Documents

Data Testing Analysis Heuristics: A categorized set of heuristics focused on testing problems with data.
Heuristics for Claims Based Testing: Claims about a product are good source of testing ideas. We can often find issues by analyzing claims and seeing if they are true, contradictory, or introduce problems.
Heuristics for Testing Software Dependences: A categorized set of heuristics focused on testing ideas for dependencies between components in a system.
Heuristics for Flow and Scenario Testing: A categorized set of heuristics focused on testing scenarios and sequences of actions.
Fast and Easy Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FEFMEA): A shorter and easier version of FEFMEA I use for software testing.
AI Guidance, Augmentation, Tolerances and Enforcement Analysis (AIGATE). A method for analyzing and assessing safe design and usage of AI-based systems.
How to do test reporting. A presentation on different ways of formatting and representing a test report. Download to view.

Software Testing Video Channel

Software Testing is my YouTube channel where I share testing ideas, approaches, and live testing examples. Below is a screen shot of one of my videos where I demonstrate testing on a game I am working on.

My LinkedIn Posts

Some time ago I started posting a series of cartoons with commentary on LinkedIn. They are hard to find up there, so I put a link to the list of them in here.

AI and Testing

Words are not Enough: About AI Inability to Express Ideas
Sometimes the Effort is the Goal
“Fixing the Model” for AI is Like Moving a Blanket
Don’t Give the Monkey the Gun!
How to Confront the Question “What is Our AI Strategy?”

Testing and The Software Development Lifecycle

Testing Problems are not Magic
Unit Tests and Washing Hands
Testing Accountability: Testing Owners
Throwing Things Over the Wall: Sometimes the Whole Thing is the Problem
Break the Schedule Into Smaller Chunks: Use Test Strategy to Guide Optimizing Coverage
Risk, Testing, and Deployment Patterns
Testing & SDLC Phases: Where the Bugs Exist for Each Phase
Testing Changes and CI/CD Pipeline
Short Iteration Test Strategy
Testing Does not Prevent Bugs: Prevention at Different Stages
What is the Problem with Pull Requests?
Different Ways for Testers and Developers to Work Together

Testing in General

Beware “I’m Doing Something” Bias
Punch and Judy: Tester and Developer Mindset Debate
Percentages are Often B.S. Use This Cool Metric to Find Out
Think Like a Developer, Think Like a Tester: Specification by Example
How Many Things is it? Testing Levels Simplified
Career Ladder Levels for Engineers
Automation Frameworks and Their Various Pieces
Testing v.s. Making Mindset: Infinity to Finite in Opposite Directions
Do You Need a Dedicated Tester?
Precision Versus Recall Testing
Why Business Don’t Invest in Testing
Automation is not Magic
First Time Testing is a Lot of Work - Why We Cover Regression Using Automated Checks

Testing Analysis

Testing is an Unsolved Problem
ICED MICE, a Unit Test Coverage Mnemonic
New Test Idea Heuristics
Use Test Environments to Cover Different Conditions
Unscripting the Test Procedure
Whole Scenario, Single Steps, or What?
Large Footprint Analysis - April Fools Post
Risk Accelerators - SPICED CADS
Boundary Value Analysis: More than Min Max
Testable Objects: Big Pictures and Little Pictures
Sometimes the Testing Methodology is a Code Smell
MEND and END the MOAN: Handy Test Heuristics
Switch Models to Get Ideas
Do You Know Summertime? Musical Improvisation as a Comparison to Exploratory Testing
What if it is Just a Dowsing Rod?
Risky Bunnies: A Game of Assessing Product Risk
Coverage Models: How They Vary
Templatized Case Explosion
Get Out the Red Ink Pen: API and Data Examples Describe Rich Test Problems
Fast to Read Test Idea Modeling Techniques
Effective Test Analysis is Specific and Context-Based
Testing Requirements Often Means Asking Critical Questions
Changing User Stories Using Different Reasoning Modes
Risk-Based Testing: Some Counter-Intuitive and Unpopular Heuristics Regarding Frequency
Mind the Gap. Bugs are in the Gap
Requirement Checks v.s. Exploratory Testing: They Find Different Things
Invaluable Testers
Deployments Frequency Compared to Train Departure Times
Change Requirements to Create More Test Ideas
If the Schema Allows It, Do It
Testing Just the User Stories is Weak Coverage
User Stories and Pairwise Testing

Inconsistent Results, Intermittent Failures, and Flake

Flaky Bugs are Time Bombs
Inconsistent Results Increase with Suite Size and Repetition
Is Your Response to Flake Flaky?
Variation is the Rule, not the Exception
Is This Bug From This Change? Use Repetition to Move “First Hit” Pain to a Better Time
Self-healing Automation Hides the Flake, and That Isn’t Good
Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again is not the Definition of Insanity

Blog Posts