1. The document discusses whether testers need to code to be useful on agile teams. While many job ads ask for coding skills, the authors argue that specialized testing skills are more important. 2. Testers add unique value through skills like exploratory testing, rather than coding. Technical awareness is important for communication, but testers don't need to be coders. 3. The document recommends testers focus on skills like eliciting examples from customers and turning them into tests. Thinking skills are also valuable for collaboration and contributing to the team.

1. Do Testers Have To
Code… to be useful?
Lisa Crispin and Raji Bhamidipati
@lisacrispin @raji_bh
With material from Janet Gregory

2. A little about us
Lisa (with Janet Gregory): Agile
Tes)ng 2009
More Agile Tes)ng: 2014
@lisacrispin
www.lisacrispin.com
www.agiletester.ca
Raji BhamidipaE
So you want to be a scrum
master? 2016
@raji_bh
www.raji.me
2

3. We’ve heard it since the dawn of “agile”…
Everyone on the team should be able to do
everything, including writing production
code

4. We need to automate
everything!
Let’s hire some SDETs!
But shouldn’t we be trying
to build quality in?

5. Reality Check…
• Many (if not most) job ads ask for
programming skills
• Managers think test automaEon is a silver
bullet
• Technical skills help testers communicate
with devs, ops, others

6. Our take
• TesEng skills such as exploratory tesEng are a must
• Competencies trump roles
• The whole team must take responsibility for quality
• TesEng starts at the beginning
• Know what you need to add value
• There is no room for zombie testers!

7. MulE- discipline
skills
Expert
Discipline skills
T-Shaped Skills

8. Breadth of Skills
DepthofSkills
Square-shaped
Team
See links for
more by Rob
Lambert and
Adam P. Knight

9. Testers need
Technical Awareness !!
Agile teams already have coders, but…

10. This means learning…
• TesEng framework your team selects
• and the DSL (domain specific language)
• Common language with programmers
• Common language with customers
• Code to read & understand
• Code to write? – can’t hurt, but not
absolutely required
• Domain knowledge

11. Understand Programming
Concepts
Common
vocabulary

12. IDEs (integrated development environment)
If you use same
tools as
teammates…
…they can more
easily help you

13. Feature
(with
examples) User
Story
High-
Level
AT
Fix
Defects
Code, test & automate story
ATDD
Acceptance Test Driven Development
Accept
Story
Explore
Examples

14. Frameworks / languages /
terminology
Example of BDD format
Given the user has no exisEng account
When she requests to create a new account
And she enters a valid user name and valid password
(rules defined)
Then the informaEon is saved upon submifng.

15. Testing
Skills

16. Workflows, Journeys

17. Thinking
Skills

18. Examples of thinking skills
• CollaboraEng,
communicaEng
• EliciEng examples
• Asking quesEons
• Gefng/delivering info:
“Show me”

19. SEcker by Brian Marick

20. 1. Find a pair
2. One person faces away from the screen
3. The other person will have 2 -3 minutes to
describe the picture I show next
4. When I say stop, turn around and discuss any
differences in what was described.

22. Testers add unique value
• Delivery teams already have coders
• But may not have tesEng skills such as:
• Exploratory tesEng
• SpecialEes such as security, performance, UX
tesEng
• EliciEng examples from customers, turning into
tests that guide coding

23. So, do we need to be coders?
• Dev teams already have
coders!
• Technical awareness is a must
• Thinking skills enable our
contribuEons
• Specialized tesEng skills add
huge value

24. Where to get the skills?
Experiment!
• Study group, book club
• Community of PracEce
• Online resources
• What fits your learning
style?
• Find the wonder!

25. There’s not one right way
Find ways testers can add
value to your team
And then …. keep learning

26. More Learning
• Adzic, Gojko, Specifica)on by Example: How Successful Teams Deliver the Right
SoDware, Manning, 2011
• Adzic, Gojko, Impact Mapping: Making a Big Impact with SoDware Products
and Projects, 2012a hnp://impactmapping.org
• Gärtner, Markus, ATDD By Example: A Prac)cal Guide to Acceptance Test-
Driven Development, Addison-Wesley, 2012a
• Karten, Naomi, "Are You Listening?", hnp://www.agileconnecEon.com/arEcle/
are-you-listening, Agile ConnecEon, 2009
• Keogh, Liz, hnp://lunivore.com - look for her posts on BDD, Real OpEons
• Knight, Adam P., "T-shaped Tester, Square Shaped Team", hnp://
thesocialtester.co.uk/t-shaped-tester-square-shaped-team/, 2013
• Lambert, Rob, "T-shaped Testers and Their Role In a Team", hnp://
thesocialtester.co.uk/t-shaped-testers-and-their-role-in-a-team/ , 2012
• Levison, Mark, "The Beginner's Mind - An Approach to Listening", hnp://
www.infoq.com/news/2008/08/beginners_mind, InfoQ, 2008
• McMillan, Darren, "Mind Mapping 101", for TesEng: hnp://
www.benertesEng.co.uk/content/?p=956, 2011
• Panon, Jeff, User Story Mapping, 2014
• Wynne, Man and Aslak Hellesoy, The Cucumber Book: Behavior-Driven
Development for Testers and Developers, PragmaEc Programmers, 2012

27. Agile Tes)ng: A Prac)cal Guide for Testers and Agile Teams
More Agile Tes)ng: Learning Journeys for the Whole Team
www.agiletester.ca, www.lisacrispin.com
Email: lisa@lisacrispin.com
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28. Enjoy your
learning
journey!
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