Qurratul (Qurr) Rabbi

TDD is expensive Like many other niche technologies Delivery of software is not only a technical problem It’s logistical and people problem as well It can be using Kotlin in Java company It can be adding a better database engine It can be applying Event sourcing to all systems You can say all of those are great But there are a couple of non-technical problems 🧠 Knowledge The whole team must know the new solution They need space to learn and practice You may get training from an expert Both cost money and time 🚦 Risk You face the bus factor What if the devs will leave? (they will) How will you maintain the niche solution? How much will it cost to hire or train a replacement? 👩 Hiring Adding new technologies narrows the pool of hires The more niche you go the harder is to find a good fit The longer hiring process will strain delivery You'll have to balance with higher salaries ☯️ Alignment What about your current team? 80% of them like tests but aren’t fans of TDD What will you do? Force them to learn or let them go? The culture will take a hit and retention will sink What can you do instead? Keep it simple Keep it boring Focus on the basics Drive incremental improvement Find alignment before picking new tech Get excited about the features and business If you don’t need to fix niche problems You get more time to deliver value

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All throughout my career, by first or second hand experience I’ve seen two types of organisations: those that decided to take the leap and phase out architect roles and those that really cling to that. Based on what I’ve send and experienced, compared with accounts from my network and friends, the former type develops a culture where the architecture serves the code and the other way round, architects are replaced by a collective effort by senior engineers or principals. Every architectural decision are holistic choices based on the state of the stack, future evolutions (enablement), and what works best with the technology and programming languages in use. In the latter, architecture is often disconnected from the code, one doesn’t serve the other, and workarounds are a daily trade. There are degrees of disconnection, from a human and technological perspective where decision are taken from an ivory tower without much context of what happens or is needed in the ecosystems of services. One size fits all is often seen as a solution (a heavy process makes flexibility just a dream), any variations needs lengthy approval that discourage engineers from embracing a cycle of "modernisation by default”. Thoughts? #softwarearchitects #enginners #engineering #agile #modernisation

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I wonder, if I finally wrote a #BDD book 20 years on, how much of my original formulation of BDD would be at its centre? I suspect quite a lot, but I definitely missed some things out, and I think my emphasis has shifted, towards getting the job done rather than just delivering the software that does that. I think there are three design feedback loops, not just two: - example feedback guides the code design - scenario feedback guides the feature design - customer feedback guides the product design It is important to listen to your guides, and too easy to get lost in the features.

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I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked; "Why don’t developers just test their own work? Why do I need to pay for a tester?" Taking the time to understand the value of the people who test and approve your works, is an important part of engaging with an agency. Undertaking this step will help you to not only see why testers are such an integral part of software development, but how they'll help you to maintain a stronger relationship with your agency. 1. Regression Testing If you don’t know what regression testing is, this is super important to understand. When you ask your agency to develop a new feature for your site, you want to be sure they’re undertaking regression testing. Essentially, this is the process of testing (end to end) the elements around your new functionality, to confirm that existing site capability is maintained. There’s no point adding new features to your site if you’re breaking existing ones; hence the value of your test team. 2. Manual Testing Manual testing is a test method often used when introducing small or isolated updates to your site. This process involves interacting with the feature just like one of your customers, and ensuring the functionality produced by your developers meets specification. Manual testing, unlike automated testing, is a great way to test standalone features and ensure they do what they’re supposed to. If not, well you guessed it, the job will be sent back to the developer to amend with notes on where the item has failed to pass testing criteria. 3. Automated Testing When it comes to testing highly important use-cases, your test team may opt to write automated test scripts. This may include simulating items such as adding to cart, making a purchase or new customer registrations; and are often run when major site upgrades are implemented to be 100% sure everything's working as intended. Automated testing, although time consuming to setup, can save tens of thousands of dollars across high traffic sites when something does go wrong..all thanks to your friends the testers. 4. "Can’t developers just do this” Like most things in I.T, testing is a very niche skill set. That’s not to say that developers don’t check the work they’re doing and pride themselves on getting it right first time, but the process of having a qualified test engineer sign off a piece of work is an invaluable part of the delivery workflow you can’t do without. When it comes to saving in money in I.T delivery, after you’ve been around this world a while, you’ll soon come to realise shortcuts aren’t the way to do it. Choosing to focus on quality delivery and product smarts, will always deliver greater results than saving a few dollars here or there. So, remember, if you’ve learnt anything today, it’s to love and appreciate your testers! Often under appreciated, however not so strangely; always a major part of any successful eCommerce business! #testing #eCommerce #retail #adobeCommerce #shopify #bigCommerce

