CEWT #7 Lean Coffee

After the presentations and discussions at CEWT #7 we split into groups for a Lean Coffee session to pick up threads from the day. Here's the topics and aggregated comments from the group that I was in.

I would love to see Devs discuss their purpose like this/Why does testing give itself such a hard time about value?

Thinking about this stuff allows people to focus their time in the areas they want to work in.
It helps managers know what motivates their staff.
The purpose of a developer is to solve problems for people.
Testing is never voted highly enough to get discussed at developer Lean Coffees I've attended.
Testing is evolving because the context in which we work is evolving, so we need to reflect on our role constantly.
Self-reflection is a strong testing skill
... we expect thoughtful analysis of other things by testers, so why not also of themselves?
This group (at CEWT) is self-selecting and not representative of testers in general.
Do we really feel the need to justify ourselves?
Yes, sometimes I need to justify my role and activities.
Testers should teach others what testing is.
We should get feedback from stakeholders on whether they are getting what they want and need from us.

At some point there will be no employees with the role title "tester"

The activity will still be there.
Someone else will do the testing work.
On Scrum teams we're all developers, right?
So what if the role title does die off?
We've seen it happen locally; what were the consequences?
It doesn't happen in isolation, other role responsibilities shift too.
Testers need to think about their hireability, their skill set, branding themselves
... so that they can get fulfilling and valueable roles in future.
Perhaps an "agitator" role?
Someone in a company needs to do critical thinking; it needn't be a tester

Testing will never be respected or understood widely outside testing communities

It's still hard to get respect and understanding even after working hard on projects.
Testing can be done by anyone, that's the perception.
Testing software feels simple; everyone knows how to bang on a keyboard.
Testing engines is a different matter, for example.
Use the word "experiment" rather than "play" when talking about testing.
Some testers are just 9-5-ers.
Some testers exploit the fact that testing time is usually squeezed to do a bad job
... not taking responsibility for their work.
... and this loses respect for all of us.
I've been asked this: "your're smart, why are you in testing?"
Scrum Master is a similarly intangible role title
... but is it more fashionable?

If you couldn't be a tester what would you do?

Woodwork.
Sympathetic sceptic.
Something technical, problem-solving, investigation, creative.
Something in software, a Product Ownert or Scrum Master.
I'm only just becoming a tester!
Retired.

Photo: Neil Younger

Comments

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