Testing Tunes 2. Embrace the jazz hands.

Okay this is the second post in this odd series. I have a more testing specific post knocking about in my head but I'm trying to figure out how to trim the ALL CAPS ANGER out of it. Whilst I'm doing that, this arrived partly formed so I thought I'd better finish it.

So, here's a Testing Tunes #2. I'd not be surprised if you don't know who Felix Hagan and the Family are but I promise you they are well worth a listen. I suppose the way I would describe them is 'storytelling glam rock with a heavy dose of musical theatre influence'. I mean that in the most positive way, I promise you. It's melodrama with lyrical flair and I love it.

I was on the last few minutes of my slow cumbersome run from the train station into the office the other day, playlist blaring through my headphones on random just to get me to even move my feet. I was ready to get to a shower but wasn't sure how ready I was to start the day of work when the following song soundtracked my last few steps and entrance into the building.

https://open.spotify.com/track/4nIHMBDkkAZAqcrMxQ1wbV?si=0xloNVquQymg2TqVth5KRQ

(apologies for a Spotify link, I couldn't locate it on YouTube)

It's a song I've listened to dozens of times before but for some reason on this drizzly morning I noticed a specific line in it which got me thinking in a way it hadn't before.

'There's no free ticket for the rock star with the most convincing please'

What this said to me basically was that timidness will not help you get what you want. Don't complain if what you want is hard to achieve. Demand to be heard. Impress people. Do it with jazz hands and get the job done. As software testers, if you're relentlessly campaigning in the name of test advocacy to a team or company that's not fully convinced, you may need a bit of inspiration and a healthy nudge every now and again to get yourself re-invigorated. For me, this is a song which helps me with that.

If you're reading this still, please listen to the lyrics of the whole song or else the rest of my ramblings could seem off topic. The whole song to me is about loving what you're doing. It's about encouraging you to have enthusiasm for your craft and put your brave face on to try and make an impression and get what you want. Whilst I think that can probably be used as a guidance for lots of professions, I don't do anything else, I test software so that's what I related it to. I think this spoke to me because frequently we alone have our point of view in a conversation or team. As a lone voice it is useful to have self motivation to keep advocating for testing, even when it's hard or no-one is listening.

The other lessons I think this song can help remind me is that sometimes you need to steal from those you admire to be the version of yourself that gets the job done. It's not disingenuous to alter your behaviour or approach in different circumstances in order to achieve your goals. (I promise you that message is in the song as well.)

Try being proud of your actions. Try thinking about whether you would want junior members of staff to learn from your example. If you would want new testers copying you, keep doing what you're doing. Do it more, do it proud and do it with gusto.

So try embracing the jazz hands. Put your best smile on, stand tall and go wow the world.

Testing tunes

Sometimes it is possible to draw inspiration for your testing from strange places. It is also possible to find meaning in art that wasn't there when the creator let it out into the world. Recently I had both of those moments at the same time.

One of my favourite musicians of all time is English folk punk troubadour Frank Turner. His new studio album Be More Kind is scheduled from release at the beginning of May and as such he's started building some hype and releasing some of the songs. So, I was listening to one of the newly released songs, the title track in fact.

I wasn't thinking about testing at all when I was listening to it. I'd already heard this song half a dozen times before but this time one of the lines jumped out at me.

'So before you go out searching, don't decide what you will find.
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind.'

I know that Software Testing isn't what Frank was talking about when he wrote these words but it instantly struck me as a good motto for exploratory testing. I've been talking about exploratory testing quite a bit over the last month, both in work and at Software Testing Clinic (http://www.softwaretestingclinic.com). As a result maybe of having it on my mind, this just seemed to fit somehow.

So whilst not looking for any related meaning, what I found unexpectedly was a good strategy for your approach to testing, and it was two connected ideas:

1. Before you go out testing, try to be aware of cognitive biases. (So before you go out searching, don't decide what you will find.) 
2. Be kind to the people around you who have made the product. Be sensitive of other people's feelings, even if it's hard, just try. (Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind.)

To start with, try go into your testing with an open mind of what you'll find. It could bring you some interesting, important discoveries. Also, don't assume the worst of your colleagues. Of course, the last six times you got a build on this project it was riddled with issues, but this time it might be better, be positive towards it. You never know what this change in approach will result in, new things you'd never noticed.

Software testing can sometimes been quite combative even if just in the way people talk about what they're doing. So is this not a useful thing to remind yourself, to be kind to others? It is easy for us to forget the human element of a system when we find problems in a design, an idea or a piece of software. Someone has put effort into making it, and that they may be emotionally invested in it's success. It can be useful to remember this when providing feedback on what you've tested and what you've uncovered.

I suppose the thing that I'm really trying to say is, take a kindness into the way you approach your testing. Sure, be ruthless in your quest to uncover unknown risks but be respectful to the people you encounter and those it affects. Assume that everyone has done their best and be nice to people regardless of what you find.

It's worth saying that some people may say "Dave, that's rich coming from you." To those people I would respond, "I know that, but if it was something I already thought I was good at I wouldn't need a musical reminder." I may also say: he says 'TRY to be more kind' , so it might not be easy, but you should try anyway.

Anyway, those are my words for you today.

'So before you go out searching, don't decide what you will find.
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind.'