There's a simple rule for the minimum values testers should explore: “none, one, some”—or, how the software behaves if you send it nothing, one thing, or some set greater than one. It's not comprehensive, but it gives a good feel for how the feature works at the moment. Developers can also use this in unit testing.
I have been a professional software tester in various capacities since 2005. In my current role, I am a consulting software tester and writer working with Excelon Development. Outside of work, I am currently serving on the Association For Software Testing Board of Directors as VP of Education helping to facilitate and develop projects like BBST and WHOSE. I am also a student in the Miagi-Do school of software testing, and facilitate sessions for Weekend Testing Americas.
I am deeply interested in software testing and delivery, and also helping organizations fix problems in measurement and metrics programs.
All Stories by Justin Rohrman
Testing is an accessible career choice for people who don't come from the typical paths into a tech job. Previous jobs and formal education should matter less than the abilities to observe, identify risks, and report that information. How can we change our interview processes to highlight these skills and mindset?
There are lots of tool options out there for UI automation. Cypress is an interesting tool for browser automation because the architectural overhead is lower since there is no emphasis on page objects, and it encourages you to manage state by building tests as small as possible. Here's how it gives you concise tests.
Testers need to find important information about product quality and present it in a way that can be acted upon. As the people building the software, developers are in a great position to observe the product. By monitoring the test environment and conducting unit testing, they can help inform about product quality.
More and more companies are shifting toward having their developers responsible for product quality. But how do you conduct good testing when there are no testers? The key is to optimize efforts. Here are some of the fundamentals of testing that your developers should understand, as well as some skills they'll need.
Tools are a normal part of testing jobs because they can amplify our ability to learn about product quality. It's a good idea to review new tools for automation, performance, or monitoring to see if some solution will help you test better. Before you even look at tools, though, there are two questions you should ask.
Testers fill in their assumptions about the project, domain, and technology with things they learn while testing and while talking with people. Sometimes the information they learn is good, but sometimes they miss something important. Here are two quick wins for filling in those assumptions with good information.