The Latest
What Snake Oil Is Your Organization Buying Today?[presentation] As always, the snake oil bandwagons are circling your organization. But unlike snake oil, a purported health supplement of old, modern organizations bet their success on technologies with often equally dubious claims. |
James Coplien, Nordija A/S
|
|
Using Lean Thinking to Align People, Process, and Practices[presentation] The operational structure of many organizations fails to support their software development teams. |
Alan Shalloway, Net Objectives
|
|
How to Design Frustrating Products[presentation] In the software business, poor product design can lead to frustration and wasted time for our customers. |
Sanjeev Verma, Microsoft
|
|
Risk Management--It's Not Just For Gamblers Any More[presentation] The difference between gamblers and many software managers is that gamblers know there is a good chance they will lose a bet. |
![]() |
|
What Better Software Means to the CEO[presentation] Today's organizations depend on software applications for their business success-and survival. When applications fail, businesses are severely damaged-revenue losses in the millions, key data stolen, brands and reputations damaged. |
![]() |
|
The Secret to Software Development[magazine] In the wake of Rhonda Byrne's bestseller The Secret, Carol Dekkers examines whether the theories behind Byrne's blockbuster can be applied to software development. Can the Law of Attraction and positive energy really be all it takes for successful, positive project results—or is that just wishful thinking? |
Carol Dekkers
August 29, 2007 |
|
The Lecture[magazine] Whether you're being admonished for having more than ten items in the express lane at the supermarket or you are telling off a tester for missing a bug, at some point we've all been on the giving and on the receiving end of The Lecture. We're all human and fallible. Isn't there a more effective (and mature) way to communicate when a problem arises? |
||
![]() |
Navigating the Installation[magazine] If you've ever popped a CD into a drive and run an install for software you're about to test, then you might be performing installation testing indirectly. If not properly installed, an application could give false results for all other testing. A better strategy is to test the install process directly, which will give you greater confidence in the quality of your software. |
|
![]() |
Ready, Aim, Release[magazine] Think you know what your customer wants? Can you afford to be wrong? Based on the concept of tracer ammunition, which allows a shooter to follow the path of a bullet toward its target and adjust his aim as needed, tracer bullet software development can help you better understand your users’ wants so you can build a product that hits the mark. |
Jared Richardson
August 29, 2007 |
Skills for Software Smokejumpers[magazine] Sometimes the only way to get a fire under control is to call in the smokejumpers. These specially trained firefighters parachute into a region to take on a blaze and contain it before any more damage is done. Some software development projects have smokejumpers, too. These professionals enter struggling projects midstream, assess the situation, and hopefully lead the team to a successful outcome. |
||
Users We Don't Like[magazine] Mom always said, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." But Michael Bolton made an interesting discovery when he asked testers to talk about users they don't like. While nobody likes a complainer, listening to what your users are saying--even if you don't like it--can help you spot problems you may have overlooked. |
||
![]() |
Sophie's Choice[magazine] What do you do when your boss tells you to do something your conscience won't allow? Follow a test manager as she is faced with an ethical dilemma that forces her to pick between what is right and what will save her job. It's a tough position to be in, find out how to come through it with your head held high. |
|
![]() |
Make Reuse a Reality with STL Algorithms[magazine] Good code is a beautiful thing--especially when you don't have to write it. While most of us are quick to use prepackaged containers such as vectors, lists, and maps in everyday programming, we often overlook algorithms as a reuse tool. Find out how standard template library algorithms, specifically, can put you on the road to reuse. |
|
Agile Survey Results: Widespread Adoption, Emphasis on Productivity and Quality[article] This summer in 2006, the Agile Project Leadership Network (APLN) co-sponsored the 2nd Annual 'State of Agile Development' Survey. Almost 1,700 respondents from 71 countries shared their companies' experiences using of Agile methods and the challenges that they face with future adoption. Teams have begun to quantify the value that their projects have achieved and are steadily expanding the types of Agile practices and tools that they use. IT metrics are well-understood. Business metrics must also play a role, but few were included in the scope of this survey. |
||
Personal Agility for More Potent Agile Adoption[article] In this article, the authors propose that the most effective teams—those that show a tremendous improvement in productivity and value to their organizations—have individual team members who take ownership, act responsibly, and are disciplined in recognizing and responding to change at a personal level. |