It is difficult to admit how disorienting it can be to discover that competence is not always the currency one imagines it to be.

I chose the firm that promised remote work and a senior leadership mandate. On my first day, that mandate quietly dissolved into an individual contributor role. I told myself that learning mattered more than title. I said yes. It seemed imprudent to begin a new life in a new country with refusal.

There is a verse from the Bhagavad Gita and often quoted: Karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana meaning you have the right to your work, not to the fruits of it. For many professionals of my generation, this is less philosophy than operating system. Work diligently. Do not fixate on reward.

I taught myself API testing tools I had not used before, spending nights studying, documenting and days logging defects that had gone undetected. I prepared internal guides so others could learn alongside me. The effort was not strategic; it was instinctive. Learning has always felt less like ambition and more like oxygen.

The atmosphere in meetings, however, was another matter.

What began as stray remarks, questions about whether certain English words “exist” in India accumulated and turned into a pattern. The jokes were rarely overt enough to be formally indictable, but frequent enough to signal intent. Tone hardened. Volume rose. A senior colleague made a habit of shouting in meetings. Another appeared to treat ridicule as a management style. When I raised concerns, I was told, in essence, that this was simply how things were done.

Corporate America is fluent in the language of psychological safety. In practice, its dialects vary.

The irony was not lost on me. During my final interview, I had been asked how I understood “office humor.” An avid reader of The New Yorker, I spoke about wit as a form of shared intelligence. A way to make work lighter without making people smaller. It did not occur to me that humor might also be used as camouflage.

For a new immigrant, isolation sharpens such experiences. There are no familiar colleagues to decode the room, no informal networks to buffer missteps. One is visible and invisible at once: hired for expertise, yet subtly reminded of difference.

I would like to say this was an isolated episode. It was not.

At another firm, a colleague recounted that when she asked about promotion, a senior employee remarked in a meeting that women were “fit only to get pregnant.” The comment predated my arrival; the culture that permitted it had not. When this comment was brought it to me, I was the first woman in a managerial role on that team. I escalated the matter as procedure required. The outcome was instructive, though not in the way policy manuals promise.

There were other lessons, too. Teams in which some employees labored intensely while others, shielded by opacity, contributed little. Projects where geographic pay disparities were discussed as inevitabilities rather than choices. Casual suggestions that if conditions proved uncomfortable, one might “go back” to where one came from as though aspiration itself were presumptuous.

None of these incidents, taken alone, would make headlines. That may be precisely the point.

Adult bullying rarely announces itself with playground theatrics. It thrives instead in ambiguity in the meeting where derision is framed as banter, in the promotion deferred without explanation, in the complaint acknowledged but not acted upon. It persists because it is deniable. Because it is subtle. Because those who experience it often hesitate to name it, wary of appearing thin-skinned in environments that prize toughness.

Before these experiences, I would not have claimed familiarity with the subject. I associated bullying with childhood corridors, not conference calls. I believed professionalism was a universal grammar.

I no longer do.

This is not a call for fragility, nor an argument against rigor. Workplaces should challenge. They should demand excellence. But there is a distinction between high standards and humiliation, between accountability and aggression. One produces growth; the other silence.

If there is a lesson in all this, it is not that effort is futile or that faith in work is naïve. It is that devotion without discernment can be costly. The verse from the Gita endures, but perhaps with an addendum for modern life: you are entitled to your labor and also responsible for the conditions under which you offer it.

Ambition need not require abasement. Humor need not wound. Authority need not shout.

And if bullying in adulthood feels difficult to prove, that does not make it imaginary. It may simply mean we have become adept at disguising it and reluctant to look too closely at what the disguise conceals.

Benjamin Bischoff tweeted

A recruiter contacted me on LinkedIn and told me that my PHP experience was a great fit for a new position. The last time I touched PHP (also clearly visible on LinkedIn): 12 years ago. Does anyone really care anymore?

Job hunting is challenging during downturn. If recruiters(even the A listers) do not spend 30 seconds scanning the headline or ‘Open to’ notes on LinkedIn, is it even worth having a profile/resume and spending time and $ on preparing and getting it reviewed?

It is a waste of valuable time for all involved when recruiters reach out for opportunities and roles that are now irrelevant.

As job seekers, the onus is on us to ready the profile so it stands out and reaches the recruiters. Copious amounts of time is spent in making the profile striking.

As Benjamin asks, does anyone really care anymore?

Meticulously is how the approach towards job hunting and hiring needs to be mainly so in times of economic instability as it can be hard on so many people. If us as job seekers, shared this with recruiters maybe we will see a positive difference in approach and will be benefitters of the change.

There are many benefits to attending software testing conferences be it as a learner/speaker or as a host. I have shared these benefits in the form of an experience report for some of the conferences that I have attended in the past, on my blog chroniclesoftesting.blogspot.com

It is a given that a conference goer eventually begins to notice the downsides of conferring and at times question the motivation behind being a part of the conferencing experience.

Today, I came across this thread which started on Nov 12, 2019, and this prompted me to list some of the gains of conferring.

Making this list as a reassurance to myself or anyone else who needs to see this. Here are a few benefits of attending discussions or conferences (on topics) that matter to you.

1. Learn from new and experienced learners.
2. Unlearn approaches that are now obsolete.
3. Find other ways to solve a problem as opposed to the only one approach that I learned. Many heads are better than one, all giants tech or not have a team to help them out in small and big ways - Read Creativity Inc by Edwin Catmull to learn know more about this.
4. Connect and continue to support a cause.
5. Introduce a new tool/topic/idea that you learned at the gathering with your team.
6. Not to conclude with any one paradigm but learn from ‘n’ perspectives.
7. Self-review your current work(-in-progress), and in the process become a better reviewer of your own work.
8. Mentor new speakers.
9. The preparation phase itself helps you and those around you to understand you, your work and your passion for the craft.
10. Sharing binds us all with a sense of oneness.

There are certain downsides too to conferring. I have shared some of them in the series titled ‘Introverts and Events’ an interview with Radoslava Leseva.

Why share downsides at all?

Definitely share the downsides so we can all be better at conferring. Education is an opportunity to explore, to take on the responsibility to share what’s observed, both pros and cons with your peers so it becomes beneficial to the other conference-goers. Many have exercised this right and have shared their first-hand conferring experience here(read responses to this tweet.)

