Ask the Experts

Ask the Experts

• How to ensure product performance and quality in Agile enterprises

  Agile teams must work together in new ways to ensure product performance, quality and value for customers. Agile expert Lisa Crispin explains how.  Continue Reading

• Protecting software: Writing security requirements

  Business analysts and product managers play an important role in protecting software. Requirements expert Scott Sehlhorst explains more.  Continue Reading

• Uniting Dev, Ops: How can they work together in software development?

  Agile expert Lisa Crispin recommends avoiding siloes in software development. She explains how Dev and Ops work together in successful teams.  Continue Reading

• How can software development teams best manage large projects?

  Agile expert Lisa Crispin explains how software development teams can manage large projects by breaking them down into smaller chunks.  Continue Reading

• Expanding cloud-based technologies: Application performance issues

  Teams must take into account application performance implications when broadening use of cloud-based technologies.  Continue Reading

• Requirements management process: Security and application performance

  Organizations need to explicitly address security and application performance during the requirements management process according to expert Dan Cornell.  Continue Reading

• Parsing management roles on a DevOps team

  Project management expert Yvette Francino explains the leadership roles of project managers and QA managers on a DevOps team.  Continue Reading

• Agile metrics, tools and processes: Tenets for the project manager

  The Agile project manager must understand the basics of collaboration, servant leadership, Agile metrics and the tools and processes the team uses.  Continue Reading

• Do business stakeholders lose requirements ownership in Agile?

  The iterative nature of Agile means that requirements must be revisited frequently, which changes the dynamic amongst business stakeholders.  Continue Reading

• Gathering project requirements up front in Agile

  While many people believe Agile development eliminates the need for gathering project requirements up front, that idea is misleading.  Continue Reading

• Tips for putting enterprise development infrastructure in the cloud

  Choosing whether to put your enterprise's development infrastructure in the cloud requires careful weighing of cost and platform flexibility.  Continue Reading

• How enterprises can best select from the various ALM tool options

  Enterprises have several ALM tool options. They can best address their specific needs by identifying what is most important for their organization.  Continue Reading

• Making enterprise agility work with cross-functional teams

  Enterprise agility works when cross-functional teams are able to self-organize, resolve problems and form Communities of Practice.  Continue Reading

• Applying Agile principles to large teams

  Agile expert Lisa Crispin discusses the difficulty with large-scale Agile, sharing how Agile principles can be applied to maximize team coordination.  Continue Reading

• Does outsourced testing work for Agile teams?

  Outsourced testing can be successful for Agile teams under certain circumstances.  Continue Reading

• When centralized teams work for Agile enterprises

  Success for any team in Agile enterprises requires commitment. Centralized teams may work if they share the same goals.  Continue Reading

• Managing requirements with multiple stakeholders: A balancing act

  Managing requirements with multiple stakeholders requires product managers to resolve conflicts and carefully weigh priorities.  Continue Reading

• Scaling Agile requirements management to the enterprise level

  While the principles of Agile requirements management are the same regardless of project size, there are several considerations for scaling to the enterprise.  Continue Reading

• Migrating legacy applications to a cloud environment

  Migrating legacy applications to a cloud environment is a multi-step process that needs to be done in a structured manner.  Continue Reading

• Understanding mobile, Web and cloud apps and system architecture

  While the distinctions between mobile apps, Web apps and cloud apps are important, understanding their relationships to the overall system architecture is what developers really need to focus on.  Continue Reading

• Developing applications on SaaS platforms: Factors to consider

  Developing applications on SaaS platforms is different from traditional application development. Expert Dan Cornell explains what developers need to keep in mind.  Continue Reading

• The role of the Scrum Master in project management

  Agile expert Lisa Crispin explains how Scrum teams do not necessarily need a separate “project manager,” as the Scrum Master often fills that role.  Continue Reading

• Using a burn down chart to measure project progress

  To monitor delivery progress in project management, requirements expert Scott Sehlhorst explains how the burn down chart is an essential tool.  Continue Reading

• Defect tracking: What is the purpose?

