Page - ix - in The Future of Software Quality Assurance

Preface ix ongoing professional development. We do not need to compete with machines! Rather,weneedtocontrolthem.Howwedothis isaboveallaquestionofattitudeof mind,ofethics.What is it thatwewant,what is thefocusofourdesires,howshould we act? We should follow commonly agreed ethical principles. We need a code of conduct for the future and our work in service to society. The good of humanity is ourfirstobjective,andnot thedevelopmentofmachines.Allproducts,softwareand devices are subject to the highest possible quality demands, always with regard to their benefits. We undertake to maintain fair relations with our colleagues, we take prideintheimageofourprofessionandstrivetocontinuetolearnfortheentire time thatwe are in theworldofwork. The formula forthe future: Digitization isqualification plus automation—upskilling leads digitalization. One matter is for sure. The more accurately one may assess the developments, the better we can prepare ourselves for tomorrow. For us, the workers, developers, testers, marketers, employers and employees of the future, this means one thing above all: education. Being able to prepare ourselves for the new tasks. The Canadian creators of the careers2030.cst.org website, for example, list the jobs that will be in demand in 2030 with defined job descriptions. This makes for exciting reading, while allowing some to look into the future with relief. There will not be fewer jobs then than now. There will be designers then, though they may be called recyclable design specialists; there will be farmers, though their profession will be based on microclimates and the question of how quickly solar energy and water reach the plant. Their job title might then be ‘agroecologist’. Marketers could become e-media makers and arts managers for big data-driven video, text and game content. And IT experts? They will develop ever more into communicatorsthatenable thedifferentcomputerstocommunicatewitheachother. Software testers will have a much stronger presence in the project planning stage. They will concentrate more on human-machine communication. Things won’t be simpler.But theopportunitieswill outweighthe risks. This book, issued to mark the 15th anniversary of iSQI, is intended to make a further contribution to raising the profile of the profession of software testing. How is the profession of tester changing? What must a tester prepare for in the coming years, and what skills will the next generation of software testers need? What opportunities are available for further training today? What will testing look like in an agile world that is user-centredand fast-moving?What tasks will remain to the testeronce themost importantprocessesareperformedautomatically?These arequestions that wewill have toanswer forourselves. CEO iSQIGroup,Potsdam,Germany StephanGoericke