Finding defects quickly and efficiently brings great benefits. Developers can correct problems while code is still fresh in their head. Management can make more informed decisions about the state of the software. Defects are less likely to make it to customers. Continue reading

Requirements for software of any complexity, are never complete. There are always unstated assumptions, edge cases, and ambiguities that will remain. Continue reading

Documentation of functionality or test cases is always imperfect. The trick is to do enough to serve your needs, and not waste effort on documentation that will never be used. Continue reading

One of the strategies I find myself returning to for testing is looking at the kinds of mistakes that are made. Often a pattern can be found. Individuals tend to make the same type of mistake over and over. Continue reading

Early in my career I worked for a company that tried to adopt the ISO 9000 standard to drive the software development process. I was already working on a disaster project, with both poor design and implementation. Rather than help correct course on the project the attempt to adopt the standard added to the chaos. Continue reading