Antoine de Saint-Exupery once stated that “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” Truer words were never spoken. Although Antoine, who died in 1944, never had to work with software application testing tools in a world of perpetual evolution and changing consumer tastes. I wonder – if he were alive today, would he apply this same quote to software testing management? I don’t know. I do know that software testing accounts for the overwhelming majority of development costs (80% according to some sources). So perhaps in strictly … Read more
Posted on Sep 27, 2012 in
blog •
QA
Like accountants and inspectors, software testers are part of that rare breed of professions in which our stamp of approval is the final word on what is acceptable. We check the developers’ work, locate bugs, recommend fixes, and go through as many rounds as necessary to ensure the final product reaches a certain standard. Once we (the testers) sign off on a project, it is deemed “good to go.” It’s an inspiring challenge, and companies are increasingly taking note of our impact on the bottom line. This is especially the case in today’s competitive market in which 80% of all … Read more
In the world of software, quality assurance testing is often regarded as an addendum to the entire development process. As testers, we’re frequently viewed as the busboys who come through and clear the left-over scraps of whatever delicious meals came from the gourmet chefs in the kitchen. This is not a knock on busboys. No restaurant could survive for long without their help. In many ways, cleanliness and service quality are as important to repeat business as the actual food itself. But software testers differ from busboys in two important ways: First, software quality testing is a career in and … Read more
In traditional capitalism, self-interest is the driving force behind innovation. Under this framework, concepts like cooperation and collaboration are somewhat antithetical to the profit maximization model. Every time you share, you enable a potential competitor. This is especially true in a world of finite resources where sharing literally makes your own pie smaller. In many ways, software application testing tools have followed this model. Programmers and testers often work in high security environments, eager to block leaks of any kind. Reluctant to share, they keep insights and developments within their respective silos. This only makes sense given the huge profit … Read more
In a previous post, we explored the importance of quality tools for software testing from the vantage point of the actual testers themselves. Better products make for better testing. This, in turn, makes our lives much easier. But software testing is also a business decision. You wouldn’t necessary realize this given how much money goes into marketing and development versus the actual debugging. The contrast is, perhaps, understandable on the surface. Testing isn’t terribly sexy, and very rarely do we appear on the cover of Forbes or Fortune after launching billion dollar enterprises from our parents’ garages. But software testing … Read more
In the previous post, I extolled the virtues of software as a service (SaaS) for testing and development. When compared with on-site solutions (i.e. internal servers), SaaS consistently wins for its greater convenience and lower cost. But the software testing process doesn’t thrive on convenience or cost alone. Security is equally (if not more) important. After all, what good is an affordable software test management tool if hackers and bugs render it useless? So how does SaaS stack up to on-premise software testing solutions when security is your primary criterion? I can answer this question in two ways. The short … Read more
Posted on Feb 13, 2012 in
blog •
QA
Last week, I’ve attended a good, interesting conference – Agile Practitioners 2012. One of the sessions was held by Orit Hazzan (An associate professor and head of the Technion’s department of education in technology and science). I thought to summarize her lecture here for your benefit, adding some notes of myself, as its probably relevant for you, your team and touches an important aspect of software testing. So, why is it that so many don’t like testing? Cognitive, Practical There are several reasons for the resentment testing might cause. These reasons can be explained in a few ways, some work-related, … Read more
“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” Leo Tolstoy “Happy” Testing Teams What makes one testing team better than the other? Is it their manager? The methodology they use? The quality of the testers – experience and education included? Or perhaps the combination of all and more? You would usually want to think that a “Yes” is in place here. But is it really? To an extent it surly is, however if we compare a large number of testing teams, we should – statistically – expect to get the same quality of testers … Read more
In the pantheon of software testing methodologies, exploratory testing ranks among the most interactive and dynamic. However, amongst experienced testers rages an ongoing debate over whether or not exploratory is superior to structural methods of testing (e.g. scripted). In truth, both have pros and cons, making the overall debate somewhat flawed. When given a choice, structural and exploratory testing should be pursued in tandem to achieve optimal results – both for the end-user and for any team that must conduct such tests using limited resources like manpower, time, and technology. Pitting the two against each other is like forcing one … Read more
“You’ll learn more about a road by traveling it than be consulting all the maps in the world.” Anonymous When a year starts, we all tend to make personal resolutions. Companies make road maps and yearly plans for their budgets, marketing, resources and product development. As a small but fast-growing company ourselves, we thought it will be a good idea to prepare a such a road map for our test management service. Plan the new features, enhancements, areas we want to improve and services to add. So we asked our customers for their 2011 feature requests, and then gathered all … Read more
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