100 Questions or 100/10000 Test cases in 20 minutes …

That is what I would have named a blog post that my buddy Rapid software tester (context driven tester too) Pradeep Soundararajan wrote few days ago.

If every question is a test case or represents say 10 test cases, can you create 100-1000 test cases in say 20 minutes… Any James Bach student, context driven and or rapid tester will demonstrate that it is possible ….

Without any KA/KT, training, domain knowledge, no pages of documentation …? Plain vanilla testing at its best. Unbelievable right?

One might say --- that is cheating …!!! you may scream… that is not a test case. Where are steps? Where are the detailed information about application? Can a novice, low skilled tester use this? Can this be used for next five years? Can that be automated? And run in night when people are sleeping and give the results in the morning (in plain pass fail – way)?

The answer is “No”

Please note, while we create lots “frills” or decoration around real test and call it as test case – at its core a test is a question that we ask the program and program responds to it with one more answer. Some of these answers we can observe, assess, report while lot others go un-noticed. And while this happens, the environment or platform also responds to the question.

Questioning is a key attribute of a skilled tester. Questioning is also important aspect of learning. Unfortunately, right from our childhood (remember your father and mother saying “this kid is too much – asks too many questions. You will know when you grow up”!!!), through our education and now in the Job, Questioning is not encouraged.

Why?

• Questioning is considered as disrespect or contempt
• Questioning is indiscipline
• Questioning is disturbing
• Questioning is embarrassing when answer is not available
• Questioning sometime is considered as silly and stupid
• Intelligent people do not respond to silly questions
• Questioning at times make everyone think – that stalls the progress in some cases
• Questioning in a group is considered as bad
• Questioner is a labled as “trouble creater”
• Question = Trouble, more work, Road block
• Oh Gosh, we have not thought about this at all … this is terrible, what do we do now – is not easily coming response for a question

Today’s testers are forced to follow processes, documents, checklists and other “standard” things. If one were to follow the kind of thinking that Pradeep displayed – testing can happen with least information – a lot can happen in small time. I have heard testers who can not start testing (or test design) until they get specification, training and other supporting material. This is a damaging trend for testing profession.

As a famous punch-line of Café Coffee Day (popular chain of coffee joints in India) – “A lot can happen over coffee", goes, can I say “A lot of testing can happen in 20 minutes for any application”.

Just give me the *stuff* to test … I will flood you queries that can potentially lead (if investigated and answered) to an arsenal of information about application under test …

Shrini

Types of Equivalence: Equivalence Class Partitioning - II

Following this post of mine, I have been studying deep into understanding of this technique. Here are few more thoughts related to “equivalence”.

Here is ECP in nutshell - “Group a set of tests or data supplied for an application. Assert that all the tests/data belonging to group will teach you “same thing” (application behavior). Hence it is “sufficient” to use only one value/test from the group”.

Fundamental to ECP is the concept of “Equivalence”. Most of the authors or proponents of this technique give examples of date, integer fields and demonstrate identification of classes and equivalence. For example if you consider a date field in “NextDate” program, using “generally accepted rules” governing the usage of dates in Gregorian calendar – you can identify some classes – All the dates in the month of January can be considered as equivalent (except first and last day of January and first and last month of the century – which are boundaries). These “canned” classes appear to be applicable for every application that has date field in a “next date” function. Another example would be a field of integers (1-100) – most authors have mentioned the example of 2-99 as one equivalence class meaning all numbers in the range 2-99 would be treated “alike”.

I would call such equivalence that can be arrived without knowing anything about application, it logic and programmatic implementation details as “Universal equivalence”. It is easier to explain the concept of ECP using “universal equivalence” – date and integer fields are the most popular examples. But I see a danger here – the way ECP is explained using “universal equivalence” – it leaves out lots of key details such as basis for equivalence.

What are other forms of Equivalence?

Functional Logic equivalence - Consider the “Age (1-150)” field. Application logic might enforce that Age range 1-16 considered as one eq class (Kids) and others like 17-45 (Adults) and 60-99 (Senior Citizen). This kind of equivalence is very straight forward, easy to derive. Often specifications help us to arrive at such equivalence classes. Here is where the classic examples of “valid” and “invalid” EQ classes seems to have been originated.

