Bach Brothers' Podcasts
Two Short Dialogs on Test Coaching*
*Originally published from James Bach's Blog: The Consulting Software Tester
My brother Jon (Quardev's Manager for Corporate Intellect) and I are experimenting with short podcasts. Here are the first two 15-minute segments:- Testers say the darndest things. One issue in coaching testers is getting them to speak carefully about evidence and about what they can and can't do. For instance, we talk about how we react when someone tells us that "a tester ensures the quality of the product." Jon's strategy is to point out the incompleteness of testing. Testing can't be perfect, therefore testers can't ensure quality. My strategy is to focus on the control aspect: testers aren't in control of the project, and therefore can't ensure anything. We think that part of the reason testers make over-the-top statements is that it's comforting to cling to simple fairy stories about testing.
- The trap of not asking questions. Jon and I notice that testers presented with challenges and problems often jump right into test execution instead of asking questions. We question this phenomenon.