Comments on Agile Software Development Made Easy!: Agile Principle #9: Agile Testing Is Not For Dummi...

I think the QA/risk mitigation aspect of testing b...

2009-01-12T20:39:00.000Z

I think the QA/risk mitigation aspect of testing becomes overstated as you use richer web frameworks with less custom code. For example, CI is clearly a necessity for developing reliable and secure banking systems in Java/C++, but for lightweight modular web development (e.g. customisation of typical web publishing apps) mandatory CI is a victory of process over end product. This is a clear case of the tail wagging the dog and violates the first principle of the agile manifesto. Over-adherence to process in the name of 'agile' can easily become a kind of techno-beaurocracy that should be seen to fly against the spirit of agile/lean.

That's not to say that developers shouldn't use tests or automate them where convenient. The big value is in TDD _as a coding technique_ to keep developers focused on features (also helping achieve the 80/20), and dev assurance that encourages refactoring.

I'd recommend reading Conventional Software Testin...

2008-01-08T05:56:00.000Z

I'd recommend reading Conventional Software Testing on an Extreme Programming Team

I must admit that after 18 years in a waterfall ap...

2007-07-19T09:58:53.908Z

I must admit that after 18 years in a waterfall approach, it would be astruggle to change to an Agile approach. However I can see the benefits of throwing off the shackles that bind us as testers and starting to have more impact on what is produced.
We have come a long way from throwing code at testers at the end of the dev cycle, and testers only being used to match results versus spec. I enjoy being involved in decision making, helping to shape how a product looks and works, and it makes it more of a collaborative effort, encouraging team building.
You can use bits of Agile even in a waterfall project, by being proactive as a tester, challenging the spec (nicely!), making comments on design and usability etc.
In some ways the thought of changing my whole approach to Agile scares me but in another way I'd love to give it a go!

Agile a good methodology, but hardly re-invents an...

2007-06-30T14:00:19.492Z

Agile a good methodology, but hardly re-invents any testing rules. Testing should always be involved from the outset, any software development manual from 1980's onwards will say that. Developers seem to have forgotten their own training.

Modern software development happens in tighter more rapid cycles - its that simple. What is generally missed out from Agile, which is the the whole point - is involvement by the client, or the end-user is no such client exists. Making software quickly is not the focus of Agile, it's retaining control and ensuring that what a client wants is what they get, and that changes can be made mid-stream with minimal impact.

Have a look at usabilitymustdie.com, as it contains some good reality-checks for developers. Not Agile specific, but succinctly summarises to crisis in modern development. Development has become far too smug and self-congratulatory to the point of dictating to users what they want, instead of LISTENING.

I came across this netcase on agile testing which ...

2007-04-27T11:59:48.529Z

I came across this netcase on agile testing which might be of interest?

http://parlezuml.com/blog/?postid=394