How do you really know how good your software is? Many traditional measures only look at the quantitative aspects of quality. Here's a model to measure and analyze subjective—or qualitative—data about software quality.

Outsourcing can be a great way to augment your software efforts. Here are guidelines to help you choose the right provider and ensure that you get what you paid for.

First-order measurement can help you understand what's going on, make decisions, and improve results. Observation, modeling, and simple data gathering are things that you can implement in your work group without a big measurement program or big funding. Start by modeling your system and working out on paper how different measures will affect your system. Then involve your team, expand your model, and try some simple data gathering. This approach to measurement is one more tool in your toolkit, and it will move your organization toward better quality.

To put it politely, software estimation has proven to be challenging. But to be frank, software estimation has proven to be a nightmare. Most organizations that develop software have lost all credibility with their clients when it comes to simple questions like "When will you be done?" and "How much is it going to cost?" In this fast-evolving industry, one thing is clear: Time hasn't given us a chance to improve our estimating skills. In this presentation, Tim Lister investigates the estimation issue, offers some suggestions, and promises to come up with some surprising answers to the question of whether anyone in our business can estimate.