Tips

Tips

• A three-step process for managing project risk in Agile ALM

  Consultant Howard Deiner talks of the importance of understanding the customer requirements and then gives a three-step process in determining and addressing project risk.  Continue Reading

• Just-in-time requirements gathering with iterative development

  Consultant Howard Deiner shows us how iterative development allows software teams to get just-in-time requirements, preventing wasted time on over-analysis and allowing for mid-course corrections along the way.  Continue Reading

• Extending Agile ALM: Why Agile engineering practices matter so much

  Agile consultant Howard Deiner explains several Agile engineering practices that can be used regardless of which methodology your organization employs.  Continue Reading

• Create flow in ALM processes with automation and elimination

  Matt Heusser provides tips on how to assess, streamline and automate ALM processes, and at the same time, rid your organization of the waste.  Continue Reading

• Communication advantages of distributed Agile teams

  Distributed Agile teams are often thought to be at a disadvantage when compared to co-located teams, but are they really?  Continue Reading

• Does Agile development’s emphasis on face-to-face hurt teams?

  Site Editor Yvette Francino urges Agile leaders to consider problems that may occur if there is too much emphasis on co-location.  Continue Reading

• Agile ALM: Tools for release management

  IT leaders and decision makers will benefit from this tip, written by Software Consultant Nari Kannan, about the problems and challenges in release management and the commercial and open source tools that address them.  Continue Reading

• Continuous delivery in ALM: Opportunities and challenges

  Continuous delivery is the automation of the software build-test-deployment of software cycles; sometimes it allows for completing the cycle multiple times a day.  Continue Reading

• Preventing security attacks using the Enterprise Security API (ESAPI)

  Security expert John Overbaugh explores solutions and strategies that are relatively easy to implement and that prevent some of the most common attacks in part two of this two-part article.  Continue Reading

• Anonymous attacks: Three phases of an anonymous attack methodology

  Security expert John Overbaugh examines three of Anonymous’ most common techniques for attacking websites and how they are carried out.  Continue Reading

• Contextual inquiry techniques in requirements gathering

  Software consultant Nari Kannan writes about typical problems with requirements gathering and provides an outline of contextual inquiry techniques.  Continue Reading

• Security testing for unvalidated redirects and forwards

  Security expert John Overbaugh gives security testers the information they need in order to ensure the Web application code that they’re responsible for is protected.  Continue Reading

• Requirements management collaboration with ALM tools

  Software consultant Nari Kannan writes about features needed in software tools for requirements management and provides brief summaries of software tools available, both commercial and open source.  Continue Reading

• Agile ALM: Automation tools for the application lifecycle

  Software Consultant Nari Kannan offers CIOs insights about the different categories of ALM automation tools and identifies commercially available and open source options in each category.  Continue Reading

• Enhance mobile application performance with network testing

  Learn how to ensure robust end-to-end testing of mobile applications and their superior performance.  Continue Reading

• Hosting in cloud computing: Using Software as a Service for source code control

  Though all development shops will be using source code control (SCC), hosting the repository in the cloud is now an option that should be carefully considered.  Continue Reading

• Designing and implementing ALM quality dashboards

  Software consultant Nari Kannan writes about how CIOs and senior managers can best design, implement and use an ALM quality dashboard.  Continue Reading

• Four ways to reduce software testing cost without sacrificing quality

  Matt Heusser, lead editor of "How to Reduce the Cost of Software Testing," shares a few of his favorite tips on how to reduce testing costs without sacrificing quality.  Continue Reading

• Agile development provides ALM transparency for senior managers

  Agile expert Lisa Crispin describes Agile processes that will keep your managers and team informed throughout the application lifecycle.  Continue Reading

• Dogfooding: Why CIOs and senior managers should test their own mobile apps

  Using your own application or “eating your own dog food,” shows confidence in your product. Nari Kannan shares insights on why CIOs or senior managers should test mobile apps.  Continue Reading

• Agile ALM: What’s the return on investment of automation?

  Senior managers and decision makers will learn about the different types of automation and how they can make an informed decision when looking for a tool set to best yield a positive ROI.  Continue Reading

• Technical debt: What is it and why should CIOs care?