When in a state of self-doubt we do question our motive ‘Why did I start hosting, speaking or attending conferences?’. Despite these thoughts we can continue to educate ourselves, and realize we need to keep this platform alive to share ideas and learn with the community.

• when there is a flexibility to do so
• by finding and shifting paradigms to be creative with what we are attempting to build
• to be *reckless and rebellious at times to not follow a set pattern of thinking
• by challenging ourselves to learn novel ways to solve problems.

*reckless and rebellious because to read from the software requirement documents, understand the solution, derive test cases from it, store the tests in a test management tool post review and execute ‘only’ those tests over and over again does form a rigid pattern. A pattern that many as new testers were (are!?) subjected to. This method of testing works well from the management perspective. But for a creative person, a thinker or a continuous learner, this method does seem uninteresting when repeated.

What does this mean to a (new)tester?

There is no flexibility to explore new ideas to test when the test cases are frozen ~ written, reviewed and are signed off with less or no scope to further change them.

If you are wondering this doesn’t happen anymore, then converse with testers more often or attend a testing conference to learn that such practises still prevail. I logged in to Twitter today, after a very long absence and was a little surprised to read that counting test cases and bugs in test management tools are still in practice.

Such ill-practices:

• limit software testers to look elsewhere to find new ideas to test
• prompts testers to heavily rely only on those sources that they are provided with and
• sometimes forbid testers to look no further as these tests will suffice the cause.

Why change now?

How new testers (with no training) learn to test has a lot to do with the practices followed at an(y) organization. New testers are blamed for not knowing ‘how to test’, a solution to this is to have the right sources of knowledge to learn from.

This is an invite to new testers and managers alike to learn different sources to gather test ideas and for new testers to start on the right note. https://contestnyc2019.sched.com/event/QOea/tools-games-and-activities-to-gather-more-ideas-to-test

User perspective

A user is not bound to use the software ‘within’ any norms. In an case, rules and norms are not applicable to real users. Users should not be stopping and googling when an instruction such as ‘google your password to ensure it’s unique’, pops up on their screen when they are setting a new password. This should be caught in testing or much earlier.

Exploratory testing is done in a think-execute manner and hence open to improvisation. Exploratory testing is what real users do too. Users will not think of valid and invalid tests, capture it, send it for review, obtain sign-off, freeze it, you get the ordeal and then execute those same steps when using a live application(which is dynamic — characterized by constant change). Users only do what they are instructed to do is a passe. Instructions and steps are for computer algorithms. Users will subject the software to test, consciously or not when using it.

Think-execute method versus testing by the method of executing tests written by the others in the team and with no scope to rework. Which would you as a tester(new or experienced) prefer and why?

The last three questions in the series of 20 questions asked by Radoslava Leseva for her study aimed to help make. conferences inclusive are answered in this series of posts titled ‘Questions On Public Speaking’ subtitled ‘Introverts and Events’. Interview date — Feb 16, 2018.

Cultural specifics

Are conferences in India conducted differently to conferences in the West? If yes, what are the biggest differences?
Yes, there is an unnecessary formality in the way conferences are conducted at least the ones that I have attended between 2012–2017. Change is taking place at a pace that seems slow to the new gen. This formality is not helping us, in the name of culture the present generation is being lead to the past. If we noticed, organization culture is carried on to conferences. It should not be so, there isn’t a rule stating conferences should function the same as that of an organization.

There is an evident lack of dynamic leadership in the organizations because promotion is based on age, or on a certification basis. Not skill-based, completely. Mentoring a newly promoted lead or manager and training them is an unknown concept. If a wise leader coaches the new manager, then the new ones or those that are promoted just to fill the spot can learn a lesson or two. It is true, people with no training are leading and are setting not a good example using the stale bureaucratic methods. Don’t the universities that they attend teach that the dynasty rule is over? Dynasty rule has a new definition in the IT world. If you are from the same region, or state or speak the same tongue, or say ‘Yes, sir’ and do what the management commands you to do without questioning the norms or the written rules then you are the next in line for possession of the newbies. Juniors or any employee for that matter will never need somebody above them but beside them, guiding them. Will we learn this? If you are knowledgeable and are trained to be a leader and not just a mere manager by title, then you can even mentor the new managers to lead better. There are honest ways of leading and by example. Especially with how we treat the next generation, a lot has to be learned. Unless we are ready to become students and learn from the knowledgable, the change will be slow. If these are the same people who think that they have to put up a display of power and are doing so by terrorizing the new joiners, and are creating palpable fear in juniors then yes, it is different from the West. And if the same people led the conferences, then yes it is different from the West. There is nothing wrong with them being promoted as leaders as there is no one trained to be a better manager, but there is a lot wrong with the narrow mindedness in choosing speakers who are also the sponsors of such events. But, if I do not get the funds then how will I run the show? It is possible, try it. Even if a few people attend and it is worthy, then word spreads and sooner there will be attendees to attend a quality workshop/talk at a quality conference. I do not know if anyone else agrees with me or is willing to add on to this perspective, but it is true as of today. There is too much formality right from the garlanding to extra special treatments. Indians are not treated specially when we are in other countries. I am overly considerate(in my own way) which is my true nature and am content with the learning experience. What more special treatment does a speaker, attendee need? But the same is not true when we are in any other country. Learners go to conferences to learn and share and sometimes are paid to learn and share. A special or different treatment, why should that become a part of any conference? Some speakers get used to this special treatment while the others, as I have noticed, are just as normal as they are in their country, do their work and go about with their learning/business. There is a ton of scope for improvement in the conferring scene in India. (I am referring to the testing conferences that I have attended here).

What is the most shocking difference in set up or expectations you have experienced so far?

I personally wouldn’t try and find the difference, but once a fellow conference-goer entered the room allocated to me and expressed that her room was a tad bit different. Until then I was unaware of it, I didn’t give it any thought because I rarely get such opportunities to learn back home and it is always enough for me to self-sponsor or use whatever is allotted and not question it. A friend of mine who is a conference speaker too expressed that ‘We are not treated equally’. But it does affect me when I get to hear such indifference towards others. I have not done any study on ‘why we are not equals’ so I let it pass. At least in my mind, all are equals in trying to learn from a conferring experience. I am starting out as a speaker and did not want it all to end by asking such questions. And because I am used to such a culture and a norm in organizations back home where a question asker is immediately removed from the scene. First, they are not seen in the meetings, they are absent for work and later never seen again in the organization.

