What's new in GNU Make 3.81 In this article, Ask Mr. Make covers what's new in GNU Make 3.81. |
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Version Control vs. Configuration Management The terms version control and configuration management are often used interchangeably, while some view them as separate disciplines. In fact, version control capabilities are a part of a well-defined configuration management process. We will explore these related disciplines and show how they can be applied successfully to problems facing IT professionals today attempting to manage their application infrastructure. |
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Evolving beyond Version Control for Agile Development This article looks at satisfying the principles of Configuration Management with varying degrees of tool support, which we classify from Version Control at one end, to true CM tools (and beyond!). Many agile developers restrict themselves to tools that are more on the version control end, so we aim to highlight the differences, and particularly point out certain features which can make your life a lot easier. |
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Testing vs. Quality Assurance
"What does your quality assurance group do?" I have asked this question of many executives. Too often they answer, "Quality assurance is responsible for testing our software to ensure it is ready for release." I push, hoping for more, by asking, "Anything else?" Usually, though, the response is little more than, "Well, they manage the defect tracking system. What else would they do?" What more, indeed!
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Alan S. Koch
May 30, 2006 |
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Is Agile Configuration Management Worth the Effort? What is agile CM? If you think it's doing the minimal amount of CM, think again. Instead, it's minimizing and streamlining the work to do all of the CM tasks that are necessary. It adapts to changing CM requirements fairly easily. Agile CM doesn't just happen - it's a combination of good CM process, good CM tools, and CM automation. If you fall short on any of these, your CM process will not be very agile. |
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Feature-Driven Development: An Agile Alternative to Extreme Programming Feature-driven development (FDD) has the more traditional progression of a systems-engineering life cycle mode as compared to agile methods. It uses distinct phases in its iterations while still being highly iterative and collaborative. FDD does conduct up-front planning, design and documentation and relies very heavily upon domain modeling. |
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Agile Software Development: It's Not the Wild West Agile methods for software development are one of the hottest movements in the methodology field. Agile methods provide a means of adapting quickly for teams facing unpredictable or rapidly changing requirements. Agile introduces a structured approach to software development (more structured than most "bandwagon" enthusiasts realize). |
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Balancing Individual versus Collective Code Ownership The subject of individual -vs- collective code ownership is often the bane of many heated discussions about code change authorization/access and concurrent -vs- serial development. Opponents of collective ownership often claim that it results in "no ownership" of the code and that individual code ownership is better for managing attempts at concurrent changes. Oppenents of individual ownership often counter by saying individual ownership inhibits refactoring and goes against the team ethic of XP and other Agile methods. |
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Managing Dispersed Development Teams for Productivity The traditional approach to managing productivity is that employees punch a clock – in at 8, out at 5 – and employers must assume work is being done during the intervening hours. However, the current reality for many, if not most, businesses, is that the traditional approach no longer works. It has become unclear whether or not work is being accomplished regardless of hours logged at the office. With the increase in outsourced and offshore teams, many developers are scattered across different states or even different continents and throughout a variety of time zones. As a result, it’s not possible for a manager to ‘swing by’ a developer’s cube to get a status update on a project or even just to do a quick check that a team member is present and productive. |
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Relating PMBOK Practices to Agile Practices - Part 2 of 4 Michele Sliger understands the turmoil project management practitioners go through in the transition from plan-driven approaches to agile methodologies. Michelle continues her four-part series relating Project Management Institute (PMI) best practices--as identified in the PMBOK--to agile practices. |
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