This post originated from an RSS feed registered with .NET Buzz
by Steve Hebert.
Original Post: Great post, greater title
Feed Title: Steve Hebert's Development Blog
Feed URL: /error.htm?aspxerrorpath=/blogs/steve.hebert/rss.aspx
Feed Description: .Steve's .Blog - Including .Net, SQL Server, .Math and everything in between
Here's a great post by a tester at Microsoft titled "Testers are Little More than Accounts In a Factory". The article provides one of the "forest through the trees" moments with respect to professional testing.
The title is what first got my attention - it's a great title. While I certainly don't think it applies to testers - it talks to the importance of proper focus in testing. There is potentially nothing more worthless in a factory than an accountant - especially with regard to cost-accounting. Cost-accountants in a factory setting work to create a set of fictitious numbers to value production at any point along the production line. These numbers can be dangerous.
To illustrate the point, lets say the accounting numbers tell us 20% of the companies scrap comes from a single production step/workcenter. In response to the accounting numbers, I take a team of engineers to attack the problem and reduce it to less than 1%. What is the effect on the bottom line of the company? Have I made matters better or worse for the company? What situations can you envision that drive up costs and leave the company worse off?
Previous Topic
