This presentation was given at a webinar for the EuroSTAR Software Testing Community in July 2012.
In English, the verb "to know" can mean one of two things. You can know a fact or you can be in a relationship with a person or a thing. I know March 17th is St Patricks Day and I know I'm Irish.
Similarly, I can "know" software testing by rattling off and regurgitating terminology or I can "know" software testing by understanding how to ask useful questions, think critically and apply this knowledge to my testing. You get this authentic knowledge (tacit knowledge) by performing testing and observing and reflecting on how you test.
The coaching model that myself and James Bach use teaches testers to inquire and think for themselves. The student performs testing tasks and through their observation and reflection learn to know software testing.
In this webinar, Anne-Marie uses examples from coaching sessions that demonstrate the coaching we do as well as give insights as to how this coaching helps to motivate and eventually liberate the tester
Digital Identity is Under Attack: FIDO Paris Seminar.pptx
Coaching Software Testers with Anne-Marie Charrett
1. Today’s webinar is presented by Anne-Marie Charrett and
she will discuss coaching software testers
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2. Coaching for Software
Testers
Anne-Marie Charrett, Testing Times
As a testing coach and trainer, Anne-Marie helps testers
discover their testing mojo and become the testers they
aspire to be. She also has a knack of transforming test
teams into power houses of tester skill.
Blog: MaverickTester.com
Website: Testingtimes.com.au
Twitter: @charrett
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3. Q&A
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5. Join the conversation on Twitter
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Continue the conversation with the speaker on Twitter after the show!
7. Coaching Session
• Social
– Qualifications, Previous Coaching & Testing Exp
• Diagnostic
– What is Testing?
– What is an Oracle?
– Test a website
• Therapy
– Debrief
•
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What is Testing?
• Simon: In my point of view testing is trying out a system and
his functions to see if it works as expected by somebody
• AMC: what do you mean by "see if it works as expected"?
• Simon: checking against somebodies requirements: that can
be a specification, UserStories, Acceptance criteria,
prototype.....
• SB I just read today the "Testing without a map" by MB - so
there he explains the ORACLE
• AMC: how does that fit into to what we are discussing?
• Simon:checking against an oracle....
• Simon:which provides the right answer of a requirement
from somebody would that be correct? in your view?
• AMC: what is an oracle?
• Simon: source of THE right answer
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10. Is it a bug?
• AMC: tell me your tests
• Simon: ok, tested if touching the walls or get hit by the square blue rocks
by moving around the red square, quits the game and yes it does. So I was
testing the description of the game
• AMC: is your test an important test?
• Simon: yes
• AMC: why?
• Simon: main functionality in my point of view - hit the wall or get hit by the
blue squares - quits the game
• AMC: who says it quits the game - how do you know its not a bug?
• Simon: you are right, could be a bug...
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11. Is it a bug?
• AMC: what do you think? Is it a bug?
• Simon: I don't know - missing specification ;)
• AMC: you seem to think that without a spec your unable to determine if
this is a bug or not
• Simon: no no
• AMC: well then, is it a bug?
• AMC: you play the game, you hit the edge, the game quits - seriously, you
think this is a bug?
• Simon: yes, nothing says that the game has to be quit
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12. Is it a bug?
• AMC: so its a bug
• Simon: yes
• AMC: why is it a bug?
• AMC: what we are looking at here is an example of a unidentified oracle
• Simon: ahhh
• AMC: you think its a bug, but you're unable to explain why you think its a
bug
• AMC: because you don't know the oracle you are using
• Simon: yes
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13. Debrief on Oracles
• AMC: you mentioned that an oracle was a source of the right answer
• AMC: it is the source but also its how you apply that source in your testing
• Simon: ahh
• AMC: an oracle is a principle or mechanism used to *recognise* a problem
• AMC: requirements on their own are just that - they are a source of
knowledge
• AMC: its only when you compare and evaluate your product against the
requirements that they become an oracle
• AMC: you *use* them to recognise a problem
• Simon: ahh, so requirements are becoming oracles...
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14. Debrief on Oracles
• AMC: yes
• AMC: its like saying "water puts out fires" - well ...yes it does....but
• AMC: its useless unless someone pours water over the fire
• AMC: I mean it could be sitting in a bucket beside the fire
• AMC: people could use it to wash their hands and all
• AMC: all very useful , but its not putting out the fire
• Simon: so oracles have to be applied...
• AMC: yes exactly!
• Simon: wow great!
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15. Homework
• AMC: but I want you to think about why you think
you're bug is a bug
• AMC: what oracle are you using
• AMC: but to be an excellent tester you need to be
comfortable with these terms and be able to apply
them in your testing
• AMC: I look forward to your email
• Simon: ok
• AMC: bye for now and thanks for contacting me.
• Simon: thank you
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16. Homework
• I thought ...& I feel confident that this isn’t a bug finally.
• The oracle I’m using when there is no specification .. and I
can’t decide whether it works properly according to someone,
• I should test this functionality according to “What could be the
users’s expectations”. So I’m using an oracle which may
sound “a functionality should behave consistently with my
understanding of what the user reasonable expectation might
be.”
• I checked the behaviour game quits now against the oracle
and come to the result, that from my point
• of view the oracle is fulfilled conclusion: the “game quits”
works as the user would expect, so this isn’t bug.
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17. Poll
• What is your goal in coaching software
testers?
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