I’ve always been interested in the different ways that testers think and how those modes of thinking directly apply to the work testers do. What it comes down to for me is how people learn. This ultimately impacts how they … Continue reading
One of the worst things that can ever happen to a quality function or test team is a credibility gap. When perceptions of quality take a hit — whether internal or external — you are on a bad path. Here … Continue reading
For those of you who work in agile environments, maybe nothing I say here will be new. Even for those who don’t work in agile environments, you may have found yourself thinking along these lines but not necessarily sure of … Continue reading
There is notion in quality assurance and testing between verification and validation. Verification asks “Are we building the product right?” Validation asks “Are we building the right product?” Some people use this very distinction to draw a line between the … Continue reading
In talking about test teams as inventors, I mentioned that Albert Szent-Gyorgyi said “Discovery consists of looking at the same thing as everyone else does and thinking something different.” I wanted to go back to that thought because it’s not … Continue reading
In a previous post I talked about inventors as people who see and think differently. I also brought the idea of inventors having to institute cultural change in some cases. What I didn’t do is how an inventor utilizes their … Continue reading
In various posts I’ve tried to show how I believe testers can invent solutions to problems they are encountering. These solutions do not always have to be tool-based in nature. Sometimes you are presenting a new way of thinking about … Continue reading
I find myself in a philosophical mood today and it’s based on some experiences with testers that simply don’t ask questions. As testers we have to ask questions. Lots of questions. We also have to recognize when we are getting … Continue reading
Some testers — and most managers — like to talk about metrics. One thing that often doesn’t get discussed is what I call metric dissociation. Here’s my thought: metrics should be easily or directly interpretable in terms of product or … Continue reading
I’ve heard a lot of people in the software industry say that “testing is more art than science.” My opinion is that people who say this most likely know little about art and probably know even less about science.