Search Results

While May the Fourth celebrates the iconic phrase “May the Force be with you,” the day after brings forth a different energy. It’s Revenge of the 5th everyone! A Day where we Star Wars fans embrace the more complicated characters and aspects in the Star Wars universe — the villains, the anti-heroes, and the mischievous outliers, and the powers and tactics they use. So, in the spirit of this day, let’s explore how data analytics intersects with the darker side of the galaxy. Let us pay homage, or maybe it’s better to say to respect the darker side of a galaxy far, far away, and it’s allure as we look into the ways analytics can be used that you should be knowledgeable about. Because as Vader himself says “You don’t know the power of the Dark Side!” The Dark Side of Data Quality Just as the Sith Lords wield the dark side of the Force, and Grand Moffs manipulate their sectors, data quality issues can cast a shadow over our analytics endeavors. Here’s how: Burning the Jedi Temple - Incomplete Data: Like a half-trained Jedi, incomplete data leads to incomplete insights. Missing values, gaps, or incomplete records can distort our analyses. And I Thought they Smelled Bad on the Outside - Dirty Data: The equivalent of a Sith Master’s teachings or an Apprentince’s covert mission to corrupt and influence, dirty data contains errors, duplicates, and inconsistencies. It clouds our decision-making like a well used Sith or Jedi mind trick. This Battle Station is the Ultimate Power - Biased Data: Just as the dark side clouds judgment, biased data introduces prejudice. Biased training data can lead to biased machine learning models, perpetuating unfair outcomes. The Art of Deception: Misleading Visualizations The Sith are masters of deception, and so are poorly designed visualizations. Beware of: These Aren’t the Droids You’re Looking For - Cherry-Picked Visuals: Like a Sith manipulating the Force, cherry-picked charts can distort reality. Always consider the full context. That’s no Moon - Misleading Axes: A hidden agenda lies in skewed axes. Adjusting scales can make differences appear larger or smaller than they truly are. I See You Have Contructed a New Lightsaber - Darth Pie Charts: These deceptive circles divide data like the Empire divides planets. Opt for cleaner alternatives like bar charts or line graphs. The Power of Dark Patterns Dark patterns in user interfaces mirror the Sith’s manipulation tactics. Watch out for: Obi Wan Never Told You - Privacy Intrusions: Just as Palpatine seeks control, some apps and websites exploit user data without consent. Dark patterns hide opt-outs and consent forms. Search Your Feelings You Know it be True - Nudging Toward Conversion: Like a Sith mind trick, dark patterns subtly push users toward actions they didn’t intend. Be ethical in your design. What I Told You was True From a Certain Point of View - Data manipulation: The Empire isn't shy about manipulating information and neither are many foreign interests, hackers, and manipulating bad actors on the internet. These are entities using AI-powered bots to spread misinformation and propaganda to maintain control, cause dissension, spread misinformation or just manipulate the data. The dark side of analytics is strong with this one! The Temptation of Overfitting Overfitting, akin to the allure of the dark side, tempts us with seemingly perfect models. But beware: This Fully Operational Battle Station - Complex Models: Like Sith Holocrons and Death Star attack plans, overly complex models memorize noise instead of learning patterns. They perform well on training data but fail in the real world. Many Bothan Spies - Data Snooping: The Sith’s lust for power mirrors our desire for high accuracy. Data snooping (peeking at test data during model development) leads to false confidence. The Balance of Ethical Analytics Just as Anakin struggled with his dual identity, we must balance analytics with ethics: What is in There? Only What You Take with You - Privacy vs. Insights: The Dark Side whispers, “Use all available data!” However, ethical boundaries protect user privacy. Feel the Force Flowing Through You - Fairness: Like the Force, fairness must flow through our models. Avoid bias and ensure equitable outcomes. Like a Force Ghost - Transparency: Shine a light on your analytics process. Explain decisions to avoid the secrecy of the Sith. So, on this “Revenge of the Fifth,” let’s remember to look into the shadows, learn from the villains, and wield data analytics responsibly. May your insights be as prophetic as the Emperor's visions and as powerful as a Sith Lord’s lightning! Remember, even in the darkest data, there’s a glimmer of light waiting to be discovered. As our favorite Princess in a Galaxy Far, Far away says, “There is always Hope”. May the Force be with you and may your analytics journey be both enlightening and thrilling! Koa Beam is our Lead Graphic Designer here at CANA. You can contact Koa via email at kbeam@canallc.com or on Linkedin.