If one were to go by pure functional logic equivalence, it would be sufficient to model Age parameter having three eq. classes and hence one value taken each from these classes (3 in all) would provide “complete” test coverage from an ECP perspective.
Dr Cem Kaner calls this as “specified equivalence”.

Implementation Equivalence – This is where one deep dives into how data is processed (validated, accepted, rejected), passed around (within application components) and eventually stored or discarded after use. Here we would talk about programming language (data types), software platform (OS and other related programs) and the hardware platform.

Dr Kaner identifies another two sets of equivalence - “Risk based” and “Subjective”. If the equivalence is in the eyes of tester (“these two tests appear to teach me same thing”), this form of equivalence is called “Subjective” equivalence. If a notion of equivalence is established targeting a specific class of risks or errors, it is referred as “risk based” equivalence.

Thus one way to apply ECP effectively is to start with universal equivalence and go on refining the sets EQ classes as we go deep into the application and platform (add, modify, delete the classes and their definitions). Implementation Equivalence seems to be the lowest or the last in the chain overrides the specifications of classes as determined by higher levels of equivalence (universal or functional logic type)

One question to spice up the discussion – Is ECP a black box technique?
Yes if we restrict to “universal and functional logic” equivalence.
No if we deep dive into code of the application and look around at platform (software and hardware)

What do you think?

[ Update ]

ECP attempts "simplify" a big picture (data domain with infinite set of possible values"). When attempting to apply ECP for a data variable, best starting point would be "what is that big picture I am trying simplify using ECP"? This is a top-down approach - model, understand, analyse, hypothesize the big picture then go to next level and then think about EQ. classes. I have people mostly approaching this from "bottom up" approach - think about valid and invalid classes first (or even actual values) then if possible think about the big picture.

Which approach you think is a useful one to start with?

BTW, there is "Equivalance principle" by Einstein related to theory of relativity. Can I say equivalence as applicable software tests is "relative" in nature?

Shrini

More on definition of Test Automation ...

While discussing about "definition" of "test automation", with Ben Simo I left a comment at Ben's blog post. I am sharing that here for the benefit of my blog readers ...

(You would also find some debate about "model based testing" in comments)

Test automation involves - Automation Design and Execution of automated tests ...

Design: An act of translation of some question that one asks regarding a feature of an software application into some programmable instructions so that the question being asked is modeled with reasonable accuracy (courtesy: Michael Bolton) In simple words translating a testing question into a program

Execution: Use of a machine (hence a set of computer programs) to support any aspect of Testing with Testing at the center of whole scheme of things.
(derived from the definitions by James Bach and Michael B)

As I continue to write about definitions and terminologies around test automation, let me reiterate - Nothing called "Automated Testing" exists in this world....

Shrini

Shrini

Simple things and me ...

World likes simplicity – Pictures, Colors, Sound, Odor are used to abstract some complex behaviors.

Consider following –
Software Project Status – Red, Green and Yellow
Project Size – Small, Big, Medium
Test cases – Simple, Medium, complex
Testing – Gather requirements, write test cases (some times even prepare them), execute them, check if the pass, if pass report and go home and if fail log a bug and go home

Automation – Create an automated script using the state of the art Automation tool. Store the script in test management tool and execute it from it. See the result logged automatically. If script fails (I mean reports failure), automatically make another script to log the bug

Knowledge Transfer – As simple as Fund transfer in bank. Transfer the relevant documents to the subject – transfer. If there are clarifications there always our best friend “issue list”, “action item tracker”, “clarification list” – many names but all is one.

Knowledge acquisition – As simple as one country invades and acquires another country. Just acquire – by force

What is common between each one of these – simplicity.

I become restless when

- People tell me about testing project status in terms of Red, green or yellow.
- People start approaching testing as sequence of actions – test design, execution, bug logging and regression
- People start describing a bunch of test cases or software features as Simple, medium and complex – SMC model.
- Testers getting classified as great, lousy based on the number of test cases executed or number (not the type) of bugs logged.

