A little bit about me...

Well, I guess I hit a nerve that caused James Bach to put me square in his crosshairs. James' dislike for me is clearly seen in a reply on his blog, and unfortunately personal bias often distorts the facts. This is a shame because I think to some extent James and I agree on the need for more, and better training of individuals who choose to make software testing a career. Perhaps we just see it from different ends of the spectrum, but I don't think we are at the extremes of that spectrum. Unfortunately, because of his blatantly bias, uninformed opinion the only thing James got correct about me is that I do promote the idea that software testing is an engineering discipline. I don't pretend testing is about turning little cranks, and I absolutely agree that testers (and anyone in the innovation business) require the ability to think and understand abstract ideas and complex concepts, and also to apply logic and analytical reasoning.

James wrote , "If you look at the work of BJ Rollison, you’ll see a sort of caricature of the hostility I’m talking about. I suspect his point of view is on the extreme end, and that perhaps he is not taken very seriously in Microsoft. But Rollison is known for his bombast on the conference circuit, promoting the idea that testing should be treated as engineering and then talking as if engineers are people who turn little cranks on little formulaic test techniques instead of being broadly educated and encouraged to think deeply and systemically. If Rollison were just a bit better educated, he might possibly have learned from Semiotics and from Structuralism in general that one’s categories and working tools condition the kinds of things one thinks and notices. We must have humility about how our ideas and methods screen us from seeing the world as others may see it. This is vital to excellent testing.Rollison believes that it isn’t necessary to study things like Semiotics and, say, post-modern Critical Theory, to be an excellent tester. Well, Critical Theory teaches that this is one way that we humans attempt to dominate each other– by telling each other not to learn certain things."

Actually, I spent 7 years studying cultural anthropology at the University of Maryland and at Ryukyu University in Okinawa, Japan where I spent quite a bit of time learning about "the study of the philosophical theory of signs and symbols that deals especially with their function in both artificially constructed and natural languages" (semiotics), and "methods of analyzing phenomena, as in anthropology, linguistics, psychology, or literature, chiefly characterized by contrasting the elemental structures of the phenomena in a system of binary opposition" (structuralism). My studies culminated with a thesis about the dissemination of knowledge from folktales, myths, and legends, and their impact on cultural mores and values. So, perhaps what is really funny here is...I actually studied things like semiotics and structuralism and applied them in pursuit of a master's degree.

I also learned enough to know that studying the "branch of philosophy that investigates the origin, nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge" (epistemology) is important and gives me greater perspective on how we learn (and that is especially important in my current role). However, I also learned enough to know that studying the origin or nature of human knowledge has limited practical applicability in software testing directly.

Just to set the record straight (again), I think it is extremely important that testers have a wide range of skills and experiences, and a great breadth of knowledge. I also expect that most people who decide to pursue software testing are some of the most intelligent people I know simply because the diversity of challenges we face as testers. But, I also suspect that most people already know how they learn best and how to think critically and analytically, and how to investigate and question things they don't understand completely. When I give a conference presentation I talk to people as if they already know how to think and they understand the challenges of the profession, and I try to promote a better understanding of the specific skills, techniques, and methods that will improve our effectiveness and enrich our careers and the credibility of the software testing profession.