Happy Star Wars Day! Every May the 4th, fans celebrate the iconic saga that has captivated audiences for generations. But beyond the lightsabers and X-wings, there's a hidden world that keeps the galaxy far, far away - not so different from our own running: analytics and logistics. Think about it. The Empire maintains control across countless star systems. The Rebellion needs to move supplies and personnel undetected. Even smugglers like Han Solo rely on efficient operations. Here's how these seemingly mundane realities connect to the Force: Rebellion by the Numbers: The Rebellion might be smaller, but they punch above their weight. Imagine the analytics needed to identify weaknesses in the Death Star (thermal exhaust port, anyone?) or plan strategic hit-and-run attacks against Imperial supply convoys. Every victory likely involved complex data analysis to understand troop movements, resource allocation, and potential battle outcomes. Supply Chains make a Rebellion and Power an Empire: The Empire's vastness is a logistical marvel. They need to keep troops fed, ships fueled, and construction projects on schedule across the galaxy. This requires a sophisticated network for transporting raw materials, manufactured goods, and even the dark side itself (think cloning facilities). Any hiccup in this system could be disastrous, leaving entire legions vulnerable. Smugglers with Smarts: He may not want to know the odds but even Han Solo, the quintessential rogue, relies on data. Knowing trade routes, identifying lucrative markets, and evading interdiction patrols all require quick thinking and information. He likely uses his own set of analytics to assess risks, calculate profits, and choose the fastest route (especially when the Kessel Run is involved). Target Acquisition: The Death Star wasn't just a space station, it was a giant target. Rebel engineers likely pored over data on Imperial fleet movements, weapon range, and shield vulnerabilities to pinpoint the exact location and timing for a successful trench run. Predictive Maintenance: Keeping a massive fleet like the Empire's operation requires constant monitoring and maintenance. Analytics could be used to predict equipment failures, schedule repairs, and optimize resource allocation to keep ships and starfighters battle-ready. Droid Efficiency: In Star Wars, droids and AI are everywhere. Much like the increasing use and knowledge about AI and automation we use, droids like R2-D2 and C-3PO are more than just helpful companions. They likely have built-in analytics functions to process sensor data, optimize repairs, and even suggest tactical courses of action. Advanced astromech droids like R2 could be analyzing data from starships in real-time, identifying potential problems and recommending solutions to human pilots. And oh so much more. The Force of Information In Star Wars, information is just as powerful as the Force (and usable by more than just Jedi and Sith). By leveraging data and logistics, both the Rebellion and the Empire wage war. It's a reminder that even in a fantastical universe, success hinges on the ability to gather insights, make informed decisions, and keep the goods flowing. So, this May the 4th, as you celebrate the epic battles and iconic characters, take a moment to appreciate the unsung heroes: the data analysts and logistics experts keeping the galaxy moving. After all, even a Jedi Master needs a well-maintained lightsaber (and maybe a spare thermal detonator, just in case). Happy Star Wars Day Everyone and May the 4th Be With You! Koa Beam is our Lead Graphic Designer here at CANA. You can contact Koa via email at kbeam@canallc.com or on Linkedin.

In the fast-paced world of data analytics, staying ahead of the curve is crucial. New techniques, tools, and insights emerge constantly, and it can be challenging for individual analysts and teams to keep up. This is where the CANA Analytics Roundtable (CAR) has proven invaluable. What is the CAR? The CAR is a monthly, every second Tuesday, one-hour event held at CANA. It features a standard schedule: Three 10-minute presentations: Team members share insights, techniques, and project experiences. One 20-minute in-depth presentation: A deeper dive into a complex topic. Final 10 minutes: Discussion of upcoming analytics conferences and relevant events. Since its inception in July 2016, the CAR has held a remarkable 83 sessions and over 300 topics have been presented by over 20 team members as of April 2024. Benefits of a Knowledge-Sharing Initiative Like the CAR The CAR offers several key benefits that can be replicated in other organizations: Continuous Learning: The CAR helps analysts stay updated on the latest analytical techniques, tools, and industry trends. Cross-Team Collaboration: Project learnings are shared across teams, reducing knowledge silos and promoting collaboration. Practice for Conferences: Presentations offer a low-stakes environment to practice for industry conferences, building presentation skills. Knowledge Dissemination: Conference attendees summarize learnings for those unable to attend, maximizing the benefits of professional events. Community Building: The CAR fosters a sense of community and shared purpose among analytics professionals. How Other Organizations Can Benefit Organizations of all sizes can reap significant rewards by establishing similar knowledge-sharing initiatives modeled after the CAR. Adopting this approach encourages ongoing development, supports collaboration, and strengthens the overall analytics function. Tips for Starting Your Own Roundtable Secure Leadership Buy-In: Obtain support from decision-makers to ensure dedicated time and resources. Set a Regular Cadence: Choose a consistent time and day each month to build routine and participation. Foster a Safe Space: Encourage open sharing and create an environment where all ideas are welcomed. Rotate Presenters: Give team members opportunities to lead discussions and share their expertise. Document Insights: Maintain a shared repository to store presentations and notes for later reference. The Bottom Line The CAR's success and longevity demonstrate the power of continuous learning and knowledge sharing within analytics teams. It serves as a blueprint for fostering a culture where analysts collaborate to enhance their skills and drive innovation. By maximizing this shared knowledge, the CAR ensures that CANA stays at the forefront of the analytics field and delivers superior solutions to its clients. #CANAAnalyticsRoundtable #CAR #PoweredByCANAAnalytics #Collaboration Walt DeGrange Walt DeGrange is the Senior Director of Analytics here at CANA. You can contact him via email at wdegrange@canallc.com or on Linkedin.

I've always envied those who have the opportunity to work from home. I sought a job that aligned with my lifestyle and needs. At the time, I recognized the importance of being grateful for having a job, yet balancing full-time work with the responsibilities of being a single mom was increasingly stressful. The lack of flexibility made it challenging to attend to my children's needs and medical appointments and pursue my education. It became evident that I needed a change, prompting my search for a job that offered flexibility. Landing a remote position at CANA was a blessing. The relief was immediate as the morning rush and weekday stress melted away. Having the flexibility to be there for my kids and pursue my education while working has been invaluable. The positive impact on my family life and well-being has been profound. Since joining CANA, I've experienced reduced stress from commuting and have been able to focus on completing my degree. The supportive environment has inspired me to excel in my field and fostered meaningful connections with colleagues despite being remote. The recent offsite meeting reinforced the sense of camaraderie, making it feel like I've known my coworkers for years. Working remotely has not only improved my productivity but also led to healthier eating habits, eliminating the need for rushed breakfasts and frequent dining out. CANA's inclusive platforms have facilitated team bonding and made me feel like part of a close-knit community. While the benefits of remote work are numerous, I'll spare you the novel-length list and simply say: it's been life-changing. #workfromhome #WFH #CANA #HR #HRAnalyst #humanresources Megan Randolph is our Human Resource Analyst here are CANA. If you would like to get in touch with Megan, you can do so at mrandolph@canallc.com or on Linkedin.

