Strangers contact me on a regular basis, asking questions about testing. I don't mind answering questions. In fact, until the day I get paid for answering questions, it will remain one of my favorite … [Read more...] about How to Ask (and Not Ask) for Free Consulting
Skills
Could the Military Be Waking Up?
Ever since I got into the testing field, almost 20 years ago, it's been a truism that military software development is moribund. It's not that they love process, it's that they love bad process. … [Read more...] about Could the Military Be Waking Up?
Transpective Dialogs for Learning
One of the techniques I use for my own technical education is to ask someone a question or present them with a problem, then think through the same issue while listening to them work it out. As it … [Read more...] about Transpective Dialogs for Learning
Studying Jeff Atwood’s Paint Can
I just found Jeff Atwood's Coding Horror blog. He's an interesting writer and thinker. One of his postings presents a good example of the subtle role of skill even in highly scripted activities. He … [Read more...] about Studying Jeff Atwood’s Paint Can
Against Certification
What follows is a somewhat grumpy argument against tester certification programs. I have mixed feelings about writing this, because I know a lot of otherwise friendly people who are involved in … [Read more...] about Against Certification
Why Talk About Exploratory Testing?
So, there I was at the Dutch Testing Day, last year. I was a featured speaker, talking about exploratory testing. ET is one of my favorite subjects. It is helpful and powerful, and yet by some strange … [Read more...] about Why Talk About Exploratory Testing?
Amateur Penetration Testing
It's traveling season for me. London, Amsterdam, New Zealand, Australia, and so forth. That means I'm killing time in a lot of airports and hotel lobbies. And THAT means I'm testing software on kiosks … [Read more...] about Amateur Penetration Testing
Career Advice
I was recently asked "What are the best career advancement steps for someone who is a junior to intermediate QA professional?" Answer: If you want your career to move into programming, study … [Read more...] about Career Advice
Technical Explorations Decomposed
I've been thinking about the general nature of technical explorations. Let me take a hack at describing them. A technical exploration is a self-directed, cyclic process of problem identification and … [Read more...] about Technical Explorations Decomposed