Agile Quality Management – Is There Such a Thing?
/
0 Comments
Agile quality management ensures customer satisfaction. But how do you implement agile principles in quality management? Ursula Meseberg shows how to use objectiF RPM for FMEA.
Project Management Software: A Comparison
It is difficult to compare project management software because there is a wide range to choose from. How can you still find the right solution?
Quality Has a Price. It Also Has a Model: Twin Peaks
Which component contains a product defect? The Twin Peaks model ensures traceability of requirements and architecture. Read how you can use the model with objectiF RM in today's blog.
Getting to the Point Quicker – With the objectiF RPM Voice Assistant
Learn about use cases for the application of artificial intelligence in microTOOL's solutions. Today: the digital voice assistant in objectiF RPM.
microTOOL and Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Objectives and Overview
How can Artificial Intelligence (AI) enrich requirements engineering solutions and how does microTOOL implement these functions technically? Read part 1 of our new blog series.
Raising the Curtains for 2022!
2022 brings new opportunities and challenges. microTOOL is looking forward to offering you real added value with software for more business agility.
Remote Management – How Can it Work?
Remote collaboration is the new normal today. How can you manage teams remotely? This blog post offers practical advice.
Introducing Software? It’s Best Done Lean
Agile methods and lean management are not only suitable for product development. Have you ever introduced software iteratively?
Video Conferencing Etiquette – for good cooperation
What rules should you apply in video conferences? Which mistakes can be easily avoided? Read our blog on video conferencing etiquette to find out.
Effective teams with a unified vision
Effective teams are an important factor in developing products. A unified vision is absolutely necessary for team work to succeed. How do you develop it?
Prioritizing Requirements – Techniques for Stakeholder Workshops
How do you prioritize requirements with stakeholders? Best in joint workshops. Get to know the Rock, Pebble & Sand method with objectiF RPM today.
IREB: 6 Steps To Good Requirements
Requirements Engineering is a key discipline in systems development. Find out the 6 key steps to developing good requirements in your projects.
Becoming a Certified SAFe® Program Consultant – Online
Axel Höner reports on his acquisition of the title: Certified SAFe® 5 Program Consultant (SPC) and describes an all-round positive online seminar format.
Three Ways Personas Help To Improve Your Projects
What do you do if you develop products and your customers don't want to be involved in your team? You can use personas. Personas will help you in 3 ways.
objectiF RPM and SAFe® – a good fit
As a new Scaled Agile Platform Partner, we present objectiF RPM for SAFe® and show you how to achieve Business Agility with it.
Agile: fast, flexible and …. stressed out?
Agility and resilience = agilience, a mindset comprising multi-layered abilities to deal with crisis and change for people, teams and companies.
The Scaleable Agile Framework – Part 1
Agile program management means working agilely with several teams to realize a vision. But what's the best way to coordinate sprints and backlogs?
Challenges and Opportunities: Security in Agile Software Development
Information security is not a big topic in agile software development. In this article, Dagmar Stefanie Moser explains why it's still important.
Idea Management in the Digital Age
Everything begins with an idea. And knowledge is power. Especially today in the so-called knowledge-based economy, ideas are everything.
Agile Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
FMEA is an analysis for the early identification and resolution of errors and risks. How can it be done agilely? André Kapust gives some tips.
Verification ain’t Validation
What's the difference between verification and validation? How do you ensure quality using the V-Model or an agile approach?
Kanban – More Than a Board
Using a board for visualizing workflows and setting task limits (WiP limits) to maintain throughput are just two ways to optimize the production process in Kanban.
R for Requirements, P for Project Management
objectiF RM is for requirements engineering. objectiF RPM = objectiF RM plus project management and controlling. A comparison of both products.
We’re preparing for a digital organizational structure
How does digitalization work? What considerations and organizational structures do you need? Kim Duggen from oose gives us her ideas on the subject.
Scaling Scrum with LeSS in objectiF RPM
Large Scale Scrum (LeSS) scales agile project management according to Scrum, opening the method for multiple teams in an organisation.
SysML v2 – The Next Generation
Version 2 of Systems Modeling Language (SysML) will be released soon. Co-author of specifications, Tim Weilkiens, discusses the most important changes.
DevOps for faster Software Development and Deployment
DevOps is the cooperation between development and operations teams, which aims at achieving faster time to market. Roland Wanner explains it here.
