18 | Training
Management”, not under “Software
Testing”.
In some respects, then, it’s the
“project managers, quality managers,
software development managers,
business analysts, IT directors and
management consultants” who need
some basic training in testing: what
it is, what it can and can’t do; how to
use it rather than misuse it, and so on.
Sadly, we see very few of them on our
training courses. The industry needs
to find some way to get the message
to them in a clear, unmistakeable, and
above all helpful, way.
But what about the testers?
Meanwhile, I had about 250 testers,
or would-be testers, in front of me
last year for training at the ISEB/
ISTQB Foundation level, plus around
100 others for different varieties or
levels of testing. The costs of ISEB/
ISTQB Foundation training differ from
training supplier to training supplier,
and from time to time (they’ve mostly
seen a respectable decrease this
year), but a typical price might be
between £675 and £900, including
the examination fee. The obvious
business analysts, IT directors and temptation, in times when funds are
management consultants,” not to scarce, is to save money by eliminating
forget “software developers”. tester training. After all, anyone can
The truth is that software testing do it, no?
is a much-misunderstood set of But as Tom Millichamp pointed out
activities, and the people listed above, (Can you afford not to train, T.E.S.T,
generally speaking, understand it October 2008), “a test team that is
British Airways' chief
even less well than testers do. not properly trained to do its job is
executive, Willie Walsh, This is a pity, since they are the at best not working to its optimum
commented: “If I were to
people who create the context within capacity, and at worst a financial
which good testing happens—or disaster waiting to happen.” Many,
pick one issue I would have
doesn’t happen, as is more usually the many other organisations besides BA
done differently, it is that,
case. Willie Walsh may have had an and the European Space Agency can
having recognised the excellent team of testers waiting to attest to this. Testing isn’t something
importance of [software]
leap into action, but (like the testers that just anyone can do, or at least,
testing and having
on the infamous Ariane V project, not if it’s going to be successful.
which was a 40-second-long seven It’s certainly true that schemes such
designed six months of
billion dollar software disaster) as ISEB/ISTQB Foundation certification
testing, we subsequently they never really got the chance. It’s have brought about “an accepted
compromised on that.”
significant that Computer Weekly formal training structure for learning
filed their article under “Project the key foundational skills of testing”
T.E.S.T | March 09 March 09 | T.E.S.T
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