In this article we’ll look at the importance of error tracking solutions, their role in software quality, and how to use them effectively.
Soft Skills
Avoiding Quality Minefields
One of the hallmarks that distinguishes a senior developer from a junior developer is the art of planning. I’m not talking resource allocation or scheduling (though those are important). I’m talking about getting a task, sitting down at the keyboard, and explicitly not coding.
Software Quality Defense in Depth
In this article we’ll discuss what Roman military tactics and modern security practices have to do with protecting users from software defects.
The Myth of Code Coverage
In this article I’ll discuss what Code Coverage is and its usefulness and limitations. I’ll advocate for a risk-aware approach to software quality and give a few practical examples in C# and F#.
Cyclomatic Complexity is the Mind Killer
Cyclomatic complexity and its cousin Cognitive Complexity are subjects every developer and tester should understand because bad code lets bugs multiply.
Functional Debt: The Price of “Yes”
Functional Debt is the direct result of previous business decisions that causes a degraded ability to address current or future business goals.
The Worst Bug I Ever Caused
Causing a production bug is a right of passage for new developers. Let me tell you about the worst bug I’ve ever caused – and what you can do to not make my mistakes. As you might expect, it deals with threading.
Strategies for Paying Off Technical Debt
Technical debt: We all have it and every developer worth their salt wants to pay it down, but how do we actually manage this process? Implementing a Crop Rotation In my article on communicating technical debt I compared paying down technical debt to the importance of crop rotations in farming. If […]
Communicating Tech Debt
Many developers feel that product management and executive leadership don’t “get it” when we talk about technical debt. At the same time, if you ask developers about factors vital to the long-term success of a project, paying down technical debt is high on the list. So, how can we communicate […]
Insights from 1 Month of Technical Writing Every Day
5 weeks ago I set out to write at least an article on software development every day. What follows are the ups, downs, and lessons learned from that process. Why on Earth would I do this? So, first of all, why would I do this? Well, a month ago I applied […]
