. One of my contemporaries on that was Sally Wainwright, who's obviously gone on to great things. From then onwards I did a lot of work with Granada over the years. I also fitted in a stint on The Archers and in 1996 I joined Emmerdale.
Could you talk a little bit more about how necessary it is to give up your full-time job, and how difficult a decision that was?
Dawn Harrison: There are a lot of Doctors' writers who don't do it as a full-time job. A few of them only have a few episodes a year and it's perfectly possible. I was doing a jobshare job as a youth worker so for me it was quite easy to give that up and just do Doctors full-time. But I went onto Holby City very early, after just three episodes of Doctors and that was a huge culture shock. I had no idea really of the kind of rigour and the drafting and re-drafting that was required and I really found that very hard.
Chris Thompson: I'd had quite a successful teaching career and I was faced with the prospect that the next move would be to be a Head or an advisor or something like that. I'd got a track record in radio and I decided that in order to break into television, which I wanted to do, I'd have to give it serious attention. So I gave up my secure pension and salary. I did a little bit of part-time teaching, just so I was earning something and I became the house-husband. I was working from home, so I was able to take our kids to school and then after two years I got my breakthrough into television. For the first year when I wasn't really earning very much, I used to look in the top drawer of my desk see my final salary slip as a teacher. I used to get that every month. Gosh! But I mean once I got into television and got regular work then that ceased to be an issue.
How useful do you think that background as a teacher has been for you as a writer?
Chris Thompson: It's been useful on two levels I think. You do have a certain amount of life experience. I was in my 30s when I sold my first radio play. So you've had children, you've got married, you've done the job that isn't just in a nice cosy studio or a theatre, you know some not-so-cosy places. And, secondly, the nature of the job that Dawn and I do involves script conferences where you have to sit round a table and argue your case for a particular story or a particular character. And because teaching by definition involves contact with all sorts of people every day of your working life, that I think gave me a certain confidence in terms of being able to pitch stories, fight my corner, and join in the general merry mayhem that is a script conference.
Dawn, you're writing for Emmerdale at the moment and you have written for Doctors, as you said - how different are they to work on?
Dawn Harrison: Really different. You know Doctors has I think about ten regular characters as opposed to Emmerdale which has over 60. In Doctors you have your story of the day which is normally about 60% of the episode. And that will always be your spine, so you're always writing around a story, which is very different to doing your little bit of a story document. Emmerdale at the moment has about 24 writers, so you're involved every month. You go to a conference every month and discuss the upcoming month's storylines for days. We also talk about the episodes that we've got commissioned that month to just iron out any things that we don't understand. The contracted writers with Doctors are invited up in a rotation, but in my experience that means you might go every couple of years, so it's not the same at all.
Writing about writing soap
Chris Thompson explains how he came to write a how-to guide for continuing drama
Early in 2007 I was approached by Aber publishing to come up with a book explaining how to write soap opera. Aber specialises in academic study guides for school students through to postgraduates, but also has a series of Creative Writing Guides on its list. A previous title, Writing TV Scripts by Steve Wetton (author of Growing Pains), had proved successful over time and the publishers felt there would be a market for a new book dealing specifically with the challenges of writing for one of our immensely popular continuing dramas. There are other books on the market dealing with the topic, but it seemed a good idea to take a fresh, up-to-the-minute look at the dark art.I felt qualified for the task. I cut my teeth as a TV writer on Kay Mellor's daytime Soap Families in the early 1990s, worked on Russell T. Davies's late night, high camp Church of England romp Revelations and, at the time I was approached, had been a member of the Emmerdale writing team for nine years, contributing well over a hundred scripts. (The figure now stretches beyond two hundred.) Earlier in my career I had also managed to fit in a stint on The Archers, writing 150 episodes. So you could say I was steeped in soap, or rather soaked in it.
My first task was to write a sample chapter and so I put together what I thought was a lively, informative piece about Character, looking at some iconic figures in the history of soap. Packed with anecdotes, it wasn't quite 'you'll never guess what happened round the conference table, or 'The Soap Awards – the untold story', but it wasn't far off. And neither was it what was required. Perhaps one day, assuming I can afford a good lawyer, Confessions Of A Soap Writer might see the light of day, but that's for the future.
Having been told, politely but firmly, that I was not providing what was required, I adopted a far more structured approach, based on the acquisition of skills. The idea was to take the reader through the process of writing for a soap, step by step, so that by the end of the book, they would have know exactly what was required to work for such a programme. Each chapter would be supported by a series of exercises, to reinforce the particular skill.
Before I began writing in earnest, I produced a chapter by chapter breakdown, showing how the various building blocks would be put in place. Looking back, that was probably the key task in the whole process. It was important to put myself in the place of the writer new to soap, or indeed, new to any kind of television writing. Once I had the structure in place, the writing was fairly straightforward, as I had a focus and context for my accumulated wisdom, such as it is. In some ways the exercise was similar to the process of writing a soap episode, where the choreography, the interweaving and crossing of various plot strands, has to be firmly put in place before a word of dialogue or a single stage direction can be written.
Save Kids' TV becomes Children's Media Foundation
As we first reported in August, the campaigning body Save Kids' TV is joining forces with the Children's Film and Television Foundation to become the Children's Media Foundation (CMF).
In a statement Save Kids' TV, which the Writers' Guild has supported, said:
The CMF's remit will be dynamic and evolve to suit the ever-changing needs of the audience and the industry. However it will be built on the following foundations:
- Its purpose will be to pursue quality in children's media of all kinds, on all platforms.
- It will speak for children and young people, who, as a group, are frequently disenfranchised and ignored.
- It will also act as a critical champion of the children's media industries and provide briefings and information to government and the media.· It will act as the Secretariat for the new All-Party Parliamentary Group on Children's Media and the Arts.
- It will work with the academic community to stimulate and disseminate research around kids and media.
- It will provide online resources and organise events and meetings on children's media and the issues of current concern.
- It will provide a focus for parents, educators, children's charities, policy makers, and the press, on all matters relating to children and their media lives.
- It will be professionally managed and supported through fundraising
WGGB supports American writers in ITV Studios protest
The Writers' Guild of Great Britain (WGGB), along with other international writers' guilds, has lent its support to a protest by the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) against ITV Studios in New York.
