The Centro de Ensayos de Software (CES), a non-profit software
testing laboratory in Uruguay, has recently launched a program that is
certain to become the new “gold standard” in professional development
for software testers. The program, endorsed by the Universidad de la
Republica (Uruguay), the Universidad Castilla La Mancha (Spain), and
sanctioned by the Uruguayan IT Chamber (CUTI), is the most
comprehensive, affordable, and publicly available training program for
software testers on the market. Based on my market research and
comprehensive review of the program, I have no reservation in rating it
as market leading.
Software Testing, the software development activity responsible for
identifying issues with software and providing a wide variety of
quality-related information to stakeholders and decision-makers prior to
release, is the primary job of many millions world-wide, yet the
majority of software testers learn their craft entirely on the job.
Yes, there are various “take a class or two, pass an information-based
(not a skill-based) test, and receive a certification” programs – some
more respectable than others and most far more expensive than the CES
program. There is even a new certificate coming to market that
involves three, one month, on-line courses where students are taught
and assessed by experienced testers and university professors, but none
of those rise to the level of the CES’s program.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
What being a Context-Driven Tester means to me
I guess it’s that time again. What time is that, you ask? It’s the
time when discussion/debate flares up over Context-Driven. I’m not
going to weigh in on the whole discussion of pros/cons,
value/distraction, etc. I am a consultant. I am Context-Driven (and
not just as a tester, it's simply the way I have operated since long
before I was a tester and long before I became aware someone had coined a
term and composed a set of principles around how I already operated).
The license plate on my car says “CONTEXT”. It works for me. But my
point isn’t to convince you that it’s right for you. My point is to
address a comment that I frequently hear that *feels* very sad to me.
What follows is something I drafted for an org that had recently decided that it wanted to adopt the principles of being Context-Driven, but didn’t want to inadvertently offend members whose context was largely dictated by decisions outside of their sphere of influence. Due to a wide variety of unrelated circumstances, what I wrote never got presented to the org & got lost and forgotten on my hard drive. I recently found it and wanted to share it with everyone because I think it’s valuable.
“Where I work, I don’t have the freedom or authority to implement all this Context-Driven stuff, so I guess I don’t get to be part of the club.”I find this sad, because I don’t agree. It is my opinion that “Where I work, I don’t have the freedom or authority…” *is* a "driving context", making smart decisions about what you are empowered to choose, and appropriately trying to inform/educate those who are "driving your context" that there are other options qualifies as being Context-Driven... at least to me.
What follows is something I drafted for an org that had recently decided that it wanted to adopt the principles of being Context-Driven, but didn’t want to inadvertently offend members whose context was largely dictated by decisions outside of their sphere of influence. Due to a wide variety of unrelated circumstances, what I wrote never got presented to the org & got lost and forgotten on my hard drive. I recently found it and wanted to share it with everyone because I think it’s valuable.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Testing the Limits... Interviews by uTest
uTest is doing a
series of interviews with interesting/well-known testers. I was
flattered to be asked to be interviewed recently and found that I
enjoyed answering the questions... and didn't hate my answers when I
read them as posted (any of you who have ever done that sort of thing
know that is a fairly significant statement!)
My interview is "Testing the Limits with Scott Barber": Part I, Part II, Part III
Other folks interviewed include James Bach, Jon Bach, Michael Bolton, Matt Heusser, and Rosie Sherry. If you've got the time, I think they are worth the read.
--
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."
My interview is "Testing the Limits with Scott Barber": Part I, Part II, Part III
Other folks interviewed include James Bach, Jon Bach, Michael Bolton, Matt Heusser, and Rosie Sherry. If you've got the time, I think they are worth the read.
--
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."
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Testing vs. Checking ... my 2 cents.
I was pleased to see Michael Bolton's series on Testing vs. Checking.
If you haven't been following, what I consider to be the central
thread of the topic (and the unfortunately inevitable fallout that seems
to happen in "testerland" almost any time someone says something that
makes sense).
From Michael:
From Scott Barber:
From Michael:
- http://www.developsense.com/2009/08/testing-vs-checking.html
- http://www.developsense.com/2009/09/transpection-and-three-elements-of.html
- http://www.developsense.com/2009/09/pass-vs-fail-vs-is-there-problem-here.html
- http://www.developsense.com/2009/09/elements-of-testing-and-checking.html
From Scott Barber:
- http://www.perftestplus.com/resources/014PeakPerf.pdf Original, ST&P Magazine, 2005
- http://www.logigear.com/newsletter/investigation_vs_validation.asp Reprinted by Logigear, 2007
Monday, September 21, 2009
Thorkil Sonne: Recruit Autistics
Wired.com ran their smart list
today. If you aren't familiar with it or don't care, at least check
out the great press fellow software tester, entrepreneur, and social
innovator Thorkil Sonne is getting for Specialisterne here:
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/17-10/ff_smartlist_sonne
While you're at it, why not digg it!
I know there is a lot that we testers disagree about, but if there is one thing we should be able to agree upon, it's that Thorkil, Specialisterne, and the very special people they serve deserve our support and best wishes. I can only hope that this is the spark that get's this (and other such, responsible programs) moving globally. While that would certainly make me happy for Thorkil, the real winners when this takes off will be those who would finally find themselves filling jobs well suited to their skills, those who are reluctantly (and often poorly) doing those jobs now, and their employers who can reassign those reluctant folks to something *they* are better suited for and will complain about less (we all hope) .
Congratulations Thorkil & Specialisterne!!!
--
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."
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/17-10/ff_smartlist_sonne
While you're at it, why not digg it!
I know there is a lot that we testers disagree about, but if there is one thing we should be able to agree upon, it's that Thorkil, Specialisterne, and the very special people they serve deserve our support and best wishes. I can only hope that this is the spark that get's this (and other such, responsible programs) moving globally. While that would certainly make me happy for Thorkil, the real winners when this takes off will be those who would finally find themselves filling jobs well suited to their skills, those who are reluctantly (and often poorly) doing those jobs now, and their employers who can reassign those reluctant folks to something *they* are better suited for and will complain about less (we all hope) .
Congratulations Thorkil & Specialisterne!!!
--
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."
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