Soft Skills You Need Are Not Always Taught in Class

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BT8 Concurrent!Session!11/12/15!1:30pm!

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“Soft Skills You Need Are Not Always Taught in Class”

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Presented by:

Jon Hagar Independent Consultant

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Brought(to(you(by:(!

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340!Corporate!Way,!Suite!300,!Orange!Park,!FL!32073!888&268&8770!I!904&278&[email protected]!I!www.sqe

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Jon Hagar is an independent consultant working in software product integrity, testing, verification, and validation. For more than thirty-five years Jon has worked in software engineering, particularly testing, supporting projects which include control systems (avionics and auto), spacecraft, IoT, mobile-smart devices, and attack testing for smart phones. He authored Software Test Attacks to Break Mobile and Embedded Devices; has presented hundreds of classes and more than fifty conference presentations; and written numerous articles. Jon is an editor for ISO, IEEE, and OMG standards. !

Jon Hagar Independent Consultant

So#$Skills$You$Need,$Are$Not$Always$Taught$in$Class$

Jon$D.$Hagar,$Consultant,$Grand$So#[email protected]$

1$

Got bugs?

Get a tester with great skills. $Copyright$Jon$Hagar$2014$

•  What$does$it$take$to$be$a$GOOD$Tester?$

$•  Knowledge?$$

•  Skill?$

–  Do$you$want$to$be$a$GREAT$.$.$.$

Copyright$2015$$Jon$D.$Hagar$$P$“So#ware$Test$ARacks$to$Break$Mobile$and$Embedded$Devices”$

2

Your%Opportunity%

The%Subjects%at%Hand%

•  Schools$of$tes?ng$

•  Sampling$of$skill$lists$

•  Knowledge$vs$Skill$$

•  Sampling$of$test$skills$you$may$have$missed$in$other$classes$

•  How$to$become$a$beRer$tester$

$$$$$$$$$$$Note:$These$are$my$opinions$3$$Copyright$Jon$Hagar$2014$

Schools$of$Tes?ngPPA$Debate$that$Impacts$Skills$

•  ContextPdriven$–$“it$depends”$and$tes?ng$is$highly$skilled$

•  ProcessPdriven$(aka$Factory)$–$knowledge,$standards$&$procedures$

•  Quality$Assurance$(aka$Checking)$–$following$a$defined$process$

•  Academic$–$tes?ng$is$a$problem$for$techniques$and$tools$

•  Agile$–$focus$small$teams$doing$TDD$and$ATDD$with$explora?on$

4$$Copyright$Jon$Hagar$2014$

A$Test$Industry$Ques?on$

•  What$does$it$take$to$be$a$“good”$tester?$

•  A$debate$exists$and$is$associated$with$the$“schools:$of$tes?ng$$Part$of$the$debate$is$$$P$$$$$–  Knowledge$or$$–  Skill$or$$–  Procedures$(wriRen$or$automated)$

• What$is$tes?ng$based$in$

5$Copyright$Jon$Hagar$2014$

KnowledgePbased$Tes?ng$$

•  Books$of$knowledge$in $$–  QAI,$ISTQB,$ASQ,$IIST,$and$others$$

•  IEEE$has$®SWEBOK$–  So#ware$including$tes?ng$–  Systems$and$computer$science$

•  General$understanding$can$be$a$benefit,$from$–  Discipline(s)$–$various$college$degrees$can$come$into$tes?ng$

–  Art$and$music$–$these$are$disciplines$

•  To$some$extent$the$academics$view$tes?ng$as$“knowledge”$$$ 6$$Copyright$Jon$Hagar$2014$

ProcedurePbased$Tes?ng$

•  Plans$and$scripts$designed$into$documents$–  e.g.,$$ISO$29119$

•  O#en$can$be$Automated$with$tools$– ModelPbased$–  KeywordPbased$

•  The$thought$is$that$“anyone$can$be$a$tester”,$except$–  The$test$automa?on$person$–  The$test$architect$$–  The$test$designer$–  Analyst$or$systems$person$–  These$are$“test”$related$too$$ 7$$Copyright$Jon$Hagar$2014$

SkillPbased$Context$Tes?ng$

•  For$me,$requires$the$previous$knowledge$bases$and……$

•  Other$skills:$–  Skill$list$in$work$by$Associa?on$of$So#ware$Tes?ng$(AST)$– Millions$of$Google$hits$–  Sampling$on$next$pages$

•  Prac?ce,$Prac?ce,$Prac?ce$

•  Also,$there$are$many$different$levels$of$any$skill$

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Can we have testers at different levels? $Copyright$Jon$Hagar$2014$

$$Distribu?on$Curve$(if$testers$were$normal)$

9$Copyright$2014,$Jon$D.$Hagar$$$$$Grand$So#ware$Tes?ng$

More$Likely$Tester$Distribu?on$Curve$

10$Copyright$2014,$Jon$D.$Hagar$$$$$Grand$So#ware$Tes?ng$

The newbie tester -> Thinking tester ------------------------------------------Context tester (it depends) ->Pragmatic Tester-> The Few