Since CANA's beginning, we have lauded high performance within our company. In our initial off-sites in earlier years, we made a point to recognize the superlative efforts of team members who made extraordinary contributions in person. These were the people on the team doing the work that gave you goosebumps. Recently, we created the CANA Excellence Award to recognize incredible CANAers and their efforts. The award is, first, recognition, and second, a cash gift in two parts. The awardee receives a portion, and an equal amount is given as a contribution to a non-profit or charitable organization of that awardee's choice. This aligns with our ethos, why statement, vision, and values. We’re not just in the CANA business for ourselves but also for our team, our clients, and our communities. We're proud to announce this year's CANA Excellence Award recipients, whom we recognized at our in-person offsite in Airlie in Warrington, Virginia, are CANA Graphic Artist Koa Beam and CANA Principal Program Manager Kolleen Young. CANA’s first awardee is Koa Beam. Koa works tirelessly and is always available to our entire team. Koa’s "above and beyond" work demonstrates his dedication to CANA, including last summer, when he worked through the night to deliver to one of our clients.  Koa took a tremendous variety of media and information provided by numerous stakeholders and created an exceptional narrated video for the client’s use and distribution. His ability to adapt to last-minute changes and direction ensured the video perfectly met expectations in the short timeframe needed. During the CANA Fall Wellness Challenge, we requested Koa's expertise to create an interactive map showing each CANA team's progress during the several-month event. He created this map and all of the banners, backgrounds, and animations, greatly enhancing the experience. Everyone on the CANA team can speak to Koa's artistic talent, attention to detail, and willingness to jump in to do whatever is asked. He is a dedicated team member and is appreciated by all. This March, Koa celebrated his 9th year with CANA! His dedication and talents make him well deserving of the CANA Excellence Award. Koa decided to make his cash donation to the Community Arts Center of Cambria County! Our second awardee is Kolleen Young. Our team has consistently praised Kolleen's leadership, and her colleagues describe her as exceptionally skilled at keeping the team engaged, informed, and focused on achieving project goals. Kolleen has demonstrably exceeded expectations by excelling in dual roles on her projects. She functioned as the Project Leader and Logistics Subject Matter Expert (SME), leveraging her expertise to significantly improve data accuracy and enhance the customer's experience with CANA. Her dedication and commitment to CANA these past four years are also evident in her responsiveness to the customer, her communication back to the team, and her consistent management of activities to keep a laser focus on contractual delivery and exceeding customer expectations. Kolleen’s exceptional leadership and technical skills make her a highly deserving recipient of the CANA Excellence Award. Kolleen decided to make her charitable donation to the Blessing Bags Project! Not only did Kolleen receive the CANA Excellence award at our off-site, but she was also recently promoted from Project Manager/Senior Logistics Analyst to Principal Program Manager! Congratulations, Kolleen, well deserved.

“The whole is greater than the sum of each individual part. We are better together!” In the realm of remote work, where screens often serve as our windows to the world, there's something truly magical about the prospect of meeting face-to-face. At CANA, a company bound by a shared vision but spread across different corners of the globe, the idea of coming together in person was more than just a gathering—it was a rekindling of camaraderie, a celebration of shared achievements, and an opportunity to fortify the bonds that make us who we are. As the date drew nearer, anticipation buzzed through our digital channels. Emails bounced back and forth, filled with excitement and plans for our upcoming offsite at the historic Airlie in Virginia. For many of us, this would mark the first time meeting our colleagues in three dimensions! Nestled amidst the serene landscapes of Virginia, Airlie provided the perfect backdrop for our rendezvous. Surrounded by lush greenery, with the Blue Ridge Mountains looming in the distance, nature conspired to set the stage for our gathering. As we arrived one by one, our hearts raced with anticipation, eager to put faces to the names we had grown so familiar with through countless video calls and messages. "This was my first offsite with CANA, and I truly enjoyed the experience. My favorite part of the offsite was the “Day 1 Dinner”. This was the first time that I was able to physically meet a large portion of the company, and it was amazing. I felt like I was star-struck as each new person walked in the door and I saw another “movie star.” I was so excited and wanted to get everyone’s autograph!" -Donovan Holloway, Senior Project Manager The following days were a whirlwind of activity as we delved into workshops, brainstorming sessions, and team-building exercises. From dawn till dusk, we immersed ourselves in the work we were passionate about, fueled by the energy of being together in the same space. Ideas flowed freely, creativity sparked, and barriers dissolved as we collaborated with newfound synergy. "CANA culture is why CANA is such a great place to work! Everyone at CANA works together and appreciates each other’s talents. When we get together in person, we learn more and more about one another and our backgrounds, lives, and experiences. This time together re-enforces relationships and gives us the opportunity to build new relationships with our peers." -Kristin Fairman, Senior Contracts Manager Yet, it wasn't just about the work. In the evenings, as the sun dipped below the horizon, we gathered around the table, sharing stories and laughter late into the night. We even ended one night with a cornhole tournament (Donovan and Aaron took home the gold)! Our journey to Airlie was more than just a company offsite—it was a testament to the power of human connection, the resilience of the human spirit, and the unwavering bond that unites us as members of the CANA team. As we bid farewell to Virginia's verdant landscapes and the memories we had forged within them, we carried with us a renewed sense of purpose, a deeper understanding of who we are, and an unshakeable belief in the strength of our CANA culture. And though we may once again be scattered across the globe, our hearts remain intertwined, united by the shared experience of Airlie and the journey that lies ahead. Watch our recap video of our Spring 2024 Offsite below!