  Defect tracking can be tedious, yet comparing tracked defects can also help testers improve their work. Expert Pete Walen explains how the reasons behind defect tracking makes a difference.  Continue Reading

• How project sponsors can successfully manage changes to requirements

  Expert Scott Sehlhorst explores the questions managers must ask and explains how project sponsors can keep projects on track following changes to requirements.  Continue Reading

• Understanding test data: How project managers evaluate test cases

  While many organizations may look for simple ways to measure progress, it is important for project managers to fully interpret and understand test results, whether that data comes from automated tests or manual tests.  Continue Reading

• How product managers best manage requirements with mixed methodologies

  Expert Scott Sehlhorst explains how product managers can be most effective in both Agile environments and mixed-methodology environments.  Continue Reading

• Test automation tools for DevOps teams: What is needed?

  ALM expert Kevin Parker recommends tools teams should take advantage of in DevOps, from a Release Vault to test automation tools.  Continue Reading

• Combining TDD with Agile: How teams work together

  Expert Pete Walen explains how teams can work together within a mixed TDD and Agile development approach.  Continue Reading

• How Agile testers can adapt to mixed methodologies

  Learn how software testers can adapt to using the best testing approach for their situation, whether it is Agile, TDD, Scrum or a mixed methodology.  Continue Reading

• Applying Agile principles on non-Agile teams

  Expert Lisa Crispin describes how teams can apply Agile principles to reach development goals, whether using an Agile, mixed methodology or Waterfall approach.  Continue Reading

• How to improve software product quality with high-functioning teams

  Lisa Crispin offers steps high-functioning teams can take to improve software product quality, regardless of methodology.  Continue Reading

• When to perform post-production testing

  In some cases, testing post-production is needed, according to expert Pete Walen. He discusses the potential situations where post-production testing is helpful and what expectations we can have for performance testing.  Continue Reading

• Is manual testing still needed alongside automated testing?

  Expert Pete Walen discusses situations where manual testing is still necessary and how automation and manual testing can complement each other.  Continue Reading

• Release management: How DevOps facilitates collaboration

  Collaboration is essential to release management success, according to expert Kevin Parker. He explains how DevOps enables collaboration.  Continue Reading

• Portfolio management and “end-to-end” ALM: What tools are needed?

  Expert Kevin Parker advocates for the integration of the people, processes, tools and automation in the application development lifecycle in order to achieve effective portfolio management.  Continue Reading

• DevOps as an Agile practice: Delivering quality

  In this expert response, Lisa Crispin describes how the DevOps approach works on an Agile team and discusses the roles of the different team members.  Continue Reading

• What is the software tester's role in release management?

  In this expert response, Lisa Crispin explains how the tester contributes to the release management process on an Agile development team.  Continue Reading

• Integrating portfolio management and requirements management tools

  Scott Sehlhorst explains how requirements management tools can aid in meeting business goals and discusses what actions to take to integrate portfolio management and requirements management tools.  Continue Reading

• Portfolio management in the Agile product lifecycle

  Expert Scott Sehlhorst explains how goals shift in an Agile lifecycle and describes the impact of changes on the portfolio management process.  Continue Reading

• Critical elements of the latest requirements management tools

  As requirements management becomes more of a focus, teams must examine available tools and how to make the most of them. In this expert response, Kevin Parker offers several important factors to consider when it comes to requirements management ...  Continue Reading

• Requirements gathering and ALM: How to improve the process

  More and more organizations are looking for ways to improve their requirements gathering and management processes, according to expert Kevin Parker.  Continue Reading

• What is the link between test cases and requirements?