Sampling$of$Tester$$Skills$

MANY$MANY$$MANY$Test$skill$=$22$million$Hits$on$Google$

$And$most$taught$in$class$

$


Basic$From$blog.inf.ed.ac.uk$$

12$blog.inf.ed.ac.uk

From$Novosas$

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novosas.com

From$Ministry$of$So#ware$Tes?ng$$

hRp://www.ministryo#es?ng.com/$ 14$

Tester$Skill$List$(long)$

15$List © 2001 by Bernie Berger

Cross-functional effectiveness Test environment set-up Version control/change mgmt. Industry knowledge TQM/CMM/ISO Sigma/IEEE Quality economics Statistics and probability Professional affiliation/certification Efficiency implementation Metrics and measurement Risk analysis Root cause analysis Incremental test strategies Quality advocacy Macintosh user skills Energetic Sense of humor Persuasive Good judgment Problem solver Detail-oriented/meticulous Enthusiastic Assertive Articulate Inquisitive Organized Thorough Team Player Honesty

Basic testing Software life-cycle Basic technical aptitude and awareness Basic/Advanced Internet Manual black box testing MS Windows user skills Communication written/oral Test planning Test documentation Defect reporting Basic programming concepts Basic software engineering Basic system architecture Basic database Basic comm protocol Quality control/quality assurance Process improvement/methodology Software testing phases Software testing concepts Automated test scripting Evaluation of automated test results Record/playback Editing automated scripts Analytical skills UNIX user skills SQL user skills Web testing skills

James$Bach’s$$List$of$What$Tes?ng$is$

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Even$Some$Funny$Skill$Lists$

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blog.smartbear.com

Most$of$the$items$listed$can$be$taught$in$classes$

$But$real%skill%must%be%prac:ced%

$

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The$Pragma?c$Tester$(an$accep?ng$context$tester)$$

•  Like$so#ware$programming$•  Like$prac?cing$medicine$$•  Like$sports$(skiing)$

•  All$of$these$“bases”$are$needed$for$the$pragma?c$testers$–  Knowledge$–  Tools$$–  Skill$–  ContextPthinking$–  Procedures$(following$some$rules,$standards,$or$guidelines)$–  Techniques$and$quality$–  Agility$

$$$$19$

Testing skills work to address the most Interesting problems in software

$Copyright$Jon$Hagar$2014$

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You may have the Talent to get or gain knowledge, but.. You still do NOT have Skill, until you practice

$$$$$$Let’s$Consider$a$Downhill$Skiing$Analogy$

•  Skiing$requires$skill$with$different$levels$of$skiing$

•  Skiing$requires$some$knowledge$

•  Skiing$requires$some$talent$and$much$prac?ce$

•  Skiing$requires$procedures$as$well$as$tools$

•  There$are$“rules”$and$guidelines$for$skiers$to$consider$

•  Skiing$has$many$different$contexts$(condi?ons)$

$$$$You$can$read$a$book$on$it,$but$does$that$make$you$a$tester?$


Skiing$has$Many$Skill$Levels$(each$must$be$prac?ced$for$hours,$days,$years?)$

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$You$may$die$(Expert)$

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$Expert$(Advanced)$

$$$$$$$$$$ $ $ $$$$$$$Intermediate$

$ $ $$$$$$$Beginner$$• Then$there$is$a$�neverPever�$$$$$$(never$been$on$snow$or$skis$before)$• Anyone$can$read$a$book$or$a$magazine$on$skiing,$perhaps$even$pass$wriRen$tests$on$skiing$but,$they$would$NOT$$have$the$skill$to$ski$any$run$listed$on$the$right—hence,$they$are$a$�never$ever�$


Skill$example:$What$about$the$Planning$Guidelines?$(here$is$a$plan$(a$map)$of$where$to$ski)$

•  But$the$plan$(or$map)$is$nothing,$the$planning$is$everything$and,$without$skiing%SKILL%you$had$beRer$plan$on$staying$on$the$bunny$slope$or$else$


$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$Without$skiing$skill,$if$you$get$on$a$“not$for$beginner”$hill….$


….$Bad$Things$May$Happen$–$OUCH!$

25$

Moral of the Story

To$handle$the$“cliff”$slope$or$“steep$and$deep”$stuff$and$to$avoid$crashing$

you$must$prac:ce$.$.$.$$just$as$your$teacher$and$Will$Smith$$

speak$about$


How$to$Start$Knowledge:$on$the$Bunny$Slope$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$(and$con?nual$learning)$

•  Bunny$star?ng$$tester$

–  Cer?fica?on$

–  Standards$

–  Test$books$$$–$I$have$over$100$test$books$

–  Classes$$P$Many$colleges,$AST,$and$professional$classes$

–  Conferences$•  Where$you$are$now$

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I still go to “class” to gain knowledge from other “schools” and styles of testing