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the George Mason University (GMU) GAMEmason convention on their Fairfax, Virginia campus. GAMEmason is a two-day convention focused on promoting collegiate esports and gaming. This event featured, “guest speakers from the esports industry; educational sessions featuring faculty and staff from Mason as well as alumni and business leaders; free arcade play; tabletop and console gaming; artist alley featuring work by Mason students; vendors and businesses from across the game industry, and more!” (GAMEmason) Additionally, collegiate varsity esports programs from across the region competed in various tournaments, including Rocket League, Valorant, Overwatch 2, League of Legends, Call of Duty, and more. Collegiate esports is growing in both popularity and acceptance, and this event is an example of the unique ways any university can support the industry and get involved. These events are also beneficial for businesses to get involved in and support the collegiate esports space, as they provide a live depiction of the amount of hard work, learning experiences, and opportunities that collegiate esports programs offer students and companies. Event Overview & CANA Involvement GAMEmason was organized very well, with the vendor tent for all supporting businesses strategically placed between the two buildings where the esports and casual gaming tournaments occurred. This resulted in increased foot traffic for all businesses in support of the event, as players, students, parents, and companies alike would exit one building and walk through the vendor section to get to the other. CANA had a booth as a supporter of GMU esports; we developed an API plugin and overlay for the broadcast of their Rocket League (RL) Championship. This overlay has various visual and analytical capabilities as the backend API pulls in real-time gameplay data and populates unique statistics. The variations in the images above derive from the unique factor of our API that allows the production team to customize statistics shown, color, graphics, and image depicted on the overlay. The API CANA demonstrated at the booth included two additional aspects that GMU toggled off for their stream: Win Percentage and Flip Reset Indicator. The Win Percentage is a situational analysis metric that takes into account multiple variables such as the game score and time remaining to generate the probability of win for each team. It is a widely known metric that is used in many sports that we adjusted to apply to RL. The Flip Reset Indicator is a much more specific metric. If you are an avid RL player and/or fan, you know being able to track when a player has the ability to flip is crucial at the highest level of play. This metric indicates when each player possesses or does not possess the ability to flip. If you are interested in this API and would like to learn more about it, please feel free to contact me via email. Aside from the direct support CANA provided for the GAMEmason RL tournament, I had the opportunity to speak with a plethora of players, students, parents, and other businesses. This exposure was wonderful for CANA esports, as I was able to discuss our unique API, our analytics capabilities, and our goal of supporting the esports industry. CANA can provide esports organizations and programs with the data and insights needed to inform decision-making and build a sustainable business model. I also had the chance to discuss the benefits and career opportunities esports offers that many people do not realize. This was particularly rewarding to help educate those who were less familiar with the industry and watch how their feelings toward esports changed for the better. Collegiate esports offers students the opportunity to learn transferable STEAM and other career skills through something they are passionate about. It is not all about pursuing a professional esports career. One of my favorite things about attending events like GAMEmason is that I learn so much from the attendees. As a former GMU graduate, this event was even more fun as I had the chance to reconnect with some of the staff who helped me get to where I am today. Just like the GMU Career Fair I attended last year, I had an amazing time speaking with the players, students, attending companies, and GMU staff. As CANA esports builds for the future, with a focus on supporting the sustainability of esports programs, we look forward to more events like this, growing the relationships we’ve made, and expanding our network. CANA esports - providing the analytics intel for success! To learn more about CANA esports, please visit: canallc.com/e-sports Jack Murray is a Business Analyst and esports lead at CANA LCC. Connect with Jack via his email jmurray@canallc.com or on Linkedin.

A Poet, Writer, Lawyer, Civil Rights Activist, Feminist, Priest… I had never heard of Pauli Murray until after I moved to North Carolina, but Murray is a person I now consider a hero of mine. Pauli is a historical figure that most Americans should be grateful to. Murray’s actions and writings were influential in providing a large portion of U.S. citizens with the freedoms and liberties they have today. Born in 1910, Pauli Murry lived and struggled through not only Jim Crow laws that discriminated against her based on race, but also through something she referred to as Jane Crow which discriminated against her based on her gender. Murray was an orphan who was sent to live with her relatives in Durham, North Carolina from Baltimore, Maryland after her mother’s death when she was only three. She was raised by her Grandparents and Aunts and attended a segregated high school that only went through the 11th grade. Murray was sent to New York to live with other members of her extended family so she could complete the 12th grade and continue her education. Murray would have preferred to attend Columbia University, but they did not admit women at that time, and Murray could not afford the tuition for Barnard, Columbia’s Women’s College. Instead, Murray earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from Hunter College. Some of the writing she did during her time at Hunter was the beginning of a memoir entitled Proud Shoes she wrote about her mother’s family. Murray, like many people during the great depression struggled. Unemployed, in poor health and malnourished Murray ended up going to Camp Tera which is where Murray first met First Lady Elanor Roosevelt. Camp Tera was a project of the First Lady and was a place where unemployed women could find some refuge during the great depression. The two would correspond with one another throughout their lives and even work together. Many might believe that this would have been an unlikely friendship, but as Patricia Bell-Scott outlines in her book The Firebrand and the First Lady: portrait of a friendship: Pauli Murray, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Struggle for Social Justice, the two had many things in common. Both shared the same given name, Anna. Both had been orphaned and raised by older members or their extended families. They both shared a love of reading and were critical thinkers and champions of social justice. Murray and Roosevelt work together on labor issues and civil rights issues. The two would later serve on the President’s Commission on the Status of Women during the Kennedy administration. Murray held five degrees in her lifetime. She earned a BA in English from the City University of New York, Hunter, an LLB from Howard University, an LLM from the University of California, Berkeley, an SJD from Yale University, and finally an MDiv from General Theological Seminary.  Despite Murray’s aptitude as a scholar, she faced both racial and gender discrimination in pursuit of higher education. In 1938 Murray applied to a PhD program in sociology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Murray was denied entrance based on the state's race segregation laws. Murray was hopeful that her case would be taken up by the NAACP, but there were complications and they decided not to take on her case. Murray began law school in 1941 and finished first in her class at Howard University. It had become a tradition that the number one Law School student from Howard University was offered a fellowship to continue graduate work at Harvard University. Murray was denied this opportunity this time because she was a woman. Murray would later describe this as Jane Crow (a reference to the Jim Crow Laws she struggled with when she lived in the South). Despite the challenges Murray faced she persevered. Here are some of her major accomplishments: -1946 1st black deputy attorney general in the state of California -1946 Named Woman of the Year by the National Council of Negro Women -1947 Named Woman of the Year by Mademoiselle magazine -1952 Wrote the States' Laws on Race and Color (referred to as the bible of the civil rights movement by Thurgood Marshall) -1960 Murray went to Ghana and joined the faculty at the Ghana School of Law -1961 Served on the President’s Commission on the Status of Women where she wrote a memorandum advising that the 14th amendment protected against sexual discrimination as well as racial discrimination. (This would be used later by RBG) -1963 She began to criticize the civil rights movement for not including sex discrimination as part of the movement. -1964 Murray wrote a legal memorandum to include sex as a category in the 1964 Civil Rights Act -1966 Murray Co-founder of National Organization of Women aka NOW Though this list is not all-encompassing, it is a sample of some of the things she did to help provide greater opportunities for Americans who were once not recognized as having full rights under the law. Among Murray’s published works: Proud shoes Song in a Weary Throat States’ Laws on Race and Color Dark Testament and Other Poems The Constitution and Government of Ghana More Information on Pauli Murray: National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice My Name is Pauli Murray Documentary, Julia Cohen, and Betsy West Directors The Firebrand and the First Lady by Patricia Bell-Scott #WomensHistoryMonth #CANA #PauliMurray Katharine Doyle is a Senior Data Science Analyst here at CANA. If you would to contact Katharine, you can reach her at kdoyle@canallc.com or on Linkedin.

With CANA being a remote company, we make the extra effort to hold internal activities to allow our team to connect. This past Fall, CANA held its first Wellness Challenge to bring CANAers together! With CANAers all over the United States, we challenged our team to go on a virtual tour of CANA, or CANAverse, if you will, and "visit" members of Team CANA, using activity points as virtual miles traveled. The goal of this challenge was to help promote a healthier lifestyle and encourage opportunities to gather as a team to complete a fun wellness challenge. There were prizes for those teams that completed different stages of the challenge, and of course ultimate bragging rights for those who completed this epic trek across CANA! To tell us more about the CANA 2023 Fall Wellness Challenge, CANA's Digital Media Coordinator, Kassie McRostie, talked with CANA's Director of Business and People Operations, Anna Sterrett, to get her insights and experiences in spearheading the Fall Wellness Challenge. Join us as we delve into Anna's reflections on the creation, execution, and impact of the Fall Wellness Challenge, and hear her vision for future initiatives aimed at nurturing a culture of health and vitality within CANA. Kassie McRostie (KM): What role do wellness and fitness play in your life? Anna Sterrett (AS): The connection between mental health and physical health is undeniable.  In my previous field of work in Behavioral Health, I worked with many individuals throughout my career not only addressing their symptoms of depression, anxiety, and so forth but also recognizing how their mental health impacted their physical well-being.  