'Reporting your Story: Note Taking in Software Tests' with Shmuel Gershon

Today’s webinar is presented by Shmuel Gershon and he will
discuss Recording Your Story: Note Taking Principles
Welcome to the EuroSTAR July Webinar Series
www.eurostarconferences.com
This webinar is due to start at 2pm. Make sure you stick around at the end
for the Q&A session and continue the conversation with the speaker on
Twitter after the show!
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Recording Your Story: Note Taking in Software
Tests
Shmuel Gershon, Testing Engineer, Intel (Israel)
A testing engineer technical leader at Intel Corporation, Shmuel Gershon tests firmware
and software, coaches teams and helps friends. Shmuel is convinced that the most
significant factor in our quest for quality is people, not features or technology. This
observation made him pay special attention to how people read or write testing notes.
Find his writings about software testing at http://testing.gershon.info and the "Rapid
Reporter" exploratory testing note-taking tool at http://testing.gershon.info/reporter
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Q&A
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The webinar will be recorded and you will be notified
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How can I get the
slides?
Slides and all materials will be posted on the EuroSTAR website as well as emailed to you.
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Join the conversation on Twitter
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@sgershon
Continue the conversation with the speaker on Twitter after the show!
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About Shmuel – Indicators and Metrics
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Facebook Friends
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200
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LinkedIn Contacts
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Real Life
Stuff Shmuel Tries
Pass
Fail
Uncertain

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About Shmuel –
Let’s try again!

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About Shmuel – Biographic Notes
• Claims more than 34 years
of experience
• ~15 of them employed
• His main occupation is
software, and testing.
Which means he deals with
people.
• Works in a team of ~20
at Intel in Jerusalem
• Shmuel also likes flying
kites – and riding caster
boards!
• An avid reader and
obsessed note-taker

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Good stories
require good notes!
Same happens in your
professional life and work
routine.
Good notes reframe the
question of…
“What Have You Done?”

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Why taking notes
Ou
•
•
Inwards
• Notes
• introspection/reflectio
n tools
• help you understand
• help you remember
• keep you focused

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Learning to Take Notes
The Process of
Adequate Note Taking is
• Self-Calibrating
• Our Best ally:
• consciousness and
intentionality
• Be deliberate on
every note!

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Learning to Take NotesThe tool is not the master!
Shmuel’s note-take mediums:
• Physical Pocket Notebooks
• Computer
• Rapid Reporter
• Notepad
• OneNote
• Email
• Blog
• Pulse Digital Pen
• Cellphone notes
• Post Its
• Book Margins
• Napkins!

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<Content-Type: Time Context>
Remember, notes act as
• Historical Account
• Evidence Records
• Line of Thoughts
• Preparations
• Record of Path to Aim
(& Gives Aim to Aimlessness)
• Communication Devices
• Future Planning

Take notes as you go
Taking notes upon events
Taking notes after the fact
"You have to give yourself
permission to write freely.“
"If you get stuck, write
'I see' or 'I wonder'
and fill in your own blanks."
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What to include
• Steps Performed
• Trials Done
• Problems Encountered
• Questions Found
• Solutions Achieved
• Assumptions Inferred
• Offenses Taken
• X perfect
• X lacking
• > Adequate
• Fit for Purpose
• Debrief?
• Audit?
• Drawer?
<Content-Type: Substance>

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Good Note-Taking Principles!
Intrinsic Principles:
• Complete Phrases
• One-Liners
• Intentional
• Self Organizing
• == Self-Classifying
I – Important
C - Content
A - Assessment
Setup, Note, T
est, Bug, Ques
tion...

Simple
Tools
Complex
tools
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Note-Taking Tools
If notes are hard to take – one does not take good notes.
• Pen & Paper
• Rapid Reporter
• Notepad
• Session Tester
• OneNote
• Visualization Methods
• Lists
• Mind-Maps (hierarchy)
• Tables (cross-
relationship)
• Timelines
• Flow charts

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Can’t we just record everything?
• Additional Pros:
• You don't miss details
• Well… many details
are not recorded
• And why the FOMO?
• No need to work!
• Additional Cons:
• Tell me what you
think, not what you did
• Poor reviewability
We can't
understand why
students tape
lectures.
They're not
only
unreliable, th
ey're a waste
of time.
These tools do
not implement
“the web of
abstract
concepts”
hiding behind.
Rapid Reporter
is like the
Pilot's log.
BB Test
Assistant is
like the flight
data recorder.
Taping
encourages
lazy note-
taking
and, there
fore, lazy
listening.

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Note-Taking Examples
Taken as a whole, with sporadic
memory flashes, the notes seem
to tell the story:
• Rain all night until dawn.
• By noon the sun burns
through, perfect day, not
even humid.
• Steadman is now worried
about fire.
• I obtained copies of
Yamma's first divorce
petition and
subsequent dismissal.
• Steele told me about
Rev. Jackson and the
6000 check.
• The Boston Globe
reported on
LaFrance's connection
with Swindall."

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• 3rd Jan 1805.
• Some Buffalos came near our
fort, 9 men went out but
killed none of them.
• 1 of the men killed a
beautiful white hare which is
common in this country.
• …

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?
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Credits/Sources
• Michael Bolton’s Tweets:
https://twitter.com/michaelbolton/status/353113919264534529
, https://twitter.com/michaelbolton/status/353108582532792320
• Napkin: http://www.samueltextor.ch/EVB-Napkin

'Reporting your Story: Note Taking in Software Tests' with Shmuel Gershon

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