tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-228609132024-03-15T18:10:12.498-07:00Red Earth QA of Central OklahomaThe Red Earth QA SIG is an Information Technology organization that focuses on improving the quality of software implementation projects by sharing information on testing tools and techniques. This also includes networking with peers that may or may not be full-time Quality Assurance staff.Red Earth QAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327009425028217744noreply@blogger.comBlogger250125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-87580133459879555342013-08-06T05:37:00.002-07:002013-08-06T05:43:32.000-07:00Behavior-Driven DevelopmentI spoke last week at the OK SPIN meeting on Behavior-Driven Development. Here are the slides and notes from that meeting.<br />
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If you would like to get the code I used in the demo, let me know.<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4xOrnUuWgtPdUJvOEt3dXdJZUU/edit?usp=sharing">https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4xOrnUuWgtPdUJvOEt3dXdJZUU/edit?usp=sharing</a><br />
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<br />Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-88394349951597605402013-07-17T05:43:00.002-07:002013-07-17T05:43:56.533-07:00Test Automation for Bug Fix VerificationRecently, I've been looking at Behavior Driven Development. The gist of this approach is that you write stories that describe your system behavior (or desired system behavior) and then feed that into your test system.<br />
<br />
Here is a sample story.<br />
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<a href="http://jbehave.org/images/Images.001.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://jbehave.org/images/Images.001.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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This highly-structured (plain English) format can be parsed and used to direct your automation code. Originally, this was meant as a way to describe new functionality.<br />
<br />
But consider this. Suppose you wrote stories like this for the expected behavior as a part of each defect report. Additionally, suppose you had a system that would:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>go through each fixed defect for a new build</li>
<li>extract any attached story</li>
<li>run that story through your test automation system</li>
<ul>
<li>if passed, close the ticket</li>
<li>if failed, attach a screenshot/log file/etc. of the failure</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
How much time would that save? How much quicker could new builds be verified?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'll be giving this more thought and come up with something I hope finds its way to a future blog post.</div>
Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-68942526255682781482013-07-15T14:08:00.002-07:002013-07-15T14:08:48.235-07:00OK SPIN - Summer Meeting <div class="b6" style="background-color: white; border-top-color: rgb(229, 229, 229); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 5px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 20px; width: 408px;">
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Wednesday, July 31st, 6pm</div>
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201 David L Boren Blvd University of Oklahoma South Campus, Norman, OK 73072 </div>
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<b>Come to the Summer OK SPIN meeting. At this meeting, we will look at an approach to producing software that has lots of interesting features:</b><br />- Can be applied to agile as well as waterfall approaches (even when there is no process!)<br />- Supplements (or establishes) clear documentation of system functionality<br />- While there is programming support for this, you can still get a benefit even without using the technology side.<br />- This documentation becomes direct input to system testing, requiring no human interpretation once the testing framework is configured.<br />- Changes to documentation are immediately available for system testing<br />- There are programming tools (including IDE plugins) to streamline the process of using this documentation for system testing.<br />- The testing output uses the original documentation to indicate which tests pass and which tests fail.<br /><br />(Can you guess what type of tool this is?)<br /><br />From 6pm to 7pm, come and mingle with other software professionals.<br /><br />From 7pm to 8pm, we will have the presentation.<br /><br />Hope to see you there!</div>
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https://plus.google.com/events/cdhb06s2kncfm2ch2chc32q93b8?partnerid=gplp0&authkey=COfpg_7Xlq-JGw<br />
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<br />Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-38624056619846685842013-05-30T08:34:00.000-07:002013-05-30T08:34:09.185-07:00TriggersMichael Lopp is one of my favorite authors when I think about being a software professional.<br />
<br />
This article is a great view into working with others.<br />