The WGAE is demanding that ITV Stuidos, which produces highly successful scripted reality television programming, give its American employees the same rights as those afforded to WGGB members under our agreements with them in the UK.
WGGB General Secretary Bernie Corbett said: 'The Writers' Guild of Great Britain fully supports the WGAE. I have a meeting with senior ITV management later this week and I have insisted that this issue is on the agenda.'
Read an article by WGAE Executive Director, Lowell Peterson.


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our tiny little black and white Shihtzu stud is only 4lbs and carries liver/chocolate and blue!! he throw large size litters! our most recent litter was 6! pictures are not puppies available, these are to show the colors.
available to limited females. AKC and CKC registered ...
Mar 27 -
Lynchburg :
Moneta - Animal services
Up to date on shots and dewormed. She's 2 months old and ready for a new caring home. She's a very smart and sweet puppy. Please serious inquiry only, (919) 389-1068
Mar 26 -
Raleigh :
Raleigh - Dogs & puppies
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Mar 26 -
Charlotte :
Hickory - Dogs & puppies
Morgan and Oliver had 3 gorgeous pups, 2 girls and 1 boy on January 31st. The puppies are 7 1/2 weeks old and ready for their forever homes on Friday April 3rd. These puppies are SO cute! They have the sweetest little personalities. They are so playful, loving, have ...
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Erie :
Mercer - Dogs & puppies
Captain Crunch is the last puppy of his litter looking for his perfect family. He is 11 weeks old (born on January 3rd) and ready for his new home now. He is solid gold and will be around 9-10 pounds full grown. Captain is a real sweetheart! He is very loving and just loves ...
For sale Shorkie pups
Shorkies are a designer breed. They are shih tzu yorkie mix.
They make wonderful pets and they are non-shedding and hypoallergenic. They will mature to be Tea Cup Size mother 6lbs Father 4.8 lbs.
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Mar 25 -
Allentown :
Gilbertsville - Dogs & puppies
Looking to purchase (for a reasonable price) a Peekapoo. I am also interested in Bichon Frise (incl. mixes), Shih Tzus (incl. mixes), and Yorkie mixes.
Must be good with children, as I have a young daughter.
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Mar 24 -
Frederick :
Hagerstown - Dogs & puppies
Louis is a one year old male teacup chihuahua weighing only 2 lbs standing 5-6" tall. He has a solid brown coat witg a white chest, white feet an green eyes. He doesnt have any akc/ckc papers but will still make lovely tiny pups. Try this is my first time doing this but im ...
Mar 24 -
Virginia Beach :
Newport News - Animal services
Born 1/6/14 ,Tucker is a Beautiful Shih Tzu/Chihuahua mix, red with white markings on chest. He is up to date on shots and wormed. Tucker is ready to be with his forever home. He is socialized with children and other pets, pee pad trained. I expect him to be est. 7 pounds ...
Mar 24 -
Northeast Ohio :
Mechanicstown - Dogs & puppies
1 females left shots and dewormed mom is a shih-Tzu dad toy poodle 919-497-7894
Mar 23 -
Raleigh :
Louisburg - Dogs & puppies
Akc imperial male Shih Tzu$550 utd on shots worming and vet check dob January 5 and January 10 both ready now. Please call or text 717-816-4307
This ad was posted with the eBay Classifieds mobile app.
Mar 23 -
Hagerstown-Martinsburg :
Mc Connellsburg - Dogs & puppies
Milo(solid chocolate) & Mitch (red & white/black tipping) are the only 2 babies left. They 4 1/2 weeks old. Our puppies are raised in our home, we do EVERYTHING to ensure a healthy happy puppy is joining your family! The babies are all vet checked, come with all age ...
Mar 22 -
Erie :
Oil City - Dogs & puppies
AKC Shih tzu puppy, Blizzard. He comes with a 2 year health guarantee, all his puppy vaccinations, wormed, & vet checked. He is absolutely gorgeous! Blizzard is ready to go to his new family. Please contact me with any questions you have. 814-758-0544
All our babies are ...
I have 2 adorable male puppies available for their forever home. They are sweet, loving , playful and beautiful little boys. They are raised in my home with their mom and dad and my 2 kids. One male is a tan/beige solid and the other is a gray solid. They have both been vet ...
Mar 22 -
Pittsburgh :
Pittsburgh - Dogs & puppies
Mar 22 -
Greensboro :
Greensboro - Dogs & puppies
Beautiful Shorkiepoo puppies for sale. One boy and one girls. Born Feb 2nd. They are fully vetted and will come with the paper work on what they have had done. Mom is a Shih Tzu and dad is a YorkiePoo. I have both parents. Daddy is 8lbs and mom weighs 10 so babies will be ...
Mar 21 -
Charlotte :
Granite Falls - Dogs & puppies
we have 1 female color: Liver= reddish nose, dark chocolate and white coat.900
1male color: Liver=reddish nose, dark chocolate and white coat.850
1male color:Liver=reddish nose, cream and white coat black mask on face 850
Mar 20 -
Central NJ :
Willingboro - Dogs & puppies
This gorgeous male Shih Tzu puppy is 8 weeks old and ready for his forever home. He is CKC registered and current on his shots and dewormings. He has a beautiful chocolate and white coat and green eyes. He has been raised under foot and is simply the sweetest baby ever! He ...
Mar 19 -
Charlotte :
Hickory - Dogs & puppies
2 little boys left!!Vet checked,shots,wormed.Born 1/18 Ready to go.1 blue eyed & a half blue/brown eye.Sweet,spunky boy.
The other boy is bigger and very laid back & sweet.
Mar 19 -
Allentown :
Weatherly - Dogs & puppies
I have 1 gorgeous little boy that will be ready to go May 8th. He is AKC registered and has a two year health guarantee. He looks solid black right now, but his daddy is solid blue, which is a very rare color for a Shih Tzu. This pup carries the "blue gene" and his nose is ...
Mar 19 -
Wilmington (NC) :
Wilmington - Dogs & puppies
I do not raise Chihuahua puppies, (I raise Shih Tzu puppies for a living) but we have a close friend of ours that has fallen on hard times. He was in the military and up until recently worked construction, about 6 months ago he injured his back, then had a stroke, and now ...
