collaboration

Chalkboard showing half analytical and half colorful doodles Helping Introverts and Extroverts Work Together

The personality tendencies of extroversion and introversion concern where people get their energy, and this is key to understanding how coworkers can perceive—and sometimes misinterpret—each other’s behavior. If the introvert-extrovert dynamic poses challenges, consider discussing these differences as a team.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
Two people practicing pair programming Solo Programming, Pairing, and Mobbing: Which Is Right for You?

Programming often is considered an individual pursuit, but there are other options gaining popularity: pairing, where you work with another developer or tester, and mobbing, where the entire team works on one thing at a time. Each is effective for certain kinds of challenges. How much collaboration is right for you?

Jeff Langr's picture
Jeff Langr
An airplane in flight, photo by Andrew Palmer What Aircrews Can Teach DevOps Teams

Aircrews learn a set of skills involving a structured way of communicating that breaks down barriers and forces an honest evaluation of the issues. They also automate what they can but still practice their craft over and over again, including what to do during failures. DevOps teams can learn a lot from aircrews.

Peter Varhol's picture
Peter Varhol Gerie Owen
Microphone on a stage for a keynote presentation 4 Lessons from the STARWEST 2018 Keynote Presentations

With a week full of sessions, tutorials, training classes, and events, the STARWEST software testing conference had plenty of takeaways useful for your professional and personal life. Here are four lessons distilled from the conference’s keynote presentations on testing, communication, and directing your career.

Owen Gotimer's picture
Owen Gotimer
Two grain silos Testing Centers of Excellence and the Return of Silos

Testing centers of excellence aim to be R&D labs for software testing, experimenting, and innovating new testing techniques and then piloting them on projects and analyzing the results. But that's not always the reality. Some CoEs merely isolate testers, taking a step back to the days of silos. What's your experience?

John Tyson's picture
John Tyson
Group of team players on a soccer field How to Be a Team Player

Some people think of themselves as team players because they're technically savvy, hard workers, and strong contributors. But these traits alone don’t make someone a team player. Teamwork, after all, is the process of working together to achieve a shared goal. Team players collaborate to solve problems.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
Gerald Weinberg, photo by Corey Grusden The Importance of People in Software: A Tribute to Jerry Weinberg

Gerald Weinberg's work inspired many to be better engineers and better leaders. Although he’s no longer with us, his message about the role of people in building quality software lives on in his writings and in those who have learned from him. Here, Steve Berczuk recalls some of Jerry Weinberg's most influential books.

Steve Berczuk's picture
Steve Berczuk
A successful testing team in a circle with their hands in the middle 3 More Fundamentals of a Successful Testing Team

Many QA managers seek a formula for creating an effective testing team. While they may pursue endless tools and lifecycle approaches, the answer is actually simpler. These three fundamentals will ensure you’re leading your test engineers in the right direction and building a world-class testing organization.

Greg Paskal's picture
Greg Paskal