Better Software Magazine

Better Software Magazine Articles

Honesty Is the Best Policy

The Squall team’s product prototype pleases big client Acme. But when the client won’t budge on its strict quality, time, or budgetary requirements, the Squall team leaders determine that the best they can offer Acme is the truth.

Payson Hall's picture Payson Hall
Silly Assumptions

Software development requires a variety of skills, but organizations shouldn’t assume that a worker can move to a new position—be it analyst, manager, or tester—without task-specific education or assistance.
 

Karl E. Wiegers
A Look at QuickBuild

Career software assembler Greg Kubaczkowski takes a look at QuickBuild, a Web-based, multi-platform, build management system that facilitates and automates builds with an intuitive user interface and a rich set of features.

Greg Kubaczkowski
Fighting Temptation

Programmers must balance time, business needs, and a long-term maintenance profile while producing code. Are you willing to accept the easy path now, even if it means trouble down the road? Tod Golding explains that the fastest way may not always be the right way.

Tod Golding's picture Tod Golding
Software Is a Service

According to Brian Marick, software is little more than a service that has been made into an easily mass-produced form. Because of that, software may be attractive only to its creators—but it still should serve its users faithfully.

Brian Marick
Old School Meets New Wave

Decades of testing practices are available to today's testers, but sometimes the "old school" approaches are just as powerful as newer tools with evolved frills and features. Chris McMahon offers tips on how you can combine test techniques to improve your agile integration project.

Chris McMahon's picture Chris McMahon
Static Electricity: Power Up Your Build Process with a Static Analysis Tool

Keeping source code functional in the midst of ongoing changes can be tricky, but there are tools available to help you keep bad code under control. In his article, Tom Copeland puts the spotlight on PMD, an open source static analysis tool that can illuminate source code problems and help power up your build process.

Tom Copeland
The Declaration of Interdependence

In an effort to extend the Agile Manifesto to non-software products and management, experts at the 2004 Agile Development Conference developed The Declaration of Interdependence. Alistair Cockburn details the DOI’s six principles and how they can benefit your organization.

Alistair Cockburn's picture Alistair Cockburn
Piecing Together an Agile Organization

Implementing agile processes can be like putting together a puzzle. But what happens when the pieces don't fall into the right place? Alicia Yanik tells the story of Daniel, who is wound up about his company's new agile elements, and Meg, who sees things from a more enlightened angle.

Alicia Yanik
The Truth About Exploratory Testing

Forget what you thought you knew about exploratory testing. Dion Johnson is disturbed by its exploitation by those who wish to escape accountability and forgo up-front planning, but says that exploratory testing and scripted testing can work together to enhance quality practices.

Dion Johnson's picture Dion Johnson

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