In this episode of Testing and Management Insights, we debunk two common myths of agile testing: the belief that agile means no documentation and that testers aren't needed.

We explore the concept of shifting left and the importance of integrating quality into every step of development. We delve into the Agile Testing Quadrants and discuss the different types of tests that support the engineering team versus those that support the customer.

This episode emphasizes the importance of continual collaboration with your customer and introduces practical tools like Story Checklists for capturing easy-to-miss requirements and Mind Maps for brainstorming test scenarios and seeing the big picture. We also discuss the Power of Three rule, the balance of how much to automate, and the test automation pyramid.

More Resources:

• Agile Testing: A Practical Guide for Testers and Agile Teams
• More Agile Testing: Learning Journeys for the Whole Team
• Holistic Testing: Weave Quality into Your Product
  

In this episode, we delve into the essential strategies for cultivating an exceptional software team, emphasizing the importance of building trust and fostering a collaborative environment. We explore key motivators that drive team performance: mastery, autonomy, and purpose. The discussion highlights the shift in leadership from micromanaging to coaching, empowering team members to take ownership and make informed decisions.

We introduce the SBI model (Situation, Behavior, Impact) as a structured approach to giving constructive feedback, enhancing communication, and promoting continuous improvement. The episode also covers vital concepts such as the Testing Pyramid and Agile Testing Quadrants, which are crucial for efficient software development and testing processes.

Additionally, we examine the practice of Bug Bashes as a proactive method to identify and resolve issues collaboratively. Finally, we provide seven essential rules for conducting effective meetings, ensuring they are productive and time-efficient.

Tune in to gain valuable insights and practical tips for leading your software team to success.

More Resources:

• How Google Tests Software
• How We Test at Microsoft
• Agile Testing: A Practical Guide for Testers and Agile Teams
• Building Great Software Engineering Teams: Recruiting, Hiring, and Managing Your Team from Startup to Success
• Management 3.0: Leading Agile Developers, Developing Agile Leaders
  

In this episode of TMI we dive deep into the findings of the 10th annual DORA 2024 Accelerate State of DevOps Report, which surveyed over 40,000 tech professionals. Join us as we explore the transformative impact of AI integration in the tech industry:

• Discover how 81% of organizations are prioritizing AI, with 76% of developers incorporating it into their daily workflows.
• Delve into the paradox of AI-driven productivity: while individual engineers report significant gains, organizations face challenges with slower and less stable software delivery.
• Learn how AI adoption enhances code quality, improves documentation, and expedites code reviews and approvals.
• Gain insights into strategies for leaders to support their teams in successfully integrating AI.

We also revisit DORA’s four key metrics that are essential, yet just part of the larger picture:

• Deployment Frequency: The cadence of successful production releases.
• Lead Time for Changes: The duration from commit to production.
• Change Failure Rate: The percentage of deployments causing production failures.
• Time to Restore Service: The recovery time from production failures.

Explore the necessity of dashboards that bridge technical and business metrics, and understand the critical role of human elements such as well-being and culture in DevOps success.

Finally, we reflect on a decade-long core concept from DORA: the significance of “user centricity.” Learn why a user-centered approach leads to high product quality, regardless of your team’s size or velocity.

Tune in for an insightful discussion on aligning technical excellence with business outcomes and user needs

More Resources:

• https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/devops-sre/announcing-the-2024-dora-report
• https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/devops-sre/using-the-four-keys-to-measure-your-devops-performance

Explore the world of whole-team testing and discover how Test Driven Development (TDD) fosters smarter design and more testable code. Delve into the crucial role of the Product Owner as the customer’s advocate. Gain insights into Google’s powerful internal tools that execute millions of regression tests and learn why manual testing remains vital. Embark on exploratory testing tours like the “All Nighter Tour” and the “Garbage Collector Tour” . Discover Google’s bug database, Buganizer, which analyzes trends and predicts future bug locations. Finally, uncover how Microsoft approaches testing for the cloud and explore James Whitaker’s concept for a “Testipedia.”

More Resources:

• Exploratory Software Testing
• A Practitioners Guide to Software Test Design
• How Google Tests Software
• How We Test at Microsoft
• Agile Testing: A Practical Guide for Testers and Agile Teams
• The A Word
  

Dive into the world of AI-driven testing in our latest episode! Discover how Meta is pioneering the use of AI to autonomously test other AIs, eliminating the need for human intervention. We explore the challenges faced by human testers in keeping up with the rapid pace of AI-generated code and how AI-first testing can revolutionize the process. Learn about AI-augmented testing, where AI acts as a co-pilot, enhancing the capabilities of human testers. We’ll also delve into the art of Prompt Engineering, crafting precise prompts to maximize AI performance. Finally, we discuss the irreplaceable role of human critical thinking in ensuring AI accuracy. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation!

More Resources:

• What Are We Thinking — in the Age of AI? with Michael Bolton (a PNSQC Live Blog)
• When Humans Tested Software (AI First Testing) with Jason Arbon (a PNSQC Live Blog)
• AI-Augmented Testing: How Generative AI and Prompt Engineering Turn Testers into Superheroes, Not Replace Them with Jonathon Wright’s (a PNSQC Live Blog)
• Meta releases AI model that can check other AI models' work

In this episode of Testing and Management Insights, we delve into both structured and exploratory testing techniques. We explore structured testing methods such as Equivalence Class Testing, Boundary Value Testing (BVT), Decision Tables, and State Transition Tables. On the exploratory side, we discuss various manual testing tours, including the All Nighter Tour, where systems are tested to their limits, and the Feature Tour, which involves a deep dive into specific features. We emphasize the importance of thinking like a user during testing.

Additionally, we discuss the shared responsibility for testing at Google, where Software Engineers in Test (SETs) work closely with developers to ensure testability. We highlight Google’s “Test Certified” program, which gamifies the improvement of testing practices, and the integration of testing into every stage of the development process. We also talk about creating a classification system for categorizing bugs based on their root cause and share James Whitaker’s views on the future of testing.

More Resources:

1. Exploratory Software Testing
2. A Practitioners Guide to Software Test Design
3. How Google Tests Software
   

In this episode, we dive into the dynamic world of Agile testing and teamwork, contrasting it with the traditional Waterfall approach. We explore the Agile Testing Quadrants, examining business-facing versus technology-facing tests, and those that support development versus those that critique the product.

Discover what it means to be a “test-infected” developer and how the Product Owner acts as the voice of the customer. We discuss the importance of self-organization within Agile teams and how leaders can influence behavior without dictating solutions. We’ll also tackle the dangers of technical debt, the benefits of test automation, and dispel the myth that Agile means “no planning.”

Finally, we highlight how Planning Poker can be used to effectively estimate user stories.

More Resources:

• Agile Testing: A Practical Guide for Testers and Agile Teams
• Succeeding with Agile Development Using Scrum
• Coaching Agile Teams
• Agile Estimating and Planning