What is a Picture Worth? Using Visualizations to Understand Your Applications

Editor's Notes

• #4: Have you ever tried to build a piece of IKEA furniture? It may look easy, but it’s really not. Sometimes you are missing a piece and don’t realize it until you’re finished. Other times there are too many parts and pieces to determine where things go and which piece fits with what. How do you even know where to start? Those of you who have tried to build a piece of IKEA furniture know that it can be very overwhelming.
• #5: Having the instructions and a photo of the finished product helps you better understand how the furniture is put together; allows you to be more successful when you work with the individual pieces.
• #6: Having a photo of the finished product is also helpful for mainframe programmers, especially with all of the complexity inherent in mainframe programs and the new expectations and demands that are placed on them.
• #8: Imagine this: You walk into your first day at a new job and you are shown 10,000 lines of code. You’re asked to produce change specifications and estimates; implement changes quickly while reducing complexity and improving the quality of the code The code is incredibly complex and you’ve never seen, let alone worked on, a mainframe before. Plus, these programs don’t have any documentation and have been developed over 20, 30 or even 40 years. All of the experience colleagues at your company have retired. If you aren’t well-versed in the application or platform, this can be a very time-consuming task or lead to inaccurate estimates. So you’ve inherited these programs and are expected to make them work, but you don’t understand how they are built. This can be very daunting and overwhelming. What do you do?
• #10: Now, as you take a look at these five value attributes, the last step of the whiteboard session that you want to conduct with a customer is to basically be able to cut this into two halves. And these two halves focus on what we call Value Today and what we call Essential Tomorrow. The reason why we want to cut this picture in half is because when product management comes in to do a roadmap session with the customer, that roadmap will be broken up into a Value Today segment as well an Essential Tomorrow segment. So by conducting this whiteboard session what you’re going to do is draw a connection between the Mainframe Manifesto to the agreement on behalf of that customer to schedule and arrange a product roadmap session for us. The way you’ll make that connect is through these five value attributes for which product management will actually bring those to life as they actually go through our roadmap which scales the next 18 months.
• #11: Now, as you take a look at these five value attributes, the last step of the whiteboard session that you want to conduct with a customer is to basically be able to cut this into two halves. And these two halves focus on what we call Value Today and what we call Essential Tomorrow. The reason why we want to cut this picture in half is because when product management comes in to do a roadmap session with the customer, that roadmap will be broken up into a Value Today segment as well an Essential Tomorrow segment. So by conducting this whiteboard session what you’re going to do is draw a connection between the Mainframe Manifesto to the agreement on behalf of that customer to schedule and arrange a product roadmap session for us. The way you’ll make that connect is through these five value attributes for which product management will actually bring those to life as they actually go through our roadmap which scales the next 18 months.
• #13: Speaking Points: We are focused on 5 core attributes which drive our product strategy: Application Understanding: which includes things like object visualization and the understanding of your application logic and how that applies to data relationship across your enterprise – a Data GPS if you will to view and understand where data goes to and comes from IP Advancement: the investment you’ve made in Cobol, our support of Cobol 5.1 and enabling those Cobol calls into web services to be available for digital reuse so they are available in digital/mobile application – extending your current application to the new digital economy IP Preservation: Continue to invest and protect your current IP portfolio. Things like inventory control logistics, inventory systems, core banking applications we will continue to keep costs down to preserve that investment Cost/Performance Optimization: Maximizing the performance and the cost of the platform through methods to exploit the platform via specialty engines and reducing costs on workload placement for your 4 hour rolling averages. Enabling our technology with smart metrics that can measure your success in achieving your 4 hour rolling average goals. Usability: Continue to innovate to help you manage the new demographics, skills, expertise and interests of your workforce. Today it may be eclipse, tomorrow it may be Siri….and then virtual reality…this allows you to unify people, systems of record, and overall enterprise business
• #14: Luckily for you, with the introduction of Topaz, Compuware provides a modern tool enabling analysts, programmers and testers to maintain and enhance applications on the mainframe as well as handle data across multiple platforms. With Topaz it is not important to know the mainframe interface, just how to code and test. This allows those working on the mainframe to work in an environment that is more familiar and comfortable to them.
