Agile Journal

Agile Journal is an online magazine and e-newsletter focused on providing readers with the need-to-know information and resources they need to develop software for an agile business. For over three years Agile Journal has delivered thought leadership and pragmatic advice from a wide range of industry experts, as well as direct feedback from hands-on developers and project managers.

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Quality Agile Development - August 2008
Volume 3 Number 8

august-08-developmentsmall

Agility is all about Quality and in this month’s issue our talented writers explain Quality Agile Development. Agile’s focus on Test Driven Development (TDD), continuous integration (CI), and customer driven requirements are just the tip of the Agile quality iceberg. Anders Wallgren starts us off by telling us to Do the Pre-Flight Check so Your Code Doesn’t Crash and Burn After Takeoff. Kevin Coleman helps us to see that Quality is built in, not bolted on including his explanation of operational integrity measures and Original Software gives us a discussion on Software testing in an Agile environment - Ten challenges QA have to face and solve. Pete Morowski describes Borland's journey to cut costs and boost the organization’s efficiency and quality. My buddy Brad Appleton reviews “The Software Project Manager’s Bridge to Agility”, by Michelle Sliger and Stacia Broderick. This month Cesário Ramos and Eelco Gravendeel gives us the first of a three part series covering the 9 pitfalls of adopting SCRUM. And, of course, I weigh in on my views of how Agile aids in developing quality code. This is a great issue and we hope that you will share your views of Quality Agile Development.

Bob Aiello
Assistant Editor
Agile Journal

Featured articles...
Applying Agility - Quality Agile Development
Becoming more Agile involves significant changes in the way that we work on a day-to-day basis. One of the central reasons that many technology professionals embrace Agility is its best practices which enhance the Quality of an application effort. Agile practices cut straight to the reasons that many projects fail. Of course, many organizations have also seen that adopting Agile practices does not automatically guarantee them improved Quality either. What practices should you focus on to ensure ...
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Do the Pre-Flight Check so Your Code Doesn't Crash and Burn After Takeoff
Agile development and continuous integration challenges To travel by air, you get to the airport, check in, with any luck get on a plane, and get to your destination. Perhaps you do not arrive precisely on time, but close enough that you make that important meeting or family event. Like jumbo jet pilots, software development teams and project managers have a lot more to worry about than the final consumers of the software or the passengers on the plane. Pilots have to go through a rigorous pre...
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Agile Development - Quality is built in, not bolted on!
As Agile software development practices mature and move into the mainstream, it is vital that organizations understand how Agile practices can help you deliver higher quality software. The Agile is a methodology for software development that promotes development iterations, open collaboration, and adaptability throughout the project life-cycle. Currently, the measures within many Agile projects focus on the successful delivery of software.  We refer to these as process measures.  Software is t...
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More articles...
Continuous Quality - Shortening the Development and Test Feedback Loop Beyond Continuous Build Continuous Quality - Shortening the Development and Test Feedback Loop Beyond Continuous Build
Part 2 In Part 1 of this series, I outlined how software can be delivered faster, and with higher quality, when automation and Lean thinking are applied to the development cycle. Now, in Part 2, I will take the general concepts from Part 1 and walk you through the details of actually implementing an automation infrastructure. If I achieve my objective (readers, you can be the judge), I will build up an example that addresses both the key principles and feedback cycles. Once you're armed and read...
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Top 9 challenges of adopting Scrum Top 9 challenges of adopting Scrum
First of a three part series...Introducing Scrum can be fun, but can also be quite a challenge. There are numerous hurdles to overcome, new practices to master and problems to solve. In this article, we will present some of the mistakes we have seen made, or made ourselves when introducing Scrum at various companies. The discussed pitfalls are valid within the context of a company in the process of adopting Scrum. Stepping into any of these pitfalls will make your implementation more challenging...
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The Borland Agile Journey - An Executive Perspective on Enterprise Transformation The Borland Agile Journey - An Executive Perspective on Enterprise Transformation
I begin this story by declaring up front that I am not an "Agilist" or process evangelist. I am the senior software development executive in a company responsible for delivering products to the marketplace. Like my peers across industries, I am fundamentally held accountable by my company for consistently delivering business results.  Process and methodologies are important in delivering this value, but in the eyes of the company they are secondary to meeting the needs of the business. ...
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Software testing in an Agile environment Software testing in an Agile environment
Ten challenges QA have to face and solve Agile is a methodology that is seeing increasingly widespread adoption, and it is easy to understand why - especially if you consider the developer and user view-points. ...
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FEATURED BOOK: The Software Project Manager FEATURED BOOK: The Software Project Manager's Bridge to Agility
by Michelle Sliger and Stacia Broderick For all you PMPs, PMOs, PMI members and PMBoK people out there ... This is it! This book is "the one" for you. Look no further than Michelle Sliger's and Stacia Broderick's The Software Project Manager's Bridge to Agility to take all the standard project management concepts and terms you've been entrenched in for the past decade or three and to explain the crux of Agility to you from within that domain. The book's title has it exactly right: It is nothing...
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Agile Marketplace - Announcements and Special Offers

Complimentary Webinar w Forrester Analysts on Agile and Lean ALM
Complimentary webinar with Forrester Analysts Jeffrey Hammond and Dave West. Learn about Lean ALM Development, optimizing processes, cutting costs and compliance by design.
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Agile CMMI – The Best of Both Worlds
Shares how a leading financial institution gains CMMI level 3 compliance and supports Agile practices.
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