The Latest
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Why You Need Continuous Testing in DevOps[article] DevOps is more than adopting the right set of tools; it's a cultural shift that incorporates testing at each stage of the agile project lifecycle. Continuous testing is key to unlocking this culture change because it weaves testing activities into every part of the software design, development, and deployment processes, which helps everyone involved communicate more, collaborate better, and innovate faster. |
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The Agile Alphabet, Part 2[article] The world of agile has many terms for concepts, principles, and practices common in the community. Ben Kopel came up with a list of some of the most important words used when practicing agile and organized them into a glossary with one term for every letter of the alphabet. Here's the second half, with N through Z. |
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The Agile Alphabet, Part 1[article] The world of agile has many terms for concepts, principles, and practices common in the community. Ben Kopel came up with a list of some of the most important words used when practicing agile and organized them into a glossary with one term for every letter of the alphabet. Here's the first half, with A through M. |
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Kickoff Meetings Give Your Agile Projects a Running Start[article] Agile projects are ideally a collaborative effort among the team members and with the customers, and the planning process should be a similar endeavor. Everyone should get a clear understanding of the project as well as their respective roles and responsibilities. As the saying goes, well begun is half done. A well-planned kickoff meeting sets the tone for a successful project. |
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Examining Cross-functionality Bias on Software Development Teams[article] Cross-functionality means having all the necessary people and skills on one self-organizing team. Unfortunately, the execution of cross-functionality is often biased. The main traps we fall into are misunderstanding the value of specialization, hero worship, and not “walking the cross-functional talk” as organizations. Let’s examine each of these pitfalls in the hope that your teams may avoid them. |
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4 Keys to Protecting Your Data in a DevOps World[article] It may seem like the desires for end-to-end DevOps and protection of sensitive data are in conflict, but if done correctly, they can be two sides of the same coin. DevOps processes such as version control and delivery automation introduce the very measures needed to properly protect production data. The key to keeping data safe while using it during your DevOps process is to focus on these four areas. |
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The Life of a Tester, from Once Upon a Time to Happily Ever After[presentation]
Slideshow
Most fairy tales start out with a scary premise and move to a happy ending. Lately, we have heard lots of scary stories about the future of testing. As machine learning and artificial intelligence continue to gain prominence, we see even more concerns about the tester’s career. With the... |
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Experiences at STAREAST 2018: An Interview with Michael Sowers[interview]
Video
Michael Sowers, TechWell’s IT director and program chair for STAREAST 2018, discusses some of the activities, presentations and networking opportunities at the event. He also discusses what to expect at the all-new Agile Testing Days. |
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When Software Development Becomes a True Profession[article] David Bernstein describes the software profession as an industry of amateurs. He argues that it does not yet have many of the things that a true profession has, such as a defined path of entry or good apprenticeship opportunities. A big reason is that computer programming hasn't been around as long as other industries, but what else will it take for software to rise in the ranks? |
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Warning Signs That Your Agile Effort Has Lost Its Focus[article] Agile should be about using tailored practices, techniques, tools, and team organizations that fully align to your business context. But the world of cookie-cutter solutions strongly influences businesses and their IT teams to follow their one-size-fits-all frameworks, methods, and tools. Such an approach often introduces many risks, so beware of the following symptoms that may indicate that your agile team has gone astray. |
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Be Indispensable: Cross-Train like a Testing Athlete[magazine] Stretching your skills and preparing for organizational and work-related change is vital for any QA tester. Your best approach is to work on complementing your skills and competencies. |
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Finding Microefficiencies in Agile Practices: An Interview with Melissa Tondi[interview] Melissa Tondi discusses retuning your standard agile practices to better engage the project team, enabling them to write code that will pass testing and free testers to assume the role of user advocate. |
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Using Agile and DevOps to Achieve Quality by Design[magazine] When software nears completion, it is the wrong time to focus on quality. Product delivery improves if you invest in a plan, validate in small increments, and focus on continuous testing. |
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7 Qualities of High-Performing Agile Teams[article] A high-performing agile team delivers exceptional results time and again, irrespective of the challenges they encounter. While their results may seem magical, lots of effort goes into building such a team, on the part of team members themselves and their leaders. Here are seven common qualities high-performance teams exhibit that you should strive for when building your own agile team. |
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Improving Communication and Social Skills: An Interview with Marcia Buzzella[interview]
Video
Marcia Buzzella, an independent leadership consultant and strengths coach, discusses the importance of communication and social skills in a business atmosphere. She offers advice on tools to recognize your weaknesses in those areas and how to work toward improving your effectiveness. |