原来在微软中国技术中心（CTC）的时候，有个George Zhang(张帜？)，他有个著名的总结报告开场白和结束语：每个人都有事做，每件事都有人做。成为部门经典，每次他上台，大家都开始一起背。当然，如果从执行力的角度来说，有专家会加上：Do the right things, do the things right。

不顾那种说法，我每周的一大任务就是：确保每个虚拟团队的人都在做该做的事，同时上周安排的事都如期完成。如有困难，有问题，我们就要第一时间知道，并争取解决。但我不断提醒自己：尽量不要开大会，尽量开小会。就是不要每周我来两天都在开大会，那就没有时间干活了。

这一周，进度非常好，非常满意。许多要调研、或查找的技术难点都完成了。如果一直这样，我们一定能顺利完成。我只有一点提醒大家，在我们查找技术资料时，一定不要光从技术人员的角的来看问题，而是要从用户、从团队整个整体来看。

举具体的例子来说: 比如微软Sharepoint中Web Part技术配置问题，不仅要了解技术上如何实现，还要想到用户（医生、护士）如何能接受，使用？也要想到如何和其他团队成员的工作结合，比如登录，数据连接，运维监管等等。

接下来，这一周的重头戏是整体项目规划的开始。我们不得不开大会了。通过MindManager来做Brainstorming，从上到下，发散思维的方式，先将工作大致归纳出一张大表，然后分优先级，最后导出到微软Project（项目管理软件）。也大致将团队分工，每个人的下一周工作就包括将每一项细分，估计工作量。我要求细分到一天或更小的单位，这样才能从下到上来精确估算工作量。（请看我关于思维导图与Mind Manager的相关文章）。

另：这一周人员确认，原来的PM还是不愿意来。由一个售前架构师来代替（兼）。在失望之余，反而有其他好处，就是打破了市场部与开发部的隔离状况，更好的满足顾客与市场需求。对公司来说，今后的团队组织定位需要领导在斟酌；但对我来说，虽然少了一个人头，却也算因祸得福，至少利大于弊。这可不是我的阿Q精神，自我安慰，对于任何公司，特别是做行业的公司，开发团队能跟接近市场、接近用户，都是一个强大的竞争优势。

新闻来源: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2008/nov08/11-05bizspark.mspx

简讯：微软开始一项BizSpark计划，对创业三年以内，营业额低于1百万美元的公司提供免费软件！希望该计划在中国也能实施。

Microsoft BizSpark Puts Startups on the Path to Business Success

Easy access to software, support and market visibility with no upfront costs gives startups the boost they need, when they need it most

Related Links

Press Releases:

•Microsoft Jumpstarts Global Entrepreneurs with BizSpark – Nov. 5, 2008

Microsoft Resources:

•Microsoft BizSpark Site

Other Resources:

•ZocDoc Web site

Microsoft BizSpark--Meet the Startups: Entrepreneurs from technology startups discuss how BizSpark has helped them build their startup businesses.

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SAN FRANCISCO — Nov. 5, 2008 — When it comes to successful technology ventures, some of the biggest in history started in garages and apartments in Silicon Valley.

The region’s celebrated reputation for entrepreneurship offered a fitting backdrop for Microsoft’s announcement of Microsoft BizSpark, a program designed to give young companies a boost at a time when credit and funding are more difficult to come by. The worldwide launch of Biz Spark was announced this week at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco.

The program targets early stage software startups, with resources including access to Microsoft platform software and development tools with no upfront costs. The program will also provide access to technical support and marketing visibility from Microsoft, as well as support through a select group of network partners – industry associations, government agencies, university incubators and investors – chartered with advancing entrepreneurialism.

To share more details about BizSpark, PressPass spoke with Dan’l Lewin, corporate vice president for Strategic and Emerging Business Development at Microsoft, along with Nick Ganju, founder and chief technical officer of ZocDoc, a site that helps consumers find a dentist or doctor online. ZocDoc is a year-old Web service that just announced a new round of Series A funding from some of technology’s most prominent investors, including Khosla Ventures, Bezos Expeditions (the personal investment company of Jeff Bezos), and Marc Benioff.

PressPass: First off, can you give us a little more detail on BizSpark and what the program is designed to do?

Lewin: BizSpark is a global program designed to help accelerate the success of entrepreneurs and early stage startups. It provides fast, easy access to full-featured Microsoft development tools and server products. It was developed with the life cycle of the startup in mind so there are no upfront costs and minimal eligibility requirements. Based on our research and feedback from the startup community, we think it provides a very compelling opportunity to help get startups off the ground.

The program is supported by a global network of organizations such as economic development agencies, university incubators, hosters and investors. These include the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), European Business Angel Network (EBAN) and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE). These organizations provide guidance, mentorship and resources to help drive startup success. 

We’re also launching the BizSpark DB at www.MicrosoftStartupZone.com/bizsparkdb.com, where we will promote startups that are developing innovative software applications

Nick Ganju, Founder and Chief Technical Officer of ZocDoc, a company that has benefited from Microsoft’s BizSpark program.

Click for hi-res version

around the world. This will be a place for startups to get visibility with an audience of potential investors, clients, partners and peers. Through our global presence and our ecosystem of partners, we’re in a great position to help bring attention to some of the great innovation happening in the marketplace.

PressPass: How do those elements apply to emerging businesses in particular?

Ganju: The cost of software is a significant investment even for a well-established company. When you start a technology business on your dining room table, saving thousands on software is really a make or break proposition. You don’t have the money to license high-end software or hire consultants to come in and set up databases.

