The document discusses growing great test analysts by creating an environment where they can develop professionally. It recommends recognizing analysts as people capable of any task, investing in their growth through vision, training, and support, and establishing structures and culture that encourage formal test analysis practices over ad hoc approaches. The goal is to develop test analysts into professionals and move away from views of "testers" as "cowboys".

1. Growing Great Test
Analysts

2. Cowboys
• Have you ever heard a Test Analyst call a
Developer a cowboy?
• 50% of test organisations use formal test
design in their planning and analysis
• Of these, only 25% use more than one formal
test design technique
• If we don’t use formal methods are we any
better?
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3. Defining the problem
• There are few formal university qualifications
in testing
• People come into testing from a wide variety
of backgrounds, often almost by accident
• People learn testing ad hoc on the job, they
are constrained by the knowledge of those
around them
• It is possible to achieve of moderate degree of
success with native cunning
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4. A solution
• Fundamentally effective software testing
requires effective software test analysts
• Software testing is about people and
relationships
• We need to recognise that those around us
can be viewed in one of two ways:
o As resources capable of certain tasks and not of
others
o As people capable of any task
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5. Whose job is it?
• Fundamentally it is everyone’s job
• Start with yourself – how can you grow?
• A model for discipleship
o Show them
o Have them show you
o Release them
• Everyone can and should be doing this and
expecting it
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6. Cultural Architecture
• People are like plants
• The gardeners job is to create an environment
the plants will grow in
• Gardens are designed to grow some kinds of
plants and not others
• What kind of environment will cause great
testers to grow?
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7. Light – Inspiring your team
• Without vision the people perish
• We must take time to articulate vision; many
people don’t really understand why they test
• Three levels of vision
o Personal
o Team/Organisational
o Professional
• Tie them all together
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8. Fertiliser – Investing in People
• We must invest in the people that make up our
team, we have to feed them
• They need us to commit the following:
o Belief
o Time
o Effort
o Money
• The Principle of Reciprocity: the more we
invest in others the more they are motivated to
invest in us
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9. Stakes and Pruning
• It is better to provide a plant with a way to
grow rather than cut off unwanted growth
• Give people a recognised structure to work
within
• Stop unwanted behaviours early
• Be clear on what is, and what is no, desirable
• Test Analysis should be the industry focus
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10. Water - Enculture
• Plants grow together and influence each
other’s growth
• Be what you want them to become
• The only thing you have any degree of real
control over is yourself
• If you want to change a relationship/situation,
change yourself
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11. What’s in a name?
• We are commonly called testers?
• What is testing
• We are Test Analysts
• We do Test Analysis
• To my mind:
o “Testers” = “Cowboy”
o “Test Analyst” = “Professional”
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