Throughout the years, Lightning Talks have been a popular part of the STAR conferences. If you’re not familiar with the concept, Lightning Talks consists of a series of five-minute talks by different speakers within one presentation period. Lightning Talks are the opportunity for speakers to deliver their single biggest bang-for-the-buck idea in a rapid-fire presentation. And now, lightning has struck the STAR keynotes. Some of the best-known experts in testing—James Bach, Jon Bach, Michael Bolton, Jennifer Bonine, Hans Buwalda, Bob Galen, John Fodeh, Dawn Haynes, Geoff Horne, and Griffin Jones—will step up to the podium and give you their best shot of lightning. Get ten keynote presentations for the price of one—and have some fun at the same time.

1. KW3
Keynote
5/1/2013 4:30:00 PM
Lightning Strikes the Keynotes
Presented by:
Lee Copeland
Software Quality Engineering
Brought to you by:
340 Corporate Way, Suite 300, Orange Park, FL 32073
888-268-8770 ∙ 904-278-0524 ∙ sqeinfo@sqe.com ∙ www.sqe.com

2. Lee Copeland
With more than thirty years of experience as an information systems professional at commercial and
nonprofit organizations, Lee Copeland has held technical and managerial positions in applications
development, software testing, and software process improvement. Lee has developed and taught
numerous training courses on software development and testing issues and is a well-known speaker with
Software Quality Engineering. Lee presents at software conferences in the United States and abroad. He
is the author of the popular reference book, A Practitioner’s Guide to Software Test Design.

3. 5/13/2013
Lightning Strikes
The Keynotes
Moderated by
Lee Copeland
lee@sqe.com
Featuring
James Bach
Jennifer Bonine
Dawn Haynes
Jon Bach
Hans Buwalda
Michael Bolton
Bob Galen
Geoff Horne
John Fodeh
Griffin Jones
1

4. 5/13/2013
James Bach
2

5. 5/13/2013
Jon Bach
3

6. 5/13/2013
Michael Bolton
Attention,
Deficit,
Disorder.
Michael Bolton
http://www.developsense.com
4

7. 5/13/2013
aircanada.com
aircanada.com
5

8. 5/13/2013
Error Message
Via Rail, between Montreal and Toronto, 2007
But I can’t contact my… oh, never mind.
Error Message
Via Rail, between Montreal and Toronto, 2007
6

9. 5/13/2013
Hyatt Regency, 2008
If you can’t do math, it’s a nickel extra.
Hyatt Regency, 2008
7

10. 5/13/2013
Why you shouldn’t let an unsupervised
algorithm choose your sponsored links (1).
Vimeo’s Web Page
Spring 2010
Why you shouldn’t let an unsupervised
algorithm choose your sponsored links (2).
Vimeo’s Web Page
Spring 2010
8

11. 5/13/2013
Why you shouldn’t let an unsupervised
algorithm choose your sponsored links (3).
Vimeo’s Web Page
Spring 2010
Google Chrome
9

12. 5/13/2013
Google Calendar Update
OK, fine.
Don’t Know Who This Was
10

13. 5/13/2013
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat
11

14. 5/13/2013
Microsoft Outlook
Intuit Quicken
12

15. 5/13/2013
Intuit Quicken
Intuit Quicken
13

16. 5/13/2013
Here’s another err.
Intuit Quicken
ibm.com
14

17. 5/13/2013
Windows
I think I’ll shoot my own trouble for now.
Windows
15

18. 5/13/2013
Windows
I don’t know!
Windows
16

19. 5/13/2013
iTunes
Testing is more than checking.
17

20. 5/13/2013
Welcome to the new world.
“The World of Heineken”
Heineken Experience, Amsterdam, 2006
Jennifer Bonine
18

21. 5/13/2013
Hans Buwalda
19

22. 5/13/2013
Misconceptions of
Test Automation
(and keyword testing)
Hans Buwalda
" automation is easy, no need to think
about it much "
Comments:
I'm still waiting to see my first "easy" automation project
Development is hard, testing is harder, automated testing is the
hardest
If you can't do automation well, be ready to lose time and money
If you can do automated testing well... you're in an enviable position
20

23. 5/13/2013
" test automation means automating
manual tests "
Comments:
+
=
A car is not the same as a carriage with an engine
Good automated testing is not the same as good automation of good
manual testing
Automating manual test designs tends to be cumbersome, uninspiring,
maintenance sensitive, and hard to scale
How you organize and design your tests is the main driver for automation
success
" keywords is a method "
Comments:
Keywords are not much more than a format to write tests in, in itself
not much different from (good) coding of test cases
Some of the worst tests I have seen were keyword tests
I do believe however that keywords are just about the only way to go
for big and complex projects (in addition to exploratory testing). They
just need a method
In my approach "test modules" play a central role for organizing test, to
achieve effective test development and successful automation
21