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It’s interesting how software engineers say, "I don't want a manager telling me how to do my job!" but then turn around and insist that managers need to code to make technical decisions. I don't buy it. Coding skills aren’t what make a great software engineering manager. I like to compare a software team to a football team. Depending on the level of management, a manager needs to be more technical or not. Take a tech leads, they’re like the team captain. They’re right there with the players, getting their hands dirty and helping direct the game. In this case, they need hands-on experience with the tools and frameworks. But an engineering manager is more like the team coach. Maybe they used to play, or maybe they didn’t, but they know strategy and how to build a team that works well together and delivers great results. They don't need to be in peak physical condition or able to play a full game. The thing is, the team should make the technical calls since they’re the experts. A manager's role is to create an environment where the team can succeed. They build a solid team, get the right resources, and make sure everyone has the info they need. They should focus on being the support system, not the hero swooping in to save the day. By fostering a good environment and backing up their team, managers can lead more effectively without diving into the code themselves. To me, it all has to do with teamwork and trust, not with the manager's coding skills.

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It's a while since I've done a technical test. How do you start and where do you stop? I received a technical test at the end of last week and set time aside to start it on Monday. It was a great test, an opportunity to show off programming and problem solving skills as a Data Engineer. I enjoyed doing the test, fitting it around my other commitments but, looking back, it was a very big test. So, in future, I'm going to be as pragmatic with tests as I am with my work. A few rules then... First 30 minutes - Open the test and read all the notes provided - Jot down any notes and immediate insights - Break the test down into smaller pieces and estimate how long each will take. - Can you identify any difficult requirements that need more explanation Make a plan! Once your plan is made you have to decide how long to spend on the test. Will it be 2 hours, 4, or even 8 hours - a full working day. Naturally we want to impress the test setter (ie. potential employer) with our skills and experience but there has to be a balance between the time we have available and the expectations of the interviewer. Some people refuse to do tests, even on the basis that solving the problem for a potential employer counts as unpaid work. Some employers struggle to set fair tests and understand it can be a problem for applicants, but they need some assurance that the candidate knows their stuff. Where do you stand on this as a test (non-)taker or test setter?

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Software Development Quagmire How far have we really come in the last 50 years in software development? I have about 24 years’ experience in software and API development. In this time we have strayed far from the basics of SDLC into areas of duplication and worse, time wasters. I am not banging on SCRUM, Agile, Kanban as a processes or methodologies (not much), nor tools that we use nowadays for software builds like JIRA and Confluence but it’s been my own experience to a large extent, these processes and tools don’t add much value and far worse they handcuff everyone to a tracking and timekeeping nightmare. Thinking back to SDLC methodology, it was straightforward. We planned (mapped, or gathered requirements) designed, developed, tested, and in some cases we maintained and updated software applications. We all worked together as a team to ensure continuity and communication. Defining the specific SDLC stages ensured that development was organized and executed effectively, resulting in high-quality software that met user requirements. Following a structured approach, development teams reduced risks, optimized resources, and produced software that aligned with business goals – all within a reasonable timeframe. Now compare and contrast this to modern day methodologies, I would say Visa has the very best in software development. I spent some time in 2022 working with the CIO and development team, but they had already developed an agile process (iterative) that focused on customer UAT and acceptance. They had developed this methodology with increasingly difficult levels that compressed time and increased quality. I worked with the directors in the development division to find ways to move the development teams from the basic level to the next level and what is interesting is that short of financial incentives, all bets were off. Improving teams requires a great deal of effort and time, and these ingredients share little with current development teams, especially when you dial in a couple of elements such as daily meetings, work from home and time keeping. So, in deference to the challenge modern day software development has arrived at, (quagmire), I will offer a few fundamental steps that align with SDLC, without all the fluff SCRUM demands in post II. If we were to return to SDLC or at least reconsider some of the processes involved in modern day software development I believe we might simplify and improve time and quality. Certainly, a process that doesn’t inundate and drag down the team in record keeping and slow down the process with ceremonies and daily meetings then I believe the throughput can be improved!

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There is a game on LinkedIn, played by a number of testers, and it’s probably time to retire it….. The game starts with a statement like “what’s the difference between “term X” and “term Y”?”. The author of the post then proceeds to provide the definition of both terms, seemingly with the belief that terms within testing are uniformly understood, by all, to be tied to a single definition. Reality - many terms in testing are represented by many mental models. When you explain “term X” you are explaining how you use that term, in your context. Your context is not everybody else’s context. If you want to post definitions, at least put them in some sort of context so readers may find some value. Better yet, provide a story of how these definitions have been helpful to you and your test work. How have the definitions provided value? If you really want to get down into definitions and a common language, do that in your team, your current project. Get stakeholders on the same page to help you develop deep understanding in conversations. Post about those conversations.

