More on software testing detectives...
I was reading Think! the other day (an ok book - not quite what I thought it would be), and the author pointed out that in The Sign of Four Sherlock Holmes observes that the ideal detective must have three qualities: the power of observation, the power of deduction, and knowledge.
This reminded me of my post on Skilled Bug Investigation where I compared the work of James Bach to that of Holmes in A Study in Scarlet. I really enjoyed that post, but I haven't done much since then. I just bought a new Sherlock Holmes book, so perhaps that will spark something.
Either way, I liked the statement "the ideal detective must have three qualities: the power of observation, the power of deduction, and knowledge." I think that applies to testers nicely. It sums up my long attempt at the topic the first time. The testers I look up to are always noticing things that pass me by. They solve problems faster then me. And for some reason they always know more then me -- and I read a lot!
I'm not sure yet how to train myself to become a better observer, but I've been working on developing my problem solving ability (cognitive skills training, practice problems, conversations with other testers, etc...) as well as my knowledge base (mostly blogs, books, and workshops). If you have any ideas on increasing your observational powers, I would love to hear about them.
This reminded me of my post on Skilled Bug Investigation where I compared the work of James Bach to that of Holmes in A Study in Scarlet. I really enjoyed that post, but I haven't done much since then. I just bought a new Sherlock Holmes book, so perhaps that will spark something.
Either way, I liked the statement "the ideal detective must have three qualities: the power of observation, the power of deduction, and knowledge." I think that applies to testers nicely. It sums up my long attempt at the topic the first time. The testers I look up to are always noticing things that pass me by. They solve problems faster then me. And for some reason they always know more then me -- and I read a lot!
I'm not sure yet how to train myself to become a better observer, but I've been working on developing my problem solving ability (cognitive skills training, practice problems, conversations with other testers, etc...) as well as my knowledge base (mostly blogs, books, and workshops). If you have any ideas on increasing your observational powers, I would love to hear about them.