teams

Person about to shoot a rubber band at a coworker Is There a Place for Pranks in the Office?

Some people think pulling pranks in the office is the height of hilarity. But they should remember that what they view as funny may not be viewed that way by those on the receiving end. There are many opportunities in the workplace for a joke to backfire. Before you think about pulling a prank, think it through.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
Employee frustrated by her absentee leader Absentee Leadership: The Worst Kind of Manager

Absentee leaders are managers who are physically present but psychologically absent. They are incompetent and disengaged, to the extent that they don't support their teams adequately. If you have an absentee manager (and don’t have the luxury of seeking another position), here's how you can try to handle the situation.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
Scrum team with different roles and jobs Scrum Roles, Goals, and You

The Scrum Guide specifies that there are three roles: product owner, developer, and ScrumMaster. It’s essential that a Scrum team have each of these roles to help it work well. But depending on how you implement the roles, you may end up hurting rather than helping your Scrum process. Focus on goals, not job titles.

Steve Berczuk's picture
Steve Berczuk
Scrum team member fixing a bicycle 3 Common Scrum Anti-Patterns and How to Fix Them

For a Scrum team to operate successfully, the entire team must honor the Scrum values of commitment, courage, focus, openness, and respect. But it's easy to fall into practices that can erode trust and collaboration. Here are three common anti-patterns that emerge in Scrum, as well as the solutions to overcome them.

Owen Gotimer's picture
Owen Gotimer
Tech team collaborating and all putting their hands in the middle 3 Reasons Managers Struggle to Build Compatible Tech Teams

Managers should try to find candidates who not only have the right technical skills, but also will ideally complement each other and be able to collaborate. But that’s not easy. Here are three main aspects managers struggle with when building compatible tech teams, so you can try to mitigate them and achieve harmony.

Gregory V. Chapman's picture
Gregory V. Chapman
Developer and tester smiling and shaking hands 2 Simple Ways to Improve Developer-Tester Relationships

Supposedly there is a constant tension between developers and testers, like the roles of artist and art critic. They can’t exist without each other, and yet they can’t get along. It doesn't have to be that way! Here are two ways testers can reduce that feeling so that developers and testers can work better together.

Justin Rohrman's picture
Justin Rohrman
Person holding a sparkler with New Year's fireworks in the background Top 10 TechWell Insights Stories of 2019

Career development was on many software practitioners' minds in 2019, as some of our top stories were about having a technical lead on a Scrum team and making the switch from quality assurance to quality engineering. Stories about new ideas such as DevOps and continuous testing also ranked high. Check out the roundup.

Beth Romanik's picture
Beth Romanik
Group of software engineers laughing at their computers Joking Around and Taking Work Seriously

You may be totally serious about your job yet give the impression that you’re not. Laughter and fun help some people tackle the high-priority, stress-inducing problems they face every day, but it can also be misinterpreted by others that they aren't taking their work seriously. How are people perceiving your behavior?

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten