I've spent the last 2 weeks studying. I'm trying to learn about the latest testing techniques and theories. I read the 4 books in the pic above and I think I got a ton of great info out of each one.
I also did a lot of reading online, mostly blogs. It's amazing there are so many folks out there passionate about testing. It's also worth noting that there are some "healthy" egos, as there should be.
My favorite book is Elisabeth Hendrickson's "Explore It!" She gives the best explanation & examples of Exploratory Testing. It's just solid info. She's also one of the creators of the "Heuristic Cheat Sheet" which is a thing of beauty.
"Lessons Learned in Software Testing" is great for it's quick lessons. You can skip around and find the lessons that give you the most value. It's solid, detailed info on how to plan, execute and evaluate results. Cem Kaner is the guy who pioneered much of what testing is today. James Bach is incredibly passionate about what testing should and shouldn't be.
I also discover Bach's brother Jon's blog and love it. He's a great example of a tester concerned with the human aspects of testing.
"How Google Tests" was the most entertaining. It's great fun hearing about how Google changed the whole playing field. I love James Whittaker's visionary spirit and the way developers and testers are blended into one team, equals.
If I had to take these books and authors, and create my own vision of the tester I want to be, I'd break it down like this:
50% Elisabeth Hendrickson
20% James Bach
10% James Whittaker
20% Jon Bach
I want to be as good as Elisabeth Hendrickson, as passionate at James Bach and as concerned with the humanity in testing as Jon Bach. James Whittaker is more concerned with the big picture and not an actual tester, so he's at the bottom of the list. But his vision and spirit are what I want in a manager/mentor.
I also did a lot of reading online, mostly blogs. It's amazing there are so many folks out there passionate about testing. It's also worth noting that there are some "healthy" egos, as there should be.
My favorite book is Elisabeth Hendrickson's "Explore It!" She gives the best explanation & examples of Exploratory Testing. It's just solid info. She's also one of the creators of the "Heuristic Cheat Sheet" which is a thing of beauty.
"Lessons Learned in Software Testing" is great for it's quick lessons. You can skip around and find the lessons that give you the most value. It's solid, detailed info on how to plan, execute and evaluate results. Cem Kaner is the guy who pioneered much of what testing is today. James Bach is incredibly passionate about what testing should and shouldn't be.
I also discover Bach's brother Jon's blog and love it. He's a great example of a tester concerned with the human aspects of testing.
"How Google Tests" was the most entertaining. It's great fun hearing about how Google changed the whole playing field. I love James Whittaker's visionary spirit and the way developers and testers are blended into one team, equals.
If I had to take these books and authors, and create my own vision of the tester I want to be, I'd break it down like this:
50% Elisabeth Hendrickson
20% James Bach
10% James Whittaker
20% Jon Bach
I want to be as good as Elisabeth Hendrickson, as passionate at James Bach and as concerned with the humanity in testing as Jon Bach. James Whittaker is more concerned with the big picture and not an actual tester, so he's at the bottom of the list. But his vision and spirit are what I want in a manager/mentor.
Here are the main takeaways from my 2 weeks of intense study:
I am not Quality Assurance. I am a tester. Because everyone should be responsible for quality. This includes developers, manager, stakeholders, etc...
The old way of writing large test plans early on in a project doesn't work. Because those test plans end up being a huge amount of work with little value by the end of a project. Especially if the plan isn't constantly updated and important to stakeholders.
Doing the same regression tests manually, over and over, can be a waste of time. Better to automate what you can, then manual test with a varied, exploratory approach.
I am beyond excited to take all of the info, the blogs, the books, the personalities, and start my new job. I can't wait to learn new systems, work with passionate people, go big, be creative and do great things in testing.
Huzzah!!!!
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