The metaphor most people think about for software projects, is one of driving results with pressure. If things are going poorly, get everyone in a room, yell at them a bit, and tell them to fix this schedule problem. I’m pretty sure that’s not the most helpful way of thinking about it.
Personally, I prefer to think in terms of trade-offs.
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Making sure that our test management tool TestRail works great in all environments and that TestRail can easily be installed and maintained has a high priority for us. So today we are happy to announce the availability of TestRail 5.4, a new platform release that introduces full support for PHP 7.0, Windows Server 2016, SQL Server 2016 and other enhancements as well as bug fixes.
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If you’ve worked with testers or programmers, or are one yourself, you’ll likely have noticed that they spend a lot of time with their headphones on. I’m a tester and I have my headphones on right now!
I’ll often listen to something to help me concentrate on my work. Music helps me to block out external distractions and focus.
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It seems like I’ve become known as ‘the one who knows how to create bug reports’ around the Dev room. Today is the third time I’ve been asked how to create a bug report by a developer. However, this time the developer got a little more than they bargained for.
Typically, when a developer asks, “How do I create a bug?” they mean “What buttons do I click?”
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Testers working in agile or scrum like to talk about the benefits of being involved in the development cycle earlier. They imagine smooth sprints with no last-minute regression testing, and burn down charts that gracefully approach zero instead of looking like a steep plateau. They envision features that can be delivered as soon as they are committed to the code repository.
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When testers hear the words “technical testing”, our minds immediately jump to “automation.” Testers are often unaware that many highly valuable technical testing skills have nothing to do with automation. It is invaluable for any tester to be able to skillfully use the different tools that help build software. There are hundreds of tools, free and paid, that can be in the tester’s arsenal; here, we look at six of the most popular tools and skills that aren’t automation.
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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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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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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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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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