Logs of life

How reading a book changed my ideas in testing

2011-04-18T23:29:00.002+05:30

I had a conversation with a developer with whom I was working in a project. It was like this:

Developer: Hey what are you doing; are you testing my module?

Me: Yes, I think I have done with one round of testing. Can I send the first round of bug report?

Developer: Okay, so how many bugs you have found?

Me: There are many, most of the bugs I think you should have avoided. It’s the same kind of issues that I have reported for the other modules you developed.

Developer: Hoo, so it was easy for you right? It’s your duty to find the bugs not mine.

Me: But before sending the module for testing you should have tested it.

Developer: If I am doing that what you are supposed to do?

Me: I should have got more time to test the other things, if you have avoided the common mistakes which I have pointed out in the other modules.

Developer: I was busy, anyway you will finding it right and it’s your duty to find all the bugs. If any post release bugs are raised you are the only one responsible.

Me: Really? So you are telling that it’s not your duty to improve yourself and how I am the only one responsible?

Developer: Because you are the tester!!

At that time I was confused, I knew that I am not the only one responsible but I did not know how to defend myself. Actually the reality was, I too believed to some extend that I was the only one responsible for the bugs if any from live (post-release bugs) is reported. It was like; I was confused of what as a tester I am supposed to do for the project.

The first chapter in the book “Lessons learned in Software Testing” deals with that. As a tester to understand his role towards a project is very important. The fifteen lessons in this chapter help us to gain that confidence. I believe that the main success of a tester depends on his experience and the book is written by three of the experienced personalities in the testing industry Cem Kaner, James Bach and Bret Perrichord.

So the idea of this post was to explain what I felt after reading the particular chapter.

Changes

2011-04-02T11:02:00.002+05:30

One day when I asked god to give me some magic lamp or ring (like in movies) to make the things better at my end he said to me that it’s not in the requirement specification.

What? Ok, so what is been done to make the things better?

He said that I will feel the things changing.

It was a dream but I was happy.

Usually it happens to me when something is really going to get changed in my life.

Morning when I reached office, BOSS called me and said that they have decided to fire me because of attending Interviews, also they will be giving me an offer like if I would not attend any more interviews from that day I can work in the company for one more year. I said NO to the offer and got fired.

The next thing they did was to send a mail to all the employees in the company including me with the reason of why I have been fired. I went to my room and decided to test the mail and publish it in my blog.

I was happy that another offer was with me in a company at Bangalore. I knew that in Bangalore there will be lots of opportunity for a software tester to become a better software tester. I wanted to work with people who are passionate in testing.

Life was easy in the new company, I made some good friends, I was able to share what I know to them and they also contributed things which were unknown to me. I met Adarsh and Aswin two great testers.

But things were moving at a slow phase. Some thing was missing.

Again it happened. I had a dream, things were going to change.

Now I am in Moolya.

Infinite loop

2010-11-26T23:54:00.002+05:30

In my experience as a Software Tester, am not able to use this sentence: “Testing is completed”. Why?

I like to say “I am learning“ rather than “I am testing the application”. Each day as a software tester I am learning new things. Everything which comes to me is a part of my experience as a learner. Not only as testing software but also the other things in daily life.

When I am doing testing I feel like I am in a conversation. The Question comes and I also have an answer. I am in a state where I am talking to myself. How do I know the answers to the questions I am getting are correct? So it can be based on my experience in using similar kind of applications or what I know or learned in the usage of the software I am testing.

I have all the answers for the questions regarding the software I am testing with, so why I am not able to say that I have done a complete testing of the application? I only have the answers for the questions which I know. Its only on my knowledge about the software .Do I have the complete knowledge? How can I know whether these are the only question? So there is possibility of new questions.

I get more understanding on the software I am testing when I am working in a team of people who are also in the same process, where each member is trying to understand the software in their own way (according to their experience). So there is an opportunity for me to ask questions first to myself and get the answer and also to others and getting the answer or another question based upon their knowledge. This process I feel more reliable rather than being myself depending on my own questions and answers. Here I get more understanding in the process of learning the software I am testing. I can view the software in different angles now. So this is becoming another phase of my experience as a tester. I am building up my experience in viewing the software in different ways. Now can I say I have completed testing of the software?

