Software testing can be a long, drawn-out process.

Endless cycles of testing and re-testing can negatively affect people’s morale. Leading to testers being less reluctant to work late if needed, or cover a weekend shift to track down a nasty bug that’s lurking in the system.

To get around this challenge, test managers need to ensure they are actively seeking new ways to motivate their team. But what one person finds motivating to them isn’t necessarily a universal truth that can apply to everyone.

In this article, I’ll describe some of the methods that can be leveraged to create an exciting environment for your testers to work in. One that promotes collaboration, rewards valuable work and enables you to get the best out of your testing team.

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‘Quick question, Can we add in some tests for x?’

‘How about making sure y works?’

I’m sure other software testers have received these kinds of questions before. And if senior management has made these requests. The response has most likely been:

‘Sure, no problem.’

We all know the negatives of saying yes to every request. Aware that we should be instead asking questions to discover their intent. But when it comes from a senior manager. Sometimes it just hard!

But as the saying goes, ‘If I asked you to jump off a bridge. Would you do it?

I recently treated myself to a new pair of running shoes. After seeing the pair I wanted online. I headed to my local running store to try them out and see how they felt on my feet.

This experience enabled me to conduct a test on the shoes to provide an answer to a question I had. But also, because I wanted an excuse to geek out on the latest running gadgets.

But that’s beside the point.

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Software testers often receive a reputation of the ones whose job it is to break software. And while that isn’t true (we received it broken, we merely informed you of the issues there were already present). Sometimes for things to advance, we need to break things.

You might be familiar with the well-known phrase: ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!’ And while this applies in certain areas. I believe that not breaking or changing things increases the opportunity for issues to appear. And in software testing where it is arguably our responsibility to reduce risk. It is therefore important to know of the problems that not embracing change can bring.

Software testers often hold pride in the tools and testing solutions that they have already produced. Declaring that: ‘It’s already the best way’, amongst other such claims.

Not realising that keeping on the path they have always trodden leaves them exposed to potential risks which include:

• The risk of using outdated testing methods

• The risk of using ineffective tests

• The risk of missing out on those unthought-of items (like edge cases)

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Software testing usually has two types of tests. These are firstly functional and also non-functional.

But why the two? And why are they both important?

Let’s give the example that we are testing a new website. The websites main purpose is to provide an easy way for people to order items online. And although it does allow the processing of orders. Concerns are raised about the quality of the product.

Testers have found that the website is slow to respond. What’s more, it has a confusing UI, doesn’t work in certain browsers. And if released to the public. Wouldn’t attract many sales.

If the goal of software testing is to provide feedback to contribute to a quality product. Then we can say that functional and non-functional testing are two sides of the same coin.

But what is the purpose of each one? What are the advantages, and disadvantages? And in what situations are they used?

Let’s take a closer look at these in detail.

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Want to kick start a career in software testing? A wise decision.

Getting your first software testing job can seem like a daunting task to take on. Which it can be, but that ultimately depends on you and your willingness to learn.

New terminology, new techniques, and possibly, even new ways of thinking.

But don’t let that put you off. In fact, it’s extremely rewarding. You get to work with the latest advancements in software technology. Are encouraged to think creatively about your challenges. And best of all, have the opportunity of working with some really amazing people.

But with no testing experience. What is the best way to get started?

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Manual software testers are clearly a thing. You just have to look at the job boards of companies to work that out.

But Manual software testing is not a thing.

There, I said it.

It’s long bothered me that there is this distinction between the two sides in the discipline of software testing. Almost as if one side is doing more than the other.

And while that may be true to some extent (designing and developing automated checks does take some new skills). Is there really enough to separate the two?

Take for example a couple of cars that are parked on the road.

If you were walking by and had no prior information about the cars. Would you know which one was a manual, and which one was an automatic? Would it even matter?

Probably not. They’re just a couple of cars to most people.

The “manual” prefix in peoples job titles. Seems to throw a lot of people off. Making it appear that they’re doing a separate job, compared to their “automated” counterparts.

But are they really? And what do these “automated” testers do that you don’t?

In reality, not a whole lot.

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If there is one word that sums up software testing the best, it’s learning.

Learning how software works, its capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Teaches us more about our own perceptions and tests our understanding of product.

I’ve blogged before about learning from mistakes we have made. But the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others is as, if not more important for our growth. Gives us the ability to think better and is fascinating as well.

If you receive my weekly newsletter (you can sign-up here if you’d like). You would know that I’m reading Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed.

In it, Matthew describes how failure can be redefined to cultivate new ideas. Thus, enable creative thinking, and how if we can change our perceptions of failure. We can use the experiences of others to be lead to success.

“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.”

From surgeons and pilots to the head of Dyson. Matthew uses the examples of others to describe how failure is the catalyst for us to learn.

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Welcome to 2020 software testing enthusiasts!

And while It’s not the same 2020 that was portrayed in the 2000 film Mission To Mars. A new year brings its own sense of discovery. Challenges and exciting opportunities for software testers.

2020 will be my ninth year involved in software testing. But the subject remains as fresh as the day I started. With so much to learn and ideas to try out. The subject of software testing is one of the most exciting and rich career paths available.

And with so much to learn. Committing to life-long learning and having a growth mindset. Will enable you to achieve more, do more, and generate greater levels of success.

The best time to get started is now, and an even better time is yesterday. But with there being so much to upgrade your skills with. Where do you start?

Here are my top 5 learning subjects that you should commit to in 2020. Not only will they make you a more rounded tester. But if you’re new to testing. They’re a great place to start and get your feet wet with the subject.

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When starting a new position at a company. I’m sure most of us would relish if someone was able to show us the ropes. Directing us around the obstacles of the job. And putting us on the right path for success.

Did you have someone like that in your last position?

Most likely you had some sort of induction process where you were shown the location of the fire doors and the kitchen area. But when it came to getting the best out of you and explaining where you are going wrong. That most likely fell at your doorstep.

While it can be argued that it is the responsibility of the employee to ensure they are offering the best of their ability at the office. But it also in the interests of a company to better their workers through training, skills advancement, and mentorship.

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We all have our own personal preferences and routines that we like to believe allows us to work at our optimal ability.

You may have a prefered set of activities that you like to do in the morning to set yourself up for a productive day in the office. Have a need to have your desk arranged in a certain way to achieve optimal productivity. Or maybe you are only able to perform deep work with headphones on and locking out the noise of your surroundings.

Alternatively, you might not care about any of those things and can pump out the same quality and quantity of work no matter how your day goes.

I always recommend finding out what works for you, remain consistent with it, and then build it into your daily routine. What works for me, won’t work for you.

But for performing our best work, does the time of day that we do it make much of a difference?

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