  CIOs and senior managers will hear from three industry experts who explain what technical debt is, why it occurs and what leaders can do now to address this business risk.  Continue Reading

• Software troubleshooting: Managing opportunity costs

  Senior managers will want to understand and consider “opportunity costs” that result when a crisis occurs. Consultant Catherine Powell explains that by taking opportunity costs into account, the cost of crisis can be better managed.  Continue Reading

• Automating cloud computing services: What decision makers should know

  Software consultant Nari Kannan offers decision makers information about challenges in automating the configuration, rollout and management of cloud computing services and discusses popular solutions available today.  Continue Reading

• Building software security testing skills for managers

  Security expert John Overbaugh describes how managers can foster the professional growth of employees by helping them get the training they need to become skilled security testers.  Continue Reading

• Social media tools aid in collaboration between business, IT and users

  CIOs and managers will learn how new generation social tools are providing features necessary to collaborate internally and externally with customers and stakeholders.  Continue Reading

• What are CIOs thinking? What we can learn from social media conversations

  A recent report from Logicalis revealed the top ten buzzwords used in social media by CIOs. Learn how the data from that report was gathered and what trends were found.  Continue Reading

• Streamlining user acceptance testing (UAT) with Agile

  Organizations that implement successful user acceptance testing can greatly reduce errors and business risks.  Continue Reading

• Eight software quality metrics that foster ALM success

  Software consultant Nari Kannan reveals eight metrics that are most important in ALM in this tip.  Continue Reading

• Acceptance test-driven development: Customers driving tests

  Acceptance test-driven development (ATDD) is a technique used to bring customers into the test design process before coding has begun.  Continue Reading

• Devising a test automation strategy: Getting started

  In this tip by Agile expert Lisa Crispin, learn the important steps to move your organization forward with a well-planned automation strategy.  Continue Reading

• Agile testing quadrants: Guiding managers and teams in test strategies

  Agile expert Lisa Crispin explains the four Agile testing quadrants and how they can guide managers and development teams in creating a test strategy.  Continue Reading

• Software development bugs: How to identify and prevent them

  With strong Agile practices such as unit testing, code reviews and proper attention to requirements, bugs can be prevented or found early in the application lifecycle.  Continue Reading

• Scrum vs. Kanban: Comparing new approaches in software development

  In this tip, we talk about the differences in Scrum and Kanban, comparing and contrasting these two approaches used in software development.  Continue Reading

• Test automation tools for mobile devices

  Software consultant Nari Kannan writes about the challenges in automating the testing of mobile apps and some popular solutions that are available for them today.  Continue Reading

• Wireframing tools for tablets and other mobile devices

  Software consultant Nari Kannan discusses wireframing tools that help mobile and tablet app designers mockup and lay out workflow and user interface designs.  Continue Reading

• ALM: Managing offshore test teams

  This tip emphasizes expressing clear expectations throughout the application life cycle. Learn how to choose the most effective means of communication for the situation, how to motivate team members across the miles and how to show appreciation to ...  Continue Reading

• Automation testing: Seven tips for functional test design

  In this tip, Chris McMahon describes seven tips for testing leaders that will ensure you are designing your automation tests correctly so that they will be maintainable and catch the bugs before the code hits production.  Continue Reading

• Can collaboration tools eliminate the need for face-to-face teamwork?

  Have we progressed to the point where we can work just as productively in a distributed fashion as when we’re co-located? Agile expert Lisa Crispin examines this question from all angles, exploring how team leaders can make the most of collaborative...  Continue Reading

• ALM communication methods in a distributed world

  In this tip, author and consultant Steffan Surdek will tell you the about the best communication tools for distributed development teams.  Continue Reading

• Ten ways you can use collaboration tools and social media in ALM

  Software consultant Nari Kannan outlines ten ways you can leverage online collaboration tools and social media applications effectively.  Continue Reading

• Product management: Using social media for requirements gathering

  In this tip, requirements expert Scott Sehlhorst explores the many uses of social media and social networks for improving product management.  Continue Reading

• Ten best collaboration tools for business and IT

  Software consultant Nari Kannan writes about ten collaborative and social media tools you can leverage to make sure that IT is tuned in to the needs of business and delivers the needed results.  Continue Reading

