Better Software Magazine Articles

Attack of the Fifty-Foot Favors

When your boss constantly has you doing favors for another group, it can get in the way of fulfilling your own responsibilities. Find out how defining your work mission to your manager and illustrating how "small" favors potentially cut into company revenue can help to get everyone on the same page.

Esther Derby's picture Esther Derby
Take a Stand-Yes or No, not Maybe

It's happened again. Your boss corners you and pressures you to take on extra work. The additional project gives you more work than you can realistically do, let alone do well. Find out how you can stand up to your boss and work with him to create reasonable priorities for your time without damaging your relationship.

Johanna Rothman's picture Johanna Rothman
The Case of the Missing Fingerprint: Solve the Mystery of Successful End-of-Project Retrospectives

Through this tale of a planning spreadsheet and its effect on three different projects, learn the impact a single decision can have on a project--and pick up some helpful tools like fingerprint graphs and project timelines along the way.

Jennitta Andrea's picture Jennitta Andrea
A Few Good Bugs

When a factory comes to a screeching halt and the collected team managers start pointing fingers at team members and ducking blame, one manager sets a valuable example by offering up a name--his own.

Patrick Bailey's picture Patrick Bailey
Marine Corps Maxims: Principles for Building Strong Test Teams

The value the U.S. Marine Corps places on teamwork can improve your software development team as well. Former USMC member Sean Buck shares how correctly applying Marine Corps principles will lead the way toward better, more effective test teams.

Sean Buck
In Search of Commitment Clarity

When planning your workload, it's easy to bite off more than you can chew. But as Michele Sliger explains in this tale of one overachiever's attempt to take on too much work, overcommitting yourself means overcommitting your team.

Michele Sliger's picture Michele Sliger
Overtime Under Control

Test managers are in the precarious position of being responsible to both the project and the team, but the manager and team know best whether overtime will help or hinder project progress. In this installment of "Management Chronicles," a test manager keeps the concerns of her team in mind when evaluating the need for overtime.

Fiona Charles's picture Fiona Charles
The Power of Persuasion

Twenty years ago, Brian Marick defined a small startup's company process and coding standard in his position as head of quality assurance--and didn't win any popularity points. Looking back, Brian thinks that he and others in charge of process would be more successful using persuasion than using commands.

Brian Marick
japanese "ba" and the Art of Development Environments

The flow of knowledge is more than mental. Better your team and improve your output through an adjustment in physical surroundings. Jean Tabaka describes the Japanese philosophy of "ba" and what it can mean to you and your development team.

Jean Tabaka's picture Jean Tabaka
Geographically Challenged

Office politics are a fact of life in the workplace, but they sometimes spill over and affect employees' lives outside the office as well. In this tale by Leonidas Hepis, office politics endanger a QA team member's work and her family time.

Leonidas Hepis

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