Software Development encompasses the techniques and methodologies employed to engineer high-quality software solutions that meet user needs and business objectives. It is a systematic approach that integrates various practices, including Agile, Lean, and DevOps, to enhance collaboration, efficiency, and adaptability within teams. This concept is crucial as it enables organisations to deliver value predictably and sustainably, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and responsiveness to change.
By focusing on iterative development, teams can quickly adapt to feedback and evolving requirements, ensuring that the software remains relevant and effective. The emphasis on automation, testing, and integration within Software Development practices reduces the risk of defects and accelerates delivery cycles, allowing for frequent releases that enhance customer satisfaction. Moreover, it promotes a holistic view of the software lifecycle, encouraging cross-functional collaboration and knowledge sharing among team members.
This long-term, systemic approach not only improves the quality of the software produced but also cultivates an environment where innovation thrives, enabling organisations to remain competitive in a rapidly changing market. The integration of evidence-based management principles further supports informed decision-making, ensuring that teams can navigate complexity and uncertainty effectively. By prioritising these practices, organisations can achieve a sustainable competitive advantage through enhanced software development capabilities that align with their strategic goals and customer expectations.
The strongest work on Software Development — ranked by substance, not recency. How this is ranked
Why Most Companies Operating Models Fail in Dynamic Markets
A concise comparison of Predictive and Adaptive Operating Models, explaining why traditional structures fail in dynamic markets and how …
Telling People What to Do Is Not Leadership. It’s a Failure of System Design
Explores why real leadership means designing systems that enable team autonomy, flow, and accountability, rather than relying on …
AI Agents Lie About Being Done
My agent reported every task complete when half the tests were missing. Call that a lie if you like. The engineering problem is that the …
Don’t Manage Dependencies, Remove Them
Explains why dependencies are a sign of poor system design and outlines steps to eliminate them by aligning teams, clarifying ownership, and …
The Estimation Trap: How Tracking Accuracy Undermines Trust, Flow, and Value in Software Delivery
Tracking estimation accuracy in software delivery leads to mistrust, fear, and distorted behaviours. Focus on customer value, flow, and …
Is Agile Really Just a Mindset?
Explores Agile as a disciplined system of delivery, emphasizing engineering excellence, CI/CD, observability, and system design over mindset …
Stop Building Silos. Start Building Systems
Explains how fragmented automation and tool silos harm software delivery, and advocates for unified engineering systems and platform …
How to Build for Business Resilience and Continuity
Learn key strategies for building business resilience and continuity, including observability, system decoupling, routine deployments, team …
Detecting agile theatre with real delivery signals
Why Most Companies Operating Models Fail in Dynamic Markets
A concise comparison of Predictive and Adaptive Operating Models, explaining why traditional structures fail in dynamic markets and how …
Telling People What to Do Is Not Leadership. It’s a Failure of System Design
Explores why real leadership means designing systems that enable team autonomy, flow, and accountability, rather than relying on …
AI Agents Lie About Being Done
My agent reported every task complete when half the tests were missing. Call that a lie if you like. The engineering problem is that the …
Don’t Manage Dependencies, Remove Them
Explains why dependencies are a sign of poor system design and outlines steps to eliminate them by aligning teams, clarifying ownership, and …
The Estimation Trap: How Tracking Accuracy Undermines Trust, Flow, and Value in Software Delivery
Tracking estimation accuracy in software delivery leads to mistrust, fear, and distorted behaviours. Focus on customer value, flow, and …
Flow of Value vs Flow of Work – Misnomer or Useful Shorthand?
Compares “flow of value” and “flow of work” in Kanban, explaining why only validated outcomes count as value and stressing the need for …
Estimating Better in an Overloaded System Is a Poor Man’s Strategy
High work in progress (WIP) causes delays and unpredictability; improving estimates won’t help. Limiting WIP and focusing on flow is key to …
Are We Still Pretending Coding Was the Bottleneck?
AI exposes that coding was never the main bottleneck in software delivery; real constraints are in system flow, team practices, and …
Should You Use One Project to Rule Them All in Azure DevOps?
