Clint Covington: Software design, Microsoft Office Access : Personal

Three weeks in the King County Courthouse

Clint Covington — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 16:27:00 GMT

I recently had the opportunity to serve as a juror for 3 weeks in the King County Courthouse. The defendant was a 25-year-old male charged with 13 counts of vehicle theft, possession of meth, bail jumping, trafficking of stolen property, shop lifting, possession of stolen property, and driving on a suspended license.

Serving on a jury is an experience that everyone should have once in their life. I enjoyed watching the wheels of justice grid out a decision and found it enlightening how the justice system functions in the United States. Talking with friends, I have come to appreciate the experience more as many are called but few are chosen. For those of you who haven’t served, here is how my experience went…

Jury Selection

The first day of jury duty about 350 potential jurors are put in a large room, gave a short video presentation about jury duty, and asked us to fill out a quick form that asked for our education and career field. They typically would call 30 jurors and assign each person a number—if a person was not selected to serve, he was sent back to the pool. I knew I was in trouble when assigned juror 8 in a pool of 75 people. We went to the court room where the defendant was sitting with his attorneys and the judge instructed the first 12 people (including me) to take their spot in the jury box—not knowing the charges and seeing a defendant, my pulse quickened. The defendant hadn’t shaved in a few weeks and looked sketchy at best. The mind games were already rolling…

The judge explained the case involved twenty charges mostly involving vehicle theft. She explained the case was likely to take 3 weeks and wanted to know if this introduced an undue hardship on individuals. About one-third of the people were eliminated because they were primary care or income providers and serving would introduce a significant hardship on their family. Nearly all owners of small businesses, mothers, hourly wage earners, and students (needing to make money) were excused. The judge had to bring in an additional 30 jurors candidates people the next morning because of the number of hardships claimed by potential jurors. I knew it wouldn’t be easy to miss 3 weeks from a work perspective (right now is a critical time) but wouldn't be a hardship on my family as Microsoft continues regular salary for employees on jury duty.

Elimination Round

We were left with about 60 potential jurors after the undue hardship elimination round. The judge then explained it was important that we made decisions based on the facts of the case and not be unduly influenced by previous experiences. She asked a number of questions and asked us to raise our number card if the question applied to us. Questions included:

Have you or a close friend had your car stolen?
Have you been a victim of a violent crime?
Do you have relatives that work for law enforcement?
Have you served on a jury before?
Have you been accused of a crime?
Have you been convicted of a crime?

While the questions were being asked the lawyers were writing down jurors numbers for follow up question. Next, the prosecution spent 20 minutes asking jurors to explain their answers to the questions. The defense followed with similar questions probing the backgrounds and biases of potential jurors. They focused on if people could be fair given their past experiences or biases looking at the defendant. A number of people were eliminated because they expressed early biases because of the number of charges—he had to be guilty. One person was eliminated because he said the defendant had "shifty eyes." I couldn’t help but think, if I was on trial—I hoped the members of the jury would give me a fair trial without biases. I didn’t really want to spend the next 3 weeks commuting to downtown Seattle but if selected, would do my best.

After a couple rounds of questioning, the defense asked for about 15 jurors to be excused based on cause. The prosecution agreed on a number of them and deferred to the judge on the remainder. I think about 10 people left the room. Each side was the allowed to excuse 6 jurors. The defense would excuse a person and the prosecution would excuse a person. As holes in the jury box were created people from the jury pool were asked to take their place. The attorneys focused most on people in the jury box. I noticed people that talked a lot during the questioning period were most commonly excused. Once each team had expended their excusals the judge thanked the remain potential jurors and sent them back to the jury pool. Those sitting in the box were officially selected to the jury. We were instructed to not talk about the case with anyone until deliberations.

Testimony Begins

The day after jury selection the defendant returned looking clean cut wearing a sport coat. As the trial progressed his dress code shifted into nice suits. I expect it was a game to weed out members of the jury pool that were inclined to biases based on appearance. As the trial progressed, I expect he tried to change our opinion of him.

