AST Lean Coffee

My second Lean Coffee in a week, this one online with the Association for Software Testing. Here's a few aggregated notes from the conversation.

Why do people want to speak at conferences, and can we support them to get what they need in other ways?

Lots of noise recently on Twitter about people being rejected, and discussion of tactics for getting in.
So why do people want to speak at conferences?
Increase their brand.
Be more employable.
Be better known.
Go to the conference for free.
Company will only pay if they are speaking.
Share what I've learned.
Share my story.
Challenge yourself.
Because they see others doing it
Personal access to "big names."
Conferences always have the same speakers.
Do people need better access to conferences?
Can be a vicious cycle: accepted because we know you; we know you because you speak.
Perhaps the return to in-person conferences has increased the demand for speaking slots.
People don't know how to sell their talk to conferences
Lots of people stick the same proposal into multiple conferences, not tailored
I get inspiration from conferences: testing is a lot bigger than I remember day-to-day.
If you want to get known, other platforms might not be so good.
Conference talks are often amplified widely on social media.
What else can we do to boost signal?
Magazines, Podcasts, Blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, Peer Conference, YouTube, ...

What one thing would you prefer never to have to do again (as a tester)

Repeatedly explaining something to someone who is lazy or doesn't want to open their mind.
Justifying why it's useful having a tester on a team or doing testing.
... One of the best things is explaining to people who want to learn (teaching vs justifying).
... Many different people in project teams think they can tell testers how to work.
... I'm happy to question my own practices for improvemen.
... Providing good feedback and constructive criticism is positive
Explaining why you can't automate all the testing.
... Software development has an undercurrent that is trying to destroy good work by testers.
Being in a conference where some smartass explains why everyone can be as successful as them.
Sitting with a developer while they fix a bug I reported (because they feel they need that reassurance).
... or working with developers that think testing is someone else's job.

Working conditions for testers

Inspired by a Twitter thread.
The reputation of the gaming industry is dire.
Why are big-name companies apparently abusing game testers?
What is the culture like?
How can we change it?
What other industries are bad?
Outsourcing companies have been known to abuse juniors particularly.
I have worked with people who tell all sorts of tales about game testing.
... a culture of short-term contracts.
... a funding model that means they need to be able to drop people after product release.
Tech has a weird relationship to unions.
Reasonable pay in tech makes people think we don't need unions.
Geography is important, e.g. China and India have a reputation for poor worker conditions.
... e.g. 40 hour week contract but employers expect 996 work.
Is it worse for testers than other software professionals?
But some people have no choice.

Tactics for learning while testing

You have work to do and it has a deadline
But you also want to learn new tools, new approaches, new things about your domain
Be prepared to gamble some specific time on trying things.
... but abandon it if it's not working out in the time.
... and come back to it on another occasion.
Give yourself permission to learn
Developers give themselves time and spike tickets.
People with seniority need to get better at giving time to their staff.
Senior testers tend to be better at making time for learning.
Discipline is needed.
I only do it when the situation forces it because of time pressure.
Look for an opportunity to do something new.
You need to practice a thing to get deep with it.
Perhaps analyse tasks before jumping into them, for learning opportunities.
Ask "can I try this experiment in a different way?"
We have a Community Day at work.
If you don't have that, then use stealth approaches!
Unionise!

Image: https://flic.kr/p/63wFf7

Comments

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