The Latest
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So, You've Got a Problem: Crafting Remarks and Abstracts for Defect Reports[magazine] Software defect reports are among the most important deliverables to come out of software testing. They are as important as the test plan and will have more impact on the quality of the product than most other deliverables from the software test team. It's worth the effort to learn how to write an effective defect report that conveys the proper message and simplifies the process for everyone. |
Kelly Whitmill
August 28, 2008 |
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Idioms and Idiosyncrasies[magazine] As programmers, we are not merely engineering drones; we are also artisans. The act of programming involves as much artistry as it does technicality. When we craft great software, we naturally use language idioms help to show the elegance, beauty, and artistry of a piece of code. But sometimes the desire for beautiful idiomatic code can trip us up. |
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It's in the Way That You Use It[magazine] Rapid testers don't think of test automation merely as something that controls a program and checks for some expected result. Instead, we think of test automation as any use of tools to support testing. With that definition in mind, it may not be the most obvious automation tool that is the most useful. |
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Exit, Stage Left[magazine] Many technology workers are drawn to the industry from seemingly unrelated professions. Don't underestimate the importance of a liberal arts education and general life experiences to the technology field. These workers can bring a lot of value and wisdom to your team. |
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Agile Testing as if People Mattered[article] As a test professional in waterfall, I was used to getting the code much later and buggier than I expected and being under tremendous pressure to finish my testing before the go-live date hit. Then one day, I found out that there was a better way. Testers could be involved much earlier in the lifecycle, they could participate in requirements and design decisions as they happened, and the code could actually be unit tested before I received it! Heaven? Nope, agile. |
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Agile 2008 - Sanjiv Augustine - The effect of Agile Projects on Middle Management[article]
Podcast
Bob talks with Sanjiv Augustine about his work with Agile Project/Portfolio Management and the Middle Managers that execute projects within organizations. |
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Beyond Continuous Build: Shortening the Development and Test Feedback Loop[article] The author walks you through the details of actually implementing a continuous quality automation infrastructure. He builds up an example that addresses both the key principles and feedback cycles. |
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Receptiveness to Change[article] Everyone responds to change differently, whether managers know this or not. A good leader knows this, and doesn't hurt the morale of a team by expecting them to act a way that their incapable of, or that feels unnatural to them. Naomi Karten brings this all to light in this article. |
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The Borland Agile Journey[article] I begin this story by declaring up front that I am not an "Agilist" or process evangelist. I am the senior software development executive in a company responsible for delivering products to the marketplace. Like my peers across industries, I am fundamentally held accountable by my company for consistently delivering business results. Process and methodologies are important in delivering this value, but in the eyes of the company they are secondary to meeting the needs of the business. |
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Applying Agility - Quality Agile Development[article] Becoming more Agile involves significant changes in the way that we work on a day-to-day basis. One of the central reasons that many technology professionals embrace Agility is its best practices which enhance the Quality of an application effort. Agile practices cut straight to the reasons that many projects fail. Of course, many organizations have also seen that adopting Agile practices does not automatically guarantee them improved Quality either. What practices should you focus on to ensure that your development efforts benefit from Agile's wisdom in terms of improved quality and productivity? |
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Software Testing in an Agile Environment[article] Agile is a methodology that is seeing increasingly widespread adoption, and it is easy to understand why - especially if you consider the developer and user view-points. But, for the Test/QA professional an agile approach causes discomfort - In the ideal world they would have a ‘finished' product to verify against a finished specification. To be asked to validate a moving target against a changing backdrop is counterintuitive. It means that the use of technology and automation are much more difficult, and it requires a new approach to testing, in the same way that it does for the users and the developers. |
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Book Review: The Software Project Manager's Bridge to Agility[article] Michelle Sliger's and Stacia Broderick's The Software Project Manager's Bridge to Agility takea all the standard project management concepts and terms we've been entrenched in for the past decade or three and explains the crux of agile to you from within that domain. |
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With Agile Development, Quality Is Built In, not Bolted On![article] As Agile software development practices mature and move into the mainstream, it is vital that organizations understand how Agile practices can help you deliver higher quality software. The Agile is a methodology for software development that promotes development iterations, open collaboration, and adaptability throughout the project life-cycle. Currently, the measures within many Agile projects focus on the successful delivery of software. We refer to these as process measures. Software is the end product and while these measures examine the progress through the delivery, there are other critical measures that need to be assessed. This collection of measurements we refer to as results measures. One critical measure that is often overlooked is called stability. That being said, the true measure of quality cannot be measured until after the project is done and the software is in production. I am not talking about improving the defect density.
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Do the Pre-Flight Check so Your Code Doesn't Crash and Burn After Takeoff[article] Agile development and continuous integration challenges. To travel by air, you get to the airport, check in, with any luck get on a plane, and get to your destination. Perhaps you do not arrive precisely on time, but close enough that you make that important meeting or family event. Like jumbo jet pilots, software development teams and project managers have a lot more to worry about than the final consumers of the software or the passengers on the plane. Pilots have to go through a rigorous pre-flight check routine to ensure the plane is in top condition, the correct amount of fuel is on board, hydraulics and electrical systems are all working properly, the flight plan and latest weather is reviewed - and it's all done on the same jet that is being flown. The pilot wouldn't do their pre-flight check on their private Cessna then jump on board the corporate Gulfstream, or a Boeing 767, would they? |
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Top 9 challenges of adopting Scrum: Learn, Trust, and Quick Fixes[article] Introducing Scrum can be fun, but can also be quite a challenge. There are numerous hurdles to overcome, new practices to master and problems to solve. In this article, we will present some of the mistakes we have seen made, or made ourselves when introducing Scrum at various companies. In this first article, we will discuss organizational learning, creating an environment of trust, and why Scrim should not be used as a quick fix. |