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
Management
How Much is Enough? Testing as Story-Telling
This was on my old site as an HTML file for a long time. I've re-edited and corrected it for modern times. A classic question asked about test strategy is "How much testing is enough?" If you're … [Read more...] about How Much is Enough? Testing as Story-Telling
Satisfice Website Quality Assurance
I am a tester. I like being a tester. I once was a developer but I would rather be a tester. However, when it comes to this website I have had to go into developer mode. Since I'm also the CEO of … [Read more...] about Satisfice Website Quality Assurance
Six Things That Go Wrong With Discussions About Testing
Talking about software testing is not easy. It’s not natural! Testing is a “meta” activity. It’s not just a task, but a task that generates new tasks (by finding bugs that should be fixed or finding … [Read more...] about Six Things That Go Wrong With Discussions About Testing
“Are you listening? Say something!”
[Note: J. Michael Hammond suggests that I note right at the top of this post that the dictionary definition of listen does not restrict the word to the mere noticing of sounds. In the Oxford English … [Read more...] about “Are you listening? Say something!”
Variable Testers
I once heard a vice president of software engineering tell his people that they needed to formalize their work. That day, I was an unpaid consultant in the building to give a free seminar, so I had … [Read more...] about Variable Testers
No KPIs: Use Discussion
My son is ready to send the manuscript of his novel to publishers. It's time to see what the interest is. In other words, we are going to beta on it. He made this decision tonight. What is the … [Read more...] about No KPIs: Use Discussion
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
RST Methodology: “Responsible Tester”
[author's note: in an earlier version of this blog post, I called supporting testers "helpers." Supporting testers are certainly helpers, but I now call them supporting testers to emphasize that they … [Read more...] about RST Methodology: “Responsible Tester”
Justifying Real Acceptance Testing
This post is not about the sort of testing people talk about when nearing a release and deciding whether it's done. I have another word for that. I call it "testing," or sometimes final testing or … [Read more...] about Justifying Real Acceptance Testing