Articles

Old Habits Die Hard

It’s easy to develop habits in one environment that don’t translate to a new environment. Here are some tips to keep old habits from holding you back.

Dawn Code's picture Dawn Code
Reducing Surprise: Another Feature of Good Project Management

The portions of projects that are not yet complete occur in the future. Since the future is an uncertain place, there will always be surprises. Some surprises are so obvious that they should hardly be called surprises at all. This is the kind of surprise that project management helps to avoid.

Payson Hall's picture Payson Hall
Negotiating Our Relationships

When joining a project, your position isn't a given; you must negotiate it. Lee identifies five roles that combine to make up team relationships.

Lee Copeland's picture Lee Copeland
The Optimists Don't Make It Out

Optimism is normally viewed as a positive trait, but not when it comes to goals and estimates. Project managers who don their rose-colored glasses when faced with the harsh light of reality are setting themselves up for disappointment.

Lee Copeland's picture Lee Copeland
Repaying the Happiness Debt—with Interest

The pace of production depends on the capability of those at work. When an increase in profit is desired, production is sped up. Yet those forced to work faster aren't necessarily more productive. Unhappily experienced at being forced to work harder and faster resulting in less productivity, Clarke Ching found a way to slow down expectations and increase productivity.

Clarke Ching's picture Clarke Ching
Which Obstacle Should You Tackle Today?

As a lead and manager, your job to remove obstacles that impede work is most important. But of all the obstacles you find, whether they be people's perceptions, bottlenecks in the work flow, or an ill-fitted chair or desk, which do you tackle first? Johanna Rothman explains how to remove the obstacles that slow, impede, or halt project work.

Johanna Rothman's picture Johanna Rothman
Networking for Geeks

Professionals need networks to further their careers. But, for those of us who are geeks, it can be difficult to build connections face to face. Consultant and lifelong geek Fiona Charles shares networking tips that have worked for her.

Fiona Charles's picture Fiona Charles
Good Idea! Now What?

A good idea is a valuable asset, and a lot of good ideas can be like a treasure trove. But what do you do with those ideas? Here, Esther Derby describes an idea maker who isn't very good at following through and then suggests four important things to remember to keep your own ideas from withering on the vine.

Esther Derby's picture Esther Derby
Creating Crucial Test Conversations

Many test leaders believe that development, business, and management don't understand, support, or properly value our contributions. You know what-these test leaders are probably right! So, why do they feel that way? Bob Galen believes it’s our inability and ineffectiveness in communicating-selling-ourselves, our abilities, our contributions, and our value to the organization. As testers, we believe that the work speaks for itself. Wrong! We must work harder to create the crucial conversations that communicate our value and impact. Bob shares specific techniques for holding context-based conversations, producing informative status reports, conducting attention-getting quality assessments, and delivering solid defect reports. Learn how to improve your communication skills so that key partners understand your role, value, and contributions.

Bob Galen, iContact
Test Automation Success: Choosing the Right People and Process

Many testing organizations mistakenly declare success when they first introduce test automation into an application or system. However, the true measure of success is sustaining and growing the automation suite over time. You need to develop and implement a flexible process, and engage knowledgeable testers and automation engineers. Kiran Pyneni describes Aetna’s two-team automation structure, the functions that each group performs, and how their collaborative efforts provide for the most efficient test automation. Kiran explains how to seamlessly integrate your test automation lifecycle with your software development lifecycle. He shares specific details on how Aetna’s automation lifecycle benefits their entire IT department and organization, and the measurements they use to track and report progress.

Kiran Pyneni, Aetna, Inc.

Pages

AgileConnection is a TechWell community.

Through conferences, training, consulting, and online resources, TechWell helps you develop and deliver great software every day.