When we self-sponsor we never have to become a part of such differences(if it exists). We can stay where we want, do the talk and get going. When we are sponsored we will bear witness to a difference maybe. My focus will be on the talk and all the anxiety will not give me time to think or worry about anything else except the talk. The organizers always ask what we need as an additional arrangement for the talk, and we can ask for or accommodate. In my humble opinion, no one should ever be treated differently based on the land they just last arrived from! If a special need is required then add it to the form when you submit the abstract. Receive it or not accept to speak rather than later complain about it. Thus far, in my limited experience, I have received what was provided and am fine with everything that is made available to speakers at international conferences that I have been to as a speaker and as an attendee. The organizers are doing their work and we can be as humble about it as possible. They are not doing it to create a difference, if we realized this then we will not go looking for differences.

Less is more at times for a speaker whose whole focus is on learning and learning alone.

Everything seems new and wonderful if you have never been to any local or other conferences and are experiencing conferences in all its glory. It is with experience at both local and international conferences that we can gauge the difference. Indian conference organizers treat foreign nationals with care right from visa arrangements to lavish hotel accommodations. Ultimately you only get what you ask for and you can choose to accept or pass up on the opportunity to learn if you are dissatisfied with what’s made available to you as a speaker. There will be other takers, with less or with a different arrangement. If you have had a bad experience, you can always say No to speak at that conference. Plus if you do not have any special requirements, then it simplifies and allows you to be fully present and enjoy the learning at any event. But if you are in need of any special needs then do reach out to the organizers. It is even better to equip yourself with whatever that’s necessary for your travel and travel light(in head and mind) to make the best of any learning experience.

Anything else

I am sure I have only scratched the surface of the aspects of diversity and inclusiveness at conferences and would love to hear your views on other things that matter in your experience.

I once stood for the entire duration (which was over an hour) on a train from Amsterdam airport to Maastricht as I was told it’s closeby. I wish I had questioned this information, it was also not two stops as mentioned and I had booked an overpriced ticket to and fro when I could have avoided that. (When I asked, I got these answers and I didn’t doubt it.)This was when I could clearly not afford to use my mobile phone to connect and make international calls, the phone is as good as dead with no wifi. So trust yourself to be nervous, overthinking is fine and ask more than one person when in doubt. Not knowing the language is also a problem, not understanding the accent can make the whole experience miserable especially on a telephone call. Time zones and airport codes are other aspects to be mindful of as it can lead to mishaps especially when you are traveling alone to a foreign land and do not know that a city has more than one airport. Conference organizers can mention the nearest airport for overseas travelers, this plus other feedback from participants needs to be collected. In my humble opinion, such feedback is never asked for or received. Feedback on the program and event is asked but not this. I rely on complete strangers to guide me when I am in doubt and luckily I have not been misled. I prepare well in advance and meticulously, whenever possible access Google street view, number of entrances, exits, nearest airport, other airports that are nearby, low cost and high safety hotels and those which are within walking distance to the venue. And if it is expensive, I tweet and wait for an opportunity to share a room with the other attendee. Also, I check if anyone from the same city or country is arriving at the airport at the same time as me. How difficult can it be to navigate with all the advancements in technology? But not if you cannot afford it or have been living with less or no travel experience. So I request the elders, the wise, or anybody else from the organizing committee to help out at least the first time conference-goers with some guidance. Or help them share their burden by supporting them not in any special way but try to provide answers to some of the questions that they might have. Try and answer if you receive an email from them. Even ‘I do not know’ is a valid answer, ‘I will not answer’ is a form of acknowledgment too. They are not overthinking or looking for any other help, but are looking for some guidance only.

I was once asked, ‘why did you travel this long a distance?’ when I made it to my first conference as a speaker. I was tongue-tied and truly had no answer.

Yet, this entire experience has only taught me to be braver than before, learn from the introverts, ambiverts, and extroverts. Be positively challenged by those present in the audience, and the brilliant speakers so I can learn from each of these experiences and enjoy the conferring experience. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from so many knowledge seekers. Especially with my humble beginnings, I would never have known that I would be speaking and be able to continue it despite the trouble that every organization that I worked with has caused me and others like me, all because of the biases that they so strongly and closely hold. Why not learn to question the logic behind such biases and unbias? And to come back home and inspire, even if it is just one more learner or an introvert to be up on the stage and experience the exuberance.

Even introverts scream in joy, maybe quietly in their heads in the confines of their own home or room. An introvert speaker who has done a Ted talk on the same topic (Introverts and events) observed himself rushing to the loo to lighten himself after a talk. And yet he continues to get up on stage and shares all that he wishes to share and that which only he knows. The joy or pain in all this is only known to the speaker who wishes to put the effort and make a difference even if it’s to themselves. The joy of sharing their experience, their story on a local or an international platform with fellow learners can be exhilarating to an introvert and mostly to an introvert who rarely gets the opportunity to speak and be heard amidst the loud and boisterous so-called leaders(by title only) and not necessarily the extroverts.

There are other unmentionable experiences that force me to not/never do this again. The not shared (here) experiences that I have gone through at the workplace that I by default serve honestly, at the visa office, at airports, in a cold country, and in an expensive to afford anything country, to make this learning happen. This makes me now wonder about the aptness of that question: Why take all the trouble to come here to learn? Maybe to learn. Maybe to live a little on the stage. Maybe to be heard cause we are always silenced by the terrorizers in the name of leaders(only by title). Maybe to see the goodness and to know that it does exist. Maybe to hear and share what others go through to make a living and maybe because they do rely on someone to share their experience on behalf. Maybe to learn and share that terror culture is not the way forward. Or to know and share that ‘An introvert or an extrovert or an ambivert CAN’. We can all learn without creating more differences than those that exist already and despite the hardship.

BE BRAVE ~ as Gitte Klitgaard puts it.

Be brave for the right causes.

