Rikard Edgren

I guess many of you work in a situation where quality is important, and there is not enough time to make all the tests you would like to. Testing is a sampling business, and after 25 years in software testing I often find it more difficult than it used to be. At the same time, with experience I can find more important information faster, and I more easily change my mind when the current methods no longer are the best. For me, this has all to do with my understanding of software, of testing, of my domain health care, and the concrete situation I am working in. A recent insight is that I cannot understand one thing in isolation, it is the relation between a system, its users, technology, integrations, data, laws, stakeholders etc. that generates a real understanding. For me, this becomes a mess of models that I do find difficult to explain in a good way. But I can share some of my methods and learnings over the years: - continuous learning takes unexpected paths - testing is not an island, everything is connected -37 sources for test ideas creates more relations - invisible, overlapping models make good testers lucky I hope some of this might be useful to you, or at least that you become more comfortable with the feeling that testing is difficult, and should be. My goal of testing is to communicate useful information, not only by verifying requirements, but also by understanding relations and providing new perspectives.

Testing is primarily a thinking activity. There are hands-on aspects, and tools doing a lot of the work, but the intelligentia lies in the tester's mind. So testing starts and ends in your head, and if you know more about your strength and weaknesses you can do a better job. In this tutorial we will cover aspects like: critical thinking - e.g. questioning things that aren't as apparent as others think creative thinking - finding new perspectives and solutions for a unique situation logical thinking - understand how things fit together and affect each other pragmatic thinking - finding solutions that will actually work modelling - you are always using a model, regardless if you are aware of it or not learning - the input and output of (good) testing. Theory is one thing, but more important is the experiential learning through exercises. There will be shorter thinking exercises, and longer hands-on exercises on hand-crafted applications created for this tutorial. The theory and exercises together with Rikard's sharing of experiences will hopefully help you broaden your perspectives. The goal is to learn more about our thinking, and have a bit of fun while doing it. Key take-aways: * further develop different aspects of your thinking as a tester * practice on unique and challenging exercises * supplementing material to take home, including exercises for your colleagues Note: At least half of the attendants should bring computers for the exercises.