Augmented Testing: 26th ATA Bengaluru Meetup at Fiserv

This blog post is about the software testing meetup which resumed after 5 years.  It is ATA's 26th Bengaluru Meetup held on 28th February 2026.  

The last meetup [25th ATA Bengaluru Meetup] was on 29th February 2020.  Do you see the date and gap?  That was pre-COVID days meetup.

It is a good feel to experience the restart and resuming!  This is living the hope.  

I tell you what it takes to run one meetup; read here.  Now, imagine running the meetups month on month as a ritual.  Do you feel it?

26th ATA Bengaluru Meetup, 28th Feb 2026 at Fiserv office in Bengaluru

26th ATA Bengaluru Meetup

In excitement I registered for this edition of ATA meetup.  I read the agenda, venue and date.  I started to feel it.  

The meetup was scheduled to start at 3 PM IST -- unusual and it helped me to travel and be on time from my distant place.  I reached by 2:24 PM IST.

1.  Meetup Updates

• Team ATA gave regular update on the meetup with all details.
• I did not have any confusion.

2.  Venue and Hospitality

• Fiserv office in Bengaluru.
• The security and admin staff of Fiserv were highly cordial and professional.
• I did not face any problem with check-in and checkout.
• The admin staff helped us with information.
• Ankur Raj, Balaji Kanamanapalli Venkata and Moulya Charegowda of Fiserv hosted and spoke to each of us.
• The seating and accessories for workshop was well arranged and organized.
• We got high snacks to beat the stomach hunger along with space to network.
• Thanks, Fiserv!  You imprinted a cherishing memory in me.
• I will attend the meetups you host.

3.  Meetup's Panel Discussion and Workshop

• 26th Meetup's theme
• Augmented Testing: How AI Is Changing Quality?
• Panel Discussion
• Discussion on the questions from community.
• Panel members
• Ajay Balamurugadas, Balaji Kanamanapalli Venkata, and Deepthi K
• Moderated by Aditya Garg
• We meetup attendees were encouraged to share our thoughts during the panel  discussion.
• This made it lively and active participation.
• Such experiences and initiation can happen only in the meetups.
• The panel is of opinion
• AI is of help and way forward.
• AI is effective when we input the effective data.
• What to consider when evaluating the AI solutions and how it is not same as we evaluate any tool or language.
• Have human in place and use the AI to the best possible level in a context.
• AI speeds the execution.
• The efficacy of outcome is dependent on input.
• How to see and use the AI solutions.
• AI, jobs and impact.
• Test Engineer now as a orchestrator of AI solutions and testing.
• Ethical AI and practice.
• Guardrails around AI.
• Hands-on Workshop
• We were given laptops by Fiserv for this workshop.
• Ankur and Moulya led the workshop.
• The workshop was around how to write better and effective prompts to LLMs.
• Copilot was prompted with hands-on exercise.
• Explained how to use the heuristics AUTOMAT and CO-STAR to build the prompt.
• This workshop was useful to me.
• I saw a couple of attendees prompting for the first time.
• It helped them!
• The purpose of workshop is served.
• Moulya and Ankur gave me space to share my thoughts to the attendees during the hands-on workshop.
• I thank them for this.
• They were in good spirit and encouraged me to share.
• I conveyed this to them and expressed my gratitude.

4.  My Experience

• Wow!
• I'm happy, I was in 26th ATA meetup.
• I'm glad to experience the Fiserv's people, hospitality and spirit.
• I shared insights on,
• SLMs and its help in specific to a context in contrast to LLMs.
• Why it is not easy to stop using the AI going forward?
• Why the compliances around AI is a challenge?
• The factor of 'interest' along with cost vs value.
• Cost vs Value vs Interest
• Interest drives further though the cost is high and value is not experienced.
• In case of AI, the interest is driving irrespective of the value and cost for now.
• This is my experience, observation and learning for today.
• How we end up writing the prompts and miss what we actually want to test?
• Why it is important to know how the system is orchestrated, communicates and functions along with domain knowledge?
• I shared an example and walked through the incidents.
• I cannot end this section without thanking Moulya and Ankur for giving me the space to express and share my thoughts.
• Moulya you are a team and person with whom I wish to work.
• I feel how considerate you are in listening and facilitating the best to come for all us in meetup.  Thanks!
• Balaji you are a team and person with whom I wish to work.
• I could see how open you were to know and listened asking my bits and experiences.  Thanks!
• I met Manoj MV of PostQode after a decade.  Wow!  I conveyed, how thankful I'm to him.
• I met Aditya Garg in person.
• I wanted to discuss with him on few topics; it did not happen this time.
• I met Ajay.
• Though we did not converse, we knew we are in touch and could feel it.
• I had a long discussion with Sushmitha and Vimala.
• I had a discussion with Ram from Capgemini on performance testing models.
• Had a quick chat with Jwala and recalled our last meetup.
• A brief talk with Arjun, Balaji and  Penchaliaha.
• I had a good networking and connecting.
  

How Fiserv is integrating AI solutions with testing and engineering -- the impact and changes.  My request to ATA and Fiserv is to host one more edition and share their exploration and solving.

I cannot end without the mention of security staff of Fiserv.  The lady was smiling, professional and helped us through check-in and checkout with information.  Fiserv, please do convey our greetings and message to her.

The other staffs who helped us in the meetup area and cafeteria were smiling.  That smile and warm welcome gesture tell a lot about the office floor.  

I'm looking forward for the 27th ATA Bengaluru Meetup.

Thank you, ATA.  Thank you, Fiserv.  Thank you, community.

Volunteering Meetups: An Experience and a Recurring Ritual

 

I attend meetups consistently.  I observe, conferences give information; meetups give the transformation.  

I have discovered that the informal and interactive format of meetup helps me express myself, connect deeply with others, and build a stronger network than in conferences.

As someone who organizes and volunteers at meetup in Bengaluru, I have seen firsthand what it takes to make them thrive and succeed.  In this post, I will share a glimpse of behind the scenes and why these gatherings matter so much to our tech community.

What is a Meetup?

A meetup is an informal community-driven gathering where people with shared common interests come together to share, learn, collaborate, network and grow.  Unlike conferences, the meetups emphasize on openness and active participation.  

Usually the meetups are a regular happening -- often month after month and it is recurring.  The community drives, foster and sustains it with its energy.

Conversations here are not one way lecturing; they are dynamic exchanges where everyone's voice is valued.

