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People and Teams

Tutorials

TH Exploratory Testing Is Now in Session
Jon Bach, eBay, Inc.
Tue, 04/09/2013 - 1:00pm

The nature of exploration, coupled with the ability of testers to rapidly apply their skills and experience, make exploratory testing a widely used test approach—especially when time is short. Unfortunately, exploratory testing often is dismissed by project managers who assume that it is not reproducible, measurable, or accountable. If you have these concerns, you may find a solution in a technique called session-based test management (SBTM), developed by Jon Bach and his brother James to specifically address these issues.

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Concurrent Sessions

W2 The Role of Emotion in Testing
Michael Bolton, DevelopSense
Wed, 04/10/2013 - 10:30am

Software testing is a highly technical, logical, rational effort. There's no place for squishy emotional stuff here. Not among professional testers. Or is there? Because of commitment, risk, schedule, and money, emotions can run high in software development and testing. It is easy to become frustrated, confused, or bored; angry, impatient, and overwhelmed. However, Michael Bolton says that, if we choose to be aware of our emotions and are open to them, feelings can be a powerful source of information for testers, alerting us to problems in the product and in our approaches to our work.

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W6 Concurrent Testing Games: Developers and Testers Working Together
Nate Oster, CodeSquads, LLC
Wed, 04/10/2013 - 12:45pm

The best software development teams find ways for programmers and testers to work closely together. These teams recognize that programmers and testers each bring their own unique strengths and perspectives to the project. However, working in agile teams requires us to unlearn many of the patterns that traditional development taught us.

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W9 Collaboration without Chaos
Griffin Jones, Congruent Compliance
Wed, 04/10/2013 - 2:00pm

Sometimes software testers overvalue the adherence to the collective wisdom embodied in organizational processes and the mechanical execution of tasks. Overly directive procedures work—to a point—projecting an impression of firm, clear control. But do they generate test results that are valuable to our stakeholders? Is there a way to orchestrate everyone’s creative contributions without inviting disorganized confusion? Is there a model that leverages the knowledge and creativity of the people doing the work, yet exerts reliable control in a non-directive way?

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T5 Snappy Visualizations for Test Communications
Thomas Vaniotis, Liquidnet
Thu, 04/11/2013 - 12:45pm

Do you struggle to find the best way to explain your testing status and coverage to your stakeholders? Do numbers and metrics make your stakeholders’ eyes glaze over, or, even worse, do you feel dirty giving metrics that you know are going to be abused? Do you have challenges explaining your strategy to fellow testers and developers? Visualizations are a great way to turn raw data into powerful communications. Thomas Vaniotis presents eleven powerful visual tools that can be created easily with simple materials around the office—sticky notes, graph paper, markers, and whiteboards.

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T6 Using Mindmaps to Develop a Test Strategy
Fiona Charles, Quality Intelligence
Thu, 04/11/2013 - 12:45pm

Your test strategy is the design behind your plan—the set of big-picture ideas that embodies the overarching direction of your test effort. It captures the stakeholders’ values that will inspire, influence, and ultimately drive your testing. It guides your overall decisions about the ways and means of delivering on those values. The weighty test strategy template mandated in many organizations is not conducive to thinking through the important elements of a test strategy and then communicating its essentials to your stakeholders.

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