The first Eurostar conference I attended really opened up my eyes. I learned that the real challenge of testing is not finding the defects and get them fixed, but catch the bugs as soon as possible, preferably before they sneak into the product being build. The next few years of my career as a tester proved that this is easier said than done. I saw projects fail because suddenly during acceptance test all kinds of problems appeared. I heard project managers complain about testers delaying the project because they found too much defects. Still I never forgot the lesson from that first Eurostar. Convinced that prevention is better than cure, I consistently applied some simple principles that really work. 1. Focus on Business Context When I start a new assignment as a test manager, I always look for the business case and project goals, whether or not they ask me to do. I check this by simply asking questions to various people. If I don’t get consistent answers, I have found my first major defect and I will write my first test report. But how to make sure this message is heard and will result in proper actions? 2. Co-operate with Requirement Engineers and Designers Good requirements are crucial for a successful project. Testers should have a big role in validating them, but in real life they often experience resistance and don’t know how to act. How can you, as a tester, add value to the project team in this area? How can you become a respected sparring partner for requirement engineers? Some useful techniques are simulation, walk throughs and test modeling. Some communication skills will help too. 3. Co-operate with Developers Often, component testing seems a mysterious activity, misunderstood by testers as well as developers. When applied in the right way it can prevent lots of problems and dramatically improve project performance. Therefore I have some tips for testers to become friends with the developers and learn to understand each other and work together as a team.

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Defect prevention
How to make it really happen
Gerlof Hoekstra, Eurostar 2011, Manchester

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• Complex End To End testing throughput time reduced from
months to 2 weeks
• Significant faster System Test after improving the component
test
• ‘Less than perfect’ system successfully in production because
of good expectation management
• Lean & smooth acceptance test thanks to participation of
users and operators
Some results

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Gerlof Hoekstra
Sr. Consultant Testing & Acceptance Management
Mobile: +31 6 512 88 478
E-Mail: gerlof.hoekstra@atos.net
Thank you !