I will not be as it’s like I am in an infinite loop, more knowledge I get more questions arises more answers or questions at the end. Now it’s not only depending on my knowledge or experience but also the others around me as they are also undergoing the same process.

Now is it only the team of testers around me or in my team is contributing to my knowledge? No, it’s like each and every thing or people around me are helping me in this process. Rather I believe everything around me, including me is in a never-ending loop.

Testing a Mail

2010-08-15T20:26:00.003+05:30

The paragraph mentioned below in italics is the content of last mail which was also CC'ed to me from the company I resigned (asked to). Today when I read the same again I felt like this should have been the last work assigned to me for testing by the company.

On 7/29/2010 1:26 PM, IT BUSINESS INFO wrote:

Dear All,

Please be informed that Mr. Sreenu Raj Varma is asked to leave the organization due to attending interviews.

All the testing works done by Mr. Sreenu henceforth will be taken care by Mr. Vishnu for the time being.

Please be guided accordingly.

Regards,

XYZ | AO IT Department

UAE Exchange & Financial Services Ltd.

So let me try Testing this mail.. Will be Interesting..

Objective: Create a fear inside the mind of the employees.

Mission: To test the mail to find out is the objective have been achieved which management defined.

I will mention only some cases, as it is a small task and the result and some suggestions, needs only some simple cases to find whether the objective was achieved or not.

Case 1: The mail should be send by the IT Head (to have the real impact) to all the employees except Sreenuraj (Actually he is asked to resign so he doesn’t need this mail).

Result: It was not send by IT Head, also It was CC’ed to the Sreenuraj.

Case 2: Was the Fear factor worked out

Result: Absolutely a big NO. The reason can be as follows

1. There are lots of great opportunity and when the management treat the employee not according to what they perform; employee will start thinking of another options.

2. Management tried to copy the mission which been lead by the terrorist group “Kill One and Create Fear in Others”, which will really create a negative effect in the employees mind.

Case 3: Will the Mail make the other employees who are looking for a better opportunity and are attending the Interview to stop the same.

Result: Never, It will only allow more employees to think about searching for better opportunity

So I am coming to a conclusion to the testing that the mail has not done according to what it was expected to do

Some Suggestion from my side which would have made the objective success:

1. Search and find out the employee who is not doing what he/she is supposed to do and give them de-promotion and promote the employees who are performing.

2. Change how the company works as off now and have a discussion with all the members of what to do next. Think of being one and every one to be known as performers.

3. Everyone should be treated equally and no one should exists who beliefs in “show off” is better than performance

4. Give the employees the things to perform, adopt new kind of doing the work new technologies, now there is a belief in the company by the management that what is the need of bringing of new technologies? (Should have to change it)

Ok so I think I can stop the testing and publish this Post, hoping for the very best to the Company and now I think if the management is reading this they would be asking to themselves “Why the mail been released before Proper Testing ?” ;)

Great Developers make Great Testers and Vice versa

2010-07-23T11:54:00.002+05:30

The journey as a Software tester or to become a good software tester from a fresher in the software testing, I consider to have great developers in the path will help a lot. To gain the right experience to become an expert in the field as a tester needs the help/support of the developers or the development team who are excellent in their work.

The developers who are really committed to their work will definitely have the element of improving the quality of what they do. At this point as a tester we have got the opportunity to make them attain this by giving the support they need. The improvement in the quality is the asset which in turns becomes the experience of both for developer and the tester to become the expert in what they do.

When I am about to start the testing of a newly developed module the first question I used to ask to the developer is what is the percentage or number of issues they think be there in the module they have developed. According to the answer we can get the knowledge of how confidence the developer/team is to the developed product. But the factor of experience lays the important role in judging how to test the application and which all areas should be given importance.

Many a times I have noticed that testers complaining that developers don’t like them. For me I don’t believe in this argument. It is in the hands of us as testers to make them like or dislike you. If the developers feel or consider a tester as a factor of improving their work, why there will be a chance of dislike. Actually the improvement is the key which we have to attain in the success.

So when a programmer improves it gives a chance for ourselves to get improved. As a tester we will have to improve our own ability to make them consider that we are important to them.

My Career Graph till....

2010-07-21T20:52:00.002+05:30

This is my first post. I decided to blog after reading the blogs of great passionate testers, who inspired me to write in regards to my view as a Software Tester which will help me in my way to be a good tester.