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http://www.randsinrepose.com/archives/2013/05/28/triggers.htmlRobert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-61551371656749781602013-05-18T21:19:00.003-07:002013-05-18T21:19:18.735-07:00Secret CodeAfter taking a class on crypto, this made me chuckle...<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdrN9lOw6po">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdrN9lOw6po</a><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/rdrN9lOw6po?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-38631760558148306362013-05-18T19:17:00.003-07:002013-05-18T19:17:24.077-07:00Fill out a survey about Software Testers<br style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Hey Software Testers!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Help out Randy Rice by filling out a short survey.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">http://randallrice.blogspot.com/2013/05/help-with-survey-on-software-test.html</span>Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-85439691799164490132013-04-30T20:21:00.001-07:002013-04-30T20:21:03.608-07:00How to de-motivate your team<a href="http://randallrice.blogspot.com/2011/12/video-on-how-to-de-motivate-your-team.html">http://randallrice.blogspot.com/2011/12/video-on-how-to-de-motivate-your-team.html</a><br />
<br />
Randy is a great guy. Here is a great sample of his insight.Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-642062184940932852013-04-23T14:43:00.001-07:002013-04-23T14:43:53.820-07:00Videos of Computer TechnologyI've spoken about the Security Now! podcast before. The AskMrWizard.com site has posted videos that illustrate the concepts from the podcast<br />
<br />
http://www.askmisterwizard.com/EZINE/SecurityNow/SecurityNowIllustrated.htm<br />
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Enjoy!Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-48410448482441038272013-03-28T11:01:00.000-07:002013-03-28T11:01:17.889-07:004 Things to Remember (about metrics, from Cem Kaner)<br />
Cem Kaner is one of the few researcher / educators out there that focuses on Software Quality Assurance full-time.<br />
<br />
I ran across this article (linked below) where he talks about metrics. Here is the final slide, but you'll want to review the whole thing to get the details.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>4 Things to Remember</b></div>
1. Yes, most software metrics are (to some degree) invalid.<br />However, that doesn’t reduce the need for the information we are<br />trying to get from them.<br />2. I think it’s part of the story of humanity that we’ve always worked<br />with imperfect tools and always will. We succeed by learning the<br />strengths, weaknesses and risks of our tools, improving them<br />when we can, and mitigating their risks.<br />3. We need to look for the truths behind our numbers. This involves<br />discovery and cross-validation of patterns across data, across<br />analyses, and over time. The process is qualitative.<br />4. Qualitative analysis is more detailed and requires a greater<br />diversity of skills than quantitative. Qualitative analysis is not a free<br />(or even a cheap) lunch. We evaluate the quality of quantitative<br />measures by critically considering their validity. An equally<br />demanding evaluation for qualitative measures considers their<br />credibility.</blockquote>
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http://kaner.com/pdfs/PracticalApproachToSoftwareMetrics.pdf<br />
Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-60171821756403914212013-01-29T06:07:00.002-08:002013-01-29T06:17:37.316-08:00Winter 2013 Meeting of OK SPIN<br style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.22em;" />
<a class="parsedLink" href="https://plus.google.com/events/cjgstjbf50eive03l3fjt8gbsjs?authkey=CJ7x_7zjgbvOjAE" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.22em;" target="_blank">https://plus.google.com/events/cjgstjbf50eive03l3fjt8gbsjs?authkey=CJ7x_7zjgbvOjAE</a><br />
<br style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.22em;" />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">We 've finally settled on a name, OK SPIN! The Oklahoma Software Professionals Interaction Network. Come join other professionals and discuss the challenges and solutions for producing software.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">We hope you can join us for our Winter 2013 meeting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">TOPIC: Tools</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">If you would like to prepare a 5-10 minute demo of a favorite tool, bring it with you and share with the group.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">LOCATION: We are on the OU campus at 3 Partners Place on the main floor. (see the map for details)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">TIME: Monday, Feb. 11, 6pm-8pm. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">AGENDA: 6pm-7pm Networking, 7pm-8pm Presentations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Refreshments will be served, please feel free to bring a meal to eat</span><br />
<br style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.22em;" />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">SPONSORS: If you would like to sponsor these meetings, please contact Robert at </span><a class="parsedEmail" href="http://mail.watkins.net/wm2/driver?nimlet=deggetemail&fn=Sent+Items&page=1&degMid=137&folderSelected=Sent+Items&uidValidity=1339721251&sfield=date&sorder=descending&reqReceipt=false#" name="robert@watkins.net" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.22em;" target="">robert@watkins.net</a><br />