• Wikis for Agile ALM collaboration

  In this tip, SSQ contributor Chris McMahon describes step by step how tags can be used in wikis to manage Agile user stories from conception through deployment.  Continue Reading

• Social media: How savvy businesses are capitalizing on collaborative tools

  In this article, industry experts offer their insights into how businesses can capitalize on the many uses of social media and collaborative tools.  Continue Reading

• ALM from a distance: Effective remote collaboration tools

  In this tip, consultant Brad Swanson describes ALM tools and techniques that will allow your team to communicate effectively through the development lifecycle, regardless of where they’re physically located.  Continue Reading

• Defect tracking: Lean principles for getting the right data at the right time

  In this tip, author Paul E. McMahon describes how Lean principles can be used to help determine when defect tracking is appropriate for your organization and what type of data is important to collect.  Continue Reading

• Software quality: When defect tracking is not necessary

  In Quality metrics: Defect tracking throughout the software lifecycle, we explored the argument in favor of tracking defects throughout the lifecycle. In this second article in the two-part series, we look at the other side.  Continue Reading

• Quality metrics: Defect tracking throughout the software lifecycle

  Though software test experts do agree on a lot, the question of whether or not to track defects before code is released to production is a subject of great debate. In this two-part series, we will look at both sides of the issue, starting with the ...  Continue Reading

• Cloud computing: More power, but at what cost?

  In this tip, consultant Catherine Powell provides important questions that should be considered when planning for a transition to cloud computing so that uour organization will be able to get the best bang for the buck out of the cloud.  Continue Reading

• Cloud application performance management: Ten insights

  Cloud application performance management (CAPM) is ferent from non-cloud application performance management in its nature and deployment. Software consultant Nari Kannan explains CAPM and how to choose the right tools for deploying your solution.  Continue Reading

• Ten tests for software applications in the cloud

  With the variety of cloud-based software applications that exist today, performing cloud testing is challenging. Software consultant Nari Kannan explains how you can understand these testing challenges systematically and use the appropriate ...  Continue Reading

• The language of cloud computing

  Organizations are increasingly using cloud computing and cloud solutions, which has spawned a new set of terms that correspond directly to the world of cloud computing. Software consultant Nari Kannan explains briefly what cloud computing is all ...  Continue Reading

• Agile software development: Issue tracking solutions that allow for transparency

  What are the best tools to track issues? In this tip, SSQ contributor Chris McMahon explains the importance of understanding workflow and offers up three issue tracking solutions, particularly for large or distributed Agile teams.  Continue Reading

• Code coverage: Beyond the basics

  Code coverage tools will tell you how much of your code has been executed when you run your tests, but what can we do with that information? In this second of a two-part series, consultant Mike Kelly explores code coverage more deeply.  Continue Reading

• How useful is code coverage?

  In this first of a two-part series about code coverage, software consultant Mike Kelly explains code coverage and gives a specific example of how code coverage was calculated on a small program using the tool rcov for Ruby.  Continue Reading

• How to use the cloud for improved Agile testing

  In this article, Francis Miers explains the many benefits of using the cloud in Agile testing to reduce costs, foster stronger team communication and simplify test management of a dispersed team.  Continue Reading

• Strategies for scaling Agile beyond simple code-and-deploy environments

  In this tip, consultant Michael Kelly shares some models and strategies that will help teams stay Agile as projects grow.  Continue Reading

• Tips for interpreting JMeter results

  Interpretation of results from performance test tools is complicated. Learn how to interpret data from your JMeter Listeners using scatter charts, and by using the Aggregate Report Listener and the Monitor Results Listener.  Continue Reading

• Mobility testing: Five challenges and how to address them

  Smart phones and other mobility devices continue to grow, as do challenges with mobile testing. This tip addresses each of these challenges with advice on how to best overcome them.  Continue Reading

• Smart phones: Implementing a test automation architecture

  Test automation of smart phones and other mobile devices has become a necessity. Learn how to best approach test design, test automation and test execution in order to yield the best ROI.  Continue Reading

• Software test professionals: Five tester personality types

  Balancing a test team with diverse skill sets and personalities can help provide a strong team. In this tip, Catherine Powell describes five distinctive tester personality types: the questioner, the fixer, the submarine, the visual aide and the ...  Continue Reading

