One of the puzzles of intellectual life is how to criticize something you admire without sounding like you don't admire it. Benjamin Mitchell has given an insightful talk about social dynamics in … [Read more...] about Benjamin Mitchell and the Trap of False Hypocrisy
Seven Kinds of Testers
Most of my work is teaching, coaching, and evaluating testers. But as a humanist, I want to apply the Diversity Heuristic: our differences can make us a stronger team. That means I can't pick one … [Read more...] about Seven Kinds of Testers
Testing and Checking Refined
This post is co-authored with Michael Bolton. We have spent hours arguing about nearly every sentence. We also thank Iain McCowatt for his rapid review and comments. Testing and tool use are two … [Read more...] about Testing and Checking Refined
Programmer Pairing with a Tester
My sister, Erica, is not a programmer. Normally she's not a tester, either. But recently she paired with me, playing a tester role, and spotted bugs while I wrote in Perl. In the process, it became … [Read more...] about Programmer Pairing with a Tester
Rapid Software Testing at Barclays
I'm excited to be working with Barclays on an unprecedented project: creating a professional testing culture based on the Context-Driven principles and my Rapid Software Testing (RST) methodology. The … [Read more...] about Rapid Software Testing at Barclays
Thoughts Toward The Ethics of Testing
I am thinking and talking a lot about ethics, lately. Maybe that's because Context-Driven testing is getting better traction, now. More testers are approaching me, asking for guidance. More testers … [Read more...] about Thoughts Toward The Ethics of Testing
Bharani Asks About Daily Practice
Bharani from India is a novice tester who appears to have a lot of energy. She recently emailed me this: Sir, I need one small tips. As a, new tester how should they improve to became sharp and … [Read more...] about Bharani Asks About Daily Practice
Mechanical or Magical? Noah Says “Neither.”
As I was having dinner with Noah Höjeberg tonight, he said an interesting thing. "Some people think testing is mechanical, and that's bad enough. But a lot of people seem to think the alternative to … [Read more...] about Mechanical or Magical? Noah Says “Neither.”
How I Invented Sympathetic Testing
I did not invent sympathetic testing. Anyone who says I claim to have invented it will have only read the title of this post, but nothing further. Now you know. I may have been the first in my circle … [Read more...] about How I Invented Sympathetic Testing
What We Read
I staggered out of the Cambridge Press bookstore a bit dazed, today, having gorged on 21 books. [Addendum: I mean by this that I browsed them, purchased them, and had them shipped home.] If you want … [Read more...] about What We Read