Exploratory testing is an approach to testing that is often misunderstood. Actually it is an approach to testing that emphasizes testers ability to explore an unknown object or area through concurrent test design and test execution. In order to be skillful in it, you need to have several assets that will help you reveal relevant information about the product you’re building. I will share many of the things that I consider essential for a person who wants to understand more about exploratory testing. Talk is focusing a lot on things that have evolved my thinking and therefore helped me be more valuable as a tester. Many of them are also useful for anyone working in software development.
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HOW TO THINK LIKE AN EXPLORATORY TESTER ALEKSIS TULONEN COMIQ
OY TURKU AGILE DAY 2014
www.comiq.fi @al3ksis
www.commonsensetesting.org @al3ksis
@al3ksis
TESTING Experimenting with something in order to evaluate it.
@al3ksis
@al3ksis
Testing is about mental engagement. @al3ksis
EXPLORATORY TESTING An approach to testing that emphasizes
testers ability to explore an unknown object or space through
concurrent test design and test execution. Explore = travel through
(an unfamiliar area) in order to learn about it (Oxford
Dictionaries) @al3ksis
FREEDOM & RESPONSIBILITY A style of software testing that
emphasizes the personal freedom and responsibility of the
individual tester to optimize the quality of his or her work by
treating test design, test execution, test interpretation, and
test-related learning as mutually supportive activities that
continue in parallel throughout the project. Cem Kaner
@al3ksis
CREATING BY REACTING An essential aspect of a painter's canvas
and a musical instrument is the immediacy with which the artist
gets something there to react to. A canvas or sketchbook serves as
an "external imagination", where an artist can grow an idea from
birth to maturity by continuously reacting to what's in front of
him. Bret Victor (Learnable Programming) @al3ksis
THINGS THAT HAVE HELP ME EVOLVE AS A TESTER @al3ksis
1. QUALITY IS A RELATIONSHIP Quality is value to some person.
Jerry Weinberg who matter. James Bach & Michael Bolton By
value, I mean, What are people willing to pay (do) to have their
requirements met. Jerry Weinberg @al3ksis
"You can't separate the quality of your employees work-life
from the quality of your products. (Source: W. Edward Deming
Quality Guruhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQpY3lnljBE - 5:22)
@al3ksis
BUG FOR ONE, FEATURE FOR ANOTHER @al3ksis
2. COMMUNICATION SKILL @al3ksis
@al3ksis
Agile Is Dead. @al3ksis
What observation led you to that conclusion? @al3ksis
What is your intention? What are you trying to achieve with
what you just said? @al3ksis
@al3ksis
3. LEPRECHAUN HUNTER MINDSET @al3ksis
@al3ksis
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@al3ksis Show Me the Data.
WHAT DO WE SAY WHEN WE SEE A CURVE LIKE THIS? @al3ksis
SUMMARY Exploratory Testing: Mental Engagement, Responsibility
& Emphasizing Exploration Quality: Quality is value to some
person(s). Who is the person(s) that matter? Communication Skill
Check Intake, Check Meaning What observation led you to that
conclusion? What is your intention? & What are you trying to
achieve with what you said? Leprechaun Hunter Mindset Show Me the
Data. @al3ksis
SOURCES OF INFORMATION Evolving Understanding of Exploratory
Testing (by Michael Bolton) -
http://www.developsense.com/resources.html#exploratory Exploratory
Testing (by Cem Kaner) -
http://www.testingeducation.org/BBST/exploratory/ Telling Your
Exploratory Story (by Jon Bach) -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUdWm7ddgfU Exploratory Testing (by
Jon Bach) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y4WCdJRfV4 A Case
Against Test Cases (by Jon Bach) -
http://www.quardev.com/blog/a_case_against_test_cases @al3ksis
SOURCES OF INFORMATION The Leprechauns of Software Engineering
(by Laurent Bossavit) - https://leanpub.com/leprechauns Perfect
Software: And Other Illusions about Testing (by Jerry Weinberg) You
can find it from Amazon Explore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase
Confidence with Exploratory Testing (by Elisabeth Hendrickson) You
can find it from Amazon Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and
Powerful Ideas (by Seymour Papert) You can find it from Amazon
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (by Carol Dweck) You can
find it from Amazon The Idea Accelerator (by Ken Hudson) You can
find it from Amazon @al3ksis
SOURCES OF INFORMATION What is Exploratory Testing?
http://swtester.blogspot.ca/2012/05/what-is-exploratory-
testing.html (by Paul Carvalho) The Little Black Book on Test
Design http://thetesteye.com/blog/2011/09/the-little-black-book-on-
test-design/ (by Rikard Edgren) To The New Tester
http://www.satisfice.com/blog/archives/958 (by James Bach) Fractal
Exploratory Testing http://www.a-sisyphean-
task.com/2013/01/fractal-exploratory- testing.html#.UpxHGWRgY3Y (by
Adam Knight) Learnable Programming
http://worrydream.com/LearnableProgramming/ (by Bret Victor)
@al3ksis
SOURCES OF INFORMATION Two Forgotten Agile Values: Discipline
and Skill http://www.exampler.com/discipline-and-skill.html (by
Brian Marick) Practical Tools For Playing Well With Others
http://oredev.org/2013/wed-fri-conference/practical-tools-for-
playing-well-with-others (by J.B. Rainsberger) Patterns for The
People http://vimeo.com/19124478 (by Kevlin Henney) The Satir
Interaction Model http://sstc- online.org/2006/pdfs/JB1365Notes.pdf
(by Virginia Satir) Test Heuristics Cheat Sheet
http://testobsessed.com/wp-
content/uploads/2011/04/testheuristicscheatsheetv1.pdf (by
Elisabeth Hendrickson) @al3ksis