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STAQS |
Software Testing and Quality Services
Ubi dubium, ibi occasio. |
"Judge a man by his questions rather than by his
answers."
- Voltaire
Software Testing - A Primer
Planes, trains, and automobiles. Telephones, microwave ovens, and
television sets. Medical monitoring devices, power stations, and
banks. Software is just about everywhere nowadays in one form or
another.
There are many highly-intelligent men and women who create the
software that drive all these wonderful, magical machines. The act
of translating ideas into reality is kind of like solving a complicated puzzle.
And to make things more difficult, each (software development project) puzzle changes depending on a lot
of things. As such, there are no Rules in this "puzzle" of
software development (except maybe to remember to
play nicely with your coworkers)
so much as Guidelines.
There are many illustrative analogies for describing software
development projects. Here is another one: developing software is kind of like building a house.. at night.
Until you shine a light on the work completed, you don't really know how
well it was built or meets the customer's expectations. Testers bring an assortment of lights and ways
of looking at things to help everyone see as much as possible in the
time available.
Almost everyone plays a "testing" role at one point or another when
they are involved in creating software. Some do it full-time.
There is both an Art and a Science to Testing Software.
Unfortunately, until recently, there has been a great lack in formal
education and training for developing good testing skills. The
software testing skills-spectrum is very broad though, so it will likely
take some time before this all becomes "academic" and a natural part of
the way we look at things.
Here is some information to get you started:
The People You Should Know
In addition to understanding the playing field, it helps to know who the
players are. Here are some of the people I know and respect in
the Software Testing profession. If you happen to see one of these names
in an email, next to an
article, or on a book, read it! Better yet - attend one of their
workshops, courses, or go to the same conferences that they go to. It's a good bet that you will probably learn something
useful. I have.
There are many more terrific people in this industry. Start by getting to know the
ones doing work and research in an area of your interest. You may find
some of their articles on
StickyMinds.com, and some interviews on
WhatIsTesting.com and
DDJ Testing Blogs.
The Things You Should Know
What makes a great tester? A great tester is always learning, always
improving themselves. The following is a list of some of the key areas for
development for a Software Tester. (Many of these areas may also
generally improve the quality of your life outside of work too!)
(Click one of the links to jump to the section below)
BTW, I'm always adding to and clarifying this list, so please
send me any suggestions you may have.
1. Think like a Hacker
2. Think like a Scientist
- Learn or relearn the
Scientific Method. It is an indispensible process to help you
understand and do good testing. (Don't just rely on the one link I
include here. Google "Introduction to Scientific Method" and see what
turns up. Always read from multiple sources!)
- Learn Mathematics - in particular:
Probability and
Statistics.
Mathematics is the language of Science. If you want to understand the
controls and variables in your testing 'experiments' then you should have a
good understanding of Stats.
- In Performance Testing, the Scientific Method and
Statistics are critical success factors.
- If you wish to develop Metrics for managing the testing
effort, you need to understand how to validate your assumptions in
order to understand what it is that you are really measuring. (Most
metrics I've seen and heard used on development projects are just really,
really bad because they have no rational mathematical basis whatsoever.)
- Psychology can give you some good insights.
Cognitive Psychology can help you understand the nature of observation (also
critical in good testing), while other branches of Psych can help you learn
to work effectively with project team members. See the
People Skills section below for more.
3. Problem-Solving, Analysis, Critical & Lateral Thinking
- Become a
Critical Thinker!
You don't need to be a genius to test software. It helps if you have a
consistent problem-solving approach that helps you to track down and
identify problems.
- Practice
Lateral Thinking and Parallel Thinking! Browse Edward De Bono's
web site and material. The Six Hats method is particularly effective
in team environments.
- Learn how to organise information in various ways. Whether you are
working with
Mind Maps or Pareto Charts, learn how to collect and
analyse data and then present it in a meaningful way to achieve results.
Every new technique you learn becomes a new tool to add to your utility
belt.
- You can find many useful books out there on Problem
Solving if you just look. Here are a few to get you started:
- Exercise your brain to keep it sharp! Solve puzzles
- especially lateral thinking ones. There are many
puzzle web sites out there - browse them on your lunch breaks!
(My Fun page has some examples.) Not into
puzzles? Pick up a Mystery novel instead. Make critical
& lateral thinking a part of your fun time and you'll soon discover that work
might be easier than you thought!
- Become an Investigator.
