Software testing done by idiots?
That’s right: Testers are idiots. The practice of testing offers no innovation. Testing is boring, manual and repetitive. It’s not a career. Testers aren’t as smart as developers. They’re nitpicky, pencil-pushing quality/process geeks. They’re beside the point and are easily replaced. Testing is not a career; it’s a necessary evil between application users and the brilliance of developers.
Believe it or not, some of these assertions came from an audience of testers at FutureTest, a conference I attended last week in New York City. The politically (and in all other ways) incorrect answers were the result of a question by Cisco’s Jeff Feldstein: “What are developers’ perceptions of test engineering?”
Feldstein, who manages a team of 40 software engineers across India, Israel and the U.S., presented a fine talk on how to attract, recruit and retain the most highly talented test engineers—whom he believes have the same skills as development engineers.
“Everyone we recruit for testing positions only wants to develop code” was a common audience complaint. But the truth is, Feldstein pointed out, that testers often do a fair amount of coding as the development teams do, and with far fewer restrictions. “In testing, you still develop complex software, and you decide what to build, not the marketing department,” he said.
For example, testers often build their own test utilities, harnesses and scripts. “If I feel I need something, all I have to do is convince my boss of the reasons and he says, ‘OK, go off and do it.’ And I can build it any way I like.” And since test teams are smaller than their development counterparts, testers often are able to see and work on more of the main application being developed, if not the entire thing. Developers—particularly those on large teams—sometimes see only a small part of the project.
Feldstein’s presentation, “Software Testing Is About Software Testers,” was a treasure trove of knowledge amassed from his 27-year career about the ways and means of retaining a good team of test engineers. For example, testers and developers should receive equal pay, have comparable career paths and equal say with other company organizations about product decisions. “Maybe not as far as the ship/don’t ship decisions, but they should have a say in strategy and product decisions. When I was a tester in a small shop, everything [that went wrong] was my fault,” Feldstein said.
Meanwhile, the test group should not be the only group in change of assuring quality, he said, nor should it be treated as a service organization. Testers should be collocated with developers and be viewed by upper management as developer peers, but remain independent of the development group.
Notable at the conference was a panel discussion called “Testing in the Complete Application Life Cycle.” Moderating the discussion was BZ Media EVP and FutureTest conference chair Alan Zeichick. Following a discussion about the need to move beyond the practice of picking any two of “on time, on budget and high quality,” Zeichick asked: “What do you see test organizations doing to improve … What are the low-hanging fruit?”
First to answer was technology analyst Theresa Lanowitz, who said that test organizations need to focus more on customer advocacy and less on becoming a police state. “It could be as simple as changing the department name from QA or testing department to the product validation or product verification department,” she said. While such a change might seem superficial and simplistic, she continued, the perception of the department’s function over time will “slowly change to one of core business value.”
Next to answer was Mark Sarbiewski, who handles design and implementation of Hewlett-Packard’s Quality Center, Performance Center and Application Security Center products. He suggested striving for more “effective testing without automation by application users.” Another is the use of metrics and financial incentives. “Put bonuses on the line tied to bugs in production versus bugs found before deployment. You’ll see an overnight change.”
The final word—and some comic relief—came from CollabNet CTO Jack Repenning. His suggestion to “change the culture of the organization around you” drew laughs from the crowd, perhaps because such shifts are never easy. “QA is not a filter,” he said, and suggested that test groups “evaluate your perception in the eyes of the company,” and emphasize the value of the testing.
If you missed FutureTest this year, take heart. This unique conference for test managers will take place again next year. So be sure to set aside Feb. 24 and 25, 2009, on your calendar.
Article From SD Times