I do not raise Chihuahua puppies, (I raise Shih Tzu puppies for a living)but we have a close friend of ours that has fallen on hard times. He was in the military and up until recently worked construction, about 6 months ago he injured his back, then had a stroke, and now may ...
solid blue pup
small pup
Mar 19 -
Blacksburg :
Wirtz - Dogs & puppies
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I have a Remington Sendero SFII in a 300 RUM. I have Leupold Dovetail bases and rings on it. I have right at 40 rounds through the pipe and the ring screws had already came loose? Wondering if there is anything that I can do to keep these tight or will they seat in and not come loose after it is shot in a little more? Just seems like that they loosened up very quick. I realize the recoil is fairly heavy but I did put a break on it to help reduce this. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
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Volunteers sought for Dover TIF advisory board
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DOVER — The Dover City Council is now seeking volunteers for the recently formed Downtown Dover TIF Advisory Board.
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Rinse duck well and pat dry.
Prick skin in several places with a fork.
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Placei orange slices, onion slices and garlic in crock pot.
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Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours (or on high setting for 3 1/2 to 5 hours or until tender).
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One of the most common mistakes that people make about Enterprise Architects is the notion that we are problem solvers. Yes, EA solves problems, but to frame EA in those terms is like saying that an ER Doctor is a bandage changer.
To help clarify the distinction between a "problem solver" and an Enterprise Architect, I will illustrate the logical argument for both, and show their differences.
The left column is what business analysis is for. It is what solution architecture is for. It is NOT what Enterprise Architecture is for. I don't care how good you are at doing the stuff on the left. I don't care how well it has worked for you in the past while working as an EA. The "raison d'être" of EA is not to solve well-understood problems. It exists to find out why the organization hasn't seen the obstacles that actually prevent success, hasn't removed them, and hasn't figured out how to cope with them.
Five blind men describe an elephant, each in different ways. The EA is the sixth blind man. He listens to the other five and says "the problem is not that an elephant is like a fan or a rope or a wall… the problem is that it is standing in the living room, and dropping large amounts of waste on the floor. Problem solvers try to find a better way to feed the elephant and remove it's waste. Enterprise Architects asks why everyone is standing in the same room as an elephant.
Frequently, when reading articles or books on business architecture, the following advice emerges:
Business architects start with the strategy of an organization. They take that strategy and map it to the capabilities of the enterprise to clarify the capabilities that must be improved or matured in order to effectively execute.
Business architects start with the strategy of an organization. They take that strategy and map it to the capabilities of the enterprise to clarify the capabilities that must be improved or matured in order to effectively execute.
Sure… you could do that, if you want to fail. (Before you flame me, read on.)
A business analyst may start with some bit of strategy and start hunting for capabilities… a business architect will start with a model of the enterprise, its value streams and its business models. Starting with strategy is a fool's errand.
Because strategy is meaningful within context. It is not meaningful without context. Starting with strategy means "starting without context."
Outside of the context of a business model (and, in some cases, value streams), business strategy is about as useful a tire swing with no tree to attach it to.
But wait, you ask, don't management consultants say to "start with the strategy?" Yes, but it's a trick statement: they don't define what strategy is, so that they can start with a business model and CALL it a strategy. That's what smart ones do. Dumb ones simply fail.
Business architects add no value if they bring analysis methods that are no more valuable than the poorly described "consulting methods" that management consultants use today. (If those methods worked, why would "alignment" be a problem?) Simple methods like SWOT and Five Forces and even Balanced Scorecards can fail catastrophically if there is no recognition of the fact that these methods are only useful within the clear and well described boundaries of a business model.
This post is a follow-up to my prior post: Business Models in Business Architecture. In that post, I discuss the fact that some business thinkers, including Osterwalder, consider business strategy to be "on top" with business models being "underneath" the strategy level. (At least, that's what he wrote when he was a student in college.) In that ordering, Osterwalder himself was saying "start with strategy" and then to describe the business model. On this we disagree. I agree that business strategy is different from a business model. I disagree on which comes first. Depending on what you define as strategy, the business model should be on top.
[Aside: Note that some people consider "strategy" to include many of the elements that Osterwalder, and I, consider to be part of the business model. Is the value proposition and the list of products the same as the "business strategy" or the "business model?" If the strategy represents the things that need to change, in an organization, in order to achieve a mission, then the business model comes first, and the strategy comes second.]
The business model answers key questions about the INTENT of an organization. How does that organization WANT to make money or deliver value? Who does that organization WANT to reach through customer channels? How SHOULD costs be structured? How do you HOPE the partners will react? These are all wishes, but they represent the intent of the organization. A business model is the context. It is the setting for the business story.
Note that once a business is operating, there are realities in that business model. Sometimes the most important question is: are we living up to our business model?
Strategy is the action: what changes do we have to make in order to REALIZE that business model? What do we need to do differently than we are doing today in order for the business model to become reality? That is strategy. It is the action, not the destination. But action starts somewhere and travels somewhere. Strategy starts from where the business model is today, and gets an organization to where the business model SHOULD be tomorrow.
There are two possibilities, of course. Either the organization TODAY is living up to the promise of its business model, or it isn't.
As I noted above, a business model is a declaration of intent. It includes things like "channels", "partner relationships", and "value propositions". So, what if your costs are too high, or your customers don't accept your value proposition? That means your organization is not living up to the business model. In that case, the diagram above is a little misleading. Your strategy takes you from your INTENDED business model to your REALIZED business model. (In effect, the business model is not changing… the organization is).
So what if your business is doing very well. After all, it does happen. Sometimes a business will earn the money it intended, with the cost structure it hoped for, and the business relationships it wants, along with value propositions that delights the customers. What is strategy in that case?
In this case, strategy usually reflects one of two possibilities:
The most common one is the first. Minor improvements: Increase the predictability. Reduce the risk. Cut costs. Improve customer satisfaction. Expand to a new market with an existing product. These are all incremental changes to the business model.
The second one grabs a few more headlines: adding a new business model to the organization. When Amazon decided to offer cloud services, it was adding a new business model. When Google brought out G+, it was adding a new business model. When Exxon Mobile bought a series of natural gas extraction companies, it was adding a new business model.
