software engineering

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Accessibility Testing 101: Getting Started and Catching Up

Summary:
As with any other quality attribute, it is ideal for accessibility to be incorporated in the early stages of design and engineering. But organizations that didn’t initially take accessibility into account can still address it now—it’s better late than never. Here are the main attributes you should consider from the design, development, and testing angles, whether you're building accessibility in from the beginning or adding it now.

As with any other quality attribute, it is ideal for accessibility to be incorporated in the early stages of design and engineering. But organizations that didn’t initially take accessibility into account can still address it now—it’s better late than never. Here are the main attributes you should consider from the design, development, and testing angles, whether you're building accessibility in from the beginning or adding it now.

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Achieving Continuous Improvement and Innovation in Software

Michael Sowers's picture Submitted by Michael Sowers on

There is tremendous pressure on software development teams to deliver software faster, better, and cheaper. Quality engineering with a focus on innovation is the answer

Better Software Magazine
[article]

An Agile Approach to Software Architecture

Summary:
For an organization transitioning to agile development, creating software architecture isn’t incompatible with your new processes. Consider the principles in the Agile Manifesto, involve team members who will be using the architecture in its development, and reflect and adapt often, and you will end up with an architecture that meets the needs of your team and your enterprise.

For an organization transitioning to agile development, creating software architecture isn’t incompatible with your new processes. Consider the principles in the Agile Manifesto, involve team members who will be using the architecture in its development, and reflect and adapt often, and you will end up with an architecture that meets the needs of your team and your enterprise.

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2017 Is a Pivotal Year for DevOps

Eric Robertson's picture Submitted by Eric Robertson on

Customers expect real-time software updates. As DevOps becomes the engine for delivering business value, continuous innovation is needed. And this has to begin at the start of every project.

Better Software Magazine

Reducing the Risk of Failed System Updates

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As software applications become more powerful and complex, users are demanding seamless and automatic updates. There is nothing worse than a “bricked system” after a failed update. The selection of a reliable file system is a vital component of the software update process.

Better Software Magazine

References

  1. Bolton, Tim. “Nest Thermostat Glitch Leaves Users in the Cold.” The New York Times . January 13, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/14/fashion/nest-thermostat-glitch-battery-dies-software-freeze.html.
  2. Zeichick, Alan. “Zeichick’s Take: Nest Fail! And the Peril of Automated Software Updates.” SD Times. December 17, 2013. http://sdtimes.com/zeichicks-take-nest-fail-and-the-peril-of-automated-software-updates/.
  3. Summerson, Cameron. “Android Nougat’s “Seamless Updates”, Explained.” How-To Geek . September 5, 2016. http://www.howtogeek.com/269595/android-nougats-seamless-updates-explained.

Continuous Process Improvement Using Balance and Flow

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Finding a balance between too much and too little process can be quite a challenge. Tom Wessel shows how to apply lean change management and kaizen principles to achieve continuous process  improvement. Also, Tom suggests the use of simple metrics to verify that improvements are actually taking place.

Better Software Magazine

References

  1. Little, Jason. Lean Change Management: Innovative Practices for Managing Organizational Change . Happy Melly Express, 2014.
  2. “ADKAR Model.” Prosci.  https://www.prosci.com/adkar.
  3. Imai, Masaaki. Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success . Columbus, Ohio: McGraw-Hill Education, 1986.
  4. Goldratt, Eliyahu and Jeff Cox. The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement . 4 th ed. Great Barrington, MA: North River Press Publishing Corporation, 2014.
  5. Satir, Virginia. “Satir Change Model.” Satir Workshops . http://www.satirworkshops.com/files/satirchangemodel.pdf.
[article]

Try Mob Programming to Inspire Team Growth

Summary:

If you're familiar with pair programming, you know how much it can increase code quality and encourage developers to learn from each other. You should try mob programming—the same concept, but with an entire team of up to eight people and only one keyboard. It's a great way to explore new techniques and solve problems as a team.

If you're familiar with pair programming, you know how much it can increase code quality and encourage developers to learn from each other. You should try mob programming—the same concept, but with an entire team of up to eight people and only one keyboard. It's a great way to explore new techniques and solve problems as a team.

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Building a Solid Foundation for Your DevOps Transformation

Nicole Forsgren's picture Submitted by Nicole Forsgren on

The ability to deliver quality software with speed requires a huge shift in the way technology is managed throughout any organization. Nicole Forsgren believes that establishing the right culture is vital, especially during DevOps adoption.

Better Software Magazine

References

  1. Carr, Nicholas. “IT Doesn’t Matter.” Harvard Business Review (May 2003). https://hbr.org/2003/05/it-doesnt-matter.
  2. Rembetsy, Michael, and Patrick McDonnell. “Continuously Deploying Culture: Scaling Culture at Etsy.” Velocity Europe 2012 (slideshare). October 4, 2012. https://vimeo.com/51310058.
  3. Linden, Greg. “Early Amazon: Shopping Cart Recommendations.” Geeking with Greg (blog). April 25, 2006. http://glinden.blogspot.com/2006/04/early-amazon-shopping-cart.html.
  4. Forsgren, Nicole, Gene Kim, Nigel Kersten, and Jez Humble. “2014 State of DevOps Report.” Puppet Labs. https://puppetlabs.com/2014-devops-report.
  5. Puppet Labs. “2015 State of DevOps Report.” PwC US. https://puppetlabs.com/2015-devops-report.
  6. Westrum, Ron. “A Typology of Organizational Cultures.” National Institutes of Health (Quality and Safety in Health Care). December 2004. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1765804.
  7. Rozovsky, Julia. “The Five Keys to a Successful Google Team.” The Water Cooler (blog). November 17, 2015. https://rework.withgoogle.com/blog/five-keys-to-a-successful-google-team.
  8. Rozovsky, Julia. “The Five Keys to a Successful Google Team.” The Water Cooler (blog). November 17, 2015. https://rework.withgoogle.com/blog/five-keys-to-a-successful-google-team.
  9. Kim, Gene. “The Amazing DevOps Transformation of the HP LaserJet Firmware Team.” IT Revolution Press (blog). http://itrevolution.com/the-amazing-devops-transformation-of-the-hp-laserjet-firmware-team-gary-gruver.
[article]

Behavior-Based Test Automation and the Future of Software Engineering

Summary:

Behavior-based robots are engineered to be mechanically reactive to input and gradually adapt their actions. What if we could apply this approach to an automated test harness? Are bots independently exploring an application under test and intelligent learning machines analyzing the results the future of software testing?

Behavior-based robots are engineered to be mechanically reactive to input and gradually adapt their actions. What if we could apply this approach to an automated test harness? Are bots independently exploring an application under test and intelligent learning machines analyzing the results the future of software testing?

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