Be good. Choose to do right. Leave the world a better place than you found it ~ From Isabel Evans slides.

— END —

Introversion/extroversion

What is the best and worst about being an introvert speaker at conferences? I.e. the things that get in the way of getting/delivering the most value. Or, on the contrary: what are the things that help you do things that wouldn’t be available to an extrovert?
Being loud is still considered the best way to convey a point especially in large organizations where juniors are at the mercy of seniors. Also, the weak voice is silenced by the loud.

Introverts needn’t change in this case to be louder but only be(come) assertive to share their ideas and continue to be introverts. Great work is done in peace and when we are comfortable with ourselves. If we lose confidence in our voice and ourselves then it will be an added advantage to the loud and the boisterous. Introverts need to continue to work despite this and diligently. Not or never speaking up is the real problem.

We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must — at that moment — become the center of the universe.

― Elie Wiesel, The Night Trilogy: Night, Dawn, the Accident

Mentoring helps.

My mentors who are themselves introverts educate me in this regard and when asked for guidance. I will not let myself fall or fail because I am not an extrovert. Yes, I feel out of place, excluded, but I feel included by myself when I choose to not be around the loud who are loud for the sake of being loud. By choice, I prefer silence. In all honesty, it is in the quietness that I can do my work. I can achieve more by being quiet and honest with my work.

The extroverts are people who know what they are capable of and are confident when they know they deserve it and they too feel fear or nervousness at some point. The introverts wait for the opportunity to knock on their doors and then accept or reject. Extroverts set standards by asking for the opportunity rather than wait for it. Both attributes are helpful, the introverts learn from the extroverts to ask and receive and not wait for it to miraculously appear at their doorstep.

Having everyone included at conferences helps. We get to learn from the different perspectives that they bring. Plus the selection process requires to be fair, blind mode preferably. Irrespective of us being introvert/ambivert/extrovert we get to apply and speak at conferences which in itself is a fair opportunity for all.

I recently learned that when the situation demands, a human can be an introvert/ambivert/extrovert. We must stop categorizing ourselves as “I am this or that type”. Instead learn that “I am this, in this situation and that in another situation”. If we observe we will learn that this is true too.

What works best for you as an introvert at conferences? I.e. specific things that conference organizers do or could do that:

• Respect your need for space/quiet
• Accommodate your personal style of meeting and connecting with people
• Make things easier in general

In my experience, I have not noticed a difference yet in the way of treatment based on introvert or extrovert behavior. At conferences especially I would find myself attracted to another introvert and we would pair up and find comfort in each other's company, which if or when noticed by the other extroverts may try and join in. But the problem for introverts is that the extroverts are already in their group/zone and would rarely join an introverts group. This is kinda upsetting at times, especially for someone who has flown across continents to be a part of the conferring experience holistically. I have made efforts to burst the bubble that I am in and to be a part of the extroverts group. But in no time I have realized that I do not belong and I resort to other introverts or rather be by myself.

Many conferences such as Techwell and European Testing Conferences are finding ways for conference-goers to socialize with ‘speed meeting’ or by having one on one talks with the speakers in dedicated time. This is a welcome change for both introverts and extroverts.

What personal ‘tricks of the trade’ do you use to make your life easier at conferences?

I am yet to learn the tricks of this trade. As an innate introvert, I would still lookout for people to approach me rather than make the first move. But when I am in a group(of size two — twenty) activity and have gone through an ice-breaking session, I have noticed that it becomes easier for me to talk and listen to the others. I would be helping myself by staying away from the extreme extroverts being a phono-phobic. I would rather pass on a post-conference meetup invite and stay within the confines of my room.

Category: Gender

What I keep finding, again and again, is how underrepresented women are as speakers in tech conferences. What’s your take on that?
There are umpteen opportunities available for all the gender types. How well we utilize this opportunity depends on what is our current interest and how far one will go to pursue their interest. I am inspired by Rosie Sherry and all that she does to progress her career whilst managing her personal life. If you are one of those who thinks, I can’t because <insert any reason here> then look her up. She will give you goals of all kinds.

We need to be on the lookout for knowledge sources other than what we are exposed to. It is not shocking, that many have never heard about testing events, meetups or conferences even in this age of the Internet and social media. It could be a selective subscription or a lack of such events in the immediate vicinity. I think the primary reason for the selective subscription could be because social mediums are neither considered nor used for educational purposes yet by many. Some do have accounts on social media but it is not used effectively, and some do shy away from using it for educational purposes. Unless we look out for knowledge sources or explore, we will continue to remain this way. In order to learn, there must be curiosity and the responsibility to learn (while working) lies with the individual and the management too to an extent and encourage or provide opportunities to learn. Due to an evident lack of female leadership, in my humble experience, I have witnessed that women lose a lot of opportunities. Women are not the first choice, and few women due to some reasons miss out on the opportunities. Example: I cannot travel, I cannot go alone, lack of independence. Moreover, conferring is a really expensive affair and unless the candidate can self-sponsor or has financial support from family or the company, one wouldn’t make the effort to apply to attend or speak. I find the need for free local events, in-house events at the firms we work(learn), and/or for sponsors to contribute to make this learning happen.

And it is do-able if we came together to make this happen.

I also see an absence with respect to the attendance of women at the testing events, due to the following reasons:

Lack of interest to participate even when a free event is organized, and irrespective of the event being held on a weekday or weekend.

Some managers though there is an option to send out employees on training, ask them to take a leave instead of sending them to training as a paid training day.

Not many would wish to spend more time at the office when there is an event organized on a weekday.

No sponsorship from the organization for a paid event.

The event itself is not marketed well enough to reach a woman. Or as is the norm the emails relating to an event are circulated for the male population. Especially in the firms that I have worked with, this was the norm. If you are raising your brows after reading this, then look up emails in your inbox.

The drive to learn, while one works ~ this cult has begun in a programmer/developer’s world but yet to set in, in the field of testing. Because of the misconception that ‘Testing is easy and anybody can do it”. And if you think about it, testers have no formal training to do testing. Hence a need to start self-learning or learning from a guru.

