Read Along- ‘Agile Testing’ Chapter-1

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“What is Agile Testing, Anyway?”

Points to remember and Quotable Quotes:

  • “Several core practices used by agile teams relate to testing.”
    • Programmers using TDD, code integration tests being written contribute to a successful project.
  • “Agile Testing just doesn’t mean testing on an agile project.”
    • Some testing approaches like exploratory testing are inherently agile, whether done in an agile project or not.
  • Testers are integral members of the customer team as well as development team
  • The best part of this chapter is Lisa and Janet’s wonderful stories on beginning with their first agile projects, and a realization by Janet’s co-worker, a developer in a team following XP on how they saw Janet’s contribution to the project.
  • “Testers don’t sit & wait for work; they get up and look for ways to contribute throughout the development cycle and beyond.”
  • Traditional vs Agile Testing
    • In Traditional approach – “Testing gets “squished” because coding takes longer than expected, and because teams get into a code-and-fix cycle at the end.
    • In Agile – “As an agile team member, you will need to be adaptive to the team’s needs
    • “Participants, tests, and tools need to be adaptive.”
  • “An Agile team is a wonderful place to be a tester”
  • The Whole-Team Approach –
    • “Everyone on an agile team gets “test-infected.”
    • “An agile team must possess all the skills needed to produce quality code that delivers the features required by the organization.”
    • “The whole team approach involves constant collaboration”
    • “On an agile team, anyone can ask for and receive help”
  • “The fact is, it’s all about quality – and if it’s not, we question whether it’s really an ‘agile’ team.”

Wanna Read along? Get your copy of the book at

https://www.flipkart.com/agile-testing/p/itmdytt85fzashud?pid=9788131730683

OR find a paperback or ebook version!

Read Along- ‘Agile Testing’ by Lisa Crispin & Janet Gregory

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Book Read Blogs Series

I used to love books, reading was a fun and satisfying hobby for the introverted teen I was. But lately I may have gotten away from it for known and unknown reasons. I want to pursue the passion again and hold myself accountable too. So, this year I am starting a ‘Read Along’ series on my blog.

“Agile Testing” by Lisa Crispin & Janet Gregory

I will begin by reading the book I had bought last year. “Agile Testing” by Lisa & Janet is a coveted read for all agile enthusiasts & testers and is also featured in the best books for testers at https://continuoustesting.blog/2020/01/17/most-recommended-software-testing-books-to-read-in-2020-and-beyond/

I have learnt agile testing by doing it, learning it hands-on, training & running courses on agile testing for professionals. I wanted to enhance my knowledge by reading the professional work by these awesome ladies.

So, I will be reading the book and will post about learnings, things to remember & quotable quotes from each chapter as I progress. This is to hold myself accountable, as well as to help people looking for good reads or learnings. Hope this helps you. Have you read this book? Do share your thoughts & learnings too!

Here are the links to the Chapter-wise posts for this book-

Chapter-1 What is Agile Testing Anyway

Chapter-2 The Principles for Agile Testers

Chapter-3 Cultural Challenges

Chapter-4 Team Logistics

Chapter-5 Transitioning Typical Processes

Chapter-6. The purpose of Testing

Chapter-7 Technology Facing Tests that support the team

Chapter-8 Business Facing Tests that support the team

Chapter-9 Toolkit for Business facing tests that support the team

Chapter-10 Business facing tests that Critique the product

Chapter-11 Critiquing the product using Technology facing tests

Chapter-12 Summary of Testing Quadrants

Chapter-13 Why we want to automate tests and what holds us back?

Chapter-14 An Agile Test Automation Strategy

Chapter-15 An Iteration in the Life of a Tester

Chapter-16 Hit the Ground Running

Chapter-17 Iteration Kickoff

Chapter-18 Coding & Testing

Chapter-19 Wrap up the Iteration

Chapter-20 Successful Delivery

Chapter-21 Key Success Factors

Hope this Read Along Series offers some meaningful insights into this wonderful book and some quick pointers for those looking to get started or get more proficient in their agile testing ways!

Happy Testing!

Nishi

How to become a self-taught Tester in 2020

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Learning is an ongoing process, and hopefully a lifelong one. Being a professional in any field requires you to constantly update your knowledge and continue to learn.

Software testing is a very in-demand role, so many people aspire to get into this line of work — but they may not know where to begin.

If you are fresh out of college or looking to switch careers, even if you are not from a computing or engineering background at all, you can jump-start your career in testing. In my article published at TestRail blog, I have given some tips and advice on how to become a self-taught software tester this year.