Most meetups do not charge and are free to attend.  Yet, the meetup delivers amazing hospitality and hosting.

Once you attend a meetup which helps you to be aware and contemporary, you will start searching for more meetups in the community.  That's how the meetups function, work and hold you together in your growth journey.

Ravi as a Meetup Volunteer

As a meetup volunteer, I see myself less as a moderator and more as a community curator.  My role is not about control; it is about creating space.

I work on facilitation -- assisting so that knowledge, ideas and experience flow from community back into the community.  The people are already enabled; what they need is a platform, a spark, a rhythm and that's where I work.

I try my best for the communities of software testing and software engineering.

Meetup Volunteer's Priorities

Here are the first few priorities I work on.

1. Have I created an atmosphere and space where people can connect and collaborate with ease?
• How do I foster comfort, conversation, and the confidence to share?
• The real challenge is "tagging" connections -- quickly introducing individuals to help them find common ground.
• Initial facilitation creates a ripple effect -- once people are connected, they will network independently in future meetups.
2. How to surface the available knowledge within the community?
• My goal is not to find the speakers.
• If I did so, I will make the meetup a mini conferences; it fails the purpose of the meetups.
• Identifying the "Quiet Experts"
• I collaborate to know who can surface the knowledge and share.
• It is all about collaborating with members to assist them surface and share their unique insights.
• I work to build time and structure for the community to share the knowledge it already possesses.
3. It is okay when we do not have an answer. We will solve it in the upcoming meetups.
• As a volunteer, I do not work to give answers.
• Instead, we community work to solve problems.
• Sometimes, we do not get solution for questions in a meetup.
• But, we follow it up, get an approach and potential solutions in the upcoming meetups.
• This is not see in the conferences.
4. What if all registered people do not turn up to a meetup?
• In a meetup we do not take attendance.
• Instead, we work on connecting, networking, collaborating and sharing.
• Say 10 out of 40 people turned up the meetup.  
• The goal is how we 10 can deeply connect and partner to help self and the community.
• I facilitate here much deeper and stronger on purpose.
• This is an asset we build.
• In the meetup, number of people is not success; the connection we make is!
5. How should I function so that this meetup will recur?
• I will be planning for the next meetup sessions in the ongoing meetup.
• It is a ritual that recurs month on month.
• If I run meetup as a conference, people will feel disconnected.
• People do not enjoy the powerfulness of informality and knowledge packed meetup.
• I work on how to remember the names of people.  I talk to them by calling their names in next meetup.
• People feel connected and associated when I do so.
6. Leaving the meetup venue clean and organized.
• As a volunteer, it is me who will be last to leave the meetup.
• People would have spilled the coffee, tea and eateries.
• I pick it and move to trash bin.
• Erasing the white boards, moving the chairs, pens, duster, cables, turning off the lights and moving the cups to wash basin.
• I do this, if this is not done by the people.
• Look for any items which people have left in the venue.
• Collect it and hand over to them.
• Why I do this?
• It is a mark of respect and my duty to leave the venue clean and organized.
• That way, the venue sponsor will be happy to give us the space next month with hospitality.

Volunteer and Payment

I am not paid for doing all this by the community which organized the meetup.  Neither it is observed, recognized and appreciated.  But, the security and home staff of the venue got much closer to me to work as a team in running the meetup.  

Most times the meetup organizing community do not think of the efforts I put and travel to run a meetup.  Yet, I do it for the software testing community and my happiness!

Delivering a Meetup

As a volunteer, I'm more of a community curator than moderator and organizer.  

I facilitate [not enable] the sharing of knowledge, thoughts and work from the community to the community.

Running the meetup is a collaboration and team work together with the community.  This team work will have multiple challenges to solve. Some of the challenges mention are,

• Passion and commitment
• Funds
• Venue sponsor
• Surfacing the speakers to share the knowledge
• And, speakers who finally makes on the day
• The topics and how it is relevant for the today's need and audience
• Meetup campaign execution
• Attendees
• The audience reach
• Reaching the meetup's information to the right audience
• Registration
• Maintaining the data sanity
• Keeping the audience excited
• Pre-meetup engagement
• Getting the audience to the meetup on the day
• Engagement of the venue sponsor, speakers and audience during pre-meetup, in the meetup and post meetup
• Venue management
• Meeting the venue's administration expectation
• Arrangements and facilities
• Hospitality
• Leaving the venue clean and sane
• Agenda of the meetup
• Keeping it balanced so that it serves audience interest and time with a take back to their desk and apply it
• Volunteers available on the day to host and facilitate the meetup
• Travel of people to the meetup
• Promotions do happen in meetup
• Who is being promoted, why, how and when?
• This has to be evaluated by the volunteers and meetup organizers
• Too much of it, it leaves behind not a good impression in the audience
• Why?
• Meetup should not be a place for promotion by large and solely
• It is a happening where people of common shared interest gather and collaborate informally to learn, share and grow
• Finding the balance here is critical
• The volunteers have a role to play to keep the meetup organizer see the interest of community and not just the business branding 
• And, more as you add to it.

To end here,  I do not get why this phrase is used in announcements -- "last but not the least".

The meetup organizer and volunteers are not last and the least.  They are part of the meetup in each phase.  Without the commitment and passion of the volunteers and meetup organizers, the meetup is not ready to deliver.  

Yeah, finding that volunteer who is super charged and passionate is like spotting a wishing star!

In gist, this is how the meetups are delivered by a passionate and committed volunteers from the community.

Learn System Before Solving Release & Testing Challenges

 

I read this question on The Test Chat posted on 31st January 2026.

Hi, As we know that due to AI, development is happening at a much greater speed. Adding CI/Cd to it, companies are deploying daily releases.

Now consider you're a QA manager and you're assigned to a new project. Since it's a new development, Automation is not feasible as new features and changes are constantly happening. Also note that adding new resources to the QA team is not in budget.

How would you scale manual testing to cope up when the speed of development is a daily release ?

Please do not use ChatGPT 😁

The Question Posted on The Test Chat

Not sure if this is an interview question or a question posted from one's current context.

Here are my interpretations of the question to start. It will evolve as I discuss further.

1. What system is being discussed in the question?
• Having no idea on what is the system being discussed, all our discussions will be vague and irrelevant.
2. The said situation is possible and a common daily happening in startups and tech enterprises.
3. The daily releases are a common operations.
• But, the question is what are being released daily?
• How many releases in a day?
• How the teams orchestrate the release management? How the dependent interfaces are informed about it?
4. What is missing in this question?
• It does not say which all interfaces of the system as part of a product are changing constantly.
• Also, it does not say how these interfaces are connected and how they are interdependent.
• Does the change in one interface affect the other? If so, how?

