Few months back, I got the highlights of STPConference 2009 email. One of the highlight is “How to Fake a Test Project”.
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Behave conventionally. Squander energy. Deflect scrutiny. Say you tested it, but spend most of your time playing Spider Solitaire instead. Be sure to submit a few bugs though, because you don’t want to make it too obvious that you’re not really testing.
This tongue-in-cheek advice was offered up by the quotable James Bach (satisfice.com) during his presentation “How to Fake a Test Project” at STPConference 2009. For the uninitiated, James – a noted author, speaker, teacher and consultant – is among the most outspoken testing contrarians. Whether it’s certifications, 100-page test scripts or rigid documentation, he’s always willing to challenge conventional wisdom.
This most recent presentation – where he advised testers to “focus narrowly, minimize humanity and blame complexity, ambiguity and volatility” – was more of jab at the absurdities of outdated software testing practices than about actually faking a test project (at least we hope). So for anyone who is new to the profession – or who would like a fresh perspective on the QA craft – you owe it yourself to see James speak in person. He’s insightful, provocative and funny as hell. If you’ve been in the profession for 20+ years and think you’ve got testing all figured out, we’d recommend that you stay away. Far, far away.
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I wish, James throw more light on faking a test project and right directions to testers.