Test Leadership is so important is because it’s needed to help testing be responsive to change. The complexity and level of uncertainty within which we now test means we can’t hold rigidly to doctrine or external process.
Today I went to Agile Australia as an attendee. That’s a first for me, usually, I’m speaking. It was wonderful to go with a different purpose, which is to learn from others. Typically, if I’m speaking I’m so focused on ‘my talk’ and getting ready for ‘my talk’ that I don’t feel very open to […]
One of my first recollections of physics is the image of Archimedes running down the street, dripping wet from his bath and shouting: “Eureka I found it!” on discovering his principle of fluid displacement to measure the force. Add to that Isaac Newton who quietly sat under an apple tree, musing the day away until he discovered […]
Oh tester why dost thou despair? The code is right of this we are aware! We verify. We know what we do know No need to doubt and think of all this woe! Instead be bright and bring us certainty, Let Done be Done, thus ends this homily!
Does the thought of ‘dropping the ball’ fill you with dread ? Perhaps you feel you will let people down, or more importantly yourself? Here’s a thought experiment: What if you actually let the ball drop? Do you know what might happen? Will the sky fall? Are people let down? If so, is that so bad? We […]
My family and I arrived in Dublin on a cold dark wintry November night in 2008. At least metaphorically speaking it was. It was right after the GFC and we watched a country and economy wrestle with the prospect of becoming bankrupt. Regardless, Dublin’s IT and entrepreneurial spirit flourished. People who were made redundant invested […]
Ever been on a long car journey packed with young kids? I remember these eight-hour drives with six kids crammed into a car driving to our holiday destination. My younger brother, in particular, was annoying, constantly asking questions and irritating his sisters. By far the most irritating question (especially to our parents) was: Are we […]
Michael Bolton tweeted yesterday: Testers: let’s not obsess over trying to be influential, and work on being helpful. And let’s be careful to offer—not inflict—help. #testing — Michael Bolton (@michaelbolton) October 16, 2013 Why do testers insist on trying to be influential? I suspect part of the reason is that part of a tester’s job […]
I wrote this email to Helen today who emailed me a letter seeking work. I thought it pretty much summarises what Testing Times stands for. Dear Helen, Thanks for contacting me through my website. Firstly, I want to congratulate you. Not many people bother to read my website properly and send me the information I […]
In a moment of retrospection, I feel my desire and ability to solve problems is sometimes more of a curse than an asset. Perhaps in my drive to solve problems, I forget something crucial. That is, that often its not about solving a problems its about having the conversation.