I see the above questions should be worked upon for first.

Testing has to align with the speed of product's development.  In other words, today, the testing is all about the speed for first and then feedback at the fastest knowing the risks -- risk focused with AI in the arena than bug focused.  That is, by enabling the solutions of AI, the priority of me as a tester will be to focus over risk for first and than the bugs.

This is not a testing problem as such from the description of question.  It is the problem of seeking the clarity and how to be an enabler -- release enabler.

Once the clarity is available, one need to work on how to execute the testing and automation as an engineering activity in the chaos, yet deliver the serving releases.  

Me reasoning the above questions for first before working on scaling and executing the testing and automation, will be of super help.

Me having no clarity on the system and its interfaces dependency, but, working to streamline efforts with testing and automation for a super fast paced daily releases, is an engineering risk.

The Test Chat: The Tester Of The Year 2025 Recognition

 

To,

The Test Chat

I wish you a healthy and happy prosperous year 2025.  Let all your aspirations come true! 

I went into silence for a couple of hours on reading and knowing I have got this recognition and appreciation.  I did not know to respond.  I'm humbled and touched.  Respects!

Thanks for this recognition and appreciation.  It feels good!  This makes my 2026 start with a bliss.

I have to share this,

• I'm learning by listening and observing to everyone in The Test Chat community.
• This is helping me to be consistent in the efforts to improvise my practice each day.
• Hence, I owe this recognition and share with you all in The Test Chat community.
• I could share a bit because you all are sharing what you are having in full for us in the community.
• I owe a share to my seniors and peers whom I observe.

Such community recognition and appreciation come with added responsibilities and accountability.  Now, this has made to look upon myself much closely on how I conduct, communicate, unlearn, learn, practice and share with the communities and fellow testers.

I'm grateful for The Test Chat community.  Gratitude! 🙏

Thanks!
Ravisuriya

01st January 2026

The Test Chat's Tester Of The Year 2025

Recognition and Appreciation

UPDATED on 23rd Jan 2026 - Certificate

My Experience With HOTS For Smart QA

In this year [2025] apart from attending the meetups, I joined two programs. One is HyBIST and the other is HOTS.  These two programs helped me to pause and rethink on certain topics, my practices and approaching. 

• HyBIST -- Hypothesis-Based Immersive Session Testing
• HOTS for Smart QA -- Higher Order Thinking Skills

In this blog post, I'm sharing my experience with HOTS.  

I start by expressing my gratitude to Thiruvengadam Ashok and Keshava Murthy.  The efforts and time these two are investing to consistently update and build the HOTS has to be recognized and appreciated.

I was part of HOTS 5.  It is the fifth edition of this program with 30 topics.  We had around 40 hours of discussions.  This edition had 18 sessions.

Pic: On the last day of HOTS 5 Cohort Session

HOTS, Engineering and Thinking

In my opinion, HOTS is not just confined to software test engineers though the program title is HOTS for Smart QA.

• It is to anyone in the discipline of Software Engineering.  
• A software test engineer will have an edge as one can find at least one more test engineer in HOTS.

HOTS is a program where one is put to varying thinking orders and dimensions from different perspectives. 

• The topics and discussion in HOTS starts from the why the need of a software to what it takes to consistently deliver value from deployed software.

In a way, it is a kind of rewriting one's own experience and lessons learned from others experience.  

• On rewriting it, how will one go ahead to engineer the solution in her or his work -- is a gist of HOTS outcome.  

When one gets this gist, one will realize, the software engineering is not just coupled to programming, testing, DevOps and business.  

• Instead, it is social engineering which involves the awareness and skills of different disciplines.  
• I learn, it takes years of practice to become aware of this.
• By being part of the HOTS discussion, it opens up one to this awareness in the early days of one's career.

Programming, testing, product engineering, orchestration and business's service delivery is not just technology and code.  It is a  social engineering which demands skills beyond programming and testing is echoed implicitly after each cohort sessions.  

Hosts and HOTS

Ashok and Keshav are giving their time for HOTS outside of their work-life and family life.

• It is not easy, to do this, as a routine for the scheduled program as HOTS.  
• These two cannot bunk a class in HOTS.  
• Hope you get the picture of how committed this program is!

The hosts are punctual to the classes.  

• Keshav shares the information and any updates on time in the messaging group, so that, the attendees are aware of the topics and can prepare for it.  
• Ashok ensures to remind the attendees about the upcoming class on the previous day of the class.  

Apart from this, these two take care of administrative tasks to run the classes smoothly.  

• I did not have any trouble or problem during the online classes and in accessing the resources of HOTS.

The hosts are available and will respond in the messaging group for the queries posted.  

• I have seen, the hosts picking up the questions which were posted in the messaging group and discussing it in the class.  
• The hosts do not ignore; they make sure we get the clarity and interpretations with perspectives on the questions.

I have seen the attendees gently not agreeing to certain perspective in the discussions.  

• And, the hosts welcome it and appreciate it.  
• I did not see anyone being judged or labeled in the HOTS.  
• All are treated and considered equal.  
• We are given the opportunities to share, and we are asked to pick the opportunity to share our thoughts.  
• So well and effectively the HOTS classes are moderated and regulated by the two hosts.

On top of this, the experiences of Ashok and Keshav in the industry, engineering, software testing and engineering, and life bring vivid richness to the HOTS.

