Chronicles Of Testing

During a recent interview, I was asked, “Why does your resume state that you lead with empathy?” My straightforward response was that I do not know any other way to lead. The leaders I admire include Marie Curie, who carried radioactive materials in her pocket for the greater good, and Shankar Nag, who proactively undertook the responsibility of traveling abroad to study modern transportation systems without waiting for formal assignments. To elaborate, I choose to lead with empathy deliberately. This perspective, which some may find uncommon, arises from my own experiences with managers who lacked empathy. As one interviewer insightfully remarked, I learned a great deal about leadership by observing “how not to lead.” Many of us share this experience, having worked under managers who, at the slightest disagreement, became a significant impediment—transforming what should have been a positive and enriching learning environment into a challenging one. If, as an interviewer, you inquire ...

Traditionally, software testing was the study of requirements, preparation of tests, execution of the identified tests in a controlled environment and presenting the results to the sources who should have access to this information. Then  came the want to universalize, generalize, process, package and sell this traditional approach. The same was sold by company X and bought by company Y. The word spread and companies A, B and C bought it too because company Y’s testimonials were grand. Caution: Be aware of who you talk and listen to in the business world. In the early days of software testing, the limitations set by the traditional approach and the decline of this approach did not go unnoticed. With the lack of awareness, that the traditional approach to software testing is just not sufficient to deliver quality, companies A, B, C and Y stayed back to relish the thriving business and failed to embrace the change that was happening as early as in the 1980’s. This decl...