# Is fear driving your testing? **URL:** \ **Category:** MoT Content Discussions\ **Created:** [30 July 2024 14:57 UTC](https://club.ministryoftesting.com/t/is-fear-driving-your-testing/78076 "2024-07-30T14:57:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sarahdeery](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/club.ministryoftesting.com/sarahdeery/32/11833_2.png) [@sarahdeery](https://club.ministryoftesting.com/u/sarahdeery)\ **Post date:** [30 July 2024 14:57 UTC](https://club.ministryoftesting.com/t/is-fear-driving-your-testing/78076/1 "2024-07-30T14:57:05Z")
Read this week’s article, " [Is fear-driven testing holding your software quality back?](https://www.ministryoftesting.com/articles/is-fear-driven-testing-holding-your-software-quality-back)" by @zecarrera to explore the problems and solutions for fear-driven testing, **What You’ll Learn:** 😨 The definition and root causes of Fear-Driven Testing (FDT). 😨 Symptoms and impacts of FDT on software development and team dynamics. 😨 Strategies to identify and address FDT in your projects. 😨 Best practices to foster collaboration and continuous testing in your team. **After reading the article, we’d love to know:** - Have you experienced Fear-Driven Testing in your projects? How did it impact your team and project outcomes? - What strategies will you implement to move away from FDT? ---
**Author:** ![mirza](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/club.ministryoftesting.com/mirza/32/9965_2.png) [@mirza](https://club.ministryoftesting.com/u/mirza)\ **Post date:** [30 July 2024 16:05 UTC](https://club.ministryoftesting.com/t/is-fear-driving-your-testing/78076/2 "2024-07-30T16:05:12Z")
This is definitely a real thing, especially in crapier companies where they will use the smallest mistake not to give you a raise or promotion. ---
**Author:** ![ipstefan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/club.ministryoftesting.com/ipstefan/32/8279_2.png) [@ipstefan](https://club.ministryoftesting.com/u/ipstefan)\ **Post date:** [31 July 2024 06:55 UTC](https://club.ministryoftesting.com/t/is-fear-driving-your-testing/78076/3 "2024-07-31T06:55:03Z")
I had and might still have fears which are related to my personality mostly. - Fear of conflict: I don’t do well in debates and avoid conflict with people. So this makes it harder to assert something I say. I try small things over a longer period which can lead to at least a middle ground. - Fear of letting down myself or someone else: In an environment where mistakes aren’t easily permitted I stay tense and go over my work or check things with people or resources a few times. - Fear of degrading my image: it’s hard to build an image as a great tester in a workplace. I feel it’s way easier to destroy it with a few actions. So I think things over multiple times, maybe write them down without sharing, and I say them out loud to a friendlier colleague. Sometimes it might not make sense so let it go. - Fear of getting fired: not agreeing with the management when they believe you shouldn’t have a word in it is hard to work around with. Sometimes they’ll provide the testing strategy, tools, and estimations without having any idea about the development, risks, or approach. So I end up either disobeying or doing hidden work. - Fear of inferiority: I get intimidated and shy around other organization members who are experts in their field whenever I have to work with them; I feel like I know so little and I might have a wrong perspective on things. - Fear of not serving the right person(e.g. clients): In some companies, the business is driven by people with their eyes on Excel sheets and PowerPoint. So advocating for clients can be tough. I’ve done a lot of ‘hidden’ work with several colleagues once to improve product quality. These examples just appeared while writing the reply, there are several more I could easily add. Fear drives the development of several skills, and I believe a balance of fear and courage is necessary to excel. ---
**Author:** ![james.elliott](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/club.ministryoftesting.com/james.elliott/32/11518_2.png) [@james.elliott](https://club.ministryoftesting.com/u/james.elliott)\ **Post date:** [31 July 2024 10:38 UTC](https://club.ministryoftesting.com/t/is-fear-driving-your-testing/78076/4 "2024-07-31T10:38:09Z")
This is an interesting read. I have definitely been subject to FDT earlier in my career. The biggest impact i think was on my mental health as I would do many a late night doing extra testing and then still not being satisfied with my work. The main road out of it was my experiences I gained in my journey from working at different companies. Seeing the different development teams at work and contributing to different testing practises gave me a lot of insight to all the environmental factors that can impact the quality of a product. Being aware of these factors allows you to make them known to all the stakeholders and it also gives you a chance to influence them as well as manage expectations (including your own).