My Hands-On Experience of HOTS

• I was not aware of the word 'cohort'.  I got to know it from the HOTS.
• Each session is a cohort; I have no second thought in it.
• The attendees in HOTS come from different
• Organizations, roles, backgrounds, understandings, practices, thought process, problem-solving approaches, perspectives, experiences and awareness.
• I prepared for each cohort sessions.
• I read, analyzed and interpreted the topics and its details.
• I made my points and noted the questions to share.
• This gave me a space to interpret each peers thoughts and their points.
• I had my take back from each peers irrespective of their experiences and roles.
• I had take backs from each sessions. 
• I don't remember a session where I sat idle.  
• I was engaged completely in each sessions.
• Each sessions have put me into reflection, retrospective, regression, relaxing, critical and lateral analysis modes.
• I did not bunk any cohort sessions.  I made sure, I attended each sessions.
• When I was late by 15 minutes to a couple of sessions, I made sure to know what was discussed.
• It is that fresh each sessions are and the perspectives from it!
• There is no right or wrong in any thing shared -- this was told by hosts to all of us.
• It is how we are placed in the context makes it close or not close to what looks the solution or acceptable reasoning.
• We peers correlated and connected the different perspectives and learned from it.
• The disagreeing to anyone's thought happens professionally and it will be acknowledged.
• I observed, the disagreeing or agreeing was to the thought and not to a person. This is important to notice here!
• Each attendees welcomed the perspectives and awareness of other peers in the cohort.
• When I worked on the nudges and reflection questions,
• It helped me to recall my works.
• That way, it helped me to eliminate what I had to and start with a different mindset for today's needs.
• I could go deep into each of these exercises and think critically, or, figure out what I can do differently to solve the same problem.
• I also made use of HOTS 5 to exercise and improvise my communication skills.
• It helped me a lot here!
• These below fundamental skills of all disciplines were exercised in each sessions.
• Questioning, Interpreting, Hypothesis, Reasoning, Logical Analysis, Pattern Recognition, Communication and Presentation.
• Every area of Software Engineering was touched and discussed.
• For example, 
• How critical is the time analysis and drawing the analogy of Big O notations in software engineering.
• There is no randomness thought it has the word Random
• There is a definite defined and accepted boundaries in the said random.
• An example of Random Forest algorithm and how it works.
• And more such topics
• The hosts did not rush to complete the topics of the week.
• Instead, the hosts ensured, there was a value oriented discussion on each topic.
• At times, the cohort discussed just one topic for 2 hours.
• It was not an easy emotion for me on the last day of HOTS 5.
• I miss the Tuesday discussions which started sharp at 8:30 PM IST.
• My key take back from the HOTS 5 are,
• The perspectives each peer shared in how they attempted to understand the problem before solving it.
• The representation of tests in the layers to ease the communication.

I thank with gratitude to Ashok, Keshav and all other peers of HOTS 5.  Your time, presence and interpretation has helped me a lot!  I'm building upon it.

References:

1. https://smartqa.community/
2. https://smartqa.community/hots/
3. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashokstag
4. https://linkedin.com/in/keshava-murthy-k-n-a623034

AMYQ: Ask Me Your Questions on Test Data -- Session 1

I made an opportunity for myself in this format -- Ask Me Your Questions (AMYQ).  I want to keep it a live interaction as much as possible and I chose a YouTube as an aid.  I'm experimenting it; I will improvise and upskill here it as I move ahead in this.

It is not a AMA.  It is AMYQ format with a topic which I come up listening to community.  In this format, I collaborate and interact with community listening to challenges and problems in their practice and work.  And, working on a solution approach for their context.

I asked the software engineering community for the questions around Test Data here.  I have received a few on LinkedIn and a couple of them in person.  We will be going through them.  

I will share my perspectives and approaches to deal with Test Data on Ask Me Your Questions on Test Data, while I listen to you.  Please join here.

Details of  this AMYQ Session -- 10th March 2025

• Title: Ask Me Your Questions on Test Data
• Date and Time: 10th March 2025, 8:30 PM IST
• Duration: 30 minutes + 10 minutes
• Interaction: Live
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/cKS71LgwPM0

Questions Received

From Shrini Kulkarni

1. #1 challenge - setting up data in upstream systems to suite test cases that need to be run. There is AUT and there are upstream systems. In a corp setup -- individual teams are setup for each application. Hence getting another team to set some data in other system often encounters lots of manual effort and red-tapism
2. #2 Reserving test data created in AUT or upstream systems for specific team's use so that other teams do not change it.

From Avanti Gada

1. Creating/finding data set to test features built on LLM's. How to test AI tools which were built using LLM's.
• The application are internal to organisation. To take generic example say there is college finder when student searches with certain inputs it looks at Internet and gets all possible options in results. How to ensure the data fetched by LLM are right

From Sukanya Santhanakrishnan

1. What one should keep in mind when the test data is confidential like passwords/person details? How should the system handle this in terms of security?
2. In the AI era, do we rely on LLM generated test data and how much can we believe those? What are the additional steps we need to take after getting LLM's data? 
3. What are the considerations when the applications handling large datasets under high memory usage? 
4. What are your go-to checklist when you start preparing test data?

When Does the Community Choose Not to Respond to Questions?

I read the testing, automation and test engineering related questions posted on the social media and web.  I try to understand the question, problem expressed and collaborate to assist.  I do keep 46 minutes in a day for this activity.  

Sometimes, it is hard to assist reading the question.  I feel like not giving up; but, then I do not see the communication happening actively from other end.

What Makes It Hard To Assist?

The questions asked,

• It will lack the context.
• It does not tell who is the person and what she or he is trying to accomplish.
• It will not have information on
• the environment.
• what is the challenge he or she is facing.
• what she or he tried so far.
• It will not have minimal data as
• screenshot, exception stack trace, the complete error message and details following it, data being used, code outline, and more details to the context.

The above are minimal data needed on removing any sensitive information.  Know and understand what is sensitive information for your context when you are sharing.

Then, what do the question will have?

• Most will have a phrase or a couple or three sentences of what they are doing and what is seen on the screen.  And, asking what to do for what is seen on the screen?

Why it is hard to assist with vague details?

People who want to assist won't have any context about you -- who you are, what you are doing, or why are you doing it that way.  They won't understand your purpose or what you are actually experiencing based on the limited and vague information in the questions.

Without clear details, it is hard to connect the dots or pinpoint the problem.  Instead, people who want to assists will be guessing, making assumptions, and probably considering multiple possibilities.  Is this a way to use the time in community?

When questions follow a similar pattern but vary in challenges and context, it becomes demotivating to decode them.  Over time, people will lose interest in reading unclear questions, leading to fewer responses and missed opportunities for meaningful discussions.

What's happening at other end?

People who want to collaborate and assist will take the time to read the question.  But, when a question is too vague to understand, they often give up.  And, they feel bad for doing so.  The question remains unanswered.

When a solution is provided, there's often no update on whether it worked or not.  Those who contributed keep checking back, only to find no response.  Is that fair to those who invested their time to help?  Would you feel good if you were in their position?

Remember, in the community one can't buy someone's time to listen or solve a problem.  It has to be earned!  And, it has to be earned every single time.

How to Frame and Post the Question?