<br style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.22em;" />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">QUESTIONS: If you have questions, contact Robert at robert@watkins.net</span><br />
<br style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.22em;" />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Follow the OK SPIN Community on Google+ and share your own ideas!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Google+ Community page for OK SPIN</span><br />
<a class="parsedLink" href="https://plus.google.com/communities/108846666538991188637" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.22em;" target="_blank">https://plus.google.com/communities/108846666538991188637</a>Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-60928973855556217432013-01-24T14:51:00.001-08:002013-01-24T14:51:40.704-08:00I finished Cryptography I !<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I started this course last year and it ended this week. It was a fun course and I enjoyed it very much. Cryptography II starts in a couple months. Yay!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDdRAs_YNHLUOlncisZW0mb0IghwoEZ1IIfcxPxfk8o4a00YMPq2f9P5dOije9eL9AbnGyuuq4wnSQaxMUz11A8zxg0QlWdZtmDax__P2aZtc3Gfwn_Jt4f3OB26G8hvgkKfoF/s1600/get_certificate.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDdRAs_YNHLUOlncisZW0mb0IghwoEZ1IIfcxPxfk8o4a00YMPq2f9P5dOije9eL9AbnGyuuq4wnSQaxMUz11A8zxg0QlWdZtmDax__P2aZtc3Gfwn_Jt4f3OB26G8hvgkKfoF/s320/get_certificate.png" width="243" /></a></div>
<br />Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-91467870999551743862013-01-23T17:43:00.002-08:002013-01-23T17:43:41.646-08:00Hold off taking "Software Testing" from Udacity<br />
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I was hoping to be able to recommend this course to others, but at this time I cannot. There is so much basic information lacking and and the exercises are vague and not based in the material being presented.<br />
<br />
Here are some specific examples.<br />
<br />
<b>Equivalent tests.</b> The lecture essentially said, 'equivalent tests are tests that test the same thing.' Something more along the lines of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalence_partitioning would have been appropriate.<br />
<br />
<b>Specifications</b>. The lecture basically said, 'you won't often get specs, so you will have to build them'. That's a correct statement, but there is quite a bit to do to actually perform this successfully. Talking to people (other than the developer) is conspicuously absent from the discussion. There is a non-developer that often has an expectation of how something should work. A discussion of 'test oracles' would have been appropriate (see http://www.softwarequalitymethods.com/Papers/OracleTax.pdf for an excellent read)<br />
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<b>GUI testing.</b> The lecture basically said,'try to randomly fire gui events'. Where is the discussion of modeling use cases as the start of test cases? Where is an attempt to understand the input/output of individual gui elements?<br />
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It's not so much that the content is wrong, but that there is no acknowledgement of the wide variety of approaches that are available to approach testing. I get the feeling that the authors of this course have spent the majority of their career in code and not in a manual testing role.<br />
<br />
Anyone else have experience with this class?<br />
Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-12704940613973165272013-01-17T11:19:00.001-08:002013-01-18T07:47:22.590-08:00Answering Loaded QuestionsAs a human, I am slow to evolve my behavior. For example, I was recently asked. "What is slowing the pace of development for the new regressions so much?"<br />
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In the past, I would have had a snarky response, or just gotten upset. I still got upset, but I didn't speak up at first. I gave it some thought.<br />
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Here's what I came up with. I found an article "Indirect Responses to Loaded Questions" from the 1960s. http://www.aclweb.org/anthology-new/T/T78/T78-1029.pdf . It describes how a natural language processor could handle such situations.<br />
<br />
Here's the gist:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Identify the assumptions in the question</li>
<li>Determine which are valid, invalid or unknown</li>
<li>Respond with at least one of the following types (called 'Corrective Indirect Responses')</li>
<ul>
<li>Answer a more general question</li>
<li>Offer the answer to a related question</li>
<li>Correct the assumption presumed to be true and indicate that it is either false or unknown.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
So, in my case, the assumptions and their validity are:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>I would know about the pace of developing new regression tests. (this is true)</li>
<li>The pace of developing the regression tests is slowing. (this is only true in a very narrow view of the situation)</li>
<li>There is an expected pace for the work. (this is not true)</li>
</ul>
<div>
I'm still thinking about my response. Here is a sample of what I've come up with.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>"As viewed through the project dashboard, the pace of the project has been pretty consistent, even if a bit slower than desired." </li>
