Unobtainium

It’s strange to hear someone declare, “This can’t be tested.” In reply, I contend that everything can be tested. However, one must be pleased with the outcome of testing, which might include failure, financial loss, or personal injury. Could anything be tested when a claim is made with this understanding?

“Test frequently and early.” If you’ve been following my testing agenda, you’re probably sick of hearing me repeat that. However, it is making sense that if your tests detect an issue soon after it occurs, it will be easier to resolve. This is one of the guiding concepts that makes continuous integration such an effective method. I’ve encountered several teams who have a lot of automated tests but don’t use them as part of a continuous integration approach. There are frequently various reasons why the team believes these tests cannot be used with continuous integration. Perhaps the tests take too long to run, or they are not dependable enough to provide correct results on their own, necessitating human interpretation.

I was once asked at a testing summit, “How do you manage a QA team using scrum?” After some consideration, I realized it would make a good article, so here I am. Understand that the idea behind developing software in a scrum environment is for development teams to self-organize.

Agile has unquestionable benefits. The mainstream method has assisted numerous businesses in increasing organizational flexibility as a result, developing better, more intuitive software. Distributed development is also an important strategy for software companies. It gives access to global talent, the use of offshore outsourcing to reduce operating costs, and round-the-clock development.

As part of one of my consulting efforts, I worked with a mid-sized company that was looking to move toward a more agile manner of developing software. As with any shift in work style, there is some bewilderment and, for some, considerable anxiety. People are being challenged to leave their comfort zones and embrace a continuously changing, dynamic working environment. And, dare I say it, testing may be the most ‘disturbed’ of the software roles in agile development.