Becoming a Software Testing Expert

From a software tester’s point of view a lecture entitled Becoming a Software Testing Expert is a bit enticing. A lecture by James Bach is even more so. Bach, widely considered an expert in Software Testing, is a passionate advocate of software testing. As an expert he’s in a good position to help others.

He makes the case that testers need to be professional skeptics. If testers are constantly skeptical about what they are supposed to test, ask lots of questions and can backup their reasoning for the tests being performed then they should do very well. A software tester’s best assets are their ability to rapidly learn about new systems and apply that learning to find gaps in the system. Some gaps will be based on written requirements and some on unwritten requirements.

The lecture presented at Google is worth a watch:

If you want more information about the lecture check out the slides on Bach’s site: http://www.satisfice.com/presentations/bste.pdf

It’s a rude awakening when you realize you can become an expert at your craft you just need to know it’s possible, set a goal and then overcome the hubris gained over time from working on an application for so long. When you start on the path towards becoming an expert it stops becoming a day job and becomes more of an adventure.

I’m happy to say I’m skeptical of my skepticism towards my current testing approach. =)