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requirements

Paper Requirements Discipline: Avoiding “Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts"

Absent an effective requirements baseline it is difficult to distinguish clarifications and error correction from enhancements and changes to the original ask.

Payson Hall's picture
Payson Hall
Agile team member pointing at user stories written on sticky notes What’s the Problem with User Stories?

Agile projects focus on very lightweight, simple requirements embodied in user stories. However, there are some problems with relying solely on user stories. They often don't contain enough accuracy for development, testing, or industry regulations. There's a better way to write detailed requirements that are still agile.

Adam Sandman's picture
Adam Sandman
How to Make a Fixed-Scope Contract More Agile

Establishing a contract that genuinely supports agile methods can be a significant challenge. By its very nature, a contract that specifies detailed, upfront deliverables contravenes the principles of flexibility and adaptation that are at the heart of agile. But it is possible—both parties just need to focus on results.

Jamie Cooke's picture
Jamie Cooke
Requirements document The Curse of Rushed Requirements

When development is outsourced, a documented baseline of expected functionality sets expectations for both the client and developer. Acknowledging that agile practices are flexible, beware the trap of rushing requirements just because you know they are going to change. It's still essential to be as accurate as you can.

Payson Hall's picture
Payson Hall
Agile team members refining the product backlog Refine Your Product Backlog Continuously to Improve Flow

One way to address poorly defined product backlog items is to spend time refining the items as you go. Refining the backlog continuously helps the team deliver consistently and can lead to shorter planning meetings at the start of the sprint. It can even help improve reliability, velocity, and the quality of work.

Steve Berczuk's picture
Steve Berczuk
People applauding near a medal saying "2018" Top 10 TechWell Insights Stories of 2018

Many teams are embracing new practices, and several of last year's most-read stories reflect that, with topics such as AI, DevOps, and continuous testing. But it looks like lots of teams also want to get back to basics, because guides to tried-and-true agile and testing methods also ranked high. Check out the roundup.

Beth Romanik's picture
Beth Romanik
medical device FDA’s New Digital Health Report

To update health care providers, patients, and developers about some of the risks and benefits surrounding software products, the FDA released a report based on impact to patient safety, health benefits and risks, and best practices.

Pamela Rentz's picture
Pamela Rentz
View from above of five coworkers fist-bumping over their computers 4 Ways to Increase Software Quality and Decrease Test Time

Software testers are continually under pressure to test faster without sacrificing quality. By taking the perspective that quality is the responsibility of the entire team, not just the testers, shorter test cycles with higher quality software are possible. Here are four ways the whole team can improve releases.

Richard Estra's picture
Richard Estra