Each member of the jury was given a notebook and instructed it was to be left in the jury box but the notebook would be available to to refresh our memory during deliberation. Testimony started off with the prosecution questioning the lead detective about his investigation. Typically, we would show up at 9:00 and enter the court room around 10:00. We would listen to testimony from 10:00 to 11:45 and be excused until 1:30 for lunch. Afternoon testimony would start around 2:15 and last until about 3:45.

Testimony was a long grueling 2 weeks. There were very few made for Law and Order moments that put you on the edge of your seat. Mostly it was police officers testifying about interrogation, stolen vehicle reports, and vehicle recoveries. The prosecution was trying to develop a cadence and rhythm while the defense was constantly trying to disrupt the rhythm. The defendant in our case was accused of stealing late model Toyota Camry’s and driving them for a day and dropping them in mall parking lots. He stole a few things from the cars but basically he was using them as transportation for the day.

We heard testimony from 12 of the 13 people who had their car stolen. It was poignant to see single moms with young children, poor students, and immigrants testify about how their life was disrupted by the crimes of the defendant. Effectively, he was stealing from people that couldn’t afford to have their car unavailable and the impound towing expense.

The investigators in our case read the defendant his rights and then built a relationship. Once he became comfortable they provided him with a list of cars they think he stole and he began to talk. My key lesson—law enforcement officers are trained in interrogation techniques—get an attorney (better yet—don’t put yourself in uncompromising situations).

Deliberation Day

Opening arguments, testimony, and closing arguments lasted about 2.5 weeks. We were instructed that we couldn’t take notes during opening arguments or closing arguments. I remember feeling butterflies in my stomach as the prosecutor made her final remarks—it is a stressful experience to make decisions about how someone will spend the next years of their life... It was a little more troublesome for me to make these decisions not knowing the effects of our decision—as jurors, we were never given information about the sentencing guidelines for the crimes. My wife Taunya astutely pointed out the role of the jury is justice while the judge is empowered to grant mercy.

During the trial I was frustrated that the defendant caused so much fear, internal turmoil and disruption in the lives of the victims. Yet, I felt empathy for this young man (he was 25 years old) and really wished none of this had happened.

The first step in deliberation was to choose a foreman to direct the deliberation process. I was repeatedly asked to take the responsibility. Honestly, I didn’t want the extra stress but agreed to do my best. It was challenging to guide a discussion while sifting through the morass of testimony regarding car owners, pickup locations, recovery locations, dates, times, and officers involved. We had to look at each count and arrive to a unanimous decision based on the evidence.

We first started by going through each charge and summarizing the evidence presented. Some people on the jury felt he was guilty on all counts while others felt compelled to explore each charge. Tension grew as we talked about different sides of the arguments. It took us about 8 hours to condense our notes and summarize each charge on large sheets of paper hung around the room. After our review of each charge and evidence presented we voted on charges that were easy and postponed votes on any charge where jurors had questions. I think we came to quick guilty verdicts on 12 charges. It was liberating to have some many people agree—internally, it help me feel less responsible for sending this young man to prison as it was a collective decision based on the facts of the case and the rules of law.

The hardest charge to deliberate was possession of the addictive drug methamphetamine. He was found with a notebook that had a baggie that typically holds meth. The baggie only contained residue that did test positive in a field and lab tests. The state crime lab person testified he couldn’t weigh the contents even though his machines measured to .001 of a gram. However, we could see the particles. The jury struggled with the charge—did possession of residue constitute possession? Some people felt it was possession while others felt if they couldn’t get a weight it wasn’t possession. We ended up voting 10 guilty and 2 not guilty. I voted guilty but I couldn’t in good conscious try to convince other jurors he was guilty because the charge was such a stretch for me.

In the end, we found the defendant guilty on 16 counts, not guilty on 2 counts, and unable to come to a decision on the meth possession charge. It was a strange feeling for the bailiff to read the decisions and watch the defendant process the impact. As we walked out of the door, he looked at me directly and gave an approving expression and nod of the head.

I appreciated the experience but there isn’t anything positive that comes out of a criminal trial (outside of removing a criminal from the streets). I felt bad for the young man who was heading to prison and worse for the victims who were violated. I feel privileged to live in a country where people have a right to a trial by jury and court appointed attorneys if they can't afford their own legal council. In my case process certainly wasn't the most efficient operation but it seemed to be designed to give the defendant every opportunity to prove their innocence.