So to have a program like this, which provides access to the highest level of products such as SQL Server Enterprise or Windows Server 2008, really is a fantastic benefit. It erases the biggest barrier between a true enterprise software suite like Microsoft offers, versus an open source or other technology. We can truly run our business on the latest Microsoft technologies, for three years, at no cost. It’s good news for a developer and entrepreneur like me.

Lewin: Startups need solid technology platforms, technical support and visibility to develop and grow their businesses. We believe that BizSpark addresses these three needs and brings value to software entrepreneurs, especially through the guidance and mentorship that our Network Partners provide.

PressPass: What are the advantages to working with Microsoft?

Ganju: Microsoft software is easy to set up. With some of the open source software there are a lot of back-end “config” files, all of which must be set up manually. With Microsoft, it just works. So there’s no beating it in terms of setup and configuration, especially when you’re a startup and doing all that yourself.

Microsoft also works equally well for desktop and Web applications. We knew we had to write both, because the doctors needed desktop applications to configure their ZocDoc times on a day-to-day basis. Evaluating the different platforms, we looked at Ruby, Java, and others, and they were adequate for the Web, but their desktop solutions didn’t look good. Writing in C# and ASP.NET, we’re able to get good looking and responsive desktop applications, as well as full-fledged capabilities for the Web.

Dan’l Lewin, Corporate Vice President for Strategic and Emerging Business Development at Microsoft.

Click for hi-res version

PressPass: How is ZocDoc involved with BizSpark?

Ganju: Microsoft approached us about this program recently and gave us early access to the BizSpark website, where we could download and implement software like SQL Server 2008 or Team Foundation server software we could not afford before.

All of our development team members now have access to MSDN, and we will be featured as the most innovative startup of the week on BizSpark DB. That level of support would not be feasible with an open source solution. It just doesn’t exist.

PressPass: How does BizSpark fit into Microsoft’s overall strategy to support emerging businesses?

Lewin: Microsoft has been committed to helping developers succeed from day one – our first product was BASIC. We have programs and tools for a wide variety of developers across a broad range of technologies and markets. Developers are the engine that drives the software economy, which in turn creates value for society at large. The more we see innovation, new partners and new software companies coming into the market, the healthier the software economy is as a whole.

In my eight years with Microsoft, we have greatly enhanced the value and depth of our partnerships with entrepreneurs. Our programs range from DreamSpark, for students and universities, to the Startup Accelerator program for VC-backed startups. We also support global innovation centers around the world, and we continue to work with governments and universities on encouraging and mentoring entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Microsoft has always been committed to developers, and today’s startups represent the next generation of partners for Microsoft. Many successful companies have developed using Microsoft platforms: MySpace.com, OpenTable.com, Loopt, Jajah, Imeem, Plenty of Fish, Miyowa in France, WAYN.com in the UK. BizSpark builds on this strong history of supporting software entrepreneurs.

PressPass: What happens after three years of participation in BizSpark?

Ganju: After three years, when ZocDoc will be a much larger company, we’ll be in a much better position to invest in Microsoft software. We think ZocDoc has great potential and is going to be part of a giant market. Microsoft is helping us get to that point, beginning to pay the licensing fees after three years is not just fair, it’s generous. Software costs represent less than 10 percent of our overall hosting costs. We will not take a significant hit in our P&L. It is a very fair deal.

Lewin: After exiting the program, startups will keep the perpetual licenses for all the development and design tools. To continue to receive updates to the tools and the development platform, the startup can renew its MSDN subscription. To continue to use the production licenses, startups may choose to take advantage of a licensing program such as Microsoft’s Services Provider License Agreement program (or other Microsoft licensing programs that may be available at the time), but are in no way obliged to do so.

Additionally, we will make sure that all partners get a smooth transition from BizSpark to a traditional Microsoft partner program, which is widely recognized as one of the best in the industry.

With three years to get their business going without worrying about software costs, we hope these young companies can concentrate on what we all want — building successful and sustainable businesses.

PressPass: How can companies get started with BizSpark?

Lewin: Startups can enroll in BizSpark through a Network Partner. If they are not already engaged with a Network Partner, they can go to Microsoft.com/BizSpark and we will help them to find one or connect them with a designated Microsoft Employee who can help them enroll.

To get more information about the program, Startups can go to MicrosoftStartupZone.com.

URL： http://vincentyang.cn/blogs/vincentyang/archive/2008/11/05/626.aspx

前天，和一个朋友探讨架构师培训问题，甚欢。又一次提起以前推荐过的这篇文章：

架构师必读：A Comparison of the Top Four Enterprise-Architecture Methodologies （URL：http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb466232.aspx）

这篇文章以及其他许多关于架构的文章登在以下两个主站点，正式推荐一下：

MSDN Architecture Center（URL：  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/architecture/default.aspx）

Learn Architecture （URL： http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/architecture/cc511514.aspx）

讲到这，不觉对自己讥笑一把：都离开微软了，还这么。。。 呵呵，想起几个月前，和莫老师（一个我很推崇的SOA大师）彼此自嘲的境界：

中国那么多兵器你不学，偏学剑；

上剑不学学下剑；

下剑招式那么多，你学醉剑；

铜剑铁剑你不学，去学银剑！

终于，你练成了武林绝学：醉银剑！

最后达到人剑合一的境界－－－剑人

嗨，我可能没救了。呵呵。。。

莫老师，你是不是开始一飞冲天了？

URL： http://vincentyang.cn/blogs/vincentyang/archive/2008/11/01/618.aspx