  Expert Pete Walen describes the intricacies of the relationship between requirements and test cases, explaining how the context and the realities of the requirements make a difference in how test cases are produced.  Continue Reading

• The role of software testers in requirements gathering

  Testers play an important role in determining requirements, according to expert Pete Walen. He explains how throughout the project lifecycle, testers must ask questions that can help generate the discussion needed to avoid problems down the line.  Continue Reading

• New techniques for requirements gathering in an Agile environment

  Agile development practices have changed requirements gathering into a more “continuous” process rather than a step that is completed prior to beginning a project, according to expert Scott Sehlhorst.  Continue Reading

• Three forms of communication essential to requirements management

  Teams can produce a higher quality product when goals are aligned around meeting requirements. Expert Scott Sehlhorst discusses the three forms of collaboration that facilitate the requirements gathering and management process within organizations ...  Continue Reading

• Integration testing: What are the challenges?

  Expert Pete Walen describes common problems with integration testing and offers insights into implementing it correctly, so that both internal and external users can benefit.  Continue Reading

• The benefits and drawbacks of test automation

  Software testing expert Pete Walen discusses the potential advantages and disadvantages of test automation in this response.  Continue Reading

• Increase IT and business communication for better requirements management

  Communication between business and IT is important, yet building alliances can be challenging. Agile expert Lisa Crispin offers tips and strategies.  Continue Reading

• Facilitating requirements gathering with Agile development expertise

  Agile expert Lisa Crispin offers tips for companies to avoid “analysis paralysis” and discusses how an Agile approach changes requirements gathering and management.  Continue Reading

• Exploring integration testing in the Agile development lifecycle

  Agile expert Lisa Crispin explores the various meanings and offers tips to testers on how to work integration testing into the Agile development lifecycle.  Continue Reading

• Succeeding in test automation: Collaboration between Agile testers and programmers

  Agile expert Lisa Crispin discusses the collaboration dynamic between testers and programmers, particularly in the interest of test automation success.  Continue Reading

• Exploring the role of the product owner on a Scrum team

  Expert Scott Sehlhorst discusses where the product owner’s responsibilities start and stop, particularly in relation to automation.  Continue Reading

• Generating code from software requirements: Is it possible?

  Software requirements, descriptions of features that will solve a problem, are not necessarily transferable into coding languages. Requirements management expert Scott Sehlhorst explains the nature of requirements and availability of tools that ...  Continue Reading

• Prioritizing security concerns in a complex software testing market

  Expert John Overbaugh identifies the three top concerns of the test manager and offers advice on how to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to security and compliance.  Continue Reading

• How software testing managers can ensure security compliance

  While security may be everyone’s job, the software testing manager holds particular responsibilities to ensure security requirements are met.  Continue Reading

• ALM tools: Is purchasing from a single vendor or multiple vendors better?

  Integrating ALM tools from different vendors can be nearly impossible, yet buying a toolset from a single vendor poses problems as well. Expert Kevin Parker explores these choices.  Continue Reading

• Automation in your SDLC: Identifying vital ALM tools

  Process-centric tools and dashboards are among the ALM trends identified by expert Kevin Parker. Here he discusses how these trends are now indispensable to automation in the SDLC.  Continue Reading

• Test management tools: Supporting your SDLC

  Expert Kevin Parker delves into the importance of choosing test management tools that integrate with and support your organization’s SDLC.  Continue Reading

• Choosing an ALM tool for managing your software testing processes

  ALM expert Kevin Parker discusses the different ALM tool features that teams should consider as well as the steps to follow.  Continue Reading

• The role of the software testing manager in gathering requirements

  What are the responsibilities of the product manager, business analyst, and software testing manager in requirements gathering? Learn how the roles are distributed here.  Continue Reading

• How traceability benefits the software development lifecycle

  Read expert Scott Sehlhorst’s explanation to learn how traceability of requirements improves visibility into building the right product as well as building the product right.  Continue Reading

• Managing software testing processes on an Agile development team

  In Agile development, testing processes are addressed by the whole team, according to Lisa Crispin. In this expert response, she highlights techniques for teams to work together to improve their testing and QA, including story mapping and Community ...  Continue Reading