And when there is no drive or encouragement, then no effort is taken to equip oneself to learn and share. In my own experience, the number of companies that I have worked with and have supported in any form which includes multinational companies (with unused training budgets and which is expiring) to startups with funding, is zero. I’d like to share my first (almost) conferring experience, I had applied to attend a conference and got selected to be one among the three girls to represent and be a part of ISSTA conference in 2012 with a Google grant. I conveyed this to my then manager(male or female manager absolutely doesn’t matter, it never matters actually), who did not acknowledge nor offer any kind of support. Randomly or hesitantly the first question asked was: ‘how did you get selected?’ I was looking out for other knowledge sources than what I was exposed to, had to focus and prepare my best to submit, had worked hard for it and had got selected to be one among the other two ladies from across the globe to share the stage and the learning experience with. I understood that there is no one that could support me in this regard and hence I gave up on being a part of this conference. I did not know then from whom to seek guidance as no one around was aware or could help themselves. This is when I realized I needed to reach out and network with learners who are outside of my team and organization.

The other prevailing factor is ignorance which is rampant and followed by the bureaucracy which entitles only the management to have the last word without considering ladies in decision making. Plus the gender bias is never addressed as nobody would come forward to express it. Apart from this, the state and language bias is dividing us all Indians. There is no resolving these issues with intelligence and one simply has to move on. Many do not understand these issues, it is predominantly because of these unspoken, unaddressed issues that people move on or quit for good at times. If you did voice your opinion regarding concerns then it is as good as moving on cause soon you will be made the target for the rest of your stay there. Hence many women are forced to never speak about issues that they face nor have the strength to ask for a training budget to sponsor them. And there is no support in any form which includes granting leaves, training budget (it remains unused or used up by their favorites)or even as simple as signing and providing company seal on the letterhead for visa purpose from the organization which is the least that a candidate can expect from the organization that they serve. Even if they did grant one of these, the individual is made to go through a hellish experience and for many many months. It takes strength to persist.

I have known two other women speakers from India in the testing world as I shared earlier, and the struggle is the same. You either self-sponsor or forget that you (applied and) got selected to speak among the other billion people in your country. This is because of the divide we see in the name of religion, language, culture, gender bias, and many other human behavioral (unaddressed) issues. It is not by luck or lottery that an applicant gets chosen to speak. It is with dedication, additional work after office hours, long hours of practice and passion that one applies with an intention to learn. Amidst this, when there is no support the pain is more palpable than not getting selected! The struggle is real, almost to an extent that one would give it all up. I am all ears to hear a lady in the subcontinent say, ‘the organization that I work with supported me and hence I could represent’. And those who wish to learn will always find a way out. I forgot to mention the torture in the name of ‘business justification’ that one has to provide several months before the event. To and fro emails, some with no acknowledgment, no response, a response asking for more justification, when you did provide justification — the ‘I may have forgotten to read this email, can you resend it’ and there’s *more reasons but am halting here. Despite this, some never give up, but only try even harder to learn and share with this amazing testing community. I am glad to have known the testing community which is supportive and ever ready to help the learners. My gratitude goes to all of them, for all that they do to make conferring experience bearable.
*more — The implications upon your return if you did make it happen despite all this is worse than better. Many ill-informed people assume that the conference-goer benefits in weird ways that they can think of. The only benefit that I look out for is to learn from a school (of thought) which is non-existential around here and for the obvious reasons. No other benefit is ever required or wanted. But this truth is not bought or is convincing because learning is not the priority to few but other things are. My word of advice to you would be to ignore the ill-formed as they are not contributing to your learning in any way.

What do you think can be done to encourage women to speak more (and more women to speak)? How far back does the encouragement need to go? (I.e. at the workplace, vs. starting in childhood, for example.)

The simple answer is ~ inclusion, transparency, gender-neutral decisions when there is a need for the same and proper guidelines on how the training budget needs to be spent, and a checklist to ensure that the set criterion is met by both the individual and the organization who the individual represents. Meeting of highly skilled professionals to form these criterions is a good start. It helps if this group of highly skilled professionals are those who for real have themselves taken the effort to apply and have earned a spot to represent their organization and are not those who are chosen by default to represent the organization. I have been a witness to chosen by default in a previous organization that I worked with. A person who was high up in the hierarchy used to attend and share his experience in the town hall meetings, rather than pass up on the opportunity after marking his attendance at 3 or 4 such events. When you receive a gift also be willing to share it with others, a lesson Indian Managing Directors need to absolutely begin to learn. It also calls for unbiased people to be part of the decision-making group. But where can we find them? This is needed cause it currently is missing and I am yet to become aware of the criterions which qualify certain to either be present or absent at an event. What I have witnessed is a bunch of people who are disqualified, who have not been on a learning path themselves thus far, ganging up to fight for a spot for themselves or a favorite of theirs. Such barbarism, dictatorship, and injustice served does hurt a business justification provider or a thorough evidence collector.

