Software Testing Blog

Two weekends ago, 49 tall ships sailed into Boston for the Sail Boston 2009 Festival.  Ships from around the world stopped and spent the weekend in Boston Harbor while taking part in the 2009 Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge.  After visiting far off places like Vigo, Spain; Tenerife, Canary Isands; and Bermuda, the tall ships thrilled over a million Bostonians with their history and grandeur.

In many ways, these ships of the past have so much in common with the Internet today.  Tall ships linked the world together, facilitated trade, and helped the world communicate.  In that spirit, I wanted to offer four software testing lessons we can learn from sailing.

1.) Most days are tedious…

Testing can be incredibly boring at times.  Days can be slow as we run through long test scripts looking for small bugs – but that’s life.  Mariners would often spend weeks at see with nothing but the sun, the wind, and their routine.  At times even the wind would fail, leaving poor sailors stuck in the water with nothing to do but stare at the sea.

Yet even in these dull times, it was critical for everyone to stick with the routine.  Slow days were ideal for practicing maneuvers and drilling for emergencies.  Sailors did that because…

2.) Some days are really exciting!

Between pirates, hurricanes, and foreign navies, sailors had to deal with some serious challenges.  For those days, the routines and skills they mastered during the slow times became crucial in ensuring their survival.

For software testers, following processes and best practices during the slow periods can be extremely helpful during the busy periods where finding and tracking serious bugs is critical to the product’s success.  Whether it’s finding an intermittent failure or just validating that a product is finally release ready, a tester’s training and expertise can be crucial to releasing great software.

3.) Keep your decks clean.

Sailors knew to keep their decks clean and their lines organized.  With so many people on a deck, it was imperative that it be clean and clutter free.  Lines needed to be organized so they could be easily adjusted later – possibly during an emergency.

Good organization is crucial to testing success.  If your testing house is not in order, then you’re software will likely be a mess.  Chaotic testing creates chaotic software.  Organized testers read and know their test plans, are methodical in their bug hunting, and produce clear and crisp reports that are actionable by engineering.

4.) Never forget to teach others.

On the United State Coast Guard’s tall ship, The Eagle, there are three rudder control wheels.  Why are there three when one would do?  Because the Coast Guard uses the Eagle for cadet training, and you can train more people at once in ship maneuvering if there are three wheels instead of one.

Never forget to train and learn from each other.  Share knowledge and lessons learned with your teams – both testing and engineering.  Remember to educate the next generation of testers as well; they’re the ones who will be working to find the bugs in tomorrow’s complex applications.  Of course, if you’re already a uTester, make sure you take a look at our software testing forums where there’s always an interesting conversation taking place.