Category Archives: Risk & Testing

Looking at how testing can be used in the larger context of risk management and mitigation

“Project: Risky Decision” – a Card Game

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Trevor Atkins

I designed this teaching game in 2014 as a different sort of hands-on activity to supplement my Software Testing & Risk Management training sessions and presentations, specifically to highlight certain concepts around risk mitigation strategies. This version of “Project: Risky … Continue reading →

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Risk-driven Testing vs. Risk-based Testing – It’s the Thought that Counts

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Trevor Atkins

I introduce my typical philosophy to planning/organizing the testing effort for a project, in part, as one using a risk-driven testing approach.  In a recent conversation with a client, they said they followed a risk-based approach to their testing, and … Continue reading →

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Testing COTS Systems? Make Evaluation Count

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Trevor Atkins

Over the years, I have been involved in a number of projects testing COTS (Commercial-Off-The-Shelf) systems across a range of industries. Sometimes the project was with the vendor and sometimes with the customer. When it came to supporting a company … Continue reading →

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Testing as a Service? Testing is a Service

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Trevor Atkins

We, as testers, do not “build in quality” and can not guarantee all the defects will be found.  We can not, should not, define “what is quality?”  And, we should not be making the choice to release or not. Not … Continue reading →

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New Project? Shift-Left to Start Right!

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Trevor Atkins

Project management is continually challenged with delivering the “right” solution, on-time and on-budget, with high quality. In the face of typical project constraints and changing priorities, quality is sometimes sacrificed towards the end of the project for the sake of … Continue reading →

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Make Testing Your Competitive Advantage

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Christin Wiedemann

At first glance, testing might only look like a cost, but testing can actually help you reduce risk, get your product to market faster and contribute to a considerably improved customer experience. Testing is often viewed as a necessary evil, … Continue reading →

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Don’t Wait, Take – A Smart Approach to Testing

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Trevor Atkins

It is common for testing to be given constraints around schedule, budget, team members/skills, and even tools. So, when you are asked to step out of this box and propose what you think is needed for the next project, a … Continue reading →

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Improving the User Experience in a Fast-Forward World

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Vijay Pallithekethil

Recently, after experiencing a “service not available” error while checking my email, my first instinct was to go scouring the web, including sites such as downrightnow.com, to check to see if others were experiencing similar issues and if there was … Continue reading →

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Let’s Start a Test Revolution

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Christin Wiedemann

Before I started my career as a tester, I was a scientist doing research in particle physics, and my years in science trained me to be skeptical, inquisitive and open to new approaches. It was the idea of continuous learning … Continue reading →

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Shorter Interval Projects Are Trending, But What Does That Mean For Testers?

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Michael Murphy

I find it interesting that software development projects are generally being planned and executed with shorter time frames than before. Software development projects that were once taken on as a single large project are now being broken down into smaller … Continue reading →

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