2009 Session: How to Think about Efficiency in Software Testing
Friday, 10:15 - 11:05
Track: Test
Proposals for making testing more efficient typically involve heavy documentation, outsourcing, or automated test execution-- all of which are typically inefficient, in practice. They seem efficient mainly to people who don't like testing and can't tell when it's being done badly. Instead, I suggest a different approach to achieving efficient testing based on concise documentation, high collaboration, skilled testers, risk focus, testability, and "agile" use of automation.
Prerequisites
general familiarity with software development processes
Expectations
- how some of the typical "efficiency" initiatives don't work.
Additional Info
James Bach
James Bach is the author of Lessons Learned in Software Testing, as well as the new book Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar. He is self-educated as a programmer and software tester, with years of experience in Silicon Valley at such companies as Apple Computer and Borland International. For the last ten years, James has been teaching and consulting on the subject of Rapid Software Testing-- a radical rethinking of traditional testing methods along agile lines.