To me, all of these are simplifications of some complex things that we are trying to understand. My frustration is “Why things can be so simple”? “There must be something that is hidden behind this simple thing”

Imagine, if Newton were to think – when apple fell on his head – “No big deal – it had to fall so it fell down – Gosh – my head is aching. Why did sit bellow this tree?” Same thing applies to Archimedes. Jump out bath tub and run …?

While thinking about simplicity about some things that we deal with helps us to get started off – important to understand that it was just a beginning.

While testers and most of the managers are happy about such simplifications - a skilled tester is always worried about such simplifications and often attempts to find the loop wholes in simplified models, notions, beliefs, description etc…

Nature’s simplest things have hidden inside then greatest and deepest mysteries. That would a fascination journey – we just need vehicle capable moving into it – Our imagination and curiosity. Today’s skilled testers are blessed with this imagination and curiosity. The journey has just begun …

Do you think post has horribly and outrageously simplified the seriousness and intent behind the post? Well, I can not be too serious …

Automation Dreams - Thinking about END in the begining ...

"Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blue prints of your ultimate accomplishments."

- Napolean Hill

Thinking about “end” in the mind helps me most of the cases such as planning, checking and carrying out various day –today tasks like performing 4-5 interconnected tasks, leaving home for a week/month long journey, arranging my daughter’s birthday etc. Thinking about “END” while you are about to begin or at the time of beginning a task - can help you to visualize the entire stretch of journey from start to end, anticipate various milestones, problems and as many as details as possible. This can prove to be a powerful mind modeling concept if you train yourself in visualizing from the END and work backward from there to the beginning.

Let us apply this to Test Automation …..
- How do you describe a successful automation?
- How can one describe steady state automation in deployment?
- Can you trace a journey from the beginning of an automation initiative and the end where your automation has become “obsolete” or has reached a steady state?
- Is there any END for Test Automation as a software project?

Automation initiatives have end goal(s) to achieve – cut testing cost by certain percentage, increase test coverage by certain percentage etc. In a way every automation project has some dreams to realize. Can we describe those dreams related to automation?

Let me give it a try ….

I will have an automation suite that runs “unattended” for up to 8 hours. (Length of Execution)
My automation suites covers 40% of my regression tests for product X. (Automation coverage)
I will have an automation suite whose results I can trust the most or When my Automated Test fails – I am sure that is bug (Reliability and Trust)
I have 40% of my test cases automated. Hence my testing effort now on will be 40% less (You can dream and these are DREAMS …. )
My smoke test suite is automated – I can now make changes to the code more frequently even when there is time crunch.
And so on ..

What are you Automation Dreams? Can you describe them?

Physicians, Surgeons, X Ray Lab Technicians ....

Heard of this rant?
“We would like our business users, domain experts and subject matter experts write automated scripts (tests?)”
“Our next generation automation tool – allows persons with ZERO programming and testing knowledge generate automation scripts in MINUTES”

Think about it …. Will you ask a Physician (Medical Doctors) or Surgeon to work as XRay or Ultra Sound Lab Technician and vice versa? Or An Aneathesian to perform a surgical operation?
Each one in professional life are known to have some core competencies. Best bet will be to utilize each one to their strengths….

Business users know business domain while Automation engineers and Tester know programming and software testing.

IMHO, asking business users to do “main stream” testing and automation is sure recipe for “failure”.

Any views? Do you think the analogy presented here is logical?

More as I hear from you ….

Shrini

Inattentional Blindness ...

Sajjad has an interesting article on "inattentional blindness" and Exploratory Testing here


Sajjd mentions that - "Exploratory testing is supposed to be better at minimizing inattentional blindness". This kicks off a thread of thinking in my mind - Why it might be so? what elements in ET helps one to minimize inattentional blindness?"

Let me take a guess and answer --
May be it is "thinking between alternating polarities" while doing ET - doing vs explaining, fast vs slow, reading vs doing, focussing vs defocussing. In my opinion inattentional blindness happens due to "heavy" focus on one or more "atomic" aspects of bigger object under observation. one possible solution is to defocus as often as you can.