Explores when to use a single Azure DevOps project versus multiple projects, detailing impacts on flow, visibility, governance, and team …
From Legacy Pain to Modern DevOps: My Proven Roadmap for Real Engineering Transformation
Transform legacy engineering with a proven, step-by-step approach, learn how to automate, adapt, and build a resilient, modern DevOps …
Engineering Excellence Isn’t Perfection: How Continuous Improvement and Fast Feedback Drive Real Agile and DevOps Success
Engineering excellence isn’t perfection, it’s continuous improvement, clean code, and fast feedback. Unlock true agility with modern Agile …
Stop Testing Quality In: How Shifting Left Builds Better Software, Faster
Stop testing quality in, start building it in. Learn how shifting left, automation, and fast feedback loops drive engineering excellence in …
Why Outsourcing DevOps Fails, and How Real Engineering Excellence Starts With Your Team
Avoid DevOps vendor lock-in, discover how true engineering excellence starts with partnership, not outsourcing. Ready to transform your …
Why Big Bang Rewrites Fail: How Sustainable Change and Engineering Excellence Transform Legacy Systems
Ditch the Big Bang rewrite. Discover why sustainable, in-place change drives true engineering excellence and lasting transformation in your …
Why Azure DevOps Wins for Governance, Security, and Scale, Right Out of the Box
Unlock seamless governance, security, and scale with Azure DevOps, integrated tooling that lets you deliver value, not just manage …
Stop Guessing: How to Make Work Visible and Drive Real Improvement with Azure DevOps Flow Metrics
Stop guessing, start making data-driven decisions in Azure DevOps. Discover tools, tips, and insights to make your work visible and your …
Still Deploying Manually? Why Automation Is the Bare Minimum for Modern Engineering (and Your Business Survival)
Still deploying manually? Discover why automation isn’t optional, protect your business, avoid disaster, and deliver value with modern …
Unlocking Engineering Excellence: How Azure DevOps Transforms Traceability, Transparency, and the Developer Experience
Unlock engineering excellence with Azure DevOps, boost traceability, transparency, and developer experience for agile, high-performing …
Building a Resilient Token Server: Engineering for Flow, Fault Tolerance, and Speed
Explains how to engineer a robust, fault-tolerant token counting server using FastAPI and PowerShell, covering error handling, retries, …
Convert Legacy Projects and ASP.NET MVC Apps to SDK-Style with Confidence
Learn how to upgrade legacy .NET and ASP.NET MVC projects to SDK-style for easier builds, modern tooling, and future readiness, including …
Kanban Guide
Comprehensive reference outlining Kanban principles, practices, and metrics for optimising workflow, value delivery, and continuous …
Detecting Agile BS
Guidance for identifying genuine agile software development in DoD projects, including key principles, warning signs, essential tools, and …
Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams
Explains how Scrum Teams can use Kanban practices to optimise workflow, track flow metrics, and enhance transparency, efficiency, and …
Nexus Guide
Explains the Nexus framework for scaling Scrum with multiple teams, detailing roles, events, and artefacts to coordinate product delivery …
Manifesto for Agile Software Development
Outlines core Agile values and principles for software development, emphasising collaboration, adaptability, working software, customer …
The Evidence-Based Management Guide 2020: Improving Value Delivery under Conditions of Uncertainty
Evidence-Based Management (EBM) guides organisations to improve value delivery under uncertainty by using empirical goals, measurement, and …
The Scrum Guide (February 2010)
A clear summary of Scrum’s framework, roles, events, artefacts, and values, explaining how teams use Scrum to deliver value and adapt to …
739 resources, newest first
Should the Scrum Master always remove impediments?
Explains when a Scrum Master should remove impediments, focusing on team self-sufficiency, true impediments, and supporting team growth …
How do you make a good Forecast?
Explains how to create reliable forecasts in agile projects by using flow metrics like cycle time and throughput, and shifting from …
Are technical skills required to be a Scrum Master?
