Humbling Experiences Rikard Edgren
I see humility as a very good virtue.
It is something I have failed miserably at, partly because it is easy to think something is bad just because there are many problems.
I think it’s a common fallacy for many ambitious testers – you are last in line, maybe with lower status, you want to get heard and become too persuasive…
Humility tend to give better collaboration, and thereby better results. A humble tester more often changes her mind, which is necessary.
The complexity of reality demands a humble tester.
Here is my list of humbling experiences; things I think have made me a better tester.
* write requirements
* programming something bigger than an exercise
* manage projects
* customer report of an important bug you should have caught
* experiencing too little time to test the very important stuff
* failing to explain why your testing is good
* reading something you wrote some time ago, and realizing it’s very shallow
* understanding your lack of humility
* realizing you were wrong
Which ones do I have left?
I agree, humility is a very important – and in some ways overlooked and underrated – quality found in good software testing.
You’re right that it’s sometimes seen as a weakness or a bad thing – but it is the complete opposite IMHO – so much learning is associated humility and being humble.
I think continuous learning and development is aided by humility.
I raised the point about humility at PATS, and had meant to write something more about it – on the backlog. This is another reminder that I should do it – because I think it’s very important. Thanks!
Thanks, Simon
When thinking about your presentation at SWET3, I remember humility in your content, but also that your “mind-changing” activities probably were a lot about inducing humility, both in managers and testers.