Teamwork and Good Communications are Key "Process" Areas, Too

Most of the emphasis for development groups seeking improvement is to change processes and project management practices. But what are we missing? Why does our software often disappoint customers? One reason is quite simple-systems are built by people. People must work together, communicate well, learn from each other, and change personal behaviors based on experiences. In short they must operate as a team for the software to meet their customers' functional and quality needs. Based on her book, Achieving Software Quality through Teamwork, Isabel Evans offers a unique viewpoint on how to succeed in software development. Learn ways you can encourage (or stifle) teamwork; how to promote mutual understanding and tolerance of different communication styles; how different assumptions about quality can lead to failure or success; and methods for integrating teamwork and better communications into your existing processes and practices.

• Communications within the team and with the customer
• How customers and development define quality differently
• Teamwork as a means to achieve high quality software