Story Mapping versus Business Process Modeling
Is user story mapping nothing more than good old business process analysis? Yes and no, says Dr. Andrea Herrmann and explains the differences.
Agile Requirements Engineering
David Theil compares classic and agile Requirements Engineering and concludes that agile methods deliver better results.
Identify risks successfully with brainstorming
Risk management is an ongoing process. Roland Wanner explains how to identify risks even better in your team with brainstorming.
Microservices – the latest architectural approach
Microservices are top dog in the field of architecture. Eberhard Wolff introduces this modular concept to us and points out hierarchy, advantages and disadvantages.
Taking An Agile Approach With Use Case Slices
For many companies use cases are the method of choice for stakeholder communication. Find out how they help us understand how a system supports users.
Efficient assignment of requirements engineers
How can you assign Requirements Engineers efficiently? René Busch gives advice on how to allocate resources and save money in this blog post.
Role Model Canvas – Clarify Responsibilities
How do you define roles in your projects? Who is responisble for what and communicates how with whom? Use Christian Botta's Role Model Canvas to clarify that.
Connecting two worlds: The interface between requirements engineering and Jira
Requirements Engineering nach IREB umfasst ein breites Spektrum an Aufgaben, die Sie mit objectiF RM bewältigen. Um die Anforderungen weiterzugeben, können Sie die Jira-Schnittstelle einsetzen.
One Board for all States
Kanban boards and Scrum boards are popular aids for controlling progress on user stories and tasks within agile project management.
Self-organized teams? So what will the agile project manager do?
The manifesto for agile software development calls for self-organized teams. Dominic Lindner has done a study on leading agile teams and and points out results.
From requirements engineer to digital business analyst
Business analysts are becoming more and more important through the course of digitization, because they serve as a connection between strategy and technology. Which skills does a digital business analyst need?
How IT analysis undersells itself and why that’s bad for everyone
IT analysts do a lot more than just creating, documenting and managing requirements. They design solutions. Josef Falk explains why this is good for software projects.
Blockchain: Digital transformation on the rise
Blockchain is a decentral chain of blocks that are transparent and tamper-proof. IT consultant Dennis Streichert explains it here.
Can user stories be good requirements?
User stories describe the stakeholders' goals and wishes in agile development. Can the IREB quality criteria for requirements be fulfilled with user stories?
Cooking up a requirements engineer – the right talent makes all the difference
Job ads often list unusable RE or BA requirements. How do you find candidates with the right talents, nevertheless? René Busch gives some tips.
Digitization between excitement and frustration
How do you deal with uncertainty from technology? Can VUCA be fought with rationality? No, says Astrid Kuhlmey, and instead she recommends self-awareness.
Gantt charts are boooring
The Gantt chart is an established tool for planning projects. This blog post shows you how you can get the most of it.
Don’t worry, bunny, simply stop irrational fears
Are you a coward? Do you sometimes feel like a panicking bunny? Ralf Schmitt explains how to overcome fears and profit by it in your career.
Business storytelling
How can you gain attention in the age of digitization? With good stories, says Stefan Marc Wagner. And he explains how to write them.
Visualize clearly – practical tips that work
Communication trainer Susanne Lorenz reveals how she uses a flipchart to clearly illustrate her presentations. Get inspired.
Santa Lucia! Dealing with uncertainty in projects
Santa Lucia or San Jose - which city will build its road? Not even good planning can avoid uncertainty in projects. Joachim Reinke explains why.
What does it mean to establish baselines?
Establishing baselines is an important task for requirements engineering. Why is that, and how do you establish baselines?
Patterns in agile project planning
A pattern is a proven and repeatable solution concept for a concrete problem. How do patterns work in agile project planning?
The key to establishing better requirements
Requirements are often established as documents. Stephanie Selmer describes how to integrate users, get them enthusiastic and turn them into requirement heroes.
Why requirements engineers should also work in specialist departments
Problems often arise because the specialist departments' knowledge roams over to the IT departments. What does this look like and what does it mean for requirements engineers?
Welcome to the Twin Peaks Model
How do you develop requirements and archteciture without delaying the project or letting the costs get too high? The Twin Peaks Model explains this.
Control progress with the cumulative flow diagram
The cumulative flow diagram visualizes the "flow" of tasks. Project risks can be identified through its compact presentation. How does it work?
Successful projects with the Project Health Check
Take different perspectives on complex projects and ensure the project's success by using the Project Health Check.