Technical skills are not required to be a Scrum Master, but understanding technical, business, and organisational contexts helps Scrum …
No Estimates and is it advisable for a Scrum Team to adopt it?
Explores whether Scrum Teams should adopt No Estimates, comparing estimation methods, team maturity, and metrics like cycle time, …
How do you incorporate a Design Sprint in Scrum?
Explains how to integrate Design Sprint activities within Scrum by embedding design and UX work into regular sprints and backlog refinement, …
DOD has made it illegal to do waterfall
The US Department of Defence now requires agile, iterative software development, ending mandatory waterfall methods and influencing global …
Introducing Kanban for Professional Scrum Teams
Learn how Kanban practices can be integrated into Professional Scrum teams to improve workflow, transparency, and delivery using the new …
Work can flow across the Sprint boundary
Explains how Scrum teams can strategically allow unfinished work to flow across Sprint boundaries, enhancing throughput, responsiveness, and …
Professional Scrum is for everyone in your organisation
Explains how involving everyone in Professional Scrum training fosters organisational agility, breaks down silos, and empowers teams to …
Create your own path to Organisational Agility
Learn how to achieve organisational agility by tailoring change to your unique context, building a guiding coalition, and engaging all …
Professional Scrum Training for the Ghana Police Service
Professional Scrum training introduced Ghana Police officers to Agile methods, using hands-on sprints to support organisational change and …
Embracing Process Improvement: How Understanding Scrum Transformed a Developer's Mindset
Explores how learning Scrum and process improvement can shift developer mindsets, boost collaboration, and enhance software delivery in …
Transforming Scrum Training: How Real-World Insights Empower Agile Teams at Great Calm
Explores how practical, real-world Scrum training at Great Calm improved team collaboration, alignment, and continuous improvement across …
Choosing a Process Template for your Team Project
Guidance on selecting the best process template for team projects in TFS or VSTS, highlighting why the Scrum template reduces friction for …
Scaling Professional Scrum with Visual Studio Team Services
Explains how to scale Professional Scrum across multiple teams using Visual Studio Team Services, covering automation, Nexus integration, …
Open-source with VSTS or TFS and Github for better DevOps
Learn how to automate code synchronisation between VSTS/TFS and GitHub, enabling seamless DevOps workflows for open-source projects with …
Migrating from Codeplex to Github
Step-by-step guide to migrating a Codeplex repository to GitHub, covering tool limitations, using Git-TF for code and history, and …
Branch Policies for TFVC
Explains how to apply and manage branch policies in TFVC using regular expressions, enabling code reviews, branch locks, and work item …
Professional Scrum Courses for 2016 in Oslo, Norway
Details 2016 Professional Scrum Master and Developer courses in Oslo and Kongsberg, covering advanced Scrum, coaching, DevOps, and Agile …
Access denied for orchestration plan on Build
Explains how to resolve TFS build errors caused by missing write permissions for the Project Collection Build Service on orchestration …
The High of Release
Overview of Microsoft’s new web-based Release Management tools for building flexible, integrated DevOps pipelines in VSTS and TFS, …
Big Scrum: All you need and not enough
Explores how to scale Scrum effectively by applying agile values, fostering professional teams, and adapting processes to fit unique …
Big Scrum: Are you doing mechanical Scrum
Explores the difference between mechanical and Professional Scrum, highlighting the importance of values, principles, and technical …
Install TFS 2015 today
Step-by-step guide to installing and configuring TFS 2015, including system requirements, installation options, and setup of SQL Server and …
Upgrading to TFS 2015 in production - DONE
Step-by-step guide to upgrading a production TFS server to TFS 2015, including backup strategies, configuration tips, and handling common …
Unable to load task handler PowerShell for task VSBuild
Explains how to resolve the "Unable to load task handler PowerShell for task VSBuild" error in TFS vNext builds, covering PowerShell …
Using the Build vNext capabilities and demands system
