Pair questioning - no murks; all are igniting sparks.

I have been practicing exploration of the systems that exists and don't exists, from the day my mother taught me to learn, while I was learning by writing on the walls of my house 22 years back. Started the exploratory testing of *systems -- software applications when I got my first job. I practiced pair questioning with my mother while I was writing on the walls and floor of my house, on black slate with piece of chalk, in the books -- when I observed my mother writing down in a little book for all the things that need to be done, that were done, how it was done, how to do etc.
*systems -- independent entity interrelated (or not interrelated) to make unified whole. In this context, referring a software application as model of a system.

From my school days, I write my explorations, findings, results and many more in a book that I carry with me. The below snap is the book where I write all my test ideas, exploratory ideas, questions, data, diagramming and all other that I get for my craft works (testing), which I do for the employer of me.

Picture: Photo snap of the book I use for writing down all my craft works stuff.

I had and have been in pair questioning (testing) with tester's, which gave us floods of thoughts, ideas and questions. For the first time I did pair questioning along with a person who wrote the system's model.

Before questioning by sitting with developer colleague, I did modeling of the system that will be questioned by us, collected information's about what to question (test mission), collected the supporting information's in written form that were available if any, thought of strategies for how to design and execute the questions simultaneously and make use of the information which will be yielding from this, and how to make use of the information's which we get from all these investigation's with the heuristic that were thought and those were used, by writing down all these in the book which is in above snap.

Later, I explained with an illustration to my developer friend, how we will be working and what strategies we will be using for the test plan that was plotted and agreed by both of us with TEST MISSION that was set.

I use SBTM (Session Based Test Management) approach by modifying it for my project contexts from past one year. My credits to Bach brother's -- James Bach and Jonathan Bach for giving such an exploring approach that can be tailored for the, set test mission. This approach is working fine for me, not sure for others.

I am unable to put or present here the replica of what we did, as I am not supposed to disclose the project details as I too have signed NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement). But the few things I can share here is the SBTM approach I used and use:

• Test Mission: To identify the possible ambiguities and critical information's from the sub model "abcd" of the model "PQRS".
• Approach: Session Based Paired Exploratory Testing.
• Testers: Mahesh and Ravisuriya.
• Environment on which model is tested: Name of the OS, Version of OS, Kernel name of OS, with hardware-software configuration of machine and environmental conditions where the model was questioned at the time of test execution.
• Model and areas of model being questioned: abcd.
• Installation type of model: Type of installation by which the model was installed for use -- Fresh or Upgrade or Repair. Uninstall -- if being tested for uninstall of the model.
• Set session duration: 60 minutes.
• Start date and time of questioning the model: 29th April 2009 9:01 AM.
• End date and time of questioning the model: 29th April 2009 10:23 AM.
• Observations and information's: All the inferred and observed behavior of the model, which was driven by context-driven approach.
• Investigations: All the investigation results conducted for the above observations and written information's.
• Opportunity: Any other questioning (testing) we did which yielded us with very helpful and critical information(s) in this set session with spent time duration for it, apart from the framed test mission.
• Issues encountered and remedial workaround: If any seen issue(s) and existence of workaround for the observed, inferred and investigated issue(s).
• Interruption: Will have reason and time duration of pause or stopped time when questioning of the model under test was ended.
• Remarks or Notes: Comprises the conclusion of the session that was completed or not completed with the reason and area of improvement in questioning.
• For more information's: Contact extension number and email-id of testers participated actively in set session.

We spent more than 60 minutes which was set, since we diverted and branched our exploratory testing as we found some crucial and critical information's -- this was an opportunity which we recognized and made use of it; but came back to the framed track for the test mission that was set and accomplished it.

Plenty of information's were found during this pair questioning (pair testing) session. And, it was learning and also a fun session with developer being a tester and questioning the model under test. There was no murk in the session, instead all the murk were igniting spark.

Decision makers were able to infer the information's briefed in the document that described the above said questioning session and took the decision.

I want to vote. But, I don't like to vote any candidate!

When I heard about the election is going to be held very soon, I began to think of an advertisement that was published in the television channels of India, making the people to get aware of the importance of their vote.

Thinking of that advertisement, I got a thought in my mind, "I want to vote. But if I don't wish to cast my vote for any candidates who are nominated in residing constituency, how can I do it?".

To my best of memory, I remember that, I did not see this option in the Electronic Voting Machines earlier and now, when I voted. Might be there is an option saying orally I am interested in voting but not for any candidates nominated in this constituency; hope they agree and accept that vote. But this will be revealed publicly and if I don't want that, then how shall I do that? Is there any option in the Electronic Voting Machine for doing this?

If we have that option in Electronic Voting Machine i.e., "I want to vote, but don't like to vote for the candidates stood in the residing constituency", might be useful to the people who wants to cast their valuable vote.

When I closed my eyes for a second when stood in front of the Electronic Voting Machine and opened my eyes, a question struck my mind, "How does a visually challenged person can cast her or his vote using the Electronic Voting Machine?". Surely, our Election Commission of India will have the alternatives for such contexts, so that every eligible citizen can cast vote to her or his candidate.

Looking at that Electronic Voting Machine, I got many question in my mind and few of them are:

• What is the maximum number of votes can be voted per minute using an Electronic Voting Machine?
• Are there any restrictions on maximum number of votes that can be voted per minute using an Electronic Voting Machine?
• What is the maximum number of votes can be voted per hour using an Electronic Voting Machine?
• Are there any restrictions on maximum number of votes that can be voted per hour using an Electronic Voting Machine?
• What is the maximum number of votes can an Electronic Voting Machine store in its memory?
• How many candidates name can be put in an Electronic Voting machine for voting? If eligible 2000 candidates are nominated for the ongoing election, does all 2000 candidates name will be put in the Electronic Voting Machine's, which is in poll?
• What happens while I am pressing the button of Electronic Voting Machine for casting my vote, say the Electronic Voting Machine goes down due to battery problem or any other problem? Will that vote which I voted, will be added to the register memory? Will I be allowed to vote again? Will my vote count appear to the person who is operating the other device, which resets the Electronic Voting Machine as ready for other person to vote after me?

Might be while making the device Electronic Voting Machine, people would have thought of this to cut off any such context incidents, as much as possible.

Salute to all those people and governing bodies who worked and working sincerely for making the voting go smoothly, peacefully and with no corruptions to possible extent.