test techniques
Articles
 |
Shifting Testing Left Is a Team Effort There is a lot of talk in the testing world about shifting left. Basically, “shift left” refers to moving the test process to an earlier point in the development process, independent of the development approach. This article explores a case in which shift-left has been applied, and the lesson is that shifting left cannot be achieved by testers alone—it must result from a team effort. |
|
 |
Getting Started with Business Intelligence Testing There’s a bit of hype in terms such as business intelligence, data analytics, and data mining. In testing terms, though, it means working with scripts and databases, often without traditional GUI interaction. But core testing skills—analysis, synthesis, modeling, observation, and risk assessment—will still help you go far in business intelligence testing. |
|
 |
When the Code Is Too Obvious to Check How many times does something seem too obvious to check? Most of the time this normal human response is a handy shortcut. Your brain tries to save you time—but you can’t always trust it. If your code malfunctions, each of those "too obvious to check" thoughts will bias your thinking about what caused the malfunction. We have to commit up front, before our thinking crystalizes, that the code will have to prove to us that it is correct. |
|
 |
To Be a Good Tester, Just Do What No One Else Can If you want to have a successful career in testing—and maybe even get beyond the day-to-day at the individual level, and improve the team or division—all you need to do is things no one else can. That means staying ahead as the industry moves on, which takes an intense and continuous investment in learning and practicing new things. Here are some suggestions for what that could look like. |
Better Software Magazine Articles
 |
The Unspoken Truth about IoT Test Automation The internet of things (IoT) continues to proliferate as connected smart devices become critical for individuals and businesses. Even with test automation, performing comprehensive testing can be quite a challenge. |
|
 |
Building a Test Automation Strategy QA departments always feel the pressure to start testing quickly, even if the ever-changing software being tested isn’t ready. A bought-in test automation strategy can keep a project on track. |
|
 |
Test-Driven Service Virtualization Because enterprise applications are highly interconnected, development in stages puts a strain on the implementation and execution of automated testing. Service virtualization can be introduced to validate work in progress while reducing the dependencies on components and third-party technologies still under development. |
|
 |
Adopt an Innovative Quality Approach to Testing How much testing is really enough? Given resources, budget, and time, the goal of comprehensive testing seems impossible to achieve. It’s time to rethink your test strategy and start innovating. |
Interviews
 |
Why Manual Testers Shouldn't Fear Automation: An Interview with Chris Loder
Video
In this interview, Chris Loder, automation architect at InGenius Software, addresses the misconception that the goal of automation is to replace manual testers. |
|
 |
Yes before No and Building a Culture of Innovation: An Interview with Hilary Weaver-Robb
Video
In this interview, Hilary Weaver-Robb, a software quality architect at Quicken Loans, explains how you can create a company culture that encourages trying new things—even if they fail. She discusses the importance of learning, changing roles as you grow, and testing RESTful web services. |
|
 |
Testing, Heavy Metal, and Unrealistic Automation Expectations: An Interview with Paul Grizzaffi
Podcast
In this interview, Paul Grizzaffi, a principal automation architect at Magenic, details the parallels between software testing and heavy metal music, as well as the issues that arise when management places unrealistic expectations on automation engineers. |
|
 |
Analytics, Data, and How Testing Is like Baseball: An Interview with Geoff Meyer
Video
In this interview, Geoff Meyer, a test architect in the Dell EMC infrastructure solutions group, explains how test teams can succeed by emulating sports teams in how they collect and interpret data. Geoff explains how analytics can better prepare you for the changing nature of software. |
Conference Presentations
 |
Word Smatter: Exploring Semantics, Testers, and Problems
Slideshow
ers [do|don’t] (help) [prevent|detect] problems.” Throughout his career, Damian Synadinos has encountered many variations of this phrase, which uses just a few small words to express many big ideas. It is important to understand what each word means individually to better understand the... |
Damian Synadinos
|
 |
It's All in Your Head: Use Neuroscience to Improve Performance
Slideshow
We humans process millions of bits of information each day. In order to handle that data load, our brains have developed shortcuts to take advantage of patterns, shared knowledge, and experience. Unfortunately, sometimes those shortcuts lead us astray, causing us to draw inaccurate... |
Faye Thompson
|
 |
Automation Anti-Patterns: Deal with Them
Slideshow
Automation is vital to modern testing. But if you listen to what testers complain about, problems with test automation is a recurring theme. We complain about how hard it is to add, run, or change tests. We grumble about how difficult it is to keep up with developers who keep breaking... |
Dave Westerveld
|
 |
Mobile Testing: What—and What Not—to Automate
Slideshow
Organizations are moving rapidly into mobile technology, which has significantly increased the demand for testing of mobile applications. David Dangs says testers naturally are turning to automation to help ease the workload, increase potential test coverage, and improve testing efficiency. |
David Dang
|
Recommended Web Seminars
Featured Resources
Visit Our Other Communities
StickyMinds is a TechWell community.
Through conferences, training, consulting, and online resources, TechWell helps you develop and deliver great software every day.