Many software companies, these days, are organized around a number of small Agile teams. These teams may be working on different projects or parts of the same project. I have often toured such … [Read more...] about Test Jumpers: One Vision of Agile Testing
Management
RST Methodology: “Responsible Tester”
[author's note: in an earlier version of this blog post, I called supporting testers "helpers." Supporting testers are certainly helpers, but I now call them supporting testers to emphasize that they … [Read more...] about RST Methodology: “Responsible Tester”
Justifying Real Acceptance Testing
This post is not about the sort of testing people talk about when nearing a release and deciding whether it's done. I have another word for that. I call it "testing," or sometimes final testing or … [Read more...] about Justifying Real Acceptance Testing
Tyranny of the Innocents, Exhibit A: Gary Cohen
Gary Cohen, Deputy Administrator and Director, Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is not a computer guy. He's a lawyer. He knows the … [Read more...] about Tyranny of the Innocents, Exhibit A: Gary Cohen
Healthcare.gov and the Tyranny of the Innocents
The failure of Healthcare.gov is probably not because of sinister people. It's probably because of the innocents who run the project. These well-intentioned people are truly as naive as little … [Read more...] about Healthcare.gov and the Tyranny of the Innocents
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
A Tester’s Commitments
This is the latest version of the commitments I make when I work with a programmer. Dear Programmer, My job is to help you look good. My job is to support you as you create quality; to ease … [Read more...] about A Tester’s Commitments
Technique: Paired Exploratory Survey
I named a technique the other day. It's another one of those things I've been doing for a while, but only now has come crisply into focus as a distinct heuristic of testing: the Paired Exploratory … [Read more...] about Technique: Paired Exploratory Survey
Introducing Thread-Based Test Management
Most of the testing world is managed around artifacts: test cases, test documents, bug reports. If you look at any "test management" tool, you'll see that the artifact-based approach permeates it. … [Read more...] about Introducing Thread-Based Test Management
Michelle Smith: True Test Leadership
I'm delighted to read Michelle Smith's play-by-play description of how she is coaching new testers. Take a look. Let me catalog the coolnesses: 1. "The team I work with was previously exposed to … [Read more...] about Michelle Smith: True Test Leadership