A related phrase (a kind of antonym) I use is "your eyes will see what you would like to see". This is more dominant theme in scripted testing where a tester is "pre-programmed" observe only expected results.

Here is a wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inattentional_blindness

Do not forget to read James Bach's comments for this post -

"Testing is a lot like fishing. You try to create conditions that maximize your chances for catching something tasty. Exploratory testing is a little more like fishing, because just as with real life fishermen ......"

Shrini

Presenting a tutorial @ QAI STC 2007

I am pleased to announce that I will be presenting two half tutorials as a part of QAI's Software Testing conference at Delhi and Bangalore. The dates are 29th Aug 2007 at Delhi and 31st Aug 2007 (Bangalore).

The details of the conference tutorials are as follows:

http://www.qaiasia.com/Conferences/STC_conference_2007/tutorials_kulkarni.htm
http://www.qaiasia.com/Conferences/STC_conference_2007/Tutorials.htm


This half day tutorial has been created out of my last few years of "on the floor" experience of managing automation projects - right from conception till UAT and deployment. I hope to improve the material and other stuff to a day long program ..

See if you can make it to this and share your thoughts ...

Sorry for last minute announcement .. :(

Shrini

A mystery called Automated Testing ...

"No device has been invented which can match the human eye for accuracy and precision in many tasks; nor the human ear. Even the admittedly handicapped human is able to identify and distinguish among far more scents than any automated device. Human pattern recognition, language recognition, and language production ability is well beyond anything currently envisioned by automation engineers."
- Answers.com

Hope you have heard many times the word “Automated Testing” (Some places I even have heard “automatic Testing”)

Have you ever thought – what does that mean? Let us dig little and try to figure out what each term in above phrase *might* mean?

We have two words in above phrase – “Automated” or “Automatic” and “Testing”. Let us explore possible meanings of these terms ….

(A) Automated – something that happens without any human intervention – something that is done by a machine-software program or by self.

Answers.com says -
"automated" (adj )
Definition: made or done by a machine
Antonyms: by hand, manual

Automation (ancient Greek: = self dictated),

The word testing has many meanings – I present two contrasting definitions

(B) Testing is an act of technical investigation performed on behalf of stakeholders in order to reveal quality related information – it is an act of questioning – An infinite search for problems – problems that can annoy/irritate/destroy/damage a stakeholder.

(C) Testing an act of executing a test case derived from a specification and verifies whether the test case passes or fails.

(D) It is an act of confirmation that software behaves in a way as prescribed by the underlying specification/design.

(E) Testing proves that the software works as desired.

Now think about constructing the meaning of the word “Automated Testing” and we have these definitions (A), (B), (C), (D), (E) …

Automated Testing = (A) + (B) - Possible? I believe No!!!
Computer/Program can not question, improvise, learn, adapt, think, emphasize

Automated Testing = (A) + (C) – Seems possible – but in a narrow way. Using another program (automation tool) one can execute an automated test … but that is only a part of whole story – what about Test design? Defect investigation? And host of other activities that fall under testing umbrella …

Automated Testing = (A) + (D)
Automated Testing = (A) + (E)

Both of above seem to be “Not possible” as checking or proving that software works the way intended or as per spec (writing in English – hence can be interpreted in infinite number of ways) using “automation” – solely – is not practically possible.

So … think twice before using the term “Automated Testing” – as nothing really EXISTS in this world of testing called as such …

Challenge me … think of ways where you can justify the use of “automated testing” – come up with definitions of “automation” and “testing” and link them !!!

BTW what do you think about "automated tests" ??

Shrini

A Blogger Bug

A bug in blogger Create Post --

The title field is "non editable" - hence this post and my previous posts are going without any title for the post ...

I am investigating this -- any clues?

Update 13th July : The title field becomes editable when (this is one the ways I figured out) I edit (quick edit from the blog ) the post with the blank title.

Shrini

Regression Testing and Insanity ....

"Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results"
Albert Einstein (attributed to Ben Franklin too)

Does this sound similar to what we do in the name of "regression testing”? In regression testing (more so in that regression testing whose test execution is automated - note I am not using the term "automated regression testing") , we believe that by doing repetitions of some things that we did previously - we can find new results.

Thanks to inherent complexity in software and involvement of humans in development, testing and usage of the same - this regression insanity appears to be *working*

This one of those Francis Bacon's idols - Idols of the Theater: Errors formed from dogma (institutionalized doctrine) and flawed demonstrations.

Read following to know more about Francis Bacon and how his idols are relevant in testing

Francis Bacon’s New Organon (James Bach)
Bacon and boundary testing (Mike Kelly)
The four Idols of Francis Bacon
The Four Idols of Sir Francis Bacon by Ben Chambers and Zeb Dahl.


More on this later...

Shrini

My acrobatics on the Boundaries ..

The boundary condition of the universe is that it has no boundary." The universe would be completely self-contained and not affected by anything outside itself. It would neither be created nor destroyed. It would just BE

Stephen W. Hawking - A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME

Science is a differential equation. Religion is a boundary condition- Alan Turing

Boundaries are actually the main factor in space, just as the present, another boundary, is the main factor in time- Eduardo Chillida

Earth has its boundaries, but human stupidity is limitless – Gustave Flaubert

I would read above quote from French novelist of 18th century (Flaubert was regarded as the prime mover of the realist school of French literature and best known for his masterpiece) by replacing the word “Stupidity” with “intelligence” or “imaginative power”.

Mike Kelly has an interesting post related to boundary testing here

I blogged about this topic few months ago under the name BVE and I think it makes perfect sense to link these two posts and get a new perspective of boundary test design (part of domain testing)

Note following important points in Mike’s post (with my views/comments) ---

1. Understanding, Identifying and working with boundaries in software - is a Modeling problem. There can be multiple ways in which boundaries in a software system can be modeled.
2. Depending upon how *close* your model models the system behavior, your (boundary) testing can be incomplete or wrong to *that* extent. Since there can be boundaries out side your model – you will not notice them.
3. There can be (are) multiple boundaries - what you notice is limited by your model (ref. #1)
4. No boundary exists in isolation
5. All boundaries, those that are explicitly identified in model – hence are known to you and those laying outside your model, INTEREACT and ALTER/AFFECT system behavior in some *significant*. This introduces complexity in the model. In other words there exists some RELATIONSHIP between these boundaries.
6. Inputs in identifying (in fact for modeling) the boundaries come from various sources such as technical specifications, user expectations, requirement specifications, device/OS specifications. If you narrowly focus on any one source of information – you will miss modeling of others boundaries (outside the mode) hence you would miss bugs/system behaviors associated with them.
7. A weak boundary Analysis would start with boundary first without first having a thought /explicitly/ about my model.
8. A strong or useful boundary analysis would start with model and identifying boundaries resulting from all possible sources of information.

Don’t forget to check following ---

All models (those especially having predominant influence of domain testing) are APPEAR to be deterministic (algorithmic/mathematical representations - set, graph, state machines etc) but indeed are HEURISTIC models as act of modeling seem to follow (in most of the cases) a heuristic approach…


Shrini

Tester's Quiz: What is Equivalence Partitioning Technique?

Most of you have heard this term "Equivalence Partitioning Technique". It is one of the common techniques associated with black box test design techniques (under Domain Testing techniques). Today's Quiz on my blog is related to this...

Explain in 4-5 sentences or less about "Equivalence Partitioning Test design Technique" and provide an example that illustrates the technique (avoid examples like "login" screen)

Notes:
I would also appreciate lots of "context" specific questions like "Who is asking?", “Why 4-5 sentences” etc …

I will consolidate all comments and questions and make another post later....
I am also looking for "real life" experiences of applications of this technique....

Some background:
One motivation for me to present this to my blog readers is my own experiences of discussing in various job interviews (where I was the interviewer) and lots of informal discussions with people. In my experience, lots of testers (especially in India) seem to have a very narrow view of this technique. Most of them have admitted that "it is a theoretical technique - useful only in interviews... etc"

What would happen next?