There is a lot to be gained by knowing how to interview people while working
on a software development project. Learn to ask the right questions.
Learn to read the cues from those providing the answers. Learn how
to ask the questions so that you get the information you need.
- Practice developing
Mental Models. This is especially useful when "Black-Box" testing.
Use your observations to come up with a theory of how you think the software
or just some feature works. Discuss the ideas with your peers and
explore the various boundaries of your model to see if you discover anything
interesting about what you are (really) working with. Some call this
process "Reverse Engineering" the design. It's a useful tool for
testers.. whatever you call it.
4. Technical (Report) Writing
- It doesn't really matter how good a tester you think you
are if you can't communicate clearly and concisely.
A tester who can't write a clear bug report is like a carpenter who can't
use a hammer - useless.
- Society for
Techical Communication. Ever wonder how Technical Writers become
good at writing the user documentation? Practice. Join the STC
for a year or two, attend their local chapter meetings, read their
magazines, befriend the Technical Writers in your organization and learn how to become a better
writer.
- Language barrier? If you are having troubles putting
your thoughts into words, just remember that a
picture is worth a thousand words.
- Take a screen capture of the problem you are looking at and
edit the picture in a simple "Paint" program that comes with most Operating
Systems.
- Use the drawing tools to add arrows
and simple text to point out the problem(s) you see.
- Save the file as a PNG, GIF, or JPG (just *not* a BMP!) and
upload it as an attachment into your Bug Tracking system or email it to the
developer directly.
- Start a Blog.
Practice may not always make perfect, but it might get you pretty close.
If you want to become a better writer, then write! Write often!
- Take a
Journalism course. Learn to focus on the facts and present them in
meaningful ways.
- One of my favourite quotes: "I keep six honest
serving-men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and
When and How and Where and Who." - Rudyard Kipling, The
Elephant's Child (1902)
5. People (a.k.a. the "Soft") skills
Making Software is first and foremost a people-activity. Approach it
from a
strictly technical perspective and you will go down in flames
every time!
It's not about brown-nosing and politics.. it's about being personable,
respectful, and professional. You will always
be more successful as part of a team than as an individual.
6. Testing Theory, Skills and Knowledge
This is, of course, one of the most important areas to focus your
professional development on as a Software Tester. Without a doubt, you
will need to understand things like:
Risk Assessment;
how to develop a Test
Strategy; what are the various Test Techniques and when to apply them; and the
role and strengths of the various types of testing performed throughout the
development of software. (The latter two in particular will require
experience, not just knowledge.)
-
TestingEducation.org - your one-stop Software Testing Knowledge resource!
Follow the links to Course Notes, Lab Articles, and Workshop materials.
Did I mention that it's all FREE?! Start Reading and
going through the stuff today!
- BOOKS:
Lessons Learned in
Software Testing, by Kaner, Bach and Pettichord;
Testing Computer Software, by Cem Kaner.
- Software Engineering. Discover the "big picture".
Find out where testing fits into the "Quality Assurance" picture and
what are some the
many different verification and validation activities performed throughout a development project. Read
The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brooks.
7. Additional Technical skills
- Project Management.
You want to understand Test Management and what a "Test Plan" is really
about? Take a Project Management course. Don't take one of those
wimpy one-day courses either.. go for at least a three-day hands-on
workshop. You won't regret it. Check out the
Project Management Institute
web site.
- Programming.
Learn a scripting language like JavaScript,
Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby, TCL, or VBScript. Scripting comes in handy
when you are testing, but more importantly it helps you get a better
appreciation of some of the types of bugs that may crop up during software
development.
- Databases. Learn SQL! Become familiar with Oracle, MS
SQL, or just play around with
MySQL. Any tester
worth their weight in salt isn't afraid to find out where the data goes
after you type it into a User Interface. You become a more effective
and valuable tester when you are comfortable looking at and modifying the
data in a database directly.
- Get friendly with the Web.
Learn HTML. Learn what a
WIKI is and how you might
use one within your Test group or department.
Twiki is rather popular
within companies because it provides security and revision history.
- Information Management.
As Testers, our job is to provide information to the decision-makers.
A good part-time hobby would probably be to investigate this interesting
area of Information Science and Knowledge Management a bit further. (It's
not a coincidence that the "I" in "IT" stands for "Information"...)
