Recently I came across an article published by Satisfice (Software Testing for Serious People), which I found quite interesting, as it covered common issues with talking about testing. I believe this could be a nice guide, especially for newbies, like myself, to understand what information is actually valuable whilst talking to other testers.

Firstly, and most importantly, it doesn't matter how many test cases a tester created if we don’t know what these test cases actually do. The number itself doesn’t represent how effectively and thoroughly the software is tested, meaning it is quite pointless to mention that, unless you can back it up with a proper explanation of what you actually test. Testing strategy is a difficult process, which usually takes years to develop, and never stops evolving and being upgraded. Professional testers will be able to talk about their testing strategy which ultimately provides a reasoning behind their actions which comprise each test.

Another valuable point raised by the Satisfice is the fact that test is not exactly an object. Although it consists of things such as documentation, code, and data, the test itself is an activity performed by the tester, and depends on their attention, motivation, knowledge, and skills. That extends to the lack of understanding what test automation means, and how it works, which further can lead to a lot of misunderstandings between developers and testers. It is vital for people to understand that when test automation is implemented, it doesn’t replace or make a tester unnecessary, as their technical skills and judgement are still essential in the process. To summarise, test automation is not a product which was created “automatically” or made by some tool, without skills and hard work of a tester, test automation would not exist.

Lastly, there is not only one kind of test coverage, there are plenty of ways a tester can use to cover product testing, and assure that he tests more than just one functionality at the time. The best quality of a successful test coverage is to ensure that tests cover a variety of functions mixed up in different combinations as this will allow for finding new bugs, which could not appear if a tester would test only one functionality at the time.

All these points seem quite significant to me. As a new tester, I am still expanding my knowledge in the field, and I find it really important to understand what basic information is essential to have a professional chat about testing. 

Obviously, mistakes will happen at first, but I believe that this small guide will allow me to improve my future conversations.