One problem that we face in software development and testing is that data and information aren’t the same. Here’s an example, prompted by email from a correspondent. There’s a Rapid Software Testing Explored class running January 11-14, 2021. It’s set to run at times that work for people in Europe and the UK, mostly. The service I use for managing registrations, Eventbrite, offers the opportunity to list the starting and … Read more

This is your periodic reminder that data has problems, just like code does. A correspondent on LinkedIn pointed me towards a book by George Lakoff, an author I admire. For some reason, I had not been aware of the book. So I looked it up. I wanted to go straight to it, so I put the title in quotes: Hmmm. That’s a little strange. Nothing? Let’s try without the quotes. … Read more

A tester recently asked “If you’re asked to write a ‘test plan’ for a new feature before development starts, what type of thing do you produce?” I answered that I would produce a reply: “I’d be happy to do that. What would you like to see in this test plan?” The manager’s reply was, apparently, “test cases covering all edge cases we’ll need to test”. That’s a pretty naïve request. … Read more

Another tester on an “Agile” team complains of being overwhelmed by the volume of regression testing he says he must do at the end of each sprint. Why are some development organizations fixated on regression testing? Not why do they do it (that can be quite reasonable), but why are they fixated on it? I have a theory. It goes without saying that every change to the product or system … Read more

Software testing can be socially difficult because of people’s natural desire to avoid trouble. This prompts them to avoid thinking about trouble, which means that they don’t look for it. But if you don’t try to find the trouble that’s in your product, that trouble will eventually find you. Some might say we do think about trouble, and we try to avoid it by getting clear on our intentions in … Read more