Top 10 StickyMinds Articles of 2017

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Summary:
With the rise of technology like AI and practices like DevOps, teams everywhere are looking for ways to speed up testing without sacrificing quality. The articles in 2017 reflect that, with the most popular topics being test automation, testing machine learning systems, next-generation exercises, and the future of software testing. If you're looking for cutting-edge testing techniques, check out this roundup.

10. 5 Ways to Overcome Your Hatred of Test Documentation

Writing test documents is a good practice to have: It enforces an orderly thought process, explains what you’re planning, and improves the test strategy. But knowing it's useful doesn't make it any more fun. Michael Stahl knows this, so he has five tips to help make the idea of test documentation a little easier—or at least a little more difficult to hate. By Michael Stahl
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9. Let the Agile Manifesto Guide Your Software Testing

Although its values are commonly associated with agile software development, the Agile Manifesto applies to all people and teams following the agile mindset, including testers. This article examines the four main values of the Agile Manifesto and reveals how they can bring agility to test efforts—improving quality for your team and your customers. By Nishi Grover-Garg
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8. How to Ace Your Next QA Job Interview

The secret to acing your next job QA interview is mastering what to say when the interviewer asks you to tell them a little about yourself. Preparation is key, so here are three important points to hit, as well as some sample scripts to modify for your own history, so that you can go into your next QA job interview with complete confidence.By Tim Ebie
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7. 4 Strategies for a Structured QA Process

Being a software tester is no longer just about finding bugs. It is about continuous improvement, defining a clear test strategy, and going that extra mile to improve quality. Following a consistent, structured approach to QA will help you acquire more knowledge about the product you are testing, ask questions you otherwise may not have thought of, and become a true owner of quality. By Praveena Ramakrishnan
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6. How Testers Can Start Thinking like Users

When it comes to what testers should focus on, people always say you have to think like a user. Aleksis Tulonen used to think he was good at doing that—until he started actually sitting next to his applications' users. Then he thought of all kinds of questions that testers should consider more often. He discusses what you can learn from your users. By Aleksis Tulonen
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5. The Problem with How We Do Regression Testing

Current approaches to automated UI testing are broken because regression testing is not testing; regression testing is version control of the behavior of the system. The goal is functional consistency. The regression test ensures that, after a change to the software, the unchanged parts still work the same as before. This realization makes creating and maintaining tests much more efficient. By Jeremias Rößler
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4. 5 Pillars of a Successful Test Automation Implementation

Discussions on what constitutes a “proper implementation” of test automation often focus on what tool you should use, but that is only one part of the equation. Bas Djikstra details four other things you should consider, how they contribute to the success of your test automation, and what risks are associated with failing to pay proper attention to each of them. By Bas Dijkstra
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3. Testing a Moving Target: How Do We Test Machine Learning Systems?

Most machine learning systems are based on neural networks, or sets of layered algorithms whose variables can be adjusted via a learning process. These types of systems don’t produce an exact result; in fact, sometimes they can produce an obviously incorrect result. So, how do you test them? Peter Varhol tells you what you should consider when evaluating machine learning systems. By Peter Varhol

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2. The Future of Software Testing

Many software testers have opinions about the future of their profession. Here, László Szegedi takes a look at how today's realities could shape tomorrow's possibilities for testers when it comes to new skills and technologies, roles and dynamics, and tools and devices. What could your job look like a decade or more from now? By László Szegedi
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1. Next-Generation Exercises for Software Testers


How often do we talk about what we actually do when we test? Many of the test exercises out there predate the Internet and aren't as relevant anymore. This article contains some software you can play around with and use in mock test scenarios. These exercises will make you think about not only what you do when you test, but all the other skills that also go into being a tester. By Matthew Heusser
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Top StickyMinds Interviews of 2017

Key Skills Modern Testers Need: An Interview with Janet Gregory

The Future of Software Testing with AI: An Interview with Jason Arbon

A Day in the Life of a Test Architect: An Interview with Lee Hawkins

Testing as the Driving Force of DevOps: An Interview with Adam Auerbach

Transitioning from Waterfall to Agile Using DevOps: An Interview with Mark Levy

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