Explains how to use Build vNext's capabilities and demands system in VSO/TFS 2015 to match build agents with required tools and …
Create a Build vNext build definition
Step-by-step guide to creating a Build vNext build definition in Visual Studio Online, covering task setup, options, triggers, variables, …
My journey into Professional Scrum
Reflects on experiences with Professional Scrum, highlighting its impact on software development, team culture, training, and the challenges …
The benefits of Visual Studio Online for the Enterprise
Explains how Visual Studio Online streamlines enterprise software development with cloud-based tools, continuous updates, scalability, …
Could not load file or assembly while configuring Build vNext Agent
Explains how to resolve a "Could not load file or assembly" error when configuring Build vNext Agent on Windows Server 2012 R2 with Visual …
Configure a Build vNext Agent
Learn how to set up a Build vNext Agent for Visual Studio Online or TFS 2015, including prerequisites, VM setup, agent configuration, and …
Creating nested teams in Visual Studio ALM
Learn how to set up and manage nested team structures in Visual Studio ALM and TFS using Area Paths or Team Fields for flexible project …
Why should I use Visual Studio ALM
Explains the benefits of Visual Studio ALM over alternatives like Git and Jenkins, detailing its comprehensive features for managing the …
NDC London 2014: Why TFS no longer sucks and VSO is awesome
Overview of improvements in Team Foundation Server (TFS) and Visual Studio Online (VSO), including updated features, cloud integration, and …
Create a Release Management pipeline for Professional Developers
Step-by-step guide to building an automated Release Management pipeline for professional developers, covering build, deployment, environment …
Create a Standard Environment for Release Management in Azure
Step-by-step guide to setting up a standard Azure environment for Release Management, including VMs, storage, networking, and Application …
Configuring a DC in Azure for AAD integrated Release Management
Step-by-step guide to setting up a Domain Controller in Azure for Active Directory integration, including VM creation, configuration, and …
Could not find mappings for all states defined in 'Test Suit' work item type
Explains how to resolve TFS 2013.3 errors caused by case-sensitive state names in custom Test Suite work items, affecting older clients and …
TFS Build reports Licencies.licx: unable to load type
Explains how mismatched component versions in licences.licx files can cause build errors on TFS servers, and offers solutions for consistent …
Upcomming Scrum at Scale Workshop from Scrum.org
Learn how to scale Scrum across your organisation, drive cultural change, and measure agile maturity with evidence-based practices in this …
Uncommitted changes messing up your sync in Git with Visual Studio
Explains how uncommitted changes in Git can prevent syncing with the server in Visual Studio, and highlights key workflow differences from …
NDC London: Second Look, Team Foundation Server & VSO
Overview of a session at NDC London demonstrating new features in Team Foundation Server and Visual Studio Online, with end-to-end ALM demos …
Bug in the Visual Studio Git integration that results in a merge conflict
Explains a Visual Studio Git bug causing merge conflicts during pulls with local commits, its workaround, and best practices for managing …
Install of TFS 2013.3 with SharePoint 2013 on Windows Server 2012 R2 Update 1
Step-by-step guide to installing TFS 2013.3 with SharePoint 2013 on Windows Server 2012 R2, covering prerequisites, configuration, …
Migrating source from Perforce to Git on VSO
Step-by-step guide to migrating source code from Perforce to Git on VSO, covering repository setup, dependency management, build processes, …
Avoid the Bug as Task anti-pattern in Azure DevOps
Explains why treating bugs as tasks in Azure DevOps is an anti-pattern, its impact on transparency, quality, and planning, and offers …
Merge Team Projects into one in TFS
Step-by-step guide to merging multiple TFS Team Projects into one, covering TFS Integration Tools setup, configuration, work item and source …
Maven release perform tries to do a Get to a workspace sub folder in TFS
Explains issues with Maven release perform in TFS workspaces, causes of build failures, and solutions for workspace mapping, concurrency, …
Avoid the pick-n-mix branching anti-pattern
Explains the risks of the pick-n-mix branching anti-pattern in source control, its impact on code quality, and recommends feature branching …