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Bringing Business Value to IT Governance[article] For some organizations, IT governance is just another set of standards that is stated yet with few (or no) compliance expectations, little actual verification occurring, few or no metrics to indicate compliance, and even less use of the results by senior management to run their organization. Without support for standards, including practices, policy, verification, metrics and management’s commitment to use the results to manage the organization, IT governance, like any other standard, will only be perceived as yet another item that has little management support and is lacking value in the organization. |
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Emergent Design: Leveraging Agile Retrospectives to Evolve Your Architecture[article] Technological debt is mistakenly thought of as a technical problem, but when system design cannot change according to the needs of the business, it becomes a business problem. Big Design Up-Front leads to technological debt. Architecture must be allowed to emerge according to the needs of the product and the business. We know iterative, emergent development works; iterative, emergent design is no different. Agile teams should use Retrospectives as a tool to determine current needs and enable emergent design. |
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Architectural Envisioning on Agile Projects[article] One of the common misperceptions with agile software development is that agilists don't "do architecture." This completely ignores the 11th principle of the Agile Manifesto which states that the best architectures evolve over time. In this article Scott Ambler overviews an agile practice called "architecture envisioning" which enables you to gain the value from modeling without the cost of needless documentation. |
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Software Quality and the Prisoner's Dilemma[magazine] This industry spin on the classical dilemma illustrates the games we play when software quality is at stake and gives insight into why software managers who forego quality in order to reach a short-term marketing advantage are actually acting rationally. |
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A ''D'' in Programming[magazine] In certain company, the topic of favorite programming languages can elicit the same response as other taboo subjects, such as religion and politics. But, Chuck's going out on a limb to discuss his new favorite language, D, and some of its best features, such as its being strongly typed and compiling to native code, yet it is garbage collected. |
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A Change Would Do You Good[magazine] Visit any bookstore these days, and you will be faced with shelves of books whose titles claim they can make everything—from cooking to exercise—more interesting. In our industry, boredom is a problem that can affect your ability to solve complex technical problems. Discover how change can spice up your software processes. |
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Where Do I Go From Here?—Professional Growth for Software Testers[magazine] Most professionals have a detailed career ladder upon which to climb and grow their careers. But in many test organizations that ladder has only one rung—and it leads to management. If management isn't your path of choice, these tips can help you market yourself and add value to your career while you build your own technical career ladder. |
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Developers ... Start Your Engines: Reuse with Source Code Searches[magazine] Source code search engines can help you find chunks of reusable code. These search engines differ from generic text search engines by organizing the results to reflect the way code is organized—into functions, classes, packages, etc. These reviews of some popular engines can help you rev up reuse in your work. |
Alan Berg
March 31, 2008 |
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Incremental and Iterative Development[magazine] People get wrapped around the axle trying to understand the difference between incremental and iterative development. The Unified Process authors in the 1990s didn't help by indiscriminately calling everything iterative development. The two are different and must be managed differently. Successful teams do both at the same time, usually without thinking about it. Then someone starts thinking about it and does one without the other. Bad news follows. |
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Learning the Hardware Lessons[magazine] Systems and software aren't just about correctness; they are also about solving problems for people. According to the context-driven software testing movement, a problem isn't solved if the product doesn't work. Michael's experience in a hardware store drives that lesson home. |
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The Art of Persuading Management[magazine] You can't get your manager to give you what you want if he won't listen to you. Naomi suggests some strategies-including being methodical, gathering data, properly timing your requests, and practicing what you plan to say-that can help you make your case to the powers that be. |
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A ''D'' in Programming, Part 1[article] In certain company, the topic of favorite programming languages can elicit the same response as other taboo subjects, such as religion and politics. But, Chuck's going out on a limb to discuss his new favorite language, D, and some of its best features, such as its being strongly typed and compiling to native code, yet it is garbage collected. |
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Software Configuration Management: Formal Interfaces and Standards[article] Good software configuration management practices require discrete, recognizable methods applied consistently. In this article discusses the need for these methods, which he calls Formal Interfaces and Standards . |
Austin Hastings
March 19, 2008 |
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Effective IT GRC Starts at the Top[article] Following IT Government Risk and Compliance regulations ensure the security of your company's data, and that of your customers. Learn how to first understand these regulations, and then how to ensure everyone in your company understands the importance of your company's security policies. |
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CM Tools and Transparency in IT Governance[article] When it comes to IT governance, a key issue is transparency of process and data, all the way up the chain. |
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