• #19: Topaz allows you to: Understand complex and unfamiliar programs faster Don’t have to read through comments or outdated documentation Don’t need to rely on experts who may no longer be available (retirement) Can visually see how programs are designed and the application logic and dependencies that are inherent in the code Ease the next-generation’s transition to the platform Improve understanding of highly complex applications quickly and in an intuitive way Provide elegant simplicity in design and usability Give them programs that look and feel like the ones they are used to Improve application quality and speed of delivery Produce better change specifications Speed up actual time to change programs Maintain unfamiliar code with confidence Topaz provides current information on a program that is updated based on changes made to the code Extend each program’s value to the company Further leverage mainframe assets Easily identify and remove code flaws and dead code Improve code reviews Instantly see the impact your changes make on the program Creating current documentation for other developers to take over seamlessly as needed
• #20: Topaz allows you to: Understand complex and unfamiliar programs faster Don’t have to read through comments or outdated documentation Don’t need to rely on experts who may no longer be available (retirement) Can visually see how programs are designed and the application logic and dependencies that are inherent in the code Ease the next-generation’s transition to the platform Improve understanding of highly complex applications quickly and in an intuitive way Provide elegant simplicity in design and usability Give them programs that look and feel like the ones they are used to Improve application quality and speed of delivery Produce better change specifications Speed up actual time to change programs Maintain unfamiliar code with confidence Topaz provides current information on a program that is updated based on changes made to the code Extend each program’s value to the company Further leverage mainframe assets Easily identify and remove code flaws and dead code Improve code reviews Instantly see the impact your changes make on the program Creating current documentation for other developers to take over seamlessly as needed
• #21: Topaz allows you to: Understand complex and unfamiliar programs faster Don’t have to read through comments or outdated documentation Don’t need to rely on experts who may no longer be available (retirement) Can visually see how programs are designed and the application logic and dependencies that are inherent in the code Ease the next-generation’s transition to the platform Improve understanding of highly complex applications quickly and in an intuitive way Provide elegant simplicity in design and usability Give them programs that look and feel like the ones they are used to Improve application quality and speed of delivery Produce better change specifications Speed up actual time to change programs Maintain unfamiliar code with confidence Topaz provides current information on a program that is updated based on changes made to the code Extend each program’s value to the company Further leverage mainframe assets Easily identify and remove code flaws and dead code Improve code reviews Instantly see the impact your changes make on the program Creating current documentation for other developers to take over seamlessly as needed
• #22: Topaz allows you to: Understand complex and unfamiliar programs faster Don’t have to read through comments or outdated documentation Don’t need to rely on experts who may no longer be available (retirement) Can visually see how programs are designed and the application logic and dependencies that are inherent in the code Ease the next-generation’s transition to the platform Improve understanding of highly complex applications quickly and in an intuitive way Provide elegant simplicity in design and usability Give them programs that look and feel like the ones they are used to Improve application quality and speed of delivery Produce better change specifications Speed up actual time to change programs Maintain unfamiliar code with confidence Topaz provides current information on a program that is updated based on changes made to the code Extend each program’s value to the company Further leverage mainframe assets Easily identify and remove code flaws and dead code Improve code reviews Instantly see the impact your changes make on the program Creating current documentation for other developers to take over seamlessly as needed
• #23: So now that I’ve gone through my program to make changes, I need to test it. To do so, you need to work with the data that drives the programs you manage. But how do I know which data I need to test? Topaz Enterprise Data allows you to visualize the relationships between data elements in your programs, allowing you to isolate and use the data you need for testing, without everything you don’t.
• #24: Imagine this: You walk into your first day at a new job and you are shown 10,000 lines of code. You’re asked to produce change specifications and estimates; implement changes quickly while reducing complexity and improving the quality of the code The code is incredibly complex and you’ve never seen, let alone worked on, a mainframe before. Plus, these programs don’t have any documentation and have been developed over 20, 30 or even 40 years. All of the experience colleagues at your company have retired. If you aren’t well-versed in the application or platform, this can be a very time-consuming task or lead to inaccurate estimates. So you’ve inherited these programs and are expected to make them work, but you don’t understand how they are built. This can be very daunting and overwhelming. What do you do?
