Module 7 is now available in the MoT Software Testing Essentials Certificate! This module guides learners on how to navigate the complexity of software systems, helping you move beyond seeing software as a set of isolated parts to understanding how everything connects. By the end you’ll have developed the skills to explore and analyse systems, ask better questions, and create models that guide and support your testing.
What’s in module 7?
Lesson 1: What is systems thinking?
By Ady Stokes
Ady introduces systems thinking as a way to see the bigger picture and understand how different components interact. Instead of focusing only on isolated features, systems thinking encourages testers to recognise flows, loops, and dependencies that shape software behaviour. This lesson explores practical ways to apply systems thinking, helping you uncover risks, ask better questions, and improve the way you test complex systems.
Lesson 2: How to use questions to build system models
By Ben Dowen
Ben demonstrates how asking the right questions helps testers build a clearer picture of how a system works. He introduces an iterative approach—capture, review, update —that allows testers to refine their understanding over time. In this lesson, Ben shows how different types of questions can reveal dependencies, risks, and missing information, helping testers create models that improve their testing focus and strategy.
Lesson 3: Explore tools and techniques for system analysis
By Rahul Parwal
Rahul introduces a range of tools and techniques that help testers break down complex systems. From data flow diagrams and mind maps to root cause analysis and risk assessments, this lesson explores how different approaches can be used to analyse system components, workflows, and interactions. Rahul provides real-world examples of how testers can use these tools to visualise systems, identify weaknesses, and guide their testing efforts.
Lesson 4: Creating models to support your testing
A Test Chat with Janet Gregory and Dan Ashby
Janet and Dan discuss how models provide structure, spark creativity, and help testers explore system behaviours. They share their experiences of using context diagrams, state transition models, and other visual tools to clarify complex systems, uncover risks, and encourage collaboration. They go onto highlight how models can be adapted to fit different contexts and the importance of explaining a model’s intent to avoid misinterpretation. This conversation is a treasure trove of tips and advice on using, adapting and creating models.
Lesson 5: Think of a complex system and use a model to map it
By Hanisha Arora
Hanisha guides you through the process of mapping a system to uncover how its parts interact. She explains how breaking a system down into smaller components can help testers focus on risks, identify dependencies, and generate better test ideas. Through practical exercises, you’ll apply what you’ve learned to create models that help structure your testing approach and refine your understanding of complex systems.