From cade10cbdd83b23e62816fc6bd323bf79011cd0d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: medusa Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2025 04:22:40 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] Add random/tools_to_live_by.md --- random/tools_to_live_by.md | 220 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 220 insertions(+) create mode 100644 random/tools_to_live_by.md diff --git a/random/tools_to_live_by.md b/random/tools_to_live_by.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8364974 --- /dev/null +++ b/random/tools_to_live_by.md @@ -0,0 +1,220 @@ +### **Meta-Analysis: Mapping Modern Workflow Tools** +Let’s categorize the tools we’ve discussed (**ServiceNow, Confluence, SharePoint**) and others that fit into a modern workflow. We’ll break them down by their primary functions in a typical enterprise or team workflow. + +--- + +## **1. Core Workflow Categories & Their Tools** +Here’s how modern tools map to key workflow needs: + +| **Category** | **Purpose** | **Key Tools** | +|------------------------|--------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------| +| **Project Management** | Task tracking, Agile/Scrum, roadmaps | *Jira, Trello, Asana, Monday.com, ClickUp* | +| **Documentation** | Wikis, knowledge bases, manuals | *Confluence, Notion, SharePoint, GitBook, Guru* | +| **ITSM/ESM** | IT service management, ticketing | *ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, Freshservice, Zendesk* | +| **File Storage** | Secure document storage, sharing | *SharePoint, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box* | +| **Collaboration** | Real-time communication, teamwork | *Microsoft Teams, Slack, Discord, Mattermost* | +| **Automation** | Workflow automation, RPA | *Zapier, Power Automate, Make (Integromat), ServiceNow Flow Designer* | +| **CRM** | Customer relationship management | *Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho CRM, Microsoft Dynamics* | +| **DevOps** | CI/CD, code collaboration | *GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Jenkins, Azure DevOps* | +| **Business Intelligence** | Analytics, dashboards, reporting | *Power BI, Tableau, Looker, Google Data Studio* | +| **HR & People Ops** | Employee management, HR workflows | *Workday, BambooHR, ServiceNow HR Service Delivery* | + +--- + +## **2. How These Tools Fit Together** +A modern workflow typically integrates tools across these categories. Here’s an example of how they interact in different scenarios: + +### **A. Software Development Workflow** +1. **Project Management** → *Jira* (Agile tracking) +2. **Documentation** → *Confluence* (technical specs, runbooks) +3. **Version Control** → *GitHub/GitLab* (code repos) +4. **CI/CD** → *Jenkins/Azure DevOps* (automated deployments) +5. **Incident Management** → *ServiceNow/Jira Service Management* (ticketing) + +**Integration Example:** +- *Jira* issues linked to *Confluence* docs. +- *GitHub* commits trigger *Jenkins* builds. +- *ServiceNow* pulls incident data into *Power BI* dashboards. + +### **B. Enterprise IT & Operations Workflow** +1. **ITSM** → *ServiceNow* (incident, change, problem mgmt.) +2. **Documentation** → *SharePoint* (policy storage) + *Confluence* (team wikis) +3. **Automation** → *Power Automate* (approval workflows) +4. **Collaboration** → *Microsoft Teams* (chat, alerts) + +**Integration Example:** +- *ServiceNow* tickets auto-assigned via *Power Automate*. +- *SharePoint* documents linked in *Teams* channels. + +### **C. Marketing & Sales Workflow** +1. **CRM** → *Salesforce* (lead tracking) +2. **Project Management** → *Trello/Asana* (campaign planning) +3. **Documentation** → *Notion/Guru* (content calendars, playbooks) +4. **Analytics** → *Google Data Studio* (campaign performance) + +**Integration Example:** +- *Salesforce* leads trigger *Asana* tasks. +- *Google Drive* stores assets linked in *Notion*. + +--- + +## **3. Key Trends in Modern Tooling** +1. **AI Integration** + - *ServiceNow (Now Assist), Confluence (Atlassian Intelligence), SharePoint (Copilot)* + - AI-powered search, summarization, and automation. + +2. **Low-Code/No-Code Automation** + - *Power Automate, Zapier, ServiceNow Flow Designer* + - Lets non-developers build workflows. + +3. **Unified Platforms vs. Best-of-Breed** + - *Microsoft 365* (SharePoint + Teams + Power BI) vs. *Atlassian* (Jira + Confluence) + - Enterprises choose between all-in-one suites or specialized tools. + +4. **Remote Work & Async Collaboration** + - Tools like *Slack, Notion, Guru* prioritize async communication. + +--- + +## **4. How to Choose the Right Stack?** +Ask these questions: +- **What’s your primary workflow?** (IT, Dev, Marketing, etc.) +- **Do you need deep integrations?** (e.g., Jira + Confluence, Teams + SharePoint) +- **Is compliance/security critical?** (SharePoint > Confluence for regulated industries) +- **Do you prefer all-in-one or modular tools?