Project Management

Articles

Eyeglasses bringing data on a computer screen into focus Finding the Information inside Your Data

Data analysts have to know a lot about diverse business areas so that our reports provide usable information, not just data. We can use this awareness of the value of information to merge different data sets in order to answer new questions, and even help our users make better decisions. But in order to do this, we need to present not just the data, but the information value represented in that data.

Nels Hoenig's picture Nels Hoenig
"Wrong Way" road sign To Get Quality Software, Let Them Fail

As an advocate for quality, you look at the product, take into account time, budget, and other business constraints, and recommend fixes to ship a product with the best possible quality. ... And the businesspeople in production don’t want to fix it. How can you communicate bugs and risk to people who don't want to listen? Instead of getting frustrated, you need to frame issues in a meaningful way—and, if you have to, let people fail.

Matt Heusser's picture Matt Heusser
Test manager putting his hands up to his head in frustration Dealing with a Test Manager’s Most Annoying Problems

A test manager has to perform in multiple dimensions, using a variety of professional and interpersonal skills daily. With all these career facets, there are lots of different areas that can pose a problem. Here are the most common (and most annoying) things a test manager typically hears on a regular basis, as well as some strategies for how to deal with them.

László Szegedi's picture László Szegedi
Red rubber stamp that says "Rejected" Use the Rejected Defect Ratio to Improve Bug Reporting

There are many metrics to measure the effectiveness of a testing team. One is the rejected defect ratio, or the number of rejected bug reports divided by the total submitted bug reports. You may think you want zero rejected bugs, but there are several reasons that’s not the case. Let's look at types of rejected bugs, see how they contribute to the rejected defect ratio, and explore the right ratio for your team.

Michael Stahl's picture Michael Stahl
A piece of plain paper laid over a pile of other paper with typed words Overcoming Challenges to Good Test Documentation

Getting good test documentation is a consistent challenge. Agile proposes that you should go very light on documentation, and while test documentation does not need to be heavy, it does need to be clear and cover all that the product is intended to do so you can ensure testing is consistent and results are recorded. Here's how to overcome some major barriers to getting good test documentation.

Steven Penella's picture Steven Penella
Woman holding a magnifying glass to her eye Become a Data Detective

Rapid changes in data availability and analysis tools are leading to evolving expectations for the data analyst role. We can do much more than just generate reports; we have the opportunity to not only process data, but convert it into understandable information and use the knowledge revealed by our work to help change happen.

Nels Hoenig's picture Nels Hoenig
Gauge with a needle in the green zone, showing good performance 7 Simple Tips for Better Performance Engineering

Rigorous practices to reinforce performance and resilience, and testing continuously for these aspects, are great ways to catch a problem before it starts. And as with many aspects of testing, the quality of the performance practice is much more important than the quantity of tests being executed. Here are seven simple tips to drive an efficient performance and resilience engineering practice.

Franck Jabbari's picture Franck Jabbari
Coding brackets Mob Programming for Low-Code and No-Code Development

In low-code and no-code development, as the names suggest, developers do less actual coding—they create applications through GUIs and configuration instead of traditional programming. But mob programming is still a useful practice, because the entire team can clarify requirements, discuss development and test strategies, and implement the best ideas. Everyone gets to learn and contribute.

Arun Kumar Dutta's picture Arun Kumar Dutta
Dial with the needle moving from red to green A Better Way of Reporting Performance Test Results

Reporting the results of functional tests is relatively simple because these tests have a clear pass or fail outcome. Reporting the results of performance testing is much more nuanced, and there are many ways of displaying these values—but Michael Stahl felt none of these ways was particularly effective. He proposes a reporting method that makes performance test results easy to read at a glance.

Michael Stahl's picture Michael Stahl
Testing team standing around a computer and smiling 3 Methods for Better Communication and More Effective Testing

Successful delivery of software requires the entire team, so it’s imperative that everyone choose their words carefully so they convey what they really mean, are sensitive to others’ feelings, and consider all aspects of a problem. Here are three questions to remember when communicating about your software testing projects to ensure you’re considering the power of words.

Ajay Balamurugadas's picture Ajay Balamurugadas

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