People & Teams

Better Software Magazine Articles

FAQ: How can I deal with a compressed test schedule?

In this installment of FAQ, SQE Trainer Linda Hayes answers one of the questions students ask her most often.

Linda Hayes's picture Linda Hayes
Negotiating Our Relationships

When joining a project, your position isn't a given; you must negotiate it. Lee identifies five roles that combine to make up team relationships.

Lee Copeland's picture Lee Copeland
Forget What You Think You Know

The transition to lean-agile can be challenging for traditional project managers because traditional competencies and practices can conflict with the core principles that explain why lean principles work. To help prepare project managers transitioning to lean-agile, this article exposes five counterintuitive practices that challenge standard project management beliefs.

Guy Beaver's picture Guy Beaver
Enterprise Agile and the Business Analyst

Agile is making its way into the enterprise as a project methodology for industrial-strength projects. Why the popularity? The answer lies in the requirements paradox: “We want requirements to be stable, but requirements are never stable.” Discover some key agile concepts as they affect business analysts.

John C. Goodpasture's picture John C. Goodpasture
Sometimes Perception Is the Problem

High on a mountain twenty years ago, a wise man shared secrets of problem solving that have served Payson Hall ever since. In this article, Payson passes along a simple definition that offers insights into problems and potential solutions.

Payson Hall's picture Payson Hall
Agile Light Bulb Moments

Many of us have our personal identities wrapped up in our jobs, which can make change hard, particularly in agile environments. Recognizing the power of storytelling, Michele Sliger started collecting first-person stories about how adopting agile affected individuals and what their "light bulb moment" was like. Find out how agile adoptions have changed individuals—their perceptions of agile, their leadership styles, and even their personal lives.

Michele Sliger's picture Michele Sliger
The Optimists Don't Make It Out

Optimism is normally viewed as a positive trait, but not when it comes to goals and estimates. Project managers who don their rose-colored glasses when faced with the harsh light of reality are setting themselves up for disappointment.

Lee Copeland's picture Lee Copeland
Which Obstacle Should You Tackle Today?

As a lead and manager, your job to remove obstacles that impede work is most important. But of all the obstacles you find, whether they be people's perceptions, bottlenecks in the work flow, or an ill-fitted chair or desk, which do you tackle first? Johanna Rothman explains how to remove the obstacles that slow, impede, or halt project work.

Johanna Rothman's picture Johanna Rothman
Product Owners Should Care About Quality

Product owners often view quality as an ugly duckling—necessary to ship software, but nerdy and a drag. Instead, they should be guardians of quality. Only when quality meets functionality is lasting value created.

Roman Pichler
Hearing ''No''

"No" can be disappointing. Sometimes we have difficulty hearing or dealing with No. Can we learn how to cope with No with less pain and angst? Can we learn how to prevent No at least some of the time? Yes and yes!

Rick Brenner's picture Rick Brenner

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