Is Testing Last in Line?
A post on the Software Testing Club, Is Testing Last in Line? seems oh so familiar to complaints (if that that is they are) heard for as long as I've been in software (and I'm in my 29th year).
I think all of the responses to the blog are reasonable - but the underlying assumption in all (most) of them is that the tester is responsible for getting:
a) involved early
b) involved heavily
Now of course, there are arguments that we have all had drummed into us since the 1970s that can be used to support both of these aims. But they tend to exclude the viewpoint of the stakeholder. (To me a stakeholder is anyone who is interested in the outcome of testing).
Why were we not automatically involved earlier, if it is so self-evident we should be?
Was no one interested in what we could tell them (given access to whatever products were being produced) at the time? Do stakeholders think we produce so little of interest?
Why don't we get the time, budget, people and resources to test as much as we could?
The same challenges apply. And the conclusions are uncomfortable.
By and large our stakeholders are not stupid. If it is self-evident to us that we should be involved earlier, more and more often, why isn't it obvious to them? Howling at the moon won't help us.
Surely we need to engage with stakeholders:
What exactly do they want from us? When? In what format? How frequently? How flexibly? How thoroughly? and so on.
Testing is 'last in line' with good reason. We dont engage, we don't articulate what we do well enough, we provide data, not information, we provide it late (self-fulfilling prophecy time here), we focus on bugs rather than business goals, we write documents when we need to deliver intelligence, we find bugs, when we need to provide evidence of success, we refuse to judge and give our stakeholders nothing when they need our support most etc. etc.
Every ten years or so, I get depressed when the next "big thing" arrives and it appears that, well... it's the same old same old with a different label. New technologies offer new opportunities I guess and after reading a text book or two I get on board.
But for as long as I can remember, testers have been complaining that testing is 'last in line' and they BLAME OTHERS. Surely it's time to look at how WE behave as testers? Surely, we should look at what we are doing wrong rather than blame others?
Comments
Hi,As the term "tester"
Hi,
As the term "tester" implies that we can do a task when there's something to test. Testers in every field (not only in software) are the "last in line". So, getting into frontline is too much to ask. But what we can expect that we can be more involved than be considered as a 2nd fiddle. But as a professional tester for sometime I think that the perception about tester & testing industry is slowly changing.....But then if we get more share of pie than I as a tester have no problem :)
Regards,
Tania
Re:Re:Is Testing Last in Line?
I probably should have phrased it better. I didn't mean to convey that we should be covert and Secret Squirrel about it, just that as testing is sometimes left last in line we may need to remind people that including us early can and will make everybodies lifes easier and we're not there to only find the bugs. Given the chance we can help stop the bugs being created but we need to be included (and include) from the get go.
Covert or overt information finding
I understand exactly where you are coming from Tony. But I think that it's preferable (and usually possible) to operate in an overt rather than covert way.
If our mission (impossible haha) is to extract information to help our stakeholders to make decisions, by and large, our stakeholders are keen to share their goals and concerns to guide our thinking. (My definition of *testing stakeholders* are anyone interested in the outcome of tests).
Stakeholders who are sponsors or users are usually independent and have some power and influence over the project and tend to be very goal and risk focused - exactly what we want - if you can reach them. Stakeholders who are project managers or developers may wish to hide some information, but their interests lie more in understanding the state of the deliverables of their project (to manage progress or address anomalies respectively).
So, if you recast the role of a tester as an intelligence gatherer, you have a better chance of people inviting you to meetings, copying documents, sharing knowledge, collaborating with and opening doors for you.
If however, you cast the role of tester as one who 'only finds bugs' this is a more threatening stance to some people and ultimately self-defeating. You *may* have to operate in a covert manner, and you may need to prepare for people to block and undermine you. It's so easy to fall into this 'us and them' trap.
Of course, we all have to operate in projects with political or commercial constraints. Like all project participants, we need to be street-wise to deal with these influences. But that's not usually a problem just for for testers.
Also, I agree entirely that we need skills other than technical testing skills to achieve our testing goals. Yes, there are times when we need to cajole, muscle in, challenge, interpret, explain, influence and persuade etc. etc. ... interpersonal skills can be more important.
In general, I think we should be open and honest and people will respect that and respond positively.
Re:Is Testing Last in Line?
I find, as we all probably have, that being in testing means you are sometimes a jack of all trades, you can end up being part Project Manager, part Business Analyst, part Developer, etc.
In order for testing to be involved earlier I find it sometimes helps to be part Spy.
Check calendars, look for meetings you believe you could add value to, get yourself on them.
Keep an eye out for 'water cooler gatherings', happen to walk along and join the conversation.
Talk to the people involved, find out what they are upto, volunteer yourself to help, discuss ideas, input from a testing perspective and from just being another brain.
Become part of the intelligence gathering community so that you can add more value when you get to the information gathering.
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