Food for Thought: An e-newsletter published by Software Quality Consulting, Inc.
January 2006, Vol. 3 No. 1 - New Year�s Resolutions...

To view a web version of this newsletter, click on the following link:
http://www.swqual.com/newsletter/vol3/no1/vol3no1.html.

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In This Months� Topic, I discuss making resolutions to help improve the 
way you work... 

Regular features to look for each month are:

- Monthly Morsels
  Hints, tips, techniques and reference info related to this month�s topic 

- Calendar
  Conferences, workshops, and meetings of interest to software engineers, 
  QA engineers and anyone interested in software development 

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***New Year�s Resolutions... ***

Have you made any New Year�s Resolutions? Each year, many of us make 
resolutions that we try to accomplish during the year. So many of us make 
resolutions, that there�s a Top Ten List...
(http://www.swqual.com/newsletter/vol3/no1/TopTen.pdf). Not surprisingly, we
often fail to achieve all of our resolutions. Health clubs, for example, see a
big spike in new members in January and a corresponding high drop out rate in 
March. Nevertheless, we sometimes succeed in achieving some of our
resolutions...

Making resolutions to improve our personal lives is important. If making 
resolutions can help improve our personal lives, why not use resolutions 
to help improve the ways we work...

To help get you started, here is my Top Ten List of resolutions for 
software development organizations for you to consider. These resolutions 
represent areas where improvements, even small improvements, can have 
significant payoffs: 

TOP TEN LIST 

1. Resolve to measure your work � at the organizational, project, or task 
level. 

Everyone needs to have a basic set of measurements to use in their daily 
work. Ideally, the measurements should be simple, easy to compute, and 
most importantly, related to your overall business goals. Here are some 
examples:

For developers

- How many defects did I fix this week? 

- How many defects did I create this week? 

- How much time did I spend working on a task on my schedule this week? 

For testers

- How many new tests did I write this week? 

- How many tests did I execute this week? 

- How many new defects did I report this week? 

- How much time did I spend working on a task on my schedule this week? 

For managers

- How many known defects were not fixed in the last release? 

- Can my organization meet it�s goals for the year? 

- How do I know if we are on track or not? 

- Are customers satisfied with the quality, features, and timeliness of 
  our products? 

Look in my February 2005 newsletter
(http://www.swqual.com/newsletter/vol2/no2/vol2no2.html), where you�ll find
suggestions for other quality measures...

2. Resolve to improve the quality of your work.

For developers - learn new techniques to reduce the number of defects 
injected into your code...

For testers - acquire domain knowledge, improve your testing skills, or 
actively participate in a requirements review to help identify problems 
sooner rather than later...

For managers � require that project teams reduce the number of known 
defects not fixed in the last release by 10% in the next release...

Remember that you need a good definition of quality before you can start 
measuring. Refer to my December 2004 newsletter
(http://www.swqual.com/newsletter/vol1/no4/vol1no4.html) for some thoughts on
how to define quality... 

3. Resolve to start projects with well-written, unambiguous requirements.
 
More projects fail due to poorly written requirements than for any other 
reason. The cost of poorly written requirements is significant. We often 
ask people who have no training in how to write good requirements to do 
this critical task...

Consider providing training for people who write requirements
(http://www.swqual.com/training/requirements.html) so they can do a better job.

4. Resolve to manage changes to requirements.

While it is not always possible to have all requirements defined at the 
beginning of a project, recognize that changes to requirements will have a 
ripple effective on all aspects of project work. Do this in ways that will 
identify the real impact to the project, the business, and your customers.
Read about requirements:

- Robin Goldsmith, Discovering the REAL Business Requirements for Software 
  Project Success
  (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580537707/qid=1136303956/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-8445151-2572664?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)

- Karl Wiegers, Software Requirements 
  (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735618798/qid=1136304021/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-8445151-2572664?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)

5. Resolve to institute effective peer reviews. 

Making peer reviews effective requires training and management support. 
The most important peer review to do is a peer review of the requirements.

Find out how you can get your staff trained in planning and conducting 
effective peer reviews... (http://www.swqual.com/training/peer_reviews.html)

One way Management provides support is to resist the temptation to cut 
peer reviews from schedules in an effort to save time, since that 
invariably does not work.

