People and Teams

People and Teams

People and Teams Stories
Why It's OK to Occasionally Say "Um" or "Uh"Filler words are a natural part of human speech. In informal conversation, people tend not to even notice them as long as they’re not excessive. Naomi Karten explains how the occasional "um" and "uh" are natural, human, and part of everyday life.
Should You Outsource Your Software Development Job to China?The story of the developer who outsourced his work to China while he goofed off on Reddit and YouTube all day has been making the rounds this week. This will probably encourage others to attempt what "Developer Bob" ultimately failed to do—pass your work to someone else and receive all the credit.
Testing and the Maker Mindset

Many bugs arise not because of a failure of effort, but because of a failure of imagination—nobody thought of the combination of events that makes them occur. Rick Scott looks at testing and what differentiates people who are creative problem solvers, inventors, and engineers—the makers.

How to Benefit from MistakesMistakes happen for all sorts of reasons, such as quick reactions, fatigue, bad advice, lack of training, and confusing instructions. Naomi Karten explains how we can benefit from our mistakes because it’s from them that we’re reminded how we could be better—provided, of course, we pay attention.
How to Make Products People Love

Scott Sehlhorst explores how to make products people love and focuses on Marty Cagan's ten tips presentation at MindTheProduct 2012, London's first conference for product teams. Key points include product discovery, not building what customers want, and building what customers need.

Three Ways to Talk When You Are Listening

We know listening is important. Typically, it’s what our stakeholders have to share that we most need to hear when eliciting and validating scope or requirements. At the same time, as business analysts, we cannot be passive flies on the wall.

Taking Time Off to Benefit InnovationWhat a great idea it would be to be able to spend 10 percent of your time—or 15 or even 20 percent—away from your projects developing new ideas and focusing on projects of personal interest. It turns out that the idea is hardly new. Naomi Karten writes how taking time off can benefit innovation.
Happy First Birthday to the Raspberry PiThe Raspberry Pi is a $35 credit-card-sized computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard. The projects that people have built with the Raspberry Pi in only one year are impressive. Take a look at just how far the device has come in its first year in the hands of developers—and children—worldwide.