The other way out is to have a learning mindset and learn with the available opportunities or to self-sponsor. Many are unwilling to invest in education due to numerous reasons. I have funded myself on two occasions and on other accounts have given up on opportunities to help a newbie experience this learning (locally and internationally) because there is zero support from the organizations that we worked with. I have been a witness to a few powerful ladies not supporting the other ladies in the establishment. Why? There is enough budget that the foreign firms provide Indian counterparts with but this is all a ‘top secret’, and major lack of transparency as one wouldn’t know of such allocation made to education until one becomes a manager. If anyone is brave enough to ask for transparency in such matters, then the management can go to any extent to have the questioner removed. If you are one of those ‘budget approvers’ and are reading this, then I urge you to ask important questions rather than indulging in unnecessary banter that women are under-represented and leaving the decisions to be made by the HR department or the diversity manager who are most of the time clueless about your team and it’s specific training needs. It is everyone’s responsibility, a right to know, to ask intelligent questions and learn. Those of you who are the representatives of employees or in the training department, a question to you ‘Has any employee in the organization ever asked you how many women got to benefit from this budget?’ You are not taking any effort in the direction of bridging gaps in diversity if you don’t ask important questions. I have found that the same enthusiasm as making merry in outings, and several other recreational activities are not found in training and education. Why? To invest in study materials with the allotted training budget one has to go through ’n’ number of departments and finally you’d rather give up than know that even the remaining entertainment fund cannot be used but has to be spent on entertainment only. Aghast! there is a rule for this and I was told so at an establishment I earlier worked with. A colleague once asked me ‘how do you know that the training budget is not used for training?’ Because the management conveyed that they will not invest it in training. I do not know if there is any auditing in place. I wonder, when there is no rule in place for this then what will we check this one against? Consider this analogy which is true in this country — A ministry has 1000 crores of rupees dedicated for its farmers but all of it is utilized for foreign trips by the ministers. The minister/s report that they went on international trips to learn about agriculture and no farmers are involved in such trips because which farmer is brave enough to question the management (government!). In this case, the scenario is valid because when audited they would provide all the necessary receipts. The ministers wouldn’t give up on business class(BC) trips to the foreign land with the budget allocated for poor farmers. Just like how those high up in the hierarchy (managers and managing directors) would take BC trips rather than utilize it on education for their team. And the justification for the management to travel only BC and stay in 7-star hotels is simply a business rule formed by the business holder. Fair enough. But where is the written rule that eligible candidates mustn’t utilize training budget but the same can expire or should be invested to buy office decor? Injustice served right there, and no one to question as the culture is such. The elite gets the benefit, whereas the rest are made to feel that the benefits were never for them. It is yes, all a charade if you observe carefully. It is very clear that education is not the priority, but entertaining yourself is. Hitler-less dominion can help in this case and think of helping someone by giving up those trips once in a while. Nothing ever changes around here, as such is the organizational culture where everyone is helpless. If you dared to report all this then it is as good as falling into an endless trap until you are removed from the organization. To add to this the women themselves are too timid to even speak in meetings. Few ladies are even proud of the culture which allows them to be timid and for few men, it is a boon as the same opportunity can be utilized by them. Silence is golden in meetings and gossip at the coffee table is pretty common. Why? Wouldn’t it be great to end the #metoo revolution, if only we spoke truthfully and didn’t fear to speak and to support each other?

Enough motivation and inspiration is present in all of us.

There are a few conferences that sponsor eligible speakers and are super transparent about it. So this is one way out for women to come forward (without hand-holding) and make better use of the learning opportunities.

Category: Professional seniority

Do you think junior testers have enough opportunities to attend and contribute to conferences or use them to expand their network?

If above is the fate of an experienced tester, test manager, a knowledge worker then the juniors have lesser and lesser say in this matter especially in a dictatorship. The hierarchical structure, the foolish bureaucracy at the lead, manager and managing director level has to end. Holacratic structure can help the sub-continent. So much nonsense in the name of the hierarchy can be avoided with the holacratic method. A free environment is where original ideas are born and thrive. In a suffocating environment, ideas are unborn or as good as dead.

The opportunities are only increasing with each passing year. Hopefully, they are not grabbed by the power-hungry dictators who are high up in the hierarchy and have this never-ending fascination towards business class travels and seven-star hotel stays at the company expense just so they could boast about it in townhall meetings or elsewhere where they need to show power! If somebody possesses real power then they need not put it on a display. It shows in the work they do, their genuine concern for the organization and the people who work with them.

Not with power, but with freedom comes responsibility. The sooner this is learned at the top it is so much better at the bottom.

The young talent, the juniors can make a difference by only being up there as an audience and as a speaker.

I am most intrigued by your work at “Women Testers” and would love to hear about that.

I do love to do my bit to the thriving software testing community, which I am ever grateful for.

The magazine and the work was started to address the same issues stated above. Many wouldn’t understand the reasoning behind having a community dedicated to the ladies, but if you followed this series then there is your answer. Those who still don’t get it are not to be blamed, cause many of them were brave enough to take the opportunities that came their way and to have a supportive environment to thrive in their chosen field of work. But the situation is NOT the same around the globe and for all women. Hence we encourage ladies to share their work, their achievements in the form of an article plus invite guest posts from men. The ladies, at times, shy away from contributing to the magazine since the launch in 2014. We encourage new testers/writes to share their articles and upon one round of review and feedback, they give up as there is a lack of conviction. Few ladies are themselves not dedicated to submitting an article nor are social enough yet to spread the word. It is a rarity that a new writer stays through the entire process (which is made simple) of writing and publishing their work. It is becoming hard with no volunteers to continue the work but we persist nevertheless with the support of passionate and dedicated testers who volunteer to share testing knowledge. There is a multitude of rejections (saying no to writing because it is named women testers) and no acknowledgments after having agreed to share testing know-how by some, yet we continue as a system through which we can share knowledge work. Few other ladies convey that they are willing to contribute to a gender-neutral magazine, and it is fine. What I do not yet understand is — they themselves are members of women-only group/s and/or encourage men only speakers in the events that they host. This is not a different attempt from any other body of work present out there. This is another knowledge source, if there is a concern because it is named women testers then I’d direct them to ‘about us’ page on the website www.womentesters.com

Note: My experiences are derived from what I have experienced and shared here are experts based on true events.

Happy learning, do come forward to learn and share your knowledge with a wider audience, be ready to be challenged and debunk myths that you may have. Happy unlearning.

This article focuses on the approach to bug reporting with a closer look at the rejected and deferred bugs.


It was originally published in www.teatimewithtesters.com



What is heuristic?
The word heuristic is derived from the Greek word ‘heuriskein’ meaning ‘to discover’.
A commonsense rule/set of rules intended to increase the probability of solving some problem (definition via the WordWeb 5.52).

I was introduced to the heuristic approach of solving software (testing) problems when I first met Pradeep Soundararajan.
Based on my personal experience with bug reporting, I have collated the points and the examples below to ponder upon while reporting bugs.


DISSCOH

D — DISCOMFORT
I — INQUISITORY
S — SOME CASES
S — SUGGESTION
C — CASE CLOSED
O — ORIGINALLY
H — HISTORY

D — DISCOMFORT

Consider the word ‘Error’ being mis-spelt as ‘ERORR’. This mis-spelt word is causing
discomfort to you and requires to be logged as a bug.
It is possible that this may not be seen as discomfort by some and the bug if logged could get fixed or rejected or deferred.

To understand what a mis-spelt word could cost, take a look at this picture in the link below.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2012/oct/25/worst-typos-pictures#/?picture=398262579&index=0
And that’s the price Chile paid for the mis-spelt word.

