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  • What is agility in software engineering?

    Change is the most common attribute of this world. Nothing always remains similar for the entire period of time, although minor in some cases but a change is compulsory. In the field of software engineering this word “Change” plays a significant role because the user’s requirement does not always remain the same.

    A software requires change when the user’s requirement is changed. “Agility” is the term in software engineering that is related to change,  that is effective (rapid and adaptive) response to change.
    In order to response to change effectively there must be effective communication between all the stakeholders. Here I should clear one point, that stakeholders means all those people who are involved in the development of a software, e.g. analyst, designer, programmer and etc. In agility drawing the customer onto the team that is working on the software is very necessary and for that a team should be organised; that includes all the skilled and professional people so that it is in control of the work performed. Dissatisfaction with the overheads involved in software design methods of the 1980s and 1990s led to the creation of agile methods.

    The agile methods are given below:

    • Focus of the software engineer should be on the code instead of design
    • Agility should be based on the interactive approach to software development.
    • The method of agility is intended to work on the software efficiently and quickly and deliver the project as early as possible because delivery of the software in time helps the team to meet the changing requirements.

    In agile software development, there are some principles that are to be followed:

    • Satisfaction of the customer should be the highest priority of a software engineer and this goal can be achieved by early and nonstop deliveries of the valuable software.
    • A software engineer should welcome the change requirements open heartedly from the customer.
    • Software developers and the business people should work together with effective co-ordination
    • There should be face-to-face communication among all the stakeholders
    • Non-stop attention should be given to the technical work and to the design of software. This helps in enhancing agility.
    • Simplicity should be followed and complexity should be avoided because it is not necessary that the customer always will be a technical person. Complexity can cause various problems for a non-technical customer

    A team that is involved in the software development should have creative thinking. A team should be always busy in thinking that how they (as a team) can become more and more effective. We all know that agile methods are so effective but there are some problems through which a software development team undergoes in agile methods, like: I

    It can be very complex task to keep the interest of the customer especially when the customer is non-technical

    Maintenance of simplicity requires some extra amount of work

    Setting priorities for changes can be very difficult when there are multiple stakeholders

    Team members may be unsuited to the intense involvement that characterises agile methods.

    To follow the principles to agility is very necessary for a software development team in order to achieve the best results. A team should always try to overcome these problems in agility. The quality of a software engineer to give quick and effective response to change can lead any software engineer to the steps of success.

  • Humans cause climate change 170 times faster than natural forces

    For the first time, researchers have developed a mathematical equation to describe the impact of human activity on the earth, finding people are causing the climate to change 170 times faster than natural forces. The equation was developed in conjunction with Professor Will Steffen, a climate change expert and researcher at the Australian National University, and was published in the journal The Anthropocene Review. The authors of the paper wrote that for the past 4.5bn years astronomical and geophysical factors have been the dominating influences on the Earth system. The Earth system is defined by the researchers as the biosphere, including interactions and feedbacks with the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere and upper lithosphere. But over the past six decades human forces “have driven exceptionally rapid rates of change in the Earth system,” the authors wrote, giving rise to a period known as the Anthropocene. “Human activities now rival the great forces of nature in driving changes to the Earth system,” the paper said. Steffen and his co-researcher, Owen Gaffney, from the Stockholm Resilience Centre, came up with an “Anthropocene Equation” to determine the impact of this period of intense human activity on the earth. Explaining the equation in New Scientist, Gaffney said they developed it “by homing in on the rate of change of Earth’s life support system: the atmosphere, oceans, forests and wetlands, waterways and ice sheets and fabulous diversity of life”.“For four billion years the rate of change of the Earth system has been a complex function of astronomical and geophysical forces plus internal dynamics: Earth’s orbit around the sun, gravitational interactions with other planets, the sun’s heat output, colliding continents, volcanoes and evolution, among others,” he wrote. “In the equation, astronomical and geophysical forces tend to zero because of their slow nature or rarity, as do internal dynamics, for now. All these forces still exert pressure, but currently on orders of magnitude less than human impact.” According to Steffen these forces have driven a rate of change of 0.01 degrees Celsius per century. Greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans over the past 45 years, on the other hand, “have increased the rate of temperature rise to 1.7 degrees Celsius per century, dwarfing the natural background rate,” he said. This represented a change to the climate that was 170 times faster than natural forces. “We are not saying the astronomical forces of our solar system or geological processes have disappeared, but in terms of their impact in such a short period of time they are now negligible compared with our own influence,” Steffen said. “Crystallising this evidence in the form of a simple equation gives the current situation a clarity that the wealth of data often dilutes. “What we do is give a very specific number to show how humans are affecting the earth over a short timeframe. It shows that while other forces operate over millions of years, we as humans are having an impact at the same strength as the many of these other forces, but in the timeframe of just a couple of centuries. “The human magnitude of climate change looks more like a meteorite strike than a gradual change.” Gaffney and Steffen wrote that while the Earth system had proven resilient, achieving millions of years of relative stability due to the complex interactions between the Earth’s core and the biosphere, human societies would be unlikely to fare so well. Failure to reduce anthropological climate change could “trigger societal collapse”, their research concluded.

