Amazingly, I've found something that has helped me to realize both of these goals. I was asked recently to review a LearningSpace course called TeamStudio LifeCycle, the by-product of a synergy between Tactica Technology Group and Ives Development. LifeCycle is a three-day distance-learning class that covers how to use TeamStudio's products effectively as well as how to develop and implement standards for application development and deployment.

Before I participated in the LifeCycle course, I thought these two areas of interest were unrelated. However, after having reviewed the course, I realized how closely intertwined they are.

What is LifeCycle?
For a definitive and succinct explanation of LifeCycle, here's a quote from the TeamStudio Web site about the LifeCycle training course:

Developed jointly by Ives Development and Tactica Technology Group, LifeCycle is a combination of processes, procedures, standards, Lotus Notes databases, design templates and industry 'best practices,' all designed to get Notes developers building applications faster and better.

To put it another way, LifeCycle is a three-day training course delivered through LearningSpace, seen in Figure A, that will teach you how to take not only your development skills to the next level, but also your development methodologies.

FIGURE A


The welcome screen is what you'll see when you first sign on to the LifeCycle course. Roll over picture for a larger image.

One of my favorite quotes is from Thomas Carlisle, who once said, "Man is a tool-using animal. Without tools, he is nothing. With tools, he is all." LifeCycle is a course that will enable you to use the TeamStudio suite of tools much more effectively. The course takes you beyond an explanation of TeamStudio's suite of products and how they work and presents you with a development philosophy and methodology that may very well fundamentally change the way you do Lotus Notes/Domino development.

This kind of fundamental change in the way you develop Lotus Notes/Domino applications does not come easily, and the creators of the course are very aware of this fact. They do an excellent job selling you on why you need to implement a more structured approach to your Lotus Notes/Domino development. Here's a short quote from one of the lessons that talks about this idea: