Synchronicity, Serendipity and the Pursuit of Excellence in Testing By Cindy Carless 14 Nov 14

What a mouthful… So much in fact that I thought I had bitten off more than I could chew… Yet for “Tasting” LetsTest it seems very appropriate Some appetisers to focus on: – Opening – Coping – Strategies – Nuance – Journeys – Curiosity – Value – Courage – Gratitude – Joy

Starter - Synchronicity and Serendipity Moments of meaningful coincidence when the boundary dissolves between the inner and the outer. Touching the heart of our being. Finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for Personal experiences to share – My entry into testing, NLP and coaching – My journey into CDT and Agile – My daily experiences – GetAbstract, Twitter, Blogs, debrief/journal/reflection

Connection

Palette cleanser Take a few moments to connect with yourself Write down what you see, hear, feel and are saying to yourself Take a few deep breaths Clear your senses – Close your eyes, focus only on your breath Now focus selectively – Notice everything blue, square any theme that comes to you Is there a difference from when you first connected to yourself??

Mains – NLP A definition by Richard Bandler – “An attitude and methodology that leaves behind a trail of techniques” – Attitude – curiosity and wanton experimentation, childlike fascination and courage Another definition: The pursuit of excellence – Excellence – best you can be in relation to your environment John Grinder – The art of living with grace is the heart of NLP

NLP – the ingredients Neuro – brain, Linguistic – verbal & non verbal sensory based, Programming – structure, patterns & “recipes” Rapport – connection, finding a shared map of the world Well formed outcome – what are you trying to achieve in context and with evidence Modelling – identifying strategies and how they help us learn more quickly Techniques for state management – context and desired state determines the technique for change Pragmatism – can even use envy as a resource Synthesis – combining different fields of study

Mains - CDT A definition from testing driven by an understanding of the environment, culture, and intended use of software. For example, the testing approach for space probe versus an editing tool will be very different Same source quotes James Bach - “Context-driven” means to match your solutions to your problems as your problems change. Good practice is not a matter of popularity. It’s a matter of skill and context.

CDT – the ingredients Context Driven Testing – some principles from James Bach at LetsTest Oz – Context is NOT just the scenery, but vital information that informs the work – A craft that is supported by evidence and debate and continuous openness and learning – Learning to live with uncertainty – Testing is... Not just fact checking – Tester autonomy and responsibility, thought work and how that adds value – Shared and social/community network – Competence is designing and developing relevant practices and heuristics

Mains – Combo NLP & CDT NLP Attitude – curiosity, wanton experimentation, courage Trail of techniques Pursuit of excellence in context Living with grace Neuro Linguistic Programming CDT Attitude – autonomy and responsibility Not just fact checking A craft supported by evidence and debate Competence and flow Brain engaged Catalyst for communication Patterns and systems

Mains – Combo NLP & CDT contd NLP Rapport – finding a shared map of the world Well formed outcome – a goal to work towards Modelling based on observation Techniques Ecology check Reflection and growth CDT Environment and project synthesis What is the problem being solved What else did you find or learn Heuristics, patterns Adding value Debrief journal/PROOF

Mains – Combo NLP & CDT final NLP Pragmatism Synthesis CDT Not a quest for zero defect Blending hard and soft skills

Dessert - Coaching Taking that combo of NLP and CDT on a journey Opportunity to: – Improve my observation skills – Share and develop my knowledge – Encourage and empower others to find their sweet flow

Sharing the sweetness and....

My journey

TLT menu review I wanted to bring 3 things together – how I got in to testing, the impact of my NLP learning on my testing and career and my people focus through coaching My aim was to share my story My challenge was to structure the story in a way that allows others to gain some insight and food for thought from it

Curiosity, self reflection