Introduction

The BbyB Beacon is an electronic publication to keep the members of Bit by Bit informed about the current affairs of the company. It contains announcements of important events like training programmes, Management Review Meetings, etc.

Contact Information
 Any contributions to the newsletter in the form of technical articles, or items of general interest, are welcome. Please send them to padmabaliga@bbyb.sdc.int or padmabaliga@bbyb.com

Editorial                                                                                                                    (top)

The Fools Rule

We begin this month with April Fool’s day, a day dedicated to fun and pranks. The origins of April Fool’s Day are shrouded in mystery, but the pranks that people have played on each other, especially on a gullible public have not remained a secret. Way back in the 1840s, a story appeared in the Boston Post on the morning of April 1, that a cave full of treasure had been discovered beneath Boston Common. It was reported that when workmen cut down an old tree, they found underneath a stone trap-door which revealed an underground cave in which lay piles of jewels, old coins, and weapons with jewelled handles. Within hours, the place was full of treasure-seekers, including legislators, philosophers, and lovers of antiques.

More recently, on April 1, 1998, visitors to the homepage of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were shocked to read that the prestigious university was to be sold to Walt Disney Co. for $6.9 billion. A photograph of the university's famous dome outfitted with a pair of mouse ears accompanied the news. The prank was played by students who had hacked into the school's central server.

It is popularly believed that centuries ago, the new year began on April 1st and the custom was dropped when Pope Gregory changed the calendar to the one we use today. Many, however, continued to celebrate the new year on April 1st and were laughed at for their foolish behaviour. This led to the custom of calling April 1 All Fools’ Day or April Fool’s Day.

April Fool practical jokes are generally done in good fun and not meant to harm anyone. The best jokes are the clever ones where everyone laughs, especially the person who had the joke played on them.

So, go ahead, pull a fast one on someone, but remember that according to the rules, the victim has to be compensated financially. All fines are to be paid at a central depository service, care of The Editor, BbyB Beacon.

Padma

Projects News

StaffBank                                                                                                            (top)

This is my first newsletter contribution for BbyB. Let me begin by wishing my Project Leaders and Shashidar a successful implementation of the changes they are doing currently in UK.

As I said above, Raghu, Usha and Arun left for UK on March 12th to implement the AfC Payroll and they had a test run on March 23rd of the changes made in payroll. So far, every thing has been smooth over there.

Here is an overview of the changes happening in StaffBank.

On the 1st of April, NHSP is making a drastic change in their payment mechanism. They are moving from the old and antiquated Whitley pay rules to the new Agenda for Change (AfC) pay rules. As AfC is not mandatory and Nurses can still remain on their old contracts we have an interim period where we have to support both the old and the new AfC pay rules.

Add to this is the complication that on the 1st of April we also take over the NHSP Oxford call centre which was previously running software from one of our competitors (Meantime). This is in line with the NHSP planned move over to a single database. So at the Oxford call centre we not only have to switch on AfC we also have to take over data from the Meantime system.

Raghu was involved in making changes to the general payroll tool to accommodate the AfC payrules.

Usha was doing changes required for AfC and Oxford pay rules.

Arun was involved in Non AfC payrule changes.

Chaitanya has developed AMSS (Agenda for change Mail Shot System ) in .NET.

Sreedhar has been working on StaffBank on the Web Internal Changes, AfC changes for Web (mainly in the Add Request/Booking Module), Change control NHSP141 and the modified TLR report.

Jayasree had a busy month which started off with Oxford and Medway Trusts’ prepped data testing followed by SB on Web fix testing. Mid March brought in CC BHP 108 and AP Interface changes for testing. The month ended with SB on Web internal changes and AfC changes for both Client server and web versions.

Sajayan was involved in the work of release of StaffBank 20800 to Whittington involving BHP108 and was also involved in internal changes of StaffBank on Web.

Prathibha always had work on her hands and was busy on Saturdays too and some Sundays as well, doing dataprep for Oxford, Medway(SB), Bexley, Huddersfield, BRC Exeter and LBWF for MESaLS. She is now very happy and relieved to get a new team member, Om Prakash to share her work. I welcome Om Prakash to the BByB family and wish him a very challenging work atmosphere here, He has started to get a feel of data prep work.