Read

Books provide a world of knowledge, and despite shifting trends, books can never be outdated, as older ideas can give you a foundation for new information. Reading a book allows you to delve deeper into a topic of your choice at your own pace.

  • Begin by searching for books on software testing, quality assurance practices, and industry leaders.
  • Then seek books that can help you start applying the knowledge.
  • If picking up a physical book is not your cup of tea, read online — there are many great portals with awesome content, articles, and ideas.

Diversify Your Knowledge

Software testing is not a singular skill; it requires a number of skills, both technical and non-technical. When beginning your quest to learn about software testing, delve into various areas of the domain and look for what interests you the most.

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TestPage–Reader’s Paradise

Nishi Grover Garg

This is a test page

Welcome to a place where you can find the best content related to software testing, test automation and agile space.

Difference Between Human Testing & Test Automation

Human Testing is a craft that is more than executing a bunch of tests, performing clicks and actions. A tester has a unique understanding of the system and ways to critique it. Over time, the tester develops a deeper comprehension of the application and its intricacies, integrations, weak points, and history. This makes them the best judge to find out the failure points of the system and comment on its health.

While automated checks can help in determining problems in what we know (and have scripted as checks), it may not help as much in the risk areas of what we do not know about the product. That requires exploration, creativity, intuition and domain knowledge. This is the human aspect of testing.

The creative and human aspects of testing lie with the tester, which I have experienced as well as written about a few years back as a hands-on tester myself here – https://testwithnishi.com/2014/12/31/automation-test-suites-are-not-god/

Int-Pieces

Testing and Checking are partners!

The Art of Bug Advocacy

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Testers find defects and raise awareness about quality. What happens after the bugs are found can be any tester’s guess, though. Bugs may get delayed, postponed, go unnoticed or linger on due to lack of information.

In my article for Ranorex blog, I talk about how Testers need to champion the cause of their bugs in order to avoid unneeded delays in fixing defects that are important. At the same time, testers should maintain a distance to make it an impersonal and impartial experience. Testers need to master the art of bug advocacy!

Why is advocacy important?

Advocacy is basically pleading the case for a bug to be fixed. The testers who find the bugs are the ones who need to advocate for their bugs. It is important that they take a stand and voice their opinions.

Some bugs may not be deemed important from a business perspective, as they seem too small. But in reality, they may be blocking an important feature for a particular user group. On the other hand, some bugs may seem more critical than they truly are, and while fixing them may be important, it may not be the highest of priority.

Whatever the case, testers must aim to present the facts and data in such a way that decision-makers are able to make well-informed resolutions about the issue.

Communication is key

Advocating for anything is not a one-way street. It takes discussion, debate and reaching a consensus on key points to make a collective decision. This is where testers’ communication skill plays a key role. Testers need to have good communication, both verbal and written.

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Understanding Burnout Symptoms in Tech Workers

Nishi Grover Garg4 Comments

Work in the tech industry is very demanding. We pointed out before in our article entitled ‘Mental Health for People in Tech’ that this industry is characterized not only by long work hours, but also high stress and great pressure to perform well — all of which can adversely impact your mental health. Not only that, but they can also cause burnout, which is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a syndrome caused by chronic and unmanaged workplace stress. Sadly, we often fail to recognize when we are suffering from it.

That said, this article will help you identify burnout symptoms so you can understand this syndrome better for yourself and for those around you who might be experiencing it too.

The Symptoms

The following are some warning signs of burnout:

Irritability and indifference

Tech Republic notes in an article on burnout warning signs that being irritable and indifferent are telltale signs of burnout. Granted, getting irritated is a normal reaction — but if it happens more than usual or if you end up snapping at someone for the smallest reason, you’re likely burned out. The same holds true when both your attention to detail and job interest wane. This increasing detachment is one of the three dimensions of burnout, according to the WHO.

Exhaustion

It’s normal to feel tired at the end of your work shift, but if you feel drained just hours (or even minutes) after starting work, then you’re probably burned out. This energy depletion is yet another dimension of burnout, and it can be exacerbated by the long hours expected of you.

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Personality Traits that make a great tester

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Testing concepts and techniques can be learned. But having a knack for testing is different. What makes someone a born tester? What are some personality traits and skills that can make a person innately good at this profession?

In my latest article published at https://blog.gurock.com/natural-traits-great-tester/ , I have described four traits that belong to people who naturally make great testers. Developing these traits can help you in your testing career, and if you are a manager, these are the traits to seek when looking to hire new testers for your team!