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💡 Here's my approach towards preventing the off-roading of your project timeliness whilst managing technical debt. How you manage your technical debt? Share your thoughts! #SoftwareDevelopment #CollaborativeArticle #TechnicalDebt #SharedExperience #TechCommunity #SharedKnowledge #ProjectTimeline

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Check out my latest video where I explore the importance of API testing in the E2E testing landscape. Video Link : https://lnkd.in/eXJsCfHe

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Let's be honest: a lot of software developers are lazy about testing. It may seem boring now, but it'll save your sanity later when production issues inevitably pop up. Remember, Untested code is a ticking time bomb. If you don't test your code, you're asking for trouble. #softwaredevelopment #testing #qualityassurance #coder #programmer #leetcode #geeksforgeeks #juniors #developer

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Book Launch Chronicle || Episode 6 We made announcement of this event yesterday and as of 10pm, we had hit 50 signups with mixture of QA Engineers, Product Managers, DevOps, TechOps, Designers and Developers. This is a balance mixture and for those asking me if they can attend, please take this as your invitation. Who should attend this event? Either you are a tech enthusiast or newbie, tech professionals, test and qa professionals, industry leader, people looking to transition from their career into tech, university undergraduates, and those looking to upskill their career. Register 👉bit.ly/fstbooklaunch Software Testing cut across every phase of career and different industries. The book speaks to those who don’t know much about tech or testing, those who are professionals and founders looking to elevate their products. Register 👉bit.ly/fstbooklaunch Yes this event top piority is the book launch but it is doubling as the international software testers day celebration 🍾 hence the touch of owambe vibe 🎊. Register 👉bit.ly/fstbooklaunch To all my industry golden leaders that reviewed and foreworded this book, I want to say a big THANK YOU. Your feedbacks means a lot to me. Register 👉bit.ly/fstbooklaunch Like I would always say, I’m still at the starting point of the software testing sea 🌊, I know there is so much adventure to sail through ahead, and this September 7, 2024 marks the beginning of a new phase for me in my career, business and the software testing industry in Africa. If you haven’t signed up, you still have some time to do so. Register 👉bit.ly/fstbooklaunch Your TestBook Author ❤️ #abcofsoftwaretesting #techowambe #qualityassurance #testing #tech #community

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Why does software so often fail where it matters most—out in the wild? It is a well known fact (or it should be) that developers don´t make good testers.  In fact, developers are terrible testers. A truth I have learnt the hard way, over the years, working at projects with tight budgets, where someone wearing the "guy in charge of testing" hat is just an unaffordable commodity. As outdated it may sound, I have come to believe that it happens more often than not, and that PMs, often come up with creative, yet sketchy ways to circumvent it ...or with nothing in tow at all, and let´s see what happens. The result is often shipping code that fails the mighty fail when the end user does anything that strays the slightest form the happy path. Fault-tolerance goes down the drain. And, as much as there are people coming up with funny ways to avoid having someone dedicated exclusively to testing, there is a certain amount of brainy explanations behind the good old "it works on my machine" rap. I would argue that the most common of all biases that developers bring into crafting and developing code is what is called confirmation bias, which means that, as a developer carrying out a certain developement task you may tend to tunnel your focus and vision on the expected behaviour of what you are building and not on what could go wrong. Or what could happen if this and that happen to go wrong at the same time. And the list of unexpected circumstances that may converge at a point in time could go on forever. All this, at the end of the day, is a natural thing, as, coming up with secondary cases, error cases, corner cases and things that close to never come described in any requirement spec whatsoever, takes a considerable amount of extra effort. And its unlikely that someone is going to take the high road if none of that was demanded by a stakeholder in the first place. Then there is the thing about unit tests. TDD practices aside, more often that not its developers who are expected to write their own unit and integrations tests. This, the way I see it, often leads to those tests being subjected to that same confirmation bias, as one may often end up writing unit tests that test how the code should work, but not that often how it should NOT work. And one may think that all this should be more than sorted out nowadays. But, for some reason, every now and then I keep landing on places were you are told to write your own unit tests (or maybe you´re not expected to write any at all) and have one of your peer developers review and validate your new functionality based on whatever functional knowledge you convey to them... which feels kind of dumb to me, as with that knowledge come your own biases. There is a saying which reads "buy cheap, buy twice". In software development, skimping on QA is no exception. How do you handle testing in resource-constrained projects? I'd love to hear your experiences. 

