Update on May 20 Tornado

Hi Folks,

Thanks to everyone who has contacted me concerning the tornadoes here today. Thankfully, we were spared, barely.

I was at a client in OKC to attend at 2:00 meeting, which was canceled. It was looking stormy, so I decided to head home. About when I arrived home, the tornado sirens started to sound.

As the tornado approached, I was on the back porch watching it come directly toward us. Just like May 3rd, 1999 all over again. So, I hustled Janet and our two pugs into the car and drove north. We don't have a storm shelter (I think we will soon). The tornado took a turn toward the east, so no damage at our place. But, the loss of life and damage is terrible, especially the children at the school.

(This is a short video I shot from our car. You can see the tornado moving from the right of the screen to the left behind the Homeland store.)

Both our sons and families are fine, although had Ryan (our oldest) and his family not moved 6 years ago, they would have been wiped out and our oldest grandson would have been at the school where the 7 children died.

I don't what it is about Moore. It's like a tornado magnet. It's just really bad here right now. Your prayers are needed.

The people here are tough and resilient. We will rebuild and go on, but the loss of life is the worst part. 51 lives lost as of this writing.

Thanks,

Randy

Help With a Survey on Software Test Profesionals

I am working on an article about software testing as a profession. This is a controversial topic to some people and I would like to get your thoughts.

I have created a very short (10-question) survey that will help me write this article. It will only allow 50 respondents, but I would like to invite anyone to participate at:

http://freeonlinesurveys.com/s.asp?sid=uqcp94gonac9cy9267091
I will share the results and also let you know when the article is out.

Thanks for your help!

Randy

Thoughts on the ISTQB Open Letter

Since it is hard to elaborate a response in 140 characters, I am blogging this. First, full disclosure, I am on the board of directors of the ASTQB and I am a training provider of ISTQB certification courses, as well as over 60 other courses I have written. (I make a small percentage of my income from ISTQB training.) I was also a founding author of the CSTE test certification from QAI. This is from my own perspective and does not represent the views of the ISTQB or ASTQB.

Second, I really believe as testers we have the right and responsibility to ask questions. So my issue is not with the asking of questions. We can still be friends.

I tweeted yesterday that "The open letter to the ISTQB is meaningless." Here's why.

1. The letter fails to distinguish between the ISTQB and the country examination boards (such as the ASTQB, Canadian Testing Board, UKTB, etc.) that write and administer the exams. Therefore, the ISTQB does not write exam questions. To get the answers to the questions about the validity of questions and coefficients, you would have to write such a request to each individual country exam board. The ISTQB may provide a high-level response, but it can't answer the detailed questions posed because it simply doesn't have the information.

2. There are Non-disclosure Agreements in place to protect the intellectual property of each country board and the ISTQB in general. One of the challenges with any exam (ITIL, PMP, etc.) is to keep the contents of the exam confidential as to prevent questions from being passed around. There is a sample exam available on the ASTQB website that gives a flavor of the questions being asked. Kryterion would not release results because they also have confidentiality restrictions.

3. "Have there ever been any problems with the validity of the exams?" This is like asking, "Are you still beating your wife?" Everything has shortcomings. The reason the ASTQB invested in independent exam reviews and measurement was to make the exam as valid as possible.

I agree that the questions on the exam must be a valid reflection of the learning objectives in the syllabus.  As a training provider, I don't know what is on the exam. There is a firm line of separation. I focus on the methods and application as opposed to the brain cram approach.

That's it for now. Gotta get back to the test lab.

Thanks,

Randy

ISTQB Foundation Level Training Coming to Atlanta - June 5 - 7, 2013

We don't conduct many public courses, but are going to host an event in June in Atlanta. If you have been thinking about getting certified in software testing, here's your chance!

The instructor will be Dr. Tauhida Parveen, an authorized ISTQB trainer and author of two testing books. (And a great trainer!)



For more information and to register, click here:
https://www.mysoftwaretesting.com/ISTQB_Foundation_Level_Course_in_Software_Testing_p/ctflpub.htm

We hope to see you there!

Notes from Today's Webinar - Test Data Strategies for ICD-10 Testing

Here are the notes from today's webinar on test data strategies for ICD-10 testing.

Download slides in PDF format.

In this session, Dexter Oliver, Randy Rice and Dr. Tauhida Parveen outlined the importance of test data in ICD-10 testing, and some ways that the test data challenge can be addressed. Getting the right test data is one of the most challenging aspects of any type of testing, but ICD-10 poses unique challenges, such as:

• Which diagnosis codes will need to be included?
• Which business conditions will need to be supported?
• How much data will be needed?
• Where will the data be obtained?
• How will resources be allocated to create test data and perform testing? 

The video will be posted shortly.

Thanks,

Randy

Addressing Test Data Concerns in Your ICD-10 Test Planning

 Thursday, January 31st, 2:00 P.M EST

In this session, Dexter Oliver, Randy Rice and Dr. Tauhida Parveen will outline the importance of test data in ICD-10 testing, and some ways that the test data challenge can be addressed. Getting the right test data is one of the most challenging aspects of any type of testing, but ICD-10 poses unique challenges, such as:

• Which diagnosis codes will need to be included?
• Which business conditions will need to be supported?
• How much data will be needed?
• Where will the data be obtained?
• How will resources be allocated to create test data and perform testing?

We invite you to join Dexter, Randy and Tauhida in this free and informative session to get the right test data in the most efficient ways.

Register Here:

http://www.anymeeting.com/PIID=E952DD84834D31

Rolling Up The Year

Hi Friends,

Something I learned from one of my mentors, Jim Rohn, is to reflect at the end of a period of time and think about:

What went well?
What could have been better?
What can we build on?
What can we be thankful for?
What have we learned?

Mr. Rohn talked about the impact this would have over years and even a lifetime. I am convinced this is a big part of gaining true wisdom.

Prolific leadership author and coach, John Maxwell, says he does this on a weekly basis sitting in his hot tub. For me, I tend to reflect more on an annual basis (not in a hot tub).

In my "Becoming an Influential Test Team Leader" tutorial, we discuss this as one of the 15 ways you can add value to your team without spending a lot of money. This really is "low hanging fruit," but we tend to miss it. Even individually, as a leader, this is a good time to think back over the year and roll the lessons into major themes to remember and value.

I would caution you about being too hard on yourself. Sometimes, hard introspection is needed, but we have enough negativity coming our way from the external. Imagine what a coach might be telling you. Not the coach that was always berating you, but the one that you may have found encouraging, yet holding a hard line of accountability.

I don't know how many things you will have on your list. By the way, this is a good time to journal them. (You don't keep a journal? Fix that in 2013!) I typically have about ten to twelve things that stick out over the year. It is interesting to go back several years to see if I really am learning from my personal retrospectives.

In many ways, life and work is a test. So think of this as your annual "test summary report." I hope things went well for you this year. I hope in the areas they didn't go so well, that you find 2013 to be a better year. Inasmuch as things depend on you, I hope you gain the skills and knowledge to excel. In the areas that are circumstance-driven, I hope you will find peace and endurance. I'm pulling for you!

Randy