Oana Panainte (Pasnicu)

I'm observing a team writing code as an ensemble without TDD. I am selfishly delighted in the confirmation of how valuable TDD is to me as I use it. The team is implementing a new function that's doing list of list manipulation and returning something. They are all over the place with naming things, creating objects, streaming, mapping, flattening maps, return object, variables, naming...so many squirrels. Too many squirrels to even really focus on "what's the simplest first thing we could do?" TDD is so much more than writing a test first. It's a framework that helps me focus, prioritize, structure, and order my thoughts. Test Driven Development is an immensely helpful design and focus tool. I should also note, that I am beginning of working with this team and meeting them where they are. #codelife #devlife #TDD #testdrivendevelopment #unittesting #designthinking #problemsolving #structuredthinking #focus #mindset #toomanysquirrels #codingchaos

282

62 Comments

There has been a marked reduction on the number of testing roles out there over the last couple of years, but this isn't because less software is being written. 🟣 Does that mean that Shift-Left is actually working, with development teams testing their software sufficiently before releasing it? We can hope, but I doubt it. 🟣 Does this mean that more issues are being caught through CI/CD? I am sure there is some truth to this; automated testing is more likely to catch obvious regression than manual testing because it is less prone to human error - as long as it is properly maintained. 🟣 I think what it does mean is that organisations now feel more confident in their development processes. And yet bugs still make it through to production... This is where Quality Assurance is just as important as it always was, maybe even more so given the complexity of so much software these days. 🟢 If you have got your development and release processes nailed, then it's time to make the small changes likely to have the biggest impact on the quality of your releases. It is time to focus on your requirements. 🟢 If your processes use documented requirements then implement SMART, INVEST, 7-point checks, 5-Whys etc. 🟢 If you follow agile ways of working then introduce regular reviews of backlog items, only starting development when everyone is agreement on what the task requires. 3-Amigos is a great technique to follow. 🟢 Using a hybrid approach? Then pick the bits from above that work for you, just don't do anything for the sake of it. Everything should add value. I say it a lot, but Software Quality is everyone's responsibility. Get buy-in from BAs, Project Managers, Product Owners and End Users and you might just see those production bug numbers come down even further. The image? Nothing to do with my post. One of the bunches of grapes we have on our grape vine this year. Fingers crossed we'll have a reasonable harvest.

7

2 Comments

It's time for one of my classic "I told you so" moments. This article is talking about why organisations are stepping back from scrum masters https://lnkd.in/eWwx8eQn. Here is something I wrote in 2015 explaining why this is happening https://lnkd.in/e7XffFxB

3

An important read, and a topic near and dear to me.

3

1 Comment

Beyond TDD: Finding the Right Testing Approach: In my blog post, I delve into why Test Driven Development doesn't align with the nature of the projects I undertake and how we can rethink testing for better outcomes. #tdd #testing #BeyondTDD

2

I recently saw an excellent post by @AuthorJMac (attached) and it got me thinking about the similarity between this viewpoint and my own with Automation/Unattended Testing/AI, or indeed any other tools. Testers use tools to surface information for businesses to use in whatever way they see fit, whether that's to take it onboard and invest time/effort/money in improvements, or accept the risks relating to the information. I want tooling to free-up my team's time to do the things they enjoy, or which can be done better by humans; I don't want humans to need do things that would be done more efficiently by a tool.

17

1 Comment

Incremental delivery is at the heart of Scrum. However there are still people out there who are against it. In this blog post PST Mary Iqbal debunks some common objections to incremental delivery. #Scrum #Agile

49

2 Comments

I've written a short blog post about MVP's as I'm a big fan of them (done right). What does an MVP mean to you? I'd love to hear your thoughts!   #mvp #agile   https://lnkd.in/gP2XFfxn

8

1 Comment

“I’ve been saying this for a whole year and no one listens, then the CEO said the same thing last week and everyone is acting like it was the most brilliant thing they ever heard” A QA engineer said that at a company I worked for in the past and it cracked me up because it’s so true of life in general. People are quick to dismiss advice that doesn’t come from a “high authority” or “reputable source”, that's just how we are wired to filter information. But if you hire really smart, proactive people and then reduce their voice to a whisper, your company is going to suck. This is why important that leaders do three things: 1. Listen to your employees and help amplify their voice → If you spot a great idea, give credit and then use your clout to push it to make it happen 2. Make them a higher authority, put them in charge of things, expand their remit → It doesn’t matter if you hire the top talent in the world if you box them in a tiny space or put them under management of someone who is not qualified to understand the output of their work. 3. Ensure you have clear values, mission and vision so it’s easy to spot what the great ideas are. → A great idea in Apple may not be a great idea in Amazon. Two companies, two very different values, that’s why it’s important that everyone in your company understands what the north star is, so they know what the metric for good idea is. 

