As software professionals, we need to work continuously to improve our skills. But two common challenges are how to best work to improve, and how to find the time to learn when we’re busy. The answer is deliberate practice—practice with a clear goal and defined measures for success that pushes your usual boundaries.

Negotiation occurs on a spectrum, and different tactics apply in different situations. For instance, you’d treat a one-time transaction differently from an ongoing client relationship you want to nurture. Have you developed effective negotiating skills? Are you applying negotiating skills appropriate for the context?

Everyone knows testing requirements is important, and everyone says they do it, but it seems like no one knows exactly how. The best way to solve this problem is to introduce a requirements analysis stage that has to be done before coding starts. No one knows a product as well as a tester who works with it every day!