We have had several instances of enlightenment in testing when it simply clicked: spotting a bug that no one had thought of before; discovering an altogether new method; or finally realizing what we do really means in the bigger scheme of things. It is only those brief moments of insight that provide enough unfamiliarity to alter our way of viewing everything about testing.
2 Likes
The one that comes to mind didn’t happen while I was testing. In 2009, one of our resellers asked me to write a description of our exploratory testing methodology to support a bid they were submitting for a development and testing project.
I had been doing exploratory testing for 14 years at that point, yet had given little thought to how I was doing it - it just seemed intuitive to me. But I had struggled to explain it to our other testers, and some clients were sceptical when comparing it with the well-documented (but inefficient and ineffective) ISEB / ISTQB approach.
At first I had no idea how to describe what I did, but after a while I realised there was a structure to it, but not the sort of rigid structure that mandates you do certain things. It was more of a framework in which you have a lot of freedom, while the framework helps you understand the relationship between all the things you are doing.
The result was what I called our 8-layer Testing Model. Once I had that, I could see how other testers’ ideas related to it. I had never understood Boris Beizer’s bizarre Black Box Testing book, but it did when I realised it only related to layers 1, 2 and 3 of our model. James Whittaker’s much maligned book on exploratory testing only relates to layer 7 of our model, which explains why many people think the book is incomplete. Whittaker’s earlier books relate to layer 8.
The model allows us to plan and track test coverage and explain what we have and haven’t done. It enabled us to provide structured training for new testers and to create a 4-day training course we could sell. I presented it at numerous events including the first Test Bash, and turned much of it into a book that will never be completed. It also showed where there were gaps and weaknesses in our approach, which we could then address.
It’s remarkable that what first appeared to be an unwelcome and onerous request for information turned out to be utterly transformational for the business and revealed a great deal of intellectual property that had previously been hidden.
1 Like