Better Software Magazine Archive: Jan/Feb 2010

IN THIS ISSUE

What HR Doesn't Know about Scrum
By Michael James

Scrum's relentless "inspect-and-adapt" cycle leads to change beyond software development practices. Scrum teams have reported changes in the way they think about human resources management. This article outlines ways Scrum teams may want to modify HR's beliefs and practices.

Oh, When Will They Ever Learn?
By Lee Copeland

After reading the book The Day the Phones Stopped, which was published in 1991, Lee began wondering why the poor software quality and complaints about development and testing documented in this book are the same complaints we hear today.

Crowdsourced Software Testing
By Doron Reuveni

In response to shrinking budgets and tight launch deadlines, crowdsourced software testing is a growing trend. Here are six ways an on-demand testing team can complement your in-house QA efforts.
 

Offer Appreciations
By Linda Rising

We don't always appreciate the power of taking a moment to reflect on past performance. Find out how real change can happen when a team invests in time together.

Virtual Labs in the Cloud
By Ravi Gururaj

Learn how to overcome infrastructure management challenges using virtual lab automation, and discover which cloud—private, public, or hybrid—best meets your organization's needs.

Finding Nuggets in the IT Gold Mine
By Clarke Ching

Development teams often are unaware of the commercial impacts of the software improvements they deliver. Often, the prioritization of work is done based on technical, rather than commercial, considerations. Based on a real-world example, this story explores the commercial benefits enabled by delivering in short release cycles and prioritizing according to bottom-line benefits.

The Right Business Analysis Tool
By Matthew Leach

The continued rise of the business analysis profession has led to a surge in software tools specifically designed for the business analyst. Find out what types of tools are in the marketplace today and how to select the right business analysis software tool for your organization.

Swan Song: How Testers Can Find Improbable and Unexpected Errors
By Michael Bolton

Black Swans, in the book by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, are improbable and unexpected events with a severe impact. One of the most important goals of testing is to find problems in the product. What can testers do to help reduce the likelihood that we'll encounter a Black Swan?

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