When in distress whether to log a bug or not, remember to:

• Question with an intention to gather information.
• When we know better we test better.
• The information gathered could help us in understanding the impact the bug might cause if left unattended.

Refer to the wishing wand chapter from the book — ‘More Secrets of Consulting’ authored by Gerald M. Weinberg on questioning with an intention to gather information.
Question who the users, target audience and the customers are.
Know that your definition of discomfort can be different from the others.
Question the stakeholders, business owner, product owner, yourself, users and the involved in order to gather information to answer arising questions.
If it seems clear to you that a bug needs to be fixed then log it and move ahead with logging other bugs, which you think could add value to the software being developed.

Points to ponder:
Have you noticed this perspective on how fast/slow a mis-spelt word on a very popular website/stand alone application versus a not so popular website/stand alone application is handled?
Have you observed if you added value by logging other bugs along with the misspelling, this caused both the bugs being handled versus only the misspelling issue being ignored?
What factors are affecting the decision makers?
Have you questioned the decision makers?
If not, it is worth finding answers from the decision makers.

Consider reading the below excerpt from an article by Michael Larsen on his blog www.mkltesthead.com
http://www.mkltesthead.com/2013/09/leave-your-ego-at-home-99-ways-workshop.html

“Spelling errors are often items that really get an executive irritated, especially in things like End User License Agreements. I learned this a number of years ago when, because of misspellings and typos in the legal agreement, the net result was the fact that we had created a loophole where we were making a tacit agreement that was never intended (and that we would be liable if something were to happen if the users did not do the steps necessary).
These areas are not glamorous, and sometimes they can be quite tedious. While that may be true, these are also areas that are considered most likely to impact revenue, and therefore will be given close scrutiny by executives. If we are taking the time necessary to look in these areas and report on what we see, we will probably get more traction and movement on these issues. Why? Because these are the issues that really matter. It may not seem fair or intuitive, but you can almost never go wrong reporting and championing bugs that the CEO has mentioned will be problematic for them if they were to be released.”



I — INQUISITORY

Users must verify if the information found on the Internet is authentic. If/when producing the information found on the Internet as a proof for a bug raised.

Consider the below link here as an example to probing.
http://www.gs1.org/barcodes/support/prefix_list

The information related to the prefix list 985–989 is missing in the tabular column and was missing at the time the issue (missing information) was reported to be fixed.
Post the fix, the readers now have access to this information: Prefixes not listed above are reserved by GS1 Global Office for allocations in non-member countries and for future use.

This information is VITAL and is essential to any retail organisation.

Optional further reading:
http://askleo.com/how-the-internet-is-breaking-journalism-and-what-it-means-to-you

Question with an intent to gather the RIGHT information.

Who are the contributors to Wikipedia?
Views expressed on Wikipedia or on the Internet could be an individuals perspective and/or an organisation adding their own view.

Diligently work on providing evidences and be thorough with investigation. Build your first and subsequent investigation reports with references leading to why/why not the information on the Internet is correct or incorrect.
Also know, when to stop probing.



S — SOME CASES

Consider a bug description like the below:

On ‘Nokia Lumia 520’ device, in some cases the user is unable to slide down to the whole list of paired devices which are connected via the Bluetooth on that device.

Wait! In most cases the users and/or the programmers might ignore (as there is a work around it) this bug so why fix at all?

Avoid the usage of words like some cases, most cases from the testing vocabulary.
What are some cases?
What are most cases?
Who is the judge of such cases?
Is there a way to concretely confirm what some and most cases are?
If the answer is No — then avoid the usage of such misleading words from verbal and non-verbal communication and while reporting bugs.
Instead it helps if some/most cases are expanded to include the details of what it really means.



S — SUGGESTION

Consider this bug rejection reason — “Suggestion rather than a bug”
The bug validator conveys that the raised bug is not a bug but a suggestion.

Dear Testers,
Provide reason/s for logging the bug with appropriate reasoning and ask for to receive a concrete understanding behind deferring a bug as not fixed.

Example:
A tester could have logged the bug cause he/she did not have all the required/sufficient information to judge the failed test as a suggestion rather than a bug. This in itself could be due to insufficient documentation.

It could be a missing requirement in the requirements document.
The scope of testing is not specified or is limited.
It could be any of these or other reasons.

Hence it is essential that the validator too provides reason for marking the bug as a suggestion. Ask for and receive very specific rejection reasons.



C — CASE CLOSED

Failures can teach a lifetime’s lessons.
Care to defend the rejected bug if required.
Read the rejected reason when a bug is rejected.

If/when there is no reason for rejection, ask for it in written communication.
Re-open a closed bug if found detrimental to the current requirement or you foresee it as a future potential candidate of becoming a deferred bug.


And remember this when trying to recreate that assumed ir-reproducible bug.
Image courtesy: http://cartoontester.blogspot.in The above cartoon is designed by Andy Glover.

O — ORIGINALLY

Have you heard this rejection reason before?

Originally, on my machine the requirement is/was satisfied and hence this is not a bug.

Know your test environments.
a) Did the programmer/tester say this only to dodge further questions?
b) ‘Originally’ is in consideration to what?
c) Avoid usage of words like: Unorganised, primarily, to begin with, earlier and works on my machine when logging and rejecting a bug.

In agile, requirements don’t always stay true to their original description.
Ask for what Originally means?



H — HISTORY

Learn the history of the product.
While testing, try not to be biased by the launch date, versions and previous state of the product. Bias and un-bias if required. Test your assumptions regularly.

Find the answer to:
Should I be performing sympathetic testing as this product was launched 80 minutes/hours/days ago?

• Irrespective of any such preconceptions, log the bug.
• Remember your right to information. Question whenever required.
• If there is no scope to question or there is a block recognise it. Try to unblock.
• There could be a case when a bug remains in unaddressed / in new state or has not been fixed. Follow up on such bugs, be persistent and log bugs *dispassionately.

How to use DISSCOH heuristic when logging a bug or approaching a rejected bug?
I would like to suggest that you try this out and check the usage in your context when reporting a bug.


