Brian
I like apples with a leaf on the stalk, freshly washed strawberries, warm samosas on a Thursday morning, expired film, The Yardbirds, The Small Faces, The Who, The Kinks, sunny Monday mornings with no traffic holdups, Friday afternoons, milky tea, my chilli plant, Ainsley Harriott cup soups, masala tea, Oreos, waking in Venice to the sound of church bells, the scent of jasmine on a warm Italian breeze, Tunnocks Teacakes, thin cut marmalade, egg butties with white pepper, fish and chips, Upstairs Downstairs, shiny shoes, stripy shirts, and bananas.
Testing practices for Agile methodologies
Posted in Curated by me, Software testing on 29 September 2011
Traditional testing practices typically follow the Waterfall or V-model, where requirements are defined, designs are agreed, and software is developed, tested and implemented in a series of phases that follow an often lengthy path. Agile is different, with a stronger focus on iterative development and frequent implementations, often doing away with much of the up-front design and documentation.
This is something of a paradigm shift for testers experienced in traditional techniques. Within Agile projects, end-users and developers work much more closely together, and testers need to work closely with both in order to understand and test the software in terms of the high-level business scenarios.
In this excellent article for TEST Magazine, Peter Varhol explains how independent testing is still a vital ingredient in Agile software development, and shows how testers are perfectly positioned to codify and clarify user stories, and verify and validate that they have been implemented as expected.
Read the article in full over at TEST Magazine.
How to switch to Agile testing
Posted in Curated by me, Software testing on 27 September 2011
When a software development organisation has roots in traditional non-Agile development methodologies such as Waterfall, or the V-model, making the switch towards Agile can be surprisingly challenging. This isn’t just the case for the design and development team – who have to get used to shorter, faster sprints – but also for the testers who remain at the usual tail end of the process.
Agile testing requires a specific set of skills that have to be developed by testers in order for them to be successful as part of a sprint team. It isn’t enough for a manager to simply declare, “you’re Agile testers now”.
In this post, Joel Montvelisky explains what is so demanding about Agile testing, and offers some advice about what can be done to ease the transition. Hint: it’s not as simple as changing your t-shirt!
New contract with Inatech Solutions
Posted in News on 27 August 2011
I’m pleased to announce I recently started a new short contract with Inatech Solutions.
From the Inatech website:
“Inatech Solutions is a global business solutions software and product engineering services company with strategic locations worldwide, and qualified consultants, working across industries. As an Oracle Platinum Partner and Microsoft Gold Certified partner, Inatech Solutions works with enterprises that are re-engineering their processes and are adapting to rapid change.”
I have been appointed as interim programme test manager for two months, overseeing SIT, UAT, and performance testing on a large integration programme involving a client in the logistics industry. In addition I will be helping to refine existing testing processes and working practices, with a view to outlining an overarching test strategy and consistent approach to be adopted for testing across future programmes.
As usual, I’m looking forward to the challenge!
Top 25 most dangerous software errors
Posted in Curated by me, Software development, Software testing on 1 August 2011
Every year, the SANS Institute and Mitre compile the Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Errors list – a collection of the most widespread and critical errors that lead to serious vulnerabilities in software. The list is published annually to help raise awareness in the software development industry, and is used by programmers, end-users, and researchers in an attempt to avoid the most common mistakes and build more secure software.
The list is quite technical, but eye-opening and highly informative, and includes a ‘Monster mitigations’ section with effective suggestions for eliminating or reducing the severity of the top 25 errors and more besides.
Why test managers need to sell the ROI of software testing
Posted in Curated by me, Software testing on 22 July 2011
Many project managers are aware of the value of testing in their projects, and understand that investing in the testing phase is an investment in the quality of their project as a whole. However, there are still some that view testing as that little bit that happens at the end after everything else is done: when the testers do a few quick checks just to make sure everything works.
In this article, Rex Black looks at how test managers can present a more enlightened view of software testing as an investment rather than a tiresome unavoidable cost. The article includes a useful case study which shows the difference in ROI between no formal testing, manual testing, and automated testing.
