Less Stress. More Quality.

One of the strategies I’ve used to reduce stress when wearing my project manager hat has been to try to control all changes to the project. I bet more than a few project managers out there are nodding their heads in agreement.

Change control = good = normal levels of stomach acid

But I’ve recently come to wonder (after some great customer conversations) if sometimes in my zeal for control of that holy project manager triangle of time, money, and features, that I took things a little too far.

I’m not talking here about ignoring valid scope changes that are driven by real business needs (and signed off customer requests).

I’m talking about spurning opportunities to increase productivity on long running projects by not taking advantage of the latest version of your software development tools.

Me: “Talk to the hand, girlfriend, ‘cause until we ship, nobody is touching that bug tracker server.”

In real life, I’m not that cool. When faced with this situation, I’m sure I rattled off phrases like “risk management” and “not an ideal time in the schedule.” Like there is ever an ideal time in a project schedule for anything.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not advocating throwing out good practice and common sense. There are definitely better times than others for making changes to your project processes and tools. But not all changes need to throw you into a DEFCON 1, maximum biohazard containment frenzy.

I’m arguing that upgrades to your project tools don’t all carry the same risk. Assuming you have current backups, upgrading your issue management system does not have the same potential for wrecking your project schedule as, say, upgrading your compiler version. And, since your team is using that issue management system every day, an upgrade with even small usability enhancements has the potential reward of higher productivity and improved morale.

Why am I whining about this? Because in those recent customer conversations I mentioned, I found myself saying the following multiple times.

Me (again): “Great feature request! I can see how that would save you a lot of time. We, um, added that in a recent release.”

Frustrating to me and very frustrating to the customer stuck on a version several releases back.

I know upgrading software development tools in the middle of a project can be a stressful and divisive issue for teams. I’d love to hear what factors you consider when pondering a tool upgrade.

Bottom line for TestTrack users: if you are up-to-date on your maintenance, the upgrade is free. Check out the release notes to see if your favorite TestTrack feature request has shipped without you. Still unsure if the rewards are worth the risk? Maintenance also entitles you to contact support so you can find out just what’s involved in upgrading your project.

TestTrack TCM now has a new quick start guide available! Download it from the Seapine documentation page.

Thanks to Amy Kearns, one of our wonderful technical writers, and the rest of the TestTrack team for producing this great guide.

Even if you’ve been using TestTrack TCM for a while, you owe it to yourself to take a quick look at this document to make sure you are taking full advantage of the power of TestTrack TCM.

Not a TestTrack TCM user?

If you’ve been looking for a better way to manage your test cases and your testing process (especially if you are already a TestTrack Pro user), this document can also help you get started understanding what TestTrack TCM has to offer you.

Please check out the TestTrack TCM Quick Start Guide today and let me know what you think!

I found this bit of testing humor while browsing the Software Testing Stuff site…

AGGRESSION TESTING: If this doesn’t work, I’m gonna kill somebody.

COMPRESSION TESTING: []

CONFESSION TESTING: Okay, okay, I did program that bug.

CONGRESSIONAL TESTING: Are you now, or have you ever been a bug?

DEPRESSION TESTING: If this doesn’t work, I’m gonna kill myself.

EGRESSION TESTING: Uh-oh, a bug… I’m outta here.

DIGRESSION TESTING: Well, it should work, but let me tell you about my truck…

EXPRESSION TESTING: #@%^&*!!!, a bug!

OBSESSION TESTING: I’ll find this bug if it is the last thing that I
do.

OPPRESSION TESTING: You will test this, now!

POISSION TESTING: Alors! Regardez le poission!

REPRESSION TESTING: It’s not a bug, it’s a feature.

SUCCESSION TESTING: The system is dead. Long live the new system!

SUGGESTION TESTING: Well, it works but wouldn’t it be better if…

PRESIDENTIAL TESTING: Using the definition of testing as defined in the affidavit…

TestTrack 2008.1.1 was released on May 5, 2008!

Check out the release notes. It’s a simple upgrade if you are already a customer (with up-to-date maintenance). If not, don’t worry. You can download a TestTrack Studio 30 day evaluation.

What a strange name for a blog.

Less stress. More quality. Isn’t that an oxymoron?

A lot of people in software development today would say that one of these words doesn’t belong with the others. If you are going to create quality software, isn’t it a given that you’ve signed up (or been volunteered) for a lot of extra hours, headaches, worry, concern, fear, uncertainty, doubt, hassles, arguments, ulcers, and anxiety?

You know, stress.

While I have been known to keep an industrial drum-sized bottle of TUMS on my desk during various projects in my career, over the years I have learned that there are ways to deliver high quality software and still keep your stress level within reasonable bounds.

It’s not always easy, but it is possible. Most of the time.

This blog will focus on what I’ve learned about creating quality software with less stress. You won’t need your antacids if you have the following available for your next project:

• good practices
• great tools
• a little fun

Good Practices
I’m not a fan of the phrase “best practices.” Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem learning from the successes and mistakes of those who have gone before me. Good software engineers, testers, and managers have sacrificed evenings with the family, their waistlines, and their next promotion to bring us hard fought knowledge of good ways to solve the software development problems that plague us.

I just don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all solution.

What works best for two programmers in a garage won’t necessarily be the best solution for the team at NASA working on a Martian explorer or a Hubble Telescope. Show me good ways others have solved similar problems and I’ll pick the best solution for my current situation.

On these blog pages, I intend to share what I’ve learned about creating quality software. In return, I hope you will share what you’ve learned on your own projects with me.

Great Tools

What can I say? There’s a reason I wanted to be the product manager for the best family of issue and defect tracking and test case management tools on the market. I love my products! I was a user and fan of TestTrack long before I joined Seapine.

Stop by these pages for tips on how to use TestTrack Pro, TestTrack TCM, and TestTrack Studio to implement your good practices.

A Little Fun
Some days we all need to be reminded to breathe deep and smile. (The light at the end of the tunnel isn’t always an oncoming train.)

Stressed-out, unhappy people make bad decisions. Bad decisions make bad software.

Good practices implemented with great tools make quality software. And nothing reduces the stress in your software development life like producing quality software.

I hope you can visit each week. I’ll be doing my best to fill these pages with good practices, great tools, and a little fun that you can use on your projects.