In that case, the executives didn't just say "we are good, let's stop innovating." They pushed for something better. They defined what that something looked like with an update to the business model (or an addition to it) and then pushed the organization to achieve. How did they push? Strategy.
So, here comes the kicker… all those business architecture journals and articles that say "start with the strategy" are naïve at best, and at worst, dead wrong. Understanding the value of the business model concept means changing your practices, updating your methods, and doing something different. It means, before you look at the strategy, look at the business itself. How does it work? How is it supposed to work? What is the business model? Is the organization living up to the business model?
Only after you understand those basic questions should you consider business strategy. Only after you understand the business model does business strategy even make sense.
It still surprises me to see various discussions of business architecture where there is a poor understanding of the relationship between business models and business capabilities. The vast majority of discussions of business architecture, including books, articles, and blogs, make very little mention of business models, and nearly never discuss their relationship with business capabilities, organizations, stakeholders or resources.
To me, the concept of a business model is fundamental to using business capabilities. I cannot imagine attempting to understand a commercial organization without understanding the business models of that organization as a first step.
In this post, I will discuss the reasons why business architects must consider business models. I'll start with some definitions to minimize confusion, given the fact that everyone has different definitions of these concepts. I'll then discuss the concerns that I have about the lack of integration of core concepts. In a future post, I will discuss the various information models for including business models into business architecture as well as needed changes to business architecture methods (including capability analysis) in order to correctly place this role.
Caveat Emptor: The following discussion of business models will focus on commercial systems. If you are examining this space from the standpoint of a non-profit organization or government agency, your needs may not be well represented. My apologies. The reason for this will be immediately apparent when you read the definition of "business model" below.
The Business Architecture Society and the Business Architecture Guild have joined forces and created a common definition of a "business capability." From the Business Architecture Body of Knowledge Handbook: "A business capability is a particular ability or capacity that a business may possess or exchange to achieve a specific purpose or outcome." Note that the BIZBOK cites Ulrich Homann as the originator of the definition. For the sake of this discussion, let's take this definition as a given.
There are many definitions of a business model. Perhaps the most popular definition today comes from Alexander Osterwalder, author of the popular business book "Business Model Generation." However, his book doesn't have the same level of discussion of a definition as the Ph.D. thesis that he wrote in which he defines a business model as follows. "A business model is a conceptual tool that contains a set of elements and their relationships and allows expressing a company's logic of earning money. It is a description of the value a company offers to one or several segments of customers and the architecture of the firm and its network of partners for creating, marketing and delivering this value and relationship capital, in order to generate profitable and sustainable revenue streams." [Osterwalder, 2004]
Osterwalder carefully notes that a business model is not a representation of the business organization itself. He states, and I concur, that the business organization is the "material form that the conceptual business model takes in the real world". [Osterwalder, 2004]
I will also take a moment to define business strategy. This time, from Kaplan and Norton: Business strategy is a description of how an organization intends to create value for its shareholders, customers and citizens. Note that this is not the same as a business model. Osterwalder addresses this distinction by illustrating that one can view strategy, business model, and process model as a three-tier hierarchy. The top level, business strategy, describes the conceptual approach to business change. The business model goes into more detail, describing the relationships between various components. The third level, process, illustrates the association of activities to the people and business functions that will perform them. All three are necessary, but all three are different in level of detail and analysis. The following picture is directly from his Ph.D. thesis (click to enlarge for readability).
One of the challenges in bringing together these concepts is the fact that most business architecture references make no mention of business models or describe business models as a "side concern", and most of the business model literature makes no reference to business capabilities. I attempted to address this gap in the paper where I introduced the Enterprise Business Motivation Model, back in 2008. While the model has dramatically improved since then, the core motivation remains the same: to integrate these two concepts into a single coherent approach to understanding and modeling a business.
Business architecture cares about the organization of a company. It also cares about the resources or tools in a company. Business architecture cares about the processes, and the information. These elements are all brought together in the understanding of a business capability. Business architecture also cares about strategy. However, as Osterwalder notes, connecting strategy to organization or processes without an understanding of the business models is a partial understanding at best.
Let's be clear about one thing. Business strategy is related to business models. In fact I will go further to say that all effective business strategy applies to one model at a time. Business strategy that applies to more than one model is not strategy. It is either a goal, a principle, or a vision of some kind. A strategy, by definition, has to express "how" the goal will be achieved, and that requires the context of a business in which to achieve it. I know that this may be controversial, but it is CORE to my understanding and the experience I want to share.
So let's look at the viewpoints of business model proponents and business architects.
There are a number of problems within large organizations that cannot be solved by business architects without a consistent and careful understanding of business models. These problems are tenacious and challenging.
I would like to suggest that three of the key value propositions for business and enterprise architecture lies in addressing these specific challenges. In other words, Business architecture is only effective if it copes with conflicting strategies, inconsistent understanding, and indecisiveness caused by poor prioritization.
Conclusion: Including business models directly into the business architecture practice is critical to quality. Failure to include them is a recipe for disaster.
One of the chief complaints of senior executives in midsize and large companies is that their organizations don't "execute" on the goals that they set. This concern is so common, it's the butt of jokes. Entire systems of governance and measurement are created specifically to provide assurance to senior execs so that they can maintain some level of public integrity. Yet, when Enterprise Architects describe their roles to their peers, it is surprisingly rare to hear them talk about this issue. That is a mistake. Let's talk about how to tell the story of Enterprise Architecture as the maintainer of executive integrity.
In 2003, when Motorola sent their CEO Chris Galvin packing, USA Today wrote about what a "good guy" he was:
He turned out to be a lackluster CEO, which, sadly, often seems to be the case when good guys land in the corner office. Friday, Motorola said Galvin would resign. Motorola under Galvin had suffered through six years of disappointing results, laid off one-third of its workforce, failed hugely on new ventures like Iridium, and waited for turnarounds that never happened. The board apparently had had enough; Galvin thought he'd better leave. I have to say I feel bad for Galvin. Of course, I wasn't a Motorola shareholder who watched the stock go from $60 (split-adjusted) in 2000 to about $11 last week. Nor am I a laid-off Motorola employee. And yes, Galvin was paid handsomely: $2.8 million in salary and bonus last year.
