Jinn of Quality and Risk

Interesting article in today's NYT (link). In my former job I created a few dashboards (which I didn't push hard enough into people's faces, some of them wrongly assuming they already knew everything important).

Some metrics I tracked and summarised included project reviews, internal training programmes, risk assessments, testing and quality trends, and scheduled/completed milestones. I was unfortunately compelled to use a variety of tools, such as Excel, Powerpoint, and HTML pages; the best method of distribution was PDF files, allowing me to gather in one location a coherent snapshot of multiple sources/dashboards. Ideally I would like to use an online tools that others can access (and filter) through an Intranet, regardless of platform and location. This would require being able to import data from a variety of (live) sources, mainly (Excel) spreadsheets and databases. 

There is no mobile phone operator covering this part of Wisconsin (Door County). My newly-acquired airport/802.11b card fails to connect to any network around me. Thus I have no Internet access, and no ability to receive phone calls or check my voice mail. I hope that this will change as soon as I reach Chicago O'Hare, on August 1st.