process improvement

“So, How’s It Going?” Thoughts on Reporting Project Progress

People near the top of your org chart often want project status updates to be short and sweet. But oversimplified measures risk miscommunication. Be thoughtful when someone asks, “So, how’s it going?” If you summarize too much, you can lose context, and these managers may feel misled later.

Payson Hall's picture
Payson Hall
A Quicker, More Effective Hiring Solution Is on the Way

Given the increasing demand for software talent, hiring is a big task in the IT world. But a startup has an idea for a platform that would help bring objectivity to the entire hiring process, from data collection to skill assessment to prospect evaluation. Would you trust your hiring to the cloud?

Mukesh Sharma's picture
Mukesh Sharma
The Abstraction Problem

As technical people, when we give too much information in a project status meeting, we can overwhelm managers. Worse, if we don’t answer the implied question ("When is this thing going to be done?"), the managers will get answers elsewhere. Read on for ideas to get you speaking the same language.

Matthew Heusser's picture
Matthew Heusser
What If Accessibility Testing Is Not Done?

Accessibility in software is emerging as a hot topic in 2015. We all know why we need to test that our products are accessible to people with disabilities, but Rajini offers some scenarios that illustrate the potential consequences of not creating an accessible design or environment.

Rajini  Padmanaban's picture
Rajini Padmanaban
What's in the Winter 2015 Issue of Better Software Magazine?

Many of us spend more time (and money) beefing up our technical skills when we could use guidance on developing soft skills. The Winter 2015 issue of Better Software should have just what you need to overcome organizational roadblocks in your quest for agile nirvana. Read on to see what's in it.

Ken Whitaker's picture
Ken Whitaker
What Do You Do on a Snow Day?

Extreme weather happens, and it can make getting into the office difficult (or impossible). Do you try to collaborate remotely? What if everyone else is taking the day off? If you still want to get some work done (instead of building snowmen), here are some perfect tasks you can do on your own.

Johanna Rothman's picture
Johanna Rothman
Four Steps in Selecting the Right Tool for Accessibility Testing

One of the important phases in the accessibility testing lifecycle is identifying the right tool for doing the job. Standard evaluation methods make it easier to compare different tools and have a significant bearing on time, cost, and quality. Here are four steps to help in the selection process.

Anish Krishnan's picture
Anish Krishnan
The Weakest Link in Your Chain

There is a saying that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. DevOps helps establish a pipeline to automate application and systems software deployments. DevOps also has an amazing way of very quickly discovering exactly which link in the deployment chain needs to be fixed or replaced.

Bob Aiello's picture
Bob Aiello