This document discusses whether testers need to code in agile environments. It notes that while development teams already have coders, testers need technical awareness to collaborate effectively. Testers add unique value through skills like exploratory testing rather than coding. Technical awareness helps communication, but coding ability is not required as long as a tester understands frameworks and terminology. Testers should focus on competencies over roles and find ways to add value through skills like specialized testing.

1. Do Testers Have to Code…
Quality
in
Agile
Conference
Vancouver,
Canada
April
2015
Lisa
Crispin
Janet
Gregory
@lisacrispin
@janetgregoryca
to be useful?

2. A li7le about us
Janet
First
agile
team:
2000
Currently
coaching,
training
TwiGer:
janetgregoryca
Email:
janet@agiletester.ca
Agile
TesJng;
2009
More
Agile
TesJng:
Oct
2014
Website:
www.agiletester.com
www.agiletester.ca
Lisa
First
agile
team
–
2000
Currently
tester
on
Pivotal
Tracker
team
TwiGer:
lisacrispin
Email:
lisa@agiletester.ca

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
automaJon
is
a
silver
bullet
• Technical
skills
help
testers
communicate
with
devs,
ops,
others

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

7. It’s a Mindset Switch
Instead
of
• We’re
here
to
find
bugs
…
or
ensure
requirements
are
met
…
or
break
the
sobware
…
7
Think
– How
do
we
“bake
quality
in”?
– ..and
how
can
we
help
deliver
sobware
successfully?

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

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

10. This means learning…
• TesJng
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

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

12. Understand Programming Concepts
Common
vocabulary

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

14. Maintain your own
• Linux/Unix
• Windows
• Mac
• Deploys
Maintain Test Environments

15. Examples: Share Stories

16. Workflows,
Journeys

17. Know Your Domain

18.
Thinking Skills

19. CollaboraRng, CommunicaRng
• Ubiquitous
language
• Examples
• QuesJon

20. Delivering InformaRon
• Oben
bad
news!
• CollaboraJve
approach
–
“Show
me”

21. 1. Form
groups
of
three
2. Who
has
the
most
unusual
hobby?
3. Explain
it
to
the
other
two
in
one
minute.

22. SJcker
by
Brian
Marick

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

24. MulJ-­‐
discipline
skills
Expert
Discipline
skills
T-­‐Shaped Skills

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

26. Cube-­‐shaped Skills!
Idea
from
Marcelo
Leite

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

28. What skill do you need?
• Get
back
with
your
group
of
three
• IdenJfy
one
skill
that
would
help
you
collaborate
with
team
members
to
build
quality
in
• Think
of
an
experiment
that
could
help
you
learn
the
skill

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

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

31. More Learning
• Adzic,
Gojko,
Specifica5on
by
Example:
How
Successful
Teams
Deliver
the
Right
SoAware,
Manning,
2011
• Adzic,
Gojko,
Impact
Mapping:
Making
a
Big
Impact
with
SoAware
Products
and
Projects,
2012a
hGp://impactmapping.org
• Gärtner,
Markus,
ATDD
By
Example:
A
Prac5cal
Guide
to
Acceptance
Test-­‐
Driven
Development,
Addison-­‐Wesley,
2012a
• Karten,
Naomi,
"Are
You
Listening?",
hGp://www.agileconnecJon.com/arJcle/
are-­‐you-­‐listening,
Agile
ConnecJon,
2009
• Keogh,
Liz,
hGp://lunivore.com
-­‐
look
for
her
posts
on
BDD,
Real
OpJons
• Knight,
Adam
P.,
"T-­‐shaped
Tester,
Square
Shaped
Team",
hGp://
thesocialtester.co.uk/t-­‐shaped-­‐tester-­‐square-­‐shaped-­‐team/,
2013
• Lambert,
Rob,
"T-­‐shaped
Testers
and
Their
Role
In
a
Team",
hGp://
thesocialtester.co.uk/t-­‐shaped-­‐testers-­‐and-­‐their-­‐role-­‐in-­‐a-­‐team/
,
2012
• Levison,
Mark,
"The
Beginner's
Mind
-­‐
An
Approach
to
Listening",
hGp://
www.infoq.com/news/2008/08/beginners_mind,
InfoQ,
2008
• McMillan,
Darren,
"Mind
Mapping
101",
for
TesJng:
hGp://
www.beGertesJng.co.uk/content/?p=956,
2011
• PaGon,
Jeff,
User
Story
Mapping,
2014
• Wynne,
MaG
and
Aslak
Hellesoy,
The
Cucumber
Book:
Behavior-­‐Driven
Development
for
Testers
and
Developers,
PragmaJc
Programmers,
2012

32. Agile
Tes5ng:
A
Prac5cal
Guide
for
Testers
and
Agile
Teams
More
Agile
Tes5ng:
Learning
Journeys
for
the
Whole
Team
By
Janet
Gregory
and
Lisa
Crispin
www.agiletester.ca
www.agiletester.com
Contact
info
www.janetgregory.ca
Email:
janet@agiletester.ca
TwiGer:
janetgregoryca
32
lisacrispin.com
Email:
lisa@agiletester.ca
TwiGer:
lisacrispin