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Do You Understand the Risk of Yes/No Questions? Language is ambiguous in the best of cases, but the risk of miscommunication soars if someone answers a question with only "yes" or "no." However, it can be awkward to ask “Can you repeat what I said?” or “Are you sure you understand?” Naomi Karten has some suggestions for communicating beyond. |
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A Perspective on Other People’s Perspectives Whenever someone behaves in a way that seems inappropriate or counterproductive, it seems useful to wonder what might be going on to trigger that behavior. In the workplace, this matter of perspective requires only that you accept that your colleagues and coworkers face challenges similar to your own. |
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A Tester’s Guide to Dealing with Scrummerfall If you’ve been a tester on an agile team, you’ve probably experienced “Scrummerfall” behavior—a cross between Scrum and waterfall. There isn’t really any collaboration, and there's too much work in progress during each sprint. Bob Galen tells you how planning can help you avoid it. |
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What's in the Fall 2015 Issue of Better Software Magazine? For the first time, the cover of Better Software magazine showcases two articles. The dual features are about the new ISO 29119 software quality standard—one pro, one con. Reading both points of view will make you think about what your organization is doing to adopt quality standards. |
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What Are You Measuring? Many teams do single-point measurements in their projects. But that doesn't give you a good long-term picture. When you look at multiple-dimension measurements—especially trends over time—you learn more. You can take those trends into a retrospective to investigate how your team could work better. |
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The Vocabulary of Testing Testers in every project and company spend time defining and debating the meaning of common testing terms. Which labels are used for testing activities tend to vary from team to team. How do you reach an understanding? Dawn Haynes addresses the disparities and highlights what's really important. |
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A Win-Win versus a Win-Lose Approach to Conflict Too often when people address a conflict, they take an I-win-you-lose approach. That distracts from focusing on opportunities for agreement and can make ongoing relationships difficult. When people have to work together, the wise approach is one that serves the best interests of both parties. |
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Agile and Fear Come Hand in Hand If you’re looking to make the whole organization agile—through iterative work cycles, continuous improvement, and direct feedback from customers—fear has to be involved to some degree. But in order to foster a culture of honesty and trust, this uneasiness will have to be overcome. |