As a standard part of my therapy practice, I incorporated mindfulness, hydration, meal planning, and movement into treatment plans for a whole health approach. I am also an advocate for practicing what one preaches, so being active, eating healthy, being in nature, and working toward balance in my own life and within my family is just a part of who we are. As a family, we enjoy the outdoors, so we spend time hiking, swimming, playing in the snow, lifting... I also started running in my early 40s and have run 5 half marathons, and a leg in two marathon relays, which takes a great deal of dedication with planning and training. I am signed up for my next half in May 2024. (KM): Do you think wellness and fitness are important in a workplace? If so why? (AS): Yes. When we are addressing and participating in wellness as an organization, we are looking out for one another and building comradery. We perform better within our jobs when we are healthier. When wellness is a part of an organization’s fabric, then work-life balance can truly be promoted.  Building in breaks, flexing time, encouraging in-person meet-ups, having conversations in chat that are not work-related, taking PTO, and guarding that time away - these are all extremely important to have a healthy work-life balance.  Adding in a wellness initiative is a bonus for having fun and uniquely connecting with our team members. (KM): What considerations did you make when creating the Fall Wellness Challenge? (AS): First and foremost, I wanted to make sure I selected a team that would be invested, as well as creative with approaching wellness within the organization.  Donovan Holloway, Stephanie Allison, and Koa Beam were all great fits for the team, and I was thrilled that they all agreed to join me in this endeavor. Later, Chris Cichy and Megan Randolph joined the Wellness Team and are assisting in planning the Spring Wellness Challenge. While planning the Fall Wellness Challenge, I learned that the 5k challenge from the previous year was a great success, so we borrowed some ideas from that challenge. Taking selfies of accomplishments to share with the team, and diverse ways to complete a 5k - to name a few. It was not only imperative to have this challenge be a way to promote wellness within our organization but also to make it inclusive, engaging, and fun. We all shared in the desire to not make the challenge about losing weight or eating healthier, but about identifying how we could take a whole health approach - physical activity, healthy living, and emotional health. We used these categories to guide the activities we included in the challenge, all the while taking into consideration what activities would be the least intimidating, the most engaging, and fun. (KM): How did you keep people interested in the Wellness Challenge as a group lead? (AS): As a leader, I regularly reached out to team members in a separate chat space. In order to flare the competitive spirit, I updated my team on our point spread, who was leading within our group, and which group was the group to beat.  I also scheduled activities we could do together, such as walk and talk, group yoga, and coffee breaks. Adding points for taking pictures and posting in the Wellness chat space also encouraged connection and conversation. (KM): I know you all participated in group activities to engage the group what was your favorite and why? (AS): My favorite was the coffee breaks.  It gave us all a chance to talk about our day and connect with each other in a more personal way.  Connection is essential for overall wellness, and working for a virtual company can negatively impact our ability to truly get to know our colleagues.  Being intentional in those moments proved to be very successful. (KM): Do you think the challenge contributed to the workplace culture and employee morale? If so how? (AS): Yes. Participation was very positive, and the majority of CANA joined the initiative. Seeing each other’s pictures and the conversations they started in the chatspace truly boosted morale. The activities encouraged healthy breaks from the workday, which directly aligns with the work-life balance of CANA culture. (KM): Will there be another Wellness Challenge in the future? (AS): Yes! We are in the planning phase of the Spring Wellness Challenge, which will launch in March 2024. Watch our recap video of the 2023 Fall Wellness Challenge below! Keep up to date with all things CANA by signing up for our newsletter!

While the number of software developers continues to grow worldwide, the demand for software developers is growing much faster. It seems everything we use or interact with in our daily lives is now “smart,” provides insights, is connected to the cloud, automated or integrated into our home/car/wearable ecosystems. Imagine 20 years ago, convincing your grandparents that the development of their coffee maker would one day require a software engineer. Software development is involved in some, or all, steps of the product lifecycle for nearly every product. Attracting and retaining strong software developers has become increasingly more challenging as the opportunities outpace the supply. Plus onboarding new employees is not only costly but very time-consuming.  Efficiently using the technical resources available in a productive manner can overcome these challenges. For these reasons, the Developer Experience (DevEx) has become incredibly more important as we head into 2024. So what is DevEx? As developers navigate complex frameworks, collaborate on distributed teams, and adapt to emerging technologies, a positive DevEx can make all the difference. The DevEx is the compass that guides innovation, collaboration, and productivity. It encompasses every interaction with tools, frameworks, libraries, documentation, and team collaboration in a developer’s daily life. It’s creating an environment where developers can thrive, be effective, and produce high-quality software efficiently. It’s about an organization’s strategic and purposeful effort to maximize developer productivity and satisfaction. How does CANA cultivate a strong positive emphasis on DevEx to facilitate the experience, quality, and efficiency of product development? Collaboration As a remote distributed workforce, collaboration tools are critical to everyday functions at CANA. The DevEx is amplified through access to chat, video conference, screen sharing, hosted code repositories with version control, task management, and defect tracking tools across all devices. Normalizing these tools across projects accelerates the onboarding process for all team members. In addition, the establishment of a regime of routine company and project meetings for sharing status, risks, blockers, and progress ensures issues are addressed in a timely manner. Platforms, Tools and Environments Developers spend a large portion of their time leveraging tools, Integrated Developer Environments (IDEs), version control systems, and collaboration platforms in their daily engagements. A significant aspect of DevEx is developing integrated toolsets and systems that facilitate a smooth workflow. At CANA, we leverage cloud services and hosting options in our development environments, Artificial Intelligence (AI) programming tools to increase efficiency, the latest IDEs, and robust collaboration tools for efficient lines of communication. Documentation Documentation is not only essential for historical significance, certification & accreditation, and product delivery but also for efficient onboarding of new team members to software development efforts. At CANA we focus on documentation from the end user down to the last block of code. As cloud services, microservices, and full-stack application development becomes more important, it’s essential that each technical component is fully documented. DevEx ensures that every aspect of the environment is documented so that a new developer can jump in and create their own development environment without pulling critical resources from ongoing work. This encompasses detailed versions, code examples, installation, setup, and configuration. Onboarding In rapid-paced, matrixed organizations, such as CANA, the importance of seamless onboarding facilitates the movement of key resources from one project to the next as demand changes. At CANA we strive to utilize core tools and processes across the organization to ensure a common working environment. We also leverage frequent communication across disciplines to ensure all resources are aware of ongoing efforts.  