** + +### **Example Stacks:** +| **Use Case** | **Tool Stack** | +|-----------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------| +| **Tech Startup** | *Jira + Confluence + GitHub + Slack* | +| **Enterprise IT** | *ServiceNow + SharePoint + Teams + Power BI* | +| **Digital Agency** | *Trello + Notion + Google Drive + Zapier* | + +--- + +## **5. Future of Workflow Tools** +- **More AI-driven automation** (e.g., auto-generated docs in Confluence, predictive ITSM in ServiceNow). +- **Tighter ecosystem integrations** (e.g., Microsoft + OpenAI, Atlassian + AI partners). +- **Voice/chat-based interfaces** (e.g., asking Slack bots to create Jira tickets). + +--- + +### **Final Thoughts** +Modern workflows rely on **specialized tools that integrate seamlessly**. The right stack depends on your team’s needs—whether it’s **Agile development (Atlassian), enterprise IT (ServiceNow + Microsoft), or cross-functional collaboration (Notion + Slack)**. + +Would you like a deeper dive into a specific workflow (e.g., DevOps, HR, or marketing)? Or an integration guide for specific tools? + +--- + +### **Markdown vs. DOCX: The Shift Towards Structured, LLM-Friendly Documentation** + +With the rise of **LLMs (like GPT-4, Claude, Gemini)** and developer-centric workflows, **Markdown (MD)** is gaining traction over traditional **DOCX (Microsoft Word)** for documentation. Here’s why, and how tools like **LaTeX, Pandoc, and Mermaid** fit into this trend. + +--- + +## **1. Why Markdown is Winning Over DOCX** + +| **Factor** | **Markdown (.md)** | **DOCX (.docx)** | +|--------------------------|--------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------| +| **LLM Compatibility** | ✅ LLMs output clean MD by default | ❌ Requires conversion (loses formatting) | +| **Version Control** | ✅ Git-friendly (plain text, diff-friendly) | ❌ Binary format (hard to track changes) | +| **Portability** | ✅ Works everywhere (GitHub, Notion, etc.) | ❌ Locked into Microsoft ecosystem | +| **Speed & Simplicity** | ✅ Lightweight, fast editing | ❌ Bloated, slow for large docs | +| **Automation** | ✅ Easy to script (Pandoc, static site gens)| ❌ Hard to automate (OXML complexity) | +| **Collaboration** | ✅ Works in code editors (VS Code, Obsidian)| ❌ Requires Word/Google Docs | + +**Key Trend:** +- **LLMs default to Markdown** (e.g., ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot). +- **Static site generators (SSGs)** like **Docusaurus, MkDocs, Jekyll** use MD. +- **DevOps/docs-as-code** workflows prefer MD over DOCX. + +--- + +## **2. LaTeX, Pandoc & Mermaid: Enhancing Markdown** + +### **A. LaTeX (For Academic/Technical Publishing)** +- **Strengths:** Perfect for **math-heavy docs, research papers, PDFs**. +- **Markdown Integration:** Tools like **Pandoc** convert **MD → LaTeX → PDF**. +- **Example:** + ```markdown + ## Math Equation (LaTeX in MD) + $$ E = mc^2 $$ + ``` + → Renders beautifully in PDF via Pandoc. + +### **B. Pandoc (Universal Document Converter)** +- **Converts MD ↔ DOCX/LaTeX/HTML/EPUB** (bridges ecosystems). +- **Workflow:** + ```bash + pandoc report.md -o report.docx # MD → Word + pandoc report.md -o report.pdf # MD → PDF (via LaTeX) + ``` + +### **C. Mermaid (Diagram-as-Code in Markdown)** +- **Draw flowcharts, sequence diagrams directly in MD**: + ```markdown + ```mermaid + graph TD + A[Start] --> B{Decision} + B -->|Yes| C[Do Something] + B -->|No| D[End] + ``` + ``` +- **Supported in:** GitHub, GitLab, VS Code, Obsidian. + +--- + +## **3. Where DOCX Still Wins** +Despite Markdown’s rise, **DOCX dominates in**: +- **Corporate/legal docs** (contracts, compliance reports). +- **Non-technical teams** (HR, finance) who rely on **Track Changes** and **Word templates**. +- **Client-facing deliverables** where branding/formatting matters. + +**Workaround:** Use **Pandoc** to convert MD → DOCX when needed. + +--- + +## **4. Modern Documentation Stacks** +Here’s how teams combine these tools: + +### **A. Developer-Focused Stack** +- **Writing:** VS Code + Markdown +- **Diagrams:** Mermaid +- **Publishing:** GitHub Pages (MkDocs/Docusaurus) +- **PDF Export:** Pandoc + LaTeX + +### **B. Hybrid Business/Dev Stack** +- **Collaboration:** Confluence (MD support) or Notion +- **Version Control:** Git for MD, SharePoint for DOCX +- **Automation:** Pandoc to generate DOCX/PDF from MD + +### **C. Academic/Research Stack** +- **Writing:** Markdown + LaTeX equations +- **Bibliography:** Zotero + Pandoc-citeproc +- **Output:** Beautiful PDFs via LaTeX + +--- + +## **5. Future Trends** +1. **LLMs Accelerate Markdown Adoption** + - AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude) output MD natively → less need for DOCX. +2. **Rich MD Editors** + - Tools like **Obsidian, Typora, VS Code** make MD as easy as Word. +3. **Dynamic Docs** + - MD + Mermaid + embedded code (Jupyter-like) for interactive docs. +4. **Decline of Proprietary Formats** + - Open standards (MD, LaTeX) favored over locked-in formats (DOCX). + +--- + +### **Final Verdict** +- **Use Markdown if:** + - You work with **LLMs, code, or Git**. + - You need **automation, docs-as-code, or plain-text portability**. +- **Use DOCX if:** + - You’re in a **Microsoft-heavy org** (Teams/SharePoint). + - You need **advanced formatting for clients/legal docs**. + +**Pro Tip:** Use **Pandoc** to bridge both worlds when needed. + +Would you like a deep dive into a specific tool (e.g., Obsidian for MD, or LaTeX best practices)? \ No newline at end of file