STAREAST 2008: Telling Your Exploratory Story

What do you say when your manager asks you, "How did it go today?" If you have a pile of test cases on your desk, it may be acceptable for you to say, "I ran x% of these tests today," or "I'll be finished with this stack in y days at the rate I'm going." However, if you're using exploratory testing as your approach, it may be downright terrifying to try to give a status report, especially if project stakeholders think exploratory testing is irresponsible and downright reckless compared to pre-scripted test cases. So how, then, can you retain the freedom and power of exploration, and yet give a report that earns you credibility, respect, and perhaps more autonomy? Jon Bach suggests ways to describe and explain the critical and creative thinking that drives your exploratory testing so that others have a better chance of understanding and appreciating your value as an exploratory tester.

• Sixteen skills and tactics for exploratory testing
• Strategies for taking useful notes during exploration
• Preparing for stakeholder scrutiny of exploratory testing