Better Software Magazine Articles

The Best-Laid Plans

It's a fact of life that plans change, but the proper implementation of agile and release planning can get you back on track. Just be sure to keep the communication lines open and clear throughout the process. Stacia Broderick tells the tale of a department as it works out its kinks in the best interest of its customers.

Stacia Broderick
Overtime Under Control

Test managers are in the precarious position of being responsible to both the project and the team, but the manager and team know best whether overtime will help or hinder project progress. In this installment of "Management Chronicles," a test manager keeps the concerns of her team in mind when evaluating the need for overtime.

Fiona Charles's picture Fiona Charles
Geographically Challenged

Office politics are a fact of life in the workplace, but they sometimes spill over and affect employees' lives outside the office as well. In this tale by Leonidas Hepis, office politics endanger a QA team member's work and her family time.

Leonidas Hepis
QA All-Stars: Building Your Dream Team

A testing team can mean success or failure for a project, but developing a team means more than putting a few people together and telling them to test something. Hans Buwalda shares his teambuilding experiences and gives some tips on how you can build the best team for the job.

Hans Buwalda's picture Hans Buwalda
The Certainty of Uncertainty

All projects begin with a great deal of uncertainty. Mike Cohn takes a look at Alexander Laufer’s concepts of means and end uncertainties and explains why an iterative approach to product development is the best way to be certain your users get what they want.

Mike Cohn's picture Mike Cohn
Honesty Is the Best Policy

The Squall team’s product prototype pleases big client Acme. But when the client won’t budge on its strict quality, time, or budgetary requirements, the Squall team leaders determine that the best they can offer Acme is the truth.

Payson Hall's picture Payson Hall
When an Emergency Takes Center Stage

The middle of an emergency is no time to make a plan. Take a look at this installment of "Management Chronicles" to learn how not to be prepared for an emergency situation, and then read the Story Lines for some helpful, preparatory advice.

Peter Clark
Are We There Yet?

Create project dashboards to display project progress and drive your team to success.

Johanna Rothman's picture Johanna Rothman
Changing Minds About Context Switching

Turn to The Last Word, where software professionals who care about quality give you their opinions on hot topics. This month, Johanna Rothman explains what technicians can do to convince management that context switching in the technical world is a sure-fire means to a late project.

Johanna Rothman's picture Johanna Rothman
The Short Management Lifecycle

Every manager has a story to tell. Find out how one management professional tackles a fictional dilemma. The story may be made up, but the solutions are tried and true. In this installment, Patrick Bailey tells the harrowing tale of a skilled technician-turned-manager who finds himself in a sticky situation with his CEO.

Patrick Bailey's picture Patrick Bailey

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