Better Software - November 2007 - (Page 3)

November 2007 Volume 9, Issue 11 Cover Story THE MEASURE OF A MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 20 If you’re still using a management system based on conformance to plan, you may not be getting the most from your agile adoption. Find out why a switch to an adaptive performance management system can unleash the full potential of agile methods. by Jim Highsmith Features BEHIND THE SCENES 28 Have you ever found a major defect while testing an unfamiliar system and been unable to explain exactly how you found it? The Framework for Exploratory Testing can help you explain your thought processes and allows you to train others to be better exploratory testers. by Erik Petersen A STORY ABOUT USER STORIES AND TEST-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT 34 Drawing on real events from the authors’ combined experience, this story follows a fictional team as it encounters some of the pitfalls of using test-driven development. (Part one of two) by Gertrud Bjørnvig, James O. Coplien, and Neil Harrison Columns & Departments In Every Issue MarkYour Calendar 4 What’s Happening @ StickyMinds.com 9 Product Announcements 43 Ad Index 48 TECHNICALLY SPEAKING 7 Twelve Ways Agile Adoptions Fail • by Jean Tabaka Originally published on StickyMinds.com, this updated version explains why some agile adoptions that appear to have failed may never have been truly agile to begin with. CODE CRAFT 12 Buddy, Can You Paradigm? • by Chuck Allison Contrary to popular belief, object orientation is not the One True Paradigm—there isn’t one. So, even more important than being proficient in multiple languages is the addition of multiple paradigms to your development arsenal. TEST CONNECTION 16 How Testers Think • by Michael Bolton Citing material from the book How Doctors Think, Michael draws a comparison between how doctors diagnose illness in patients and how testers find problems in software. MANAGEMENT CHRONICLES 18 The Blind Leading the Blind • by Jennitta Andrea Find out what happens when a team decides to go agile but its management fails to acknowledge the changes to each team member’s role and provide support during the transition. Better Software magazine—The print companion to StickyMinds.com brings you the hands-on, knowledge-building information you need to run smarter projects and deliver better products that win in the marketplace and positively affect the bottom line. Subscribe today to get twelve issues including the annual Tools Guide. Visit www.BetterSoftware.com or call 800-450-7854. THE LAST WORD 47 3… 2…1… Liftoff! • by Karl Wiegers The amount of effort put into a project’s initiation lays the groundwork for all the work that follows. Learn six activities every project manager can perform at initiation to ensure the project starts (and finishes) strong. StickyMinds.com We invite you to visit StickyMinds.com, the online companion to Better Software magazine. StickyMinds.com covers the same pertinent topics as the magazine, putting the power of information at the click of your mouse. Weekly columns, headline-making bugs, hundreds of technical papers, an online tools guide, discussion boards, and so much more make StickyMinds.com your site for 24/7 brainfood to help you build better software. www.StickyMinds.com NOVEMBER 2007 BETTER SOFTWARE 3 http://StickyMinds.com http://www.StickyMinds.com http://www.StickyMinds.com http://www.BetterSoftware.com http://www.StickyMinds.com http://www.StickyMinds.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Better Software - November 2007

Better Software - November 2007 Contents MarkYour Calendar Technically Speaking What’s Happening @StickyMinds.com Code Craft Test Connection Management Chronicles The Measure of a Management System Behind the Scenes A Story About User Stories and Test-Driven Development Product Announcements The Last Word Ad Index

Better Software - November 2007

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