Diversity in Testing – Ask Your Question

[Ronan Healy]

This year the EuroSTAR Conference will host a special session on the topic of Diversity in Testing.

The subject is always topical. The Community has the opportunity to contribute by submitting questions for the session.

So if you have a question for one member of the panel or all of the panel, ask it here and we will add it to the list for the event.

The event will be facilitated by Huib Shoots and will feature panellists:

Anne-Marie Charrett (AUS)

Anne Mette Hass (DK)

Ben Simo (USA)

Liz Keog (UK)

Noam Kfir (ISR)

Rik Marselis (NL)

You can find out more about the session here

[May]

Hi, Ronan,

I am very much interested with Tutorial F – Test Management: Pick Your Battles.

At times, we do not have a choice to pick our battle.

We are forced into battles of completing the project within the least time scale, with the business aim to push through the product in order to allow the first order coming in, hence start generating avenue (this is the final, collective objective of all).

Hence we are forced into battle, to consider all the constraints, but still delivering the best test outcome.

Very often, the testers do not have ample time to think through the test strategy, but rather pick up the task, and complete as much test cases as they can within the time allocated.

It is lucky if they can continue their testing with the same component and product, hence allow Continuous Improvements day after day, month after month with the product.  Eventually turn into an SME (Subject Matter Expert).  However, most of the time, the testers are being assigned with different product testing, and there is no sustainable personal development, rather than a collective certain amount of testing years of experience.

We do need a weapon to tackle the battle, at the same time, we need to collaborate with other parts of the organization, in order to stay in sync with them.  This other part of the organization, rather than the development team, we need the Product Line, the Designer and the Business Team, to understand our rationale of the test.

Hence, the question that I would like to put forth is:

1. What can be term as a success of testing?  To what degree can we announce the test is successful?

Very often, as long as we can push through the order to generate avenue, this is what needed from the organization.

2. Is there any way, that our test analysis can be made understood by the management/business team, hence to collaborate the effort of Continuous Improvement within the Testing Community?  This shall enhance the efficiency of the company’s systems/processes.

Cheers,

 

[Nicola]

When it comes to diversity in testing, I automatically think of including more women. But I assume “diversity in testing” can and probably should be interpreted in many ways. Other than the gender interpretation how do you interpret “diversity in testing”?

[Nicola]

What do you do in your day-to-day work life to improve diversity in testing?

[Alexandra]

To add or expand on Nicole’s question: what can we all do on a daily basis to improve diversity ?

Other questions:

– talking about diversity can cause some defensive and emotional reactions (maybe it is taken as criticism, people feel helpless, assessing our own privilege can make us feel uncomfortable…  ) .  How can we deal with these reactions in a calm way or talk about diversity in such a way that such reactions are minimised?

– whose job is it to promote diversity ? Is it an individual task,  something that requires a leader,  or perhaps a combination of the two,  or something else entirely ?

Alex

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