References:

*RIMGEA: A Bug reporting Heuristic
http://prairietester.blogspot.in/2013/09/rimgea-bug-reporting-heuristic.html
http://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/tip/Software-testing-is-improved-by-good-bug-reporting



Acknowledgements:

My gratitude goes to Carsten Feilberg and James Marcus Bach who mentored me on bug logging and bug titling respectively.

Andy Glover (cartoontester.blogspot.com) and Michael Larsen (www.mkltesthead.com) for granting permission to use the cartoon and the excerpt from their blogs respectively.
Other mentions and further optional readings about Heuristics include:

Parimala Hariprasad
http://curioustester.blogspot.in/2009/10/power-of-heuristics-and-mneumonics.html

Lynn McKee
http://www.qualityperspectives.ca/blog/

Ben Simo
http://www.questioningsoftware.com/2007/08/failure-usability.html

Jason Coutu
http://prairietester.blogspot.in/2013/09/rimgea-bug-reporting-heuristic.html


Happy and efficient bug logging.

Originally published at chroniclesoftesting.blogspot.com on April 23, 2018.

As a speaker, how easy or difficult do you find starting conversations with the audience during or after a talk?
During the talk, I am fully confident to converse with the audience. This confidence comes from several hours of preparation and work that goes into preparing for the talk. Prior and post the talk, I find it convenient to speak with anyone who approaches me but I wouldn’t volunteer to speak (I haven’t figured out why). If there is anybody who wishes to continue the conversation about the talk, topics covered, handouts given then I would be welcoming of the same. But off the topic, it wouldn’t be easy — I am not equipped for the same. This said, I am learning to change a few behaviors by observing other presenters and what would they do in a similar situation. I have picked up many lessons from the other speakers and it has helped me immensely. There is so much more to learn for an innate introvert to take to the stage and speak to a new audience.

How easy is it to keep in touch with people you have met at conferences?
I have noticed that it is easier for me to keep in touch with the wise and knowledgeable with whom I wish to learn from. With the rest, I tend to lose touch especially if there is no similar drive from the other end.

What is the best form of feedback for you when you present a talk? Is feedback helpful?

Written and oral format of feedback both are helpful.

Yes, feedback is helpful as it helps me be better prepared for a similar kind of audience. In situations where there is no scope for feedback, I tend to observe the audience and learn how I can change and fix the talk. Knowing the audience has now become part of the preparation for my talk. It is important to know the target audience.

I once had delivered a talk targeted for the testers alone but there were some test managers in the audience who would need a slide on ‘how to implement’ what I was presenting. When I presented this talk again, I noted this and included a slide for the test managers.

How do you feel about live Q&A sessions? What are your best and worst experiences with these as a speaker or as an attendee?
I prefer Q&A post the talk in an exclusive time allocated for the same so that I can dedicate time to listen, understand and then answer. If it is hurried or irrelevant and in between the talk, then it would divert the audiences too. Nevertheless, I halt and proceed or convey that I will take the questions at the end or that my next few slides will cover this (if it is already part of the talk).

I am with the audience and get them involved in the talk by introducing some practical exercises(if there is time) and I connect with them (this depends on the size of the audience). Someone in the audience once tried to deviate from the topic, then I assertively and humorously (I try) answer the question so I can make them comfortable in the group. This has helped → When I prepare for the talk, I prepare for questions that might get asked and introduce answers to those questions in the slides (when feasible). Plus I design the talks using 5WH heuristic — what, where, when, who, why and how this helps channel my efforts and direct me to address the questions that can arise during the talk.

How do you tend to structure your talks? Does storytelling have a place in delivering a technical presentation?

I just introduced the structure, I use the 5WH heuristic to structure my talks and blogs. Lately, I have introduced ‘S’ to this heuristic which stands for simplify. I think of what slides/information can be added or removed to simplify the talk/topic covered and how best to reach the target audience. Having data and results of the experiment/s conducted has helped.

I am not good at storytelling so I prefer presenting data gathered, experimental conditions and results obtained as the basis for the talk. Introducing a catalyst that helped in the experiment has been beneficial too, so the audience can take away facts that helped me and that did not help me in arriving at the solution. I know of a great presenter, Isabel Evans and her way of storytelling by intertwining the animal behavior and skills with technical leadership aspects have been inspiring. She amazes me every time I listen to her talk.

What has been your best experience as a speaker?
I have had two best experiences speaking, and both at the TechWell software conferences. I had rehearsed for both these talks with my mentor and was prepared, though I did not know then nor now what amount of preparation is enough. I keep learning with each talk delivered on how to be better at it. I learn by watching talks on YouTube, Ted and by watching speakers talk live to an audience. It was for my very first talk (post the aforementioned school debate) and speaking to an international audience that I received great feedback, which inspired me to apply for other speaking assignments. I consider live feedback as the best form of feedback and I observe my audience to get it. It also helps to know when am faulting so I can correct it if possible in the same talk or in the future talks.

What has been your worst experience as a speaker?
The worst experience has been this one time speaking to a large room full of the audience (between 700–1000) and because I did not know where to look so I conveniently chose to look at an Indian girl(common face in a large crowd) and the girl had no reaction. My senior (who is now a mentor) and 3 other Indian girls residing in the US came up and greeted me, post the talk. Having chosen someone I did not know from the audience and being fixated for some kind of acknowledgment and for the entire duration of the talk was a mistake and eventually not a good experience. My mentor though recollects that talk and the message especially and hence I wouldn’t categorize it as the worst talk but the worst experience, yes.

Did you receive mentoring for public speaking?
Yes, I did receive mentoring via the SpeakEasy program launched by Fiona Charles and Anne Marie Charrett. In addition to this, I observe the audience for live feedback, watch talks and learn from live and recorded talks. I have mentors with who I rehearse the talk, receive feedback and rectify accordingly from the suggestions shared. Having someone to rehearse the talk has been a boon. My mentor/s provide honest and genuine feedback which is just enough push required for a mentee to excel.

Do you mentor new speakers? If yes, how does the mentoring process work?
I have not been approached by speakers who wish to speak at testing conferences. Additionally, from India apart from me, there are two other speakers (who are currently working in India and ladies) that I am aware of who attend and speak at international testing conferences and are my seniors they both inspire me to do better. I have reviewed the presentation slides of my work colleagues and provide honest feedback prior to and post the talk and when asked for it.