Example$2$:$Tools$to$Handle$Snow$(for$skiing)$$What$tools$do$you$need?$

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You thought of this, but you probably did not think of these


What$do$the$Examples$Show?$

•  In$my$view,$the$classes$and$training$do$NOT$teach$skills$$

•  We$must$prac?ce$tes?ng$$


$$$$$$$$$Pragma?c$Skills$You$Might$Be$Missing$

$•  Risk$Taking$

–  In$skiing:$If$you$are$not$falling,$you$are$not%learning%

–  Testers$doing$the$same$things$over$and$over$and$expec?ng$different$results$(One$defini?on$of$insanity)$


$$$$$$$$$$What$else?$

$• Skill$to$avoid$drinking$the$KoolPaid$$

– Standard$–$ISO29119$$

– Test$automa?on$

–  Unthinking$monkey$and$regression$tes?ng$

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Use tailoring and apply in only appropriate contexts (educate management)

Use automation when “advantages” are realized but do not expect “magic bullets”

Use other test techniques and concepts such as data or behavior driven testing


One$defini?on$of$tes?ng:$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$Ac?vi?es$to$provide$informa?on$(data)$about$a$product$

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$s$=$Data$

•  History$of$computers$

•  $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$There$is$an$App$for$That$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$????????????????$SODA$

Limited$Data$$PPPPP$$Personal$Data$PPPPPP$Massive$Web$Data$PPPP$App$Sliced$Data$PPPP$SelfPOrganizing$Data$Associa?ons$$

•  Bug$Data$Analy?cs$P$$PaRerns$of$bugs$=>$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$Model$paRerns$for$exploratory$test$

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$$$$$$$$$$$Learn$From$and$Use$Your$Test$Error$Data$


$•  Honesty$$

– Do$people$trust$you?$$$– Can$you$deliver$informa?on$without$it$becoming$“personal”$(see$poli?cs)?$

•  Avtude$$– Are$you$happy$at$work?$$$– When$you$find$a$bug$and$report$it,$does$the$developer$get$happy$too?$How$about$management—do$they$get$happy?$

•  Poli?cal$– Being$nice—no$maRer$the$circumstance$(a$skill)$– Dealing$with$difficult$people$posi?vely$(a$skill)$– Dealing$with$bad$situa?ons$$posi?vely$(a$skill)$

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$$$$$$$$$$$More$Traits$You$Might$Be$Missing$


And$More$Things$I$Build$Skills$In$

•  NonPso#ware$sciences$and$disciplines$

•  Successful$coaching$and/or$mentoring$$$•  Triage$$

•  Real$management$$•  Of$teams$•  Of$managers$•  Of$self$

•  Passion$

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(number 1 for me) Cheers

Don’t Care Testers

Hard Work Testers

Obsessed Testers


Brainstorm$a$skill$you$have$that$isn’t$taught$

Name$some$other$skills$that$you$feel$are$important$for$testers$to$have$and$demonstrate$that$I$may$have$missed$.$.$.$$


Expecta?ons$about$Knowledge$and$Skill$

•  Seek$knowledge$and$build$skill$–  Time$–  Cer?fica?ons$–  Take$risks$in$new$jobs$

•  I$am$asked$$$“How$did$$you$get$your$job?”$$–  35$years$$P$I$am$s?ll$learning$and$prac?cing$

–  Prac:ce.$Prac?ce.$PRACTICE$


When$you$get$home:$Assess$Your$Skills$

•  Conduct$a$personal$assessment$every$few$months$or$so$

•  Compare$against$“benchmarks”$(skill$lists)$

•  Capture$the$assessment$in$a$career$plan$

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Be Honest with yourself


Road$map$of$many$paths$to$get$to$a$goal$(no$wrong$path$but$some$may$be$beRer$for$one’s$skill$set)$


Many$Skills$&$Study$

Hard%Work%

Tes?ng$Skill$Trails$(of$infinite$paths)$

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No$Formal$School$

Become%Expert%

College%

Cert%

%OJT%

%Standards%%Gain%

Knowledge%Prac?ce%

%Skilled%Tester%

Prac?ce$


Summary$

•  To$be$good$testers,$we$need$–  Knowledge$–  Skill$–  Prac?ce$with$passion$$

•  Classes,$references,$and$conferences$give$you$some$of$these$%

•  Tes?ng$is$a$prac?ce$that$takes$years.$$

•  Be$a$pragma?c$tester–$know$all$schools$

•  Learn$from$the$DATA$


References$and$Pointers$

•  Colorado$Ski$Country$

•  ISTQB$•  IEEE$•  ISO$•  AST$•  Google$

•  Special$Thank$you$–$James$Bach$and$Bernie Berger$$


Soft Skills You Need Are Not Always Taught in Class

Software

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