I would like to de-mystify this stuff (with your views, questions and opinions) and present to you my version of EQ partitioning technique in a blog post....

Shrini

Skill Vs Technique ...

Mathew Heusser, wrote following lines for an article for Better software..

“…..instead of listing specific techniques, we might be better off listing skills …Once we have the skills, the techniques and terminology can help. After all, our community created test terminology as a servant …”

That is excellent point. In the industry like our where “terminologies and jargons” rule, focusing on skills would be greatly useful.

Skill - A skill is an ability, usually learned and acquired through training, to perform actions which achieve a desired outcome. It is more of a subjective attribute.

Example:

Writing
Speaking
Problem solving
Critical thinking and General system thinking
Modeling
Questioning
Creativity

Technique - A well-defined procedure used to accomplish a specific activity or task. More than one technique may be available for accomplishing a specific activity or task. Selection of the technique should be based on project approach, available tools, cost and time constraints etc.

Note that a skill denotes an “ability” where as Technique is a “procedure”. It becomes very easy for a technique to be lost in the jungle of jargons and terminologies – for skill it is less likely so …

Invest time in identifying and developing skills are important to your job …

Shrini

Tester's Tool kit ....

James Bach mentions about a tool kit - a small set of utility programs that every tester needs to have to help in his/her testing, here ...

Programs like perfmon, burp poxy, filemon, regmon etc can be really useful and check here for other windows platform utilities

So far I have been using ethereal as network monitoring tool ...

Here is an improved version from microsoft Netmon 3.0

Shrini

Michael Hunter Interviews me for DDJ ...

Michael Hunter aka Braidy Tester, interviewed me for DDJ. See the interview here

With this I have joined illustrious list of Whos who in software Testing arena...

Michael has interviewed following people earlier (few notable ones) ... When you have time, go through each of these interviews and figure out how each one of following thinkers and great visionaries in testing present their views and their world of Testing ...

Gerald M Weinberg
James Bach
Michael Bolton
Jon Bach
Brian Marick
James Whittaker

I interacted with Michael from my Microsoft days. My first ever blog (on msdn) mentions Michael as sole inspiration for me getting into blogging. I enjoy reading Michael's blog and I keeping checking it once in every 2-3 days to see if anything has come up new there...

Michael hunter represents a unique testing culture within Microsoft and it is good see him working with people in context driven testing community. That makes him more special as a context driven microsoftee ....

Thanks Michael for featuring me in your 5 questions interview series ... I hope that will inspire many more testers in India, especially, to embrace testing and grow this community

Shrini

Reliving TASO ...

Ben Simo and Sam Burgiss reminded me about "mother of all" paper on Test automation.

Yes, I am talking about James Bach's Test Automation Snake oil ... It is kind of bible for all Test automation professionals.

This is nearly a 10 years old article (original in Nov 1996 and a rewrite in June 1999) - I am surprised to see, like Nostradamus (a Famous a French apothecary), James, 1o years ago predicted and neatly articulated "wrong" ways of applying automation. The statements and observations made in the paper are mostly valid and applicable in Automation world even today.

I have started learning about Automation from this paper in a “real” way. Before I got into what I call it as "Holistic Approach to Automation" (for the lack of any better word) I did some automation here and there using some tools and later I realized how bad that was.

Today, I see so many young and upcoming testers falling into the trap and start learning Automation tools straight without knowing about Testing and how automation affects human testing. And there are tool vendors, training institutes and recruiters/head hunters – all just look for few words “automation" and names of some leading GUI automation tools - you got a job.

My advice to all who would like to pursue the career in Test automation...

1. Knowing tool is a very small part of you as automation Engineer.
2. Invest time in learning "Testing" especially human side of it and practice
3. Pick up a programming course - learn programming - C, C#, Java, VB, PERL can be good candidates.
4. Read anything by TASO by James and his other articles ... When I say read - don’t just go over them once and discard them ... Understand them deeply, discuss them, if you have question - share it with others in the community -- write to me I can help you with my views ...
Every time I read James' articles - I get new ideas, new thinking, new interpretations...