• Choosing the right test management tool: A team effort

  Agile expert Lisa Crispin recommends that teams collaborate in choosing and implementing the appropriate test management tool. Read this response for insights into how test management tools can facilitate collaboration and enhance team productivity.  Continue Reading

• How test managers measure test team effectiveness

  Software testing expert Pete Walen warns against cookie-cutter metrics for measuring team effectiveness. Read this response for advice on approaching the challenge of measuring tester efficacy.  Continue Reading

• What to look for in test management tools

  According to expert Peter Walen, flexibility and ease-of-use need to be top concerns when selecting a test management tool.  Continue Reading

• Social media in business: Security versus function

  ALM expert Kevin Parker discusses the importance of security and offers some tips to business leaders in this response.  Continue Reading

• How ALM teams benefit from social media features

  In this expert response, Kevin Parker explores the current and potential uses of collaborative social media tools for ALM team members, including Twitter and instant messaging.  Continue Reading

• Leadership on the Web: Using social networking to teach and learn

  In this response, expert Pete Walen describes how managers and decision makers can gain from regular interaction via social media.  Continue Reading

• How software testers can learn together through social media

  In this response, expert Pete Walen explains how social networking tools provide an avenue for learning and teamwork that nearly everyone can take advantage of.  Continue Reading

• Changing communication and collaboration styles in ALM

  ALM expert Kevin Parker discusses how people have shifted communication to social networks and how managers can take advantage of this trend.  Continue Reading

• Instant messaging and wikis: Social media tools critical to ALM

  In this response, ALM expert Kevin Parker discusses the evolution of chat platforms and wikis amongst developers, explaining how managers can use these technologies to their advantage.  Continue Reading

• Confronting security challenges facing social networking sites

  According to application security expert John Overbaugh, the two top security concerns for social networking sites are application functionality and account privacy.  Continue Reading

• Application security: Using social media and collaboration tools

  Social media and collaborative tools are increasingly being used on professional teams, as discussed in this expert response. Here John Overbaugh explores the potential uses of specific social media applications for security team members.  Continue Reading

• Managing requirements for cloud-based applications

  In this expert response, Scott Sehlhorst examines the needs of cloud-based applications, explaining the details about updating, security and other considerations.  Continue Reading

• Requirements gathering: Using social media and collaboration tools

  In this response, requirements expert Scott Sehlhorst discusses the three main uses he has identified for social media tools in the realm of requirements.  Continue Reading

• Which collaborative tools are most useful for software testers?

  According to expert Pete Walen, testing teams make use of various collaborative tools, including Skype, instant messaging and wikis. Here he discusses the collaborative tools available and how different testers use them.  Continue Reading

• Application testing for social media

  According to software testing expert Pete Walen, expectations for application performance in social media vary. Read this response for details about testing standards for applications on social networks.  Continue Reading

• Evidence of software quality in Agile development environments

  Do Agile environments truly produce higher quality code and higher quality software? Expert Lisa Crispin delves into this claim, explaining what works on an Agile team.  Continue Reading

• The end of an iteration: When is testing in Agile complete?

  Agile development expert Lisa Crispin explains how software testers can meet objectives with each iteration and seek support from team members such as programmers and DBAs.  Continue Reading

• Social media: What is personal and what is professional?

  In this expert response, Lisa Crispin discusses the personal and professional uses of social media and the benefits of the blending of these two areas of our online lives.  Continue Reading

• Agile development: Collaboration tools for learning

  In this response, Agile expert Lisa Crispin explains how Agile developers can benefit from training materials made possible with social media and collaborative tools.  Continue Reading

• Strategies for testing mobile applications

  Expert Kevin Parker explores all the necessary tool sets developers and testers must implement to support the mobile applications market.  Continue Reading

• Mobile apps: Is the software development lifecycle different?