Uma was busy with BHP109, AfC data prep and LinguaBank SQL version.

Saraswati tested BHP 109 and LinguaBank.

We missed Sunder for most part of this month too due to typhoid. We have got an update that he is regaining his health and will join us soon.

I have been busy with a design document for NHSP 125 and NHSP 106, for North making certain fields mandatory while adding trust/grade/agency, Filter option added for regenerate invoice report and Oracle Interface Export Excel File Changes.

And since in April we are going for another thrilling stress buster, I wish all in our family a very nice trip.

Sachin for StaffBank

MESaLS                                                                                                                  (top)

Team Mesals’ had a very hectic March. Mesals 4 received a positive response from the User Group (a bi-annual Mesals users meeting) conducted on 2nd and 3rd March at Exeter. Bexley was supposed to go live with Mesals 4 during the second week of this month but it was postponed to April as they were not ready with their part of the interface for moving the data between Mesals and another application called “CareFirst”. However, the go live database has already been prepared and sent to them. Huddersfield went live on 20th March after doing a quick round of dry runs during the second week of this month. London Borough of Waltham Forest (LBWF) as well as British Red Cross - Exeter are doing dry runs during this month. LBWF is going live on 3rd April. Much of the programming time was spent in consolidating an interface for “CareFirst” (for Bexley), preparing an interface for “ISIS” (for LBWF), modifications to “Jaws” enabled screens for Huddersfield, development of the Operational Outputs for the sites going/gone live over this month and next, continuation of development of the new Handheld Transactions Processing screen and other Change controls/Bug fixes.

The extremely busy schedule from the last few months and influx of newcomers into the project has resulted in everyone in the team working on only some part of the application which has been assigned to them. This has resulted in an inflexible situation where a particular work can be handled only by a particular member of the team; other members of the team, as they are busy with their own part of Mesals, have almost lost the over-all view of the software. To overcome this, I have planned a knowledge-transfer exercise wherein each member of the team has to explain the major task, which he/she has been working on, to at least 2 other members of the team (this will include data preparation and testing as well). This will not be handled like a seminar; it will be more of an informal session and will be done on any day when 2-3 members of the team find some spare time. This can also act as a review of the work being done by each member of the team. I am glad to inform here that we have already started off with this initiative. I hope this helps us to get back to the good old days of Mesals where any member of the team could work on any task without much of a problem.

I take this opportunity to thank the Mesals Team (including Prathibha, Datta and Divya) for the hard work put in during this month and hope everyone continue to co-operate during what looks like an even more hectic schedule in the next two months.

Naveen for MESaLS

pFACT                                                                                                                   (top)

It’s my pleasure this time to report that this month was quite a relaxed one for the entire pFACT team. There was only one release of Version 2.00.a both in SQL and Oracle for this month. The rest of the work was on the database side. With many of the universities going live, database has become a sensitive issue and is being given more care.

There are no major changes in store for this month, and as the work to be done for the next release has not yet been finalized, the pFACT team is now concentrating on performance issues. The testing team of pFACT is of course playing a vital role in helping us know the areas where the performance needs to be dealt with. On the whole, work is in full swing to make our project more performance-oriented.

Sukanya for pFACT

Sepia                                                                                                                   (top)

This month was hectic for us as we had a major release for Sepia. We released version 3.07.e on the 22nd of this month.
MHMDS was upgraded to Ver2.6, which was included in both versions (Ver3.07.e, Ver3.08). Bugs and new changes were done in the Admission screen in both versions. Dorset reports were incorporated in Ver 3.08.
Shashi left for UK on 13th March to import the Dorset data from CPA to Sepia and also to train them about the usage of Sepia.
We are working on Torex DB merge. The Online help for the new release is ready for the users.
Milton Keynes have come up with new enhancements which have to be included in the current ver3.08, which is due for release in the next month.
Hema for Sepia

Hema for Sepia

Other News                                                                                                        (top)

Farewell

Esha who joined us in February 2005 left BbyB on March 6th this year. She has joined Systems Valley Pvt. Ltd. as Software Engineer. She says she will miss a lot of things about BbyB and Bangalore. Working on the pFACT project was very dear to her and she says she will miss her colleagues. She’ll also miss the fun and friends she’ll be leaving behind in Bangalore and of course, the visits to Little Home whenever she found herself pining for Mallu food.

