DDM IT Quiz

Death Ends Life But Not The Relationship!

DDM IT Quiz, , , , ,

Ever thought what it feels like to live another person’s dream? We at Mindfire Solutions do! Yes, we have been doing it every year since 2011 and hope to continue the tradition forever. And on that day we organize the Debasish Das Memorial IT Quiz popularly known as DDM IT Quiz, a tribute to Late Debasish Das, a brilliant team lead, an amicable colleague and an amazing person. It was his dream originally to organize a mega IT quiz event that would attract the quizzing enthusiasts from technical and management institutes from all over Odisha and may be later arrange it on a Pan-India scale. But before he could do something about it, we lost him to a fatal road accident on 12th Jan 2010.

We started out in the year 2011 with quite a bit of trepidation but were overwhelmed with the response that we received (120 teams registered for the event that year). This strengthened our conviction and ever since then we have been organizing the Quiz every year for the last four years. Each year the event gets bigger and better and attracts more quizzers than the last.

This year we had warm-up online quiz contests on DDM IT Quiz Facebook with the lucky winners winning exciting prizes such as t-shirts, pen drives and watches. In order to sensitize the public, on 2nd March 2014 we organized a flash mob based on the theme of road safety at Bhawani Mall, Bhubaneswar. We are the first corporate in Odisha to organize a flash mob for promoting our event and instilling awareness about road safety in the public. Come to think of it, after all it was a road accident that snuffed the life out of our colleague. There was also a “quote a quote” competition on Facebook on 5th March, 2014. We received a lot of replies and the lucky winner (the one whose quotes got the maximum number of likes) won an iPod.DDM IT Quiz Winner Prize

The D-Day:

The event was held on 9th March, 2014 at Pal Heights, Bhubaneswar. More than 300 teams had registered to participate in the event. Gradually the number of participants at the venue swelled in numbers defying the sultry hot climate that is currently setting in the region. But obviously only the top eight teams made it to the stage after the preliminary elimination round. This event was hosted by Greycaps and Quizmaster Lloyd Saldanha did an excellent job by keeping the participants and the audience virtually on the edge of their seats. In this event there were prizes worth Rs 100000 to be won. There were exciting audience prizes as well which were picked up by a quiz-keen audience.

DDM IT Quiz Volunteers

The Winners:

This intellectually stimulating quizzing session ended with the team from KIIT, Bhubaneswar as the winners. Omkar Amrutanshu and Loy Larvin Rao looked every bit the achievers as they received the prize of Rs 50,000 from Chinmoy Panda, CEO, Mindfire Solutions. He also gave away prizes of Rs 30,000 to the first runners up, Chinmaya Dehury and Sheikh Wasim Sajjad, members of the team from NIT, Rourkela and Rs 20,000 to Saransh Mohapatra and Jyoti Prakash Panda, members of the team from Silicon Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar who were the second runners up.

DDM IT Quiz Winners

At the close of the day when we returned to our homes content with the way the entire event was organized, it was difficult not to let that stray thought enter our minds. That one single wish: if only Debasish was alive today he could see his dream turn to reality. In this case it’s true that death has ended his life, but the relationship that he shared with us will be cherished forever. And it is those memories that will provide the zeal to organize yet another DDM IT quiz next year, only much more bigger and better.

DDM IT Quiz Volunteers

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there is no such thing as a free lunch

Who said there is no such thing as a free lunch?

Thoughts, , , , , , , ,

Today as I dug into my plate of piping hot chicken biryani and let the rich aroma of multiple spices fill my nostrils, I realized one thing. It’s true, many authors have written volumes on the fact that there is no such thing as a free lunch (TANSTAAFL) but then they haven’t worked at Mindfire Solutions. I am sure they haven’t coz if they had then they would have known that lunch is actually FREE at Mindfire Solutions!

First of all let’s know a bit about the concept of free lunch. This term is quite popular in economics textbook and finds its origin in the saloons of United States where it was a tradition to provide free lunch to customers who bought at least one drink. Most of the times the food was high in salt which compelled the buyer to buy more drinks later on. Hence the term TANSTAAFL has economic implications in the sense that even if it appears free there is a hidden cost to the person or the society.

A you read further you will realize that for the free lunch served at all the three centers of Mindfire Solutions (viz. Delhi, Bhubaneswar and Bangalore), it only wishes for employee satisfaction in return. A brilliant idea to perk up employee enthusiasm, free lunch is an initiative to let them do their thing (i.e. custom software development) without having to bother what’s for cook for lunch that day. Mindfire Solutions has a diverse population of software professionals who hail from different parts of India. And we all know that neither cooking is everyone’s cup of tea or searching for eat-outs in the middle of the day, every day, is a good idea to many. So to ensure a hassle free life and in turn better attention towards work (that’s always there!), Mindfire Solutions offers all its employees the option to sign up for the free lunch program.

