The Interview

Earlier this year, StickyMinds published an interview with Keith Klain – “The Viability of Context-Driven Testing”.
The interview is 15 minutes long, both audio and transcript are available.
In a way, it was a “sneak peek” for Keith’s keynote at then upcoming StarEast 2016 conference.

Note the title.

In my impression, Keith Klain gave an endorsement of context-driven testing approach with a serious disclaimer. Even a warning.

Key points, quoted.

• “People [..] tend to focus on the skill side to it [context-driven approach], but there’s a lot of information and great stuff that comes out of context-driven testing that’s completely relevant to the commercial prospect of helping a business be successful.”
• “A lot of context-driven testers [..] miss becoming context-aware.”
• “Your context, the biggest contributor to context, it’s people. Understanding who the people are, what’s going to work there, and what’s not, is the first step really. [..] You have to find out how far you can push a place.”
• “If you think you can help people test better [..] let’s not beat people up first over language; let’s help solve some bigger problems.”
• “Berating people [..] leads into what smartypants syndrome is about.”

So what?

So, we are reminded that testing is about helping business to be successful. That testing is a service. That context awareness is important. That people in software development is the main part of the context. And that offending people is a dis-service.

Now, why Keith Klain would dedicate his keynote to that? I bet, he felt that it was important issue. That it was real issue.

When there’s smoke there’s fire.

One can’t help but wonder if such behavior is being inspired, say, by a role model?

Indeed.. and I received a confirmation very soon.

(I removed the names and Twitter IDs because I’m unwilling to promote this person, who strongly associates themselves with Context-driven School).

Meh.

Context-driven testers could do better than that.

Think People

“Nine times out of ten, an argument ends with each of the contestants more firmly convinced than ever that they’re absolutely right” ~ Dale Carnegie, “How To Influence People”.

“You cannot teach a person anything; you can only help them to find it within themselves” ~ Galileo Galilei

“If you come at me with your fists doubled I think I can promise you that mine will double as fast as yours; but if you come to me and say ‘let’s sit down and take counsel together, and, if we differ from each other, understand why it is that we differ, just what the points at issue are’, we will presently find that we are not so far apart after all, that the points on which we differ are few and the points on which we agree are many, and that if we only have the patience and the candor and the desire to get together , we will get together” ~ Woodrow Wilson