Tag Archives: Mindfire Solutions

Winter vacation for the whole company!!

Mindfire Solutions, Organizations and Leadership, , , , , , ,
Mindfire
Mindfire Survey

Anything audacious always has an element of shock in it – positive as well as negative. When it comes to coming up with policies which benefits people, Mindfire never runs low on audacity. This year we started for the first time in our company a concept called winter vacation. For a whole week, starting December 29th 2014, office was closed and people were given this time to enjoy with family and friends. Some went on road trips, some went to holiday destinations, some joined Yoga camps, some spent time on learning new technology, some read books and most used this time to reflect on the year gone by and plan for the New Year. We ran an internal survey to capture people feedback on this initiative and an overwhelming majority, 97%, felt that this is an awesome initiative and should be continued every year.   Continue reading Winter vacation for the whole company!! →

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Introduction to Xamarin and ASP.NET vNext in Nepal

Mindfire Solutions

 

Two Mindfireans – Nirmal and Tadit – will be traveling to Kathmandu shortly, to speak at the DevTechDays event organized by Microsoft Innovation Center, Nepal on September 20 2014.

http://www.devtechday.com/
http://www.devtechday.com/Speakers.aspx

Nirmal will speak on “Jumpstart for Xamarin Forms”. Xamarin is an interesting way to write code in C# and have it run on iOS, Android, Mac and Windows. http://www.xamarin.com

Tadit will speak on “Introduction to ASP.NET vNext”. ASP.NET vNext is the next generation of ASP.NET, in preview with some interesting stuff. http://www.asp.net/vnext

It is interesting how unexpected things come up, and that Mindfire is contributing in its own way to Nepal’s technology community and knowledge ramp-up. To celebrate their new opportunity and our new moment of pride, Nirmal and Tadit receive a Special Award of Rs 20,000 each!

 

Nirmal and Tadit: congratulations, best wishes and bon voyage!

 

 

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What Have These Two People Done?!

Mindfire Solutions

 

Two Mindfireans recently achieved commendable personal milestones, and it inspires everyone around.

Saurabh Agarwal
Saurabh will be attending Mobile App Europe from September 29 to October 1, at Berlin, Germany. He will be presenting  on October 1 on “Tackling Fragmentation in the Mobile App World“.

Saurabh found out about the conference, discussed topics and prepared material. Saurabh’s interest, initiative and thought process, are admirable.

In recognition of his ability to think beyond the horizon, Mindfire is proud to announce a Special Award of Rs 50,000 for Saurabh. Congratulations and bon voyage, Saurabh!

Tadit Dash
Tadit will be attending Microsoft MVP Global Summit from November 3-6, at Bellevue and Redmond, Washington, USA.

We had earlier learnt about Tadit’s inspiring journey. As a Microsoft MVP, Tadit was invited for the annual MVP summit, a meeting place for MVPs from around the world.

In recognition of his exemplary contribution to knowledge, Mindfire is proud to announce Travel Sponsorship for Tadit to attend the summit. Congratulations and bon voyage, Tadit!

 

Saurabh and Tadit have that special interest, a passion for tech, a desire to excel, a desire to be recognized at the global level. At Mindfire, you would notice this quest for knowledge beyond business. Business creates limits, knowledge sets free.

 

Please join us in congratulating Saurabh and Tadit, and do join the journey of knowledge!

We make our own paths, even while we travel together.

 

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Entry-level/Fresher Salary at Mindfire Solutions

Mindfire Solutions, Software Industry,

 

(Update Sep 20:

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT FALSE CLAIMS IN HIRING:

Mindfire Solutions does NOT employ services of any external organization for our recruitment process, in any role at any stage. We do our OWN hiring COMPLETELY and nobody else – no placement consultant, no recruitment agent, no headhunting firm, no campus coordinator, nobody else at all – is involved in any way at all.

Please do not believe people making false promises to place you at Mindfire Solutions, or to get you an interview slot, or influence hiring in any way – and definitely do not pay anything for such claims. If you do believe and interact with them, it is at your own risk and loss. Mindfire Solutions is not responsible in any way for such interactions.)

 

Quietly.

Quietly, Mindfire has created one of the best packages for freshers, nationwide.

At Mindfire Solutions, we have always believed in providing industry-leading packages for talent. We have raised the bar in 2014 with a lucrative pay package and other elements that will surprise you.

1. Salary
Our uniform entry-level salary for all 2014 technical freshers is Rs 35,000 per month (Rs 4,20,000 per annum). All fixed, all guaranteed. This in itself is perhaps in the top 90%. Whoa! But wait – this is just salary. We have more!

2. Free Tablet
On the day you join, you take home a gift of a tablet (Apple iPad mini 3G or Samsung Galaxy Note 8) worth about Rs 30,000. It belongs to you. A nice little welcome to a new life.

3. Free Insurance
You and your parents/family are eligible for medical insurance, with annual premium up to Rs 6,000 paid by Mindfire, which generally gives you insurance coverage up to Rs 3 lakhs.

4. Free Lunch
For past 8 months, we have had free lunch at all our centers. We do not foresee discontinuation of this facility – people have been thrilled!

5. Zero Bonds
Mindfire is against bonds of any kind. We do not bind you with any bonds, disguised as “service contract” or any clever words. You can walk out at any time if you get a better option for your career/life (with a month’s notice). We wish you well.

6. Zero Deposit
There is no financial deposit of any kind. Neither a bank guarantee or anything. The only thing you need to give is your talent, your energy, your dedication. Everything else is for you to get.

7. Zero Bench
We will get you real work within 6 months of joining. You don’t have to sit idle on bench for 2-3 years, destroying your long-term career and future.

8. 100% Learning
You will learn by doing practical work. You will have active guidance and help and resources, and you will learn by doing and reading and discussing – not by being taught by someone. Being taught is passive, learning yourself is active – the chosen path for winners.

9. 100% Job Security
Mindfire has not had layoffs at any time in its history. Neither in the mega recession of 2000-2002, nor 2009-2010, nor at any other time ever. People are asked to leave only due to individual performance problems, and at 2% it is the lowest in industry. OK, let’s be direct: yes, if you have no interest in work and tech, we will ask you to leave.

10. 100% Stability
Mindfire is a self-funded organization with no bank loans or external debt or borrowing of any kind. We have hundreds of clients spread all over the globe in various industries, which diffuses risk factors and renders us an enviably strong and stable foundation. We have been continuously and comfortably profitable since 15 years.

11. 100% Software Development. Only.
Mindfire is a place for pure software development, nothing else. We do not do production support, technical support, and a zillion other types of work. We take up only work which is software development (programming and testing), so you will always get hardcore tech work only.

 

To Mindfireans: 11 is an odd number. Which item above should we cut (unimportant for freshers) so that it becomes 10? Or which other item can we add to make it a dozen?!

To Software Freshers: we love you if you love tech. As you can see above, Mindfire will give you a lot. The only thing you need to give is your talent and time. Do come on over and apply for the best IT/software jobs at http://www.mymindfire.in/AddMyProfile.aspx!

But shh, quiet. Don’t tell your friends where you found the best opportunity. Don’t tell them about Mindfire.

Shh.

 

 

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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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Testing at Mindfire

When in Testing do as the Testers do!!!

Software Quality, , , , ,

Its high time to bridge a gap between theoretical knowledge and real world implementation.
If you are new to testing domain and just trying googling out the real meaning and approach of testing below are few points which I feel will be handy for a beginner.

– Prepare test cases or a checklist for the project you are assigned in. Include all the test scenarios you can think of. Yes you are thinking right!

 

P.S. All the positive and negative scenarios. 🙂

For beginners – Test a simple ’email log in’ page!
What all scenarios you guys can think of!Yes you are going on right track.. whatever weired comes to your mind..Just do not stop playing around.

P.S. Let the application crash!!! 🙂

– Start performing tests , find and report bugs but hang on always remember there’s no end to bugs i.e. you can never say ‘This application is bug free’!!

P.S. Cant help it! 🙁

– Step into Customer’s shoes ; feel like a lay man and you will be amazed to see the number of bugs you come across.

P.S. Do not end up stepping on toes! 🙁

– Be Creative in your approach ; while writing test cases or preparing a check list. Do not assume.

P.S. Assumptions is the mother of all mistakes! 😉

– Start Suggesting ; Dig into the details and get to know the product’s functionality and general behaviour. This will enable you to add value and suggest new features and enhancements to your product.

P.S. A smart move it is! 😉

Last but not the least..