The next thought that comes into mind is that, if it is free then the food may not be of great quality. Well let me assure you (trust me, I m extremely fussy about my food) that the food is of decent quality and tastes good as well. The caterers are strictly chosen, tried and tested so that any lapses can be forestalled. Caterers are dismissed almost immediately if there are any issues found with regards to taste or quality. Also the spread of items is not the same everyday and is changed regularly to bring in more variety to everyday food.
What started as a mad rush for food initially (because people found it hard to believe it is true) has tempered down a lot since the past couple of weeks. People are more organized now and there is hardly any ruckus in the cafeteria. However there are some rules that Mindfire lays down as well. The first and foremost rule is that wastage of food is a criminal offence that has to be avoided at all costs. Also as long as one eats at the cafeteria, one gets food for free. But when people sign up and do not inform that they will not be eating on a particular day within a specified deadline leading to food getting wasted, well, in that case they will have to pay. The free lunch is not included in any one’s individual CTC as it is an organizational initiative. Also if someone chooses not to avail the free lunch facility, it is not reimbursed either monetarily or through Sodexo coupons. So it is a case of “either you have it or you don’t” coz food is a matter of personal preferences.

Mindfire Solutions Cafeteria
Most employees I have interacted with have praised this initiative by Mindfire Solutions and thank the organization and its CEO to have released them from the drudgery of cooking lunch/finding a place for lunch every day! Gestures such as these are a reassurance and certainly leave an impression on the hearts of the employees. Isn’t it?

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Mindfire Premier League 2014

Thoughts, , ,

We all know that everybody loves a good game of cricket. The game is so deeply ingrained in the psyche of Indians in particular that almost everybody is drawn into it. Amateurs and professionals alike, they play it everywhere. Be it in the nook and corner of a street, an open playground, in the close confines of a room, in the virtual world on a computer screen or the well maintained turf in a stadium, the game is omnipresent. It is this cricketing spirit of its people that Mindfire respects and encourages as well.


Mindfire Premier League trophies
Want to know how? Then here you go. For all its employees who practically eat, sleep, watch and play cricket, Mindfire Solutions’ Bhubaneswar office organizes a homegrown version of IPL every year. A tradition that started in the year 2008 and famously known amongst the Mindfireans as Mindfire Premier League, this is a much awaited event for both players and spectators alike. Although the event is mostly held in the month of February, the preparations for the D-Day start off more than a month in advance.

This year saw three teams viz. Lions, Cheetahs and Panthers fighting for glory at the Kalinga Stadium cricket ground on February 8.

Match details:
There were three qualifier matches of twelve overs each. The match details are as follows:

Qualifier match 1: The first match was between Lions and Cheetahs. The Lions won the match and chose to field first. At the expense of 4 wickets the Cheetahs scored 93 runs. Sudhansu Panda from team Cheetahs scored 31 runs which helped his team immensely. The Lions conceded defeat by scoring a total of 87 runs at the loss of 3 wickets.

Qualifier match 2: The winner of the first qualifier match i.e . the Cheetahs were to meet the Panthers in the second qualifier match. On winning the toss, the Cheetahs allowed the Panthers to bat first. The Panthers could only manage to score 63 runs at the expense of 8 wickets. The Cheetahs easily achieved the target within 9.4 overs. Sudhansu Panda was again a star player by taking 4 wickets in this match.

Qualifier match 3: The penultimate match was between the losers of the first and second qualifier matches i.e. the Lions and the Panthers. The Panthers did a remarkable job of clocking 122 runs at the expense of 3 wickets. A major contribution towards this score was by Susangeet who played his best innings of 37 runs. The Lions were going through trying times put their best foot forward. Kaushik, the captain of Lions joined with Mainak to open the innings and the duo scored a flawless 56 runs before he gave his wicket away, a soft dismissal. A visibly injured Mainak showed great character and stayed till the end to ensure that Lions won the match to qualify for the finals.

The Finals: The invincible Cheetahs who had become the favorite MPL team by then played the finals against the Lions. Mainak and Satyaprakash from the team Lions contributed greatly to a decent score of 94 runs. The Cheetahs who had won the toss and decided to chase won the match in 9 overs and 10 wickets. Sudhansu Panda proved to be the star yet again by scoring an undefeatable 60 runs and was greatly supported by Kshirodra who scored 32 runs.

