Ingo Philipp

Excellent Software Testing

Is your test automation just creating faster chaos? Learn to treat testing as a human-centric information service that enables better decisions.

Excellent Software Testing
#1about 3 minutes

Software testing is a thinking activity, not a tooling one

Tools are like glasses that help you see, but the real work of testing happens in your head as a cognitive process.

#2about 6 minutes

The goal of testing is to close the knowledge gap

Testing is an information service that reduces uncertainty about a product, enabling stakeholders to make better-informed decisions.

#3about 1 minute

Introducing Alice, the persona of an excellent software tester

The characteristics of excellent software testing are explored through the story of a fictional tester named Alice.

#4about 4 minutes

Testing is a social and human-centric science

An excellent tester understands that quality is subjective, bugs are rooted in human thinking, and automation must be strategically managed.

#5about 4 minutes

Adapting testing practices to context and purpose

Effective testing requires adapting techniques to the specific context and evaluating the software's purpose, not just its specification.

#6about 3 minutes

Learning from history and collaborating with the team

Testers should build a learning culture from past mistakes and involve the entire team's brainpower, while accepting testing's inherent limitations.

#7about 3 minutes

Viewing testing as experimentation and stakeholder empathy

Testing is an adaptive investigation that challenges assumptions and requires understanding diverse stakeholder perspectives to properly assess risk.

#8about 3 minutes

The power of curiosity and critical thinking in testing

Asking simple questions, balancing cost against risk, and maintaining a healthy skepticism are essential for uncovering deep issues.

#9about 5 minutes

Communicating results and providing quality assistance

A tester's role is to communicate problems with empathy, tell a clear story about the testing process, and assist others in improving quality.

#10about 2 minutes

Excellent testing is fast, credible, and accountable

The story of Alice is a composite of many excellent testers, and true expertise comes from learning from the giants in the field.

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