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[Talk] Time Management in Testing

[Talk] Time Management in Testing

As a tester, you are often faced with tight deadlines, overwhelming workloads, and a constant stream of new tasks. In this talk, we will explore a range of time management lessons specifically tailored for testers. You've heard about clear goals and priorities, yet we'll talk about discovering your goals while already doing something useful. You've heard about staying focused and on track, yet we'll talk about recharging and creativity time. This talk will help you grow effective by limiting work in progress and focusing on serial tasking with learning and contributing.

Small streams create major impacts over time. Steer your impact intentionally.

Maaret Pyhäjärvi

February 07, 2023
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  1. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    by Maaret Pyhäjärvi
    Time Management
    in Testing

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  2. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    Life expectancy, Finland 2022
    82.31 years
    988 months

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  3. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    One persons time wasting
    habit is another person’s
    recharging technique.
    Drain me Recharge me

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  4. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    M&M
    Managers and Meetings

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  5. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    There’s things that it’s time
    to take care of. And things
    that time takes care of. – Antti
    Laine, around year 2001 while being
    my boss

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  6. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    Tester and Developer
    Source: Adapted from Bret Pettichord. 2000. Testers and Developers Think Differently
    Tester Developer
    Need of Mastery
    Focus of Modeling
    Focus of Thinking
    Tedium and
    Conflict
    Get up to speed quickly
    Generalist
    Domain knowledge
    Ignorance is important
    Thorough understanding
    Specialist
    Knowledge of product internals
    Expertise is important
    Model user behavior
    Focus on what can go wrong
    Focus on severity of problem
    Model system design
    Focus on how it can work
    Focus on interest of problem
    Practical
    Empirical: What is observed
    Sceptics
    Theoretical
    How it is designed
    Believers
    Tolerate tedium
    Comfortable with conflict
    Report problems
    Automate tedium
    Avoid conflict
    Understand problems

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  7. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    How Long Does It Take
    to Test X?

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  8. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    Stakeholders happy,
    even delighted
    –Quality Information
    Good Team’s Output
    –Quality Information
    Less than Good
    Team’s Output
    –Quality Information
    Results Gap
    Surprise!
    Results Gap
    on a Team that thinks
    Testers == Testing
    Pick up the pizza boxes…
    ”Find (some of) What Others May Have Missed”

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  11. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    Test Strategy for E-Primer
    Tests for E-Primer

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  12. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    Creativity requires time
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDngw5R32WE&list=FLrTlIKuIS-LmRk-aAbcxTKg

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  13. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    Explore with Intent
    Mission Charter
    Other
    Charters
    Details
    INTENT
    LEARNINGS

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  14. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    Gambit
    Midgame
    Endgame
    Intake
    Survey
    Analysis
    Setup
    Coverage
    Closure
    Introduce Richer Vocabulary

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  15. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    Time-box thinking and stop
    without being done.
    Bugs make estimating tricky.

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  16. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    Discovery Delivery Production

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  18. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    Limit WIP
    Serial tasking FTW!

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  19. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    25 years in testing
    …now managing 25

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  20. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    You do all this stuff…
    How?
    What Have You Learned
    about Time Management?

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  21. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    You must be the
    guardian of your
    own time.

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  22. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    Options
    Leading to Serendipity
    Leading to Knowing More
    Your career is too important to be left at whims of
    your manager. Your impact is what makes a career.

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  23. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    Availability timeline
    Results
    Productive Generative
    Short term
    Long term
    Find and get fixed
    Executable docs
    Holding space
    Leaving co-owned
    automation behind
    Leaving better
    behind
    Improving *your*
    skills

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  24. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    1 month
    2x – 6 months
    3x – 8,5 months
    4x – 10 months
    5x – 1 year
    Output
    ROI of spending 1 hour a day
    learning for a 1% increase
    1.01^365 = 37.8

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  25. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    Impact and
    Results
    Zero Bug
    Policy
    Reflection
    Wall Time
    Forget
    Plans, Start
    Planning
    Continuous
    is the Magic
    Share and
    Ensemble
    Credit
    Time Box
    Thinking
    Docs as
    output
    Rebel Rule to Testing:
    NEVER be bored.
    Be Away
    Regularly
    No Bug
    Reports,
    No Bug
    Closing

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  26. @maaretp
    @[email protected]
    2020 2016
    MIATPP
    Most Influential Agile Testing
    Professional Person
    #PayToSpeak #TechVoices
    #EnsembleTesting #EnsembleProgramming #StrongStylePairing
    #ExploratoryTesting #TestAutomation
    #ModernAgile
    #AwesomeTesters
    Maaret Pyhäjärvi
    (from Finland)
    Email: [email protected]
    Twitter: @maaretp
    Web: maaretp.com
    Blog: visible-quality.blogspot.fi
    (please connect with me through
    Twitter or LinkedIn)
    2019 - 2022
    https://exploratorytestingacademy.com
    Ohjelmistotestaus ry
    https://techvoices.org

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