Business analysis in classical, hybrid and agile project contexts
Rainer Wendt describes the new structures for agile principles of agile business anaysis with the concept of planning horizons.
Core concepts of business analysis or: all about turtles
What do business analysis and turtles have to do with each other? Learn more about the BACCM mode, the core concepts and their relationships to each other.
Let’s do a test
Agile development promises value for stakeholders in a short amount of time. But doesn't that inevitably come at the expense of the quality?
Strategic changes with business DNA
The meta-tool of business DNA allows businesses to better include workers in structural and strategic changes. How can you save time and energy by doing this?
Optimal project teams with beavers, bears and eagles
You can best achieve your project success with an optimal project team. Get to know a simple method to get the most out of your project team.
New Work
Work changes. What is the most sensible and constructive way to handle upcoming rejuvenation of work? And what are the dimensions of new work?
How to Introduce New Software Successfully
If companies are opting for new software based on individual criteria and careful research, why is it so hard to introduce new software successfully?
The ideal requirements workshop
Requirements workshops are a great technique for developing requirements. Where does this resonate in the execution, preparation and follow-up of a workshop?
Once upon a time there was a project plan
A project always has something to do with uncertainty. How do you approach uncertainty and which skills can you learn for dealing with it?
The best observation techniques in requirements engineering
Observation techniques like field observation, apprenticing and contextual inquiry are good development techniques in requirements engineering. What are some tips?
The perfect review of features
For feature reviews, both review meetings and mechanical reviews are available. What is recommended when and how does a mechanical review go?
Limit references to concrete product types
in in-STEP BLUE, relationships between products are created through references. How can references be limited to concrete product types?
Working agile without calling it that
How can a very classical business culture introduce agile instruments and work more successfully? An experiential report.
Agile transformation in four steps
An agile transformaiton is a large challenge for many businesses. A change process with four steps can help.
A Plea for the Agile Coach
How does the role of agile coaches in businesses look today? And what would organizations be missing is they went without agile coaches?
The digital working world and its effect on management
How can employees be managed in a digital working world? What does it come down to on the theme of management in the Working World 4.0?
Taylor was wrong, after all
Many businesses operate with functional teams in sales or IT. In the future, processual structures will offer more advantages to the customers.
Elegantly navigate through form lists
In in-STEP BLUE you can record information in forms and manage it in lists. Learn how to easily flick through forms here.
How does creativity come into IT analysis?
Does requirements engineering have to develop further to be able to design new solutions? And how can creativity be embedded into IT analysis?
Product specification – the seven biggest mistakes
Why do you want to specify products when you could just develop them? Seven reasons to renounce documentation.
Export custom properties into MS Project
You can export information from in-STEP BLUE to MS Project. It also works for custom in-STEP BLUE properties.
Three Success Factors for Handling Uncertainty and Complexity
Agile approaches require an active mind set change. Read three important success factors that are very useful for project managers.
How to Manage Projects Effectively With Workflows
A workflow is a chain of events, conditions & prerequisites. How do you create a workflow for your project and what advantages do you get using workflows?
Changing project manager – who, how, what?
Changing the project leader is no easy task. Which criteria should you pay attention to when doing so to save the project?
Securing state changes with a password
In in-STEP BLUE you can secure state changes with a password request. This helps avoid mistakes and to increase security.
Checklists in project management
Pilots use checklists before and during flights. When can checklists be employed in project management and what advantages do they offer?
Show properties in the title bar of a form
Forms can easily be adapted individually in in-STEP BLUE. Read here how to display the properties directly in the title bar.
Where do you get your knowledge from?
Do you want to know something, learn to do something, or master something? An evaluation of knowledge acquisition and the importance of feedback by Dr. Andrea Herrmann.
Precedence diagrams – the right tool for every task
With objectiF RPM you can generate precedence diagrams for your project plans and activities - either as a MS Visio or a PDF document.
Interacting with JIRA
You can exchange information between JIRA and in-STEP BLUE. Read how you can adapt your system for data exchange in just a few minutes.
Software deployment – how to make sure it fails
How can your software deployment fail - you can achieve that with these tips.
Collaboratively developing usability requirements
A charrette session is a good opportunity to collaboratively develop requirements. What's important with charrette sessions?
Practicing Functional Safety
The functional safety is concerned with the analysis of possible dangers and the definition of safety functions. How does that look practically?
