Testing is an essential issue for dev teams. Most teams agree that tests are good, but many teams still don’t do them for a myriad of reasons. But when it comes down to it, what is important is, are automated tests worth the time they take to make? In my experience working with different teams who both do and don’t… Read More »Is There Value In Writing Automated Tests?
Technical debt is something that every dev team has to manage. Often it is treated like something to avoid at all costs, but in the real world, that is not possible. With the fast-paced development cycles, it is sometimes necessary to strategically add technical debt to fit business needs and timeframes. The trouble comes when teams don’t pay off the… Read More »Dealing With Technical Debt
One of the easiest ways to level up your dev team is to create a developer book club. It may not seem obvious, but a book club can serve to keep developers engaged, help trigger discussions, and give good ideas to apply to your software products. Not many things can do so much to energize and help improve your team.… Read More »Your Dev Team Needs a Book Club
When you realize your project is starting to fail, it is essential to have the proper response, and understanding the steps to move the project forward and out of trouble is critical. Each project is different, but there are a set of general steps that help turn the project around. Firstly it is crucial to take stock of where the… Read More »How to Turn Around a Failing Software Project
If done correctly, unit tests can significantly increase your confidence and code quality as you develop software. The art of writing effective and comprehensive unit tests is very important when creating quality software. It is a skill that takes lots of practice and discipline. When broken down, there are three main attributes that make a good unit test suite. The… Read More »How to Write Effective Unit Tests
Building software is complex, there are lots to keep track of, and one of the most overlooked parts is the launch. Having a poor launch can take away from an excellent and well-executed product which is why getting it correct is essential! A launch plan is more than just putting the new code in production and updating a database schema.… Read More »4 Steps to an Effectively Software Launch
New projects often start with a highly organized and clean code. As the project progresses, things change, and hacks are often used to handle business logic changes. If you notice your project is starting to do this, there are a couple of ways to increase your code quality and move in the right direction. Firstly, implementing a thorough and effective… Read More »3 Practical Ways to Increase Code Quality
When a software project kicks off, expectations are often high, but as the project progresses, it can be frustrating to see it start to fail and not know what is going wrong. Understanding and looking out for the leading causes of failure before it happens can save your project and keep it on track for success. There can be many… Read More »Why Software Projects Fail
One of the most critical parts of ensuring software launches on time and without bugs is good QA. On the other side of that coin, ineffective QA can lead to a false sense of security and significantly increase the chances of issues at launch. I will lay out the essential changes you should take that will ensure you perform QA… Read More »How to Properly QA
Even the best software can have a poor launch if not executed correctly. With the fast-paced environment we work in, it is crucial to understand the biggest roadblocks stopping you from having a successful software launch. There are three big mistakes I often see in many software projects which hamper success. The first is poor use and timing of quality… Read More »The Three Biggest Mistakes When Launching a Software Product