There is no one excellent way of doing it.  Then, what should I do to post my questions?

1. Know the community.
2. Read through the questions shared earlier in that community.
3. Look at the questions that have found resolutions, acknowledged and accepted.
1. Observe how the question or problem experienced is described.
2. Look at the details shared and how it is shared.
3. Look at the context details shared and how it is shared.
4. Observe how the interactions and conversation is taken forward from the two sides.
1. Closely notice the words and how the energy is kept high in both ends and how each side is pushing for it.
2. Importantly, look at the time taken to respond from both ends.

I do not want to share an example or reference saying this is the way to do it.

You figure out for your problem and to its context.  Share the minimal information said above and ask for the help.  Consistently improvise on how you ask, share and describe the problem.

Caution! Know This Before You Prompt For Your Testing

My Fellow Test Engineers,

If you are using Gen AI and LLMs as an aid to do better work, yeah, we should be exploring it.  I have no second thoughts in it.

Are you giving anything bounded by NDA to Gen AI models and LLMs?

• Like a part of software requirement, video, an image, code or anything that hints what the system is?
• That is, is this part of your prompt text which you are giving to the Gen AI model(s) and other LLMs?  If so, do exercise the below questions:
1. Do my organization and its business see any threat and risk from me for doing so?
2. Does it violate the NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement)? If yes, how will I be impacted and prosecuted by the employer's business and organization?
3. Will I be terminated from my job or contract for doing this?
4. Will I have to face the legal consequences?

I tell you, for today's LLMs, it is sufficient to have gist of requirement or code or video or an image to isolate one's request. From there, it can monitor fairly better with additional anticipation.

My questions:

1. How would you trust the models behind?
2. Do you know how it is observing especially when you use your business identity to login and prompt?
3. Though you have customized the LLM's model and it is in within your environment, how do you know it is not connecting to its vendor environment and updating the gist?

Let us leverage the prompt engineering, Gen AI and associated LLMs. But, be aware and conscious of what we are giving out!

Also, be aware of what you tell to fellow test engineers. Not all Test Engineers or SDETs think of the consequences; instead just blindly mimic or follow what is being done or said to do by trying and using it.

Let us think about what we are passing to community by just saying to use prompts for --  to write test cases for this given requirement; read the given requirement and give a test design and strategy; review the code snippet and more.  Such loose and vague messages can be harmful if it is blindly followed!

By prompting the text and calling it out as prompt engineering, we might be giving out what we are not supposed to in the context of our employer's work. Caution!

The Odds and Otherside of Mentoring & Community Work

The space of mentoring and association is something not easy to understand in the begining days.  Especially when a mentor is not coming from a job having big designation and social media following.  I got hit by these waves.  Now, I know how to balance my swimming with these waves.  I'm swim smoothly without losing my energy and focus.  

I try to understand what could be going in the mind at the other end.

Here in this blog post, I'm sharing what I experience, and what I'm said by few who wants to pair up and practice.

The intention of this write up is to share what I look for in minimum and no intention of hurting or talking bad of anyone.

Do Not Disclose My Name and My Practice With You

I was approached by few fellow engineers from the software testing community.  After a few sessions of pair practicing and learning together, I was asked to not mention or take their name and talk about the practice's accomplisment in the community.  I respect and acknolwedge this ask.  But, then, I asked why so!  I did not see any appropriate reason or concern expressed for doing so.  I have not shared anything about our practices and so far accomplishment.

That said, I see these mentees and a few testing community had no concerns in tagging and getting associated with others in social media and in the community spaces.

The curious me, tried to uncover what could be the reason for this.  I learn, these are a first few reasons:

1. No big job title and role metnioned on my LinkedIn profile
2. Not having the major social media following
3. Not speaking often in conferences and not given an opportunity for not having a title or big company name in my LinkedIn profile
4. Not being a panelist in any conferences
5. Not being a panel member in  the discussion
6. Not being a AMA person in social media and community space
7. Not working in a organization which has brand name that bring crowd to conferences or to the one's benefits
8. Not getting into unneccessary discussion or space that highlights the exchange of words [not the thoughts]
9. For not taking the inequality gesture and treaments
10. For practicing deep
11. For offerring the assistance when it is not asked
• This thing, I stopped!
• I learned my lessons
12. Helping and assisting with no expectation in return
• When you do not asked for any returns, the value is not recongized
• The same people pay thousands elsewhere and say it did not help them
13. And, I'm too good and humble is what I see; this does not work in the longer run in any business
• And, being so makes me not practical

Today, I'm saying NO to --  who approach me, and, then ask me not to say with anyone in the community as it impacts them and their relationship with others. 

I'm asked to share and give my work and artefacts, but, do not want to step up for giving a mention or credit in public!  I don't get it how!

I'm saying NO for such learning association and mentorship connection for the last two years.  I see, this is the best that I can do.

The practice and learning need courage, and the openness to receive and give back. Without this, we cannot experience the learning, practice and growth.

It is not that I make it public by tagging and bragging.  I don't make enough time to brag by tagging unnecessarily.  I write it meaningfully when I see our accomplishment adds value and benefits to more people, and to the mentee and me.

The point is, who is seeking assisatance do not have enough courage to stand up and say, we are practicing.  But, the same people will associates every other corners tagging with credits to others.

So, where is the problem?  If it is associating together with me, I want to say no to those who see that problem.

This is not just with individuals.  I see the same with a few Software Testing Communities.  At the start of a day, it is a business for the software testing communities, today.  While I get a lot of learnings from the communities, such things need to be ignored, and I do it.  If we do not make a way to support and sustain the community bussiness, there will be no space to make meaningful and sensible noise and exchange the learning.  Today, I watch myself in how I contribute to certain testing communities.  Giving back to community is must when I get so much from community.

So, Why This Blog Post?

I want to share this blog post for first to whoever approach me for practicing together or a community work.

I do not want to partner and associate in a mentorship and community work, if a person and group is

• Lacking the courage
• Not wanting to give the due credits
• No mention for whatever we lose, learn and gain in the pair practice we do

If the receiver is not confident and happy about the learning, gain and loss we make together, then I want the person to make use of her/his time with other mentor and skilled engineer.  I refer them to other mentors [and skilled engineer].  That way, the person and group can feel proud of her/his learning and talk about it in public by mentioning the other mentor [and engineer] name. 

