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When Enough is Not Enough

Have you ever found yourself stuck in a situation where, no matter what you do, you can't seem to please your senior manager? Your manager wants you to decrease test time, but at what price? You go back and forth, but no matter how much you compress the schedule, it's never enough. Johanna Rothman explains how to avoid the bring-me-a-rock trap, when enough is not enough, and keep your team from being sucked into unreasonable time constraints.

Johanna Rothman's picture Johanna Rothman
One Bad Apple

Never underestimate the divisive power one person can have on an entire team. One team member with a bad attitude can affect overall productivity, communication, and job satisfaction. This week, Lori Howard offers some direct, decisive solutions for handling these "de-jellers" before they ruin your otherwise cohesive team.

Lori Howard
Trading Gold for Days

Spending additional money on resources to ease the strain of a tight schedule seems like a good idea. What project manager wouldn't want more help with a project? This week, Peter Clark explains the pluses and the pitfalls of trading gold for days.

Peter Clark
Influence Process Change by Making Friends with Management

It is key to remember that change will always be required. An effective test organization must always be prepared to handle change. As a reminder, here is list of key elements to keep in focus for implementing a proactive and effective change strategy.

Don Oxley
Out of Mind, Out of Sight

Sometimes it takes a child's perspective to remind us of the things that have become "invisible" to us. We make choices that become part of the daily flow and are forgotten until something happens that reopens our eyes. This week, Esther Derby explains how a four-year-old reminded her of an important lesson about decisions and routines.

Esther Derby's picture Esther Derby
Becoming an Information-Gathering Skeptic

Customers don't always know what they want. That's a given. But even if they do know, they may not always be able to communicate it clearly. That's also a given. Given these givens, you have a much better chance of comprehending your customers' needs and concerns if you're a skilled information-gathering skeptic.

Naomi Karten's picture Naomi Karten
Testers Shine on Agile Projects

Agile projects draw testers out of the background and into the spotlight. Testers play a distinctive role and drive product development by creating acceptance tests before any code is even written. Johanna Rothman sets the stage and explains the benefits of giving testers their chance to shine.

Johanna Rothman's picture Johanna Rothman
Assembling a Successful Test Team

Looking for the right guidelines to help you put together the right members for your team? This article details the smart way to choose your team to help guarantee a successful project.

Lloyd Roden
The Secret Ingredients of High Morale

Jessica and Sean have just attended the company spirit meeting, and they're feeling a little dispirited. What does it really take to build morale? The answer is both simple and difficult. Learn the ingredients of morale as identified by a group of experts—a project team that may be a lot like yours.

Esther Derby's picture Esther Derby
Human Communication on Projects

Tackling communication issues at the start can set a project up for success. Staying alert to communication issues during a project means keeping the lines open, clear, accurate, and helpful. Then when the deadline approaches, the schedule slips, or serious problems start cropping up, issues can be confronted much more smoothly and efficiently. In this column, Eileen discusses how human communication affects projects from start to finish.

Eileen Strider

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