No time for ping pong
Back-and-forward conversations, especially in a written form, can go forever. They involve participants and observers; become an unpleasant show, where the initial question is successfully forgotten. You may get involved into this time-waster, or even ignite it, before you realize. I confess too, at times I find hard dealing with a ping pong problem.
But here are a few early warning signs I use to recognize the beginning of a ping pong.
2 or more subjects
Either you get too many questions or ask them. Or it's the deviation from the initial subject. Unnecessary opinions and guessing. Giving too much details.
Ignored subject
Arguing, blaming, defence. In all these conversations people simply ignore each other's point. In email, ping pong arguing can go days involving whole teams and departments.
Per my opinion, there is no universal approach to handle this problem. However, asymmetric actions usually help.
If it's not important do not reply. Maybe a person on the other side just wants to have a last word.
If it's official, urgent and important - escalate.
If it's in writing, then come and talk in person, or make a call, schedule a meeting.
If it's in person, ask to enlist all points of disagreement.
Re-think and re-frame.
Either way, taking a pause helps.
Using Firebug in Internet Explorer
This tip comes from Ben Kelly. We all need to test on Internet Explorer, but we've been spoiled with tools like Firebug in other browsers. Ben has a tip to get Firebug to work in Internet Explorer:
In IE, go to your Favorites bar and copy-paste the following chunk of code and call it "Firebug". (Jonathan: In IE 7, I created a bookmark, then right-clicked on the properties, and then pasted the following code into the URL field.)
javascript:(function(F,i,r,e,b,u,g,L,I,T,E){if(F.getElementById(b))return;E=
F[i+'NS']&&F.documentElement.namespaceURI;E=E?F[i+'NS'](E,'script'):F[i]('sc
ript');E[r]('id',b);E[r]('src',I+g+T);E[r](b,u);(F[e]('head')[0]||F[e]('body
')[0]).appendChild(E);E=new%20Image;E[r]('src',I+L);})(document,'createEleme
nt','setAttribute','getElementsByTagName','FirebugLite','4','firebug-lite.js
','releases/lite/latest/skin/xp/sprite.png','https://getfirebug.com/','#star
tOpened');
Then on any website, open that bookmark and it will give you a Firebug console.
Apparently, it seems to work pretty well for CSS and DOM stuff, but has some limitations when it comes to script debugging.
Enjoy.
Rspec and Generators
A fantastic tip posted by Catherine Powell on Rspec and Generators a couple days ago:
When working in Rails, I use the generators as easy ways to create models with migrations, and whatnot. I got used to running my generators with "--rspec" since that's the test framework I'm using currently.
I can save myself some time by adding this to my application.rb:
config.generators do |g| g.test_framework :rspec end
Bookmark Current Tab Set
I've been using the Bookmark Current Tab Set Firefox add-on the last few days to help me organize different projects/clients. For each project, I have:
- a Google doc for my personal time tracking
- a web tool for client-facing time tracking
- a tab for JIRA, Redmine, or some other project/defect management tool
- a tab for whatever product(s) I'm working on (if applicable)
I've also created one for all my blogs, Google Reader, and my Twitter account. That's handy as well for when I feel the need to do some socializing.
When I need to switch gears, all I need to do is close the current browser, open a new one and click on the bookmark set. Then I'm ready to go!
Get yourself out of Inbox
Today's tip comes from Ali Hale.
In her article "Why You're Hooked on Email – And Five Ways to Stop" she states 5 most common reasons keeping people in Email, as well as proposes new habits to develop - to get out of it.
When you finish one task, you might find yourself opening up your inbox to see what's waiting. You're checking email because you're not sure what to do next – and emails provide a convenient excuse not to think.
How to Stop: Keep a to-do list, and batch smallish tasks together – that way, you can move smoothly from one to the next.
Read the entire list and let us know what habit you'd want to pick up for yourself.
Bring up your Desktop in double-click!
Today I offer a time-saving tip for those who has to work on multiple test desktops, including virtual machines.
What do you do when preparing for your test session?
- Opening folders?
- Opening browsers?
- Opening test cases?
- Opening test reports?
- Starting application-under-test?
If each desktop or VM is configured for a specific testing environment, the steps above probably become even more complicated.
- Opening folders: "Well.. let's click "My computer"..then Q:\ drive... then "Projects".. then..."