  • 32nd IEEEP NESC 2017 Change with out-of-box approach only: Dale Sinkler

    Lack of coordination among developmental organizations is a major handicap, points out Arif Hassan

    Chief Operating Officer (Generation and Transmission), K-Electric, Dale Sinkler has said it was high time for upcoming engineers to come out with innovative ideas to transform Karachi into a smart city. Speaking as the Chief Guest in the inaugural session of The 32nd IEEEP National Engineering Students Competition (NESC) 2017 in Sir Syed University he said ,
    the engineers needed to step out of the box and to look outside to bring the desired change.

    “There would be no change if you are reluctant to look forward to bring the change. This is your city. You have to plant the first seed to make fruit to come.”

    He urged them to do different things to get different results in relation to “Hack Town” concept. The event was organized by the Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEEP) in collaboration with Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET). The NESC’17 was in continuation with regard of the series of IEEEP All Pakistan Students’ Seminar that is held each year. The competition included Final Year Engineering Projects and Hack Town – the theme for smart city.

    Dale Sinkler called upon the upcoming engineers to utilize their engineering talents to make Karachi “Smart City” through their innovative projects. Earlier Vice-Chancellor SSUET, Prof. Dr. Jawaid H. Rizvi, welcomed the chief guest and the keynote speaker, organizers and participants and described the event a high profile thematic subject concerning every one. He hoped that the competitors would utilize their mettle to come up with innovative ideas to achieve the desired results. Eminent architect engineer, Arif Hasan, shared his views and concerns about “Hack Town” concept and said that the results will remain unachieved unless the planning broadly consists of a number of closely inter-connected subjects like demography, social and physical infrastructure and management, economy, environment, ecology and now environment of the citizens. Arif Hasan pointed out that the major handicap is the lack of coordination among the organizations that develop and manage the ingredients of urban planning and they are totally unaware of each other’s activity. In this regard he cited the example of university road.Karachi Development Plan 2000 was made to link the Karachi Master Plan Department with KMC, KESC, Karachi Gas but it failed because of not using modern technology, initiating training programmes for the staff members and scarcity of trained/skilled staff. The session ended with a vote of thanks by Registrar SSUET, Syed Sarfraz Ali. Chairperson IEEE Karachi Chapter Asif Siddiqui and Convenor Mona Kanwal also spoke on the occasion.

  • Approval from CCI obligatory for Regulatory bodies notification

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has suspended a notification by the federal government transferring administrative control of five regulatory bodies to their respective line ministries. LHC Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah observed that the prime minister should have sought approval from the Council of Common Interests (CCI) before issuing the notification. The government had issued the notification on Dec 19, placing the control of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) and Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) under their respective ministries. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf secretary general Jahangir Tareen and a citizen, All Irfan, had filed identical petitions in this regard. Advocate Sheraz Zaka, the lead counsel for the petitioners, argued that under the law it was mandatory for the government to seek an approval from the CCI before transferring the control of autonomous regulatory authorities to their respective ministries. He said that in many judgements the Supreme Court had declared approval from the CCI a mandatory provision for this purpose. Advocate Zaka pointed out that on the one hand the government was involved in the production and transmission of electricity, and on the other, it wanted to assume the role of a regulator. Similarly, he said, placing the PTA and the FAB under the control of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom, the PPRA under the Ministry of Finance and Ogra under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources, was a case involving conflict of interest. The lawyer requested the court to set aside the notification. A deputy attorney general argued that approval of the CCI was not necessary as the cabinet had approved the measure. In his remarks, Chief Justice Shah said that the rule of law was indispensable as the prime minister should have sought approval of the CCI before issuing the notification. He suspended the notification and asked the attorney general for Pakistan to appear at the next hearing.