10 ways to get better gas mileage

Clint Covington — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 16:10:00 GMT

The last couple days I have started driving differently after reading an article on msn about Get 50 mpg -- in your own car. The article provides advice for wring out the last little bit of distance from your tank of gas by following 10 tips from hypermilers (the art of wringing every ounce of fuel efficiency).

Brake sparingly
To idle is to sin
Speed kills
Avoid the big chill (cars are more efficient when they are hot)
Beware of drag
Lose weight (take unused stuff out of the trunk and back seat)
Pay attention to load
Be not a hare (the best mpg is had at relatively low rpm levels)
Setup for success (max tire pressure, use synthetic oil, regular tune-ups)
Drive the speed limit or slightly slower on the freeway

Off topic for this blog? Yep, but I love ideas that have the potential to change behavior--these ideas certianly did for me. In today's climate change world, using less gas seems like a good thing. Besides, can't we all use a little extra cash given today's gas prices!

Resume best practices revealed

Clint Covington — Sun, 13 May 2007 08:01:00 GMT

Over the past 6 months, I reviewed an overwhelming number of resumes from jobseekers interested in joining my team. After a exhaustive search, we’re excited to have found a great fit for the team – Ryan from M7 Database.

During the process of identifying candidates with potential, I was most surprised at how quickly jobseekers disqualified themselves from the selection process. Like most managers at MS, I'm busy, and simply do not have time to give all interested candidates an interview. It was clear to me that jobseekers that made an effort to position themselves as a qualified candidate, based on the job description, had a significant advantage in moving forward in the hiring process. One of the top requirements for my Program Manager position is an intense focus on understanding customer needs. The first communication from a jobseeker to the hiring manager is a critical part of the interview. For this job, I was the customer. Did the jobseeker understand my needs?

As many of you know, my wife Taunya has a small business that provides professional services including resumes and cover letters and small business marketing. Her email is filled with varying degrees of resume brilliance from contractors to executives. We recently coalesced our experiences into a list of resume best practices that will increase a jobseeker’s probability of securing “the” interview.

I know the resume tips aren’t specific to Access; however, I think this information is super helpful to readers thinking about the next step in their careers. Enjoy!

Clint

The original is published here.

Effective Resumes and Cover Letters

Content doesn’t align with phase of career

A resume update involves modeling content to align with the next phase of a jobseeker’s career. The appropriate content sets the stage for the most advantageous compensation and leveling for the jobseeker.

The following are basic career phases with resume content guidelines:

Phase 1, Entry-level: Academic career is the foundation of experience. Resume consists of the skills, aptitude, and ambition that the jobseeker brings to an organization.
Phase 2, Tactical Implementer: Mastery of tasks and process. Resume consists of areas of expertise and responsibilities grouped by a variety of functional or discipline roles. Achievements are represented as individual and team-based success.
Phase 3, Strategic Advisor: Ability to meaningfully contribute to business impact at a high-level and/or across groups. Content focus is on senior management or executive achievements.

Content doesn’t align with a single job function

A jobseeker that plans to target multiple job functions needs multiple resumes. For example, the core competencies for a Program Manager may be customer connection, planning and organizing, and cross-group collaboration. A PM jobseeker that is interested in transitioning to Sales Manager, may lead with customer connection in the new resume; however, should adapt the entire resume to spotlight new competencies like drive for results and communication skills.

Jobseekers that have an interest in making a career change may lack a key core competency of a job function. This is an opportunity to express aptitude and interest in cultivating a new competency. I worked with a Software Design Engineer in Test that was interested in transitioning to a Program Manager role. While he had many of the core skills requirements, he lacked one of the key competencies: user experience design.

Qualifications Summary
Web services expertise with the ability to translate technical concepts for a variety of audiences. Creative problem solver, exceptional communication skills, and adept at quickly grasping complex projects. Ability to build consensus across teams. Interested in cultivating user experience and technical design expertise.

The jobseeker was transparent about his competency, and the hiring manager determined the applicant had enough of the requirements to move forward with an interview loop. (This jobseeker nailed the interview questions and was hired).