The Cheetahs proved to be an invincible team and won the Mindfire Premier League hands down. Undoubtedly, Sudhansu Panda walked away with many laurels which included three Man of the Match, Best Batsman of MPL-2014, Best Bowler of MPL-2014 and the Man of the Series awards.Indeed this winner took it all.

 

It would be unfair if we do not give kudos to the MPL core team for organizing a splendid cricketing session for us spectators thereby transforming an otherwise dull Saturday into a fun-filled one. The entertainment made sure our day was well spent. Last but not the least, thank you Mindfire Solutions for keeping the cricketing spirit alive!

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working mother's perspective

A working mother’s perspective

Thoughts, , , , , ,

My best friend who works for a prestigious firm in the USA told me that maternity leave offered by most companies there varies between 6 weeks to 8 weeks at the most. When I told her about the “unlimited maternity leave” facility at Mindfire Solutions, her eyes actually popped out. And no I m not joking.
The first time when I heard about such an arrangement at Mindfire Solutions which allows new moms to take care of their baby for as long as they want to, well, honestly, I really could not digest it. But then one has to live it to vouch for it. And that’s what happened with me.

The Arrangement:

While the flexibility of working from home is offered by many companies to help employees to give as much importance to personal needs without compromising on the professional front, “unlimited maternity leave” goes an extra step further. New moms and moms-to-be at Mindfire Solutions get the liberty to stay with their baby for as long as they want to and then intimate their date of joining at their own discretion. Such an arrangement ensures that the mother and child enjoy being together for the initial (unlimited) time period. Even after joining the office the mothers in many cases have the flexibility of working from home.

My Experience:

During my pregnancy I had consciously moved from a client facing, business development role to candidate side marketing role. This ensured that if in the near future I had to take a long leave (Trust me it happens in most cases and everyone is not the yahoo chief. LOL.) it would have minimal impact on the business side. As I was nearing my due date I suffered from extremely swollen feet that prevented me from travelling to office every day. It was then that I started working from home so that work did not get hampered and finish off with all the pending projects before I went on that really long leave. (Thank God for the flexibility that Mindfire provides!)

In a few months time I became a mother to a boisterous infant. And then owing to a serious medical condition I had to avail the unlimited maternity leave over and above the regular maternity leave. Now when I look back, I am extremely grateful to Mindfire Solutions and really can’t thank it enough for granting my request. Also as an extremely employee friendly organization, it has never hesitated to let me work from home as and when the need arises. The flexibility that it offers to me helps me keep an equal focus on issues both at home and work.
One can understand it better if one looks at this arrangement from the working mother’s point of view. The amount of freedom and flexibility that Mindfire Solutions provides to the new mothers goes a long way in easing out her extremely hectic daily schedule.
And I find that as I try to juggle between my two roles, my new one as a mother and my older one as an employee, the organization and its people-centric policies have lent me a helping hand to handle these new roles without much hurdles. Frankly for all these humane gestures, I would not really mind walking that extra mile for Mindfire Solutions.

(P.S. The accompanying picture doesn’t apply to me.)

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Software QA Engineers

QA Persona

Software Quality, , , ,

Does designation define personality or  personality defines designation ?  Confused? Either ways you think, you are absolutely correct. Every professional in this world has some sort of personality that differentiates him/her from the crowd. The reason for this may vary, either they have made themselves to appear so or their profession demands it. In this modern IT market, software QA engineers are the demand of the growth made in this field. They need to possess most or all of the following traits to be highly successful in this field.

“WHY” factor

QA TestingI strongly believe that ‘if you have the strong sense of WHY, you can create a beautiful result. Always possess a mind of valid WHY, you should not merely accept anything served in your plate. Try always to clear your WHY card, if that is done you can come up with productive ideas and solutions. You should not pretend as if you are through to any concepts or knowledge transferred, just to leave an fair impression. You should understand that you are here to add value to the project. Ask yourself until you get familiar with every aspect of the project you are assigned with. Remember this simple WHY as the capability to unearth a whole lot of information.

Assumptions:

QA Testing

A software QA engineer never assumes anything while performing his task. So he never make an ASS out of U and ME because that is how it is spelled. Since childhood we are used to assume some facts in order to proceed with the problems, even the world’s greatest theorems are formulated on assuming some facts. Let me figure out the things a layman assumes while filling up a simple registration page

  • Name text box should contain only alphabets
  • Mail ID should be in a proper format([email protected])
  • Fields marked with asterisk(*) are mandatory to be filled.
  • Address line should be separated by using comma or space.