After doing all above - if you get time - use (I say use) an automation tool ...That is last thing that you require in the path to success in Test Automation...

You might also want to have a look at following noteworthy references related to Test automation...

Seven Steps to Automation success by Bret Pettichord
High Volume Test Automation Cem Kaner

James - you should seriously consider writing a sequel - TASO part II ...

Though you say Agile Automation is your TASO II, the plot appears to be not the same -- we are carving some more on the lines of TASO ....

Shrini

I will be presenting at STAR EAST ...

I am pleased to announce that I will be a track speaker for this year’s STAR EAST conference at Orlando, Florida May14-18. I am very excited to speak this biggest and most popular conference dedicated to software testing. I will be speaking on “10 classic Reasons why Test Automation projects fail” (Track T17- on May 17th) - one of my popular paper till date.

I also excited to get on stage for 2 other occasions other than my presentation –
Lightening talk for 5 minutes on “Traps in test estimations” - see the announcement regarding this by the moderator “Mathew Heusser”, here. It is really privilege to be in the line up for lightening talks that includes “who’s who” in “Software Testing” world – James Bach, Scott Barber, Michael Bolton, Mathew Heusser …

I will be chairing the session for “Test outsourcing track– Track F8” helping the speakers with introduction and time keeping.

This conference being my first STAR EAST conference (first ever) will also is a special one as I will be meeting some special people whose work has greatly inspired me …
I hope to see and chat with people like Cem Kaner, Jon Bach, and Ben Simo and off course James Bach , Michael Bolton and Scott Barber…

Drop a line to me if you are interested to meet me and discuss the common passion - software testing…

See you there …

Shrini

Story around a bug ....

I found this interesting, lucid and narrative story related to a software bug (or bugs) here. Something on the lines of Story of testcase that I wrote sometime back.

Happy bugging ...

On a different note, do check out Jonathan Kohl's post on "Getting started with Exploratory Testing Part 1" here

Shrini

Ten Software Testing Myths ...

I was reading Lidor Wyssocky’s blog and his post on 10 software development myths. I thought, let me re-do this list for software testing – replace words “development” by “testing” and other relevant words. Here is the list … Bingo … we, the software testers *nearly* share the list of myths (frustrations?) …

It is interesting to note that last 5 myths go unchanged … development and testing share the honor. I even doubt that Lidor might be a software tester or a developer having a strong tester like mind.

10. The tester’s task is easy: he should merely write and execute the test cases by translating requirements to test cases. Additionally log some bugs.

9. Every test case is documented. Otherwise, how on earth can we expect to do regression testing and in general repeat testing?

8. Test case Reviews are a one-time effort. All you have to do is take an artifact after it is completed, and verify that it is correct. Test case reviews, for example, should merely verify that *all* requirements are covered by test cases and EVERY REQUIREMENT is COVERED by AT LEAST ONE TEST CASE.

7. Software Testing should be like manufacturing. Each of us is a robot in an assembly line. Given a certain input, we should be able to come up automatically with the right output. Execute a set of test cases (should execute 100 test cases a day) and report pass/fail status.

6. Software Testing has nothing to do with creativity. Creativity – what? The only part which requires creativity is designing your assembly line of test case design. From that point on, everyone should just be obedient.

5. Creativity and discipline cannot live together. Creativity equals chaos. [This one remains unchanged from original list of software development myths]

4. The answer to every challenge we face in the software industry lies in defining a process. That process defines the assembly line without which we are doomed to work in a constant state of chaos. [BIG ONE …This one remains unchanged from original list of software development myths]

3. Processes have nothing to do with people. You are merely defining inputs and outputs for different parts of your machine.

2. If a process is not 100% repeatable, it is not a process. Letting people adapt the process and do “whatever they want” is just going back to chaos again.

1. Quality is all about serving the customer. Whatever the customer wants, he should get. Things that don’t concern your customer should not be of interest to you.

Like Lidor, can say "As I said, I guess we still have a long way to go…" ?

Shrini