A Context-Driven Approach to Delivering Business Value

This is Part IV in a series of entries inspired by the following quote from the "about page" of context-driven-testing.com hosted by Cem Kaner:

"...However, over the past 11 years, the founders have gone our separate ways. We have developed distinctly different visions. If there ever was one context-driven school, there is not one now..."

And James Bach's blog update (Context-Driven Testing at a Crossroads):

"I’m the last of the founders of the Context-Driven School, as such, who remain true to the original vision. I will bear its torch along with any fellow travelers who wish to pursue a similar program."

If you haven't done so already, I recommend starting with:

• Part I: Is Testing Dead? Dunno, but the Context-Driven School Is 
• Part II: With the Context-Driven School "closed" what's next?
• Part III: Context-Driven School (of thought): "I'm not dead yet... I feel happy!"

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So far I've established that I'm a Context-Driven guy. For completeness, I should also share that I'm a guy who is most comfortable operating as part of a healthy team that embraces Agile principles, but who recognizes that Agile is not the most appropriate or effective answer for all organizations, teams, or situations.

I've also noted that I find the notion of "product" in both Context-Driven and Agile principles to be too subtle of a reference to the fact that the propensity of software is developed in a business context for my tastes. This is mostly due to many, many personal observations of individuals involved in the process of developing and delivering software emphasizing some aspect of the software over business value -- from individuals who self-identify as Context-Driven, Agile or neither.

The reality that I have lived in since beginning my career as a technologist is that, business is the primary context-driver behind the development of the propensity of software and that money is the primary context-driver behind business (yes, I know, that's a broad generalization, with somewhat ambiguous qualifiers -- I'm going to ask you trust that I'm happy to support and specify that statement if needed, but for the time being, please accept the premise... at least while reading the remainder of this post.)

2 Cents on Ethics

I really had no plan to chime in on the blog conversation between Michael Bolton and Cem Kaner, but after the amount of time I've spent today having email discussions with folks who (apparently) were interested in my 2 cents, I've decided to go ahead and share. I feel it important to point out that as I have spoken to neither of them regarding this conversation, I most certainly don't want to give the impression that I am speaking for either of them.

(As a side note, I'm seriously beginning to wonder if I shouldn't just add a "Notes and Disclaimers" box to my blog... then again, that would be about the same as prefacing all my notes and disclaimers with "Allow me to provide some context" -- which would seem rather redundant coming from me. {grin})

Anyway, it would seem that it all started with Michael's post Why Pass vs. Fail Rates Are Unethical (Test Reporting Part 1) that, if not inspired, certainly contributed to Cem's post Contexts differ: Recognizing the difference between wrong and Wrong which, unsurprisingly, triggered the following post by Michael I Might Be Wrong (But Not For Me)

Ok, all caught up? Good. Lemme share what I think might be happening here and while I'm at it share my model for approaching ethics-related situations in business environments (testing or otherwise).

Making Every Test Count

This is from a while back, but I wouldn't call it dated.  It's a webinar, it runs for 48 min.  I like it, for whatever that's worth.  ;)

Abstract:

Do you ever find yourself wondering what the point is to executing this test... again!?!  Have you ever felt like the purpose of a test is to ensure there is a check mark in a particular check box?  Are you ever asked to get *more* information in even less time with even fewer resources than the lst test project you worked on?

In this presentation, Scott Barber will introduce you to a variety of tips and techniques you can apply to virtually any testing you do as you strive to make ever test you execute add value to the project.


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Scott Barber
Chief Technologist, PerfTestPlus, Inc.
About.me

Co-Author, Performance Testing Guidance for Web Applications
Author, Web Load Testing for Dummies
Contributing Author, Beautiful Testing, and How To Reduce the Cost of Testing

"If you can see it in your mind...
     you will find it in your life."

Testing Lessons From Civil Engineering

Below is the paper I submitted as a prologue to an experience report, discussion, and (hopefully) additional research that I'm presenting for the first time during CAST08:

Engineers don’t look at the world the same way that testers do.  Engineers look at the world with an eye to solving problems.  Testers look at the world with an eye toward finding problems to solve.  This seems logical.  What is less logical is the fact that engineers, and I’m talking about the kind of engineers that deal with physical objects, seem to be much more sophisticated in their testing than testers.  In fact, most of what I know about testing, I learned as a civil engineering student.  We didn’t call most of it testing.  We didn’t even identify it as anything other than “You really want to get this right.” Maybe Civil Engineers test better than software testers because of the motivations to “get it right”.  Consider what happens when a piece of Civil Engineering, like a bridge fails: