The Latest
Establishing Effective Software Metrics for the Measures You Want[article] The goal of software metrics is to have a rich collection of data and an easy way of mining the data to establish the metrics for those measures deemed important to process, team, and product improvement. When you measure something and publish the measurement regularly, improvement happens. This is because a focus is brought on the public results. |
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Lean Metrics for Agile Software Configuration Management[article] Taking an lean-agile slant on metrics for configuration management, the authors focus on ways to measure the value CM and SCM adds to the project and product and how to measure flow and waste. |
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Theory of Constraints, Lean, and Agile Software Development[article] Delivering More Business Value Where Needed Within the software development community, one of the biggest movements over the past decade has been Agile Development whereby teams adopt practices and attitudes consistent with the now famous Agile Manifesto. Additionally, there has been much discussion over the past four to five years about applying principles from the Theory of Constraints (ToC) and Lean Product Development (Lean) to software development. This has had a tendency to muddy the surrounding waters as teams question whether they should apply Agile, ToC, or Lean concepts. Are these three approaches mutually exclusive? Is there some hidden magic that can be unlocked by careful application of all three? Isn't it hard enough just trying to be Agile, without also trying to be Lean and ToC-ish? In this article we give an overview of Lean and ToC and show how they can be used in conjunction with Agile practices to focus on an organization's business value. By using elements of Lean, ToC, and Agile together more business value can be delivered with less effort. |
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Making an XML bill of materials in GNU Make[article] In this article I present a simple technique that causes GNU Make to create a XML file containing a "bill of materials" or BoM. The BoM contains the names of all the files built by the Makefile and is nested to show the prerequisites of target. |
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The use of Baselines in a SOA Environment[article] In service oriented architectures (SOA), there are three essential components for delivery: published service; long-lived business processes; and short-lived business processes. Baselines are key to successful SOA delivery. They identify the service—and the components making up the service—being delivery to an environment and provide for co-existence of multiple services in the environments at the same time. |
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The Death Spiral[magazine] Users don't have to be doomed to the nightmare of software fraught with defects that should have been fixed before release. Time spent testing now can save you from the Death Spiral later. Remember: If you don't have time to do it right, how will you have time to do it over . . . and over . . . and over? |
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The Exceptional Exception[magazine] So much more than a bucket for your errors, exceptions can be a valuable tool that lets you communicate to your clients not only that there is a problem but why and where the code failed. |
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There's Nothing Like the Real Thing[magazine] Ever wondered why one team's automated tests pass but your tests of the same software fail? Jonathan Kohl has an explanation. Perhaps we should all take a page from Marvin Gaye's songbook and test our project ideals in real-world environments. After all, "there ain't nothin' like the real thing." |
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The Ins and Outs of Integration Testing[magazine] Software integration is never an easy task, and a good integration testing process is the key to success. This introduction to integration testing will help you identify what to test, typical faults to look out for, and effective means to uncover these faults. |
Hans Schaefer
February 27, 2007 |
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Solve the Real Problem: A Formula for Sustainable Solutions[magazine] There is more to software development problem solving than processes and tools. Discover a way to get to the heart of a problem with none of the hacks, shortcuts, and workarounds that have become the industry norm. |
Tim Beck
February 27, 2007 |
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Beat the Odds[magazine] You know that old saying that the best way to schedule software development is to come up with your best guess and divide by three? In this article, Joel Spolsky explains how to take the guesswork out of estimations by simulating schedules and creating probability curves that are more than just a shot in the dark. |
Joel Spolsky
February 27, 2007 |
Looks Do Matter[article] In a previous article published on this site, "Testing the Bold and the Beautiful" (May 2001), the author received many thoughtful comments and questions about the importance of aesthetics in software. This paper was inspired in part from those questions. It clarifies the difference between aesthetic testing and usability testing. The paper makes the business case for "beauty testing" and argues that an ugly UI can undermine the bottom line. It offers methods and a survey-template for successful aesthetic testing. The paper concludes with a list of "Facts and Myths, Dos and Don'ts." |
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The Proof of the Pudding . . .[magazine] In this month's Test Connection Michael Bolton recounts a valuable lesson he learned early in his testing career: What's the best way to test a product? Use it yourself. |
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Take a Stand-Yes or No, not Maybe[magazine] 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. |
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The Renaissance Builder[article] This month we would like to turn the spotlight on to that oft neglected and under-valued specimen the build engineer. In the physical world, the term “building” has traditionally inspired status and respect. We just have to think of structures from the pyramids to medieval cathedrals to skyscrapers. |