This past Friday, May 21st, 2021, was exactly 34 years since my first day at Apple Computer as a tester. Before that I was a dev, but I have been a tester ever since. This has put me in a … [Read more...] about 34 Years in Testing
Agile Methodology
The Immaturity of CMM
Originally published in 1994, this article pre-dates "Agile" as a named thing. It was written out of a culture that was critiquing authoritarian and factory-oriented approaches to software … [Read more...] about The Immaturity of CMM
Round Earth Test Strategy
The "test automation pyramid" (for examples, see here, here, and here) is a popular idea, but I see serious problems with it. I suggest in this article an alternative way of thinking that preserves … [Read more...] about Round Earth Test Strategy
Agile Testing Heuristic: The Power of Looking
Today I broke my fast with a testing exercise from a colleague. (Note: I better not tell you what it is or even who gave it to me, because after you read this it will be spoiled for you, whereas if … [Read more...] about Agile Testing Heuristic: The Power of Looking
Test Jumpers: One Vision of Agile Testing
Many software companies, these days, are organized around a number of small Agile teams. These teams may be working on different projects or parts of the same project. I have often toured such … [Read more...] about Test Jumpers: One Vision of Agile Testing
Mr. Langella Never Does it the Same Way Twice
This is from the New York Times: Its other hallmark is that Mr. Langella never does the part the same way twice. This is partly because he’s still in the process of discovering the character and … [Read more...] about Mr. Langella Never Does it the Same Way Twice
Programmer Pairing with a Tester
My sister, Erica, is not a programmer. Normally she's not a tester, either. But recently she paired with me, playing a tester role, and spotted bugs while I wrote in Perl. In the process, it became … [Read more...] about Programmer Pairing with a Tester
A Tester’s Commitments
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
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
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