- Hardware. It's
not mandatory for all kinds of testing but I've found knowledge of hardware
components to be very useful to me over the years. Knowledge of how
RAM works, RAID and hard drives, Modems, Video cards, CD and DVD ROM
technology, Networks, Printers, etc. can all be beneficial when testing
software and systems. What's the best way to get to know hardware?
Turn it into a hobby! There are some good courses and certifications
available if you want to get serious about it. Check out
certifications like "A+" (A Plus), "Network+", and so on.
8. Quality-oriented
-
Quality Software Management: Systems Thinking, by Gerald M. Weinberg.
A must read!! This is the first in
a 4-volume set. Get them all if you can.
- Spend some time in Technical Support. (Some time in
Sales or Marketing might be an okay second choice.) Understand your customers
first-hand and find out what's really important to them. You may
be surprised.
- Learn about Quality Theory from the masters: Deming, Juran,
Watts Humphrey, etc. Read the publications coming out of the
Carnegie Mellon Software
Engineering Institute. The PDCA cycle and some other ideas may
prove useful.
- Learn what Software Development
Life Cycles are and what the different development models have to
offer. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each model should help
you know when to apply the best one for the situation at hand. Just
remember this rule: One size NEVER fits all.
- Learn about CMMI. And then forget all about it.
Remember: you are a Tester. This info should help you better
understand your role in the big picture as well as understand the differences
between "Software Quality Assurance" and "Testing".
9. Integrity and Discipline
- Take the job seriously. Be assertive - stand up for
yourself without putting others down. Lead by example. Accept
and admit your mistakes. Better yourself -- others will follow.
- What does Integrity mean to you?
- Find a good "Code of Ethics"
and follow it. For example, check out the ones for
ACM,
ASQ,
and
IEEE.
- Tact and Diplomacy.
10. Communication
- Develop Presentation Skills. Learning how to summarise
important information into a presentation with impact is not easy.
There are books, courses, and workshops available to help you make the most
of your presentations and charts -- look into them.
Edward Tufte
is one person you should get to know. Get one of his books, or better
yet attend one of his workshops if you can!
- Become a
Storyteller. Learn how to take a bunch of facts and turn them into
an inspiring story. You will be amazed at how effective this style of
narration can be for getting bugs fixed and pulling together business cases.
- Here's a hard one for many people I've met: Learn how to get to the
point.
- Become a Mentor or Coach. Besides the immediate benefit of sharing
knowledge, coaching helps you to develop patience, respect and
understanding, and how to build relationships. All of these will
strengthen your team.
11. Professional Development
- Participate in the Software Testing community by joining
some mailing lists. Participate! Everyone's skills, backgrounds,
and experiences are different, so you never know when your feedback may be
the key to helping someone else with a problem similar to one that you have
already encountered.
- Attend a conference or workshop.
Check out the Continuing Education courses at your local college or
university. Take a writing course, Project Management course, or look
for some good Leadership or Management courses that might give you insights
into working with others.
- Join a local or international Professional networking
organisation. Take note of the
Association for Software Testing. Some "QA" groups don't cover
much Software Testing, but this group is all about the Testing!
- For example, some peer networking groups in my area
include the KWSQA,
SWOSQG and
TASSQ.
- Start a Library!
- The age of paper books has not yet come to an end.
Start collecting! There are many suggestions already made on this
page.
- Everyone's library is customised to their own interests.
At a minimum, you should have some books from each of the above categories.
- Get a magazine subscription. There are many other good magazines out there
but not many of them focus on Software Testing. Some good ones that I
have come across include:
-
Better Software
- comes in two flavours: hardcopy and Zinio electronic format. (I prefer the
hardcopy to take with me places, but the electronic format could be really
handy if you live far from the U.S. or if you prefer reading magazines
online.)
- StickyMinds.com - the electronic companion to
Better Software
magazine. Many discussion forums you can participate in and several eLetters
that you can sign up for to keep you abreast of current submissions to the
site.
-
IEEE Software
-
Harvard Business Review
- help you build leadership skills by giving you the lingo and information
you need
-
Methods and Tools - free e-newsletter providing practical knowledge for
software development professionals (Thanks to Franco M. for emailing me this
link)
-
Software Test & Performance - issues available in PDF format for
free. Great gems in some of these issues!
- LogiGear Newsletter Articles on important software QA testing topics.
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Please help me keep this page up-to-date!
Please notify me if you find any broken links so that I may update
them.
Thank you. |
©2008 Paul Carvalho. Contact me at:
paul [at] staqs [dot] c o m
