people management

A New Year’s Resolution for Testers: Let’s InnovateWith time and cost constraints and high product expectations, teams are having to innovate when it comes to how they think and operate. Testers play an important role in this drive, and not just a handful of them—with due diligence and effort, anyone can step into the innovation zone. Read on.
Mukesh Sharma
Are You Making Your Employees Unproductive?

Much has been written about motivating employees who spend time unproductively doing things they know they shouldn't (hello, Facebook). But what about tasks that are sanctioned or even mandated in your organization that are just as unproductive? See if your employees waste time in any of these ways.
Naomi Karten
Why Collaborative Workspaces Are Not for Everyone

Shared workspaces are becoming popular because they're said to encourage collaboration and interaction among employees. But a study of forty thousand American office workers found that they thought the downsides—increased noise levels and decreased privacy—outweigh the upsides. Let's take a look.
Naomi Karten
How to Give Instructions So That People Will Follow ThemIf you have asked for one thing and gotten another, maybe the problem is the way you gave the instructions. This is the “ curse of knowledge"; once you know something, it's difficult to imagine how it appears to someone who doesn't know. Read on to learn how to better communicate instructions.
Naomi Karten
Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste

Times of crisis can be extremely difficult. But crisis management does not have to be all bad. Dealing effectively with crisis can make us stronger and more successful. You can achieve success by recognizing the opportunity inherent in any serious incident. You just have to be open to change.
Bob Aiello
Rob Myers Presents The Roots of Agility at ADC/BSC EastRob Myers, founder of Agile Institute, gave his keynote presentation “The Roots of Agility” at Agile Development Conference & Better Software Conference East 2014. He compares an agile team to a grove of aspen trees, all connected by the roots and working together as a single organism. Read on.
Cameron Philipp-Edmonds
Ken Whitaker Presents Leading Software Teams Today at ADC/BSC EastKen Whitaker of Leading Software Maniacs gave the first keynote presentation at Agile Development Conference & Better Software Conference East 2014. It was titled “From Chaos to Order: Leading Software Teams Today” and covered his five tenets of leadership to restore order to product management.
Cameron Philipp-Edmonds
Be Big, Bold, and Brave in Your Testing EffortsOur organizations, management, teams, and customers desperately need each of us to step up and lead. Regardless of whether you have an official title as a leader or you are an individual contributor, you must exercise leadership in your role. Are you taking the initiative in your testing projects?
Michael Sowers