Jim Hazen - Testing Is Irrelevent, Shipping is Futile!
Jim Hazen - Testing Is Irrelevent, Shipping is Futile!
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May 18, 2006
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Am I really worth it? Am I just a Cost Center?!
In response to a thread over on QAForums I have to say the following:
Everything & everyone is a cost. Just for argument sake, how am I as a tester not "making" a product. I provide a function in the process of making a product, just as a Programmer/Developer does. Thus, would that not be considered to helping to make that product. I help to "produce" that item. A business analyst helps to make the product by specifing requirements, a designer helps to make the product by fleshing out the detailed functionality to support the requirements, a developer helps to make the product by constructing the code to support the detailed functionality specifications, a tester then helps to make the product by validating the software, a documentation writer helps to make the product by creating user guides and help files, and a systems engineer helps to make the product by installing or manufacturing (creating the CD's) the software.
The point of view that a Developer is the only one who "makes" a product is pure Fracking BullShix! Pure fracking conceit. That is the main problem with the industry. Even developers can be considered a cost, ever heard of Maintenance Programmers/Developers. What are they making? They are fixing and repairing an already "made" product. Even then for developers "making" new software there is an associated cost, it's called a salary.
(And I am an ex-developer. I've done both new development and maintenance work. I switched to testing because it was more interesting work for me. When I got in to this area it was a new frontier and that to me is fun.)
So am I just a Cost Center, am I really worth it? Guess the company will find out when they ship the software without testing it and the client sends it back with a request for a full refund.
Our CEO and salesmen still seem to think that programmers can write code that can be sent straight to a customer and they are still surprised and disappointed when the customer finds bugs.
My manager had to fight the board for a year before they would let him employ a QA guy ( anyone can test, why do we have to employ someone ? ) and now he has to make a business case for me switching from dev to test - though I like to think I have made this easier for him with the work I have done.
There are signs that the industry is taking a new approach - XP and Agile do stress continous involvement of testing and the concept of test driven development
If a tester sits with a programmer to help them write better unit tests is this a cost ? Is the act of writing unit tests a cost - after all those aren't delivered in the final product, the customer couldn't care less about them
I think I feel a blog entry of my own coming on !!
As you can see from the WebLog title I am a bit sarcastic and cynical about this thing we call Software Testing. Over my years of experience in Software Development and Testing I have seen some very very Dilbert things happen.
Hopefully this Blog will be a good place for you to learn from some of the things I have experienced and allow you to be more effective in your efforts in Software Testing.
• May 18, 2006 - Am I really worth it? Am I just a Cost Center?!
In response to a thread over on QAForums I have to say the following:
Everything & everyone is a cost. Just for argument sake, how am I as a tester not "making" a product. I provide a function in the process of making a product, just as a Programmer/Developer does. Thus, would that not be considered to helping to make that product. I help to "produce" that item. A business analyst helps to make the product by specifing requirements, a designer helps to make the product by fleshing out the detailed functionality to support the requirements, a developer helps to make the product by constructing the code to support the detailed functionality specifications, a tester then helps to make the product by validating the software, a documentation writer helps to make the product by creating user guides and help files, and a systems engineer helps to make the product by installing or manufacturing (creating the CD's) the software.
The point of view that a Developer is the only one who "makes" a product is pure Fracking BullShix! Pure fracking conceit. That is the main problem with the industry. Even developers can be considered a cost, ever heard of Maintenance Programmers/Developers. What are they making? They are fixing and repairing an already "made" product. Even then for developers "making" new software there is an associated cost, it's called a salary.
(And I am an ex-developer. I've done both new development and maintenance work. I switched to testing because it was more interesting work for me. When I got in to this area it was a new frontier and that to me is fun.)
So am I just a Cost Center, am I really worth it? Guess the company will find out when they ship the software without testing it and the client sends it back with a request for a full refund.
• May 20, 2006 - Sadly some people still think so
My manager had to fight the board for a year before they would let him employ a QA guy ( anyone can test, why do we have to employ someone ? ) and now he has to make a business case for me switching from dev to test - though I like to think I have made this easier for him with the work I have done.
There are signs that the industry is taking a new approach - XP and Agile do stress continous involvement of testing and the concept of test driven development
If a tester sits with a programmer to help them write better unit tests is this a cost ? Is the act of writing unit tests a cost - after all those aren't delivered in the final product, the customer couldn't care less about them
I think I feel a blog entry of my own coming on !!