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Faster, Better, Higher – But How?

One of the main challenges when designing software architecture is the consideration of quality attributes. Not only their design turns out to be difficult, but also the specification of these attributes. Consequently, many problems in software systems are directly related to the specification and design of quality attributes such as modifiability or performance, to name just a few.

Michael Stal
on Feb 20, 2012
Interview and Book Review: Specification by Example

Gojko Adzic has written the book Specification by Example, explaining the set of techniques for describing the functional and behavioural aspects of a computer system in a way that they are useful to the development team (expressed ideally as executable tests), understandable by non-technical stakeholders and maintainable to remain relevant despite changing customer demands.

Shane Hastie
on Oct 24, 2011
Active Architecture for Agile Projects

Active Architecture is a type of documentation that helps to bridge the gap between User Stories in Agile Projects and large design deliverables on Traditional projects. It leverages the power and simplicity of User Stories. Unlike traditional design documentation that defines the structure or passive state of the design, Active Architecture defines the actions or active state of the design.

Terry Bunio
on Sep 19, 2011
Interview and Book Excerpt: CMMI for Development

The CMMI for Development (CMMI-DEV) framework, developed at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), can be used to improve product quality and project and organizational performance. InfoQ spoke with Mike Konrad, co-author of the book published on CMMI-Dev framework.

Srini Penchikala
on Jun 21, 2011
Integrating Agile into a Waterfall World

Joseph Flahiff maintains that agile values principles and practices can be integrated into in a waterfall environment to improve project predictability and ultimate success. He offers three keys that the project manager must use to successfully unlock the power of agile to improve project delivery.

Joseph Flahiff
on Jun 06, 2011
The Curse of the Change Control Mechanism

Unprecedented levels of change caused by the pace of innovation are stretching traditional contract models to the breaking point. As more organizations adopt Agile and Lean for the development of innovative/complex products and services, new contract models are needed that accommodate change. The Evolutionary Contract Model, based on Agile / Lean principles, offers promise as a possible solution.

Gabrielle Benefield Susan Atkinson
on May 11, 2011
The Many Levels of Planning on an Agile Project

One of the fundamental Agile values is “we value responding to change over following a plan” which has sometimes been misintrepreted to mean we don’t need to plan on an Agile project. Nothing could be further from the truth - in reality agile organisations and projects plan at many different levels. Shane Hastie discusses the different types and approaches to planning and how the work together.

Shane Hastie
on Feb 22, 2011
Agile Contracts

The traditional Waterfall model fits nicely with the way companies buy things: requirements are drawn up, a supplier quotes a price, and everyone signs a legally binding agreement. Contracts written this way seldom offer the freedom to work using an Agile approach. This article examines four separate models available to suppliers and customers for establishing contracts for Agile work.

Allan Kelly
on Feb 08, 2011
Working with the Product Backlog

Roman Pichler discusses the product backlog along with techniques for effectively grooming it. Complicated applications of the product backlog are covered as well as how to handle nonfunctional requirements and how to scale a product backlog for large projects. This is a chapter excerpt from Roman's book: Agile Product Management with Scrum.

Roman Pichler
on Aug 04, 2010
Agile Team Meets a Fixed Price Contract

Fixed price contracts are evil - this is what can often be heard from agilists. On the other hand those contracts are reality which many agile teams have to face. But what if we try to tame it instead of fighting against it? How can a company execute this kind of contract using agile practices to achieve better results with lower risk? This article will try to answer those questions.

Marcin Niebudek
on Jun 30, 2010
5 Configuration Management Best Practices

There has been a lot of conversation going on around the configuration of applications, and how to manage it. This article explores things people can do from within their code to make their lives, and the lives of anyone else who has to administer or maintain their application, easier. These patterns have been used a number of times on ThoughtWorks projects, and they have proven their worth.

Chris Read
on Jun 03, 2010
Architecture & Design

Are You a Software Architect?

The line between development and architecture is tricky. Some say it's fake, that architecture is an extension of the design process undertaken by developers; others say it's a chasm that can only be crossed by lofty developers who believe you must abstract your abstractions and not worry about implementation details. There's a balance in the middle, but how do you move from one to the other?

Simon Brown
on Feb 09, 2010

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