<li>"Before I was asked to coordinate this work, the project had no measurable progress for over a year. It now has measurable progress."</li>
<li>"When we discussed applying normal project planning methods to this work, I was told that it was too much effort. If we had done that, we could answer this question clearly. We have not asked for any commitments of time for all the team members involved. We have not asked for estimates of the effort to complete the work. Both of these would help manage the progress of this work."</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
What would you do?</div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
UPDATE<br />
I thought about this some more. Here are some additional responses, focused on providing solutions, rather than defending or explaining the current state.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>"We can certainly discuss the pace of work. That will require agreeing to specific commitments with those doing the work."</li>
<li>"Let's discuss in detail specific estimates for the remaining work and available time with those doing the work so that we can get a better understanding of what the end date could be."</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-52103854078950742082013-01-08T20:03:00.001-08:002013-01-08T20:03:30.641-08:00UdacityHave you or anyone you know taken the software testing course from Udacity?<br />
<br />
http://www.udacity.com/overview/Course/cs258/CourseRev/1<br />
<br />
I think I'll give it a spin once my cryptography course is done.<br />
<br />Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-52309284747827525362013-01-07T14:56:00.003-08:002013-01-07T14:56:57.814-08:00Janitor MonkeyWhen I first heard about "Chaos Monkey" from Netflix, I was hooked. It's only job is to randomly kill processes to ensure that error handling and recovery works well.<br />
<br />
When I heard from Slashdot that "Janitor Monkey" was open-sourced, I again jumped for joy.<br />
<br />
From the article:<br />
<br />
"<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Janitor Monkey is part of the so-called</span><a href="http://techblog.netflix.com/2011/07/netflix-simian-army.html" style="background-color: white; color: #467b7e; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank"> Simian Army</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> of at least eight internal management tools, including Latency Monkey, which introduces artificial delays into the system, and </span><a href="http://slashdot.org/topic/bi/netflix-unleashes-open-source-chaos-monkey/" style="background-color: white; color: #467b7e; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: initial;">Chaos Monkey</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">. Some (but not all) of these tools have been open-sourced."</span><br />
<span id="curate-us-tag" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://s.tt/1y3BK" style="color: #467b7e; text-decoration: initial;"><img height="11" src="http://1.rp-api.com/3899110/via.png" style="border: none; padding-right: 3px; vertical-align: -12%;" width="12" />slashdot</a> (<a href="http://s.tt/1y3BK" style="color: #467b7e; text-decoration: initial;">http://s.tt/1y3BK</a>)</span><div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
How many systems that you work on are able to stand up to this kind of self-administered abuse? :)</div>
Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-58679373120520151692012-10-16T08:12:00.000-07:002012-10-16T08:12:02.282-07:00Did you ever wonder...?Did you ever wonder what happens when a program crashes and Windows asks if you would like to report the problem?<br />
<br />
Here is a report from a few years ago that talks about that process. Chapter 6 is an interesting look at how effective their 'automatic bucketing' of bugs is.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://research.microsoft.com/pubs/81176/sosp153-glerum-web.pdf">http://research.microsoft.com/pubs/81176/sosp153-glerum-web.pdf</a><br />
<br />
Enjoy!Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-56425659647203776332012-10-06T19:38:00.002-07:002012-10-06T19:38:19.449-07:00Essential Software Test Design<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.stickyminds.com/images_upload/bk1148_5593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.stickyminds.com/images_upload/bk1148_5593.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
I did a <a href="http://www.stickyminds.com/sitewide.asp?function=DETAILSIDX&tvniu=1&sqry=*Z(SM)*J(BOOK)*R(createdate)*&ObjectId=1148&ObjectType=BOOK&sidx=137" target="_blank">review of this book</a> previously and found it to be the best book on test design I've ever read.<br />
<br />
I found out today that you can get a PDF version of it for free!<br />
<br />
What are you waiting for? <a href="http://www.ryber.se/?page_id=119" target="_blank">Get it now</a>!Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-62154981437893962462012-08-17T06:35:00.000-07:002012-08-17T06:35:12.272-07:00Stop Testing! (but know when)On a rare occasion, a feature that I'm scheduled to test is very different than what I expected. Generally, this happens when either:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>The feature was not documented fully because 'the team doesn't do that sort of thing'<br /><br />OR<br /></li>
<li>The feature was not documented because 'it is so minor, it's not worth documenting'<br /><br />OR<br /></li>