Too long

Anything longer than two pages signals the need for a word count diet. The most relevant experience is typically the most recent. For a Phase 2 or 3 career, evaluate areas to cut from Phase 1. Only include early work history experience if it provides unique experience that is not represented in later experience and that is relevant to the jobseeker’s future career direction. For a Phase 2 jobseeker, replace academic content (i.e. coursework, school projects, clubs) for on-the-job experience.

Lack of evidence

Big claims without adequate support (i.e. metrics, rankings, results, and awards) lacks credibility and usefulness. If in the Summary of Qualifications are unsupported claims – words like skilled, adept, savvy, and expert, it’s important that examples of contribution and measures of success be included in either the Summary, Achievements, and/or Experience sections. For senior management/executive resumes, evidence is more important than an overview of responsibilities.

Personal interests without purpose

A personal section should only be included if outside interests represent you professionally. For example, if a job function includes teamwork, list team- or group-based activities. Personal information creates an opportunity for a jobseeker to make a personal connection during the interview process.

Caution: I had a client tell me that he really liked to “spelunk”. I added this to the resume because it demonstrated a sense of adventure in an otherwise ordinary list of interests. Someone on his interview loop took him as foolish because the authentic enthusiast calls the activity “caving”. The interviewer happed to be a world-class caver. Had my client really been a “caver”, he could have had an instant personal connection with someone on the team.

One final note. If you don’t plan to converse with co-workers about your personal interests, chances are that they’re really private interests and should be kept private.

Blah formatting

More often than not, the resumes that we receive are formatted with Courier or Times New Roman fonts. Since the bulk of our clients are Microsoft employees and Microsoft contract staff, we tap into the new “C” family of fonts that represent innovation in readability and design.

There are so elements that factor into effective formatting. Key requirements include adequate margins, and appropriate emphasis with font effects that are easy on the eye.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Most frequently asked question: "Is a cover letter really necessary?"

The short answer is, yes.

A jobseeker that desires to interview for either an internal or external position is willing to demonstrate willingness to research and package content for a busy hiring manager. An effective cover letter/introduction grabs the attention of the hiring manager and sparks interest learning more about the jobseeker.

A generic cover letter is not an effective tool for the savvy jobseeker. While a resume is specific to a job function, the cover letter/introduction email is specific to a job description. The job description serves as a checklist for introduction email content. The email “covers” all the job requirements, with specific examples from the jobseeker’s work history.

Like any well-written product marketing piece, the email concludes with a call to action -- the jobseeker requests the next step in the hiring process, such as an informational interview, interview loop or recruiter screening call.

Toyota business lessons about humility, elegant solutions, and simplicity

Clint Covington — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 18:24:00 GMT

I came across a couple of good articles about Toyota improving its designs and innovation process. Business Week, for example, recently published "Fighting to Stay Humble".

"To be satisfied with becoming the top runner, and to become arrogant, is the path we must be most fearful of,"

That shakeup gives Watanabe a fleeting feeling of satisfaction. "There's been improvement," he says. "Big-company disease' has been receding." But then the self-congratulation is over. "There are so many challenges we need to address," he says. "Problems must be made visible."

Love the line about arrogance! When you become arrogant--you stop listening to colleagues and customers because you think that you know best.

At Microsoft, I have access to the service, GetAbstract. It provides a five-page abstract on top books based on my personal preferences. Great service for someone that prefers to design software and blog :-) The last book abstract that I read was, The Elegant Solution, by Matthew May. Sakichi Toyota founded Toyota based on the philosopy of,

"...not seek new 'gadgets' or technological frills. Instead, he sought 'ingenuity in craft,' ways to perfect his work and make his innovations fit their social context, so he could manufacture things that people wanted.

The abstract summarizes the book with the following statement:

"Get everyone in your organization to be devoted to coming up with new ways to do things and serve customers better. Think like Toyota: don’t seek the single big idea that changes everything. Instead, look for 'the elegant solution – the singular and deceptively simple idea with huge impact.'

