Articles

Tester, Know Your Product

Should you diligently produce multiple big documents before testing begins? Consultant Fiona Charles argues that you should do that only if you believe that documentation is your product as a tester. If your product is information, you should instead minimize test documentation and engage with the software to build the product your stakeholders are paying for.

Fiona Charles's picture Fiona Charles
Make an Attitude Investment

Whether you’re concerned about your day-to-day work or the long-term goals you’ve set, a good attitude can make all the difference. In this article, Laura Brandenburg expands on some tips gathered from Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude.

Laura Brandenburg's picture Laura Brandenburg
Project Pyramid Estimating the Unknown: Dates or Budgets, Part 1

Almost every manager I know wants to know when a project will be done. Some managers decree when a project will be done. Some managers think they can decree both the date and the feature set. There is one other tiny small subset, those managers who ask, “When can you finish this set of ranked features?”

Johanna Rothman's picture Johanna Rothman
How to Lose a Customer

Giving your clients the opportunity to voice their opinions after conducting business with you is a great way to express your interest in continuing to work with them. Just make sure you're earnest in hearing their thoughts and that you don't simply think this is accomplished with a survey alone.

Naomi Karten's picture Naomi Karten
One-Minute Management and Project Teams

Managing expectations and providing useful feedback are incredibly important skills for managers, whether you’re dealing with one employee or many. In this article, Laura Brandenburg takes a closer look at how some of the principles from the book The One Minute Manager apply to project teams.

Laura Brandenburg's picture Laura Brandenburg
Product complexity and opportunity to rearchitect and refactor Do You Need Titled Architects for Your Agile Programs?

Johanna Rothman received a variety of responses to her recent writing on agile architecture. In this article, she attempts to clarify her case for having an architect on some—but not all—agile programs, depending on a number of factors.

Johanna Rothman's picture Johanna Rothman
Are the Five CEO Temptations Limiting Your Leadership Potential?

Becoming a CEO isn’t the ultimate goal for the most successful CEOs. It is a status that they use to achieve great things, and they face ongoing temptations that threaten their potential. Here, Laura Brandenburg takes a look at the temptations in Patrick Lencioni’s Five Temptations of a CEO that can limit the potential of not only CEOs, but also anyone in a leadership position.

Laura Brandenburg's picture Laura Brandenburg
Burning With Excuses

We all know what it’s like to be frustrated with someone else when that person isn’t being as responsive as we would like. It’s especially easy to do when our own work or responsibilities are on the line. In this tale from Naomi Karten, she shows that a lack of response doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of care and explains how very important it is to have the full story before you get too worked up.

Naomi Karten's picture Naomi Karten
From One Expert to Another: Simon Baker From One Expert to Another: Simon Baker

In this interview, author, speaker, and agile tester Lisa Crispin speaks with Simon Baker, cofounder of Energized Work and recipient of the Gordon Pask award, about the approaches and tools his lab uses.

Lisa Crispin's picture Lisa Crispin
It’s the Goal, Not the Role: The Value of Business Analysis in Scrum

“Business analyst” is not a distinct role on Scrum or other agile teams. And yet, the goal for the team—to deliver high-valued product needs—requires strong business analysis skills. Ellen Gottesdiener and Mary Gorman describe the vital analysis work needed reach the goal, regardless of role.

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