- Opening browsers: "What ip should I use, again? Is it 13.24.597.68:3397? "
Would you like to have a magic button to bring everything up in one click?
Today you can create one for yourself and your team.
@echo off REM Open mailbox start "QuickTestingTips" "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\OUTLOOK.EXE" REM Open folders explorer.exe "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents" explorer.exe "c:\project\test cases\module1" explorer.exe "c:\temp" REM Open browsers start "QuickTestingTips" "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" google.com start "QuickTestingTips" "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" yahoo.com REM Open bugtracker start "QuickTestingTips" "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" jira.com REM Open documents start "QuickTestingTips" "C:\Temp\TestReport.doc" start "QuickTestingTips" "C:\Temp\TestPlan.xls" REM Start Application Under Test start "QuickTestingTips" "C:\WINDOWS\system32\calc.exe" REM Last but not least start "QuickTestingTips" "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" softwaretestingclub.com
Instructions
Create a text file on your desktop, and paste the source code.
Save the file and change its extension to ".bat". - You've just created an MS-DOS batch file.
Double-click on it to start it, or right-click and select "Edit" to put relevant parameters.
- Use REM to comment out a line
- Use quotes while supplying an extended syntax path (i.e. with long names and space characters between words)
- Study extended MS-DOS batch file syntax if you want to make your scripts even more powerful
- Store scripts in a shared folder to make them accessible by teammates
Downloads
Do we really need a script or can we use a checklist?
On a current project, we have a lot of testing that requires deep domain knowledge. Given the level of domain knowledge, we're planning on getting domain experts to do a good portion of the testing. This has uncovered an interesting opportunity for us. To date, most testing done in this organization has been scripted (giant Word documents full of steps and screenshots). In the past I believe this was done because the testers didn't have the requisite domain knowledge to execute the tests without a lot of help. But now, by making this shift, we can reassess if we really need test scripts.
We've decided that for much of the testing, we'll switch to checklists instead of test scripts. While we might still have a couple of test procedure documents which provide high-level outlines for how to do something, the details of the testing will be in some (relatively) simple Excel checklists. This saves us a lot of work, since we don't need to update a bunch of artifacts. I suspect it will also increase our test execution velocity by reducing the overhead of running a series of tests.
Kaner has been talking a lot recently about the value of checklists. If you've not reviewed the work, check it out. Look for opportunities where you might leverage checklists instead of some of the more traditional heavyweight scripts associated with testing in IT corporate environments.
Setting up for a test session
Today's tip (again) comes from Christina Zaza. Tina gave an experience report recently at IWST, and in that explained that when she sits down to test, she opens everything she thinks she'll need before she starts. This helps her avoid having to wait for something to load, or having to potentially go find something when she's in the middle of testing.
"As dumb as it sounds, stopping to open additional documents and tools right when you need them actually slows down the process."
Her list of things she commonly needs includes:
- opening the application(s) she's testing
- logging into databases databases
- opening data or requirements spreadsheets (or other files)
- opening various testing tools
Avoiding interruptions while testing
Today's tip comes from Christina Zaza. Tina gave an experience report recently at IWST, and in that talk she outlined some of the things she does when she sits down to do some "heads down" testing:
- Block off time on your calendar
- Book yourself a conference room
- Consider closing your email and instant messenger
- Let calls go to voice mail
Alternating technology
I've noticed a pattern I have when it comes to tracking what I need to get done. I alternate technology, and I think I know why. First, here's the pattern:
- for a couple of weeks, I create small simple project plans for everything (OmniPlan, MS Project, Basecamp, a Google spreadsheet, whatever)
- then for a couple of weeks, I'll use my inbox as my to-do list
- then for a couple of weeks, I'll use pen and paper (post-its, notepads, whatever)
I just keep rotating through these three different methods of tracking work. I think I do it because after a period of a couple of weeks, I stop paying attention to whatever method I'm currently using. For example:
- If my desk is covered with post-it notes, I ignore them. If there's only a couple, I'll do what needs to be done to throw them away.
- If my inbox has five items, I'll clear it. If there's 80 emails, what's ten more?
You see the pattern. I think this is ok, and it's a pattern that apparently works for me - stuff gets done.
If you find you're ignoring your current method of tracking what needs to get done, try switching it up a bit and see what happens.
