I spent last couple of years performing, talking, writing and listening about software testing. But what is software testing? I am told my job is to “break software”. But why break it, it looks good?! I like the programmers, they are my friends. And, as Michael Bolton says, “We don’t break software, it was already broken when we got it”. I sure don’t break software for living, but I do something way better and much more satisfying - I break clichés about software testing. So, my job as your guide in your journey in testing will be to break some clichés from the past in order to build the mindset of the modern tester.

1. Break to build
The mindset of a modern
tester
Viktor Slavchev Sr QA
mrslavchev.com

2. Viktor Slavchev
 Software tester
 Blog: mrslavchev.com
 @thetestingtroll
 Insert random brag
about my
achievements
 This slide is bullshit
 Nobody reads this far

3. Cliché #1:
“Testers assure
quality”

4. Quality is not…
 A resource
 Responsibility to
single person
 …testing
 Testing (by itself)
doesn’t improve
quality

5. Instead we can say…
 We assert quality
 We argue about quality
 We evaluate quality
 “To test is – to provide
valuable information about
the state of quality and
problems threatening it, so
informed decision can be
taken”
Bach and Bolton (paraphrased)

6. Cliché #2:
“Testers are
manual”

7. What’s wrong with the term “manual
testing”
 Rips off tacit knowledge of
testing
 Puts focus on execution,
only
 Not every testing activity
can be turned into a
procedure

8. Therefore… testing is not manual
 We say:
“Manual lending”, but don’t call the pilot
manual pilot
“Grade the essay tests manually”, but we
don’t have manual teachers
“Dig the overburden manually”, but we don’t
speak of manual archeologists

9.  It’s totally OK to say
we perform various
manual activities while
testing.
 …but please, don’t
conclude that makes
testing manual, only

10. Thinking of testing as an activity
 Wrong – production
line worker
 Correct – katana
swordsmith

11. Cliché #3: “Testers are automated”

12. Few quick facts about automation
 False premise that testing is
made of steps
 Focus on tools and practices
 Only metrics counted are
execution time and number
of checks
 Design, modeling, test
framing are considered
“figured out”

13. Four kinds of knowledge – Collins
How easy are they to automate?
Facts and rules
Heuristics and coaching skills
Manual and perceptual skills
Cultural skills
Explicit
Tacit

14. We are speaking of two different
mindsets
Software tester
 Provide information fast
 Explore to understand
 Experiment
 Model
 Frame
 Evaluate risks
 Challenge
 Evaluate quality criteria
Automation programmer
 Functional correctness
 Precision/low level checks
 Feedback in fast consistent
manner
 Assert definitive conditions
 Isolate variable conditions
from the environment
 Consistent execution every
time

15. Cliché #4:
“Testing means
writing test
cases”

16. How test cases fail to satisfy modern
day testing?
 They document tiny
fraction of testing
 Early formalization, even
when not needed
 Slow and hard to maintain
 Downgrade testing to
steps

17. When
management
asks for test
cases, they
actually want
to hear…
Story of the
product and
its status
• Problems
• Risks
Story about
testing
• Oracles
• Coverage
Story
how
good
testing
is?
Michael Bolton - How is the testing going?

18. Test framing
 “The goal of test framing is to link
each testing activity with the testing
mission”
Always try to ask yourself:
 How is this test helping me to
achieve the testing mission?
 How is this bug important?
 Is this the optimal test I can
perform?

19. Cliché #5: “Regression testing means
running the same tests”

20. Regression bug:
 Bug causing regress in quality
Regression testing:
 Testing to expose regression bugs
“When we deploy, bugs don’t
automatically raise from their
graves.”
James Bach

21. The FART model – Richard Bradshaw

22. Cliché #6:
“Never test
in
production”

23. When I was new to testing, I was told
 Never test in
production
 It is dangerous for
the client
 It shows bad testing
organization

24. … but times change and we face some
problems
 Products grow
bigger
 We can’t
replicate
production fully
 Unpredicted
changes in
environment
 Third party
services

25. Why is it a good idea to test in
production?
 We act like testing ends in prod, but it doesn’t
 Production environment – the only one that
matters
 Tons of valuable data useful for us
 Testing closer to the end user
 Great eye opener – read everything by Cindy
Sridharan - Medium

26. Testing in production – credit to Cindy
Sridharan

27. In order to be a successful tester in the
modern age…
 You own a tiny fraction of quality –
testing
 Testing is not a procedure, but a
complex brain work
 Tools matter, when they help
 Learn to tell the story of good
testing
 Continue testing in production

28. Thank you!
Questions?