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The value of any Load Testing (or the umbrella of Performance Testing) is in the pre, whilst and post test data analysis. Load throwing automation (with all complexities it in itself brings to PEs) is a part but not whole of Load Testing. 🤷

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📢TOP TIP for AWS focused DevOps/Platform/Site Reliability Engineers looking for a new position📢 I have spoken to 3 Engineering Directors this week, and they all told me they are getting so many applications for their mid-senior level roles. They openly admit that they have less time than ever to read profiles thoroughly and need the resume to stand out to them EASILY & QUICKLY. Here is what was on their watchlist when reviewing a profile👀 🎯AWS, Terraform, Kubernetes & CI/CD experience 🎯Software Development skills 🎯Evidence of the key technologies used per role (spell it out for them) 🎯Where you have made an impact on the business/the project ("I" not "us") 🎯How you have saved time and/or money 🎯Evidence of strong communication skills If you'd like to know what the industry leaders in Cloud & Platform Engineering are looking for feel free to reach out to me📩 #tethr #devops #sre #platform #resume

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A career in software development is full of FAILURE... 👉 Your build fails 👉 Your tests fail 👉 Your deployment fails It can be really frustrating and demotivating at times... 👉 You and your team fail to hit release deadlines... 👉 You fail to deliver your features when you said you would... 👉 Everything breaks when you start looking at that new technology you've never used before... Well, that's certainly one way to look at it... Where some see failure, I choose to see opportunity... A career in software development is full of opportunities to learn and grow… That's quite a career 👍

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I first started doing TDD over a decade ago, soon after I joined the BBC. At that time, it was something they mentioned as a requirement for engineers joining the organisation, and I had never really done it although I had heard of it. So during my month long notice period before I started working there, I read up on the technique and practiced it. Luckily for me, one of the first resources I found on the topic was Ian Cooper's excellent talk, "TDD Where did it all go wrong" (see an updated version of that same talk here: https://lnkd.in/eQRnFNza) In that talk, he recommends writing tests in a way that you don't test internal implementation details, with the goal of the tests being able to help you make changes over time, which is the opposite of what many test suites give you. I still remember one of the first experiences I had with the technique, where I was pairing with a very experienced developer on some complicated logic - I don't remember the exact feature now, but I remember it was quite involved, and we tackled it test first, writing tests that tested behaviour and not internal implementation details. I remember we got to the point where all the tests were passing and the feature was complete, and we decided to try to refactor the internal code, because although it worked, it was messy even to us and we'd only just written it. And I remember the pleasure we both felt at the time when we were able to take this messy implementation, and very quickly and with very high confidence, were able to transform the implementation into something far simpler and readable. We had the tests running in real time on one screen and the IDE with our code on the other. Whenever we made a change to our code, the tests would run in a second or two. This meant that if we broke a behaviour that mattered, we found out in seconds, and if we'd done something that worked, we also found that out in seconds. I took this experience and continued doing TDD from that day on, and my experiences have been the same ever since - consistently seeing huge return on my investment, seeing features work first time, forcing me and whoever I'm working with to properly clarify requirements at the start because we need them for our tests. Breaking the problem down into first solving the issue and then having a separate step to just clean and tidy up is very liberating. Every place I've worked since then, I've continued doing TDD and I've shown the value to countless developers on completely different projects and contexts. TDD is the reason I'm never stressed, always feel confident that things will work and also why I get frustrated at the industry so much, because this technique works beautifully and it should be a standard by now.

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Is this meme situation truly happening in your companies? This appears to be the result of a flawed QA/development process or relationship, which should never occur. It's akin to homophobic behaviour. Why might the lead not want the tester to report a bug? If there's a process for bug severity and prioritisation, then reporting it is the best course of action. Later, a decision can be made on whether to fix it before release, after, or perhaps even never. If the relationship with a client is properly established, then reporting bugs should be a normal part of the development process. It's possible that this is yet another critical bug, and the client is already frustrated – indicating an ongoing issue with software quality. I wonder how many memes are out there that seem like a perfectly normal part of the IT world, but beneath the surface reveal serious malfunctions we may have come to accept.

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One minute QA For many people the term QA means quality assurance as it has for me over my career during the last 30 years, but the reference has recently taken on new meaning as well. QA could also be qualified accuracy, quotable achievements or something else, including quiet acknowledgments, quirky ancestor, quick action, quantifiable actions, qualified app or any number of other possible meanings. Identifying problems and resolving them before they show up for the customer is the best-case scenario. Problems happen and sometimes issues are missed, but every piece of the the workflow should work seamlessly. QA engineers double check to ensure that features work as designed and critical errors are eliminated. Today, QA can mean a lot of important things. What does QA mean to you?

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