This is a worked-out example and discussion of how to do one kind of exploratory testing: reconnaissance and fast evaluation of a product that you've never seen before (we no call this "survey … [Read more...] about Testing Without a Map
Articles: These are PDFs of white papers and other published work.
Inside the Mind of an Exploratory Tester
I no longer like to speak of "exploratory testers" because I think all testing worth doing is exploratory. My word for exploratory testing is simply "tester." Or perhaps "skilled tester." There are … [Read more...] about Inside the Mind of an Exploratory Tester
Troubleshooting Risk-Based Testing
This article came out of my experiences consulting around risk-based testing. … [Read more...] about Troubleshooting Risk-Based Testing
Value Without Numbers
When competent managers think about the value of work, they are not limited to thinking about metrics. In fact, numbers are a pretty bad way to about software and software projects. I recommend that … [Read more...] about Value Without Numbers
Explaining Testing To THEM
If you are a testing specialist, now more than ever, you must be able to explain testing to other people. … [Read more...] about Explaining Testing To THEM
Session-Based Test Management
This is the seminal article on Session-Based Test Management, written by my brother Jon and I based on the process we pioneered at Hewlett-Packard. SBTM is a kind of activity-based test management … [Read more...] about Session-Based Test Management
Investigating Bugs: A Testing Skills Study
Back in the year 2000, a company hired me to help them develop a professional testing culture. As part of that process, I found a team of highly regarded testers and studied their approach to bug … [Read more...] about Investigating Bugs: A Testing Skills Study
What Software Reality is Really About
Bach, J. (1999). What software reality is really about. Computer, 32(12), 148–149. https://doi.org/10.1109/2.809258 My final article for my Software Realities column in IEEE Computer magazine … [Read more...] about What Software Reality is Really About
Heuristic Risk-Based Software Testing
This is my original article on risk-based testing. I've changed some of my terminology, since '99, but this is still useful. … [Read more...] about Heuristic Risk-Based Software Testing
Playing the Expert Game
Bach, J. (1999). Playing the Expert Game. Computer, 32, 99–101. https://doi.org/10.1109/MC.1999.10096 My brother Jon and I developed this article from a conversation about how he … [Read more...] about Playing the Expert Game