Articles

Agile Development and Software Metrics

Dan Horvath explores useful metrics that utilize function point analysis (FPA) that you can apply to agile projects. Dan shows how to measure productivity and quality as well as how to estimate for agile projects.

Dan Horvath
Function Point Analysis Example: Hands on with Agile Development

In an earlier article, Dan Horvath explored some history and definitions of agile and how Function Point Analysis (FPA) can be used in the measurement of agile projects. Dan emphasizes that the definition of the project is critical to this process. In this article, Dan demonstrates the use of FPA in agile development through a hands-on example.

Dan Horvath

Better Software Magazine Articles

Testing the Contract Metaphor

A contract represents a service agreement between two parties, the bounded provision of service by one party to the other. This metaphor also applies to how we can think about the relationship between unit tests and code. A contractual mindset encourages test names and partitioning based on clear propositions, backed up with executable examples.

Kevlin Henney's picture Kevlin Henney

Conference Presentations

Agile Development Conference & Better Software Conference East 2014: EARS: The Easy Approach to Requirements Syntax
Slideshow

One key to specifying effective functional requirements is minimizing misinterpretation and ambiguity. By employing a consistent syntax in your requirements, you can improve readability and help ensure that everyone on the team understands exactly what to develop. John Terzakis provides...

John Terzakis, Intel
Function Point Analysis: A Quick and Easy Primer

The function point metric is used by many organizations worldwide to more accurately size systems. Knowing the size of a system allows developers to better meet customer demands of functionality within time and budget and communicate about these issues with the system "owners." Based on the latest version of the International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG) Counting Practices Manual, David Garmus and David Herron provide a detailed explanation of the rules engineers must follow to accurately count function points. Join them to learn the value and use of function points within an overall software measurement program and the basics of how and when to use function point analysis (FPA). Examine real-world examples of software to see how to identify the different functional components according the IFPUG's FPA standards.

David Garmus, David Consulting Group
The Journey to Successful Execution of Outsourced Testing

Whether we like it or not, outsourcing has become mainstream in the development world and is now being imposed on testing organizations. If not done properly, an outsourcing venture can add costs, distract the internal QA organization, and increase business risks to the enterprise. This session describes practical steps to successfully execute outsourced QA projects. Rutesh Shah, who has years of experience on both sides of the table, explains what should and should not be outsourced, common vendor practices, risk management issues, relationship management, and a practical, proven process for outsourcing test activities. Use the knowledge gained from this session to ensure that your team makes efficient and informed decisions before outsourcing testing. Measure progress and determine the true ROI (or lack of it) when outsourcing testing.

Rutesh Shah, InfoStretch Corporation
Quality Cycles for Rapid Development

Organizations are attempting to develop new applications at "Internet speed" which can often result in major business and capitalization losses. This presentation describes a technique being used for incorporating structured and exploratory testing approaches into a software development process that can be effectively used for rapid software development. The technique is then described as a general methodology called Quality Cycles. Learn how to integrate this methodology with a systematic testing methodology to improve your testing effectiveness while operating at "Internet speed."

John Lisle, VenturCom, Inc.

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