The Testing Show

Gwen Iarussi and Rachel Kibler continue their discussion with Catherine Carlos, Christina Codreanu, Rajini Padmanaban, and Maaret Pyhäjärvi. In this episode, the conversation is centered on how COVID has had an impact on them in general and as Women in testing in particular. Additionally, what can companies and other Women in the industry do to help enhance opportunities that are available and help out all Women in technology?

This is the first part of a two-part series that we are recording for Women's History Month. To that end, we have changed things up. Gwen Iarussi and Rachel Kibler are taking the reins and moderating these episodes. They welcome Catherine Carlos, Christina Codreanu, Rajini Padmanaban, and Maaret Pyhäjärvi to discuss the changing nature of Women in the testing space and what they have learned and adapted to along their journeys.

The pharmaceutical space (Pharma) is an area where many people have ideas of a tightly regulated environment, where initiatives can range from in-house software tracking systems to literal life-saving devices. Testing in this sphere is often seen by many as an intense challenge but does it really (or should we say "fully") deserve that reputation? To help answer that, Guy Anbar joins Matthew Heusser and Michael Larsen to discuss the variations and different areas that make up the Pharma space and how to test in and around it.

Have you ever noticed that there seems to be a certain level of dysfunction that can take hold in various companies? If that may feel like too strong a word, consider it traits that numerous software testing individuals often exhibit, whether they intend to or not. Kristin Jackvony joins Matthew Heusser and Michael Larsen to discuss six personas (and perhaps some additional variations) that could spell trouble for projects and programs. The tricky part? We might very well recognize these personas in our organization and possibly in ourselves.

Agile as a development practice (and by extension Agile Testing) has been around now for two decades. By virtue of that, many changes and adaptations have been made and it brings up a simple question: is the term "Agile Testing" all that relevant any longer? To this end, Matthew Heusser and Michael Larsen have a chat with Janet Gregory and Jenny Bramble about Agile Testing as a name and as a practice and dare to consider... is an Agile Testing practice by any other name just as effective?

Automation is a key component of most software development initiatives. It's not just for testing, it also figures into the build process, Continuous Integration (CI), and Continuous Delivery (CD). To that end, having a stable automation framework makes a lot of sense but what exactly goes into making that framework? Today, Matthew Heusser and Michael Larsen have a chat with Chris Loder, the "Rogue Automator" about where to start, what to include, and four specific areas every good automation framework must have to succeed.

When we think of making a website accessible, we often think of making sure a screen reader works to help navigate a site or to make sure we have alt tags for images. There are of course many other areas to consider and ways in which looking at accessibility can go well beyond making a site usable for people with disabilities and towards making sites and services more usable and effective for everyone. Matthew Heusser and Michael Larsen welcome Aditya Bangari and Riya Sharma to discuss how we can adopt an Accessibility Mindset and how that mindset can help guide us towards a more inclusive user experience.

One of the great challenges of software testing is the fact that software is often designed to accomplish goals for a user but is developed in a way that is resistant to testing. In addition to knowing what to test and where to test, we should be asking how we want to test and if our testing goals are even possible. Matthew Heusser and Michael Larsen welcome Gil Zilberfeld to discuss how do we make our products more testable and how we can leverage those capabilities.

This week's show comes live from the QA Summit, held in South Jordan, Utah on July 28, 2021. Matthew Heusser and Michael Larsen welcome back Rachel Kibler and Gwen Iarussi, as well as Pax Noyes to discuss takeaways from the QA Summit talks and to also highlight QA at the Point, Women Who Test, and other initiatives happening around the Salt Lake valley to inspire and help develop current and future software testers.

It's been quite some time since we have been able to attend in-person conferences. For a brief window, vaccination rates and easing of travel restrictions allowed Matthew Heusser and Michael Larsen to attend the Xpanxion sponsored "QA Summit 2021", held in South Jordan, Utah, at the end of July, 2021. As part of the speaking group at the conference, Matt and Michael met up with Gwen Iarussi and Rachel Kibler to discuss their talks and the conference in general.