Author Archives: Liz

That’s the skyline from our Holborn office this morning – the London Eye, the south bank of the Thames, and Big Ben and the houses of parliament on the right. My little phone can’t capture the full magnificence of watching … Continue reading →

For anyone who’s following the whole kafuffle over Microsoft and their recent misdescription of TDD, you may be glad to know that it’s been removed, and will hopefully be rewritten following feedback from the Agile and TDD community. I remember … Continue reading →

Yesterday, during some excellent conversations with the XtC, I found myself thinking about the “one assertion per test” rule which Dave Astels proposed, and which many people advocate for Test-Driven Design. I think it’s important that each method in a … Continue reading →

One of my friends asked me for some advice about how he could change his life. “I’ve come to the conclusion,” he remarked, “that I will never be happy unless I’m making a living as a musician.” “Well,” I said, … Continue reading →

There was an owl lived in an oak. The more he heard, the less he spoke. The less he spoke, the more he heard. Why aren’t men like that wise old bird? – Punch magazine, 1776 Sometimes it’s very hard … Continue reading →

Have you ever had a new, slightly fragile idea be damned by someone playing Devil’s advocate? There are ten other personas to oppose him. Next time you hear someone take on the role of a hell-bent lawyer, try one of … Continue reading →

John on the XP group pointed us to this post by Jeff Bigler on Tact Filters. I found it quite an entertaining insight.

Alan Francis writes about the importance of tests’ ability to tell us when we’ve finished a task. (Thanks, Jason, for the link.) He reminds us that TDD is about testing, but it’s not just about testing. For me, the difference … Continue reading →

If an Agile Evangelist falls in the forest and there’s no one to hear him, does he still go on, and on, and on about it? (Not thinking of anyone in particular, unless it’s me.)

Another conversation on the XP Group. Why do some people manage to have successful projects without using Agile methodologies, while others who are using XP still fail? XP is a toolbox. Think about a mini project in which you need … Continue reading →