Creating a Company Culture Where Agile Will ThriveA so-called generative culture has all the characteristics necessary to support self-directed teams, shared responsibility, experimentation, and continuous process improvement. But what about the rest of us? Most large organizations don't have a culture where agile will take hold so easily. Here's what needs to change.
The Importance of People in Software: A Tribute to Jerry WeinbergGerald Weinberg's work inspired many to be better engineers and better leaders. Although he’s no longer with us, his message about the role of people in building quality software lives on in his writings and in those who have learned from him. Here, Steve Berczuk recalls some of Jerry Weinberg's most influential books.
5 Factors That Could Be Making Your Project Estimates Go WrongWhy do our estimates for a project or a testing phase so often turn out wrong? Whatever causes underestimation, we clearly do not learn from experience, as we repeatedly make estimation errors, despite feedback showing previous errors. It’s a chronic problem. What could be driving these errors? Here are five factors.
Defining Velocity for Your Agile TeamWhen an agile team talks about velocity, it's usually how much functionality they'll deliver in a sprint, often based on historical data about the number of story points the team tends to finish. But you shouldn't use velocity as a measure of success for your agile process. Make sure everyone knows what's important.
Engaging Developers in Unit TestingUnit testing is key for driving early defect identification, but organizations and teams continue to be challenged when it comes to designing and implementing unit tests. Realizing a culture of sound unit testing is often more a leadership challenge than a developer one. Here's how to instill a culture of unit testing.
What's in the Summer 2018 Issue of Better Software MagazineFor twenty years now, Better Software magazine has published articles offering helpful tips and techniques for those in the software industry. The new issue celebrates those two decades of knowledge-sharing—and, of course, gives you more ideas. Articles this issue focus on leadership and software quality.
3 Mistakes Teams Make When Choosing a ScrumMasterOne cause of agile project failure is choosing the wrong person as your ScrumMaster. While a bad ScrumMaster is a problem for any team, it is particularly bad for teams new to agile, as the team won’t know they are being led down the wrong path. Here are three mistakes organizations make when choosing a ScrumMaster.
Lessons Learned at the Agile Dev, Better Software & DevOps West ConferenceThe Agile Dev, Better Software & DevOps West conference was held in Las Vegas in early June. Coveros technical manager Gene Gotimer was a speaker at the event, but he also attended as a delegate, getting to experience the keynotes, sessions, Expo, and other parts of the software conference. Here are his takeaways.
