Stories by Matthew Heusser

How TechSmith Rocks Its Internal Developer Conference

Your employees can learn a lot from each other. This exclusive inside look at an internal developer conference at screen-capture software maker TechSmith shows how the right mix of informational presentations, hands-on sessions, frank discussions and a bit of fun can take employees out of their comfort zones and motivate them to achieve greater success.

Written by Matthew Heusser19 Dec. 13 17:57

'No Estimates' in Action: 5 Ways to Rethink Software Projects

The idea behind the #NoEstimates approach to software development isn't to eliminate estimates but, rather, to explore other ways to solve problems without specifically asking, 'How long will it take?' Here are five real-world examples of teams that are doing just that.

Written by Matthew Heusser05 Nov. 13 19:32

Why You May Need an 'Agile Coach' (Whatever One Is)

Ask an 'agile coach' what he or she does and the answer could range from write code to run meetings. It's not what you'd necessarily expect an agile coach to be doing, but that doesn't mean the role is unnecessary.

Written by Matthew Heusser15 Oct. 13 17:14

How to Move Beyond Project Estimates and Provide Better Value

If software development teams can take the time they spend estimating how long a project will take and start to execute that project instead, they can go that much faster. But what does a world without estimates look like -- and what might it mean for the business?

Written by Matthew Heusser10 Sept. 13 15:09

Has Agile Software Development Gone Mainstream?

Today's software development industry views object-oriented programming as 'just another tool.' Is agile development headed the same way?

Written by Matthew Heusser12 Aug. 13 18:40

What Every Programmer Should Know About Design

What does a lead designer for a Madison Avenue technology firm think every programmer should know about design? Sneak preview: Interfaces actually matter less than you might think. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Written by Matthew Heusser15 July 13 15:20

How to Do Financial Trading IT Right: Behind the Scenes at Liquidnet

With massive amounts of data, low latency, hundreds of connection points and no margin for error, financial trading is grown-up IT. Liquidnet does it in more than 40 markets with a staff of just 300. Here's how the company makes it work.

Written by Matthew Heusser02 July 13 16:58

Lessons Learned at Invite-Only Performance Testing Conference

Starting with data and using it to get to the heart of the matter isn't the way IT conference sessions go. Then again, the invitation-only Workshop on Performance and Reliability isn't your typical IT conference. The real value is what happens when it's 'open season' on the presenter and the real 'sense making' can begin.

Written by Matthew Heusser12 June 13 13:59

How to Change Software Testing for New Cloud Configurations

If DevOps means infrastructure as code,' then that code very well could have bugs. DevOps also means you may not see those bugs in a test environment because, well, there is no test environment. Here's what you can do to manage this risk.

Written by Matthew Heusser07 May 13 12:50

How to Deal With Software Development Schedule Pressure

The work is due next month, but you know it won't be done for three months. Now what? A group of programmers and consultants met at a recent software development conference to swap war stories and discuss management and firefighting challenges.

Written by Matthew Heusser09 April 13 14:20

How to Adjust to the Changing Face of Software Testing

Beyond testing scripts and automating everything, a new approach to software testing is gaining traction in larger organizations. Proponents including Barclays, the world's fourth largest bank. Should your team listen?

Written by Matthew Heusser14 March 13 13:36

Who Says Agile Development Can't Be Faster?

The agile software development community claims that changing the way you work doesn't make things faster. Then why do it at all? Compare agile to traditional development methodologies and you'll see that agile can, in fact, be faster.

Written by Matthew Heusser04 March 13 17:02

Can New Software Testing Frameworks Bring Us to Provably Correct Software?

We can get CPUs that are consistent and reliable, and we can get compilers that work on top of them that are provably correct. Pascal creator Nicholas Wirth described how to write a correct compiler in his book, Compiler Construction, back in 1996. It should be a simple step from there to create "functionally correct" programs that can, for any input, produce the correct output.

Written by Matthew Heusser13 Feb. 13 15:37

3 Ways to Be More Agile With Software Shipping Decisions

The agile development community gave up on the idea of 'approving' specifications and designs about 10 years ago. The next thing to go may just be the when-to-ship decision. As software release schedules are increasingly compressed, here are three ways to rethink the ship/no ship decision.

Written by Matthew Heusser07 Feb. 13 14:11
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