The Latest

	Measuring and Benchmarking IT Performance[presentation] IT leaders strive to continuously improve their software development and support practices by keeping watch on the industry's best practices.	Andy Sanchez, The David Consulting Group, Inc.
	The Guided Inspection Technique[presentation] Early detection of faults is a cost-effective technique for ensuring quality.	Melissa Russ, Korson-McGregor
	Key Risks to System Quality[article] Before we can build a high-fidelity test system, we have to understand what quality means to our customers. Test professionals can avail themselves of three powerful techniques for analyzing risks to system quality. Targeting our testing investment by increasing effort for those areas most at risk results in the highest return on investment.	Rex Black July 8, 2002
	Telling Our Story[article] Software professionals learn a lot from technical presentations and articles. But sometimes a well-told story can illustrate technical concepts even better, in an entertaining and memorable way. This week, Lee Copeland tells why it's good to be a software bard, teaching your audiences hard concepts in a decidedly nontechnical way.	Lee Copeland July 2, 2002
	Computer Science 101: Software Testing?[magazine] Summary: Where do you find new testers? For the most part, the answer is typically not "from your local university computer science or software engineering department." Testing just isn't taught as a subject in most university curricula. Here, James Whittaker suggests ways to get testing into your university.	James Whittaker June 30, 2002
	Women Testing the Waters[magazine] Picture the faces around the conference table at your last project meeting. How many women were in the room? And how many of them were testers? Alyn Wambeke explores whether the traditionally male-dominated landscape of testing is changing.	Alyn Wambeke June 30, 2002
	Generating Test Code with Teradyne TestMaster[magazine] Robin Sahner looks at generating test code with Teradyne TestMaster. His group evaluated TestMaster on two projects. It did what they hoped it would, and now they're using TestMaster on all of their projects. They're not employing it to shorten their test development time or use fewer people; instead they plan to use it to get a more complete, more easily maintained set of functional tests using the same resources. Editors Note: Teradyne SST has become a new company called Empirix.	Robin Sahner June 30, 2002
	Breaking the Language Barrier[magazine] It's wasteful, more often than not, to reinvent the wheel. Christopher Meisenzahl explains how he solved a high-tech automation challenge through the sharing of resources. When faced with similar problems, this sort of collaboration with others may be your most valuable tool—and one that every tester should take advantage of.	Christopher J. Meisenzahl June 30, 2002
	Analyzing Requirements Bugs[magazine] Analysis of bug reports from previous projects tells us about our most frequent errors, and can help us improve. But very few companies spend the time to analyze bugs from completed projects. Otto Vinter and Soren Lauesen explore using bug reports to improve the software development process.	Søren Lauesen June 30, 2002
	No More Whining[magazine] Johanna Rothman urges test managers to stop whining and deal with the "Not-Enough" problem. She concludes: "You have more capability to influence attitudes, behaviors, and actions in your organization than you know. If you feel like a second-class citizen, reframe the situation. Rethink your job and how you do it, and realize the importance of the contribution–finite, but powerful–you can make toward your organization's product quality."	Johanna Rothman June 30, 2002
	Flying Solo: Is Consulting for You?[magazine] Alyn Wambeke interviews several software consultants for their take on the ups and downs of working on their own. He also gives pointers on getting started, and on how to determine if you're up to the challenge.	Alyn Wambeke June 30, 2002
	Visual Modeling with Rational Rose[magazine] Darren Pulsipher looks at Visual Modeling with Rational Rose. He concludes: "Rose is far from the perfect Visual Modeling tool, but it is definitely one of the best OO tools on the market, and the most popular. Rational Software has done a great job in supporting its tools with user conferences, training, professional services, and seminars."	Darren Pulsipher June 30, 2002
	Are Your Requirements Complete?[magazine] Every system contains at least one (and probably more) set of requirements that fits into one of these categories: the functional who, what, where, when, why, how, and the nonfunctional design and project constraints. No one method or technique captures all requirements, but this approach can assist quality engineers in identifying missing requirements. Our objective is to spot the gaps in the requirements sets—just as a Tetris player spots gaps in those moving blocks—as soon as possible.	Patricia L. Ferdinandi June 30, 2002
	When Applications Collide[magazine] Having multiple applications installed and running on a personal computer system presents interesting challenges for testing, even if all the applications are from a single vendor. Bill Mullins imparts some lessons he learned while testing multiple applications.	Bill Mullins June 30, 2002
	Software Engineering State of the Practice: An Interview with Jerry Weinberg[interview] Jerry Weinberg's workshops and writings have taught, encouraged, and inspired many people over the years. In this interview by Beth Layman, Jerry gives insightful and entertaining answers about the state of the practice, becoming a technical leader, and the future of software engineering.	Beth Layman June 26, 2002

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