My father is a blue collar worker who constantly looks for a better way to do anything. He recently "retired" after 30 years as as a diesel mechanic for Yellow Freight to be a journeyman carpenter and builds water towers (I think he is a crazy tough old man!). Anytime I talk to him about his work, he tells me about his latest way of doing things better. At Yellow Freight he found new ways to optimize the job, cut costs, and work faster. Some of his co-workers didn't like his ambition because he cut down on their overtime hours. I know that his attention to detail and constant drive to improve quality was respected and appreciated by managers. One day I will write a blog about the good ideas Larry contributed to Yellow Freight.

Additionally, anyone can participate in finding "the elegant solution." It takes a individual mindset that is cultivated by strong hiring and leadership. Good organizations internalize it and reward people for taking risks and searching for better ways.

The abstract lists 10 rules to guide innovation. The last rule is my favorite:

Keep It Lean. Many companies assume that “more is better.” They add options and features, making products hard to use and burying their core functions. Instead, keep solutions lean. Focus on fulfilling customer desires and refuse to add anything else.

I have blogged about this before. Keeping things simple is hard. It is always more interesting to add a new feature than go back and fix a broken design that has been around from the beginning.

Protecting our children - a letter from Luke Chung

Clint Covington — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 10:29:00 GMT

Some of you might know Luke Chung, the president of FMS and popular speaker at Access conferences. He sent me a letter last week that I wanted to share with my blog friends. This doesn't relate to technology or Microsoft Access but as a father, I think it is an important message.

____________________________________________________________

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the impersonal nature of this blind CC email, but I have an important message I wanted to share with you as a parent.

This past November, I had the honor of meeting John Walsh, the host of the TV show America's Most Wanted and founder of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (www.ncmec.org). He's also the father of Adam Walsh who was 6 years old when he was kidnapped and killed in 1981. John turned that tragedy into a crusade to help victims and put some really bad people away. We had a nice conversation and I wanted to help. In December, I visited the headquarters of NCMEC in Alexandria, VA, met with their president Ernie Allen and some of his managers. This past week, I visited again with my managers and learned more about the challenges they face from the people doing the actual analysis.

It's been a very moving experience to tour their offices and see what they do on a daily basis in conjunction with law enforcement agencies. Visiting their call center, I eavesdropped on some conversations where I could only hear one side. I can't even begin to imagine how desperate the parent on the other end of the line must be when reporting and describing their missing child. Thank goodness this organization exists because prior to John Walsh's efforts, most police forces didn't know how to search for missing children or communicate across jurisdictions, and the FBI tracked stolen property but not missing people.

As you may know, over the past few years my firm has helped intelligence analysts in the area of counter-terrorism fighting against those who seek to destroy our civilization. Unfortunately, there are some very evil people right here preying on our children. NCMEC helps find missing children and puts pedophiles away. They are a non-profit and congressionally funded organization to be the clearinghouse for missing children. It's a very noble cause and I'm looking forward to helping them technologically as we have with the war on terror.

Having learned what I have over the past few months, I would be remiss to not share it with you. Here are some resources:

The NCMEC website offers a lot of information on protecting and educating our children: http://www.ncmec.org
It's also important to teach the distinction of strangers approaching children vs. the need to approach strangers in emergency situations, since most adults will help.
Educating children about safety on the Internet: http://www.netsmartz.org
Finally, here's a site that with maps showing registered sex offenders in your neighborhood and near your schools: http://www.familywatchdog.us/

Some say the statistics show these crimes aren't necessarily increasing in number and that it's a lot of media hype. I don’t know if that's true. But as a statistician, I do know that if it strikes your family, statistics don't matter. Fact is, there are close to a million convicted sex offenders in public and over 100,000 of them who are supposed to be registered are missing, not to mention those who haven't been convicted. I don't want to make you paranoid because the odds are still very low, but common sense precautions are worth taking. With the recent craziness in Missouri, Florida, California, Utah, etc., this problem exists everywhere, and hopefully we can all help protect our children and communities better.

