testing

The Importance of Just Enough Software Measurement and MetricsWhen it comes to the development, testing, and deployment of software, some argue that metrics have little value. Others take measurement to the extreme and have books of metrics, but without any meaning or action. Mike Sowers thinks metrics are vital, but it’s most beneficial to have just enough metrics.
Finding the Right Ratio of Software Testers to Developers for Your TeamMany organizations struggle with finding the optimum ratio of testers to developers. Linda Hayes explains that there's no one right answer. It depends on your needs for planning, test environment and data management, requirements analysis, test design, execution, diagnosis, reporting, and defect management.
Agile or Not, You Need a Proper Customer and User Experience Process

In order to satisfy the people you hope will purchase or download your software, a proper customer and user experience process has to be built into the software development lifecycle. Whether you follow an agile, waterfall, or completely different methodology, this is a step that can’t be skipped.

Here There Be Monsters: The Value of Data ProfilingMonsters appeared on medieval maps to identify the unknown dangers of the sea. Likewise, the data profiles for an organization identify the points within its data. A robust data-profiling strategy can provide a more accurate picture of an organization’s data systems and find risks before they become monsters.
Getting Your Data to Work for YouPractically everyone records data somehow. The real value comes from using that data to gain deeper insight. When used appropriately, data profiling can be a powerful tool for analyzing existing data, profiling for planned changes, or monitoring for unplanned circumstances, helping save time and remove risks.
Finding the Truth in Testing through Folk Tales and Fairy StoriesWhen we test, we build fictions in our minds. We make thought experiments about what the product or system might do, what we could expect the results of an action to be, what they should be, and how they might go wrong. Isabel Evans shows us why you're never too old for folk tales and fairy stories.
The Importance of the Agile Mindset

Bringing in an agile coach to explain how everything is done and why certain people on your team need to do certain things is absolutely beneficial, but it’s that mindset of adaptation and learning that gives agile such a potent punch.

Fine-Tuning and Expanding Your Mobile Test PlanWhen new technology is introduced, QA teams usually have a period of scrambling to figure out how to support engineering efforts. Melissa Tondi identifies some key mobile challenges and talks about creating solutions to address them. The result: an efficient mobile test plan and minimal impact to the QA team.