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Methods & Tools - October 2020
Sharing global software development expertise since 1993

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*** Updates ***

Last Articles Published on Methods & Tools Website

Scrum with Kanban: How to Improve Your Sprints Scrum and Kanban are not rivals. If your Scrum Sprints are getting bogged down or missing the mark, combining Scrum with Kanban might be the Agile answer. This article provides a comprehensive explanation of how Kanban can improve your Scrum process with Kanban Task Boards, Team Boards, and a better focus on customer needs. Read more...

*** From The Archives ***

Articles from Methods & Tools' Archives

#NoEstimates - Alternative to Estimate-Driven Software Development Our software development industry is estimate-driven. That can be seen in many levels. But are there really any alternatives? Is estimating necessary in software development? This article answers these questions by explaining what is #NoEstimates and by exploring some of the alternatives that we have to estimates. Read more...

=== Sponsor ===

Agile + DevOps Virtual, November 9-12 2020, Streaming Live 10AM-6PM ET

Learn to accelerate your software delivery with the power of agile and DevOps this fall! There will be over 75 talks to choose from, all streaming in a premium virtual atmosphere. Dive into Scrum, CI/CD, lean and agile metrics, leadership challenges in agile teams and more. Choose the free pass or upgrade for the full experience.

*** Quote of the Month ***

Microservices has maintained a well deserving notoriety from time to time. They have solved the problems that we all thought are insoluble. The Netflix story of adapting microservices has been an inspiration for many. And the list just doesn't stop at Netflix. Uber, SoundCloud, and the giant Amazon itself is some of the examples you will find in real time. And don't think the success stories are limited to the consumer applications only. I have had my first-hand experience with a US healthcare giant and have been fascinated by the design possibilities, every single time I open up the source code.

I wouldn't condemn your credulity if you have jumped the wagon half a decade ago. The time was different, and all we can do now is to be honest about it. But it's 2020. We burnt our hands enough and we have too many roughhouses around us. By infusing microservices architecture gratuitously, you're just going to turn your bad code into a bad infrastructure

I love an enthusiastic programmer. I once was and still am one. They worship what they do and goes beyond the expectations to solve one's problem. But you cannot have the same energy in a decision making, that can cost you and the organization a fortune. I'm sorry to disappoint you. Microservices shouldn't be your default application architecture. They're not the silver bullet you were looking for. Keep yourself steady with KISS and YAGNI.

As a technology advocate and enthusiast, you're entitled to have your favorites. What makes you prominent, however, is the ability to choose pragmatically, when the options are between “the right choice” and “your favorite choice.”

Source: HSTOP!! You don't need Microservices, Ebin John, https://medium.com/swlh/stop-you-dont-need-microservices-dc732d70b3e0

=== White Papers ===

Hourglass Bug Predictor : How many bugs are left in the code? Where are they? These are the questions that software developers and project managers ask themselves when they are getting close to release applications. In this article, Faisal Qureshi explains how you can perform risk analysis and gauge the quality of software products in development using Hourglass Bug Predictor.

*** Software Development Linkopedia ***

Text: Notes to Myself on Software Engineering

Text: Measuring Success, Measuring Value

Text: New Recipe for Success

Text: How To Communicate Your Testing Status

Text: Why should you dream big about your software architecture?

Text: You have to choose between Software Delivered on Time and Good Software

Text: The 4 questions you should stop asking during your one-on-one meetings

Text: 5 Benefits of API Testing for Your Business Application

Video: Distributed Scrum Teams in Uncertain Times

Video: Building Quality in Legacy Software Systems

Video: High Cost Testing and High Value Testing

Video: Vertical Slice Software Architecture

Video: Modern Enterprise Java Applications

Video: Cynicism Doesn't Build Products

Video: Modern Web Testing: Going Beyond Selenium

Tools: QuAck is an open-source test management service. It allows storing test cases and test suites and execute them. This web-based service is much different from other test management tools available on the market. The main feature is that you don’t have to stick to a specific test tree anymore. You can rebuild the tree of test cases on the fly – it will be based on test cases attributes. The service is built with integration patterns in mind. Pluggable architecture allows implementing custom authentication providers, integrations with tracking and test executing systems.

Tools: CK calculates class-level and metric-level code metrics in Java projects by means of static analysis (i.e. no need for compiled code). Currently, it contains a large set of metrics,

Tools: Using Commercial Scrum Tools for Free. If the development of open source Scrum tools was in vogue some years ago, a lot of these projects have now been abandoned. Some are still active, but this is because their development is sponsored by a commercial hosted option. There is however an alternative to manage your Agile software development projects if you have a low budget… and a small team. Some providers of commercial Scrum tools provide a free version of their software, often with some limitations.

*** Promoted Software Development Conferences ***

Agile + DevOps Virtual, November 9-12 2020, Streaming Live 10AM-6PM ET

UIArchConf, November 19-20 2020, New Orleans, USA

Contact us if you want your software development conference promoted here.
Find more upcoming conferences on SoftDevConferences.com, ScrumExpert.com, SoftwareTestingMagazine.com

=== Web Sponsors ===

This month, the Methods & Tools website is supported by Vornexinc.com, Testmatick.com, Software Testing Magazine and Scrum Expert. We thank them for their support.