Better Software Magazine Articles

The Short Management Lifecycle

Every manager has a story to tell. Find out how one management professional tackles a fictional dilemma. The story may be made up, but the solutions are tried and true. In this installment, Patrick Bailey tells the harrowing tale of a skilled technician-turned-manager who finds himself in a sticky situation with his CEO.

Patrick Bailey's picture Patrick Bailey
The Good, the Bad, and the Agile Customer

What do you do when assigned the role of project customer, with a team that has never worked with a customer, building an application that was barely thought out? Sound like a nightmare? It doesn't have to be. Find out how one project manager beat the odds to produce a high-quality, on-time release.

Nick Alesandro's picture Nick Alesandro
Sustainable Change

We're pleased to bring you technical editors who are well respected in their fields. Get their take on everything that relates to the industry, technically speaking. In this issue, Brian Marick suggests three ways to combat recidivism on your projects.

Brian Marick
Metrics Motivation

Typical metrics are used to predict an outcome by comparing plans to actual results. They are objective and don't influence what you are trying to measure. Biased metrics, on the other hand, are a valuable tool for deliberately altering behavior to improve the performance of a group. Find out how biased metrics can be used on your projects to pinpoint problems in specific areas and to influence people to fix them.

Jan Scott
No More Middleman

Every manager has a story to tell. Find out how one management professional tackles a fictional dilemma. The story may be made up, but the solutions are tried and true. In this installment, Esther Derby tells you how to stop playing "Manager in the Middle" and get your team members talking.

Esther Derby's picture Esther Derby
Measurements that Matter

No one starts a project with the goal of failing, but some metrics experts claim that 80 percent of software metrics initiatives fail. Just as your software project has goals for success, you should have goals for success in your metrics initiatives. Find out what you can do to better your chance for success.

Alan Page's picture Alan Page
Do-It-Yourself

Projects collapse in a variety of ways and for a variety of reasons. Fortunately there are things you can do to stabilize and rebuild your project before the dust settles. With these expert tips and a little elbow grease, you'll have the tools you'll need to renovate almost any failing project.

Mike Cohn's picture Mike Cohn
Your Job - Requirements = Less Value

In this issue's Last Word, Dion Johnson calculates your job's worth when requirements are removed from the equation.

Dion Johnson's picture Dion Johnson
You Can Teach an Old PMO Agile Tricks

Every manager has a story to tell. Find out how one management professional tackles a fictional dilemma. The story may be made up, but the solutions are tried and true. In this installment, Michele Sliger tells the tale of the movement of a Program Management Office away from waterfall toward Agile.

Michele Sliger's picture Michele Sliger
Putting a Face on Customer Needs

So what happens when interaction designers are put to work on an Agile process? Meet "Dan Means," a system administrator persona developed to represent and emphasize customer requirements. Find out how one development team used him and other personas to blend interaction design and Agile development to deliver a product the customer really wanted.

David Broschinsky

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