Build Stuff'16 Lithuania

Delivering code is no longer the bottleneck. Delivering the right code to solve the right problem is. This poses some problems since our processes are tailored around an obsolete (and maybe wrong from the beginning) idea of software development. What happens when you shift the perspective?

I believe that agile methods of development and operation can lead to
more securely designed and operated systems than is possible via non
agile methods. But doing so requires work and thought.

Agile methodologies however have generally been said to be
incompatible with traditional security governance and risk management
structures.
Something needs to change and in this talk, I'll show you how we can
change the way we approach security to enable rapid development,
changing requirements and yet produce a system that is more secure.

Learn how to take products to market faster, cheaper and more effectively using lean requirements gathering techniques. We'll review the tools and techniques used in lean requirements, and discuss how to leverage lean startup practices inside large organizations to increase innovation, decrease costs and improve speed to market. We'll also explore examples of how companies around the world are using this approach to disrupt global markets and pioneer innovation.

Two-and-a-half decades ago, Richard Gabriel proposed the idea of “Worse Is Better” to explain why some things that are designed to be pure and perfect are eclipsed by solutions that are seemingly compromised and imperfect.

This is not simply the observation that things should be better but are not, or that flawed and ill-considered solutions are superior to those created with intention, but that many solutions that are narrow and incomplete work out better than the solutions conceived of as being comprehensive and all encompassing. Whether it is programming languages, operating systems, development processes or development practices, we find many examples of this in software development, some more provocative and surprising than others.

In this talk we revisit the original premise and definition, and look at how this approach to development can still teach us something surprising and new about code, architecture, process and product design.

Do strong personalities dominate your development team? Are code reviews painful? Are you blindly following  orders from a backlog, or are you learning from observation? Visual Thinking Strategies, or VTS, is a cross­disciplinary technique applicable to anyone working in a  collaborative setting where observation is key. VTS develops critical thinking skills by viewing and discussing  works of art in a group. It is backed by over 30 years of field research showing its effectiveness and  accessibility. By allowing individuals to talk about art ­ without needing a background in the field ­ VTS  advances skills you can use to create more relevant products and stronger teams: Observing, Brainstorming,  Speculating, Reasoning with Evidence, Cultivating a Point of View, and Revision & Elaboration. During this interactive exercise, we’ll discuss selected works of art as a group. There are no right answers or  group consensus being sought. We’re creating an environment and process for looking, thinking, reasoning  and revision skills that are mission­critical to anyone working in a software design or development role. After  our group discussion, I’ll introduce the basics of image selection and facilitating VTS sessions within your  organization. In addition to the above, I’ll cover how VTS can help you and your team with the following:  Comfort with Ambiguity, Openness to the Unfamiliar, Civil Debate, and Willingness to Participate in Group  Thinking.

Pyramids? Quadrants? Cupcakes?! There are a number models that describe approaches to test automation strategy and their possible outcomes.

In this talk, we’ll look at classical models of testing patterns and antipatterns - technical, cultural, productive and anti-productive. Adding layers of professional experience, real world example, and case study, I’ll add detail and nuance to these models.

With a new lens, focused on tests as value amplifiers, I'll share a new approach to evolving a testing strategy appropriate for your product. Attendees will learn effective measurement technique, putting code coverage fixation to rest.