  • Communication
  • Empathy
  • Curiosity
  • Meticulous Organisation

These traits may not have much to do with technical side of the job, but they surely contribute to the testing mindset and success of a great tester in a team. Read the full article -> https://blog.gurock.com/natural-traits-great-tester/

Speaking & Hosting the Testing Olympiad @SeleniumDay Bangalore- My Experience Report

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My company @Sahi Pro was a proud sponsor and Exhibitor at the Selenium Day Event organised by 1.21GWs on 30-31st Jan 2020 at Bengaluru, where I was involved in a number of ways-

>I presented a talk on “Layered Approach to Test Automation”

Presenting My Talk at Selenium Day

>Sahi Pro team had put up a demo booth with engaging discussions, quiz and goodies for the attending delegates

Team demonstrating Sahi Pro at the Booth

>I also got to organize and host a fun and engaging Testing Olympiad Finale at the event! The event team had organised on online quiz followed by a Semi-Final round in the day of the event. The finalists were the 4 teams selected base don their performance and @Sahi Pro was tasked with creating a suitable finale to select the Best Testing Team.

I got to work and wracked my brain on how best to create the quiz such that it is suited for the varied levels and profiles of participating test personnel, does justice to their knowledge and is a fair ground for all, and is fun and engaging not only for the delegates but also for the audience. I came up with 5 rounds conducted in a stage show style format , each very different and relevant to diff areas like 1) Testing fundamentals – On the Clock 2) Attention-to-Detail- Buzzer round that checks Tester’s key skills 3)DevOps & Test automation round 4) Audio – Visual Round and 5) Rapid Fire round for the top 3 teams.

Our Sahi Pro team helped me conduct the quiz beautifully by keeping time, managing the score-boards and helping with the audience questions. This sure was the highlight of the day for not only the finalist participants but also the audience as they got a chance to win exciting Sahi Pro goodies!

Me hosting the Testing Olympiad Finale

The winners were announced after a thrilling contest comprising 5 rounds of Testing fundamentals, DevOps & Automation round, Audi-visual round, Attention to detail and the final Rapid Fire Round! The details of the winners have been announced here too – https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6629658639214972928/

We felicitated the winners along with 1.21GWs organising team and ended the day with some cool pictures as memories of the grand day!

Felicitating the Winners

I learnt a lot while preparing the quiz, talking to my peers and friends on improving it, collating feedback and improving it over a course of 3 weeks. I also enjoyed conducting the event as a host – keeping the energy alive, engaging audiences, cheering & motivating participants and keeping it fair at all times! I am excited to say we received such great feedback and kudos from the organisers for putting up a great show! #Grateful

Looking forward to many more great events in 2020! 🙂

Upcoming Talks and Events 2020

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The year 2020 has started on a good note. I am excited to have been invited to speak at amazing events. Here is a list of my upcoming talks and events–

The details of each of these events and my talks can be found at their respective websites at->

Selenium Day : https://seleniumday.com/

DevopsCon Singapore: https://devopscon.io/singapore/program-singapore/

TestBash Detroit: https://www.ministryoftesting.com/events/testbash-detroit-2020

Looking forward to each of these!

*********UPDATE********

Things changes drastically as 2020 progressed.

Events have been postponsed / cancelled / moved online due to lockdowns due to COVID-19 Pandemic

You will find new details of the events , schedule and my talks in later posts.

**************************

The Partnership of Testing and Checking

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Human Testing is a craft that is more than executing a bunch of tests, performing clicks and actions. A tester has a unique understanding of the system and ways to critique it. Over time, the tester develops a deeper comprehension of the application and its intricacies, integrations, weak points, and history. This makes them the best judge to find out the failure points of the system and comment on its health.

The Product Risk Knowledge Gap is the difference between what we know about the product and what we need to know. The purpose of testing is to close or at least reduce this gap.

While automated checks can help in determining problems in what we know (and have scripted as checks), it may not help as much in the risk areas of what we do not know about the product. That requires exploration, creativity, intuition and domain knowledge. This is the human aspect of testing.

The creative and human aspects of testing lie with the tester, which I have experienced as well as written about a few years back as a hands-on tester myself here – https://testwithnishi.com/2014/12/31/automation-test-suites-are-not-god/

Your Name: Review:

Automated Checks-

Automated scripts have some built-in steps in the form of test data that we pre-define and verifications that we add. These steps are helpful for areas of the application that we need to check, double-check or re-check a number of times, and because these types of checks can be made explicit, they can be automated. Since the same steps will be performed the same way over and over again, it is better called “checking” rather than “testing.”

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