What’s so special about software testing? Rikard Edgren

There are some things about software testing that are special, but not unique:
* you are never done, and there is always something to do
* you have to be creative very often
* you are dependent on new, different and conflicting technologies, users, objectives
It’s not easy to be a tester, thank God for that!

And there are some things that are unique:
* it is often good to do things in the wrong way
* you try to destroy something you love

You might say that none of the above is true for an executor of detailed test cases, but that’s not software testing, it is software checking!

6 Comments
Henrik Emilsson September 8th, 2009

True, so true…

You also have the possibility to be multidimensionally subjective, which I think is something special for software testing.

Hmm, multidimensional subjectivity is almost unique for software testing, except for certain psychoanalysts in relational psychoanalysis that utilizes it… 🙂

Martin Jansson September 9th, 2009

Regarding “You might say that none of the above is true for an executor of detailed test cases”, there are some who are stuck in a situation where they do not experience any of the good things (at least as I see it).

Creativity is frowned upon if it does not show progress in the current list of test cases to be run.

The idea of never being done is not true if you are done when the assigned test cases in the test matrix are finished. Going outside the already planned test cases is a nono.

Doing things the wrong way is not something the customer would do. Oh really?

Why do you want to destroy? QA/Test team are always so negative.

In a situation like the above I’ve noticed that many try to escape the testing part, to do other test related things such as test planning, writing new test cases etc. Is this dystopia really what many teach and want us to practise? Each time I enter this situation I long for the exploratory way.

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Rikard Edgren October 7th, 2009

I like the Google Translation of the above comment:

“Break, crush and tear apart – that is life, this is happiness.” The unique characteristics of the profession tester.

[…] and put on software testing as a best practice, or something really good. Software testing is unique, and you might violate important aspects when applying a template that doesn’t match. It is a […]

Rikard Edgren September 15th, 2010

unique:
* everyday serendipity
* creates problems instead of solving them (or: solves problems by creating them)

special:
* need to have many active things going on simultaneously
* responsibility/expectations can differ very much