NVP Software Solutions

Tag: #softwaretesting

  • National Software Testing and Quality Engineering Conference 

    National Software Testing and Quality Engineering Conference 

    The National Software Testing and Quality Engineering Conference is scheduled to take place on May 26, 2026, at the Delta Marriott in Downtown Toronto– 75 Lower Simcoe St, Toronto, ON M5J 3A6, Canada

    This conference is specifically designed for experts in software testing, quality assurance, and quality engineering, and it aims to provide a thrilling new gathering tailored to their needs.

    The field is currently experiencing a revolution with the introduction of AI, making this an ideal moment for professionals to take charge and stay ahead of the curve.

    By attending this one-day event in May, participants will have the opportunity to network with industry pioneers who are shaping the future, as well as leverage the power of AI through interactive workshops.


    Further information at: https://nationalsoftwaretestingconference.com/about/

  • AI as a Force Multiplier for QE Leaders | 12th Toronto Meetup

  • Test Automation Summit

  • A vision without the ability to execute is probably a hallucination

    A vision without the ability to execute is probably a hallucination

    This quote is interesting and would probably be disputed by many people. They would say that a Vision is something you want to do and whether or not it can be executed has no impact on its validity (or whether it is a hallucination).  While the quote is not new, the applicability to today’s world with the concerns expressed about AI Hallucinations provides it with a fresh applicability.

    Over the years we have encountered a lot of Visions for Software Testing and Quality Assurance.  Unfortunately, many of them do not get realised.  Budget is often stated as the main culprit despite the fact that almost all Visions relate to doing tasks better and cheaper.  Quality Assurance Visions are even worse.  Saying that we want to make Process Improvements without some concrete actions to back it up (not part of the Vision directly but certainly related) does not go very far.  But with no Vision at all, no improvement will ever occur and the same processes and same errors will recur for every project or initiative.

    Make 2026 the time you realise your Visions for Software Testing and Quality Assurance.

    Software Testing solves your problems for today and yesterday. Quality Assurance makes your Vision reality.

  • You can only predict things after they occur

    You can only predict things after they occur

    “You can only predict things after they occur” This quote was attributed to Eugene Ionescu in the source I had.

    There are several related quotes:

    “Those who have knowledge don’t predict” and its corollary “Those who predict, don’t have knowledge.”

    Or lastly: “The best way to predict the future is to create it” (Peter Drucker).

    Maybe we could use these quotes the next time someone says how long testing is going to take.  The interesting part is when you push back and say: “How long did it take last time?” or “How much bigger (in whatever the favourite measure is) is this project compared to the last one?”.  Neither of those questions elicit much useful information or a response at all so the analogous method using internal numbers is unavailable.

    If you have no previous statistics from the organisation, there are lots of statistics available online or you can use one of the Estimation Methodologies (PERT, Planning Poker, WBS, Function Point Analysis or Test Point Analysis).  They provide a good starting point but must be adjusted for the particular situation. 

    One of the major aspects of Quality Assurance is to gather up statistics on what occurred last time and use that to predict the future. While no one can get 100% accuracy, it certainly helps to know what occurred in the past.  Adjust for the situation at hand and go forward.

    Software Testing solves problems for yesterday and today.

    Quality Assurance solves your problems coming tomorrow!

  • Is your testing Ad hoc?

    Is your testing Ad hoc?

    While most people won’t come out and say that their testing is Ad Hoc, it can usually be inferred from some of the following comments:

    1. We keep redoing things.

    2. We seem to lose everything with every iteration.

    3. We keep re-inventing the wheel.

    4. We have thousands of testcases and most of them have not been looked at in years.

    5. We miss things in every release even though we saw them in the past.

    6. We keep solving the same problems in development.

    And on the list goes.

    If you feel you are stuck in this rut, it is time to break out

    .

    But that requires a fresh look at the following items:

    * Current assets

    * Current processes

    * Missing pieces

    * Left over items and problems. Breaking out of Ad Hoc testing is very difficult. Process improvement is resisted on many levels.

  • Test Leadership

    The role of a Test Lead varies widely between organisations and even within some large organisations. Some test leads execute a plan, other build and manage and some run multiple projects with other test leads running particular aspects.  If you are in this position, you may be wondering what to do. 

    Please take a look at Case Study 2: https://nvp.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Case-Study-2.pdf for how training was organised in one particular example.

  • Quantifying Intangibles

    Quantifying Intangibles

    Last week we talked about how missing Quantifying the Intangibles caused issues in people supporting QA efforts. When intangibles cannot be costed (but still take effort) and the benefits the provide may not be immediate they become a (not so hidden) cost on the project. At the very least we need to put a baseline cost on the intangibles.