Better Software Magazine Articles

Make It Personal

Often, despite all the data, the bugs, and the business case for quality, people don't make real changes until they discover what's in it for them. Bob Lee shows you how to make quality matter to those upstream.

Robert E. Lee
Culture Clash

Kathy Iberle reveals how her definition of quality changed when her job did.

Kathy Iberle's picture Kathy Iberle
Wall-to-Wall Tools

Got blank walls? Instead of hiring a decorator, perhaps you should enlist the help of a facilitator. This article examines how three experts use the wall in very different ways to make retrospectives, design, and collaboration better and easier.

Amanda Sulock
Karl Wiegers on Software Inspections and Peer Reviews

Peer reviews and inspections are among the highest-leverage software quality practices available. Here are some useful sources of guidance on how to perform software inspections and peer reviews, as well as some tools and online resources that can help you jump-start your fledgling review program.

Karl E. Wiegers
A Blueprint for Success: Implementing an Architectural Review Process

The most costly product defects are often a problem of software architecture. Testing your architecture is a crucial, but often overlooked, step in product development. Learn how to create apply a Systems Architecture Review Board for your own architectural review process.

Daniel Starr
A Look at PREfix by Intrinsa

PREfix provides a source code simulation tool that is able to perform automatic review for a wide range of programming defects that lead to program crashes. Defects reported by PREfix include de-referencing NULL pointers, using uninitialized memory, leaking memory or resources, or using illegal values. Here is an analysis of the product.

Rodney Wilson
The Two Bugs

Brian Marick applies the philosophical concept of "ready-to-hand" to software programming and describes two bugs that illustrate problems caused by mismatched reuse of ideas.

Brian Marick
Why Testers Should Participate in Early Reviews

Do testers really belong in early reviews? For Michael Dedolph, the answer is yes! For that matter, he thinks more installers should be involved as well. Why? Testers and installers are usually involved in the "end game," so they add value by bringing that very different point of view to the review process.

F. Michael Dedolph
When Assessments Are Relative

Taking development and business contexts into consideration can mean the difference between a correct assessment and a useful assessment. Here's information on how to provide an assessment that's both correct and effective.

Bob King

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