Bootcamp Highlights - Master Test @ Pushpay

Guest Blog by Josh EspinasSenior tester at Pushpay, James Espie, delivered an engaging masterchef-themed presentation of the ins and outs of software testing and insight into a career as a software tester.We were split up into groups of five and challenged with a series of tasks to get thinking like a software tester. One such task was a 'Mystery Box' challenge where each group uncovered a different real-world appliance and was then asked to brainstorm how they would test the appliance.Another task was a 'Pressure Test' where each group was given the same app to brainstorm how to test - Spotify.James, and the team at Pushpay facilitated a comfortable, light, yet thought provoking group discussion throughout these tasks that allowed each of us to think more outside the box of what to consider when testing these items and the Spotify app. This was a recurring theme throughout the evening: to push the boundaries of what is possible with a product. How many times can it be used before breaking? How easy it is to operate? What happens when you do X instead of Y? Testing is all about uncovering risks that threaten the success of a product, ultimately resulting in a quality end-product for the user.If you were to take one important concept from the talk, it would be to take note of the following acronym to serve as a guide/framework when considering testing a product: FURPS+.F - Functionality. Does it function as it should?U - Usability. How easy is it to use?R - Reliability. Is it always available? If not, is it easy to recover?P - Performance. How fast/efficient is it? How much of a workload can it take?S - Supportability. How easy is it to fix bugs and test?+ - Other Stuff. How is it monitored? How secure is it?To top of the workshop was a generous supply of pizza, snacks, and drinks over some networking! A big thank you to the team at Pushpay for putting on a great evening.