I'm not being paid or making money when I work with a mentee or for a software testing community.  I expect the recognition, mention and due credit to be put out in public when the mentee or a community makes a loss, benefit and gain.  I see this is a fair expectation!

I do not want to be used with no respect and keep asking for the same.  If I remain so, I will not set a better example to myself, my teams and to the fellow people in the community.

Be courteous to those who give you, while you do not know, what that person is going through.

Business and Software Testing: The Top 5 Challenges I See For Today -- Part 4B

 

I offer my skills, expertise, and time in exchange for the pay I get from a business [employer].  You too do that, right?  That's how I make a livelihood and take care of myself and my family.

That means the business is a critical entity to me!

If I do not understand the business, 

• I cannot do software testing and automation that adds value
• I will not be in a position to lead and deliver
• I cannot help myself to grow in the professional and competing world

This blog post is a sub-part of the blog post "The Common Challenges as a Software Tester and How I Overcome -- Part 4".

The business and its service as a software solution are in need of software testing

• But, what the software testing is supposed to be and what it has to do, is mostly driven from the project management and decision to the business
• That way it looks like a business problem
• It is a project management and decision problem that is made to appear as a business expectation
• This is a different and unique problem statement; the business carries it 
• I will share my experiences and learning on this in the next blog post -- Project and Software Test Engineering: The Top 5 Challenges I See Today -- Part 4C

In Software Testing,

• We focus on the risks as well
• With the help of my testing, I try to learn the risks and help the stakeholders to know about them

The same here!

• I try to learn the risks of the below five challenges
• Because, it impacts me, my team members with whom I work, and my family members
• By learning the risks, I will be better informed to make decisions so I can deal with the impact and have control of the situation

Here are the first few challenges that I witness in Software Testing around the Business context

1. My Work, My Fit, and Company Goals
2. Whose Opinion of Me Weighs and Influences My Growth?
3. Understanding the Decisions and Moves in a Project and Org
4. Sighting and Understanding the Dynamics of Changes
5. Being Hard to Replace -- The Myth

My Work, My Fit, and Company Goals

Why it is a challenge?

• I can get easily deceived here
• By believing I'm adding value to the organization
• And, get into thought I and my work is valued and needed
• But the manager and organization may have a different opinion
• It does not get communicated until one day when I'm called into a meeting that includes the HR staff

How I'm solving it?

• Read this blog post
• It is about learning how my work fits the company's goals
• I evaluate this consistently with my manager and her/his stakeholders
• Yet, there will be differences and mismatches based on multiple factors
• The business is one such critical factor

Whose Opinion of Me Weighs and Influences My Growth?

Why it is a challenge?

• Of course, how I see myself stands first and it is more important
• This is a challenge I have to balance throughout my lifetime
• In the business and political world, to be in a better position for what I earn, it is important for me to know -- How am I perceived by the one who is more authoritative, powerful, and influential in the decision?
• There is a person above my manager and all other managers, whose decision matters and maybe final
• Do I, my work, and the value addition from my work to the organization, are visible to this person?
• How does she/he perceive my work?
• How will my work be rewarded?
• This matters to me because my growth in the company and what I earn, depend on it
• I work for this!
• We all work for this, right?
• Yet not all get what one wishes for! Why?

How I'm solving it?

• To be honest, for most of the years, I said to myself  -- "My work speaks for itself, and no need to bring visibility to it"
• But, in reality, it does not go that way always
• Most times the manager who does One-on-One regularly will not have a clue about what I'm doing though we meet every month to discuss
• Then how someone else will know?
• This is the reality!
• Today,
• I step up and talk about my testing team's work and value
• Also I talk about the work and value added by other teams with whom I work as a team
• I step up and talk about my work and its value
• I step up and say how we are solving it as a team
• I step up and say what's my contribution to the team's work
• I find ways to bring visibility into my work, my role, and my value addition
• I advocate for it
• In a way, I'm a sales and marketing person for my work and presence
• If I do not sell and market my work and presence, no one will do it unless I have a supporting and strong manager
• I show how fit I'm to the equation of the organization's goals and plan of execution
• Yet, this is a challenge of [for] everyday
• I will be evaluated every day by different stakeholders
• My past accomplishments are history and it does not work in the long run
• What I do today and how I'm doing it, matters in alignment with the organization's goal
• Do I make a fit with my work and the value I bring and add? How?
• I will have to balance myself here in the business and political space

I ask and discuss with my manager -- How I and my work are perceived by the person who has the authoritative decision?  This helps me to see how I and my work are interpreted by different people. It helps me to discuss and clarify if it is being perceived in other ways.

I also talk and discuss with the authoritative person about

• My work
• The value being added from my work and my role
• My fit to the organization's goals and how I'm aligning with it

Understanding the Decisions and Moves in a Project and Org

Why it is a challenge?

• The decisions and moves that happen in a project and organization will have an influence on everyone
• Sometimes we will not be said why the decision is made, or, we will not even know a decision is made
• I will be annoyed and uncomfortable with the outcome and happenings from the decision made
• The decision can be in terms of
• What one draws as a salary and benefits
• The termination of certain roles and people
• Cut down on benefits and compensations
• How we work and deliver
• And, more
• This can make me be off trail and not align with the goals and decisions of project management and organization
• This sends a different perception about me to the project management and business
• This will surely not do good to me

We tend to talk or be annoyed about certain decisions.  But there will be some reason behind it; just we are not said or we do not see it

How I'm solving it?

• There will be reasons behind the decision made and changes happening or to happen
• My manager will also not be aware of why certain decisions are made
• I have to accept it
• I talk to my manager asking why a decision and change in the priorities when I observe it
• This is important to know
• Sometimes my manager may not share about it if it is not disclosable to my role and I respect it
• Talking and conveying the direction with what can be shared and cannot be shared is a skill!
• As I say, awareness is a skill
• When we are involved in the work we do, we lose sight and attention to what is happening outside the work on the floor and organization
• There are certain heuristics that we can use to identify the changes happening
• With whom we work
• With operations that are executed in our work
• For example,
• the number of meetings [increased or decreased],
• the calendar of my manager and of the authoritative person,
• the project and business tabulation,
• and more

The functioning of a service company is different from a tech product company.  Be it an enterprise or a start-up or a mid-sized setup, how the floor runs, is different.  I will have to tune myself to be a better observer and spot the changes.  The quicker I do it and discuss about it with my manager and the authoritative person, it helps me.

Figure out ways to know why certain decisions and changes are done in priority.  I do the same!  I use to get lost in my work and practice.  I would be unaware of what's happening in project management and business decision.

