Different - Yet the Same

Working every day in one field of the vast IT world often makes you think it is the whole world. There is no one else working with testing things but testers. We shift left to align with requirements early and shift right to see the systems perform live. But do consider shifting (Up?) to align with other job roles that similarly test, rehearse, try, or experiment:

• The design team uses A/B-testing to find the best layout
• The user experience team that does end-user observations
• The operations team that performs technical recovery tests
• The transition team that does service handover trials
• The management team that does a business continuity drill

Testing is an integrated part of the PDCA model (Plan-Do-Check-Act) of modern quality management. Quality management is in the frame of project deliverables outside software. I learned it in part from studying organizational change management initiatives for the local public healthcare sector. They even use the term "try acts" (directly translated) to experiment with new ways of working for the healthcare staff.

Why do sports teams practice? To improve and to train their game before the big event. A key component in determining if explicit testing is necessary is how far your solution can be reverted - even if it fails. A concert, an election, and rope-free rock climbing are all events where you practice and rehearse (test) until the actual event. The harder it is to redo, and the longer it takes to redo is a vital indicator of the value of rehearsing.

In the book Wiring the Winning Organization, Gene Kim and Steven J Spear dedicate a third of their model to “Slowification”—the art of having a practice environment where it’s safe to fail. Often, the key purpose is to fall on purpose so that you are ready for the performance environment—a practice environment where it’s safe to fail. Often, the key purpose is to fall on purpose so that you are ready for the performance environment - the event, the rock, or meeting the auditors for a review of the compliance requirements.

There are so many places where testing happens. Everyone plays their part. IT testers don't own the words "test" or "quality" - we are not the only ones who can design and perform a test. Instead of flamewars of vocabulary, let us team up with other professionals who do testing/rehearsal/tryouts/drills and collaborate. I'm sure we can learn some tricks from each other. We might be different - yet the same.