Recent Articles
Article by Eileen Strider |
Comments (7) |
Jan 28 2002 - 1:07pm Technical people often feel uncomfortable sharing their personal feelings toward a project. But there are recognized levels of information beneath the surface of what we hear and see. Here, Eileen Strider explains that even without plumbing the depths of your co-workers' souls, you can conduct a little subsurface exploration to benefit the team and the project. Read More
Article by Lee Copeland |
Comments (13) |
Dec 10 2001 - 2:11pm Lee Copeland's fictional story about getting children to clean their rooms struck a chord with many of our readers, who compared it to getting developers to test their code. Here are Lee's responses to your feedback, along with a few insights about the dynamics behind developers examining their work. Read More
Article by Johanna Rothman |
Comments (10) |
Dec 3 2001 - 2:54pm Have you ever had a challenging time trying to get a manager or coworker to recognize a potentially project-stalling issue? Risk is inherent when creating something valuable and complex (like software), but sometimes it's hard to analyze and explain in a productive way. Here Johanna Rothman shares her method for addressing risks. Read More
Article by Karl E. Wiegers |
Comments (9) |
Nov 27 2001 - 1:38pm Software projects are complex endeavors that rely on clear communication for success. If communication methods are mismatched or leave too many gaps, your project could suffer, and you could be highly frustrated. In this column, Karl Wiegers details potential problems to be mindful of, and strategies to use, when communicating about a project. Read More
Article by Johanna Rothman |
Comments (8) |
Oct 17 2001 - 4:16pm There's no doubt that the current job market is tight and a little shaky for test professionals. In a climate where entire test groups are being laid off or trimmed to the bone, Johanna Rothman notices a trend in test management priorities that you might want to consider. Follow the story of how one test manager determined tester ROI and how testers might approach increasing their value. Read More
Article by Eileen Strider |
Comments (14) |
Sep 24 2001 - 2:23pm Churning out medium-grade software to meet deadlines, and experiencing critically defective projects over the years, can easily wear down optimism till it gives way to cynicism in the software testing and quality professions. In this column, Eileen Strider empathizes with that tendency and offers ideas that may improve the quality of your experience. Read More
Article by Elisabeth Hendrickson |
Comments (9) |
Sep 5 2001 - 1:23pm When things go awry, sometimes the first problem you see is not The Problem but just a product of its symptoms. But if problems can hide behind other problems, how can you learn to spot the true culprit at the source of your dilemma? Elisabeth Hendrickson shares some lessons she's learned about "The Problem." Read More
Article by Lee Copeland |
Comments (16) |
Aug 27 2001 - 8:15pm StickyMinds columnist James Bach has used this space to describe and discuss Exploratory Testing, a style of testing that emphasizes product exploration and fluid test design and execution. In this week's column, test consultant Lee Copeland adds his own twist to the exploratory premise. Read More
Article by Johanna Rothman |
Comments (5) |
Aug 7 2001 - 6:35pm In Johanna's last column, she discussed ways test managers can measure their output in working terms of problems solved, crises averted, etc. Prompted by a comment from our sticky-minded audience, this week Johanna shares some ways test managers can assess their performance against specific management deliverables likely to be high on an organization's priority list. Read More
Article by Eileen Strider |
Comments (9) |
Jul 31 2001 - 4:14pm The correlation between project size and project failure is well known in the software industry. Despite this well documented danger, companies continue to sponsor huge projects. It's unlikely we will talk executives out of their dreams of huge projects, but we can talk with them about ways to manage the inherent risks. Often a short story is worth a thousand words. The "Hudson's Bay Start" is one of these stories and a great risk reduction technique. Read More