• Performance testing in the Agile enterprise

  Fitting performance testing into an existing or transitioning Agile enterprise is not easy. In this tip, software performance expert Scott Barber explains the challenges associated with performance testing in Agile environments and describes three ...  Continue Reading

• Software testing from the ground up

  Where do you start when asked to test software? In this tip, SSQ contributor Matt Heusser talks about the tutorial he is delivering at STPCon with Pete Walen about software testing from the ground up. Learn about quick attacks, domain analysis and ...  Continue Reading

• Software testing: Why test metrics programs fail

  “Most testing metrics are internally focused, and this is one of the primary reasons for these programs to fail,” says Infosys leader Vasudeva Naidu. In this tip, Naidu describes this and other issues and gives four golden rules of testing metrics ...  Continue Reading

• STPCon: Stepping up to leadership in software testing

  SSQ’s Software Test expert Pete Walen talks about the importance of test leadership and how every one of us can be a leader. Read on for ideas and insights into how to best gain professional development skills by learning, teaching and interacting ...  Continue Reading

• Mobile application testing: Five differences testers must take into account

  In this tip, SSQ contributor Cameron Laird describes five differences that need to be considered when testing mobile applications, including a mobile user-base, the vast number of devices and interfaces that involve touch.  Continue Reading

• Mobile Web applications: Monitoring test triggers

  Learn how to build out a system for monitoring test triggers for mobile Web application and its supporting systems.  Continue Reading

• Mobile application testing: Cost effective strategies

  This second installment on mobile app testing will outline an initial cost-effective strategy for shrinking the problem space and establishing feedback mechanisms to change scope over time.  Continue Reading

• Mobility application testing: Mobile devices on a budget

  Mobility application testing on a budget can be problematic. When a large company takes on an initiative to deliver its first mobile app to its users in the field, the testing problem space can get large in a hurry.  Continue Reading

• Software security: Four lessons testers should learn from Stuxnet

  In this tip, security expert John Overbaugh points out four areas of security that were compromised with the Stuxnet virus: physical security, patching, design and implementation. Security testers will know better how they can prevent such a virus ...  Continue Reading

• Change management: Agile adoption with knowledge, attitude and action

  Read this tip for advice from SSQ Site Editor Yvette Francino on how to implement the KAA model (knowledge, attitude, action) in your Agile adoption or other change management scenario.  Continue Reading

• Continuous integration made simple: Five lessons you won't want to miss

  In this tip, SSQ contributor Matt Heusser provides five valuable lessons which will help you avoid CI complications, such as a slow release process. Read on for lessons in an effective strategy for continuous integration.  Continue Reading

• Mobile testing: Nine strategy tests you'll want to perform

  Mobile applications are becoming increasingly prevalent, but testing them can be a challenge. Learn nine tests to include in your mobile testing strategy, producing high-quality apps.  Continue Reading

• Transitioning to Agile development: What about quality assurance?

  It's not uncommon for QA managers and testers to feel displaced in an Agile transition. In this tip, Agile expert Lisa Crispin explains the important role of the QA manager in an Agile environment.  Continue Reading

• The whole-team approach to Agile development: Examples and benefits

  Lisa Crispin continues in this second tip in the series by giving real-life examples and benefits gained from practicing the whole-team approach on Agile development teams.  Continue Reading

• Agile development: The whole-team approach

  In this tip, SSQ Agile expert Lisa Crispin explains the concept of the whole-team approach in depth, addressing questions of team structure and mainstream challenges.  Continue Reading

• DevOps: Adding database automation to your continuous delivery strategy

  In this tip, consultant Howard Deiner goes into the rationale and some techniques to ease the pain that a DevOps team must endure to make sure that the code they need to deploy matches up with the database back end that it must work with.  Continue Reading

• Mobile development: Why using an Agile methodology makes sense

  Exploring how mobile apps are different in their nature and use, software consultant Nari Kannan explains seven ways Agile development methodologies aid mobile development.  Continue Reading

• Continuous integration: Quality from the start with automated regression

  Using appropriate automated testing will efficiently bake quality into your code from the start. In this tip, learn how continuous integration is key to enhancing quality throughout the development process.  Continue Reading

