Myths and Legends of Software Testing – Vernon Richards

14th May 2015
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Vernon Richards's profile
Vernon Richards

Quality Coach / Senior Quality Engineer

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Talk Description

“Anyone can do that”

“Nobody would ever do that!”

“Testers should learn how to write code”

“Why didn’t you find that bug?”

Sound familiar? If you’ve been a tester for longer than a couple of nanoseconds, you’ve probably heard or said something similar to the above comments – I certainly have! Whether it’s a control freak PM, a hero developer or a quality cop tester, these odd notions of testing are everywhere.

But so what? Well the job of a tester is to challenge assumptions and in this session, I’ll explore whether any of these myths & legends of software testing are true, false or somewhere in between.

By the end of this session, you'll be able to:

  • TBA
Quality Coach / Senior Quality Engineer

I’m a Quality Coach & Tester that helps orgs, teams & individuals understand the relationship between quality & testing to help them build better products & deliver more effective services.

I’ve been testing since 2002 starting with video games on PS2, Xbox & PC. It may not sound like a real job but it’s the truth!

By day I’m a Senior Quality Engineer at a health tech night I run Abode of Quality. Here is one of my core values:

“The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude (& how you’re thinking) about the problem.” - Captain Jack Sparrow (the part in brackets was my addition though!)

I believe that quality & testing problems are actually people problems in disguise! Often the cause of these problems is misaligned goals, different perspectives, low empathy for colleagues, and the list goes on.

Using my coaching skills in the quality & testing space, I believe the most effective way to serve the business, is to help teams & individuals gain new perspectives about themselves & their teammates.

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