He turned out to be a lackluster CEO, which, sadly, often seems to be the case when good guys land in the corner office. Friday, Motorola said Galvin would resign. Motorola under Galvin had suffered through six years of disappointing results, laid off one-third of its workforce, failed hugely on new ventures like Iridium, and waited for turnarounds that never happened. The board apparently had had enough; Galvin thought he'd better leave.
I have to say I feel bad for Galvin. Of course, I wasn't a Motorola shareholder who watched the stock go from $60 (split-adjusted) in 2000 to about $11 last week. Nor am I a laid-off Motorola employee. And yes, Galvin was paid handsomely: $2.8 million in salary and bonus last year.
Did Galvin fail, or did Motorola fail to execute on Galvin's strategy? The board of Motorola, and the board of any company, won't see a difference. Note that this story has happened over and over in high-tech, from Steve Ballmer to Michael Dell, usually without the board firing their CEO. Far from being limited to high-tech, stories abound of retailers (Best Buy), manufacturers (General Motors), and financial services companies (too many to name) that have suffered through strategies that failed to pay off.
Here's what stockholders see: you said "X" would happen and it didn't. You lied.
From their perspective, the CEO loses credibility for lack of integrity.
Integrity is a personality trait and a virtue. A person has integrity when they can be trusted to perform exactly as they said that they would perform. In other words, they "do what they said they would do." This person makes a commitment and keeps it. This means that they make commitments that they are fairly sure that they CAN keep, and they don't forget the commitments that they made. In every high-performing team that I've been a part of, each member had a high level of integrity. Integrity is key to developing trust. If you do what you say you will do, people will trust you.
Executives need to develop trust just as much as individual contributors do. For private for-profit organizations, those stakeholders own stock, and purchase the goods and services of the company. For public organizations, those stakeholders are voters and legislators. Where an individual contributor must earn the trust of his manager and his or her peers, an executive is in a very visible position. They have to build trust daily.
Building that trust requires that they make bold pronouncements about the things that the organization will do under their leadership… and then their organization has to perform those activities. And that's a key difference. When an individual contributor says "I will do this," they are talking about their own performance. Rarely are individual contributors held accountable for failures of the people that they cannot control. Executives, on the other hand, are not talking about their personal performance. They are talking about the performance of the many (often hundreds, sometimes thousands) of people under them.
An executive doesn't actually "control" the people under him. He or she must lead them. Sure, there can be an occasional "public hanging" (as Jack Welsh used to encourage), but, for the most part, the executive's ability to speak with integrity comes from the trust he has in his organization to perform. In other words, how will with "they" correctly do what "I" said they would do?
Enterprise Architecture is a keeper of executive integrity
Enterprise Architecture is the only profession (that I know of) that is focused on making sure that the strategy announced by an executive actually comes to pass. Enterprise Architects exist to make sure that the needed programs are created, and executed well, keeping in mind the end goals all along the way. EA's go where angels fear to tread: to execute strategies and produce the desired results if they can be produced.
If you value executive integrity, EA is an investment worth making.
As I'm about to complete my share of a longer engagement on using Lean principles to improve the processes at an online services firm, it occurred to me that the efforts we undertook to properly embed Architecture practices into their Scrum process were novel. I haven't seen much written about how to do this in practice, and I imagine others may benefit from understanding the key connection points as well. Hence this post.
First off, let me be clear: Agile software development practices are not at all averse to software architecture. But let's be clear about what I mean by software architecture. In an agile team, most decisions are left to the team itself. The team has a fairly short period of time to add a very narrow feature (described as a user story) to a working base of code and demonstrate that the story works. The notion of taking a couple of months and detailing out a document full of diagrams that explains the architecture of the system: pretty silly.
The value of software architecture is that key decisions are made about the core infrastructure of the system itself: where will generalizations lie? Will a layered paradigm be used, and if so, what are the responsibilities of each layer? What modules will exist in each layer and why will they be created? How will the responsibilities of the system be divided up among the layers and components? How will the modules be deployed at scale? How will information flow among the modules and between the system and those around it?
The way these questions are answered will indicate what the architecture of the system is. There are many choices here, and the "correctness" of any choice is a balance between competing demands: simplicity, security, cost, flexibility, availability, reliability, usability, correctness, and many more. (These are called "System Quality Attributes"). Balancing between the system quality attributes takes thought and careful planning.
So when does this happen in an agile process?
Let's consider the architect's thinking process a little. In fact, let's break the software architecture process into layers, so that we can divide up the architectural responsibility a little. You have three layers of software architectural accountabilities. (Repeat: I'm talking about Software Architecture, not Enterprise Architecture. Please don't be confused. Nothing in this post is specific to the practice of Enterprise Architecture). All this is illustrated in the diagram below. (Click on the diagram to get something a little more readable.
At the top, you have the Aligning processes of software architecture. These processes consider the higher levels of enterprise architecture (specifically the business and information architecture) to create To-Be Software Models of the entire (or relevant) software ecosystem. If you've ever seen a wall chart illustrating two dozen or more software systems with connectors illustrating things like flow of data or dependencies, you've seen a model of the type I'm referring to. Creating and updating these kinds of diagrams is a quarterly or semi-annual process and reflects the gradual changes in the strategy of the enterprise.
In the middle, you have the Balancing processes of software architecture. These processes consider the needs of a single system but only from the level of deciding why the software will be divided up into modules, layers, and components, how that division of responsibility will occur, and what the resulting system will look like when deployed in specific technologies in a specific environment. All of this can be conveyed in a fairly short document that is rich in diagrams with a small amount of text explaining the choices. This occurs once when a system is moving forward, and the software architecture can be developed alongside the first couple of sprints as input to the third and subsequent sprints.
At the bottom, you have the Realization processes of software architecture. This is where the architecture becomes software, and this is where decisions are made about the choice of specific design patterns, the appropriate level of configurability vs. simplicity, and the ability to demonstrate whether the actual intent of the architecture occurs in practice. In agile, this layer occurs within the team itself. The software architect can offer advice about what patterns to use, but it is up to the team to realize that advice and/or decide not to implement it. The team will very likely implement the software architecture as described, but may choose to improve upon it.
