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Negative Positive
Author(s): Fiona Charles
Summary: Testers who point out project risks are often perceived as "negative" thinkers. In this week's column, software test consultant Fiona Charles (an optimist by nature and a pessimist by trade) writes about how a culture of unthinking optimism pervades our organizations and our society, and describes some of its detrimental effects on software projects.
Date Posted: Feb 5, 2010 |
Empowering Self Organization and Energizing Project Planning with the Commander's Intent
Author(s): George Schlitz/Giora Morein
Summary: Things change, and when they do, it's best to be ready to change with them. The best plans are doomed to fail if they aren't malleable. In this column, George Schlitz and Giora Morein take a look at the military concept of "Commander's Intent" and how it can apply to non-military project planning.
Date Posted: Jan 29, 2010 |
Pragmatic Personas
Author(s): Jeff Patton
Summary: Knowing who will use your software is important to the software development process. Having the end user in mind helps you develop features that fit the user's needs. And, figuring out your end user, as Jeff Patton reveals, is indeed easy. In this column, Jeff details stereotypes to avoid, questions to ask, and how to implement this pragmatic persona in your development process.
Date Posted: Jan 22, 2010 |
Wrecking a Project
Author(s): Payson Hall
Summary: If you want to commit industrial espionage and damage the company you work for, there are few roles as highly leveraged and capable of harm as that of project sponsor. For executives seeking to undermine a project and assure failure, consultant Payson Hall identifies tactics that quickly derail and ultimately crash projects while simultaneously sucking the life and enthusiasm from project staff.
The Challenge of Coping with Chaos
Author(s): Naomi Karten
Summary: When you face the discomfort and uncertainty brought about by change, it's tempting to want to do something to deal with the situation. But, acting precipitously could be a big mistake. In this column, Naomi Karten explains why and offers some suggestions of what to do instead.
Test Case Design for Automated UI Tests
Author(s): Chris McMahon
Summary: In this article, Chris McMahon offers an approach to implementing automated tests at the user interface level in a way that is visually simple and should save a lot of work when analyzing and maintaining tests down the road.
Rocks into Gold: Part 3
Author(s): Clarke Ching
Summary: This short book by Clarke Ching is a "biztech" parable for software developers who want to survive--and then thrive--through the credit crunch. The book is being republished on StickyMinds.com in a four-part series. In part three, when things seem at their very worst, Bob has a "light bulb moment" that just might save the day. Follow the story as our characters fight to keep their jobs by implementing creative business ideas and management skills taken from agile development.
Date Posted: Dec 22, 2009 |
Gird Your Loins
Author(s): Esther Derby
Summary: Vague statements and labels, one-sided evaluations, surprises, and secondhand complaints are just the sorts of things that can make a person want to run away screaming from an annual performance evaluation--probably not the best career move. In this article, Esther Derby offers some tips for dealing with these situations in a calm and collected manner.
SOX Rocks
Author(s): Linda Hayes
Summary: Six years ago, not long after the Sarbanes-Oxley Act introduced new levels of oversight to public companies, Linda Hayes speculated about what the legislation might mean for the state of software testing in large, public corporations. "Software QA is no longer an optional function primarily designed to protect developers from their mistakes," Linda wrote, "but is an essential one that protects them from SEC sanctions, civil damages, and an all-expense paid vacation to Club Fed." Now, she takes another look at her own forecast and how Sarbanes-Oxley has changed the testing environment.
Date Posted: Dec 1, 2009 |
Weekend Engagement
Author(s): Fiona Charles
Summary: In "Growing Your Career in Tough Times," Fiona Charles writes about some of the free and low-cost things testers can do for professional development when money isn't available for courses and conferences. In this column, she describes two examples of the amazing things some testers get up to on the weekend to practice their craft, develop their skills and knowledge, and have a great deal of fun.
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