A layman simply applies the common sense which is still not common to find. But just think if the application accepts invalid email ID, mandatory fields can be left blank or if the date of birth accepts future date and many more. This all can lead to troublesome situations. A product is made for the market and you cant expect that he will have the required common sense to use the product. Thus a big question mark arises for the quality of the product, you need to put yourself into various categories of user’s shoes so that you can test the product in all aspects.

Down to Earth

A software QA Engineer is supposed to be unpretentious, approachable and genuine. S/he understands that s/he is the voice of the end users. S/he is here to make the software better. There are often situations when s/he needs to go against a team of developers. If s/he stops reporting a set of bugs with a assumed notion that development team wont put an eye upon them, then it may lead to troublesome situations in a long run. So in order to deal with such situations he needs to possess strong convincing skills so that he can convince the developers and sometimes clients for the changes to be made in the project.

Eagle’s eye

QA TestingThis analogy works well with software QA engineer,he needs to possess eagle’s eye to become super star in the field of Quality Assurance. Many a times most severe bugs surpass our eyesight if we just have an overlook of a product or application and thus risking the product’s quality. As an QA engineer we need to deeply investigate the project in every aspect. We need to uncover the hidden bugs which can have an severe impact later on if it is not fixed in the initial phase of the development cycle. So he needs to be in proper sync with the development cycle so that bugs cannot be carried forward.

Strong Communication:

A software QA engineer needs to communicate with various individuals involved in software development cycle in day to day agenda. S/he is involved in communicating the bugs discovered, the enhancements required etc not only to the development team but also to the client. In his day to day curriculum he needs to prepare Test Cases, File and report bugs. So he needs to be strong in written communication. If in any situation there is a deviation from this then it may lead to Communication Gap and thus ultimately risking the product’s quality.

These are the traits which I find most important to be there in an QA engineer. S/he is supposed to wear several hats while working. S/he is the Quality manager, customer service, tech savvy user, non tech savvy user, angry user, lazy user and last but not least the quality assurance engineer. Many a times s/he has to change her/his thoughts mid-stream, and adopt a different point of view in order to get the job done properly. To most extent a company’s brand solely lies upon her/him. So, above all s/he has to work keeping in mind the company’s image.

 

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Do Industry Technical Certifications matter?

Thoughts, , , , , , ,

My first day at Mindfire and I already have an inferiority complex that all my peers, colleagues are Adobe certified. I have the experience in the same technology but not the certification. Which one is better? Or is there a better one? Or we need both? Not able to answer the question, first I decided to live in my comfort zone, with what I have and “prove myself with quality work”. But the second day again went with the same dilemma, looking at sample resumes that titled Adobe certified, in our company’s format.

Hmmm, I have the experience and knowledge, then why this hesitation of taking the examination for certifications? Well, these days when development platforms have syntax “help” and there is “Google maharaj”(Google GOD) for rescue, maybe I didn’t trust my knowledge enough and fear of not clearing the exam stood by me.I was still in two minds as I went back home, where my daughter was going to learn skating. As soon as she wore her skating shoes, she fell badly and my elder daughter said “Diya, get up! Dar ke agey jeet hai (popular advert slogan, which in English roughly means “to achieve victory, you have to defeat fear within you“) With a smile I realized this was my moment of learning from my kids, and decided to flush my fear and go for the certification. Hands-on experience certifies that I have the working knowledge to face a variety of tasks, which may or may not have training programs as prerequisites. At the same time, the certification itself would exhibit a determination and dedication to learn and improve.

A credential alone doesn’t guarantee real-world job skills, but in shortlisting and selection process, it increases the odds that the person is competent. With an ever-growing IT market, companies know competitive advantages help clinch deals and technology certified employees can be selling points. Following are some benefits of an academic credential, that I realized once I decided to take the certification and thought of sharing it with people like me who are still fighting to venture out of their comfort zone.

  • Broadens your knowledge scale: Preparing for the certification forces you to fill the gaps in your knowledge. There are some theories which you haven’t used in the actual projects and hence may not have detailed understanding of – the exam forces you to know these thoroughly.
  • Shows you the difference between your perception and reality of your knowledge. There were so many concepts that you know superficially but preparing for the certification makes them clear.
  • Earns respect of your peers: When my colleague had mentioned that he is Adobe certified, my first reaction was “Wow man!” – it makes you stand out of the crowd.

Having said this, I just don’t want to pass the exam with the easy means available, but by increasing my knowledge base. There are people who see certificates as badges to adorn on resumes – They are real assets only if you get them by working hard for them and are superficial if you have grabbed them through easier means.

