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That's got to be one of the *best* choice of title since the Mythical Man Month!!
-Kenneth Sizer
Do it right from day one or you never will
-Andy Hunt
I haven't had the chance to read and review any books from the Pragmatic Programmers series. I decided to change that with the book Ship It! - A Practical Guide to Successful Software Projects by ...
-Thomas "Duffbert" Duff
Developer and Tester Pairing (Oct 15)
Last week in Washington, D.C. I was teaching a test automation class. The class ended up being composed of roughly half developers and half traditional, click-through testers.
An unexpected phenomenon surfaced when we started writing our first tests. The testers were having trouble with Java syntax and the developers were writing very poor tests. Rather than try to work with everyone myself, I used one of my favorite presenter tricks. I had everyone pair up.
It would sound more clever to tell you I planned it this way, but I didn't. And in hindsight, it makes perfect sense. But the give and take, the teamwork that emerged from those exercises was pretty incredible. We had strangers, from different companies, working together like old friends. Everyone in the class said they'd never worked like that before. Testers had worked with testers and developers with developers, but this was a whole new dynamic.
So first, let me encourage you to move beyond your traditional working model and try matching up developers and testers to get your test automation effort rolling. It really amazed me to see how well that worked.
Secondly, let me make an announcement. We'll be offering a discount on future training classes ~if~ you pair your developers and testers. I think the class will be much more effective for you and more fun for the entire group. Future course listings can be found at our website NFJS One. Also, a new and improved website is in the wings! Check back soon.Category: Agile
Time to Grow? (Oct 14)
When's the last time you made a conscious effort to add a new tool to your development toolbox? Not just the last time you were assigned to use a new tool. When did you last go to the home improvement store and just browse?
I know that you can do amazing things with that abacus and slide rule, but you should really check out this new gadget... it's called a calculator. I think you'll like it. ;)
On this vein, you should really check out Andy Hunt's latest book, Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware. It's a fascinating look at how we learn, and how we can do it better. If you've heard Andy speak on these topics, you've already got a good idea of what you've got in store. I've borrowed much of his content for my talks (but I always give him credit!) :) What can I say? It's great stuff.Category: Agile
Put the Trip It Badge on my About Page (Oct 7)
I really like the Trip It badge, but it's a bit too large for any of the spaces on the front page... so I've put it on the About page.
Category: Misc
Ruby and the Hadron Collider (Oct 7)
Hat tip to Jeff Brown for this one. It lasts a while, but gives a great overview of Ruby, it's integration with other languages, and why LHC matters so much to Ruby.
Training Courses (Oct 3)
We've got a number of classes coming up (some really soon!) and I wanted to push the information out to everyone. BTW, all classes can be seen at NFJSOne.com.
This class is suitable for both testers and developers, but does have a strong Java focus. It'll be just as much strategy and tactics as it will execution though, so don't stay away if you're working in a different language. (Also, we've got a potential class where we'd rewrite this in C#... no promises yet though.)
How do you introduce test automation? How do you support those efforts, and ensure success? What areas should you be testing? What are the traits of a great test? What's the checklist for test automation on your next project?
We'll be looking at the best way to get information from your customers, then how to manage that backlog. We'll examine techniques and ideas for breaking down the big ideas, getting customers to prioritize, etc. (This is not a Scrum certified course, btw).
This class, by the way, is a direct result of a company asking for the training. We're customer driven. ;)
We're still building out courses based on customer requests, so please let us know what other topics you'd like to see covered or cities you'd like to see us visit!
We've also got a referral program that can put $$ in your pocket. Send us mail at contact@nfjsone.com for more information.
