I convey been reading the mass “Sherlock Holmes - The Complete Novels too Stories yesteryear Sir Arthur Conan Doyle” for yesteryear few months. I am a Sherlock Holmes fan since my childhood. But I convey started to realize now, how he could convey been a slap-up “Software Tester” if he had chosen software testing instead of criminal investigation as his profession! [However, I incertitude if whatever software was inward beingness inward those days (when the mass was written)!] Anyway, he had almost all the required skills/qualities that are essential for a practiced software tester (in add-on to to a greater extent than or less extraordinary skills that are non seen inward many people)! According to Holmes, an ideal detective should possess 3 qualities: the ability of observation, the ability of deduction, too knowledge [in “The Sign of Four”]. To me, these are also the 3 essential skills a practiced tester must convey inward his repository! Observation Skills too Testers: Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 practiced tester detects defects that are probable to hold upwards missed yesteryear a mediocre tester! It is the ability of observation that empowers a practiced tester to discovery something incorrect piece (s)he is testing a slice of software! Failing to honor powerfulness hateful failing to discovery a defect that should convey been caught piece testing! The to a greater extent than observant a tester is the to a greater extent than probable (s)he is to discovery to a greater extent than defects/bugs/issues! I convey seen few practiced testers who are every bit practiced observers too! They are non entirely first-class at observing things piece testing software, but also at observing things inward their day-to-day life! So observation, inward my opinion, is a necessary science that tin differentiate a practiced tester from an average one! In i of the stories, Holmes says, “Watson, yous tin run into everything. You fail, however, to argue from what yous see. You are as good timid inward drawing your inferences. You see, but yous do non observe”! I am soundless trying to absorb the highly intellectual pregnant of this extremely intense statement!
Deduction Skills too Testers: Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 tester amongst practiced deduction skills is also probable to hold upwards practiced at work solving! Deduction is logical thinking, which helps a tester to differentiate a existent work (might hold upwards a defect/bug/issue) from a faux one! Deduction skills may come upwards from practise of cognitive data processing, ability of interpretation too tin assist a tester inward inferencing, decision-making, comprehension etc.
Knowledge too Testers: I believe that a practiced tester should endeavor to assemble as much cognition (technical, domain-centric, technological, cognition of similar software, cognition of before failures of similar software, whatever other data that powerfulness assist inward testing) as possible virtually the software piece testing it! All these cognition ask non necessarily hold upwards acquired before starting testing. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 tester powerfulness maintain gathering cognition (information) piece soundless testing it. But the to a greater extent than knowledgeable a tester is virtually the application/software (s)he is testing, the meliorate for him/her/the testing project, as (s)he continues testing! The cognition powerfulness hold upwards acquired either through sense or yesteryear education! Knowledge tin hold upwards A priori knowledge [knowledge that is known independently of sense (that is, it is non-empirical)] or tin hold upwards A posteriori knowledge [knowledge that is known yesteryear sense (that is, it is empirical)]!
My hear rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, too I am inward my ain proper atmosphere. I tin dispense them amongst artificial stimulants. But I loathe the wearisome routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation. – Sherlock Holmes
Knowledge too Testers: I believe that a practiced tester should endeavor to assemble as much cognition (technical, domain-centric, technological, cognition of similar software, cognition of before failures of similar software, whatever other data that powerfulness assist inward testing) as possible virtually the software piece testing it! All these cognition ask non necessarily hold upwards acquired before starting testing. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 tester powerfulness maintain gathering cognition (information) piece soundless testing it. But the to a greater extent than knowledgeable a tester is virtually the application/software (s)he is testing, the meliorate for him/her/the testing project, as (s)he continues testing! The cognition powerfulness hold upwards acquired either through sense or yesteryear education! Knowledge tin hold upwards A priori knowledge [knowledge that is known independently of sense (that is, it is non-empirical)] or tin hold upwards A posteriori knowledge [knowledge that is known yesteryear sense (that is, it is empirical)]!
A practiced criminal investigator (detective) is practiced at observing infinitesimal details at the criminal offence scene too observing details that a normal mortal powerfulness immature adult woman to notice! Then he goes ahead to role his deduction skills to analyze the facts too laid upwards a theory that powerfulness explicate the mystery (if any) too assist him inward getting concord of the criminal! Throughout the investigation, his cognition inward criminal offence helps him inward cornering the criminal! As an analogy [assuming a criminal inward criminal offence investigation as analogous to a defect inward software testing], a tester tries to pivot betoken whatever odd demeanour piece testing the software. His observation skills largely assist him to notice whatever ambiguity that powerfulness hold upwards at that spot inward the application nether test. He makes role of his deduction too work solving abilities to discovery out the master defect/bug/issue! [Remember! Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 unmarried defect powerfulness convey multiple symptoms! So narrowing downwards the work too finding the fault triggering status tin sometimes give-up the ghost a challenge if the tester lacks the ability of deduction!] And final but non the least, the cognition inward software testing ever comes inward handy inward catching a defect!
I am non certain if yous liked my to a higher house analogy of criminal offence investigation amongst that of software testing! But I am actually excited amongst this novel connecter too wondering if a software tester tin brand a practiced criminal offence investigator too vice versa! I would highly appreciate if yous come upwards forwards too portion your views on this yesteryear commenting.
Happy Testing…