Alternative Paths for Self-Education In Software Testing

Markus Gärtner - http://blog.shino.de - Twitter: @mgaertne

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Education_-_Grad_Hat_-_Jordan.png

Education in Software Testing

My storyUniversity studies until October 2005

1st position as a software tester April 2006

1st training course in software testing:

October 2007

Appointed a software testing group lead

position in September 2007!

Who is responsible for your education?

Your employer?

Your superior?

Your teacher back in school?

Maybe your husband/wife?

Your kids?

Who is responsible for your education?

No!

YOU!http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Uncle_Sam_(pointing_finger).jpg

Feedback

Start a personal blog or private journal

Write an article

Contribute to mailing lists

Involve yourself in social mediaTwitter

LinkedIn

Software Testing Club

Weekend Testing

Learn to program

Scripting languages: Ruby, Python,

Groovy

Design Patterns

Technology: TDD, Mocking

Pairing

http://stevelucasmetz.blogspot.com/2008/01/rambo-baby.html

Hypothesis vs. Synthesis

Hypothesis

Books

Rapid Software Testing

Black-box software

testing

Buccaneer-scholar

Synthesis

Black-box software

testing

Testing Dojos &

Challenges

Weekend Testing

Miagi-Do school

http://wordandimage.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/brain.gif

Books

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/isss/isss/2009/02/

Rapid Software Testing

Developed by James Bach and Michael Bolton

Taught as a course, but slides available online:

http://www.satisfice.com/rst.pdf

Contents include:What is testing?

The Heuristic Test

Strategy Model

Heuristics, Oracles

and the tester‘s mind

… and much more

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Black-box Software Testing

Developed by Cem Kaner and James Bach

Online courses by AST

Videos online available:

http://www.testingeducation.org/BBST/

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Peering_Inside_the_Black_Box.jpg

Black-box Software Testing

Bug advocacy

Testing techniquesDomain testing

Scenario testing

Function testing

Risk-based testing

Combination testing

Specification-based testing

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Peering_Inside_the_Black_Box.jpg

Buccaneer-scholar

Book by James Bach

Learning heuristicsSACKED SCOWS

Long Leash Heuristic

Obsess and Forget Heuristic

Procrastinate and Push Heuristic

… are just some of the underlying

principles

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Testing Challenges

Testing challenges

Practical exercise of testing skills

Have internet will test:http://www.satisfice.com/blog/archives/322

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Testing Dojos

Similar to Coding DojosCollaboration

Save Environment

Deliberate Practice

Content:Single Testing vs. Paired Testing

Test this, Evaluate Tools, Learn new approaches

http://www.matrix-architekt.de/bilder/desktop/dojo.jpg

Weekend Testing

Testing on the weekend online

Typical session:1 hour Practical testing

1 hour Discussion

Content:Test this

Evaluate tools

Learn new approaches

Watch out for traps!

Miagi-Do School of Software Testing

Founded by Matt Heusser

Non-commercial, zero-profit

Improve testing skill

Through practice

Belt system

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Summary

Education is your repsonsibility

Different stylesFeedback

Hypothesis

Synthesis

You may have preferences for one or the

other, but you should apply as much as

possible