I am into the software testing from last 2 years and when I first joined a company as a Test engineer I really did not know what is to be done in this field. To be true I had no idea what software testing is. I think it will be good if I start with how I became to be called a software tester.

After completing my Degree in Information Systems from "Amrita Institute of Computer Technology" I was not decided what to do next. Friends suggested doing Msc out there itself but I was confused as I did not understand why I had selected Software Industry to be my future. Actually I wanted to be a detective or a police officer but accidentally came to the software side. I was able to understand the programming languages but was not satisfying my desire.

Then a year after degree (not wasted worked as a management professional for ICFAI) I heard people talking about Software testing. Ahaaa Software Testing, really interesting. I became desperate of looking what actually testing of Software is all about. At that time Keltron an Institution started a new course on "Software Testing" for Degree Holders. It was the time for me to make my parents believe that i want to join the course, as It was hard because before a month I had joined for MBA and decided not to continue. After long arguments parents decided to provide funds and I joined Keltron.

After a four month course I learned the basics of Testing, what was testing to the software industry came to a conclusion(In my view) .According to me testing was the investigation done on software/applications to find the bugs before it is going to be released to the end user .

Because I was good in the theories and labs in the course Keltron asked me to join them as a lab assistant where there was an opportunity to learn the things more deeply. I was lab assistant in keltron for four months.

Then after that I got an opportunity to work as a trainee in Software testing in one of the company. The graph was going upwards till that time suddenly started the moving downwards as the prime objective assigned to me was to write test-cases. Starting time it was interesting but when week passed it was the situation where I had to make me believe that the making of test-case or writing it is the real testing. Hardly had I got a chance in touching the application for which I was writing the cases or modifying the existing cases. It was like doing something to waste sometime of myself, company and the client who have given the work for testing. Also a preparation for ISTQB was going on background which was indeed needed for the client. Months passed I was writing test-case's similar to check 1+1equals2,1+1 not equals 2 etc etc..

I was ready for ISTQB as the company had dumps where the questions was the same/similar as the originals.(Don't ask who gave that or do I have those... i don't have...)..Got the certification and continue for one more month in the same company. Then I got chance as a Software Test Engineer in another company.

Now I work for my Second Company- IT Division of (Company 2) as a Software Test Engineer. It is a company in Banking Financial Sector. At the start as always it was very interesting as I got situations to do the real testing .From the second day itself I was assigned with a work for testing. Here IT is been the main supporting element in the business for the company and we in IT are making application only for the use of the company (Internal Applications).

Here my role got changed as test cases were not mandatory or no one was preparing it, a big relief. At the earlier stages of my carrier in Company 2 I was not knowing what kind of testing I was performing but now I know I am doing something similar to exploratory kind of testing ,I know it is not a fully fledged exploratory testing as I don't know what exploratory testing really as defined. My work also includes Backend Testing. There are three members in the QA team and one Division Head, each have been assigned with separate developing division.

Some of my Roles are

1. To be a part of requirement collection

2. To be in discussion with development team in the Initial discussion

3. Test the application as per the discussion done after development is completed

4. Report Bugs (which will be also covering on the things and areas covered)

5. Analyzing the bugs (if any, not so many...) from live When the files are made live.

Here I got chance to explore the world of testing that is real learning started as I started reading blogs, articles on testing, participating in testing outside the company mainly from UTEST and small projects developed by friends.

Now I feel like there are factors which are affecting me in the growth as I am completing the two years ten months as a Software Tester in (Company 2).

Main Factors was:

1. No guidance/ Lack of guidance. Only publicity stunts for their own existence in the company are lead by all.

2. QA as a team has not got enough recognition, as the way that it should be as no one to my view is matured enough. No team work is entertained or possibly not happening and no active measures are taken to make it happen by anyone.

3. Promotions, Increment given not for the Quality of the work a employee in the company does but for the factor "How Many Year Will he/she stay in the company"..No matter he/she does a good work or not only need is of a factor which can be described as "Show - Off "..

4. No new creations are happening as management is going behind the old things, getting the same kind of works.

5. Seniors are not ready to speak a word against or that will be good to the company to the management as they have the fear of losing their jobs and the juniors who did that were thrown out saying "Attitude is not right" by the management...

I think I should rollback my first post over here as it will keep on going .Hoping for the best to happen.....

Thanks...