The foundations of usability requirements development
What should you pay attention to when developing usability requirements? What role does human performance capacities and perception play?
At your command – make sums in views
With in-STEP BLUE you can calculate the sum of multiple values of a column, like the total effort of individual requirements in the requirements list.
Artifacts in version 4.0
With objectiF RPM version 4.0, you can define your own artifacts and use them in your projects.
PMO or project assistant – an overview of the differences
A PMO and a project assistant both seek efficiency and effictiveness in project management. But what are the differences?
The many enemies of innovation
Innovation is and requires a mindset. Many companies find it hard to adopt this mindset. What can corporations learn from startups?
The “I“ in TEAM
Individual performance in teams is not always measurable. Why is an individual still delivering performance and what has appreciation to do with it?
What is requirements engineering and what content goes into a specification?
Requirements engineers translate users' desires into language that developers can understand. But what kind of content goes into a specification?
The solution evaluation in business analysis
Solution Evaluation is the assessment of existing or new solutions before or after a business goes into operation. Read more about Solution Evaluation.
Project and personal goals
Who should I talk to to find out my figure out my project goals? Or even better: what is the meaning of my project? A post about project and personal goals.
You’ve got Mail
With in-STEP BLUE you can send and receive automated messages. It is also possible to play sounds when receiving messages. Find out how to customize them.
Securing systems with misuse cases
Misuse cases are a good instrument in the area of safety and security to help you elicit quality requirements properly. How do misuse cases work?
Update and distribute templates
You can centrally manage and update document templates in in-STEP BLUE, and then distribute them into your projects with the press of a button.
How to use the ReqIF interface
How do you use ReqIF to import and export requirements? Read these instructions to find out how the ReqIF interface works in in-STEP BLUE.
Determine product history with the web service
Manage a lot of information with in-STEP BLUE. How do you determine product histories of individual artifacts for external tools?
Hey you, yes you, the project manager. Ever thought of a career in sales?
IT project managers have a lot of skills that are highly sought after in sales. Find out why it makes sense for them to begin a career in IT sales.
Unrecognized conflicts of interest – Self-awareness with the 3-world-model
The 3 world model of personalities by Bernd Schmid helps us to recognize conflicts of interest in organisation. Read concrete case studies.
Addressing risks in agile projects
Find out how to develop systematic risk identifcation mechanisms in your projects so that you can manage and minize the risks you face regularly.
Plan work assignments with activities
Step by step to a ticket system in in-STEP BLUE. Today is step 11: plan work assignments with activities.
Evil oratory – how to beat knock-out arguments
Killer questions are everywhere. Tatjana Lackner, experienced coach, explains how to identify them in for your own personal and professional success.
IT Analysis 2016 – Taking Stock
There are many IT anaylsis concepts. Concepts that compliment each other, some that conflict and some that contradict each other. Time to take stock.
Chaos and Confusion or Clarity and Orientation in Projects
Orientation can be obtained by means of goals, process descriptions and situational roles, according to Annette Berger. Find out how they provide clarity.
Multi Excel export for different views
Step by step to a ticket system with in-STEP BLUE. Today is step 10: use multi Excel export for the parellel evaluation of different views.
Non-violent communication in projects
Communication is not always easy. How can non-violent communication in projects help and what are the different aspects of non-violent communication?
Exporting tickets to MS Excel
Step by step to your in-STEP BLUE ticket system. Today Step 9: Export tickets and ticket lists from in-STEP BLUE to MS Excel.
Inspection as the Path to Good Specifications
Errors in specifications are unavoidable. An inspection is used to find those errors. Here are six best pratices help you do so.
From ticket form to work contract
Step by step to an in-STEP BLUE ticket system. Today step eight: create a work contract from a ticket form.
Lean traceability in three steps
Learn how to get the right amount of traceability in your agile projects. Improve your compliance and your overall performance through lean traceability.
Create a work contract for tickets
Step by step to a ticket system: today, step 7: create a work contract for tickets. Multi part series about managing tickets.
Developing Conflict Warning Systems
Learn how to develop early warning systems to improve your conflict management system and save money.
Software Introduction in China – A Conversation with Rudolf Siebenhofer
How does a software introduction at a Chinese company work? A discussion with Rudolf Siebenhofer, IT consultant and IT project management expert.
Display a ticket list in MS Word
Step by step to a ticket system with in-STEP BLUE. Today, step six: how to display a ticket list in MS Word by using a template.
