Better Software Articles

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Follow the Process

Building better software does not rely on methodologies. "Following the process" omits important human factors that ultimately lead us to success.

Lee Copeland's picture Lee Copeland
Simple Summaries Of Complex Projects

How can we meaningfully summarize—in a brief status report without losing important details—the successes and setbacks our projects experience?

Payson Hall's picture Payson Hall
Google Web Toolkit: Writing Ajax Applications Test First

In part two of the series, Daniel introduces Google Web Toolkit's testing infrastructure and demonstrates how to build an Ajax application test first.

Daniel Wellman's picture Daniel Wellman
Getting Agile With User-Centered Design

Agile practices go a long way toward providing value to our customers. But in today's market, we must endeavor to adopt a more user-centered approach to create products our customers can't live without.

Darius Kumana Jon Dickinson
Cover or Discover?

Excellent testing isn't just about covering the "map"–it's also about exploring the territory, which is the process by which we discover things that the map doesn't cover.

Michael Bolton's picture Michael Bolton
Keep Non-developers in the Loop

Keeping QA members up to date on changes as they happen–through meetings, wikis, and email–can reduce the number of unnecessary bug reports and save you time and frustration.

Melanie Tayler's picture Melanie Tayler
Encapsulation and Vampires

Encapsulation is more than just using the "private" keyword when defining a class. You need a boundary that keeps the vampires out.

Kevlin Henney's picture Kevlin Henney
The Tester Who Came In from the Cold

Traditionally, relationships between testing and coding teams often bordered on frosty. But the wall has started to come down, especially in organizations that have embraced agile principles, values, and practices.

Lisa Crispin's picture Lisa Crispin
A Gram of Prevention

Following an "I-click-therefore-I-Program" methodology does not lead to quality software. Good code can and should evolve from clear, up-front descriptions of the solution to the problem at hand.

Chuck Allison's picture Chuck Allison
When Coders Control Companies

Software developers are not typically at the top of the organizational chart. Yet in some cases, developers are able to wield their knowledge and control of the code to hold management hostage to the developers’ own agenda. How can you avoid being taken hostage and losing control of your company and its software?

Linda Hayes's picture Linda Hayes

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