Read about Peer Reviews:

- Karl Wiegers, Peer Reviews in Software: A Practical Guide
  (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0201734850/qid=1136304021/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/103-8445151-2572664?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) 

6. Resolve to improve your ability to accurately estimate tasks and 
effectively manage schedules. 

Many projects are doomed from the start because they have unrealistic 
estimates and poorly managed schedules. 

Find out how you can provide your staff with training in effective 
techniques for accurate estimating and scheduling...
(http://www.swqual.com/training/schedules.html)

Read about estimating and scheduling in the October 2004 newsletter...
(http://www.swqual.com/newsletter/vol1/no2/vol1no2.html)

7. Resolve to identify, manage, and mitigate risks. 

Capers Jones on managing risk: 

  "Software has long been regarded as one of the most risk-prone of all 
  engineering activities. Risks such as schedule slips and cost overruns 
  tend to occur on more than 50% of all large systems. Even more severe 
  risks, such as cancellation of the project prior to completion or 
  serious quality deficiencies are not uncommon." [1] 

Capers Top Ten Most Serious Software Risks, based on surveying hundreds of 
projects, includes:

  - Inaccurate Metrics 
  - Inadequate Measurement 
  - Excessive Schedule Pressure 
  - Management Malpractice 
  - Inaccurate Cost Estimating 
  - Silver Bullet Syndrome 
  - Creeping User Requirements 
  - Low Quality 
  - Low Productivity 
  - Cancelled Projects 

8. Resolve to fulfill your commitments you make to others. 
We make commitments to our colleagues, our boss, our customers, etc., 
every day. Things like: �Ill have that bug fixed by the end of the day.� 
Or �I�ll get the customer a patch release tomorrow.� Or, �Of course we can 
include that new feature in the next release!�

Watts Humphrey on managing commitment: 

  "The role of the management system is to ensure that projects are 
  successfully completed. This implies some organization-wide agreement on 
  the meaning of the terms 'success' and 'completion.' It also requires a 
  continuing management focus on the progress of each project. [...] This 
  involves managing commitments, project oversight, and contention." [2] 

9. Resolve to assess the effectiveness of your testing. 

Testing is a very expensive, time-consuming activity. Yet, we have few 
ways to measure how effective our testing is. Testing requires a 
significant investment in time and effort. Each year, companies spend 
hundreds of thousands of hours testing software. Typical test suites often 
number into the thousands of tests, many of which require hundreds of 
hours to develop, maintain, and execute. 

Often, tests are written against requirements that are vague and 
ambiguous. Regression test suites evolve over time and often include large 
numbers of what I call �non-productive� tests. These tests oftenare 
looking for problems in areas where there aren�t problems. Couple this 
with the fact that testers are inclined to develop more tests in the areas 
of the application they are most familiar with, leaving other areas 
under-tested or not tested at all. 

My April 2005 newsletter
(http://www.swqual.com/newsletter/vol2/no4/vol2no4.html) has a discussion on how
to assess the effectiveness of your testing. 

10. Resolve not to make the same mistakes on your next project.
 
In today�s business climate, it is unconscionable that companies continue 
to make the same mistakes from project to project. Project mortems are not 
an effective tool for changing behavior. There is a better way. It�s 
called a Project Retrospective. Learn to avoid making the same mistakes 
using Project Retrospectives... 

Read about Project Retrospectives:

- Norm Kerth, Project Retrospectives � A Handbook for Team Reviews 
  (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0932633447/ref=pd_bbs_null_1/103-8445151-2572664?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)

- For an overview of Project Retrospectives, see my June 2005 newsletter... 
  (http://www.swqual.com/newsletter/vol2/no6/vol2no6.html)

SUMMARY 

Resolutions can motivate you to improve your skills. Here are some 
suggestions for personal resolutions:

For developers... 

- Read Steve McConnell, Code Complete 
  (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735619670/qid=1136304109/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-8445151-2572664?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)

- Read Watts Humphrey, A Discipline for Software Engineering 
  (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0201546108/qid=1136304157/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-8445151-2572664?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)

- Improve your skills by attending a short course or workshop. Find Short 
  Courses and Workshops in the Boston-area 
  (http://www.ieeeboston.org/)

For SQA folks...

- Read Lessons Learned in Software Testing by Cem Kaner, James Bach, and 
  Bret Pettichord.
  (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471081124/qid=1136304190/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-8445151-2572664?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)

- Attend local meetings sponsored by your local SPIN chapter or ASQ 
  Software Division chapter. Find conferences and meetings in the 
  Boston-area. 
  (http://www.swqual.com/links/upcoming.html)

- Become a Certified Software Quality Engineer (CSQE). Get CSQE Info...
  (http://www.asq.org/softwareforum/getcertified/index.html) 

For managers and executives...

