Gem and I talked about Modern Testing and her experiences in thinking about and defining her views on testing (or as she called it, write your testing manifesto). We had a great chat, which you can hear at http://letstalkabouttests.xyz/index.php/2016/11/03/ep-64-modern-testing/
I went back on Joe’s Test Talks show to talk about the Modern Testing philosophy I’m working to instill throughout my employer, C2 Solutions.
Show notes:
On today’s show we’ll test talk with Andy Tinkham, a software testing expert with over 20 years’ experience, about his views on modern testing. Andy will discuss how testing has evolved, what we as testers need to know, and how we are all responsible for helping to shape the future of testing. Within the philosophy of modern testing there are a series of principles that Andy has broken down into four pillars: Context First, Testers are Not Robots, Using Multiple Lenses for Test Design, and Providing Useful and Timely Information.
116: Modern Testing for the 21st Century with Andy Tinkham
After the Reinventing Testers workshop that James & Jon Bach held in Washington, Matt Heusser, Michael Larsen, and Justin Rohrman had me on their new podcast, The Testing Show. (Perze Adaba couldn’t be there because I screwed up the technology on my end and then the time of the reschedule – sorry guys!)
Show notes:
What does it take to differentiate yourself as a tester? How can you demonstrate the unique values and attributes you can bring to the role of tester? How can you push back against the race to the bottom where “everyone can do the job”? Is that really true? These questions and more we posed to Andy Tinkham, and shared ideas as to how we can bring much more to the table that we often think we can.
Also, can software be specified in such a way that it can actually be made error free? Justin had a chance to look at that very idea at the DeepSpec Workshop at Princeton University, and he shared his findings with us.
Avoiding the Commodity Trap
Joe Colantonio had me on Test Talks. We started talking about shifts in testing, about the schools of testing thought, and a few other things!
Show notes:
In this episode, Andy from the podcast Testing Bias shares some insights from his years of testing experience. You’ll discover the shift in testing we all need to be aware of, as well as which skills you’ll need in the coming years. We’ll also touch on a few hot topic issues like Schools of Testing as well as, “Can developers do testing?”
78: Andy Tinkham: Schools of Testing
The final epsiode of the STP.Con Fall 2012 Panel focuses on telling our story as testers.
Show notes:
This is the final podcast for 2012, and what better way to close out December, and the year, than with the last installment of our STP-CON Panel on the future of software testing.
This final installment tackles a number of interesting themes and questions:
Do we look in non-traditional places for testers?
How do we encourage testers from those non-traditional places to come and join us?
Do we necessarily want to be codified as a “profession”?
Is there a disadvantage that we are not?
More to the point, are there advantages in the fact that we aren’t considered a classic “profession”?
Ultimately, how do we tell our story to the future testers who may be looking, interested, and possibly a good fit for our “craft/guild/movement/armada/fill in the blank term”? How do we get the message to them? Will we like what they have to say back to us?
All this and more in our final podcast for 2012. Happy new year and the best of tomorrows from the team at TWiST!
http://www.softwaretestpro.com/Item/5767/TWiST-128-STP-CON-Panel-Telling-Our-Story/
In the third part of our STP.Con Fall 2012 Panel, we talked about Finding and Mentoring Testers.
Show notes:
It’s a pretty good bet that most people in school today are not telling themselves “when I grow up, I want to be a software tester”. Sure, some do, but for many of us, it’s something we gravitated towards and discovered “hey, I like this line of work”.
Our Panel, Anna Royzman, Todd Schultz, Brian Gerhardt, Doug Hoffman, Andy Tinkham and Mike Lyles, focus on a range of topics to help look at this situation. Who are these testers of the future? Where will we find them? How we can reach out to them? How about those of us who have already made the commitment? What can we do to grow and mentor those in our midst? For that matter, how can we grow and mentor ourselves in the process?
All this and more is just a shuttle control click away!
http://www.softwaretestpro.com/Item/5764/TWiST-127-STP-CON-Panel-Finding-and-Mentoring-Testers/podcast [Free registration required]
Here’s the second part of the STP.Con Panel. This time we talked about trust!