What does the process look like
There are many visualizations of scrum running around. Some are described in books, others in papers or blog posts. Most share some common elements. There is a product backlog that, through the magic of sprint planning, the team extracts a subset for the sprint. This becomes the sprint backlog. The illustrations then tend to show the various rhythms of Sprint as cycles (sprint cycles and daily cycles), ending with a demonstration and retrospective.
In order to illustrate and train a team on all elements, including the business analysis elements, we chose to be a bit more explicit about the steps PRIOR to sprint planning, including the processes of creating and improving the stories prior to the start of a sprint. (as above, click on the image to enlarge it).
Astute observers will notice that we added a step that we are calling "pre-sprint story review." This is a meeting that occurs one week prior to the start of a sprint. It is called by the product owner and he or she invites "senior chickens" (architects, user experience leads, development and test leads, and any other "non-team" members that want a say in the sprint.
In that week prior to sprint planning, those folks, working with the product owner, can improve the stories, add constraints, refine the description and acceptance criteria. And here's where the architects get to play. Architects fulfilling the role of "Balancing" in the model above will have (or can create) an outline document describing the architecture of the software system, and can "link" that document to the SPECIFIC STORIES that are impacted by that design.
(Note: assuming you are using a tool like Microsoft's Team Foundation Server, that fully enables Scrum in multiple forms, this is a nearly trivial activity since a document can be easily linked to any story. Enough advertising.)
So is an architect a chicken or a pig? Answer: depends on what "layer" the architecture is at. The top two layers are chickens. The third layer, realization, is done by the team itself. The person on the team may or may not have the title of "designer". (I'd prefer that they did not, but that's just because I believe that ALL team members should be trained to fulfill that role. In reality, the skill may not be wide spread among team members). Therefore, the third layer is done by the pigs.
I hope this provides some insight into how a team can embed software architecture into their scrum cycles. As always, I'm interested in any feedback you may wish to share.
A question on LinkedIn recently reminded me that, as the team leader for Segment Architecture in my former EA team, I was accountable for identifying a core set of deliverables for the team. The idea was that we could focus on defining standard formats and contents for these deliverables and, in doing so, we could start to measure both our output and our quality.
We only created pre-canned templates for a few of them. This is partly because the team was not mature enough in its practices to get consistency, and partly because Enterprise Architecture itself is not mature, or accepted, enough to have stakeholders that would notice if our deliverables meet an objective standard. Also this list is not intended to be comprehensive. The goal was to describe deliverables where it may possibly make sense to go for some level of consistency. Any EA could (and often did) create deliverables that were not on the list.
Perhaps it is time to share what we came up with.
Note that this list is the result of a single team doing its work, and is not representative of any "standards" effort across other EA groups. That said, I stand beside this list. I think it is a useful start. Note that many are technical in nature. I did not, in making this list, differentiate between BA and EITA deliverables. So if you are someone who believes that EA = BA + EITA, then you will see both sets of deliverables, intermixed, in the list below. If you are someone offended by the inclusion of technical architecture deliverables in an EA list… tough. I was working with reality.
Deliverable name
Why create it
Architectural Point of View (or Technical Policy)
Provide clear input to Business or IT leadership on issues relevant to Enterprise Architecture
Short document describing a problem that requires attention and the opinion of EA for solving it.
Architectural Reference Model (or Architectural Pattern)
Provide clear input to IT project SMEs on optimal or preferable design options
Short document describing a set of concerns and a proven approach for addressing them
<Segment> Current State Model and Analysis
To demonstrate and communicate challenges inherent in current processes / systems / information
A collection of architectural models, including a context model, process models, and information models, as understood to currently exist , plus an analysis of issues and risks
<segment> Future State Vision and Model
To demonstrate the design of the future processes / systems / information needed by strategic intent.
A collection of architectural models that reflect a specific set of engineered changes
Governance Model and Analysis
Clarify roles and responsibilities and decision making processes for planning and oversight of initiatives
Process model, description of roles and responsibilities, and description of deliverables needed for planning, oversight and governance, along with implementation ROI and plans
M&A Business Case & Analysis
To provide a rationale for the acquisition of a company for the purpose of improving operational effectiveness. (M&A)
The document contains rationale including Competitive Analysis, SWOT / Twos analysis, and Strategic Alternatives Analysis
System Integration Recommendations Document
To set a vision for how key processes and systems shall be integrated into enterprise infrastructure (primarily M&A)
End to End business scenarios, Process and System Integration points, Risks and Issues for each integration concern, and an analysis of alternatives and recommendations
Value chain and operating model analysis
To clearly address gaps and strategic requirements for integrating or divesting a set of processes and/or systems (primarily M&A)
Target value chain and operating model for post-M&A future state. Mappings of key processes to or from the enterprise core diagram, and analysis of changes with the intent of composing key initiatives.
Enterprise Core Diagram
To clearly declare the processes and systems that are NOT core to the operations of the enterprise
A list of systems and processes mapped grouped into "ecosystems" that are clearly indicated as "core" and "edge" with analysis of governance
EARB Engagement Package
To demonstrate project level architectural quality to the EA Review Board
A pre-defined collection of project architectural models and artifacts.
Capability Model and Assessment
Provide clear basis for data collection for a segment
List of capabilities for a segment with assessment of capability maturity, etc.
Capability Gap Analysis
Highlight underperforming capabilities to focus investment
Map of capabilities needed by strategies, highlighting those needed investment, and listing relative and absolute program spend against each
<segment> Roadmap (a.k.a. Transition Plan)
To clarify the scope, timing, and dependencies between initiatives needed to deliver on a strategy
List of proposed initiatives and dependencies between them to deliver on strategic intent
Strategy Map and/or Balanced Scorecard
To clarify the strategies, goals, and objectives of a segment and allow for measurement and alignment
Categorized strategies, measures, and metrics for a specific timeframe and business scope
<segment> Process Model and Analysis
To clarify and build consensus on the business processes (as-is or to-be), and as input to process improvement / measurement
Models of processes, activities, information assets and system interaction points , and an analysis of opportunities to improve.