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Changes In Marketing Functions Over The Years!

Internet, Web 2.0, , , , , , , , ,
Changes In Marketing Over The Years
Changes In Marketing Over The Years

To build an effective marketing strategy in order to lure customers was never easy. With the introduction of Internet there was a bit of change in every company’s marketing strategy. Previously, companies used to have print ads only but, when the Internet storm barged in, many businesses started to have online presence. And, then with the surge of social networking portals, multifunctional cell phones, and gadgets, the face of marketing again took a major makeover. In order to retain existing customers and to attract new ones, companies keep them updated about  changes in marketing over the years and latest trends in marketing.

Internet and technology has not only benefited customers but also, created newer space for marketing in the virtual world. With the emergence of various other forms of marketing such as social media marketing, e-mail marketing, text/display ad marketing etc. companies have become more aggressive and innovative in building their marketing strategies to attract new customers.

Gone are the old Days!

A decade ago, creating personal relationship with customers was given utter importance to boost sales through one-to-one interaction. Consumers had to believe to what is being said. They did not bother to verify the information provided. But, the tables have turned now and the customer is full of information at the click of a finger. Study says, majority of Internet users today, tend to conduct a background research of a product before making a purchase decision. For example: what would you do first when you decide to purchase a smartphone for yourself? You will immediately jump on to the Internet and start comparing, reading reviews & feedback for a few of them before making a decision. Consumers have become more and more demanding and adventurous to try out different offerings which have eventually put greater emphasis on creating brand value.

New Age Marketing!

The gigantic online presence of consumers has revolutionized the way of advertising and marketing. An Internet user today can buy almost everything online today. Thanks to the Internet which has changed the way of trade and commerce. Businesses have started capitalizing the virtual world by forming networks which eventually allows them to get closer to their clients. New age marketing is not limited to banner ads on websites only but has extended beyond in the form of video marketing, blogging, campaigns on social networking websites, discussion forums etc. Internet has not only been a reliable source to gather information through interactions, polls and surveys but is also a great medium to keep marketers updated about consumer needs and taste. Search engines have been eminent in promoting a product/service. If you are not present in any of the search engines, it means that your business has lost reputation amongst your target audience. Different forms of Marketing help search engines to rank websites. Hence, companies are now focusing on marketing to boost sales. According to statistics; Twitter has assisted 42% companies present on its portal to bag new customers, Facebook has helped 67% B2C and 41% B2B companies to generate business, Inbound marketing will cost 62% cheaper than outbound marketing. This shows the intent for aggression among companies. Previously, companies had to rely on customer loyalty to prevail in the market. But, today if a company’s presence is not felt to customers then, possibility is more for competitors to climb over.

This post briefly describes how the face of marketing has changed over the years and how important is marketing for a business. Marketing is not limited to just bigger profit making businesses only. Rather, it has turned out to be an important weapon for every business. Every business (big or small) is marketing itself today.

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My First CRM Project Tadit Dash

My First CRM Project…

Software, , , , , , ,

…and that too was in Spanish. It just went over my head. I was feeling like I was juggling frogs.

Looking Back…

The rigorous training I received was a great support for me. It was hard work and I got myself acquainted with the different components of Dynamics CRM within couple of weeks. I would not have been able to work on the application without the help of my teammates and my lead, who constantly guided me and inspired me. It was as if there were two dozen hands guiding me lest I go wrong. It was complete team work at work. I would like to thank all of them for their help at each and every step.

Positive Part…

Fortunately, the project was going to introduce me to almost every component of Dynamics CRM, as it was getting migrated from an older version to new. Okay fine…. I said to myself, it was difficult for me because of the foreign language, but this is the positive part, I have the opportunity to learn a great deal from this comprehensive project  and I looked forward to it.

Going on…

During the development phase, I faced many difficulties. But who is going to stop me, when I was so inspired by the words of Alan Saporta who had said: “The best way to escape from a problem is to solve it.“, was showing me the path.

And yes, as my team says I was in Dot NET domain, so, it is not going to be tough on my part, but I believe they were the only the driving force, who made it easy.

Busy, busy, busy…

Within no time, I was busy in creating the needed components one by one according to the specifications. The work was divided between two other developers including me. Oh, how I forgot our excellent QA team, who also did a marvelous job in digging the system to find all the bugs they could. We as a team completed the job and delivered it to the client, much before time, much to his surprise and delight.

Conclusion…

Expecting some morals, right?, Here it is…

“If you’re going through hell, keep going”. – Winston Churchill

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