Show notes:
Trust. It’s a big word, and it covers a lot of ground. If you have it, the domain of your choosing is mostly yours. Without it, you can be in for a really hard climb. Trust is always earned. Even if we come in with a sterling reputation, we still have to earn the trust of our teams and co-workers, and that trust may take some time to develop.
Our panel, Anna Royzman, Todd Schultz, Brian Gerhardt, Doug Hoffman, Andy Tinkham and Mike Lyles, with additional comments by Scott Barber and Karen Johnson, look to answer ways that we as testers can develop that trust, and share examples and ways that they have encouraged that trust to develop in their respective areas.
For some frank, honest and just plain blunt conversation, press Play!
http://www.softwaretestpro.com/Item/5753/TWiST-126-STP-CON-Panel-Developing-and-Delivering-Trust/podcast [Free registration required]
At STP.Con Fall 2012, Matt Heusser convinced me at the last minute to be on a panel he put together. That panel discussion was recorded and used as 4 episodes of TWiST. This is the first episode, where we talk about the Future of Software Testing.
Show notes:
Tis the season for giving, and thus, for the month of December, we will be giving the gift of conferring. Real, actual, give and take conferring, and that starts with today’s episode.
At STP-CON in October, mattassembled a big panel of active test professionals and covered a lot of interesting topics. The session ran for nearly two hours, and as we were editing it and thinking what should be kept and what should be cut, well, we felt the content was too solid to chop out very much, but we don’t do 2 hour podcasts, either. So what’s a a bunch of nerds to do?
Well, we decided to dedicate all of December to this forum discussion, and give you all of the goodies in four separate packages. The first package arrives today, with a discussion about “where is testing heading in the future?” Anna Royzman, Todd Schultz, Brian Gerhardt, Doug Hoffman, Andy Tinkham and Mike Lyles talk about their own environments and challenges, and where they think the world, at least for them. Is going to be heading in the near term and longer term futures.
Our thanks to Mark Tomlinson for going through and separating out the topics, as well as doing overall audio cleanup. That being said, it’s a live room with an open mic, so if you want the feeling of what it’s like to “be there”, well, we have plenty of that to share :)!
So press play, and consider sharing with your testing friends.
http://www.softwaretestpro.com/Item/5742/TWiST-125-STP-CON-Panel-Future-of-Software-Testing/podcast [Free registration required]
Matt Heusser and Michael Larsen’s discussion with those of us giving hands-on track sessions at STP.Con Fall 2012 continues. This time, Mark Tomlinson and I get to actually talk more!
Show notes:
Brian Gerhart and Todd Schultz described their discussions and presentations for the Hands on Testing Track last week. This time around, we hear from Andy Tinkham and Mark Tomlinson. Covering topics ranging from Quick Attacks to Slow Motion Performance, Andy and Mark make the case for some compelling, and what sounds like fun, sessions to attend.
Make no mistake, these are challenging sessions to present. Kudos to all four of our guests for stepping up to present in this manner.
Wanna hear more? You know what you need to do!
http://www.softwaretestpro.com/Item/5653/TWiST-112-Hands-on-Testing-Part-II/ [Free registration required]
In 2012, Matt Heusser and Michael Larsen had me back on TWiST as part of a group talking about our hands-on sessions to be held at STP.Con that year. Here’s the show notes:
STP-CON Fall 2012 is just around the corner. There wil be a special track, one dedicated to hands on, real world, active, get into guts of things and get dirty software testing. to commemorate this, Matt gathered together several of the speakers and presenters that will be participating in this event. Andy Tinkham, Mark Tomlinson, Brian Gerhart and Todd Schultz describe their discussions and presentations for the Hands on Testing Track. Ranging from troubleshooting to performance and active exploration, there’s something for everyone, and maybe even then some.
Click play and get a jump on everyone else to hear the ideas on this track and what to expect. Come on, click play, you know you want to!
http://www.softwaretestpro.com/Item/5647/TWiST-111-Hands-On-Testing-Part-I/Software-Testing-Software-Test-Professionals-Conference [Free login required]