Language shapes the way you think

Language shapes the way you think

T AshokFounder & CEOSTAG Software Private Limitedwww.stagsoftware.com

in.linkedin.com/in/AshokSTAG ash_thiru

http://stagsoftware.com

http://stagsoftware.com

© 2014 Copyright T Ashok. All rights reserved. 2

Clarity of thought and clear communication.

Language has a significant role in the former too.


And the syntax shapes how & how-well we understand the content.

The rules”Syntax”Language is made of The content

“Semantics”&


Syntax is a great guide. A guide who provides you the rules.Rules that enable you to stay on the path of clarity.

© 2014 Copyright T Ashok. All rights reserved.

Language allows us to:

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1.Describe a story “Understand”

2.Breakdown the problem "Simplify”

3.Setup clear boundaries “Baseline”

4.State the purpose “Goal”

5.Organize our thoughts “Plan”

6.Issue instructions to get things done “Action”

7.State what has happened “Report”

8.Document stuff so as not to forget “Remember”


Now relate to testing...

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1.Describe a story “Understand”

2.Breakdown the problem "Simplify”

3.Setup clear boundaries “Baseline”

4.State the purpose “Goal”

5.Organize our thoughts “Plan”

6.Issue instructions to get things done “Action”

7.State what has happened “Report”

8.Document stuff so as not to forget “Remember”

Understand the product

Understand who & what

Identify what-to-test

Criteria to meet/Tests-to-do

Test planning

Design and execute

Report test outcomes

Learnings


Language styles

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How does language shape the way we “Understand”?

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Narrative, Creative, First person(Active), Declarative

1. Describe a story - “Understand” Understand the product

"think from the user point of view"

persona-based approach to describing behaviour, attributes & interconnections

Visualise with pictures - mindmaps are useful here

need to empathise

state facts


How does language shape the way we “Simplify the problem”?

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2. Breakdown the problem - “Simplify” Understand who & what

Imperative, Passive, List

We revel in making things complex!

De-mystify ==> Summarize

Who uses, what do they need to do

Short sentences, limit to a para


How does language shape the way we “set clear boundaries”?

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3. Setup clear boundaries “Baseline” Identify what-to-test

Imperative, Passive, Short

Listing requirements/features - “What-to-test”

Ensure clarity in what we need to State as positive or negative (should-do vs should-not)Precision is key

e.g. “The User X shall be able to ...”


How does language shape the way we “set clear goals”?

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4. State purpose “Goal” Criteria to meet/Tests-to-do

Imperative, Passive, Short

“Test-for-what” - in terms of end user criteria- in terms of potential types of defects/ types of tests

Ensure clarity in what we need to State as positive or negative (should-do vs should-not)Precision is key

Examples:“That the system should be able to process X records”“That the system shall not have duplicate records”


How does language shape the way we “do test planning”?

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5. Organise our thoughts “Plan” Test planning

Imperative & Narrative, Active, Short

A “to-do list”

Think in terms of what is to be done by who

This is imperative(action) with details (narration)


How does language shape we “design and execute tests”?

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6. Issue instructions to get things done “Action” Design & execute

Imperative & then descriptive, Passive, Short

Come up with test scenarios to test

Narrative style - Nah!Imperative - Action oriented

"Ensure that the system does/does-not 'foo' when 'bar' is done".

Then the steps-do as a descriptionClear and terse. Be clear of what you want to accomplish before you jump to how-to-do.


How does language shape the way we “report test outcomes”?

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7. State what has happened “Report” Report test outcomes

Narrative, Declarative, Passive, Short & then details

Multiple facts, that need to be connected

Describing outcomes across time with detail - Complex?

Applicable to reporting information related to defects, test cycle outcomes, final rest results

Imagine the consumer of this and see if this adds value

Summarise first and then the details


How does language shape the way we “capture learnings”?

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7. Document stuff so as not to forget “Remember” Learnings

Creative, Narrative, Passive, Short & Long

Jot down everything we observe, learn from past.

Here we cannot stick to a single syntax styleUse picture, a non-linear notation - Mindmaps?

This is a mixture of all styles mentioned above and beautiful mixture of terseness with detail.


Recap...

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1 Understand the product

2 Understand who & what

3 Identify what-to-test

4 Criteria to meet/Tests-to-do

5 Test planning

6 Design and execute

7 Report test outcomes

8 Learnings


HBT- Hypothesis Based Testing : A personal test methodologyThere is a strong focus on language here!

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D1D2

D4

D3

D5D6

D7

D8

Core Concepts

S1

S2

S3S4

S5

S6

SIX Stages of DOINGS1: Understand expectationsS2: Understand contextS3: Formulate hypothesisS4: Devise proofS5: Tooling supportS6: Assess & Analyse

EIGHT Disciplines of ThinkingD1: Business value understandingD2: Defect hypothesisD3: Strategy & PlanningD4: Test designD5: ToolingD6: VisibilityD7: Execution & ReportingD8: Analysis & Management

Uses 32 Core ConceptsFor Problem solving - Techniques, Principles, Guideline

Click here to know more about HBT.http://stagsoftware.com/blog?p=570

SIX staged purposeful activities, Powered by EIGHT disciplines of thinking

HBT is the IP of STAG Software Private Limited.

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HBT is the intellectual property of STAG Software Private Limited.STEMTM is the trademark of STAG Software Private Limited.

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Language shapes the way you think