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  • Scrum Is Not the Point

    Scrum Is Not the Point

    The emphasis in product development should not be simply on correctly following the Scrum process, but rather on delivering a finished, working software; this is the true purpose of Scrum. Scrum provides a framework with established roles, events, and artifacts which all relate to creating a working product. Therefore, using Scrum effectively will improve the…

  • How to Add Performance Counters to your .NET Core Application

    How to Add Performance Counters to your .NET Core Application

    The post discusses ways to monitor the performance of .NET Core applications for DevOps observability and for performance tuning. We start by explaining how to implement performance metrics in .NET Core applications using System.Diagnostics.Metrics. We wrap up by showing you how to use a tool called dotnet-counters to view the live performance data.

  • How Do You Add New Test Suites in Azure DevOps Test Plans?

    How Do You Add New Test Suites in Azure DevOps Test Plans?

    In Azure DevOps Test Plans (aka. Azure DevOps’s QA testing tools), Test Suites help you to keep your tests organized. But if you’re looking at your tests, it’s 0% obvious how to add a new Test Suite. Heck! You can’t even tell by looking that Test Suites even exist in the tool. So how do…

  • The Test & Feedback Extension for Azure DevOps: Supercharged QA Testing

    The Test & Feedback Extension for Azure DevOps: Supercharged QA Testing

    The post introduces the Test & Feedback extension for Azure DevOps Test Plans, highlighting its underutilization in quality assurance (QA) testing processes. The browser add-on helps streamline QA work by supporting task creation, detailed bug reporting, and exploratory testing. The extension is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems and available for Chrome, Edge,…

  • QA Testing with Azure DevOps: What are Test Cases, Test Plans, and Test Suites?

    QA Testing with Azure DevOps: What are Test Cases, Test Plans, and Test Suites?

    Azure DevOps facilitates Quality Assurance (QA) testing with its Test Plans hub, allowing testers to organize their work with Test Cases, Test Plans, and Test Suites. Test Plans act as containers for testing efforts, while Test Suites, which can be Requirement-based, Query-based, or Static, organize Test Cases. This helps in maintaining an orderly approach to…

  • What Does “Done” Really Mean in Your Team?

    What Does “Done” Really Mean in Your Team?

    Having a clear, written definition of “done” is crucial for successful team projects, especially in software development. The term “done” often causes confusion, as it can simply mean that a task is completed or that it’s ready to ship. To avoid misunderstandings, having a universal, well-detailed interpretation – a definition of what “done” entails, including…

  • What Does a Scrum Master Do Anyway?

    What Does a Scrum Master Do Anyway?

    Scrum mastering involves leading a team without providing direct commands, comparable to the role of a sweeper in the sport of curling. Rather than using a “command & control” approach, a Scrum Master fosters a spirit of self-organization within the team, guiding them subtly towards a goal and encouraging creativity and productivity. This method of…

  • Fix WordPress Image Upload Error

    Fix WordPress Image Upload Error

    Uploading images to Wordpress was failing intermittently. The error message pointed to the wrong solution. The actual fix was to add a client_max_body_size value to nginx.conf.

  • Azure DevOps YAML: Slides / Code from VSLive Redmond 2023

    Azure DevOps YAML: Slides / Code from VSLive Redmond 2023

    I’m doing a talk today at VSLive Redmond 2023 on automated builds and releases in Azure DevOps using YAML-based pipelines. Here are my slides and code samples.

  • “Real World Scrum with Azure DevOps”: Slides from VSLive Redmond 2023

    “Real World Scrum with Azure DevOps”: Slides from VSLive Redmond 2023

    Looking to get going at doing Scrum with Azure DevOps? Here the slides from my talk at VSLive Redmond 2023.