N. Vatsala who joined BbyB in December 2004 as Technical Writer left on March 31st. This was Vatsala’s first job and she feels that it laid the perfect foundation for her career in Technical Writing. She’d like to thank Raghu for giving her the opportunity to learn and all her colleagues for extending their support all through her stint here.
She will be joining Oracle as a tech writer.

Stress Buster

These five signs are supposed to be an indication that you need to Bust Some Stress

1. You're irritable.
2. You're losing sleep.
3. You're losing or gaining weight (at BbyB, we are all gaining weight. I don’t think 22stress comes into the picture in this case).
4. You feel tense--with muscle aches or headaches.
5. You feel overwhelmed.

Whether you are feeling any of these signs or not, remember, the stress buster is around the corner. This time, we are headed to Kabini again and April 14th, 15th and 16th will see us dashing down Mysore Road, eager to breathe in lungfuls of fresh air and unwind.

New Recruits                                                                                                        (top)

Omprakash This month, we welcome Om Prakash, the man with a quiet smile. Om Prakash graduated from Bangalore College of Engineering and Technology in 2005 with a B.E. in Information Science. He has joined BbyB as a data prepper.

Holidays                                                                                                                 (top)

April 14, observed as Good Friday, will be a holiday.

News From Abroad                                                                                              (top)

Sepia in March

For Sepia, the month of March has been a busy one with finishing the enhancements, primarily consisting of changes requested by Dorset.

Currently I am in UK (Dorchester), working on the data transfer from the existing CPA system to Sepia system. Eirian Hart of BHP conducted the training for several CPA users on the Sepia system on 22nd and 23rd of March. In the two rounds of the data transfer done, Dorset have raised some issues and need some re-work in their CPA data. They have also indicated that they need to use the system more before they are willing to switch over to Sepia completely.

To know what actually happens with Dorset, check in next month.

Shashidhar

pFACT Post

I was in England from 16th Feb to 28th Feb. The primary goal of this visit was to attend the User group and Access report writing work shop as well as visit some of the pFACT users. I visited Nottingham and Cambridge universities as well as East London Mental health Trust (Sepia user).
Nottingham was very happy with the system and has come with some very good probable enhancements which will have pFACT standing tall in fEC software. In fact Ian Wilson (Head of Research Information Systems, Research Innovation Services) and Tim Wilkinson (Systems Support/Data Analysis, Research Innovation Services) have had an excellent run with pFACT deploying and running in, University of Nottingham. They along with Hamish (University of York) and Ben Stokes (Queen Mary University, London) have been generous with their constructive comments about pFACT and in helping pFACT all along the way. Cambridge had a few issues with the software as they are still on a very old version, not having upgraded in the past.
I was amazed at the way Jonathan and team had gone into MHA functionality, probably a first for Sepia.
Finally, I had a great time during the entire stay, courtesy John and Eirian Hart (Work and other activities- evenly balanced, which I believe is a first for the BbyBer!)

Jayaraj

From Jayaraj's Album

Colleagues Cognizant                                                                                           (top)

March 8th was International Women’s Day and so we met up with two interesting young women here at BbyB.

Devaki is the project leader of Sepia and has been part of the family for five years now. Sukanya has been here for a year and is part of the pFACT team. Both have clear-cut ideas and objectives and come across as women who know what they want out of life. Read on....

Meet Devaki

1. When did you join BbyB?
On February 1, 2001.

2. What do you like the most about your workplace?
Its friendly environment is the first thing that comes to my mind. One feels at home here even though one is at work. I have also learnt a lot here.

3. What are the changes you have noticed here since you joined?
In the last 5 years, new standards have been introduced which have made it easier for us to work and for others to follow our work. Next, there have been lots of new faces and new friends. A number of bachelors have got married. I am looking forward to seeing more kids at the stress-busters and in our office creche.

4. How do you define Devaki?
I am a strong person and am trying to keep up with all the changes that are happening. But I’d rather let others speak about me.

5. What keeps you ticking?
At the workplace, it’s my seniors. I am inspired by Raghu, Shashi and Jayaraj and try to match their standards.