Lastly, we leverage the detailed documentation discussed above as a launching point for new developers to strengthen our DevEx. Automation Automation enhances the DevEx and plays a pivotal role in reducing manual overhead and improving overall efficiency. At CANA a focus on DevOps practices, Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) tools, and automated testing streamlines workflows and contributes to honing steady improvement. Skill Development A positive DevEx requires opportunities for continuous education and building new skills. The technical landscape rapidly changes and building competitive products requires the workforce to keep in lockstep with the latest advancements. It also provides positive challenges and growth opportunities for developers. CANA has established several opportunities including monthly roundtable presentations, team demonstrations, pair programming, internal research and development, and organic mentorship for our team to share and gain knowledge. Distractions Some tasks and roles are easy to jump in and out of, while others require deep focus and concentration. A five-minute distraction could cost over 30 minutes of progress once a resource is stopped, distracted, and re-engaged at full steam again. Daily distractions such as meetings, notifications, and project fire drills can result in unintended impacts on productivity and efficiency. A constant awareness of the impacts of these distractions can greatly improve the DevEx at a company. One of the adopted strategies at CANA has been the implementation of a deep work day (no meetings) where all employees can focus 100% of their time on forward progress without distraction. This has proven to be extremely productive in all disciplines of the organization. “Focus on signal over noise. Don’t waste time on stuff that doesn’t actually make things better.” -Elon Musk Work-Life Balance A positive and successful DevEx must focus on the importance of a quality work-life balance in the development ranks. At CANA, a “work from where you are” culture, flexible hours, and fun initiatives encouraging healthy activities are at the core of our company mission. Monitoring the health and workload of the development resources is essential to a positive DevEx. A successful DevEx is not easy, otherwise everyone would be doing it. It requires constant attention to continuous improvement and monitoring trajectories to ensure each facet continues to remain in a healthy equilibrium. Although the effort required to build a positive DevEx may seem daunting, the returns on investment are priceless and far outweigh the cost of acquiring new talent.  In addition, the efficiency gains through positive morale, structured coding practices, and quality are immeasurable. #CANA #SoftwareEngineer #CodeLife #DevLife #CodeCrafting #DevelopersWorld #CodersCommunity #InnovationHub #TechInnovate #BuildTheFuture #CodeJourney #DeveloperMindset #SoftwareDeveloper #SoftwareDev #PoweredByCANAAnalytics Todd is a Principal Software Engineer at CANA. You can contact Todd at tallison@canallc.com or on Linkedin. “From DevOps to DevEx:  Empowering the engineering experience.” Deloitte, https://www2.deloitte.com/xe/en/insights/focus/tech-trends/2024.html#from-devops-to-devex. Accessed 16 December 2023. “Top 10 Elon Musk Productivity Secrets for Insane Success.” Medium, https://dansilvestre.medium.com/top-10-elon-musk-productivity-secrets-for-insane-success-dae584c88e03#:~:text=Musk%20is%20careful%20to%20filter,t%20actually%20make%20things%20better.%E2%80%9D. Accessed 17 December 2023

Written by Rick Hanson, Senior Operations Research Analyst, CANA, LLC. Background In this short article, we will outline a useful method of organizing access to version control repositories (“repos”) on remote machines while needing to use more than one set of credentials. The context for using this method is the following. You use the git version control system but work on various projects that require different credentials to access the private upstream repos for each of these projects. Any credential you use is not a user-password pair, as you would normally use to access systems, but a PKI key pair consisting of a public and private key. Since git uses ssh (the Secure Shell program) to access the upstream repo, these keys are often referred to as “an ssh key” (when you are using one of the key pair) or “ssh keys” (when using both). The pair of public and private key is sometimes referred to as an identity in the ssh manual. Now, the issue is: how do you manage the access to these various repos with these various keys/identities? For instance, at work I use a set of ssh keys to access all the repos under my company’s organization in GitHub; also, I have another ssh key pair that I use for my personal projects; I have yet other ssh keys, one for each of the volunteer organizations to which I belong. I used to run a program called an ssh key agent, as a background process, which sorted out the multiple keys for me but the method lacked the fine-grain control over which keys should be used for which repos and often would fail to pick the correct key and so my access to the repo would fail. Yet, there is a simpler method to sort all this out that only involves setting up git configuration files in the most minimal way and also has the added benefit of not needing to run the ssh key agent program. Setting up the configuration for the user’s name and email Git allows one to set up configuration options at (i) the global level (also called the user level) and (ii) at the repo level. If you only need one identity (and thus one set of credentials to access the remote repo), the solution is simple: set up your user information and credentials at the global level. This is done by setting your name and email in the .gitconfig file located in your user’s home directory. You can edit this file directly; however, a better way is to use the following two git commands at the command line interface (or the shell). Just replace the great running back’s name and email with yours. These two git commands will end up writing the following lines into the .gitconfig file located in your/Barry’s user home directory. Setting up the configuration for the user’s ssh identity There are several ways to configure the user’s ssh identity. One way is to load a program in the background that manages the ssh keys (the key manager); then, when git calls ssh to authenticate you to the remote (located on a central server like github.com), the key manager program will handle passing the key/identity to the ssh client so that you can gain access to the remote.  