<li>The feature was implemented by someone that needs (ahem) oversight.</li>
</ol>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In any case, I have found myself in each of these conditions and am faced with a challenge. What to do? </div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>First, Stop Running Your Planned Tests. Really, you aren't going to get anywhere.</li>
<li>Start exploring what <i>was</i> implemented. You may find that it's <i>your</i> misunderstanding and not the developers.</li>
<li>Keep good notes.</li>
<li>Raise a Red Flag. Either you need to re-write your tests or the software needs to be re-written. Either way, this is going to affect the schedule.</li>
<li>Re-test once this is cleared up.</li>
</ol>
<div>
All too often, I found that I have misunderstood the documentation, so taking the time to dig in will save lots of grief with false bug reports. You will also learn a bit about how you can make mistakes and can avoid them in the future.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Good Luck!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-78951614018007585322012-06-19T20:10:00.002-07:002012-06-19T20:10:50.210-07:00Listen to the Software Test Podcast!I was fortunate to be able to talk to Michael and Emily for their podcast. I had a good time and I hope you enjoy listening!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://blog.softwaretestpodcast.com/2012/06/19/episode-30.aspx">http://blog.softwaretestpodcast.com/2012/06/19/episode-30.aspx</a>Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-45033728513071092012012-06-08T21:13:00.001-07:002012-06-08T21:15:26.569-07:00New Software Professionals Group in OKC!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://robert.watkins.net/tmp/flyer201207.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://robert.watkins.net/tmp/flyer201207.png" width="247" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Here is the brochure <a href="http://robert.watkins.net/tmp/flyer-details201207.pdf">http://robert.watkins.net/tmp/flyer-details201207.pdf</a></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Would you like to meet other Software Professionals?</span></div>
<div style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">(even if you aren't a developer)</span></div>
<div style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Would you like to get tips on how to manage projects?</span></div>
<div style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">(even if you have no formal project manager)</span></div>
<div style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Would you like to know how much testing is 'enough'?</span></div>
<div style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">(even if you have no dedicated QA staff)</span></div>
<div style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Would you like to hear how to manage requirements?</span></div>
<div style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> (even if you don't have any Business Analysts) </span></div>
<div style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">If you are a BA, QA, PM, Developer or anyone that produces software, this group is for you.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Our first meeting will be Thursday, July 26th at 6pm.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Please forward this to anyone you think would be interested.</span></span><br />Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-23025035331295054142012-05-24T12:47:00.001-07:002012-05-24T12:47:30.641-07:00Multiple Openings Near TulsaHere are several openings available. If you know of anyone interested, please forward this.<br />
<br />
<br />
-----------------------------------------------------------<br />
<br />
<br />
Role Requested: Application Testing Analyst<br />
Location: Bartlesville, Oklahoma<br />
Number of Resources Requested: 3<br />
Role Begin Date: June 1, 2012<br />
Role End Date: December 31, 2012<br />
*Please note end date is estimated
<br />
<br />
<b>Role Description:</b><br />
Responsibilities The Application Testing Analyst may be responsible for:<br />
- Converting and developing automated application testing script scenarios using HP's Quality Center (QC), HP's Quick Test Professional (QTP) and SAP's Test Acceleration and Optimization (TAO) software tools.<br />
- Reviewing requirements, test scenarios and working with business functional analysts to develop and validate automated testing scripts.<br />
- Interfacing with Business Unit users and testers worldwide.<br />
- Providing support and assisting in troubleshooting for automated test scripts.<br />
- Adherence to corporate guidelines, standards, and best practices in the use and deployment of cross-application solutions.<br />
<br />
<b>Qualifications</b><br />
- Bachelor's Degree in MIS, computer science, or information technology; or 5 years of direct experience in the information technology field.<br />
- 2 or more years of direct experience with software/application support and/or development.<br />
- 1+ years experience with HP Quality Center<br />
- 2+ years experience developing automated tests with SAP TAO2 Experience<br />
- 2+ years experience developing automated tests with HP Quick Test Pro<br />
- 1+ year SAP application testing experience<br />
- Demonstrated analytical and problem solving ability.<br />
- Demonstrated ability to multi-task in a team environment.<br />
<br />
