Author: Mark Whitfield

Welcome to my site! After graduating in Computing in 1990, I accepted a position as a programmer at a Runcorn based software house specialising in electronic banking software, namely sp/ARCHITECT-BANK on Tandem Computers (now HPE NonStop). This was before the internet became more prevalent and so the notion of enabling desktop access to company accounts for inter-account transfers and book keeping was still quite a cutting edge idea (and smartphones only ever hinted at in Space 1999). The company was called The Software Partnership (which was taken over by Deluxe Data in 1994). I spent 5 years in Runcorn developing code for SP/ARCHITECT for various banks like TSB, Bank of Scotland, Rabobank and Girofon (Denmark) to name but a few. I then moved onto a software house in Salford Quays for further bank facing projects. After a further 23 years in the IT industry and now a Senior IT Project Manager (both Agile and Waterfall delivery), I thought I would echo out my Career Profile in this corner of the internet for quick and easy access.

Agile Large Scale Scrum or LeSS, Cross Team Collaboration

Agile Large Scale Scrum or LeSS, Cross Team Collaboration

What is a Spike in Agile Scrum?

What is a Spike in Agile Scrum?

Charts Every Project Manager Should Master and when to use them

Charts Every Project Manager Should Master and when to use them

Top 10 Conditional Calculations in Microsoft Excel

Top 10 Conditional Calculations in Microsoft Excel

Agile Product Backlog Refinement before Sprint Planning

Agile Product Backlog Refinement before Sprint Planning

ProjectTemplatesSoft for Project Management Templates & free upgrades

ProjectTemplatesSoft is an established Etsy shop specializing in professional-grade project management tools and documentation templates. Based in the UK, the shop focuses on providing structured frameworks for methodologies like PRINCE2 and Agile, catering to project managers, consultants, and business owners who need “ready-to-use” industry-standard assets. 

Plan On a Page POaP example template in Microsoft PowerPoint (35+)

You can view the full current inventory and read customer reviews directly on the ProjectTemplatesSoft Etsy Shop Page. 

Example of many POaP Plan On a Page templates for tailoring in MS PPT

Full Overview

The shop’s primary value proposition is bridging the gap between complex theoretical frameworks (like PRINCE2) and practical, everyday project execution. Their products are designed to be fully editable and professionally formatted to save users hundreds of hours of manual document creation. 

Example Agile Sprint Burn Down Chart template in MS Excel
  • Platform Focus: Primarily Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word.
  • Target Audience: Project managers (PMs), PMO leads, small business owners, and consultants.
  • Key Methodology Support: PRINCE2 (Project in Controlled Environments) and Agile Project Management.
  • Unique Selling Point: Includes annotated walkthrough guides and practical examples within the templates to help users “tailor” tools to their specific projects. 
Example of many MS Excel Budget Finance tracker templates to tailor

Detailed Breakdown of Template Offerings

The shop provides a wide range of assets, typically categorized by project phase or methodology: 

1. Waterfall & PRINCE2 Specifics

These templates focus on structured, sequential project delivery.

  • PRINCE2 MS Excel Plans: Fully annotated and editable project plans that follow the PRINCE2 methodology.
  • Waterfall Project Planners: Comprehensive tools that often include Gantt charts and resource cost trackers.
  • Document Bundles: Frequently includes “FREE Upgrades and additions” and a variety of MS Word templates for formal reporting and governance. 
Example template charts for the MS Excel Budget / Cost trackers

2. Project Control & Tracking Tools

Highly functional spreadsheets for day-to-day oversight:

  • Gantt Chart & Timeline Trackers: Automated trackers for visualizing project schedules.
  • Resource & Cost Trackers: Specialized Excel sheets for monitoring budget vs. actual spend and personnel allocation.
  • Action & Task Trackers: Simple but effective tools for logging team responsibilities and deadlines. 
Example of many MSP MPP Microsoft Project Plan templates to tailor

3. Agile & Lean Assets

For teams operating in iterative environments:

  • Agile Project Templates: Specific documents for sprint planning and backlog management.
  • Kanban Boards: Visual task management layouts within Excel or Google Sheets environments. 
Example Agile Burn Up Chart template in MS Excel

Why Users Choose ProjectTemplatesSoft?

  • Expert Craftsmanship: Reviews highlight that the seller is knowledgeable and provides active support for project management questions.
  • Comprehensive Documentation: Unlike basic planners, these often come with Word walkthrough guides, ensuring the buyer knows how to actually use the tool in a professional setting.
  • Cost Efficiency: Buying a pre-built, professional bundle is significantly cheaper than hiring a consultant to build a PMO toolkit from scratch. 
Documentation Templates Walk-through provided

You can view the full current inventory and read customer reviews directly on the ProjectTemplatesSoft Etsy Shop Page. 

