Part 1 - In the Spotlight: Stu Hadley - A Q&A Session
nFocus are very proud to supports and sponsors our very own Stu Hadley as he pursues his dream as an athlete representing Great Britain for major events this year.
Rachel and Eve engaged in a captivating discussion with Stu about his upcoming races and his transition from triathlons to duathlons. Stu reveals his next race, the Mallory Park Sprinter Qualifier, aiming for a spot in next year's World Duathlon Championship.
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Topics:
Test Manager,
Test Teams,
Personal Stories
Embracing Challenges and Driving Quality: Introduction
Are you enthusiastic about technology and want to blossom an admirable career rich with opportunities? Would you like some insight into what life is like as an nFocus SDET? If so, look no further.
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Topics:
Software Testing,
Test Teams,
SDET
Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace: Are we there yet?
Since the 1990s, employers have tried consciously to motivate their employees by engaging and empowering them to contribute to their organisations. This was the beginning of the “inclusion” wave which was stirred further by globalisation. As people from different cultures with different identities connected with each other through their employers, the evident “diversity” demanded attention. We, as employees, wanted to be treated equally irrespective of our age, race, language, gender, religious identity or who we choose to love.
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Topics:
Software Testing,
Test Teams,
Workplace Diversity
Exploring the Essential Skills SDET’s need to become a Good Communicator
After reading a previous blog that covered important basics for a career in software testing, ‘What makes an Effective Test Consultant?’; it felt to me that a more detailed look at one of these areas was needed to help illustrate how important soft skills are for people starting out in this space.
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Topics:
Software Testing,
Test Teams,
SDET
Overview of Technical Testing
This week's blog comes from our guest writer, Renée Mineart.
One of the first lessons taught in every writing class I’ve ever taken is the concept of “show, don’t tell”.
When writing a bit of prose, you always want to show the reader what is happening in a scene as opposed to a short summary telling them what happened. “Bob fell out of the tree” isn’t nearly as impactful as “Bob put his full body weight on the branch beneath his hand as he planned the next stage of his climb but the branch was unable to support his weight."
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Topics:
Software Testing,
Test Teams,
communication
Insights from Eve Lister: Perspectives on Inclusive Workplace Practices
This week’s national awareness week is one that I feel passionate about and one that involves me directly. Deaf Awareness Week celebrates the achievements of people with a hearing loss but also promotes greater understanding of the barriers and challenges that people who are deaf face in society. As people are starting to talk openly about their experiences, it made me think about my own journey.
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Topics:
Test Teams,
Workplace Diversity,
Inclusion
Introduction: Exploring the Significance of Software Quality
We talk about 'quality' quite a bit in our line of work, we talk about:
- Quality assurance
- QA & Test
- Improving quality
- Ensuring quality
- The quality of the software
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Topics:
Software Testing,
Quality Assurance,
Test Teams
When should you engage with the testing team on waterfall projects?
I appreciate that most software development these days is done using the 'agile methodology' or a variation thereof. With agile, the testing team is (or at least should be) heavily involved with every sprint.
However, many organisations also deliver other types of projects that don’t have a continuous development path. These are one-and-done projects like bringing in or patching a 3rd party’s software; upgrading or replacing hardware or a whole range of changes that can impact your user base.
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Topics:
Software Testing,
Test Teams,
Agile Testing
Introduction
In honour of International Women's Day, we asked some of our team members to share their thoughts on working in the software testing industry. There was a wide range of opinion and we have shared some of this with you below.
Alira Salu - Test Consultant
"My father was a Computer Analyst which inspired me to follow the same career path. Seeing my dad going to the office every day with passion and dedication; as a young girl, it had a great impact on me. My role is perfect for me as I absolutely love problem-solving and get a real sense of joy from being a part of the team, finding solutions to the problems. My best advice for the younger generation would be ‘be kinder to yourself’ as situations get better with time. Generally, I feel we have a good number of women in IT but not as many at the top level so I would like to see that change in the future."
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Topics:
Test Teams,
Women in IT,
Women in Tech
Developing a Framework for Knowledge Sharing and Learning
Are you looking to continually mature your testing practice, stand out from other organisations and have fun building a community of like-minded members with shared interests?
If so, a Test Guild might be for you! Here's the guide of how to set up a test guild.
So, what is it?
For those of you who have played games and have been part of a Guild, then I have no doubt that you immediately cast your mind to the benefits of a well-run guild. The concepts of a guild go way back, and for good reason!
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Topics:
Software Testing,
Test Teams,
Test Maturity