Something a little different is up now in our ‘Meet the Speakers’ series. Steve Watson and Bhagya Mudiyanselage will be co-presenting their session at UKSTAR. To get to know both of them a bit better we asked them some questions, you can see their answers below.
Steve and Bhagya will be presenting their track ‘The Communication Bridge’ on Monday at 4 p.m.
How did you get started in software testing?
S: I fell into it. I was discussing a junior role with someone who was a senior manager at a bank. It sounded more interesting than the job I was doing, so I applied and the rest is history.
B: I was a developer at the beginning. I was exposed to testing accidently and the dynamics of it attracted me. I changed my career to testing soon afterwards and never looked back.
Who inspires you?
S: I get inspiration from the people I see who constantly learning new things and share them with others. I love the way that as testers we help each other out. There is a real community spirit.
B: There are lots of people in the industry who inspire me! With their knowledge, personality and success. If I have to name some, then Maaret Pyhäjärvi, Lisa Crispin, Robert Lambert, Dan Ashby, Mark Tomlinson, Tony Bruce are high up on the list.
What do you see for the future of software testing?
S: There will be pressure to reduce the amount of testing time. People will want more test automation. The Internet of Things is huge and presents its own set of challenges for us as testers – how can we test so many different types of devices, across a myriad of operating systems?
We have to learn to adapt to new technologies and change our approach to testing. Show where we add value to our teams. We will also need to pay a lot more attention to non-functional testing. Performance, Load and Security will no longer be optional extras, but an integral part of our remit.
B: Software testing is becoming more and more of a collaboration task between development and business analysis roles. Some companies have already started replacing the software tester role by giving the responsibility to developers and business analysts. I think software testing is requesting that more testers be technical. With Agile, continuous delivery companies are looking for people who can automate even though that’s not the primary job of the tester.
I think testers will find themselves pairing with developers, business analysts and even with designers to enhance product quality. It won’t be an isolated task. It will be embedded throughout the development cycle, more than before.