I was recently interviewed by Fog Creek Software’s blog about embedded testers in development teams. Check it out here to listen to me rant about how software testing needs to be a core competency of the software engineering discipline. Note: I mentioned a book in this interview “Driven by tests” but I got the name horrifically […]
When I worked at Campaign Monitor, we used a Campfire (a chatroom system) for team discussion. The designers had a “design room” where they would share mockups and ideas. This worked really well as it allowed the rest of the team to provide them with fast feedback of their ideas, even in remote teams, and […]
What is wrong with combining roles? Business Analyst / Tester? Tester / Developer? Designer / Front-end developer? Project manager / Product manager? The rant I dislike siloing. Siloing is when two or more combinable roles are split apart across several people so that each person has their own little niche. Instead of hiring one person […]
“That’s one of the reasons we have testers. A great tester gives programmers immediate feedback on what they did right and what they did wrong. Believe it or not, one of the most valuable features of a tester is providing positive reinforcement. There is no better way to improve a programmer’s morale, happiness, and subjective sense […]
I was reading this article and it reminded me of when I first entered the workforce and wondered just how relevant my university degree really was to an actual software development job. I still think computer science university courses could be a lot better, but I don’t agree with modeling it on actual real-life projects, […]
I get a little irritated when I get asked to “just test everything” and developers don’t understand why. So here’s why. Let’s say we’re testing Twitter. To make it even simpler, we’re not testing all of it, just the web page where you type your thoughts into the box and click update. In fact, forget […]
Next time some developer is giving you attitude, try introducing him to Phyllis at http://www.buildsonmymachine.com And don’t forget Phyllis’s friends Gladys at http://www.wheresthebuild.com/ and Agnes at http://www.youbrokethebuild.com/ Fine work, ladies.
As far as I can tell, here are the top 3 reasons for having open plan offices: 1. Cheap. 2. Increases team communication. 3. Makes employees work harder because they’re being watched. Here’s what I think. 1. Yeah, probably. But so is putting everyone behind big sweatshop-style benches in one big factory warehouse. Where do […]