What's in the Summer 2018 Issue of Better Software Magazine
TechWell provides technical guidance aimed at software developers and testers. In combination with TechWell's technical conferences, training events, web seminars, articles, and interviews, Better Software magazine provides a rich tradition in articles offering helpful tips and techniques.
You may not realize the history of the magazine. Twenty years ago, it started out as Testing & Quality magazine, and then it became Software Test & Quality Engineering. In 2004 it evolved into Better Software, taking on a wider range of software development topics.
As the editor of Better Software for five years, I have a simple rule I use for finding articles: We strive to deliver information you can use to improve the delivery of quality software products and services.
In this issue, our articles focus on leadership and quality.
Don’t Just Manage; Lead
Our featured article is one of our most thought-provoking leadership articles I’ve read. In “Great Big Agile: An OS for Agile Leaders,” Jeff Dalton summarizes what true leadership means for an agile organization. Just “going agile” is never enough. Jeff's concept of “great big agile” requires an entire organization to breathe agility, empowerment, and leadership. If you are in a management role, you’ll definitely want to read this.
Many software executives proclaim the importance of treating the customer as a company’s number one priority, but that is easier said than done. With so much coding and testing to do, encouraging a focus on the customer often becomes a low priority. Regina Evans believes that customer satisfaction is everyone’s job. You can learn how to engage with customers by reading her article, “All Customers Are Not Created Equal.”
Never Assume Quality Is a Given
The rise of continuous testing has enabled the release of timely software product releases to the enterprise. According to Bas Dijkstra’s “Supporting Continuous Testing with Automation,” there are three specific pitfalls to avoid when selecting the kinds of tests to automate. Before taking the plunge into test automation, you’ll want to read this.
So, what about testing for a DevOps environment? Attempting to rush testing late in a project lifecycle usually results in disaster. Mike Sowers delivers creative ways to bake quality into every software product in “Using Agile and DevOps to Achieve Quality by Design.”
For those of you who test for a living, your testing team may feel as if it is treated as second-class citizens. There is a problem if you are not invited to project meetings, left out of key decisions, and constantly squeezed to test in less time (even when developers deliver code later than expected). Amanda Perkins’s article, “QA Is More Than Being a Tester,” may provide the motivation you and your QA team need.
And for those of you looking for QA career advice, Bonnie Bailey states the importance of expanding your knowledge in “Be Indispensable: Cross-Train like a Testing Athlete.” She examines creative ways to stretch your approach to testing that are true career enhancers.