Enterprise Scenario and Analysis
To get clarity on the experience of a key stakeholder (often a customer or partner)
Textual and diagrammatic description of an experience, often with analysis to indicate opportunities
<segment> Information Model and Analysis
To improve understanding of requirements and the rationalization of design
Well-constructed information model, at one or more well-defined levels of abstraction, covering all aspects of a segment, aligned with EDM, along with an analysis of risks and issues
Platform Assessment
Capture ability of an app or platform to meet strategic needs
Collection of measurements, attributes, and mappings to an app or platform
Proof of Concept (POC) delivery
To create a design that demonstrates, and proves, an approach for solving difficult issues
A software deliverable and an architectural reference model (see above)
Record of Architectural Tradeoffs
To clearly communicate the tradeoffs made by architects on the customer's behalf
Textual description of architectural decisions and the implications for the owner of the process / tool


text:
(HOLLYWOOD, CA) -- Looking every bit as good as the popular television show that was a staple of Must-See TV back in the 1980s on NBCs beloved Thursday night line-up, Not the Cosbys XXX is closing in on the #1 spot on national sales charts everywhere and might just be the best porn parody comedy ever made.
Directed by Will Ryder of not the Bradys XXX, not Threes Company XXX and not Bewitched XXX fame, not the Cosbys XXX is streaking towards the number one position on multiple DVD sales charts including the highly respected Adult Video News trade magazine where it is currently up to number five.
''If you are a fan of this genre, then Cosbys is a must-see. If you arent a fan you might become one after this. Not the Cosbys XXX is Must-See Stroke-TV,'' stated Roger Pipe in his review on www.rogreviews.com where he gave the movie his coveted Rog Pick designation.
Xcritics Don Houston said on www.xcritic.com ''Not the Cosbys XXX once again hit the high mark as the best sitcum (situation porn parody) to date, elevating the standard for the rest of the pack yet again. The levels of interracial fuck for the buck, the acting, and the entertainment value taken as a whole was so solid that it reminds me of what porn could be. No wonder why the production team is hailed as the saviors of modern porn.''
''That pretty much sums up the comments weve been getting from fans and critics alike,'' stated Will Ryder who along with co-producing partner Scott David just completed Flight Attendants for their powerhouse label X-Play.
''If you love beautiful girls, interracial sex and Nick-at-Nite youll love this movie,'' Ryder said from his bustling office high above Hollywood & Vine and mere feet from the famed sidewalk star of the late great Michael Jackson on Vine Street.
''We dedicate this movie to the incredible memory of Michael Jackson and his great music,'' Ryder said. ''I live directly across the street from the house they used at the end of his Thriller video where the monsters come crashing through the walls so we just want to make people happy especially during this sad time. I just think this is by far our best movie on every level but if you want to be sure and compare it with our other movies you can pick up the DVDs in stores or watch them exclusively online at AEBN.''
This wonderful spoof feels just like an episode of the classic hit show. Denise is feeling the everyday pressures from her cute and sex-crazed teenage girl friends to have sex and lose her virginity. With college on the horizon, she tries to figure out what to do as Cliff and Claire attempt to keep the household under control while Theo, Sondra, Denise, Vanessa, Rudy and Cockroach go wild in this non-stop interracial sex-a-thon.
Xcritics Don Houston continued his praise stating, ''Technically, this was the most polished production by the team to date, the writing suiting me as a solid homage to the original series rather than an exploitive goof as porn is usually known for with the movie earning a rating of Xcritic Pick from me. Not the Cosbys XXX is now the movie to beat come awards time.''
The double disc collectors DVD set is now available in stores and contains 10 hours of total footage with 10 behind the scenes sections including bloopers and stars a fantastic interracial cast including upstart Misty Stone in an award- worthy performance of Denise prompting Roger Pipe to write, ''If this girl isnt up for some awards at the end of the year then there is a problem.''
Rounding out the stellar cast is Monica Foster as Claire, Melody Nakai as Vanessa, Nina Devon as Rudy, Cassidy Clay as Sondra along with Jenny Hendrix, Sarah Vandella, Tori Black, Lana Violet, Jaelyn Fox, Tyler Knight plays Theo, Tee Reel as Cockroach, Danny Mountain, Scott Lyons, Dick James, Jay Ashley and comedian Thomas Ward who hits a home-run with a perfect impersonation of Cliff Huxtable that is certain to put trophies in his hand come awards season.
The G-rated movie trailer is getting heavy play on YouTube with over 221,000 views already. Check it out to see what all the excitement is about and then head to your favorite video store and pick up a copy. If they are sold out tell them to reorder it but you can also purchase it on the internet from many fine online stores everywhere such as TLARaw.com.
''I want to be really clear that just because the movie is really good and looks like the TV show, this porn spoof was not made or sanctioned by NBC, Carsey Werner Productions or Bill Cosby. They had nothing to do with the production,'' Ryder concluded.
Pick up two copies of not the Cosbys XXX today as it makes a wonderful gift.
Visit www.sitcums.com for the entire line-up of X-Play sitcums.
Wholesale DVD sales: David Diamond, Hustler Video, (888) 249-3523, email@example.com
For worldwide broadcast rights contact Marc Bruder at CED (310) 829-2222 X10 firstname.lastname@example.com
For media inquiries and interview requests contact Kristin Spillers at LFP email@example.com
Modern Comstockery
Nikki Phoenix Appearance
RockNSeXXXy Welcomes Billy Blair
Karaoke XXX Needs New Location
Jane & Ward Hosting XRCO
SashaBrabuster's XXX Comeback
Control ~ Reviewer Rated
XRCO 2015 Nominees
A Leaner Message
50 Shades of Grey ~ Cinema Seen
XRCO 2015 Hall of Fame
Interview with Ela Darling
Derrick Pierce Interview
The News Rack: Naked Swingers
Interview of Holly Heart
ED Expo to Big Easy
Hof on Phoenix Hooker Bust
I Know You
Cal/OSHA vs Evil Angel
Layla Price at Foxxx Booth
Star.XXX Blasts Off
Puma Swede on Jukeboxx Live
Nikki Phoenix Party
Viva Las Vicki
Freedom Acres Open House
Kendra Lust in Detroit
Starr Sisters in Houston
Nikki Phoenix Update
MWA: 10th Anniversary Column
Vegas Heat Party
XBIZ Rooftop Party
Welcome 2015!
