This document discusses becoming a great software tester and developing as a professional. It emphasizes continuous learning through empirical focus and experimentation. Testing is done by people, so personal skills and collaboration are important. The value of others' experiences is to give hope, not dictate how to proceed. Developing specialty and identity helps find communities to learn with, while technical skills allow contributing to the overall work.

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We’re Work in Progress
Becoming a Great Tester
by Maaret Pyhäjärvi

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The value of another’s
experience is to give us
hope, not to tell us how or
whether to proceed
- Peter Block

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Testing is done by People.
Our features define how
well testing gets done.

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A Recipe
Test
Introspect
From a tester to a software
professional with a testing emphasis

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Being and Becoming a
Tester
Developing into a Specialty

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Empirical Evidence
over Speculation

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Product is my external
imagination
I am my developer’s external imagination
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The Tool: an A4 Paper
Mission
Sandbox Description
Current Charter
Other Charters Details
?# x

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No one is just a tester
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Tester identity helps you
find community to learn
with, tester skillset
makes you blend into
the system and overall
value chain.

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I’ve been told I’m not a tester.

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Job Crafting:
Shape the job based on
who you are

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Continuous Learning
through Empirical Focus
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Good Enough of
today is not good
enough of tomorrow.

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See the Positive
amongst the Negative.
Balance.
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Being and Becoming a
Software Professional
With Testing Emphasis

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A Story of a
Disruptive Moment

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Safety is a prerequisite
for learning
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We don’t have to agree on
anything to be kind to one
another.

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Ask for forgiveness, not
permission

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Discover what makes
you better, experiment
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Opportunity Cost:
time on one is
time away from another.

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Sharing is a way
of learning
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Who you are and
who you want to be?
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Fear may tell you
what you should try.
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We Co-CreateValue
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Best ideas win
when you care
about work over
credit

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Amplified Learning
Pair Development & Mob Programming/Testing

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I have an idea…
Give me the keyboard
TRADITIONAL
I have an idea…
Please take the keyboard
STRONG STYLE

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When you pair on
Hard problem è Solution
Easy problem è Innovation

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"All the brilliant people working on
the same thing, at the same time, in
the same space, on the same
computer." -- Woody Zuill

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We raise our collective
competence, allowing
individuals to use
specialized skills

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Maaret Pyhäjärvi
Email: maaret@iki.fi
Twitter: @maaretp
Web: maaretp.com
Blog: visible-quality.blogspot.fi
(please connect with me through
Twitter or LinkedIn)