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Improve Tester-Developer Relationships with Helpful Feedback[article] Testers and developers often have a strained relationship. Each side has a certain level of expectations as to what the other side should know and do, while there is little understanding of the constraints, conditions, and requirements that the other team has to work within. But it does not have to be this way. A little effort in giving more specific and helpful feedback can go a long way toward improving attitudes. |
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Integrating Security and Testing Practices[article] QA and information security use different methods to approach the same goals. When both groups work together, they can make a greater impact on the security of our products. Here's how the QA team can collaborate with infosec to implement strong security standards, prioritize what to test, and obtain quicker feedback on processes, ultimately seeing fewer production incidents related to security. |
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A Simpler Way of Using Machine Learning to Shift Testing Left[article] The advantages of shifting left and testing as early as possible are obvious. But as you automate more testing, the test suite grows larger and larger, and it takes longer and longer to run. Instead, just automate the process of finding the right set of tests to run. The key to that is machine learning. This isn't AI bots finding bugs autonomously without creating tests; this is a different way to use machine learning, and it’s far simpler. |
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More Than a Score: Taking a Deeper Dive into Your Metrics[article] One key benefit of metrics is that they can be measured using a standard process; we can explain the numbers, and leadership can understand what that means. The downside is that it is only a measurement, so issues can easily hide until they become problems, and great work can also go unrepresented. Sporting events are a great example: The end score tells you who won, but not the details of the game. We need to look deeper. |
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Inverting the Test Automation Pyramid[article] A growing company was tasked to develop a test automation program from scratch, change its coding practices, and build a continuous testing toolchain. Martin Ivison details how they did it, including realizing that implementing the traditional test pyramid wasn't going to work—it would have to be turned upside down. They found out that small is beautiful, cheap is good, and cultural change matters. |
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AI-Driven Test Automation and Your Future[article] Many software testers are lamenting the impending demise of their jobs thanks to artificial intelligence. But Jon Hagar thinks there's no need to panic just yet. Here, he details some capabilities he's seen in AI, relates how these can be used in software testing, and explains why he thinks most people don't have to worry—although he also explains who should! As usual, it comes down to a willingness to learn new things. |
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Clean Coding Practices for a Scalable Test Automation Framework[article] Many organizations are looking to expand their automation abilities by designing and developing test automation frameworks. However, we often abandon good coding practices in favor of working as fast as possible. We need to treat this project like any other application development project. Here are three of the most important clean coding practices to keep in mind in order to make a scalable test automation framework. |
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Whole-Team Testing for Whole-Team Quality[article] Whole-team testing means the whole team understands and participates in testing, using testing education as a tool to support quality efforts. And to be able to support testing in a meaningful way, team members must experience how testing is done by professional testers. Understanding skilled testing can help non-testers realize what quality criteria should be there and what elements of a product contribute to great quality. |
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Testing in Production: An Interview with Talia Nassi[interview] Talia Nassi, a software engineer at WeWork, discusses why testing in production is such a controversial topic. She talks about why people fear the process and how a change with intention would increase confidence in your team. Talia also shares how the Women Who Test community supported her and helped constitute the life and career she has today. |
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Communication Is Everything: A Conversation with Shachar Schiff[interview] Shachar Schiff, founder and principal consultant at BadTesting, chats with TechWell community manager Owen Gotimer about the recent rebrand of BadTesting, the four archetypes he uses to help customers, and the universal importance of communication. Continue the conversation with Shachar (@Shak) and Owen (@owen) on the TechWell Hub (http://hub.techwell.com/)! |
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Testing What You Can’t See: Risk Blindness in Coverage Models[article] The way we think about what necessitates test coverage being “complete” influences how we test and the cases we create. After all, you wouldn't design tests for situations that don't occur to you—and you can't test what you can't see. It's time to take off the blinders. Here's how you can find where the bugs in your products are occurring, and then adjust your strategy to pinpoint them. |
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Brew vs. Pip: Which Package Installer Should You Use?[article] A command-line package installer is a handy tool that installs your desired software package without a fancy UI, yet it often proves to be more effective than some tools integrated into expensive IDEs. Brew and Pip are two of the more popular options for package installers when using the script language Python. But what’s the difference between them, and which makes more sense for your use? Here’s an introduction to Brew and Pip for testers. |
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Shift Your Mindset with Your Testing: An Interview with Isabel Evans[interview] Quality and testing consultant Isabel Evans discusses shifting testing left. She says shifting your mindset along with your testing activities will make all the difference in embracing this change, because how you think about testing is more important than when you do it. Isabel also talks about constantly testing and observing in order to make sure we are delivering the right thing to our customers. |
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Improving Productivity by Having Fun: A Conversation with Kristoffer Nordström[interview] Kristoffer Nordström, test developer at Northern Test Consulting AB, chats with TechWell Community Manager Owen Gotimer about the rise in popularity of Python as a programming language, the importance of being authentic online and off, and how having fun at work can help increase productivity. |
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Taking the Negativity out of Negative Testing[article] Everyone on the software team has the same goal of delivering the best product they can, so letting testers discover bugs is always good—the more bugs found, the better! But misconceptions often lead to testers getting the bad rap of "breaking" the software. It's a tester's job to think like a user. Developers and stakeholders might call that negative testing, but the result is a better product, and that’s all positive. Let's change the way we talk about testing. |
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