I hope this has been helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best wishes,

Luke Chung

I'm thinking about a Samsung BlackJack

Clint Covington — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 09:10:00 GMT

I'm joining my wife's Cingular plan and need to get a new phone. The IPhone looks very cool but I have concerns about it running on the slower GSM network and the durability of the case. The Samsung BlackJack looks pretty slick and I wouldn't get harassed around campus for packing an IPhone. Here is a pretty good blog post about it.

http://crunchgear.com/2006/11/13/cingular-blackjack-review/

Anyone tried the phone?

I have a new job

Clint Covington — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 17:36:00 GMT

In January 1998, I joined Microsoft as the ship PM for Access 97 SP1. My career has gone on to include working on Access and 2002 data access pages, SharePoint extensibility and the Web Part Framework, and most recently, Access 2007. IMHO Access 2007 is the most innovative release in years, and lays the foundation for the future as people create better and more manageable applications. Furthermore, the release team is what I believe to be the most talented, dedicated, and passionate about technology in all of Office.

At the end of every release cycle, Microsoft encourages employees to talk with new teams and to think about career development. Cross pollination of talent between teams is a vital ingredient to how we build products that work together. During this process, I have concluded that it is time for me to grow in new ways and have joined a new team in the same Office organization. The team includes server technologies that involve Excel Services, SharePoint, and Office Live. I can't discuss much of what we will be doing, but can let you know that I will spend lots of time with the Excel Service that ships today in Microsoft Office SharePoint Services (MOSS). I will also work to improve scenarios where data is hosted by Office Live and consumed inside Access and Excel. My Access background will be useful as we continue to make our products work better together and allow people to build useful data applications.

Working with the Access community has been lots of fun. One thing is for sure—Access developers are passionate about the product. I want to thank everyone for the friendship and constructive feedback and input over the years. It sure is rewarding to see people do amazing things with the product.

The future of Access is very bright. The team has lots of great ideas that will excite end users, power users, and serve developers. Nearly all members of the team elected to stay on for the next release—which is really a great thing for the product. Internally, there is lots of excitement about the future of Access and enabling developers to build better applications.

I will continue to blog about UI design, application development, Access, and other topics but likely less often for the next few months as my new team finishes prototypes, the vision, and begin writing specs.

Again, thanks for the friendship and contribution to what makes Access so great today!

Up to my neck in sand

Clint Covington — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 21:57:00 GMT

If you are strolling down a sandy beach on a remote island and come across someone being buried up to their neck in sand by two beautiful little girls, it is likely me. Take a minute to introduce yourself but don’t bring up Microsoft Office Access because I’m on vacation. It was a long hard release and I’m looking forward to some relaxation before the storm of planning for Office 14.

I will be back in a week or so.

Later!

Office Live and my wife's resume service home business

Clint Covington — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 18:38:00 GMT

Three years ago my wife Taunya retired from Microsoft (she worked in Corp Analysis Relations) to pursue a new career -- mom. She has certainly found the experience rewarding and a great opportunity to develop the mind of a precocious young lady. Six months ago, we added to her workload with another beautiful little girl. Over the last couple months, the fog has started to clear as we both are getting good sleep. Over the years, Taunya has helped countless friends and family polish their resume and position themselves to take the next step in their career. It was always a rewarding experience to hear people so thankful for the services she provided. It is even more rewarding to hear about their new jobs, different career paths, and exciting financial changes to their lives.

Several months ago, a relative encouraged his office mate to pay Taunya to fix his resume. She did her usual magic and he sent her a small PayPal payment. Taunya enjoyed writing again and the experience of helping someone move their career forward. She didn't want to give up her most important job of playing with the girls, but started thinking about what would be involved to set up a small business that would give her something interesting to do when the kids were napping or after they went to bed. The idea of writing resumes fit all her parameters perfectly as she only had to accept jobs as she had time available. Her clients are flexible and simply appreciate the great work she does.

After jumping through the hoops of setting up an LLC (Secretary of State, City of Kirkland and IRS), she went about setting up her business using Office Live to find an available domain name and create a web presence (http://www.branecompany.com). Setting up the domain and working through the site creation was unbelievably easy. She really loves the instant email account and domain email addresses feature. She sent email to friends and family telling them about her new company and requested reference quotes from them. She used Publisher 2007 to create a business identity (cards, letterhead, notecards, and a flyer that I dropped around the Office and Windows buildings telling people about her new service). She uses DRM technology to send her clients a draft resume if she hasn’t received payment.