  • Rs12bn approved for housing schemes under next year`s PSDP

    The National Assembly`s Standing Committee on Housing and Works has approved Rs12.34 billion for 149 housing schemes to be completed under the Public Sector Development Programme 2017-18. The Ministry of Housing and Works proposed 179 projects at a cost of Rs17.2bn for the next fiscal year, but the committee headed by Haji Muhammad Akram Ansari directed exclusion of 46 projects amounting to Rs 4.8bn. The Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak-PWD) will execute the proposed schemes. The committee was of the view that 46 excluded project were unnecessary and should be taken up after necessary need assessment and completion of the ongoing projects. The committee observed that delay in execution of work on the schemes resulted in PC- I revision, cost escalation and over-burdening the national exchequer.It directed the finance and planning ministries to ensure timely release of funds for the projects to avoid wastage of public money.

  • IEEE Int’l Conference on ICIEECT from April 5 – 7

    The IEEE International Conference on Innovations in Electrical Engineering and Computational Technologies (ICIEECT) will be held 5th to 7th April 2017 by Indus University. The IEEE Karachi Section will provide technical sponsorship to the conference where as the Higher Education Commission Islamabad is providing the patronage to the event. A IEEE communication said the national and international researchers sent 107 manuscripts of which 63 have been accepted after a through peer review process by TPC through easychair. The Conference will be inaugurated by Chairman Pakistan Engineering Council and in the closing session Chairman PTA will be the chief guest. As many as 13 International keynote speakers have confirmed their participation for plenary talks and 26 National Speakers’ Technical Talks have been scheduled throughout from Pakistan whereas the maximum participation of Vice Chancellors, deans and directors, leaders Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, FPCCI, civil bureaucracy, the HEC, PEC, NCEAC and NTC, K-Electric, electrical engineering companies, leading businessmen, electrical contractors and officials are also expected to participate the moot. The Chairman Pakistan Council for Science and Technology, the President and ECO Science Foundation have consented to be the guests of honor. The conference proceedings will be published on IEEEXplore and selected papers will appear in leading electrical engineering Journals. The organizers have invited sponsorships from relevant organizations. They include air tickets and accommodation of foreign speakers, lunch, dinner, Hi-Tea, publications and stationary, air tickets of national Speakers, prizes for the best papers, prizes for the best PhD proposal, prizes for the best technology posters, shields and certificates for authors and speakers and also for fashion show and Gala Dinner. In return, the conference management will provide the companies with free stalls, access to promotional material to all participants, display of standees, exhibitors space in Conference area, display of panaflex, company name and logo on bags and stationary material.

  • Pakistan may overcome load shedding by 2018 ADB expresses satisfaction with govt power policy

    The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has expressed its hope that Pakistan would be able to overcome load shedding by 2018—A claim made by the government and yet many people are not sure about it. The bank, however, seems satisfied about government’s power policy. ADB Country Head Werner E Liepach who talked to a group of journalists said he was hopeful that Pakistan could end load shedding by 2018 provided the government continued its effort to achieve the goal. Werner E Liepach’s remarks have bolstered the image of the government as regards its promises to eliminate load-shedding. The ADB official sees things were moving in the right direction saying the capacity has increased and thus conditions have improved over the past few years. The bank, however, supported independent regulatory regime unlike the government which has put regulatory bodies under its control. He said the NEPRA was still independent in its decisions and an effective, efficient and independent regulatory regime helped the end consumer. The ADB has approved US$3 billion for the energy sector. The bank is providing $400 million for smart metering, which would improve efficiency of the companies. On privatisation of the DisCos, he said the ADB had asked for privatisation as it would increase efficiency, help reduce the circular debt and bring investment.

  • January 2014 E-paper

  • HVACR Lahore chief interviewed HVACR increasing in Pakistan

    hvac-1Volume of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) sector business has, over time, increased tremendously in the world and Pakistan. One can assess the growth by counting the firms and people directly involved in manufacturing and importing HVACR equipment, said Engr. Safdar Ali Mughal, Chairman Lahore Chapter of Pakistan HVACR Society talking with Engineering Review.

    In Pakistan local manufacturing, marketing, installations and after sale services in the sector are also increasing, he added. Pakistan HVACR Society has three full fledged chapters of ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Engineers). Over 1,500 members of Pakistan HVACR Society are also ASHRAE members. Pakistan HVACR Society is organizing 21st HVACR Exhibition and Conference at Expo Center Lahore from April 03 to 05, 2014. The exhibition is of great importance for all members of HVACR sector in Pakistan.

