1. He doesn't like you!
I don't like you either!
QA and Dev don't have to be enemies!
Why we don't get along, and how we can so nobody
loses an arm to a lightsaber!
@g33klady

2. I am...
Hilary Weaver aka
@g33klady on Twitter
Blog: g33klady.wordpress.com
@g33klady

3. TOTALLY
NOT HER
FAULT!
@g33klady

4. @g33klady

5. Background
Art school
Computer science
Dorkatron
Blah blah blah
@g33klady

6. My first meeting with devs
I've only been a QA for a week and I've found so
many bugs!
@g33klady

7. Fast forward...
“Meet Hilary, our QA...” or
“Hey you're that awesome QA!”
@g33klady

8. How did I get here?
“They don't understand the process”
●
“They don't even keep up with the industry”
●
“They're not helpful to me”
●
“They're jerks!”
●
What do they mean?
How we can all work together to be the most
awesome software development teams in the
world!!!
@g33klady

9. “They don't understand the process”
Writing the code
●
Building the architecture
●
The overall SDLC
●
“I need this RIGHT NOW!”
@g33klady

10. Do you like programming?
Pair Programming
●
Code Reviews
●
Your Code
●
Their Code
●
@g33klady

11. No interest in programming?
●
Learn the basics
●
ProgrammingBasics.org
●
Google “learn the basics of
programming”
Knowing how the underlying
structures work is important!
@g33klady

12. Gotta know the structures!
@g33klady

13. Regardless...
Be more involved in the SDLC
●
ALL PLANNING MEETINGS!
●
Pair testing
●
Sit as a team
●
@g33klady

14. Worst layout ever
Devs
QA
@g33klady

15. Regardless...
Be more involved in the SDLC
●
ALL PLANNING MEETINGS!
●
Pair testing
●
Sit as a team
●
Review support tickets
●
On-Call
●
@g33klady

16. “They don't understand the process”
Get to know coding concepts
●
Get to know and understand the
architecture of your application
●
Pair program on their code or yours
●
Code review their code or yours
●
Be involved in every step of the
SDLC
●
@g33klady

17. “They don't understand the process”
Pair testing
●
Sit together
●
Review and learn from support
tickets
●
Be an on-call
●
@g33klady

18. <RANT>
@g33klady

19. @g33klady
</RANT>

20. “They don't keep up with the
industry”
●
Community involvement
●
User groups
●
Conferences
“I never see them outside of
work”
@g33klady

21. Developer user groups
Learn about latest techniques and
technologies the devs are using
●
Test Invaders
●
Always go out after!
●
Get to know devs as “humans”!
@g33klady

22. Testing user groups
Solidarity
●
Broaden your horizons
●
Create a user group if there isn't
one!
●
@g33klady

23. Non-testing conferences
Look for testing tracks
●
Learn about what your devs learn
about
●
Be a standout
●
@g33klady

24. The dreaded... Public Speaking!
Lightning talks
●
Submit to speak at a conference
●
If we want things to change, we
have to be willing to change
ourselves
@g33klady

25. “They don't keep up with the
industry”
Keep up with learning new things!
●
Be a test invader
●
Go to, or create, tester user groups
●
Go to conferences, even non-testing
●
Give talks at UGs and conferences
●
Get uncomfortable
●
@g33klady

26. “They're not helpful to me”
Digging deep
●
Taking ownership
●
No more “it's broken; fix it”. EVER.
@g33klady

27. Code structure = multiple paths
Enter
SSN
Check if
Past Client
Past Client?
No
@g33klady
Other
stuff
Yes
Display
Message

28. @g33klady

29. Know the ins and outs
All potential points of failure
●
Architectural structure
●
Integrations
●
Be the authority on your
application
@g33klady

30. Learn about your devs
Sloppy devs
●
No interest in unit testing
●
Easy to spot bugs
●
“job security” bullshit
●
Devs with a quality focus
●
Bugs are harder to find
●
Digging deep is important
●
@g33klady

31. How do I “dig deep”?
Pore through logs
●
Step through the code with the dev
●
Use any tools you can
●
Fiddler is my go-to
●
@g33klady

32. Priority and Severity
If I were this dev, I'd hate QA too
Don't be that guy!
@g33klady

33. Priority and Severity
●
Document the definitions and
expectations
●
WITH devs!
Everyone has the same definitions =
less likelihood of contention
Don't cry wolf, they'll stop listening
@g33klady

34. Typo != App Crash
Everyone suffers if you focus on
grammar before functionality
@g33klady

35. Prioritize Testing
Get the more difficult things fixed
ASAP
●
Typo = minutes; Crash >= day(s)
●
Functionality first means
less devs rolling their eyes!
@g33klady

36. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL
THAT IS GOOD IN THIS
WORLD!
Write great bug reports!
It's like your math homework –
SHOW YOUR WORK
@g33klady

37. Good Bug Reports FFS!
What steps did you take?
●
What doesn't produce the bug?
●
Screenshots + logs + debugger output
●
Leave ZERO questions
●
Write bug reports as if for
memory-wiped future you
@g33klady

38. I'm not supposed to...
“QA” vs tester
●
Company policies
●
Do the devs know?
●
Do they just think you're lazy?
●
@g33klady

39. “They're not helpful to me”
gain insight into your devs and the
codebase
●
pore through logs
●
walk through the code with the
devs
●
use tools!
●
Standardize priority/severity
●
@g33klady

40. “They're not helpful to me”
Prioritize your testing
●
Be legendarily awesome with your
bug reports
●
take ownership and figure it out
●
Communicate the process
●
@g33klady

41. “They're jerks!”
Tactfulness
●
And...
●
@g33klady

42. Don't be a dick
Help everyone in the organization
understand the benefits of testing
Focus on quality at every step
@g33klady

43. Symbiotic relationship
We are each a
necessary evil for
the other.
@g33klady

44. “So to sum up:
●
QA forces me to change my
headspace. And I hate it for that.
●
QA points out my flaws as a
developer. And I hate it for that.
●
QA is necessary and makes software
better. And I hate it most of all for
that.”
http://codebetter.com/kylebaley/2012/01/30/qa-a-hillbilly-love-story/
@g33klady

45. How do we foster these
relationships?
Play together
●
Lunchtime social stuff
●
Find common non-work interests
●
@g33klady

46. But what about THEM?
If we want things to change, we
have to be willing to change too
“As a man changes his own nature, so
does the attitude of the world change
towards him... We need not wait to see
what others do.”
-Gandhi
@g33klady

47. How to be awesome
●
Get to know programming, and the
infrastructure and architecture of your
application
●
Work and play together with your devs
●
Continue to improve yourself and your craft
●
Take ownership and dig deep into issues
●
Be amazing and legendary
●
Also, don't be a dick
@g33klady

48. We CAN all get along, but it has
to start somewhere...
@g33klady

49. Hilary Weaver | @g33klady
g33klady.wordpress.com
@g33klady