Top 10 TechWell Insights Stories of 2018
Many teams are embracing new practices, and several of last year's most-read stories reflect that, with topics such as AI, DevOps, and continuous testing. But it looks like lots of teams also want to get back to basics, because guides to tried-and-true agile and testing methods also ranked high. Check out the roundup.
10. Is Shifting Left Forcing Developers to Become Testers?
Even if it’s the testers who are asked to make some of the biggest changes when it comes to the concept of shifting left, they’re rarely the ones who are calling the shots. When it comes to testing earlier and more often during a project, it’s management making the big decisions. By Josiah Renaudin
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9. The Future of Artificial Intelligence in Education
There will be many new roles for AI to play in future “developed” classrooms. Artificial neural networks will make it possible for robots to perform tasks through simple observation without programming, which will make their use limitless in a school setting. Here are some ways AI can be put to good use in a classroom. By Kevin Nelson
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8. Why Smart People Sometimes Do Dumb Things
Smart people sometimes do things that are not so smart. In fact, smarter people are actually more vulnerable to thinking errors than those who are less smart, causing them to make unwise decisions. If you’re a smart person, the smartest thing you can do may be to recognize the ways in which you are not so smart. By Naomi Karten
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7. Software Testing Trends for 2018
The software testing trends that are being predicted for the new year are all over the place. Rajini Padmanban looks at the predicted trends for software testing while also examining what she is already seeing as the common requests and needs in the field. By Rajini Padmanaban
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6. 6 Skills Needed for Exceptional Exploratory Testing
While anyone can claim to be an exploratory tester, only those with a set of honed skills will discover hard-to-find bugs that could impact your mobile app or website. Exploratory testers must possess these six skills if they are to find the edge cases that could derail a successful software release. By Nicholas Roberts
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5. Continuous Testing Is Not Automation
Many people confuse continuous testing with test automation. That makes sense, because you cannot do continuous testing without automated tests. But it is much more. Continuous testing has a higher-level maturity that could require a totally different way of working—but it also gives a faster path to production. By Adam Auerbach
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4. Interface Grief: Is It Agile, or Just Bad Software Engineering?
There are people who will use "being agile" to justify software engineering practices that could be perceived as lazy or even bad. The specifications are going to change, they say, so it would be a waste to engineer more to begin with than the minimum viable product. What's expediency and what's just poor practice? By Payson Hall
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3. The Role of the Test Manager in Agile
In traditional software processes, test managers are responsible for all management aspects of their team. Agile, however, is self-directed, so teams handle all the usual duties. Still, there is a role for test managers in agile, and it’s much more strategic than it was before. Here are the opportunities for the role. By Jeffery Payne
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2. Testing the Requirements: A Guide to Requirements Analysis
Everyone knows testing requirements is important, and everyone says they do it, but it seems like no one knows exactly how. The best way to solve this problem is to introduce a requirements analysis stage that has to be done before coding starts. No one knows a product as well as a tester who works with it every day. By Evgeny Tkachenko
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1. The Manager’s Role on a Self-Organizing Agile Team
Scrum and other agile methods focus on team roles and dynamics, and because of the emphasis on self-organizing teams, there’s sometimes a misconception that there’s no need for a manager. In reality, good people management can help an agile team thrive—the manager just has to know how to empower the team. By Steve Berczuk
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