    It lets manufacturers and businessmen in the sector mingle with experts and seniors to learn from their experiences and know the latest developments and technologies being introduced around the globe by various companies. Pakistani and foreign companies would exhibit their products here, while vendors and service providers will exhibit their skills for installation and after sales support to consultants and other visitors of the exhibition, an annual event being hosted by the Society for 21 years. Our Society is the most suitable linkage and trusted source of development in industry, added Safdar.

    HVACR industry in Pakistan is serving millions of its customers through air conditioned banks, hospitals, industrial units, commercial buildings and plazas, multi functional stores, shopping malls, residences, hostels, food preservation facilities, transport etc. Volume of industry’s production is increasing as our population increases. Growth of HVACR sector is quite fast, he said. He said energy efficiency, indoor air quality, building integration and automation, green buildings, sustainability, information technology, business management, mold and moisture control and other such topics are the burning issues being faced by HVACR sector, he said.

    He said inventions and improvements in HVACR components go hand in hand with industrial revolution, methods of modernization, higher efficiency system controls. Here importance of HVACR cannot be ignored. Take the example of safe and comfortable air travel. It is all because of AC system. HVAC system made it possible for air passengers to travel comfortably and return safely to ground. Providing health caring medicines and environment is also the fruit of HVACR whose support assures access to safe eatables and drinking contents with nutrition values fully preserved for end users.

    HVAC system provides ventilation, reduces air infiltration and maintains pressure between spaces, said Engr. Safdar. Abreast with digital revolution, need of air conditioning and refrigeration in Pakistan is also increasing fast. Be they hospitals, data centers, educational institutions, public and private sector organizations, transport, sports or food processing air conditioning is at the forefront. Pharmacy, garments, textile, hospitals, clinics, IT system providers, automobile, rubber, original equipment manufacturers and all other industrial segments are all directly and indirectly associated with HVACR industry. Answering an ER question, he said that HVACR is being taught at the engineering universities because of our efforts. Students also take keen interest in the subject.

    However, country’s energy crisis is an important problem badly affecting industries. This also hurts exports. The exhibition consists of about 200 stalls showing new and old products needed by the HVACR users, manufacturers and traders. It will be supported by a powerful promotional campaign to attract buyers from all over Pakistan and also ensure high quality of business that participants are looking for. More than 100,000 special invitation cards and e-mails are being sent to Pakistani and foreign corporate personalities. Besides, over 100,000 special invitation cards and e-mails will also be sent to foreign and Pakistani companies, local and international trade bodies, trade missions of embassies and others, he said.

    Billboards in strategic locations around Lahore and advertisements on electronic and print media, partnerships with satellite TV channels and FM radios will also support the exhibition. Extensive e-mails, promotional flyers and promos on YouTube, Face Book, Twitters, targeted SMS to potential visitors will also support our efforts to attract visitors to the exhibition, said Engr. Safdar. Advertisements on Cable TVs aiming to make the event a starting point of future business deals will be employed to market the 21st Expo and Conference at illuminated and air conditioned exhibition hall. The exhibitors will be given purpose built stalls with name panel, electrical point for each stall.

    They will get two counters, one table, two chairs and extra accessories on extra costs. Sitting, meeting, lunch areas in exhibition hall, daily cleaning, general security for stalls will also be made available to exhibitors from April 2 to April 6 that is one day before the exhibition and one day after closing of exhibition, said Engr. Safdar. (M Soomro)

  • Achievements of HVACR Society

    Please give a brief profile and local and international projects that you have accomplished in Pakistan? I graduated in 1965 from Dhaka University of Engineering & Technology and joined Dhaka Intercontinental as Chief Engineer in 1968. I remained associated with Intercontinental Hotels for 13 years. In 1971 I was promoted as Regional Chief Engineer for Central Asia based in Karachi. I held this position till 1981. In 1981 I set up my consultancy service named S. Mehboob & Co specializing in engineering services for all types of buildings.

    I am blessed with the support of my sons two of whom are engineers specializing in HVAC Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. Our company stresses on building services design with a strong emphasis on sustainability of design and green buildings. Our philosophy for design is to look at the building as a whole and provide an integrated design and look at interrelated systems separately. This lets us design highly efficient buildings with superior energy performance as per latest international standards.

