Test cover story | 5
you are the ‘test team’. You plan the
testing, obtain the resources, create
the tests, setup the test environment,
create reports, and sign off the
testing.
And don’t rely on having a test
director to get you through the
day. It’s simply not enough to suggest
that test script management is a
I enjoy the freedom of
useful technique that will benefit the
working with a start-
company. For a test tool to exist, you
have to champion its cause, find an
up provides. You get to
open source version of it, install and work directly with all
configure it, ready for everyone’s use.
types of employees from
Naturally, it goes without saying you
the CEO to marketing
will have to maintain it.
Start-ups often lack an extensive,
and often the customer.
formalised documented process You are in a position to
as it is often considered to be an
influence areas of the
expensive overhead. And in many
business traditionally
cases, this is true. Start-ups thrive
in a flexible dynamic environment
outside software testing
and it can be hard to justify jurisdiction and vice versa,
following a process that leads to
they can provide invaluable
extensive documentation. While
input to your testing
some documentation is essential
for structure, more focus is aimed
strategy.
at the tester’s ability to be able to
comprehensively test an application your mind you wonder if you’re not
in a cohesive and disciplined manner just a little bit mad to love it so much.
that does not involve large amounts
of paperwork. The hard sell
It’s also hard work selling software
The downside testing to start-ups. A considerable
It can be incredibly frustrating to amount of energy and time is spent
work with start-ups and it’s not a job in convincing ‘entrepreneurs’ of
for the faint hearted. The pressure to the need to test using independent
deliver and believe that the software experts instead of developers. As one
will work, often leads you to be start-up CEO explained: “I don’t need
the lone voice raising concerns on a software tester, I have developers,
readiness. Because of this, you need just don’t call them testers.”
a thick skin, be confident about your Faced with this type of response,
work, and be able to back up your it’s easy to become negative about
opinions with real facts. testing in start-ups and I suspect
You also have to be prepared for the because it’s not a major revenue area,
constant change happening around it doesn’t receive much bandwidth in
you. If you’re the type of tester to larger testing agencies. But in turning
get frustrated when there are little a blind eye, are we in the software
or no requirements, or changing testing industry failing to meet the
requirements, then this is not the needs of start-ups?
field of work for you. Like it or not, The majority of start-ups are
requirements are constantly being passionate about quality, but it
altered, added, refined, taken away, needs to come in a cost effective and
and then put back again, and as a flexible manner. Peter Elger, CTO of
tester in a start-up, you will have to Catch, uses an agile and test driven
be prepared for this constant flux. You development (TDD) approach to
will have to find ways to work with software development and testing.
the changes as they arrive and plan As well as automated unit and
for constant change. acceptance testing using Selenium,
So, working with start-ups is a bit they also perform exploratory testing
like a roller coaster ride, with extreme and usability testing. For Catch,
ups and downs and in the back of manual and automated software
T.E.S.T | June 09 June 09 | T.E.S.T
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