I'm learning and building the skills here for the last seven years.

Sighting and Understanding the Dynamics of Changes

Why it is a challenge?

• The outcome of decisions, changes, and changed priorities need not be bad always
• But, certain decisions and changes affect badly and it will be unexpected
• This will have long-term effects on mental health and physical health
• Being a leader, I should help my team to navigate through it with awareness
• At least, I should be in a position to give the heads-up
• This may not be possible always, but my team trusts me and I need to keep it practical and in the business orientation
• I should be in a position to handle it with my emotions in control
• The growth of my team people, my growth, and the benefits we earn can be impacted
• Business and its dynamics are so unpredictable, it changes and it brings an impact on people who are with it
• I have been impacted by it!
• In a way it is good that it happens
• But, can it be prevented and get off from being impacted?
• How to spot and understand the change and the dynamics of the change?

How I'm solving it?

• For first, I need to remain calm and not in the anxiety when there is an impact or when I spot the changes
• The floor reflects the changes; just I have to be observant
• I share the same with my team and tell them to spot a few heuristics
• For example
• If someone on your team who did not bother about what you are doing comes all of a sudden and asks for a demo of your testing, automation, and any of your work
• The regular catch-up or one-on-one is no more done or its frequency has increased
• The type of questions coming to you and what is expected in an explicitly said time period
• The body language
• How I'm included in the project and team for my role?
• Is my work appreciated in public on the floor?
• Did I get a personal message or email as appreciation and not as public as others in the team receive?
• And, more
• I should be in a place where I can spot it if something of this kind is happening
• Talking to people helps
• This is okay if it is something to do with me; that way I can fix it
• What if it is nothing to do with me or my work, but happening?
• I seek clarity from the person whose opinion matters and from my manager
• I see nothing can be done in much
• All is, I need to be skilled and be aware so that I don't put myself into the worst situation
• Today, I work to be a better observer in these areas each day
• I have not done it in the past as I was lost very much in my work and practice
• I missed the indicators which I could have used for my benefits and the team's benefits

As I said, know your organization and its business. Know your team and its people.  It is different from other organizations, businesses, and people.

Being Hard to Replace -- The Myth

Why it is a challenge?

• We are said and expected -- to be skilled and be so skilled it is hard to replace
• This is a myth!
• Software Testing is also helpful to break illusions and know the myths to which we are blind and biased
• When the software versions we build are replaceable, we, who are developing it are also replaceable
• If not by another version, the competitor will come up to replace
• It is about serving value that is needed and building the strengths to sustain being resilient enough
• I was in assumption, it is hard to replace if I'm skilled
• 10 years back, I learned, that's not actually the story
• I'm easily replaceable given the context demands it
• I saw my fellow team members being replaced
• I saw myself getting replaced
• We all are replaceable
• It is a norm in business, competitive and political space
• There is always a valid reason and necessity for business to do so
• It is easy to fall into the illusion that I'm contributing and adding value
• Well, I will be actually contributing and adding value
• But, it may not be needed anymore for the business and organization
• If not needed, what's next?  I need not say that to you, right?

How I'm solving it?

• I accept, I'm replaceable no matter
• what are my skills, expertise, personality, and 
• what value I bring and add to the board, organization, business, team, and product
• I keep myself in a position to not spoil my mental health and physical health
• I'm learning and being much more courageous than yesterday
• I ask for help when I need it with my network and communities
• I find alternative ways to have an income so that I help my family with the basic needs
• I also replace, what I see -- it has to be replaced
• By being better in
• Awareness
• Being contemporary
• Upskilling
• Being "the match and approachable"
• Being focused

Click here for returning to the blog posts:

• The Common Challenges as a Software Tester and How I Overcome -- Part 4
• Software Testing Practice: The Top 5 Challenges I See Today -- Part 4A
• Project and Software Test Engineering: The Top 5 Challenges I See Today -- Part 4C

Software Testing Practice: The Top 5 Challenges I See Today -- Part 4A

 

The practice is one of the areas where I dwell, fall, and rise again.  I'm part of the practice. I'm, what I practice.  It redefines me every day.  This blog post is a sub-part of the blog post "The Common Challenges as a Software Tester and How I Overcome -- Part 4".

Here are the first few challenges that I witness in the Practice context

1. Awareness
2. Being Contemporary
3. Upskilling
4. Being "the match and approachable"
5. Being Focused

Awareness

Why it is a challenge?

• If I'm not aware
• I cannot be contemporary
• I will not know why it is the way it is
• Without the awareness of what's happening,
• I cannot help myself with what to unlearn, learn and upskill
• Multiple sources exist that "appear" as an awareness source

How I'm trying to be aware?

• I find the sources that help me to be aware
• I get involved with the sources
• I learn and understand what these sources have to say and offer
• I keep asking myself
• What I'm aware of here?
• What should I be aware of here?
• What I'm not aware of here?
• Being aware of the different ideologies, thoughts, and schools in
• Software Testing & Engineering
• Software Engineering
• and, its businesses ...

Being Contemporary

Why it is a challenge?

• If I'm not contemporary
• I may not fit well for the needs of today's industry and business
• I will have content, experience, and skills
• But, I may not be able to offer them in a way it is expected
• My practice, thoughts, and mindset will appear as not matching or not aligning with the organization or/and stakeholders
• To an engineer,
• This is an everyday challenge!
• The landscape of technology changes so fast, that upskilling is a necessity
• Being adaptive and upskilling is a necessity for remaining contemporary
• How to be a specialist? How to remain a specialist while being a generalist?
• How to be the contemporary and T-shaped full-stack engineer that the industry looks for?

How I'm trying to be contemporary?

• I don't see the programming languages, tools, platforms, libraries, architecture patterns, and business as contemporary
• But these are byproducts of what defines -- being contemporary
• And these changes with time and problems to be solved
• There are no defined and particular ways to be contemporary
• Hence it is a challenge!
• For today, in my opinion, there is no solution to be contemporary in Software Engineering
• And, being contemporary is not a problem to solve
• It cannot be solved
• Being contemporary means evolving, adapting, and growing in the environment -- to the need or to the need created and manifested
• It is a context
• Who is fit to the context with the value expected to add, will have a better opportunity
• Growing and adapting with time by learning the day's engineering problem and drawing a solution, is a headlight in the journey which shows what is contemporary
• I focus here
• I will try to be aware and upskill consistently here
• Being aware and evaluating how the business and money are getting tabulated in the balance sheet at the workplace
• It is a critical detail and skill needed after certain years in the industry for one
• If not known, one may not pivot to a better position and opportunities for being contemporary and see [and get] its benefits
• Being contemporary in what area?
• One has to figure out what are her/his areas to be aware of to be contemporary
• This is another set of problems to identify
• Is the T-shaped full-stack engineer a contemporary term today?
• I do not think so!
• What fills in the T-Shape and the Stack changes consistently for the need and to the need created
• Meet people in your areas; network with them
• Also meet people who are not part of your area
• Talk! Network
• See what you can catch here and learn

Upskilling

Why it is a challenge?

