Antoine de Saint-Exupery once stated that “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” Truer words were never spoken. Although Antoine, who died in 1944, never had to work with software application testing tools in a world of perpetual evolution and changing consumer [...]
Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.” In the world of software testing management, this general axiom definitely holds [...]
In an earlier post, we explored the recent Apple map debacle, outlining how better software application testing tools coupled with better “tests” could have helped the tech giant avoid its major embarrassment. But today, I wanted to approach the situation from a slightly different angle. IT is one of the fastest evolving industries on the [...]
Apple traditionally runs a very tight ship. Its products perform as promised, and leaks about future releases are relatively rare. So when the tech giant does stumble, its missteps are very noticeable. I’m, of course, talking about the recent iPhone 5 mapping app debacle. One of the blogs that initially helped break the story received [...]
Like accountants and inspectors, software testers are part of that rare breed of professions in which our stamp of approval is the final word on what is acceptable. We check the developers’ work, locate bugs, recommend fixes, and go through as many rounds as necessary to ensure the final product reaches a certain standard. Once [...]
In the world of software, quality assurance testing is often regarded as an addendum to the entire development process. As testers, we’re frequently viewed as the busboys who come through and clear the left-over scraps of whatever delicious meals came from the gourmet chefs in the kitchen. This is not a knock on busboys. No [...]
In traditional capitalism, self-interest is the driving force behind innovation. Under this framework, concepts like cooperation and collaboration are somewhat antithetical to the profit maximization model. Every time you share, you enable a potential competitor. This is especially true in a world of finite resources where sharing literally makes your own pie smaller. In many [...]
In a previous post, we explored the importance of quality tools for software testing from the vantage point of the actual testers themselves. Better products make for better testing. This, in turn, makes our lives much easier. But software testing is also a business decision. You wouldn’t necessary realize this given how much money goes [...]
So much of history centers around extraordinary individuals accomplishing extraordinary feats. From Columbus to Gandhi to Steve Jobs, we celebrate individual successes, weaving their victories into our hero folklore. It’s a beautiful narrative – one that holds true in many situations. But are individual pioneers the true forces behind so many of the amazing innovations [...]
Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored some of the “perceived” failings of software-as-a-service (SaaS) as a replacement for traditional on-site debugging tools. Although the majority of concerns regarding quality, cost, and convenience don’t hold up under scrutiny, these common misperceptions are very rooted in many corporate environments. Nowhere is this “fear” of SaaS-based software [...]
