risk management

Computer dashboard showing metrics, photo by Carlos Muza The Testing Practices and Metrics That Really Matter in Agile and DevOps

Scaled agile and DevOps change the game for software testing. It’s not just a matter of accelerating testing; it’s also about fundamentally altering the way we measure quality. The test outcomes required to drive a fully automated release pipeline are dramatically different from the ones most teams measure today.

Wayne Ariola's picture
Wayne Ariola
A cockpit's dashboards as a pilot flies a plane, photo by Kristopher Allison Testing at 43,000 Feet: Reporting Risk That Matters

Many teams' daily testing gets broken down into numbers. If you're used to dashboards, it can be easy to forget the prime objective: to raise up quality issues—or, in the case of safety-critical devices, potential hazards. Graphs are comfortable, but do they really provide the information we should be looking for?

Alexandre Bauduin's picture
Alexandre Bauduin
Road sign warning of going the wrong way Signs of a Project Headed for Trouble

Projects rarely get in trouble suddenly. More often, the descent into trouble is gradual, and the signs are easy to miss—but they are there. If you detect any of these potential signs of possible failure, it would be wise to take steps sooner rather than later to address them and get the project back on track.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
Sunset over the sea seen from the inside of a large pipe, photo by Erlend Ekseth 5 Features of a Successful DevSecOps Pipeline

When practicing DevOps, how should you include security? What's the best way to build security into an existing continuous integration, continuous delivery, and continuous deployment pipeline? Let’s take a look at five essential features of successful DevSecOps pipelines and analyze where security can benefit most.

Alan Crouch's picture
Alan Crouch
A person's legs dangling off the edge of a building, photo by Alex Wong The Risk of Overemphasizing Risks

We are trained to identify and evaluate risks. This prevents teams from making decisions that are unlikely to work, saving time and money and helping the team move forward. However, a risk-avoidance mindset can also stop progress. Successful agile teams see risks as ways of starting a conversation, not stopping it.

Steve Berczuk's picture
Steve Berczuk
Risk management checklist A Checklist for Managing Go-Live Decisions and Risks

If you have to replace a complex existing data system in production, decisions about when and whether to go live should be treated with gravity and care. One process that can help keep you honest is developing checklists that describe very clearly what is expected to be accomplished and verified at each milestone.

Payson Hall's picture
Payson Hall
Locks on a red fence, photo by Jon Moore A Definition of Done for DevSecOps

In DevOps, we have a software delivery pipeline that checks, deploys, and tests every build. The goal is to produce a viable candidate for production, so we have to look at many different aspects of quality, including security. To be sure we hit all the crucial marks, we should have a definition of done for DevSecOps.

Gene Gotimer's picture
Gene Gotimer
Climbing tower on a playground, photo by Basil Lade Creating an Environment That Encourages Resilience

Creating environments at work that acknowledge that failures will happen—and supporting the efforts team members make to recover—can help your organization become more effective. You cannot predict every challenge, but by embracing risk and providing opportunities for people to experiment, you can be more productive.

Steve Berczuk's picture
Steve Berczuk