Project Cancellation – How Come and Why?
Projects fail but procect cancellation is rarely seen. Why do companies have a hard time to cancel projects and how could they do better?
Display a ticket in MS Word
Step by step to a ticket system: Today, step five: how to display a ticket in MS Word by using custom templates.
Specify a background picture for the whole system
With in-STEP BLUE you can easily set a background image for your system. Maybe you also want to use your logo?
Just one click to a ticket!
Step by step to a ticket system. Today, step four: determine the storage location for the tickets and create the first one.
Organize storage and create tickets
Step by step to an in-STEP BLUE ticket system. Today, step 3: Determine the storage location of the tickets and create the first ones.
LEGO is not a game!
What is LEGO SERIOUS PLAY? How does it work as a participative problem-solving facilitation method and what is important in workshops?
Create a product type for tickets
Step by step to an in-STEP BLUE ticket system. Today is step two: create a product type for tickets. Steps to manage tickets.
Agile Specifications
How do you get agile specifications done within 2 weeks by following 5 steps and 2 basic rules? Maik Pfingsten explains how it works.
Step by step to a ticket system
With in-STEP BLUE you plan projects. And you also manage requirements, change requests, tests or even tickets. A step by step guide for a ticket system.
An Interview With Clemens Schmidt about Successful Software Introductions
An interview with Clemens Schmidt, IT developer, administrator, coach, project manager and consultant, about effective software introduction.
Be More Creative! Forget Brainstorming!
How to make meetings effective? What are the advantages of brain dumping and why is better than brainstorming or brain writing 3-6-5?
Theory X and Theory Y in Project Work
Team work is the preferred form of work in organizations. But what about theory X and theory Y and Social Loafing as described by Douglas Murray McGregor?
Create products over a period
How to create products with in-STEP BLUE like project state reports or meeting protocols with the click of a button over a certain period.
Project Launch – Why Is It So Difficult?
Especially with IT projects initiated by departments acting under pressure of success we make the mistake of taking the second step before the first one.
Why Projects Need A Business Case
Projects fail because of mistakes by management rather than technical issues, so why are we still applying processes that do not include a business case?
Customize arrangement of tabs in dialogs
With objectiF RM you easily capture requirements with forms. Read how you can customize the arrangement of tabs in these forms.
Documenting relationships in a table
With objectiF RPM you can easily model the relationships between elements and you can also enter them into a table. Read these short instructions.
Moving and copying
In objectiF RPM and objectiF RM you can simply drag and copy elements from the product browser.
The Golden Circle in Requirements Engineering
Why does a company do what it does? Why should customers opt for a solution of a particular manufacturer? The Golden Circle helps to answer these questions.
How to Streamline Your Project Documentation
Looking for a way to reduce project documentation by a third without missing anything? Read our 5 steps to project documentation without dead weight.
Business Analysis versus Project Management
In many companies, there are uncertainties, which tasks business analysis and which tasks project management have to perform. Find a definition here.
When Personas meet Use Case 2.0
What is the difference between Persona scenarios and use cases? And how do personas and Use Case 2.0 fit together?
Business Analysis in a Nutshell
What is Business Analysis and why is it of inestimable value for companies trying to reach their real objective while saving resources and money?
The Ideal Number of Diagrams and Diagram Elements
„How many diagrams are necessary to describe a system?“ Systems developers are familiar with these kinds of questions. But is the number really important?
19 Tips for Successful Projects
Fruitful cooperation of people, the organization and IT are the steady aspects of success. Find 19 very useful tips for successful projects.
How to Boost Acceptance of Your Project Management Software
You have deployed a new project management software and only a few employees use the tool. What you can do to increase the acceptance.
3 Reasons You Won’t Miss Excel In Your Projects
There are many good reasons to use Excel. But there are 3 reasons why I never missed Excel in my own project work. And why you won't miss it, too.
Generating a document template with objectiF RM and MS Word
How do you generate requirements documentation in MS Word? Just use a configurable document template in objectiF RM.
Run requirements analyses with your own medium
Do you want to use your own mediums for your requirements analyses? With objectiF RPM you can easily expand the available mediums with UML and SysML.
Project documentation at the click of a button!
objectiF RM offers a variety of possibilities for goal orientated project documentation at the press of a button! Here is an example.
I have an idea!
Ideas are the driving force of progress. Easily support your workflows and perform effective Ideas Management with in-STEP BLUE.