Practical guides for building better software and leading effective development teams. Content based on 20+ years as a developer, business analyst, and helping teams improve delivery.
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Better Software Requirements
Comprehensive handbook covering requirements from gathering through implementation. Six focused sections with practical frameworks and real examples for both agile and traditional teams.
Better Software Field Guide
Quick answers to 30+ common questions about software requirements, agile practices, team performance, and development challenges. FAQ format for fast reference.
Team Performance
Offshore Software Development Guide
Offshore development succeeds or fails for predictable reasons. A practical guide covering what works, what doesn’t, and when to walk away.
Why Your Development Team is Struggling
Something feels off with your development team. Demos disappoint, releases slip, and developers seem frustrated. Here’s how to diagnose what’s wrong and fix it.
Requirements Deep Dives
How to Write Software Requirements for Agile Teams
Agile teams need requirements—just different ones. Learn the right level of detail, when to be prescriptive, and how to adapt to your team’s context.
Software Requirements for Legacy System Replacement
How to document requirements when replacing legacy finance systems with offshore development teams. Covers discovery challenges, what to document, and common pitfalls.
What Is Technical Debt — And How to Manage It
The cost of shortcuts taken to ship faster. How technical debt accumulates, what it’s costing you, and practical strategies for managing it deliberately. Poor requirements are one of the biggest sources of debt.
Functional vs Non-Functional Requirements
What separates functional from non-functional requirements, where teams get it wrong, and how to handle the grey areas. Real examples across ecommerce, banking, and healthcare.
Non-Functional Requirements: Examples, Mistakes, and Templates
What non-functional requirements are, why teams ignore them, and how to write ones that hold up. Covers performance, security, accessibility, scalability, and reliability with real examples and templates.
User Stories vs Use Cases: What’s the Difference?
User stories capture what users want and why. Use cases document step-by-step how the system works. Both have value—here’s when to use each format based on your team’s context.
Business Analysis
When to Hire a Business Analyst
When developers can’t get what they need, whether through geography, complexity, or scale, someone needs to bridge that gap. How to decide if that’s a BA.
When to Hire a Contract Business Analyst vs Full-Time
Should you hire a contract or permanent BA? Compare costs, timelines, specialised expertise, and knowledge retention. Decision framework based on 20+ years of experience on both sides.
How to Work with Business Analysts
Practical guidance for creating the conditions where business analysis delivers value. Covers context, autonomy, communication, and partnership models.
Business Analysis Software: Why Tools Don’t Replace Skills
Organisations spend thousands on business analysis software before hiring competent analysts. Why tools can’t replace skills, and what to invest in instead.