This poor girl from Ghana inherited many kilograms of gold and can't get at it because she can't pay the back due rent on the gold storage unit. She has reached out to me, a total stranger, for help. … [Read more...] about A Consulting Session With an Unfortunate Victim
Testing Culture
Willful Ignorance on Parade
Michael Bolton is accused of hand-waving in this thread on LinkedIn. (See the comment by Peter). Michael and I talk a lot about cognition and exploration. We speak in tropes that come from philosophy … [Read more...] about Willful Ignorance on Parade
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
Get Thee to the Konditori
I didn't see you at the coffee shop, today. Where were you, tester who told me that you need "certification" because, unlike me, you don't have a public reputation? Where were you, tester who fears … [Read more...] about Get Thee to the Konditori
The CAST Testing Competition
I sponsored the testing competition at CAST, last week, awarding $1,426.00 of my own money to the winners. My game, my rules, of course, but I tried to be fair and give out the prizes to deserving … [Read more...] about The CAST Testing Competition
Who says ET is good for Medical Devices? The FDA!
In a new guidance document discussing the clinical testing of medical devices, the FDA includes a long section about the value of exploratory testing: The Importance of Exploratory Studies in Pivotal … [Read more...] about Who says ET is good for Medical Devices? The FDA!
Bach Brothers Legion of Testing Merit
My brother and I are instituting a new award at the CAST conference on Monday: The Bach Brothers Legion of Testing Merit. We will give this award periodically in recognition of certain testers who, … [Read more...] about Bach Brothers Legion of Testing Merit
The Euthyphro Dilemma in New Zealand
I recently had the opportunity to converse about tester certification with Carol Cornelius, who's on the board of the New Zealand version of the ISTQB. The discussion went well in one respect: she did … [Read more...] about The Euthyphro Dilemma in New Zealand
Immaturity of Maturity Models
Maturities models (TMMi, CMM, CMMi, etc.) are a dumb idea. They are evidence of immaturity in our craft. Insecure managers sometimes cling to them as they might a treasured baby blanket. In so doing, … [Read more...] about Immaturity of Maturity Models
What Testers Find
While testing at eBay, recently, it occurred to me that we need a deeper account of what testers find. It's not just bugs. Here's my experimental list: Testers find bugs. In other words, we look for … [Read more...] about What Testers Find