Michael Bolton A tester writes: “I’m testing an API. It accepts various settings and parameters. I don’t know how to get access to these settings from the API itself, so I’m stuck with modifying them from the front end. Moreover, some responses to specific requests are long and complicated, so given that, I have no idea how to test it! Online examples of API testing tend to focus on checking the response’s … Read more
Presented by Cigniti Technologies
Check out the recorded #webinar with Michael Bolton and Kalyan Rao Konda, President at Cigniti Technologies. It shares insights into the fundamentals behind #testing approaches that help testers understand the product better before it’s too late.
I noticed something interesting while reviewing my credit card bills a couple of evenings ago: monthly charges for $9.99 from “Amazon Downloads”, going back several months. I buy a lot of e-books. I looked for receipts from Amazon in email. I found a bunch, but none from Amazon for $9.99. I never delete email receipts; I put all of them into a separate folder so that I can collate them … Read more
Software is everywhere. And good quality software has become very important and sometimes even critical as well. But with rapid progress in development cycle, testers don’t often get enough time to test software. What if there is a better way to test software without compromising quality, which is more focused and which can be completed rapidly.
In this week’s #TechTalk, Amit and Rinat talk with Michael Bolton, co-author (with James Bach) of Rapid Software Testing (RST), about software testing, context driven testing, Rapid Software Testing, and a lot more!
I used to speak at conferences. For the HUSTEF 2020 conference, I had intended to present a talk called “What’s Wrong with Manual Testing?” In the age of COVID, we’ve all had to turn into movie makers, so instead of delivering a speech, I delivered a video instead. After I had proposed the talk, and it was accepted, I went through a lot of reflection on what the big deal … Read more
A friend that I’m just getting to know runs a training and skills development program for new testers. Today he said, “My students are now starting a project which includes test design, test techniques, and execution of testing. Do you have any input or advice for them?” Here’s my reply. Test design, test techniques, and execution of testing are all good things. I’d prefer performing tests to “test execution”. In … Read more
For testers who are being asked to focus on test cases and testing tools, remember this: a test case never finds a bug. The tester finds a bug, and the test case may play a role in finding the bug. (Credit to Pradeep Soundararajan for putting this so succinctly, all those years ago.) Similarly, an automated check never finds a bug. The tester finds a bug, and the check may … Read more
Listen to Michael Bolton at ConTEST 2021. What happens when builders and testers work together to develop GUI testing infrastructure?
In this keynote, Michael will give a preliminary experience report on observing, working, and collaborating with an expert tester (James Bach, co-author of Rapid Software Testing) — and an expert automator, Michael Mintz (author of Selenium Base) on a testing and learning mission.
The story is ongoing, and only beginning, but already we’re learning about key differences between world views and mind sets, and how we might go about resolving them. Check out online programs at Test Masters Academy: https://testmasters
What Lies Beneath – AMA ft. Michael Bolton
In this AMA you can ask Michael anything about testing.
Michael Bolton is a consulting software tester and testing teacher who helps people to solve testing problems that they didn’t realize they could solve. He is the co-author (with James Bach) of Rapid Software Testing (RST), a methodology and mindset for testing software expertly and credibly in uncertain conditions and under extreme time pressure. He has taught RST to testers in 35 countries. Michael has been testing, developing, managing, and writing about software since 1988. For over 20 years, he has led DevelopSense, a Toronto-based testing and development consultancy. Prior to that, he was with Quarterdeck Corporation for eight years, during which he managed the company’s flagship products and directed project and testing teams both in-house and around the world. Contact Michael at michael@developsense.com, on Twitter @michaelbolton, or through his Web site, http://www.developsense.com.
This video is supported by Moolya Software Testing (https://moolya.com) and Testvox (https://testvox.com)
The expression “flaky tests” is evidence of flaky testing. No scientist refers to “flaky experimental results”. Scientists who observe inconsistency don’t dismiss it. They pay close attention to it, and probe it. They redesign their experiments or put better controls on them. When someone refers to an automated check (or a suite of them) as a “flaky test”, the suggestion is that it represents an unreliable experiment. That assumption is … Read more