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Test Smarter with Linda Hayes

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  • The Value of Values

    As the year and decade end (or not, depending on how you think about the year 0), I have been reflecting on what has come before and what might or should happen next. In my humble opinion, Worksoft has done a masterful job of making test automation feasible...

  • Enterprise Operations Assurance

    As technology becomes more integral to operations and interconnected across every aspect of the enterprise, the risk and cost of failure is expanding. Yet many companies introduce changes into their production environment on a frequent – even daily -...

  • Why Is Most Testing Still Manual?

    Despite decades of investment in test automation tools, techniques and time, the majority of enterprise application testing is still performed manually. I have always believed it is because the test tools were too technical and time-consuming to use,...

  • In the End, End-to-End is Everything

    Enterprises of any significant size depend on extensive software portfolios to operate. I know of several who manage more than two hundred applications and at least one whose inventory exceeds 500. Granted, some of these are small departmental systems...

  • Forget Regression Testing

    I must confess: I don't believe in regression testing. Not that I don't believe it can work, just that it doesn't. After spending over 20 years in software testing and working with hundreds of IT shops, I have to report that effective regression...

  • Rewriting The Rules

    We’ve all heard the rule of software delivery – you can choose any two of fast, good or cheap, but not all three. If you want it fast, it either won’t be good or it won’t be cheap. Or, conversely, if you want it to be good then it either won’t be fast...

  • The Logic Against Using Logic

    There is no doubt that you can reduce the size and number of test cases by focusing on reusability, the question is whether that should be your priority. My experience says no. Here is the problem: If there is a process whose steps vary based on rules...

  • The Secret to Automation Success

    If you are among the thousands who are struggling with a test automation record/play/script tool, I can tell you the secret to succeeding – or at least giving yourself the best possible chance to succeed – in a single sentence: What you have...

  • Automation Works When You Do

    Why is the majority of testing still performed manually? True, many tools are too hard to use and maintain, but is that the only reason? No. No matter how good the technology is, it is still only a tool. It won’t jump out of the box and start testing...

  • The Hidden Costs of Testing

    Even though testing consumes an average of 50% of IT projects, I'm willing to bet there is not a line item in most corporate budgets called "testing". While those that develop software internally may have a QA department that is budgeted...

  • Test Data: The Hard of the Matter

    Here's a tough truth: If you can't get control of your test data, you can forget test automation. The core value proposition of automation rests on reusability, and if you can't reuse the data you can't reuse the tests. Even manual testing...

  • Do the Math: Automation is No Longer Optional

    I don't get it. Software development has evolved from a slow, painstaking, manual discipline to a rapid, iterative, highly automated process. Computers have escaped glass-walled rooms with raised floors to land on palm-sized devices. Applications...

  • Forget Quality, Focus on Value

    In my last blog entry I said that it is not a tester's job to find bugs. Now I'll take it one step further - testing isn't "quality assurance" either. I have never liked this term to describe testing, because testing can't assure...

  • Test Smarter: The Top 3 Testing Myths

    Welcome to my blog. My hope is to share 20+ years of testing experience gained the hard way to make it easier for you. The best way to start is to dispel the basic myths that have been around the industry ever since I got started. From there, we can move...
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