Testing Ideas: take this any way you like, but it could include where do the ideas come from, how do you keep them coming, how do you give yourself the chance of generating the good ones (or the important ones, or some other set) , how you test ideas (specs, proposals, stories etc), what's different about testing of ideas vs software? It can be experience-based, theoretical, future-looking etc ...And these were the topics we discussed:
What would somebody else do? Something else?
Karo StoltzenburgWhen rethinking your test approach, it can be difficult to come up with creative, new test ideas or a fresh angle towards your 'Application Under Test', while being stuck in your own good old mind. To overcome this I often take a role-playing approach to spur new testing ideas; stepping into somebody elses shoes can free whole new thought processes, give you new directions and additional viewpoints. I'd like to talk about a couple of methods you can (mis)use for this, like the 'persona' representation used in user-centered design, Edward de Bono's idea of 'Six Thinking Hats', the four-user model mentioned in James Whittaker's 'How to Break Software' and my own "What would?" approach. (Slides)
Life Before Sprint 0
Liz TattersallTesting user stories and personas, based on experience from recent projects.
Testing the imagination
Michael AmbroseUsing test techniques to help define the behavior of a system or process while it is still just a concept
Testing ideas R' everywhere
Gabrielle KleinFrom hobbies to testing via travels and life, let's test.
It's Like That
James ThomasI'll talk about the use of analogy as a device for generating ideas at multiple levels of testing including test activity, methodology and reporting. I'll associate analogy with lateral thinking and give an example of a specific analogy that I'm interested in at the moment. (Slides)
Mighty oaks from little acorns grow
Neil YoungerI'll be taking about growing ideas and how some need to be nurtured and guided while others unexpectedly have a life of their own. I'll be using real examples from my work as a tester to highlight how small ideas can have a big impact.