• #25: Imagine this: You walk into your first day at a new job and you are shown 10,000 lines of code. You’re asked to produce change specifications and estimates; implement changes quickly while reducing complexity and improving the quality of the code The code is incredibly complex and you’ve never seen, let alone worked on, a mainframe before. Plus, these programs don’t have any documentation and have been developed over 20, 30 or even 40 years. All of the experience colleagues at your company have retired. If you aren’t well-versed in the application or platform, this can be a very time-consuming task or lead to inaccurate estimates. So you’ve inherited these programs and are expected to make them work, but you don’t understand how they are built. This can be very daunting and overwhelming. What do you do?
• #26: Imagine this: You walk into your first day at a new job and you are shown 10,000 lines of code. You’re asked to produce change specifications and estimates; implement changes quickly while reducing complexity and improving the quality of the code The code is incredibly complex and you’ve never seen, let alone worked on, a mainframe before. Plus, these programs don’t have any documentation and have been developed over 20, 30 or even 40 years. All of the experience colleagues at your company have retired. If you aren’t well-versed in the application or platform, this can be a very time-consuming task or lead to inaccurate estimates. So you’ve inherited these programs and are expected to make them work, but you don’t understand how they are built. This can be very daunting and overwhelming. What do you do?
• #27: Imagine this: You walk into your first day at a new job and you are shown 10,000 lines of code. You’re asked to produce change specifications and estimates; implement changes quickly while reducing complexity and improving the quality of the code The code is incredibly complex and you’ve never seen, let alone worked on, a mainframe before. Plus, these programs don’t have any documentation and have been developed over 20, 30 or even 40 years. All of the experience colleagues at your company have retired. If you aren’t well-versed in the application or platform, this can be a very time-consuming task or lead to inaccurate estimates. So you’ve inherited these programs and are expected to make them work, but you don’t understand how they are built. This can be very daunting and overwhelming. What do you do?
• #28: Imagine this: You walk into your first day at a new job and you are shown 10,000 lines of code. You’re asked to produce change specifications and estimates; implement changes quickly while reducing complexity and improving the quality of the code The code is incredibly complex and you’ve never seen, let alone worked on, a mainframe before. Plus, these programs don’t have any documentation and have been developed over 20, 30 or even 40 years. All of the experience colleagues at your company have retired. If you aren’t well-versed in the application or platform, this can be a very time-consuming task or lead to inaccurate estimates. So you’ve inherited these programs and are expected to make them work, but you don’t understand how they are built. This can be very daunting and overwhelming. What do you do?
• #29: Imagine this: You walk into your first day at a new job and you are shown 10,000 lines of code. You’re asked to produce change specifications and estimates; implement changes quickly while reducing complexity and improving the quality of the code The code is incredibly complex and you’ve never seen, let alone worked on, a mainframe before. Plus, these programs don’t have any documentation and have been developed over 20, 30 or even 40 years. All of the experience colleagues at your company have retired. If you aren’t well-versed in the application or platform, this can be a very time-consuming task or lead to inaccurate estimates. So you’ve inherited these programs and are expected to make them work, but you don’t understand how they are built. This can be very daunting and overwhelming. What do you do?
• #30: Improve code quality Better testing scenarios Simplify task of creating complete data extracts for testing purposes Accurately identify impact of changing a piece of data Reduce project timelines Realize greater productivity from developers and testers who are now autonomous Leverage data for strategic projects Big Data Other analytics projects Less distractions for mainframe-skilled staff
• #31: Improve code quality Better testing scenarios Simplify task of creating complete data extracts for testing purposes Accurately identify impact of changing a piece of data Reduce project timelines Realize greater productivity from developers and testers who are now autonomous Leverage data for strategic projects Big Data Other analytics projects Less distractions for mainframe-skilled staff
• #32: Improve code quality Better testing scenarios Simplify task of creating complete data extracts for testing purposes Accurately identify impact of changing a piece of data Reduce project timelines Realize greater productivity from developers and testers who are now autonomous Leverage data for strategic projects Big Data Other analytics projects Less distractions for mainframe-skilled staff
• #33: Improve code quality Better testing scenarios Simplify task of creating complete data extracts for testing purposes Accurately identify impact of changing a piece of data Reduce project timelines Realize greater productivity from developers and testers who are now autonomous Leverage data for strategic projects Big Data Other analytics projects Less distractions for mainframe-skilled staff
• #34: Photos provide a good roadmap for how to accomplish the things that we need to complete. Whether it be a complex mainframe program or a chair from IKEA.