- Read Watts Humphrey�s book Winning with Software 
  (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0201776391/qid=1136304217/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-8445151-2572664?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)

- Make some of the resolutions listed above! 

Happy New Year!

PAY IT FORWARD

If you find this newsletter of value, please consider the following:

  Norm Kerth is a highly respected consultant who developed the Project 
  Retrospective techniques discussed in the July-Aug newsletter
  (http://www.swqual.com/newsletter/vol2/no7/vol2no7.html). He was in 
  a serious car accident and suffered a disabling brain injury. As a 
  result, he cannot work and lives on a very limited income. You can help 
  recognize his contribution to our industry by sending a small donation. 
  Checks can be made payable to Norm Kerth Benefit Fund and sent to Norm 
  Kerth Benefit Fund c/o Process Impact, 11491 SE 119th Drive, Clackamas, 
  OR 97015-8778. You can also visit Karl Weiger�s website (Process Impact �
  http://www.processimpact.com/goodies.shtml) for more details about
  contributing to the fund. Thanks.

Read more about the Pay It Forward foundation...
(http://www.payitforwardfoundation.org/)

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***Monthly Morsels***

Every month in this space you�ll find additional information related to 
this month�s topic.

- References:

  [1] Jones, C., Assessment and Control of Software Risks, Prentice-Hall 
  PTR, 1994

  [2] Humphrey, W. S., Managing the Software Process, Addison Wesley, 
  1990. 

- Books

  One of the best books on peer reviews: 

    Wiegers, K., Peer Reviews in Software: A Practical Guide, 
    Addison-Wesley, 2002

  The classic text on walkthroughs:

    Freedman, D., and Weinberg, G., Handbook of Walkthroughs, Inspections, 
    and Technical Reviews, 3rd ed., Dorset House, 1982

  Two excellent books on requirements:

    Goldsmith, R., Discovering the REAL Business Requirements for Software 
    Project Success, Artech House, 2004

    Wiegers, K., Software Requirements, Microsoft Press, 2 nd edition, 
    2003.

  Project Retrospectives:

    Kerth, N. L., Project Retrospectives � A Handbook for Team Reviews, 
    Dorset House, 2001.

  Risk Management:

    Jones, C., Assessment and Control of Software Risks, Prentice-Hall 
    PTR, 1994.

    Boehm, B. W., Software Risk Management, IEEE Computer Society Press, 
    1989

  Especially for Management:

    Humphrey, W. S., Winning With Software � An Executive Strategy, 
    Pearson Education Inc, 2002. 

- On-line Resources

  Visit Karl Wiegers website for useful info on peer reviews... 
  (http://www.processimpact.com/pr_goodies.shtml)

  Better Software Magazine
  This magazine has interesting articles on testing and QA practices... 
  (http://www.stickyminds.com/BetterSoftware/magazine.asp)

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***Calendar***

Every month you�ll find news here about local and national events that 
are of interest to the software community ...

- Stay tuned for details of an upcoming panel discussion on Offshore 
  Outsourcing sponsored by the Boston SPIN and the Software Quality Group 
  of New England (SQGNE)...

- Software Quality Calendar

  There are many organizations that sponsor monthly meetings, workshops, 
  and conferences of interest to software professionals. Find out what�s 
  happening... 
  (http://www.swqual.com/links/upcoming.html)

- Workshops Offered by Software Quality Consulting

  Software Quality Consulting offers workshops in many topics related to 
  software process improvement. Get more info... 
  (http://www.swqual.com/seminars/courses.html)

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***About SQC***

Software Quality Consulting provides consulting, training, and auditing 
services tailored to meet the specific needs of clients. We help clients 
fine-tune their software development processes and improve the quality of 
their software products. The overall goal is to help clients achieve 
Predictable Software Development(TM) � so that organizations can consistently 
deliver quality software with promised features in the promised timeframe. 

To learn more about how we can help your organization, visit our web site
(http://www.swqual.com/index.html?AboutSQC) or send us an email
([email protected]).

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I hope this newsletter has been informative and helpful. Your comments and 
feedback are most welcome. Send me your feedback... ([email protected])

Thanks,

Steve Rakitin
[email protected]


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