• I do not want to remain in the same learning, role, and earning
• Status Quo is not possible here
• All who are on the payroll need consistent and pragmatic upskilling, today
• Upskilling in Software Testing & Engineering has always been under debate in my last 17 years
• The practice is different within teams in an organization
• The understanding and practice between two testers in a team are not close, forget being the same
• What to practice in Software Testing?
• Testing?
• Automation?
• The blend of every role in Software Development?
• This confusion is being fostered here
• This confuses and gives the space for arguments and not a healthy discussion
• Eventually who are getting better identity and benefit, her/his thoughts get promoted in that place
• And, more likely these thoughts and practices get followed
• Does this influences the people who are practicing Software Testing?
• Information is abundant today on the web for Software Testing
• As said whose content gets better likes, reposts, and shared, that information gets more visibility
• How I consume this, influences my upskilling
• Few of my friends moved from Software Testing to different roles
• Maybe your friends too in your org and team
• Does this challenge your aspiration to continue in Software Testing & upskilling here?
• I get calls from the training startups asking to switch to other roles saying Software Testing has hit the roof
• Further, they try to influence me by saying
• No career progression in Software Testing
• I cannot make money
• I can make money if I move to different roles where I do full-time coding
• I can grow in my career and move to different positions
• And more ...
• We have the people who say to not choose software testing
• This influences those who are fresh, experienced, and finding rough times in the practice of Software Testing
• For example, how many times do I speak and hear about the Test Design?
• It is one of the most ignored, unaware, and unspoken areas of Software Testing
• This is one example of where to upskill

How I'm trying to upskill?

• One of the strengths of a Software Test Engineer is to not get easily influenced
• I get lots of factors and people who influence me to their interests and intents
• As a Software Test Engineer, I have to pick anything upon questioning and scrutiny
• This is one skill that I try to upskill everyday
• To upskill, I see a determined self as a need for the first
• The key area of upskilling is the unlearning part
• Knowing what to unlearn is not evident most of the time
• In the journey, I discover what I should unlearn
• The faster I discover, I help myself to save time
• I evaluate where I stand on the path of -- where I want to continue my journey
• I do it consistently
• While I do this, I classify the areas of my upskilling
• I observe,
• For every 18 months the list in this area gets outdated and updated as well
• This is like the tests getting retired or taken off the execution list, while the new ones are added
• I collaborate with the community and people who can help me to upskill
• This is not a straight and simple task
• I unlearn a lot
• I fail a lot
• But, importantly I learn in this journey and it builds me with an experience
• I share the learning I make here with the software testing communities
• I have a map, territory, and details of where should I be upskilling for the next 6 months
• I refer to Open Source works which is consumed by the tech organizations
• I refer to how tech organizations are building their services
• I identify the layer of testabilities in the technologies
• I refer to tech blogs and books, and I relate them with the help of programming
• I do more here
• My map, territory, and what to explore keep refining and get updated every 6 months

Being "the match and approachable"

Why is it a challenge?

• For first I should be visible and identifiable that I'm a match
• How to be so?
• How do I build myself to be approachable?
• After a certain point in the career, 
• One can navigate further only if she or he is seen as approachable
• My words, thoughts, what I speak and write, and how I respond, all of these can set a different tone and personality for the stakeholders
• This can give an image of me that I'm actually not
• In fact, those who are with me  at work and in communities for years can frame a different image of me
• This is a tough ask
• Perceptions of stakeholders and what stakeholders need, influences in what and how they perceive me for -- Am I approachable?
• We will have a gap here no matter what
• How do I bridge the approachability with the people with whom I want to associate and work? This matters!
• Whether it is a job or association or organization, what primarily differs are
• The people, culture, and how I associate with them and their expectations
• This changes the dimensions of how approachable and visible I'm in their perceptions

How I'm trying to be "the match and approachable"?

• I try to understand the expectations and needs of the stakeholders
• The needs and expectations are two different sets in my experience
• I consistently work on my communication and how I share my thoughts
• Also, I keep watch on the words I use in a given context knowing who all are in the discussion
• Communication is not just spoken and written words and language
• Being practical, pragmatic, and empathetic helps to an extent
• By upskilling, I try to balance the equation of "the match"
• By being approachable and contemporary
• I learn to know the people, organizations, and communities with whom I want to associate, work and grow
• I learn to be aware and have awareness so that I'm focused
• This is not a cycle; all these happen in parallel and drive each other
• Awareness
• Being Contemporary
• Upskilling
• Being "the match and approachable"
• Being focused

Being Focused

Why it is a challenge?

• There are distractions outside and inside
• We want to fulfill and meet someone's perception and expectation
• 
  
• The changes that we see every day in the space where we work and at the family end
• It will have an impact on the focus and awareness I want to be with
• Every day I work to keep my focus and awareness to be fit and healthy
• So that I can identify and mitigate the distractions
• Having mental and physical health balanced is crucial

How I'm trying to be focused?

• I'm learning to prioritize and decide what I have to work upon
• By improvising and developing the skills of having and using:
• The clarity, decision-making, and accomplishing the milestones that I set
• Goals with the timelines and milestones
• Not skipping or postponing my priorities and losing sight of what I should be focusing
• I have a daily check on my focus on what I have gotten into
• I evaluate and align with it
• I use multiple and ideate with the strategies to be focused and evaluate the same
• And, I tell myself it is okay when I fail
• But, I look for the lessons when I fail and why I failed
• I do not give up unless it is a necessity

Click here for returning to the blog post:

• The Common Challenges as a Software Tester and How I Overcome -- Part 4
• Business and Software Testing: The Top 5 Challenges I See Today -- Part 4B
• Project and Software Test Engineering: The Top 5 Challenges I See Today -- Part 4C