Software Testing Blog

In the second installment of our “Testing the Limits” series, we sat down with Rosie Sherry, founder of the Software Testing Club, to discuss the state of the profession, advice for QA beginners, “flash mob” testing and much more.

uTest: Where did you get the idea for the Software Testing Club?

RS: It was fairly simple really: I wanted a place to meet like-minded software testing professionals. Everything else out there at the time (this was 2 years ago) didn’t meet this need at all. I was doing a fair amount of blogging on software testing then, and so starting a community seemed like the next logical step.

uTest: Considering the growth of the community over the past few years, have your expectations changed?

RS: My expectations have definitely changed – they had to. For instance, I have stopped new members from joining for free since that model is now completely unsustainable. Like I said, I never expected to have created a community this large. I’d prefer something much smaller where we can give members the attention they deserve, but we’re obviously not going to turn anyone away. If you’re interested in software testing, you’re welcome in our community.

uTest: Based on your observations, what is the most contested debate in the field of software testing today?

RS: The biggest ongoing debate right now is software testing certification. A lot of people maintain that some companies/people put too much emphasis on the certification process, and that much of what is learned deals with how to pass an exam, rather than learning true testing skills. It’s definitely a lively debate with many viewpoints, so I’m not going to get too deep into it right now.

uTest: A recent poll on your website found that most members saw budgetary pressures as the greatest challenge facing QA managers. Would you agree with this?

RS: I think a lot of it depends on the industry people work in. Much of my experience has been in small web companies, where budgets are always an issue and where testing routinely gets cut (if it’s even considered at all).

uTest: What are the keys to building and launching high-quality applications?

RS: There are obviously many factors to consider. From the testing angle, building strong and respectful relationships between testers, developers, project managers and others is crucial. The respect part is important – and we all have to work hard to earn it. That means as testers, we need to prove our worth.

uTest: How does the testing profession keep up with a set of trends that makes assuring quality increasingly complex (agile, tighter budgets, mobile apps, etc.)?

RS: Developers need to specialize in niche areas. Testers need to do the same. Define a niche like e-commerce, social media,  mobile apps, or even  iPhone apps. Be ‘the person’ (or company) to hire for your niche.

uTest: What’s the biggest challenge for new testers who are just now entering the profession? Any words of advice for them on how to become a world-class tester?

RS: You have to be willing to stand out from the crowd. Hard work scares a lot of people off, but becoming a world-class tester isn’t difficult if you have a passion for it and make the commitment early on. I’d also advise anyone pursuing this career to use the social web to their advantage – participating in communities, keeping a blog, Tweeting, etc. Create your own personal brand that would make your momma proud.

uTest: So how did you get your start as a software tester?

RS: I wanted to get into IT (and out of a really boring administration job at a bank). And so when I was offered a job as a tester in a local web company, I took it. I’ve enjoyed the profession so much, I’ve stuck with it ever since.

uTest: What’s the deal with “Flash Mob” testing?

RS: The idea is that – like a real Flash Mob – testers come together over a short period of time, test something, log their bugs and then leave. It is all very experimental at the moment. I find the whole process (that is, bringing a crowd together) to be very interesting and fun for me personally. I figured if there was a way to coordinate testers and make use of their skills in a positive way, then we should do it.

uTest: So besides Software Testing Club, what are some of the other sites you visit to stay on top of testing and QA news?

RS: The news is no longer what the big guys are talking about, so over the last two years I have lovingly collected as many testing blogs as I could find and posted them to the Testers Feed on the website. I’m a big fan of the li’l guys and do what I can to support them. I also follow many testers on Twitter.

Do you have somebody in mind for our next “Testing the Limits” post? If know of any software testing experts, authors, analysts or thought leaders, let us know!