Design & Code

Articles

On Sumo, Architecture, and Enterprise Agile
In order to be successful in the ring, a sumo wrestler needs to maintain a heavy body weight and at the same time be in peak physical condition. Just as these Japanese athletes have to find the right balance through a well thought-out combination of diet and training regimen, software development organizations need a balanced approach to implementing application architecture on agile projects.
Identifying and Improving Bad User Stories
A written user story is a very short narrative—a sentence or two—describing some small piece of functionality that has business value. User stories are intended to foster collaboration and communication, but writing these short narratives poorly can negate agile’s flexibility. Charles Suscheck and Andrew Fuqua explain some common failure patterns that will help you focus on the right role, value, and business functionality when writing stories.
Top Twelve Myths of Agile Development
When it comes to agile development, Allan Kelly has noticed a lot of misinformation is being passed off as fact. In this article, Allan takes a closer look at twelve of the most common agile myths he has encountered while training new agile teams.
Agile ALM for Delivering Customer Value: Getting Started
In this first part of a two-part series, Mario Moreira writes that a reasonable application lifecycle management (ALM) product will have a common user interface for utilizing the ALM functionality. It will also include a meta-model and process engine to parse and share information across and amongst the various functions within the ALM framework. These technical needs must be accompanied by a strong business case for delivering higher customer value and new approaches for seamless integration.

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Better Software Magazine

Lessons Learned from Ancient Wisdom
Lessons learned long ago from reviews and inspection can be effective today, particularly in collaboration within agile teams. Learn how an organization used review techniques as part of its agile collaboration, including the advantages and potential problems of this ancient wisdom.
Learning For Agile Testers, Part 2

In part one of our Learning for Agile Testers series, we addressed general "thinking" skills that go beyond technical competence and how learning these enhances the value you contribute. In part two, we discuss some specific technical skills that benefit testers and how to acquire them.

Alternative JVM Languages For Java Projects

Java Virtual Machine has become a successful platform for applications written in many languages, not just Java. Alternatives like JRuby, Scala, Clojure, and Groovy can be more concise and offer new ways to approach problems.

When Software Smells Bad
Most software needs to be "maintainable" and have high "internal quality." But what does that mean in practical terms? Code smells form a vocabulary for discussing code quality and how well suited code might be to change. The smells also provide good indications as to what to refactor and how.

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Interviews

Ram Srinivasan on The Benefits of Gamification
Video
Agile coach Ram Srinivasan shares his views on why gamification is so enjoyable for users—and so effective and even profitable for businesses. Learn how social connectivity, increased engagement, and even fun all combine to produce an exciting time in software development.
Security Testing in an Agile World: An Interview with Jeff Payne
Jeffrey Payne sat down with Noel Wurst to discuss a range of topics, including advice for teams that are attempting agile for the first time, the importance of clear communication between teams, and the ways that security testing has changed alongside modern technology.
The Evolution of the User Experience: An Interview with Genefa Murphy
Podcast
Creating a rich UX for mobile apps has gone from being a nice feature—to an absolute must. Genefa Murphy at HP discusses how agile development that incorporates collaboration between designers, developers, and testers goes a long way in building the apps that truly succeed in today's marketplace.
Maintaining the Programming Mob: An Interview with Woody Zuill
Video
"Fun" and "kindness" aren't the first things that come to mind when thinking of the mob, but in software development—they're mandatory. Woody Zuill discusses how mob programming takes a very agile and collaborative effort at delivering great software on time, and with the respect of everyone on board.

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TechWell Stories
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