The Latest
Getting Agile With User-Centered Design[magazine] 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. |
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Cover or Discover?[magazine] 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. |
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Keep Non-developers in the Loop[magazine] 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. |
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Encapsulation and Vampires[magazine] Encapsulation is more than just using the "private" keyword when defining a class. You need a boundary that keeps the vampires out. |
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A Word with the Wise: Automation Analyzed with Linda Hayes[article] Linda Hayes has witnessed automation's growth and evolution firsthand and, while the field may retain its detractors and abusers, Hayes believes there are more positive changes ahead. In this interview with editor Joey McAllister, Linda Hayes discuss those changes. |
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Alpha Project Status[article] Design and implement a new call-tracking system. |
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Multitasking Is Evil[article] Multitasking is often seen as a desirable skill—you can buy books or pay to attend courses that will teach you how to do it—but it is a surprisingly debilitating idea. |
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A Framework for Evaluating and Implementing Standards[article] Many organizations do not comprehend that just calling something a standard does not necessarily make it so to folks within the organization. There is effort required to create a standard that is valuable to the organization. On the other hand, there are many de-facto standards that people do not recognize as a standard. This has to do with the drivers of the standards. |
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Defining Agile SCM: Past, Present & Future (2008)[article] We would like to revisit our definition of Agile SCM. In our earliest articles on the topic, we defined Agile SCM as, "The pragmatic application of sound CM principles and practices in accordance with agile values and lean thinking to serve the needs of the business!" We wish to elaborate what that means in terms of SCM for agile development, but even more importantly in terms of how we should apply agile, lean, and their related principles to SCM processes and procedures. |
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How Does the Shift Toward Web-Based Technology Influence CM?[article] While the definition of Web 2.0 has barely begun to settle down, applications must start to react. Web 2.0 is, from a technology viewpoint, mostly a combination of collaborative web technology and application web interfaces that mimic their native client counterparts. From a social viewpoint, it's a communication and information transition: blogs, Facebook, integrated chat, and meeting capabilities create a web base of knowledge so that anyone can search for anyone or anything and communicate or contribute to the subject matter. From a CM/ALM perspective, there has always been a need to have a base of knowledge, of data, and of people. The success of CM depends on it. So how really does Web 2.0 play into the next generation of CM? |
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The Tester Who Came In from the Cold[magazine] 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. |
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A Gram of Prevention[magazine] 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. |
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When Coders Control Companies[magazine] 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? |
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The One-Hour Regression Test[magazine] If a customer asked you to demonstrate to him, within an hour, that your newest software is ready for use, what tests would you run? Are these the same tests that you are now performing in your first hour of regression testing? They should be. |
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Tale of a Yo-Yo Manager[magazine] There is much more to empowering your team than simply stating "You're empowered." Consider the three Ws of empowerment: "what," "when," and "why" when creating boundaries that define which decisions are the team's and which need management approval. |