If you are interested in this position please email a updated copy of your resume to JCamarillo@Escendent.com along with your salary requirements and a brief description of your most recent experience as it pertains to the position above.<br />
<br />
Joseph Camarillo<br />
IT Recruiter<br />
Escendent, LLC<br />
(Office) 312-445-4500 <br />
(Cell) 832-256-0719 <br />
www.escendent.com<br />Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-55562442599487648082012-05-14T21:14:00.000-07:002012-05-14T21:14:32.335-07:00Why using requirements as the only source for testing is a bad idea...James Bach pointed this out in a recent<a href="http://blog.softwaretestpodcast.com/2012/05/06/episode-25-repost.aspx" target="_blank"> interview on the Software Test Podcast</a> . The video is called 'Shouting in the Data Center' and it shows the effect that shouting has on disk performance. (Really!)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDacjrSCeq4">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDacjrSCeq4</a>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/tDacjrSCeq4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-29030212332763463242012-05-07T20:38:00.001-07:002012-05-07T20:38:28.014-07:00Influence<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6ZXD3QumjNNaP75hY1oyHV3m9pLiIkX9ZiRddRapwV75O0eCF9DtCzlHhhRQEhpDorIVr6D8bVU91WbgGjxiUtv4dxj6OVRaa0r1ZQ-kZJsSualoQEHYnbJABCBUcCOxWBaK/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6ZXD3QumjNNaP75hY1oyHV3m9pLiIkX9ZiRddRapwV75O0eCF9DtCzlHhhRQEhpDorIVr6D8bVU91WbgGjxiUtv4dxj6OVRaa0r1ZQ-kZJsSualoQEHYnbJABCBUcCOxWBaK/s1600/download.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div>
My boss handed me a book and told me. "Here is a gift for you. Let me know when you are done, so I can borrow it." He has recommended other books before (both work-related and otherwise) and hasn't steered me wrong.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In short, this is an excellent book for anyone that wants to avoid traps of persuasion and understand how others can be effectively persuaded. The author of the book takes his training as a PhD in Psychology as well as some experiences he's gained in preparation for this topic and puts together a wonderful story of the science and practice of influence.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In the book, you'll learn:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Why social obligations can seem so burdensome (and why we participate in this activity anyway)</li>
<li>How we find ourselves agreeing to do something we have told ourselves we wouldn't do.</li>
<li>Why 'the crowd' is so powerful in influencing what we do (and do not) do.</li>
<li>How many times we are influenced and not even aware of the influence.</li>
</ul>
<div>
It's an excellent read full of fun stories and deep insight. I hope you'll take the time to read the book as it will help in nearly every aspect of your life. :)</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-65823136424023714092012-04-29T21:40:00.002-07:002012-04-29T21:40:33.586-07:00The Beginner's Mind"<i>In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few</i>." - Shunryu Suzuki
<br />
<br />
For a long time, I refused to track test requirements at any level of detail. The rationale was that it took too long and had limited value. I was able to convince many people that I was right and that this wasn't needed. I 'knew' that this wasn't useful, so I didn't do it.<br />
<br />
What really happened was that I had tried a couple times to track requirements at a very (very, very) granular level and gave up when the maintenance of these requirements was too much. I made the mistake of believing that my was was the only way and that since my was was not workable, no was was workable.<br />
<br />
I've spent too much of my career 'knowing' what to do. This is not to say that I've come across as a know-it-all or not being cooperative when other (and better) ideas come along. I mean to say that I've not taken the opportunity to seek other opinions, especially from those with a 'beginner's mind'.<br />
<br />
The 'beginner's mind' is not only found in beginners, but those that allow the many possibilities to be given full consideration, even when our experience tells us otherwise. We use our experience to help guide us in making better decisions with less work. However, these shortcuts can get in our way, especially when the basis for some of these shortcuts no longer exists.<br />
<br />
Since these early days, I've been able to open my eyes to the possibilities and come up with a method of tracking test requirements that is actually maintainable. (go figure)<br />
<br />
Are there things you 'know' to be true about testing software?<br />
Have you examined those 'truths' to ensure their basis is still valid?<br />
<br />
Examine your beliefs, see what you find.Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22860913.post-16278036417883252342012-04-09T07:23:00.001-07:002012-04-09T07:23:47.161-07:00http://www.summerqamp.org/If you know of any company that is looking to hire summer QA interns, this program looks like a good opportunity to get support for that and get connected with people interested in getting into the field.<br />
<br />
If you are or know of someone interested in QA, check out the link!<br />
<br />
http://summerqamp.org/<br />
<br />
<br />Robert Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08895647467521164374noreply@blogger.com0