Page - 47 - in The Future of Software Quality Assurance

The Tester SkillsProgram 47 2.5 Logistics:WeDon’t Care We need to thinkclearlyand remove logistics from our thinking.The simplest way todo this is to identify theaspectsof the localenvironmentanddescopethem,so to speak.ThewayPaulusually introducesthisconcept is to identify the things thatwe don’tcareabout. As a practitioner you will care deeply about logistics, but for the purposes of identifying the things that are universally applicable––principles and our thought process––we need to set them aside for the time being. Here are the key logistical aspects that wemust remove‘toclearourminds’. Document or Not? We don’t care whether you document your tests or not. Whetherandhowyourecordyourtestsisnotgermanetothetestingthoughtprocess. AutomatedorManual? Wedon’tcarewhetheryouruntestsbyhand,so tospeak, or use a tool, or use some form of magic. It isn’t relevant to the thought process. Themechanismfor test execution is a logistical choice. Agile vs. Waterfall? We don’t care whether you are working in an Agile team or inastaged,waterfallprojectorarepartofa teamdoingcontinuousdelivery.It’snot relevant to the testing thoughtprocess. ThisBusiness orThatBusiness? Wedon’tcarewhatbusinessyouare inwhether it isbankingor insuranceorhealthcareor telecomsor retail. It doesn’tmatter. This Technology vs. That Technology? We don’t care what technology you are workingwith. It’s just not relevant to the thoughtprocess. Programmer or Tester? We don’t care who you are––developer, tester, user businessanalyst––theprinciplesof testingareuniversal. Test Manager or No Test Manager? We don’t care whether you are working alone or are part of a team, with or without a test manager overseeing the work. This is a logistical choice,not relevant to the testing thoughtprocess. 2.6 WithoutLogistics:TheNew Model for Testing If we dismiss all these logistics––what’s left? Some people might think we have abandoned everything, but we haven’t. If you set aside logistics, what’s left is what might be called the universal principles and the thought process. Now, you might think therearenouniversalprinciples.But thereclearlyare––theyjust aren’t muddied by local practices. Paul’s book, The Tester’s Pocketbook [4, 5] identifies 16so-calledTest Axioms. SomeAxioms,forexamplethestakeholderaxiom,‘TestingNeedsStakeholders’, aresofundamentaltheyreallyareself-evident.OtheraxiomssuchastheSequencing axiom,‘Runourmostvaluable testsfirst––wemaynothave timeto runthemlater’,