• Intro to integration: Automation from version control to deployment

  Learn the steps necessary to automate your processes from code check-in to deployment, allowing your team to focus on the critical thinking tasks they were hired for.  Continue Reading

• Automating your release management processes with CI

  Quality is a necessary, but not a sufficient condition, to have a successful release and deployment of software. Learn the rationale and issues to consider when designing a continuous deployment framework for your codebase.  Continue Reading

• Five benefits of using Lean and Agile development

  We hear a lot of buzz about Agile and Lean, but what are the real benefits? SSQ asks leaders at Ci&T, a services organization that specializes in Agile and Lean, what they believe the five top ways to overcome challenges using Agile and Lean to be.  Continue Reading

• Software requirements: Taking development efforts into account

  In this tip, SSQ contributor Matt Heusser talks about using "desirements dialogues," which include development estimates, to help the team get the best bang for their development buck.  Continue Reading

• Trends and innovations in software testing

  Read about trends in the way we conduct software testing and communicate as well as innovations in learning and teaching.  Continue Reading

• Trends in ALM: Extending the lifecycle, increased support of Kanban

  This tip discusses the broadening of ALM to portfolio management and DevOps, as well as examines the diversifying of tools to encompass Kanban and the mixing of Agile methodologies.  Continue Reading

• Agile requirements management: Six advantages of using the cloud

  The Agile Manifesto states that individuals and interactions are preferred over processes and tools. Exploring how cloud-based environments facilitate this aspect, software consultant Nari Kannan explains six advantages of using such environments ...  Continue Reading

• Agile software development: Tips for writing testable user stories

  Testing pressures are always high on Agile projects. In this article we explore some of the ways adding clarity to stories can help make testing easier for all parties involved.  Continue Reading

• Tools and techniques for tracking changes to software requirements

  In this tip, requirements expert Sue Burk explains different techniques and tools that can be used to track changes to the requirement itself as well as changes to the attributes of the requirement.  Continue Reading

• Agile in the context of application lifecycle management (ALM)

  Application lifecycle management (ALM) and its major facet release management have to be a balanced set of process and tools aligned to your individual requirements. In this article from Agile ALM, you will learn about the facets of Agile ALM and ...  Continue Reading

• Beyond burndowns: Metrics for enterprise Agile

  Executive management and stakeholders want to know the status of a project and this is traditionally done with metrics. But as our approach to software development changes, so do our measurements. In this tip, find out which metrics consultant ...  Continue Reading

• Managing application performance in an Agile environment

  Mike Kelly provides useful information about implementing an application performance management (APM) strategy to implement performance monitoring and testing in Agile environments.  Continue Reading

• Improving software performance: Mobile, cloud computing demand APM

  Learn strategies for developing and maintaining software performance that delivers business value and satisfies mobile and cloud computing users' demand for instant application access. Experts advise on requirements, testing and application ...  Continue Reading

• Regression vs. risk-based testing: Managing complexity

  In this tip, consultant Vasudeva Naidu describes in detail the steps necessary to implement risk-based testing in your organization to ensure your regression test strategy is solid and successful.  Continue Reading

• How to create a strong cloud SLA for APM

  This tip offers considerations for setting up service level agreements (SLAs) for application performance management (APM).  Continue Reading

• The cloud: APM ownership challenges

  This article analyzes factors to consider when moving your APM to the cloud, examining the pros and cons of IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) providers and SaaS (Software as a Service) providers.  Continue Reading

• Cloud computing ushers in a new era for DevOps: NoOps

  The adoption of cloud computing services means changes to the way development and operations work together. Forrester dubs the term NoOps.  Continue Reading

• Estimates in Agile development: Capacity matters in sprint planning

  When doing sprint planning, how do your team members know they have enough work assigned to them in the sprint? Figuring out the hours you have available before you start planning is the best way to start. Author and Agile coach Steffan Surdek ...  Continue Reading

• Cloud testing: The cloud and your testing practice

  How is testing affected when working in the cloud? In this tip, consultant David W. Johnson describes three areas in which the cloud is used in your testing practice: as a testing enabler, for non-functional testing and for functional testing.  Continue Reading

• Tactics for software testing in the cloud

  In this tip, Matt Heusser and Catherine Powell describe challenges associated with deploying to the cloud and how those should be addressed.  Continue Reading