Business is really, really good. She gets a new resume job every day and makes between $129 to $495 for each job (depending on the amount of work needed). Taunya really enjoys working with people to articulate their experience and open new opportunities in their life. It is funny—she loves looking at her site traffic report. She gets excited when 4 people visit her site in a day. She hasn’t bought any search engine key words yet, as the referral network is keeping her busy (likely something she will do in the future if business slows down and we need some extra cash for Dora the Explorer gear for the girls J).She doesn’t expect to get rich from her resume hobby.

Kudos to the Office Live team for creating such a great tool that allows Taunya to project a business image that reflects her high quality of work. We both think the Office Live team is doing a great job nailing the requirements of a small business owner. She is really looking forward to the new site development tools and advertising services in Office Live 1.5 that is about to be released.

My blogging frequency

Clint Covington — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 10:30:00 GMT

I haven't posted much for a while--things on the Access team have been really busy. My team has been working on generating lots of new templates which has really kept me busy. I'm going to make a effort to post a little more to this blog and try to keep people updated on new content that is coming available. We are getting really close to finishing Office 2007 and have a bunch of articles and templates in the cue. I also have some Access form design ideas I would like to get out to you all.

Stay tune and hopefully, I will be around a bit more.

Clint

Little about me...

Clint Covington — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 21:17:00 GMT

Aloha! I’m heading on vacation to Hawaii today, but I thought I would get this blog started. I can’t tell you how much fun I’m having re-inventing Access. When we started this release two years ago, the team did lots of research about how people used the product, what they accomplished, and how it impacted business. It was amazing to me the types of applications people created – time cards, sales leads, even refugee tracking. What was also interesting was the number of applications customers weren’t able to create. This release is all about enabling many more people to create applications that track information. Before I tell you about me—let me explain why I’m excited about Access 12.

As a prelude to Access 12, a few months ago I became frustrated with the quality of templates that were on Office Online. We hired a contractor to quickly facelift 12 templates and create a new Issues Tracking database. The templates were published on August 17^th, and since that time they have had over ½ million hits, 130,000 downloads, and an average rating of 4.1. Last year we had over 1.4 million template downloads from Office Online.

From this experience, we learned there is a tremendous interest by Office users to quickly start using an application. Access 12 will offer new templates in the Getting Started experience. We will also create a bunch of new templates that are completely re-designed with easy to extend schemas that people can use to quickly start tracking data.

Office "12" Access Screenshot.

High-res version.

The process of building these templates has been one of the best things that ever happened to the team. Early on, Tim (our Einstein coder PM) spent almost two months flushing out a really good template for issues tracking—far better than what was on Office Online. We refined the design and user experience and analyzed all the areas were people had to write code. Kelly (our usability guru) tested the template with lots of new Access users. The user experience and design of this template drove priorities on the team so that we could build that template without having to write a line of code. Out of that design, we came up with a date picker, rich text control, behavior for typing a new item into a combo box, extensions to macros, attachments to a record, appending comments to a notes field, control anchoring, and many other features.

The templates we have in the works—are really coming along. End users will find them easy to use while developers will appreciate how much more quickly they can build powerful applications.

Little about me—I’m from a small town and grew up on a pig, goat, and mink farm. By the age of 16, I’d learned the value of hard work and that farming wasn’t my gig. After grad school, an entrepreneurial venture in instructional software, and design work on a sales automation application, I joined Microsoft in early 1998 as a ship PM for Access 97 SP 1 (that was a great release). I was the lead UI designer for the Data Access Page designer—yeah, DAPs weren’t the most popular piece of code written at Microsoft, but I learned a lot doing it. In Office 2003 I was a lead program manager on the web part framework team. We built the web part infrastructure and page customization in Windows SharePoint Services (WSS). After shipping WSS, I have been totally focused on making Access a great platform for developers and easy to use for end users – a project that I’ve discovered is in many ways like goat farming.

It is a privilege to work with such a talented group of people on the Access team. If you haven’t looked at Access for a while—the work we are doing in 12 is worth a second look.

Mahalo!