This is the latest version of the commitments I make when I work with a programmer. Dear Programmer, My job is to help you look good. My job is to support you as you create quality; to ease … [Read more...] about A Tester’s Commitments
Get Thee to the Konditori
I didn't see you at the coffee shop, today. Where were you, tester who told me that you need "certification" because, unlike me, you don't have a public reputation? Where were you, tester who fears … [Read more...] about Get Thee to the Konditori
Behavior-Driven Development vs. Testing
The difference between Behavior-Driven Development and testing: This is a BDD scenario (from Dan North, a man I respect and admire): +Scenario 1: Account is in credit+ Given the account is in … [Read more...] about Behavior-Driven Development vs. Testing
A Nice Quote Against Confirmatory Testing
Most of the technology of "confirmatory" non-qualitative research in both the social and natural sciences is aimed at preventing discovery. When confirmatory research goes smoothly, everything comes … [Read more...] about A Nice Quote Against Confirmatory Testing
The CAST Testing Competition
I sponsored the testing competition at CAST, last week, awarding $1,426.00 of my own money to the winners. My game, my rules, of course, but I tried to be fair and give out the prizes to deserving … [Read more...] about The CAST Testing Competition
Who says ET is good for Medical Devices? The FDA!
In a new guidance document discussing the clinical testing of medical devices, the FDA includes a long section about the value of exploratory testing: The Importance of Exploratory Studies in Pivotal … [Read more...] about Who says ET is good for Medical Devices? The FDA!
Technique: Paired Exploratory Survey
I named a technique the other day. It's another one of those things I've been doing for a while, but only now has come crisply into focus as a distinct heuristic of testing: the Paired Exploratory … [Read more...] about Technique: Paired Exploratory Survey
Avoiding My Curse on Tool Vendors
Adam Goucher noticed that I recently laid a curse upon commercial test tool vendors (with the exception of Hexawise, Blueberry Consultants, and Atlassian). He wondered to me how a tool vendor might … [Read more...] about Avoiding My Curse on Tool Vendors
Bach Brothers Legion of Testing Merit
My brother and I are instituting a new award at the CAST conference on Monday: The Bach Brothers Legion of Testing Merit. We will give this award periodically in recognition of certain testers who, … [Read more...] about Bach Brothers Legion of Testing Merit
The Euthyphro Dilemma in New Zealand
I recently had the opportunity to converse about tester certification with Carol Cornelius, who's on the board of the New Zealand version of the ISTQB. The discussion went well in one respect: she did … [Read more...] about The Euthyphro Dilemma in New Zealand