Smoke Testing, Knowledge Work and Testing in Production
04/07/24 • 36 min
In this episode, Vernon and Richard introduce their new podcast and discuss the concept of smoke testing and knowledge work. They explain that smoke testing is a quick test to determine if something is alive or valid, often used when deploying new builds or testing in production. They also discuss the challenges of testing in production and the importance of health checks. In regards to knowledge work, they define it as cognitive work that involves manipulating and processing information based on expertise. They reflect on the recent arguments and discussions on LinkedIn and emphasize the need for nuance and understanding in these conversations.
The conversation explores the challenges and misconceptions surrounding knowledge work in the context of software testing and automation. The speakers discuss how the intellectual effort and expertise involved in testing are often overlooked or undervalued. They highlight the importance of specialised knowledge, innovation, problem-solving, and continuous learning in testing. The conversation also touches on the perception of automated tests and the need to strike a balance between explicit test cases and exploratory testing.
Yes, we are trying to keep this lean, and the above was generated by AI.
00:00 Introducing the Vernon Richard Show
04:47 Exploring the Concept of Smoke Testing
14:32 Understanding Knowledge Work
16:33 Introduction to Knowledge Work
17:11 Defining Knowledge Work
18:03 Characteristics of Knowledge Work
19:22 Perception of Testing as Knowledge Work
24:29 Perception of Programming as Knowledge Work
27:48 Challenges in Communicating Testing Work
31:05 Automated Tests as Test Case 2.0
34:46 Balancing Test Cases and Exploration
35:56 Conclusion and Call for Feedback
Links to stuff we mentioned during the pod:
- 16:17 - Same as Ever by Morgan Housel: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Same-Ever-Timeless-Lessons-Opportunity/dp/B0CMQRQS33/
- 16:29 - Morgan Housel on DOAC: https://youtu.be/vOvLFT4v4LQ?si=GU2pW-d9thmmFV4E
- 27:21 - Huib Schoots: Telling The Testing Story: https://www.huibschoots.nl/storytelling/
In this episode, Vernon and Richard introduce their new podcast and discuss the concept of smoke testing and knowledge work. They explain that smoke testing is a quick test to determine if something is alive or valid, often used when deploying new builds or testing in production. They also discuss the challenges of testing in production and the importance of health checks. In regards to knowledge work, they define it as cognitive work that involves manipulating and processing information based on expertise. They reflect on the recent arguments and discussions on LinkedIn and emphasize the need for nuance and understanding in these conversations.
The conversation explores the challenges and misconceptions surrounding knowledge work in the context of software testing and automation. The speakers discuss how the intellectual effort and expertise involved in testing are often overlooked or undervalued. They highlight the importance of specialised knowledge, innovation, problem-solving, and continuous learning in testing. The conversation also touches on the perception of automated tests and the need to strike a balance between explicit test cases and exploratory testing.
Yes, we are trying to keep this lean, and the above was generated by AI.
00:00 Introducing the Vernon Richard Show
04:47 Exploring the Concept of Smoke Testing
14:32 Understanding Knowledge Work
16:33 Introduction to Knowledge Work
17:11 Defining Knowledge Work
18:03 Characteristics of Knowledge Work
19:22 Perception of Testing as Knowledge Work
24:29 Perception of Programming as Knowledge Work
27:48 Challenges in Communicating Testing Work
31:05 Automated Tests as Test Case 2.0
34:46 Balancing Test Cases and Exploration
35:56 Conclusion and Call for Feedback
Links to stuff we mentioned during the pod:
- 16:17 - Same as Ever by Morgan Housel: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Same-Ever-Timeless-Lessons-Opportunity/dp/B0CMQRQS33/
- 16:29 - Morgan Housel on DOAC: https://youtu.be/vOvLFT4v4LQ?si=GU2pW-d9thmmFV4E
- 27:21 - Huib Schoots: Telling The Testing Story: https://www.huibschoots.nl/storytelling/
Next Episode
Highlights from PeersCon & Choosing the Right Medium for Meaningful Discussions
The second episode of the Vernon Richard show discusses the PeersCon conference and highlights some of the key talks. Topics covered include the concept of minimal shippable risk, the importance of psychological safety in creating a productive work environment, the challenges and learnings of stepping into a leadership role, and the role of DevOps in organisations.
We express our appreciation for the speakers and their valuable insights. The conversation covered various themes, including the importance of embracing DevOps and the role of testers in the process. The concept of glue work, which involves technical leadership and ensuring collaboration and success, was discussed. The negative impact of debates on LinkedIn and the need for respectful and curious engagement were highlighted. The importance of framing conversations and choosing the right medium for discussions was emphasized. The idea of thinking like a scientist and valuing getting right over being right was also explored.
Generated by AI.
00:00 - Introduction
00:47 - Our overall thoughts about the inaugural PeersCon event
03:00 - Heather Reid's presentation "Wait! That's not tested"
12:05 - Jit Gosai's presentation "Psychological safety – The link between speaking up, complexity and high performing teams"
16:48 - Al Goodall's presentation "Things I Learned being a new(ish) Quality Manager"
20:43 - Beth Clarke's presentation "Being the Glue: The Role DevOps in Testing"
26:38 - Leigh Rathbone's presentation "The history of testing and why its important as it feeds our future"
27:44 - Debates on LinkedIn
32:05 - Choosing the right medium for sharing ideas and managing your energy
35:04 - The challenges of online debate
39:44 - Preachers, Prosectors, Politicians and thinking like a Scientist
Links to stuff we mentioned during the pod:
- 00:32 - The PeersCon website
- 02:28 - The Testing Peers podcast
- 03:00 - Heather Reid
- 07:55 - Vernon's Quality Coaching Kickstart Guide
- 12:05 - Jit Gosai
- Jit's blog
- Jit's Quality Engineering Newsletter
- Jit's LinkedIn
- 16:48 - Al Goodall
- 20:43 - Beth Clarke
- 22:33 - "First time?" meme from Maaike Brinkhof
- 23:39 - Tanya Reilly Glue Work
- 26:38 - Leigh Rathbone
- Leigh's LinkedIn
- 29:50 - Testing vs Checking
- 30:02 - Context Driven Testing
- 30:18 - Caleb Crandall
- Caleb's great post about mindset
- Caleb's LinkedIn
- 33:05 - James Bach
- James' blog
- 39:06 - Vernon explaining Coaching and being 2% right on Deena McKay's Black Tech Unplugged podcast
- 39:24 - Adam Grant explaining Preachers, Prosectors, Politicians and thinking like a Scientist on the Diary of a CEO podcast
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