24. 5/13/2013
Example of a method with keywords:
"Action Based Testing"
Test Module Plan
Test Module 1
Test Module 2
Objectives
Objectives
Tests
Test Module N
Tests
...
Objectives
Tests
Actions
AUTOMATION
interaction test
window
log in
log in
enter
enter
control
business test
user
value
user name jdoe
password StarEast
log in
password
jdoe
StarEast
first
control
property
expected
log in
ok button
enabled
true
last
brand
John
John
Renter
Renter
Ford
Escape
Chevrolet Volt
last
window
check prop
rent car
rent car
model
total
check bill Renter 140.42
" to do automated testing you need to
be a good programmer "
Comments:
The focus should be on testing and test design, not on programming tests
A good tester is not automatically a good programmer, or vice versa
I don't believe we should replace all testers with programmers "in test"
A good programmer can contribute greatly to an airplane control system,
but is not automatically a good airline pilot
Even automation itself is a profession, quite different from regular
programming
22

25. 5/13/2013
" if there are automation problems,
tests should be debugged "
log in
rent car
rent car
Comments:
check bill
user
jdoe
firs t
John
John
last
Renter
pas swo
rd
StarEast
last
Renter
Renter
total
brand
model
Ford
Escape
Chevrole
t Volt
140.42
"Thou should never debug tests"
If observed results are not the expected results, it is not an
automation problem, either the tester or the developer were off
If the application under tests UI isn't accepting your input, run lower
level tests first
If actions aren't working, test them and make them better, before
running your tests with them
" you need an ROI analysis to
determine which tests to automate "
Comments:
$
$ $$ $ $ $
$ $ $ $$
$ $ $ $
$ $
One of the most commonly found statements on test automation
I consider In my view, in a good automated testing effort (my definition
of 'good'), automation is a secondary practical matter
may have to address technology issues to interface with a system under test
good automation is cheap and re-usable, and has a high payoff in time and money
I would rather see an ROI on the tests than on their automation
23

26. 5/13/2013
" automated tests are dumb "
Comments:
They often are very mechanical, and boring, in particular when 1 on 1
based on requirements or specifications, but they don't have to be
Distinguish between an analytical activity ("what to test") and creative
activity ("how to test"), and be mean...
It is the responsibility of the testers to ensure tests are not dumb
automation is not an excuse
Lame tests are not likely to find interesting bugs
" homework "
Are these misconceptions ???
"test automation is the same as programming"
"the most important activity in an automation effort is selecting a tool"
"automation is most suitable for regression testing"
"test automation is a technical challenge"
"if you use keywords your test automation will be successful"
"to have more automation, you just need more people"
24

27. 5/13/2013
Bob Galen
25

28. 5/13/2013
John Fodeh
Ways to Increase
Our Value as Testers
John Fodeh
26

29. 5/13/2013
Value Proposition
Testing
Cost
Productivity
Quality
27

30. 5/13/2013
7 Quality Enhancing Features
Domain
insight
Leadership
skills
Lateral
& system
thinking
Automation
Modeling
Programming
fundamentals
Testing
techniques
28

31. 5/13/2013
29

32. 5/13/2013
Dawn Haynes
30

33. 5/13/2013
D
A
Data
Areas
D
A
R
T
R
Rules
S
T
Trails
S States
Data
Areas
Follow the
Evaluate
popcorn trail
interacting
of data …
state models
Rules
Trails
States
Same data,
different areas
Check rules
in various
states
31

34. 5/13/2013
Geoff Horne
32

35. 5/13/2013
Griffin Jones
33

36. 5/13/2013
WREST
Workshop on Regulated Software Testing
Software subject to review by
an internal or external regulatory body
Purpose and Format
• Share and generate ideas and
techniques
• Provide a forum for people
interested in the topic
• Participation is free and open to
all
• LAWST-style rules of
engagement
34

37. 5/13/2013
Workshop Structure
• Facilitated
• Series of experiential
presentations and group
discussions
• Atmosphere is collaborative,
supportive and constructive
• Focus on the practical and
useful
More Information
• Next WREST: Friday, May 3rd
2013
Hosted by SQE here at
STAREAST
• Contact:
Karen N. Johnson, John
McConda, Griffin Jones
• Website: wrestworkshop.com
35

38. 5/13/2013
Our Thanks To
James Bach
Jennifer Bonine
Dawn Haynes
Jon Bach
Hans Buwalda
Michael Bolton
Bob Galen
Geoff Horne
John Fodeh
Griffin Jones
36