But as mentioned above, this method sometimes fails to associate the correct identity with a particular repo (when you need to use multiple identities). Another more direct way of doing this is to set up this association in the git configuration itself and to not bother running the key manager.  We’ll start using this new method by setting up a key association at the global config level in git.  The following command is an example of how to do this. That command tells git that when it calls ssh to gain access to the remote, it should use the identity (-i) defined by Barry’s ssh key located at the path ~/.ssh/my-personal-key. (The ~ part of the path is an alias for the home directory, which for Barry could be /Users/barry on his computer.) After the git command, the following lines will be written to the .gitconfig file located in the user’s home directory. What are multiple identities? So now, by the above, git knows which one identity/key to associate to all repos governed by git. That’s not exactly what we want yet. Now, we need to take one more step to configure git to make an association of a different identity (from the global one) to a particular subset of git repos. Now, let’s say Barry Sanders gets hired at CANA, LLC. Before being hired, he has already been using git with his personal ssh key (identity). Now, he needs another identity for his access to CANA git remote repos. This identity is now located at ~/.ssh/my-work-key. Now, Barry has multiple identities and he has separated his work credentials from his personal credentials. At this point, how can Barry indicate to git that when he is in a CANA repo on his machine, to use the work identity to access the remote and to use the personal identity to access his other repos’ remotes? Here is the method. Barry creates a directory under his home directory called CANA and now has the directory /Users/barry/CANA on his system. His CANA git repos will now be located in any subdirectory under this directory. Before he clones a work repo, he creates a .gitconfig file in /Users/barry/CANA with the following contents. Then he edits the global/user git config file at ~/.gitconfig by adding the following lines at the end. This tells git to include the lines in the configuration file located at ~/CANA/.gitconfig for all git repos located in any subdirectory under ~/CANA/ – which on Barry’s machine is shorthand for /Users/barry/CANA. This effectively overrides the values of user.name and user.email as well as core.sshCommand when Barry is executing git commands anywhere under the ~/CANA directory. Finally, Barry can start cloning git repos from his employer’s github without having to manually enter credentials. And, as long as Barry issues git commands such as clone, push, pull, and fetch, under the ~/CANA/ or any of its subdirectories, git will know which credentials to apply and the entire remote processing is completely simple and seamless for Barry. As an added bonus, this configuration setup also works when Barry is using the git integration layer in his IDE or editor, because the integration layer is using the same commands, behind the scenes, that Barry was just using from the command line. Final thoughts There is one more level of granularity for git configurations and that is at the repo level. Indeed, at the beginning of this article, we mentioned that the two levels of configuration were at (i) the global, or user, level and (ii) the repo level. The method described above has essentially added another (intermediate) level in between those two levels. We could informally call it the “all work repos” level. This intermediate level only obtained when the user runs git commands – that access the remote(s) – from a directory located at or under the primary work directory (in Barry’s case, ~/CANA). We did not need to change any git configurations at the repo level when using this method. In fact, if we were to work on many projects at work, we might have scores of repos, and in this case, it’s much easier and more simple to handle repo access at the “all work repos” level, rather than at the repo level. In summary, when multiple identities are needed to access git remote repos, we were able to replace a common method of managing these identities — by running the memory-resident ssh key manager — which is sufficiently error-prone in matching the correct identity with a particular repo, by a simple method of configuring git that always matches the correct identity with the repo. #plugins #git #gitrepo #repository #coding #programming #developer #software #CANA Rick Hanson is our Senior Operations Research Analyst here at CANA. You can reach him at rhanson@canallc.com or on Linkedin.

Bottlenecks are critical issues in software development that can severely hamper an application's performance. A bottleneck is a point in software that limits the overall speed and efficiency. Ever had a section of code that slows everything down? Here, we explore bottlenecks, their impact on programs, and our experiences in developing a Rocket League video game plugin. Consider a hose with varying diameters. The narrowest section dictates the flow rate, similar to how a single slow-running code segment can restrict an entire application's efficiency. In software development, identifying the most time and resource-intensive areas of code is key. This post addresses inefficiencies in code, as resource-based bottlenecks often need tailored solutions. Detecting bottlenecks is essential but challenging. They're found by using profiling tools to track resource usage during testing, exposing the most inefficient areas. Ignoring them leads to poor application performance, impacting speed or resource usage, both detrimental to user experience. In our Rocket League project, data initially stored on an AWS database created a big bottleneck, impacting network performance and causing lag. As the game went on, data would continuously build up in a queue; the AWS database couldn't keep up. Given enough time, the program would become unusable and crash. Identifying this led us to switch from AWS database storage to local file saving. This change significantly reduced network latency, boosting the system's performance and the application's efficiency. However, solving one bottleneck may expose another. Since local storage is much faster than previous methods, the new challenge became balancing the polling rate for user data retrieval. We had to find a middle ground between frequent polling, which risks the quality of the plugin, and infrequent polling, which could miss important data. We also considered player input processing time and Rocket League's tick rate, minor bottlenecks that didn't impact performance. Alleviating bottlenecks is vital for software optimization. By addressing these issues in the Rocket League plugin, we transformed a challenging application into a functional, efficient tool. The ongoing journey of identifying and resolving bottlenecks is crucial for any software project, ensuring applications meet their goals efficiently. #rocketleague #plugins #softwardevelopment #rocketleagueplugin #bottlenecks #CANA Tristin Young is an intern here at CANA. You can reach Tristin at tyoung@canallc.com.