6. Why did you become a programmer as opposed to let us say, a doctor or a politician?
As a kid, I wanted to become a doctor but could not bear to think of the blood and mess involved. I can never see myself as a politician. As for becoming a programmer, IT had come to the forefront at the time of choosing my career and that influenced my decision.

7. Sepia is considered to be your baby. What does Sepia mean to you?
With my baby’s birth, Sepia has become my second baby. It has helped me learn a lot. This project has helped shape me.

8. What dreams do you have for Sepia tomorrow?
I’d like Sepia to migrate to .NET. I’d also like to put a major part of Sepia on the web.
I definitely don’t want any added functionality but would like it to improve technically.

9. How old is your son? Can you tell us something about him?
My son is 5 months old. He cries rarely and smiles a lot. He waits for me to come home and reaches out for me as soon as he sees me. He’s become a little naughty and I am waiting for him to start walking. He is a lovely son.

10. You are known to be a quick and enthusiastic learner. Comment.
Thanks for the compliment. I’d rather others comment.

11. Do you have any plans to study further?
Yes, I did plan to, but as of now, I am not sure. I’d like to do my MBA, maybe I will in the future.

12. Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
(smiles) as the mother of a 10 year old, teaching him, bringing him up....


And here’s Sukanya giving us a peep into her thought processes.

1. When did you join BbyB?
I have just completed one year of my smart work in BbyB (on 28th March).

2. What are the changes you have observed here from March 2005 to March 2006?
Changes!!! Of course there are many, some are enjoyable and other are not. Some of the changes are that a year ago I was new to BbyB and had very few friends. Now I am a year old in BbyB and almost everyone is a good friend of mine.The new office premises are also a change. The sad part is that I miss people I was close to...

3. Tell us something about your job.
Software Engineer – the Buzz word of the IT industry – that’s my designation and my job. I am also looking forward to grow into an ORACLE DBA.

4. You have been with the pFACT team throughout. Your comments.
It’s been great working with the pFACT team as it has always been challenging!!!

5. The early bird gets the worm. Are pFACTians early birds?
Early bird ....not always. It depends on the work pressure we face at that point of time.

6. What keeps you ticking?
Faith in the Almighty, who always makes me realise that I am blessed with loving people around me.

7. Why did you become a programmer as opposed to let us say, a doctor or a politician?
I chose to be a programmer because I feel it’s one of the finest jobs in india now. I am a programmer for that reason. Being a programmer you get to learn about various domains, like Medicine, Politics, Law, Logistics………. Whatever the domain may be, you have to learn and understand it, but this is not possible if you are a doctor, politician, etc……..


8. Which is the last movie you saw? What made you choose that movie?
Rang de Basanthi (it was a long-standing desire) and Black. Both were heart-warming and touching.These kind of films make you feel it is worth spending time and money on them.

9. As April Fool’s Day is nearing, please tell us about an occasion when someone played a trick on you and a time when you fooled someone else.
This is a very tricky question. It’s easy to fool people when they believe in you completely. Yes, I have been fooled recently by one of my best friends, but I cannot reveal anything about it as that would again be a piece of foolishness. I also enjoy fooling people around me, so it’s all fun.


10. You have moved from Mangalore to Bangalore. What makes Bangalore rock?
Bangalore does rock. Away from home, if I still feel at home here it’s only because of my friends and loved ones.They really rock! So do I with them.

11. You are known to be a good listener and a quick learner. How are the two related?
To be a good learner, you should be a good listener and observer is what I have been taught.

12. We heard that you sing very well. Who is your favourite musician, and what’s your favourite song?
Sing well!! ....I don’t know. But yes, music is my passion and I enjoy singing. My favourite musicians are R.D. Burman, A.R. Rehman, etc. As for favourite songs, that is quite a difficult question to answer....Kanhi Dhoor Jab Din Dhal Jai(Anad), Hosh walon Ko Khabar Kya(Sarfarosh), ghazals of Jagjeet Singh and Pankaj Udhas are few of them.

13. The rumour is that you are a John Abraham fan. What do you like about him?
Yes, I am a fan of all good-looking talented actors and actresses. The list is a long one and yes, John Abraham is also part of that list.

14. What is the best way for someone to impress you?
Hmmm...That’s a secret.