Test automation is like exercise. We know both are great ideas, but most of us don’t do enough of either. Although we know that creating a solid automated test suite is critical to any agile testing strategy, we are often just told to "Do it" without much support-money or people. Jared Richardson examines the infrastructure and tools needed for your automated testing to succeed and prosper. Jared examines three strategies-test-driven development, defect-driven testing, and blitzkrieg testing-you can use to ensure great test coverage on your projects. You'll gain an understanding of how to leverage your testing investments by employing continuous integration practices in your development projects. With real-life scenarios as a backdrop, Jared discusses appropriate testing strategies for your current project or the next one down the road.

Different disciplines and departments in an organization often have the same goals, but often misunderstand one another. We have all heard someone say about another group, "Those people are clueless." The irony is that "those people" are saying the same thing back under their breath. Within the software disciplines, poor understanding, lack of communication, and unfortunate stereotyping are often commonplace. Presenting a new concept and team exercise called Interdisciplinary Awareness, Mike Tholfsen helps us focus on the importance of team dynamics in building good software. With case studies from both Microsoft Office and Windows teams, Mike shows how they built stronger trust within and between teams. Incorporate this exercise in your group and discover how interdisciplinary awareness can lead to greater understanding and appreciation, a stronger sense of team, and a higher degree of trust.

You've got questions. Andy Hunt has answers. What is agile software development all about? Why the sudden popularity of agile? Why is it fundamentally different from other approaches? Will it work for my organization and me? Join Andy, one of the seventeen original signatories of the Agile Manifesto and a founder of the Agile Alliance, for his pragmatic take on the answers to these and your other questions. Look at the foundations of agile software development and see what problems agility seeks to address. Don’t be distracted by dogma as you take some time to explore the core aspects of agile development. Andy presents a brief overview of the major agile methodologies and walks you through a typical day in the life of an agile developer. Find out what's really important about the agile approach and take back new ideas to help you transition to agile while avoiding common stumbling blocks.

Agile is entering the mainstream as a software development practice and leading wider organizational change in many companies. However, in large organizations, it's not practical just to "flip a switch" and have your entire software department "go agile" all at once. In that situation, agile and non-agile teams must work together during the transition. Agile teams must continue to interface with their company's business processes, while management must streamline traditional processes and activities. Agile teams face many obstacles in their quest for cooperative development--resistance to change; differing culture and value systems; changes to measurement, evaluation, and reward systems; and new contracting terms. Join Michele Sliger as she explains how to clear these and other common hurdles facing agile teams working in a traditional organization.