The Cromulent Testing Blog

Stress Testing Results

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 17:00:00 PDT

Cromulent Testing returns. Did you survive? Find out!

You need your score from this survey.

25 - 35

You appear impressively mellow, with almost no job stress and seem practically burnout proof

36 - 50

You express a low amount of job-related stress and are not likely to burn out. Look over those questions on which you scored a 3 or above and think about ways you can reduce the stresses involved.

51 - 70

You seem to be under a moderate amount of stress on the job and have a fair chance of burning out. For each question on which you scored a 4 or above, consider ways you can reduce the stresses involved. If possible, take action to improve your attitude or the situation surrounding those things that trouble you most.

71 - 90

You express a high amount of job-related stress and may have begun to burn out. Consider studying stress reduction, assertiveness, and burnout prevention. Mark each question on which you scored a 4 or above and rank them in order of their effect on you - beginning with the ones that bother you most. For at least your top three, make a list of ways you can reduce the stresses involved and take action to improve your attitude and/or situation. lf your body is reflecting this stress, get a medical checkup.

91 & up

You seem to be under a dangerous amount of stress and are probably nearing an advanced stage of burnout. Without some changes in your behaviours, attitude, and job situation your potential for succumbing to stress-related illness is high. Consider taking classes in stress reduction and burnout prevention and/or seeking professional help.

What the cromulent testers think:

While the above advice is sound, its focus is on changing attitudes. This is important, but sometimes the place you work needs to change or you need to change the place you work.

Or in extreme cases, exercise.

Peace out.

‘Burnout Questionnaire’, Public Welfare, Vol. 39, No. 1, 1981, American Public Welfare Association

Stress Testing

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 17:00:00 PDT

Questions for stress testing… yourself.

This questionnaire is taken from “Public Welfare, Vol. 39, No. 1, 1981, American Public Welfare Association”.

Rate the 25 questions according to the following scale:
1 = Never
2 = Rarely
3 = Sometimes
4 = Often
5 = Always

Do you:

worry at night and have trouble sleeping?
feel less competent or effective then you used to feel?
consider yourself under appreciated or ‘used’ on the job?
always feel tired, even when you get enough sleep?
dread going to work?
get angry and irritated easily?
have recurring headaches, stomach aches, or lower back pain?
feel overwhelmed?

Are you:

always watching the clock?
avoiding conversation with co-workers?
rigidly applying rules without considering more creative solutions?
increasing your use of alcohol or drugs?
automatically expressing negative attitudes?
excessively absent?

Does your job:

overload you with work?
deny you breaks, lunch time, sick leave or vacation?
demand long shifts and frequent overtime?
pay too little?
lack access to a social-professional support group?
depend on capricious funding sources?
not have enough funds to accomplish agency goals?
lack clear guidelines?
entail so many different tasks that you feel fragmented?
require you to deal with rapid program changes?
Demand coping with an angry public?

Tally your score.

Cliffhanger! Find out if you’ll survive next post!

‘Burnout Questionnaire’, Public Welfare, Vol. 39, No. 1, 1981, American Public Welfare Association

Testing sans testers

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:00:00 PST

Even without testers on the team, you still need to test, or your customers will.

Here are some ways the team can help fill the gap:

Right at the start:

Follow work flows until it’s understood what needs to be done. Swim lanes help.
Think edge cases. Do they reveal new scope or change the design?
Find out why you’re doing what you’re doing
Remember where similar projects have gone wrong. Appear smart by telling others as if you just thought of it.

Before people start coding:

What’s the least you can do to responsibly meet the requirements?
Draw the possible paths, what happens at the end of each one?
What assumptions are you making? How can you challenge them?
How will you know when you’re done?

Testing stuff works during and afterwards:

Moar automation. Developers rock at this.
Run a tight ship; check your own work as you go
Collaborate with your colleagues. Let them see your tests. Do handovers.
Rotate, it’s best if someone else tests your work

You probably also want to read up on user interaction/performance/security/infrastructure testing.

Go for coffee and discuss how to test tricky problems. Work as a team. Share ideas. Get in there and have a good time. We still test because it’s fun.

Your Mum Doesn't Work Here

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:00:00 PST

Dear Devs,

Have you ever had code bounce immediately out of test because it just didn’t work? It’s messy and wastes a lot time. You’re expecting the tester to do all your testing, a common mistake. We’re not asking you to do two jobs, with a little effort you can tidy as you go, catching these basic problems yourself.

The following are helpful, let our conscience be your guide.

Before you start work, check what you’re doing makes sense. Talk it over, ask who, what, where, when and why. Verify that what you’re going to do is what they want.

While coding, ensure the code actually does what you believe it does. Stray from the happy path; what could a user do by mistake? How could a user cheat the system? Ask questions like “What happens if I…” and get answers. Not all who wander are lost.

Your development skills will help you. Use your knowledge of code to bend it a little. Does any part of the code make you feel queasy? Start there.

Check white space, min and max lengths, validations, mandatory and optional fields, nulls. It’s literally (not figuratively) painful for testers to report these kinds of problems. Just make sure it works. Please.

To conclude, your forays into testing won’t replace a competent tester but it will save them time and heart ache; let them focus on more devious aspects their craft.