– Follow Processes ; Stick to the organisation standards and guidelines and process of QA testing.

P.S. Follow the process and find as many bugs you can..after all we are a part of software QA testing team !! 🙂

Happy Testing!!! 😀

Author – Anisha Nayak

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Avoid Offshore Outsourcing IT Project failure!

Thoughts, , , , , , , , , , , ,

In today’s world, technology can be influential in bringing nations together and on the adverse can destroy nations. Businesses these days are taking advantage of it to manage work across geographical boundaries and as a result minimizing their cost and effort. This is what is coined as the term “Outsourcing”. Though there are some worries in offshore software development work, still it is a widely accepted phenomenon by a majority of companies.

The topic of outsourcing continues to grab headlines irrespective of success or failure of offshore outsourcing projects. Companies have mixed response when it comes to feedback on their working experience with outsourced companies. Some companies might have had very good experience working with outsourced companies whereas others might have faced failure. Reasons may be many but identifying one or even a group of reasons is a tough task and sometimes impossible. A number of contributing factors cumulatively result in Offshore Outsourcing IT projects to fail. Some of the generic factors might be improper planning, ineffective management, inaccurate estimates or unclear objectives. But, apart from these, projects fail for some other minor but very influential factors such as communication, infrastructure complexity, culture and sometimes labor division. Let us discuss each of these minor factors to avoid mistakes and as a result avoid project failure.

Communication: We know that communication alone does not only mean language. While dealing with different teams across different geographies, it is obvious that communication would undergo other major challenges like time zones, location, distance etc. All these should be managed properly before the start of an offshore outsourcing project. Anybody dealing with an outsourcing project should previously finalize upon the modes and mechanism of communicating. By this I mean that, whether e-mails/Skype calls/video conferencing is sufficient or do they need daily status reports and other online facilities to monitor.

Infrastructure: A very important aspect of offshore outsourcing project is infrastructure. This not only includes physical presence but other underlying factors like facilities & hardware. The companies outsourcing needs to ensure that all the team members have adequate tools and access required to complete the work. Hence, they need to make sure that all issues related to privacy, licensing, intellectual property rights and trade agreements are sorted out.

Culture: Culture is an under-estimated factor for project failure but, it is very subtle and can affect offshore outsourcing projects to a great extent. Work culture is different in different countries. Hence it is imperative that, every organization should be fully aware of the outsourced location and its culture. Properly managing culture would definitely yield a successful project. One always needs to understand how people in different cultures behave to work with them as work attitude may differ from one culture to the other.

Labor Division: Sometimes work is divided among various outsourced companies by the offshore company in order to reduce money. But doing so will not reduce your pain. Instead, it will affect the project’s success, increase worries and also affect long term relationship. Evaluating companies based on their strengths and weaknesses irrespective of the price is rather a better and less risky way of allocating work.

In my knowledge, these factors are the most under-rated ones but are highly effective while deciding upon a project’s future apart from the other mentioned points of improper planning, ineffective management, inaccurate estimates and unclear objectives. Hence, these should not be neglected and taken care of prior to outsourcing a project.

Cheers,

Author – Suryakant Behera

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Learning @ Live 360! (10-14 Dec 2012) Orlando, FL

Software, , , , , , , , Anuj Sahu

Attending Live 360! Conference in Orlando, FL provided me a great opportunity to learn a lot about Microsoft technologies.  Mindfire Solutions has a unique CTC program under which I got the opportunity to attend this international event. It was a 5 day pure technical event where various workshops and sessions on different Microsoft technologies took place. This conference targetted not only Visual Studio track but also various other tracks like SQL server, Cloud etc, so people (speakers/audience) from various roles like developer, DBAs, IT management etc could get together and share experience and knowledge.

Continue reading Learning @ Live 360! (10-14 Dec 2012) Orlando, FL →

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Effective Tools to manage your Social Media efforts

Social Media, , , , , , , , , ,

Continuing with my previous post about managing social media during busy office hours, I am writing this post to make readers understand how social media tools can be used to reduce time effort and thus  effectively manage social media sites.

Let us start with a simple task. Have you integrated your Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter accounts yet? These are considered to be widely used platforms and presence in these sites will help you gain that extra mileage. Check your account settings and integrate these sites today. Continue reading Effective Tools to manage your Social Media efforts →

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