Canadian Foot Porn
Actress as an Artist
Pushed Into the Corner
Tod Hunter Press Releases
Global Adult Industry Association
Pornography Feminism
Merry XXXmas, Happy Xanukkah
Rock'N'Sexxxy 12/10/2014
Karlie Montana Interview
Deep Vision ThunderRama
Hackin Jack vs Chainsaw Chick
BBW Eliza Allure Interview
Tara Lynn Foxx Retires
Treacherous ~ Reviewer Rated
Bright Lights, Lonely Nights
Taormino Speaks at Goucher
Cumisha Amado at Sagebrush
Vivid Radio 1st Anniversary
The Gardener ~ Reviewer Rated
BoodiGo: Privacy & Porn
Shades of Scarlet ~ Reviewer Rated
AINews: Skow Among Best
Heaven & Hell Halloween Party
These Things We Do ~ Reviewer Rated
Farrah Abraham at Hustler Hollywood
Sex Workshop Hustler San Diego
Halloween Art Show
O Awards Pre-Noms Open
Trophy Girl Casting Call
Cum in Me Baby 4 ~ Reviewer Rated
More Phoenix Mainstream
BoodiGo Partners PornGuardian
BoodiGo Supports ASACP
BoodiGo Blocks Child Porn
Boodigo Adult Search Engine
AVN Show Discounts End Today
Inside The Industry 10/08/2014
Amber Lynn at Wasteland
Nikki's Fit as Phoenix
Vivid Extends Patrick Hosting
Fake Test Results
Angelyne on Amber Lynn's RNSU
Red Cardinal Wraps Betrothed
Siri Wins Round 2
J.Lo Doc Johnson Offer
Stripclub Microbrewery on CNN
Father's Day ~ Reviewer Rated
Our Father ~ Reviewer Rated
Nikki Phoenix Album Released
Passport to Hustler Event
Fox News Wasteland
Asianmodelpalooza 14
Nikki Phoenix Appearances
Nikki Phoenix Karaoke XXX
Nina Elle Retains Star Factory
Tasha Reign Grads UCLA
Tera Patrick Hosts Vivid Radio
It's Just Work
Traci Bryant Goes Legal
CET Free Panel Month
Miss LA Karaoke XXX
Freedom Acres Location
Summer Lovers
Nikki Delano at Centerfolds
Karen Summer Returns
Advertise on AINews
Cytherea Auctions Fan Scene
Entertainment is Entertainment is Entertainment
Yoga for Lovers
Layla Price Stars
Maddy O'Reilly is Slutwoman
Powersville Re-Energized
XRCO Awards Nominations
Summer Brielle Elegant Angel
Damsels in Distress Released
Damsels in Distress Live
Madison Christmas Spectaculars
TSA Explosives Test on Ryder
Bailey Blue is The Animal
LFC/WalMart Deal
Free Vegas Weddings
Wedding Night Porn
Sunny Lane in Feature Movie
Capri Cavanni Releases
Ryder Completes Grease XXX
Love Boat XXX Song
Capri Cavanni in Love Boat XXX
Love Boat XXX Trailer
Love Boat XXX Parody
CineKink in Chicago
Screening - Risky Business
Hollywood Undead Video
A&E Announces Grease XXX Cast
New Alexis Golden DVD
Ryder Directs Grease XXX
Adult Film Industry Documentary Screening
Britney Amber NightMoves Nom
Dana Vespoli NightMoves Noms
Oz XXX Trailer Released
Lea Lexis in New Voracious
Berlusconi Sex Tape Sale
Grindhouse Premieres That's Sexploitation!
Wow! That Cock is Huge!
Gamelink, Elegant Exclusive
Sex in Venice
Angelina Castro Reality Series
Grindhouse Fest Tuesday
Public Sex, Private Lives Premieres
Capri Cavanni on Fire
Farrah Superstar Airs
Farrah Superstar: Backdoor Teen Mom
Brandy Aniston to XRCO
Lucky Devil at XRCO
X-Play XRCO Sponsor
Capri Cavanni Live
Upcoming Brandy Aniston Releases
Love Boat XXX Wraps
Farrah Abraham Sex Tape
2013 Feminist Porn Award Winners
Christie Stevens Psycho Thriller
XRCO Nominates Meow
Adrianna Luna XRCO Nomination
Tanya Tate XRCO Nominations
Lea Lexis XRCO Noms
Film News Section Index


text:
Schools roll out Common Core: A primer on what really changes and whether it will last
CINCINNATI – Ready or not, Common Core standards are in full swing this school year in Ohio. The state joins Kentucky and 41 others that have implemented the guidelines meant to make U.S. students better prepared for college and the working world.
Since Ohio lawmakers approved of the standards in 2010, school districts have spent millions of dollars retraining teachers and buying new textbooks and other learning resources.
What really changes with Common Core? A lot, it turns out.
Become a WCPO Insider to see what will be changing in classrooms this year.
To continue reading: Subscribe Now or Sign In


text:
The purpose of the WOYC is to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs at the local, state, and federal levels. The WOYC is a time to plan how we, as citizens of a community, state, and nation - will better meet the needs of all young children and their families. Farm tour starts promptly at 10:00 AM, $5 suggested donation. Small group activities geared towards young children ages 2-8 years old are free! Please wear farm friendly attire, flat shoes, hat, water and sunscreen are suggested. The farm has a no pet policy, please leave yours at home.
Farm Lot 59 and Restauration invite you to join us for part two of our three brunch series. Chef Erick Simmons will announce his hyper-local menu the week of to ensure the freshest seasonal Farm Lot ingredients are used. This farm brunch is part of our fundraising campaign to help cover the upkeep and maintenance costs of our small farm. We aim to be a focal point in your local food movement by producing organic produce, heirloom flowers, pastured eggs, education and training for our local citizen farmers. Farm Brunch is a casual event. Please dress in farm friendly attire and as always no pets allowed. Cancellation Policy: We understand your plans may change. Unfortunately there are no credits or refunds for this event.
* Please note this is an off farm event! The Green Prize Festival is a one-day event highlighting urban farmers, green chefs, live entertainment, artists, green technology, environmental organizations as well as education through workshops, demonstrations and guest speakers. The event will also feature a free bike valet, beer garden, green vendors, food trucks and children's activities
Join us on the farm for chicken keeping 101. We will show you all the basics you need to know to keep a happy and healthy flock.