Testing is Not Dead: The Future of the Software Testing Role

Published on June 21, 2017 by Kathryn Nest

At least once a year, I see a presentation at a software conference proclaiming “Testing is Dead”. The speaker talks about modern software development techniques such as test automation, micro-services, continuous integration, delivery systems, production monitoring systems, and build rollback capabilities. The presentation will suggest that in the future, modern software development techniques will make testers obsolete. Shortly after, the testing world has a collective existential crisis.

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Where has the Test Manager Gone?

Published on June 14, 2017 by Kathryn Nest

From 2006 to 2010 I worked for a company that consisted of distinct testing and development groups. Each group had their own hierarchy, including staff contributors, leads, a manager and maybe an architect. Our Software Test Manager was the Battle Master general. Every new sprint started with contention. The development groups would have meetings to prepare for the sprint. The testing group I worked in would hear about these meetings a day or two later.

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The High Price of Delayed Feedback

Published on June 8, 2017 by Kathryn Nest

Most of us are familiar with the development benefits of small batches. The company can release the most important features and gain value in weeks, days, or hours, instead of waiting to release the entire kitchen sink in six months. Even if we did not realize this, Agile Dogma says that small batches are better, so people are inclined to release more often.

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Top Programming Skills for Software Testers

Published on June 7, 2017 by Kathryn Nest

With literally thousands of programming languages and new technologies being created daily, figuring out what technical skills to learn can be overwhelming for software testers. Fortunately, many web and mobile apps tend to work with a similar tech stack. This means that learning some core skills can help software testers work in a variety of environments, large and small. Let’s talk about the most useful skills for testers, and where to find information and training.

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The Bug Reporting Spectrum

Published on May 31, 2017 by Kathryn Nest

On my first day working as a software tester, my lead pointed to a bug tracking system. He gave me step by step instructions on how to use this system. I produced a bug, entered the product and browser information, and clicked submit. I did this on my first day because it is a critical skill, essential to being a software tester.

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The Checking and Testing Debate Explained: Everything You Need to Know…

Published on May 24, 2017 by Kathryn Nest

The terms “Testing” and “Checking” tend to get used interchangeably for activities performed by development teams to verify readiness and/or completeness of software products. But of course, as with most words in the English language, both “testing” and “checking” are in fact multi-faceted terms, layered with meaning and nuance depending on your context and audience.

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Software Testers Diary: Building Credibility in the Development Room

Published on May 19, 2017 by Kathryn Nest

It has been a few months, and I still have anxiety about being the only Software Tester in the development team room. There are 8 of them, and 1 of me. I’m worried that I won’t be able to prove my worth, or that I won’t be able to keep up. I’m concerned that this whole experiment will fail and I’ll only prove how useless testers are instead. I think more than I should, about ‘proving’ myself, especially as a non-coding tester.

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9 Ways to Become a First Class Noticer

Published on May 16, 2017 by Kathryn Nest

Albert Einstein famously asked the question; “How would it feel to ride on a beam of light?” Why don’t you take a moment and just think about that yourself; how would it feel? Nobody knows the answer. We can speculate. Scientists can synthesize information and hypothesize possible answers based on available data. Still, we don’t know.

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Advice on Balancing Testers for Embedded Scrum Teams

Published on May 10, 2017 by Kathryn Nest

The first scrum team I worked in was small. The developers sat on their side of the building and worked on new feature code. I sat on the other side with the testing group, looking for problems in the new code. Testers and developers met once each morning to talk about our progress, and what was preventing us from moving forward. Our version of scrum and agile was a waterfall process that took two weeks.

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The Future of Near Instant Deployments and Continuous Human Testing

Published on May 3, 2017 by Kathryn Nest

Today’s technical advances make it possible for new code to go to production automatically. Collaborative philosophies like Extreme Programming (XP) help teams deliver code with higher quality right out of the production line. Layers of testing from the unit level on up make future changes less risky. Continuous Integration and deployment systems work in tandem to merge the latest code, run tests, and get everything into production.

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