370

38 Comments

Hard to believe the CQRS pattern is over 21 years old and yet it is still widely misunderstood by developers writing code *today*. This is because its introduction in Eric Evans’ book, Domain Driven Design, was focused on the space *between* a presentation layer and repository layer and how CQRS fits there, and it was not clear *then* that REST (Representational State of Resource) would eventually become *the* standard in presentation layers. Such a close up view on CQRS left many naive developers like myself to design CQRS implementations around REST designs, and not the other way around, leading many to presume CQRS is either just obsolete boilterplate or a slippery slope into RPC over HTTP (in other words, anti-REST.) Let me keep this simple: * If your CQRS objects mirror your REST endpoints, that could be a “design smell” indicating you’re not getting your bang for your buck on CQRS. * If you find yourself setting up REST endpoints *before* creating CQRS objects to serve them, that could be a design smell. * If your CQRS objects know how to present themselves *directly* to the request or, you might have a design smell. If you have concerns about how REST or CQRS is being implemented in your shop, please reach out! Happy to discuss your situation personally or even speak to your local community about tips and tricks to get the most out of both. The consequences for a sub-par REST or CQRS layer are tremendous: from significantly wasted developer energy to tightly-coupled software layers, it all adds up to the same price: incrementally higher dev costs coupled with slower velocity.

22

To say that I’ve had a bad week would be an under statement. I try to lose myself in reading and whilst it’s not the best coping strategy it does yield some interesting results … like this piece which really resonates with me: "Bad leaders execute, good leaders improve, and great leaders compound. Compounding is not about improvisation but a coherent set of actions in response to strategic challenges ahead. [...] A strategy is a designed response to the challenges ahead." We often fall into the trap of viewing strategy as a cure-all, neglecting to validate if the problems we identify are truly the most impactful for the business. We can create meticulously crafted documents brimming with well-intentioned policies and actions, but these efforts often yield minimal organisational recognition or lasting impact due to a lack of prioritisation. https://lnkd.in/ek8Xjfkx

15

Even if you're working in a Scrum team, explore this blog by Helen Meek (aka The Kanban Queen) that digs into the Kanban concept of Explicit Policies and how they can help improve flow and value.

4

Here's a short description of the 10 interrelated principles of Large Scale Scrum. To learn more about LeSS in a fun and interactive online session, please consider joining my online course taking place next week! https://lnkd.in/exg_NR_G

5

1 Comment

I contributed a quick point of view on test data quality. Especially when it comes to data, real life is stranger than fiction 😀 ...although Generative AI based synthetic is getting there. https://lnkd.in/em9MQkwZ #forbes #dataengineering #analytics

9

1 Comment

It's crazy to see the way Dysfunction Mapping is becoming a part of the industry. When I was at a conference this week, someone told me about how they recently interviewed for a Scrum Master position. They were given a problem and asked to use Dysfunction Mapping as a way to hypothesise a plan for change. The company in question she interviewed at was one I hadn't heard of. How cool is that? And yesterday, I got a message from a friend who was at another conference. They attended a talk on the Scientific Method in Agile, and what popped up on screen? Dysfunction Mapping. When I set myself a goal of 'Have an impact on Agile Practice, Globally', I genuinely thought I was being a bit of an idiot. Setting myself a stupid, impossible goal. And stuff like this happens and makes me think, maybe it is possible for one person to make a difference. So if you've got a tool, an idea or an approach you think people could benefit from, be sure to share it. People are crying out for concrete support in how to actually achieve their outcomes. And if I can help you iterate on, or share your ideas, please reach out.

155

33 Comments

This week I'm wrapping up another engagement in what I sometimes call 'corporate mentoring', but what is basically a fancy way of saying: * You bring me in for anywhere between 4 and 16 hours per week * We build useful things together in the testing and automation space, in your context, against your applications * Meanwhile, you'll learn a lot of useful things on how to do automation well * We take small steps to ensure that a) we can easily pivot when things don't work the way we like and b) there is no information overload There is a lot of value in sending people to training and workshops, and the opportunity to get a healthy amount of training is definitely a perk to look out for in an employer. However, what I've seen from my own experience as a trainer is that it's often hard for people who have attended training courses (including mine) to translate what they have learned in the context of the training - a context that is almost always fabricated - to their own, real-life context, which is almost always different and often more complex. The 'corporate mentoring' way of working together does not suffer from this problem, because we work in YOUR context, with your applications and tech stack. And the results are great. It is wonderful to see how quickly people start to build and do things they didn't know how to after only a short amount of time working together. Have you tried working with clients (or coworkers) in this way? I'd love to hear your stories and the results.