  Mobile platforms and the array of mobile devices change the game for software developers, but is it really that different? In this response, expert Kevin Parker discusses the similarities and differences between traditional software development and ...  Continue Reading

• Preventing application availability and SaaS issues in the cloud

  Application architects and designers must not ignore failure detection and resolution when designing applications for the cloud, according to expert Kevin Parker. In this response, he suggests tips related to SLAs, SaaS features and availability for...  Continue Reading

• Gathering software requirements: The importance of sequence

  Does sequence matter when you are not using use cases or process modeling techniques? Expert Sue Burk explains the importance of sequence by using a typical customer service scenario as an example.  Continue Reading

• Requirements management in the world of mobile devices and cloud computing

  Do new technologies affect the requirements gathering process? In this response, expert Sue Burk delves into this question, explaining the tenets of good requirements gathering in real and virtual worlds.  Continue Reading

• The purpose of the Agile retrospective in Agile development

  In this expert response, Lisa Crispin explains various ways to conduct retrospectives, discussing what teams stand to gain from them and how they contribute to the ongoing improvements inherent in Agile development processes.  Continue Reading

• Team leadership: Motivate your team by being genuine

  According to expert Pete Walen, team motivation stems not from sometimes phony motivational exercises, but rather from taking a real interest in the people on your team. Read this response for insight into how to win over team members through ...  Continue Reading

• Participating in conferences and workshops: What will I learn?

  When attending classes, conference and workshops, attendees may have unrealistic expectations of what they will gain, or how they will learn useful information. Expert Peter Walen offers some tips on how to actively participate in the learning ...  Continue Reading

• Application testing in the cloud: SDLC considerations

  Applications are increasingly moving to the cloud, posing platform challenges for developers and testers. ALM expert Kevin Parker offers useful advice for selecting a cloud vendor, setting up SLAs and making use of automated release in the software ...  Continue Reading

• How to employ Agile values with a Waterfall methodology

  As Agile development has gained in popularity, the traditional methods such as Waterfall sometimes get a bad rap. However, the two methodologies do not have to be mutually exclusive. Read this response for expert Lisa Crispin’s take on integrating ...  Continue Reading

• Is Kanban an Agile methodology?

  As Agile development continues to expand, related tools and terms can be confusing. In this expert response, Lisa Crispin explains what Kanban is and how it can work together with Agile principles.  Continue Reading

• Release management: Software testing in production

  When asked about testing during production, most people might initially recommend against it. However, upon closer examination, expert Pete Walen offers some insights into situations where testing may be helpful in production.  Continue Reading

• Software testing during the build and release phase

  While perhaps no testing is absolutely required during the build and release phase of a project, according to expert Pete Walen, there are specific results that need to be reviewed. In this response he explains what to look for when supporting ...  Continue Reading

• How to keep up with application testing in rapidly changing environments

  Software testers must be able to adapt to constantly shifting testing needs, particularly in the mobile environment. Expert Pete Walen offers some sound advice for using automated scripts, testing following an update and engaging your team's ...  Continue Reading

• Mobile software testing: Similar tests, different environments

  According to software testing expert Pete Walen, the basics behind testing don't change much from one environment to another, though the testing methods may vary. Mobility testing may seem challenging, but in this response, Walen explains how some ...  Continue Reading

• What tools are required for effective release management?

  Many organizations are placing more emphasis on release management, according to expert Kevin Parker. In this response, he explores the reasons for the heightened focus on release management, the solutions organizations are employing and the ...  Continue Reading

• How to select the right build tool for continuous integration

  How important is the build tool when maximizing the benefits of continuous integration? In this expert response, Kevin Parker recommends considering how well a tool can be integrated into the development process through automation.  Continue Reading

• Save time and trouble: Conduct security testing before production

  Expert John Overbaugh provides insights into why conducting security testing early in the lifecycle is important, and explains what to test for and when.  Continue Reading