    We were the first Pakistani company to work as consulting engineers in UAE. There it is relatively easy to find projects, if one has a sound local partner. So far we have completed over 100 projects in UAE alone. We are listed as branch of a foreign company requiring a high level of skill and expertise. We have completed high rise buildings 60+ stories at Dubai Marina. Al Murooj Complex on Sheikh Zayed Road was one of the first to use direct cooling and water cooled chillers. In recent years we have completed many hypermarkets. The most recent is in Georgia and many other projects are underway in Armenia. In Pakistan we are working on Islamabad International Airport and previously we worked on the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore besides some very tall buildings in Pakistan. Would you like to share how you thought of forming the HVACR society in Pakistan?

    The vision behind forming HVACR Society in Pakistan was to bridge the communication gap between consultants, equipment suppliers, manufacturers and contractors by bringing them on the platform of Pakistan HVACR Society. The Society provides opportunities to all members to network amongst themselves and meet and interact on one platform. This plays a pivotal role in fostering professional growth through mentoring, making available publications published by ASHRAE and seminars and educational programs that we conduct. The Society also seeks to engage students and bring them to the HVACR profession. We also needed the Society to suggest policies to regulatory bodies as there is no formal framework for the purpose in our government. Main interest of our manufacturing needs strong advocacy for growth, energy conservation, building codes, regulations and import tariff structures. What has HVACR Society done so far to assist its members and stakeholders? HVACR Society is an Associate Society of American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) – the world leader in HVACR technology. ASHRAE has over 100 committees doing research, writing standards and guidelines besides a panel of distinguished lecturers – world class experts in their fields to visit and speak in Pakistan. ASHRAE Standards are the basis of building codes in USA and many countries. Our members have access to this vast pool of knowledge.

    After we became part of ASHRAE, they have been sending speakers at their cost to Pakistan. They speak in all our three chapters that is Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. Similarly companies coming up with new technologies and products and wanting to showcase them are able to meet and make presentations besides exhibiting their goods at annual expos. We have also setup libraries in all our three offices so our members can read books, know about the latest innovations to cope up with latest trends all over the world and seek assistance. Our annual Expo is Pakistan’s premier trade fair. We had about 200 exhibitors and 7-10 thousand visitors from trade bodies, industries etc in our last exhibition. How do you compare growth of HVACR industry in Pakistan with India, Bangladesh, Dubai and Malaysia? There is no comparison with India as it is a very massive market in terms of local manufacturing. And we, due to government policies, lack a strong manufacturing base. Our government emphasis is on imports while in India they focus on ‘Made in India’. They have protected their manufacturers for several decades.

    Quality of human resources is the area where we are equal and share the same expertise. Frequent visits by trade delegations of India and Pakistan show that the human competence level of both countries is the same as in our industry. China is also doing the same. Dubai is a free market and a different economic model. We are far ahead of Bangladesh. Malaysia again focuses on local manufacturing and is much ahead of us. How supportive are Pakistan’s regulations for HVACR industry? Regulatory environment in the country neither encourages nor discourages investment in this sector. There is virtually no support from the government. How does HVACR contribute towards socio economic development? As far as socio-economic environment is concerned, our industry has a large business generating activity in maintenance and operations side.

    There is also considerable consumer interest in sales and service of ACs, refrigeration and other cooling equipments. Refrigeration is an important part of our life as it is linked with our food and the rooms we sleep in, our office etc. Much of our transport vehicles are air conditioned and our engineers ensure the environment is eco friendly. When did your society organize the first exhibition? What was the idea and objective behind it? In 1993 we held our first exhibition and to date, it is going very well. The biggest beneficiary of our hard work was local industry. It gave them a chance to grow and showcase their products in Pakistan and abroad. The credit for success of all exhibitions goes to local manufacturers and distributors. Some locally manufactured equipment is also exported. Please tell us about developments in green energy efficient systems in Pakistan’s HVACR? Buildings are number one consumers of energy all over the world and account for 30-35% of energy use. Buildings are designed to comply with energy codes. In most developed countries codes govern design features. In Pakistan compliance is weak. This greatly effects the country’s energy demand. There is now a growing demand for energy efficient green buildings resulting in professional bodies taking up the need for legislation in this regard. What is the future of HVAC in Pakistan?

    The future for our industry is bright because it is based on human needs. We need better management nationally e.g. split or other ACs are marketed without an energy label in Pakistan. So we continue to use inefficient equipment. In future renewable energy is going to have bigger share in our industry and solar assisted split units with high efficiency equipment are going to become more and more important. And I also see more regulations coming. Your message on 21st HVACR event? Please support our industry, it makes your life better, use of energy efficient equipment helps Pakistan.