Author Archives: Liz

WiPFlash, or How To Do Microsoft UI Automation

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Liz

I’ve kicked off another open-source project, WiPFlash. This is a little automation framework with a number of goals: To let me learn how to do .NET UI Automation To fix a couple of things that White doesn’t do yet To … Continue reading →

Posted in csharp, open source | 3 Comments

Who are your Users?

Posted on February 7, 2010 by Liz

I’ve wanted to write this post for a while, and reading “Metaphors we live by” has given me some language and ideas to express it in. So here goes. Requirements come from above In a straw-man Waterfall project, requirements are … Continue reading →

Posted in feedback, stakeholders | 3 Comments

Calling UK residents

Posted on February 2, 2010 by Liz

Rob Bowley has set up a petition to ask the government to review the way in which IT projects are done. I don’t know about you, but I’m fed up of hearing tales of Government IT failure. I even heard … Continue reading →

Posted in life | 2 Comments

They’re not User Stories

Posted on February 2, 2010 by Liz

Reading Simon Baker’s post on metrics made me smile. I rant about similar misuse of metrics quite a lot. A common reason that I see targets and metrics fail is because they’re aimed at a perceived circle of responsibility – … Continue reading →

Posted in bdd, stories | 28 Comments

Lean Software and Systems Conference, Atlanta

Posted on January 7, 2010 by Liz

I’ve been invited to speak at the Lean Software and Systems Conference in Atlanta, April 21st to 23rd 2010. BDD, often described as “TDD done well”, is strongly aligned with Lean principles. It’s a pull-based approach to delivering software that … Continue reading →

Posted in bdd, conference, kanban, lean | Leave a comment

The Evil Hat

Posted on January 6, 2010 by Liz

You’ve got a problem. You want to measure, and improve, something about your project or people. You’ve got a good idea about how to do this. Perhaps the metric you want to use is already widely measured. Perhaps it’s been … Continue reading →

Posted in breaking models, evil hat | 7 Comments

Kanban thinking: hungry vs. peckish

Posted on December 18, 2009 by Liz

I just read Michael Dubakov’s excellent post on Kanban psychology, and the shift in thinking from the habits we’re taught to a more rational behaviour. This post made me remember what it was like, being a developer who’s discouraged from … Continue reading →

Posted in kanban, lean | Leave a comment

A Community of Thinkers

Posted on December 7, 2009 by Liz

I am a member of a community of thinkers. I believe that communities exist as homes for professionals to learn, teach, and reflect on their work. I challenge each community in the software industry to: reflect and honor the practitioners … Continue reading →

Posted in values | 13 Comments

This blog is now under Creative Commons

Posted on November 30, 2009 by Liz

I hereby release these blog posts under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0. If you want to do anything different to this, please ask.

Posted in life | Leave a comment

Estimation anti-patterns

Posted on November 30, 2009 by Liz

Dan North’s talk on “the Fallacy of Effectiveness” prompts me to put down the many estimation anti-patterns I’ve encountered. It also reminds me of his blog post on the Perils of Estimation. Here they are, in alphabetical order, because none … Continue reading →

Posted in humour | 17 Comments