Articles

Specifications Acceptance Criteria, Specifications, and Tests

One of the benefits of agile is how it helps specify requirements. Instead of trying to predict the future with your requests, you can wait an iteration and see if more criteria are needed. This article gets into how executable specifications, specification by example, and test automation can help further improve your requirements management.

Allan Kelly's picture Allan Kelly
Acceptance criteria checkbox Defining Acceptance Criteria for Agile Requirements

Acceptance criteria can be helpful in expanding on user stories in order to capture requirements for agile projects. However, acceptance criteria should not be a route back to long, detailed documents, and they are not a substitute for a conversation. This article tells you how and when acceptance criteria should be written and employed.

Allan Kelly's picture Allan Kelly
Test automation Test Automation in the Agile World

After decades of talking about test automation, the agile movement suddenly seems to be taking it seriously. You might be wondering what all the buzz is about. Sanjay Zalavadia talks about why test tooling is suddenly so critical, when teams should think of automating, and how to bring the change so that your team will embrace it.

Sanjay Zalavadia's picture Sanjay Zalavadia
Thinking Critically about Software Development BSC West 2015 Keynote: Better Thinking for Better Software: Thinking Critically about Software Development

Software developer Laurent Bossavit delivered the second keynote presentation, about why we need to think more critically about software development. He began his presentation by saying his intention was to make you question what you know—or what you think you know.

Beth Romanik's picture Beth Romanik
Traceable Tests Guide Your Agile Development with Traceable Tests

Testing professionals who are learning about agile often want to know how they can provide traceability among automated tests, features, and bugs and report on their testing progress. Here, Lisa Crispin gives an example of how her previous team worked together to integrate testing with coding and helped everyone see testing progress at a glance.

Lisa Crispin's picture Lisa Crispin
Technical Practices Accelerating the Adoption of Technical Practices

Agile teams are supposed to take responsibility for how they work and how they learn. But what if you need to jump-start that learning? Agile transformation is about making this happen rather than waiting for it to happen. You need to get your team to learn the technical side of agile, and soon. Here are some effective approaches.

Scott Barnes's picture Scott Barnes Clifford Berg
Agile Process Communication Why Communication Is Key to the Agile Process

We should all be much more active about improving our communication skills to be better at our jobs, but also (and more importantly) to make the most of the people around us. Whether you’re giving or receiving information verbally or through writing, no matter what your job is, communication is key.

Emma Armstrong's picture Emma Armstrong
Automation is Not God Automation Test Suites Are Not God!

In today’s age of tight deadlines and accelerating delivery cycles of software, test automation is surely favorable for the world of functional testing and critical to the success of big software development companies. But its various benefits have led to unrealistic expectations from managers and organizations. This article highlights the role and use of automation in an agile context and the irreplaceable importance of manual testing.

Nishi Grover's picture Nishi Grover
Developing User Stories The Three Amigos Strategy of Developing User Stories

Developing software correctly is a detail-oriented business. George Dinwiddie writes on how using the Three Amigos strategy can help you develop great user stories. Remember, the goal is to have the work done just in time for planning and development. It should be complete enough to avoid stoppages to build more understanding, but not so far in advance that the details get stale.

George Dinwiddie's picture George Dinwiddie
Speaking to Your Business Using Measurements Speaking to Your Business Using Measurements

Justin Rohrman writes that measurement is one of the biggest problems he's experienced in test management. How do we measure quality, how do we know those measurements are good, and how do we use them to tell a story to executives? In this article, Justin explains how to speak to your business using measurements.

Justin Rohrman's picture Justin Rohrman

Pages

AgileConnection is a TechWell community.

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