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Agile 2006 Keynote - Peter Coffee[article]
Podcast

Peter Coffee delivered a keynote that was both informative and inspiring, tying four of his favorite books back to the Agile Manifesto.

Bob Payne's picture Bob Payne
Agile 2006 Kick Off with Todd Little[article]
Podcast

Todd Little kicks off the Agile 2006 conference with a Top 10 List and the news that the conference has nearly doubled since last year.

Bob Payne's picture Bob Payne
Approaching a Conflict in Style[article]

Conflict is inevitable at work. Sooner or later, you will disagree about what to test, when to test, or how long to test software. How you and the person you disagree with approach the conflict affects both the outcome and how you feel about the exchange. In this column, Esther Derby explains some of the ways people approach conflict and how they affect solutions and relationships.

Esther Derby's picture Esther Derby
Piecing Together an Agile Organization[magazine]

Implementing agile processes can be like putting together a puzzle. But what happens when the pieces don't fall into the right place? Alicia Yanik tells the story of Daniel, who is wound up about his company's new agile elements, and Meg, who sees things from a more enlightened angle.

Alicia Yanik
SOA and Agile Development: Continuous Integration And Testing[article]

IT organizations view the adoption of agile development methods as a way of bringing an "integrated team" approach to the product development lifecycle where everyone is focused on early, frequent demonstrated results. The second shared goal is service-oriented architecture (SOA). SOA is an approach to deliver integrated component-based ecosystems that are assembled to efficiently execute critical business processes. The goal of SOA is to be flexible and adaptive to the constantly changing business climate. These two productive approaches, when applied concurrently, are setting the stage for the next evolution in the deployment of technology to enhance business performance and results.

TechWell Contributor's picture TechWell Contributor
Utility Standard - A Pony in the Pile A Pony in the Pile - A Curmudgeon's View of SOA Adoption[article]

I have been in and around Web Services and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) for a long time. I have built distributed systems for fifteen or more years. I have scars from the Great Web Service Euphoria of '99 to '01. I have gray hair from dealing with the security and management problems of building real services in real networks. I have followed the standards as they have matured. I have observed and worked with clients as they considered and confronted SOA. Here is my conclusion: real SOA is so complex and organizations are so far from ready for it, that the only sound SOA adoption strategy demands agile program management techniques. Nothing less will suffice to guide and sustain an organization through the SOA evolution.

TechWell Contributor's picture TechWell Contributor
Agile Services In An (SO)Architected World[article]

Because one of the core stated objectives of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is to increase business and IT alignment and IT's flexibility in meeting changing business needs, on the surface it would seem that SOA and agile methods are a natural fit.  And within the SOA model of service production, distribution and consumption, use of agile development methods clearly has great opportunity for effectiveness on the consumption side of the equation. However, the approach by which a suite of generally reusable services within an SOA are defined and produced requires a cross-project perspective that could be viewed as running counter to a typical agile development approach. Some amount of up-front architectural thought must go into initial service definition to prevent those services being developed from becoming solely project-centric.  

TechWell Contributor's picture TechWell Contributor
Improve Service-Oriented Architecture Development with Agile QA Testing Practices[article]

Service-oriented architectures (SOA) promise to address many technical challenges by allowing developers to incrementally deliver new business capability while leveraging existing assets. By using agile practices during QA testing, SOA development teams can turn potential roadblocks into opportunities.

TechWell Contributor's picture TechWell Contributor
The Truth About Exploratory Testing[magazine]

Forget what you thought you knew about exploratory testing. Dion Johnson is disturbed by its exploitation by those who wish to escape accountability and forgo up-front planning, but says that exploratory testing and scripted testing can work together to enhance quality practices.

Dion Johnson's picture Dion Johnson
Books Are Tools, Too[magazine]

One of the most important tools a tester can keep on hand is a book, whether it contains instructions for a new method or is a reference for an old favorite. This Tool Look contains one tester’s take on the book "Fit for Developing Software" by Rick Mugridge and Ward Cunningham.
 

Sidney Snook
Diagnosing Malignant Management[magazine]

Software development is a creative process that requires communication and nurturing. It's a big surprise to new director of software development Clarion Walker, therefore, to discover that his company’s issues may be rooted in poor team management.

Patrick M. Bailey's picture Patrick M. Bailey
Time for New Test Ideas[magazine]

Testers are quick to think about speed when testing, but there are many other time-related guidewords that can help broaden your test coverage as well. Michael Bolton suggests a few guidewords to get you started.

Michael Bolton's picture Michael Bolton
The Need for Speed?[magazine]

Tod Golding is all for increased speed and saving time, but not if they compromise the maintainability of your code. The speediest code won't mean much down the road, if someone unfamiliar with the code isn't able to drop in and make an important change or fix.

Tod Golding's picture Tod Golding
All Models are Wrong[magazine]

From the Copernican solar system to an engineer’s scale replica of a bridge, the world is full of models that answer our questions and help us solve problems. Lee Copeland tells us that a model doesn't have to be correct to be useful.

Lee Copeland's picture Lee Copeland
Developers Who Test[magazine]

Every software professional knows that testing is hard, and the situation is even bleaker for software developers. The good news is that effective techniques exist that won't break the schedule or overwhelm developers with test cases. Let loose your inner tester with patterns designed with developers in mind.

Neil Harrison

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