Software Testing Approaches, Techniques

Testing Approaches, Techniques

Columbo Overview and Detailed Timeline by Era and Year

Columbo is a landmark American crime drama television series that revolutionized the genre by popularizing the “inverted detective story” (howcatchem) format. Running for over 35 years (1968–2003), the show starred Peter Falk as a brilliant, disheveled LAPD homicide detective whose unkempt appearance and polite, rambling demeanor hidden a razor-sharp mind. 

Columbo – Pilot Episode with Gene Barry, 1968

Overview and Key Elements

  • Format: The audience almost always knows who committed the murder at the beginning of the episode. The suspense lies in how Lieutenant Columbo unravels the culprit’s “perfect” alibi.
  • Signature Traits: The Peugeot 403 car, a shabby beige raincoat, a cigar, frequent mentions of an unseen wife, and the catchphrase “Just one more thing”.
  • The “Howcatchem”: Columbo rarely appears in the first act, allowing the killer to showcase their arrogance and meticulous planning before he systematically dismantle their world.
  • Class Conflict: The show frequently pits Columbo (a blue-collar, unassuming figure) against affluent, privileged suspects.
  • Creator/Legacy: Created by Richard Levinson and William Link, inspired by Crime and Punishment and Father Brown, the character first appeared on TV in 1960 and on stage in 1962, but Peter Falk made it his own in 1968. 
Columbo across the decades from 1968

Comprehensive Historic Timeline (1960–2014)

Era 1: Pre-Falk & Pilots (1960–1971) 

  • 1960: Columbo appears in “Enough Rope,” an episode of The Chevy Mystery Show (based on the story “Dear Corpus Delicti”). Bert Freed played the lieutenant.
  • 1962: Stage play Prescription: Murder debuts. Thomas Mitchell plays Columbo.
  • 1968 (Feb 20): Prescription: Murder (Pilot 1) airs on NBC, featuring Peter Falk for the first time.
  • 1971 (Mar 1): Ransom for a Dead Man (Pilot 2) airs. Its success leads to a series order. 

Era 2: The NBC Classic Era (1971–1978) 

  • 1971–1972 (Season 1): Columbo becomes a “wheel” program in The NBC Mystery Movie. Notable episode: “Murder by the Book” (directed by Steven Spielberg).
  • 1972 (Sep 17): Season 2 premieres, establishing the show as a top-rated Sunday night anchor.
  • 1973: Peter Falk wins his first Golden Globe for the role.
  • 1974: Season 3. “Any Old Port in a Storm” introduces Columbo’s penchant for humming “This Old Man”.
  • 1975: Season 4/5. “Forgotten Lady” (with Janet Leigh) and “Case of Immunity”.
  • 1976: Peter Falk wins Emmys (1972, 1975, 1976).
  • 1978 (May): Final NBC episode airs (Season 7) before Falk leaves the role due to scheduling. 

Era 3: The ABC Revival Era (1989–2003) 

  • 1989 (Feb): Columbo returns on ABC under The ABC Mystery Movie with “Columbo Goes to the Guillotine”.
  • 1990: Season 9/10 begins. Falk wins his 4th Primetime Emmy (1990).
  • 1991–2002: The show airs irregularly as “Specials” rather than a strict series.
  • 2003 (Jan 30): Last episode, “Columbo Likes the Nightlife,” airs, completing 69 total episodes. 

Post-Series & Legacy

  • 2007: Peter Falk pitches “Columbo’s Last Case” to ABC; it is rejected.
  • 2011 (June 23): Peter Falk dies at age 83.
  • 2014: A statue of Lieutenant Columbo and his dog is unveiled in Budapest, Hungary. 

Major Episodes and Guest Stars

  • Jack Cassidy: Played killers in 3 episodes (best known as Riley Greenleaf in “Publish or Perish”).
  • Robert Culp: Played killers in 3 episodes (“Death Lends a Hand,” “The Most Crucial Game,” “Double Exposure”).
  • Patrick McGoohan: Acted in 4 episodes (3 as killer) and directed 5, including “By Dawn’s Early Light”.
  • William Shatner: Starred in “Fade In to Murder” (1976) and “Butterfly in Shades of Gray” (1994).
  • Johnny Cash: Starred in “Swan Song” (1974). 

Where to Watch & Review Sites

Columbo Overview and Detailed Timeline by Era and Year