13

1 Comment

You: Can someone make this quick enhancement? It’ll unblock an important customer 🙏 Dev: It’ll be in prod later today. Good job we don’t do Scrum, otherwise this would have waited two weeks before even being considered! 😏 Is this true? Does Scrum prevent a team from shipping small changes quickly, mid-Sprint? 🤔 Let’s see. Two assumptions about Scrum are being made here: * The team cannot pull new work into an ongoing Sprint * The team can only deliver work at the end of a Sprint To find out if these points are valid, let’s refresh ourselves on what Scrum and Sprints are: Scrum is an Agile framework that provides a team with a cadence for planning. A Sprint encompasses a complete planning and delivery cycle. During a Sprint, meaningful product changes (or “Increments”) are created. At the end of a Sprint, the team and its stakeholders review progress and adjust plans as needed. Sprint lengths are short (usually two weeks) to give many opportunities for review (setting a short feedback loop). The team pursues the long-term objectives of a product (called the “Product Goal”) and contributes to that goal every Sprint (via the “Sprint Goal”). A Sprint begins with planning, producing a backlog of work to be completed. This usually doesn’t change much. The Scrum Guide says: > During the Sprint: > No changes are made that would endanger the Sprint Goal; > Quality does not decrease; So, can a team pull new work into an ongoing Sprint? Yes it can, provided the above points are met ✅ What about delivering work before the end of a Sprint? Scrum uses “Increment” to describe what, in simple terms, you might call a code change. This can be a new feature, bug fix, minor enhancement, config change, etc. The Scrum Guide has this to say on Increments: > Multiple Increments may be created within a Sprint. The sum of the Increments is presented at the Sprint Review thus supporting empiricism. However, an Increment may be delivered to stakeholders prior to the end of the Sprint. The Sprint Review should never be considered a gate to releasing value. So, yes, a team can deliver work before the end of a Sprint ✅ Why did the Developer think Scrum would drag out the completion of this enhancement? It may have been due to bad experiences with teams that did not practice Scrum according to the Guide or the principles of Agile. Sometimes, teams don’t entertain requests to add to the Sprint once it has started. Bureaucracy and company politics can cause this attitude to slip in, but it doesn’t come from Scrum. Also, poor adoption of Agile technical practices can make teams wary of releasing many changes during a Sprint. For example, teams will avoid releasing often if deployments are slow and manual, or if a one-shot QA verification is needed at the end of the Sprint. Good Agile technical practices are needed to practice Scrum well. Help your teams adopt them, and you won’t run into misinterpretations of Scrum like the one shared here 💡

52

7 Comments

The 4 I's of Tech Career Progression: From Interest to Inspiration Much of my role as Senior Director of Engineering involves coaching colleagues at various stages of their careers. One simple model that I find myself sharing time and time again is “The 4 I's of Tech Career Progression.” I created this model to help people navigate the next stage in their tech careers. Each stage builds upon the previous one: 1. Interest: At the junior level, it’s all about showing interest. 🌱 Demonstrate your curiosity and enthusiasm by constantly learning and seeking feedback. Think of yourself as a sponge—no, not the one in your kitchen sink—the one soaking up knowledge! 2. Impact: As you move to mid-level, the focus shifts to impact. 💪 Apply your skills to deliver tangible results and drive value for your team. It's your time to shine like the postal worker who always delivers! 3. Influence: At the senior level, influence becomes key. 👥 Use your experience to mentor others and shape the team's direction. Think of yourself as the team's GPS, guiding them when they’re lost and rerouting when necessary. 4. Inspiration: In leadership positions, your role is to inspire. ✨ Motivate your team to strive for excellence and foster a culture of continuous improvement. Basically, be the Yoda of your tech team—wise, motivating, and occasionally speaking in riddles. By understanding this simple model, tech professionals can strategically advance their careers and understand where they need to invest their efforts at each stage. Let me know if the model is useful or complete nonsense :) #TechCareer #Leadership #CareerProgression

53

5 Comments