ITauthor podcast #34 – Testing testing 123
May 23rd, 2010 4 Comments
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Test Manager Richard Paterson joins Graham Campbell and me over lunchtime sandwiches in a rather noisy office to talk about software testing.
Technical writers in a software development department often feel like third-class citizens, with programmers as the top-dogs and testers being granted second-class status. This engenders a certain camaraderie between fellow poor relations, testers and tech writers, filling, as they do, roles that are sometimes viewed as subordinate or auxiliary to the majority party within the development department. The work of testers and tech writers often starts at around the same time, and both roles can be subject to "ship early" pressure to keep the time available to them to a minimum.
But like tech writers, testers - rightly - believe that what they do is a crucial, if undervalued, function for the creation of quality software products.
Amongst other things, I ask Richard:
- What is software testing?
- Why do we need testers? (Can't programmers just test their own code?)
- What's the difference between: unit tests, integration tests, regression tests, functional tests, user acceptance tests, lean testing ...?
- How do testers and programmers get on? (Don't programmers get really irritated by testers finding bugs in software the programmer thought was working fine?)
- Why can't we introduce automated testing and save on all the money we're paying all those testers?
- Are technical writers as useful to testers as testers are to technical writers?
- Who'd be a tester?
Got any thoughts on the matter? Leave a comment below.
For something completely different, have a read of Richard's blog:
ROCKETBOOTKID AND BOOSTERBOY'S PALACE OF RIGHTEOUS JUSTICE.
The music I play at the beginning and end of the show is by Amplifico. You can hear more of their music at Podshow.
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May 26th, 2010 at 10:06 am (#)
This is so true. As a tester I’ve always felt more camaraderie with my technical writer colleagues. Developers tend to bask in all the glory whist testers and writers end up feeling like they ought to be worshiping at the developers feet. I think it’s fair to say though that both tester and technical writer roles bring a significant amount to each other’s roles. Testers usually have a far better understanding than the developer of how the whole system hangs together. Hence the tester is usually a good resource for the technical writer. Likewise the technical writers I’ve known have been very good at finding bugs. And the technical writer is certainly better at writing up a good bug report than most testers. From the testers perspective though, I’d turn that last question round. I’d ask “Who’d be a technical writer?”
July 1st, 2010 at 2:28 pm (#)
[...] Author’s latest podcast, Testing testing 123, dives into testing. Rather than just commenting on testing from a technical writer’s point [...]
August 20th, 2010 at 12:35 pm (#)
1)sir ,plz tell me what is the major difference between technical writer and software tester?
2)what is the difference between content editor and technical editor?
plz reply to my mail id
a.sankar.86@gmail.com
August 27th, 2010 at 7:54 pm (#)
1) What is the major difference between technical writer and software tester?
I'm tempted to say a tech writer writes about software whereas a tester tests it. Essentially a software tester is checking to make sure the software works the way its supposed to before a release ships. The technical writer's job is to help people use the software - partly by explaining what you can do with the software, but most of the time by writing procedural topics that expain how to complete a specific task, so that when the user can't figure out from the user interface alone how to do something they can find out from the documentation (typically via some sort of online help).
2) What is the difference between content editor and technical editor?
I never worked anywhere that used those names. "Editor" isn't a common role in software companies. Its more like a role you'd get in publishing. I used to work for a book publisher and we had all sorts of different types of editors: I was a "desk editor" for a long time. But, just going by the names themselves, content editor suggests this role checks the content to make sure reading level is pitched appropriately, there's the right level of detail, the presentation of the information works well, the grammar is correct, it's appropriately illustrated, it's well structured and easy to find information, and so on. The technical editor, on the other hand, will be checking the technical accuracy of the information.
That's my guess anyway. Like I say, these aren't roles I'm familiar with.