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Testimonials
Do you have any feedback on my columns, newsletters, papers, or talks? If so, I'd love to hear from you and perhaps post your comments on my website. Email your comments to me.
I have already used some of the information from your presentation in coaching one of our project managers. You have a talent for clarifying concepts and delivering them with humor. -- Director of Project Management
When I hear consultant and off-site in the same sentence, I try to run away. You changed my perspective about consultants and off-sites. This retrospective was the best use of our time today. Thank you! -- Software developer after a retrospective
I can't tell you how much I identified with it [this article: No more Whining: Reframing the Not Enough Question]. The article gave me a completely different way of viewing my job. I can't thank you enough. I've been working in QA for almost six years and always thought perfection was our goal! You gave me permission to do the best I can in the time allotted. I can do that! -- Software Tester
I've thoroughly enjoyed your quarterly publication ever since I received the first one. I always read your newsletters and almost never read others. You always seem to provide a tip which is "dead on" for the immediate situation I am experiencing or invariably, there are several times I say, "I know that's right" when I read your newsletter. I couldn't agree more with the "Managing People" article in Volume 3, Number 3. Keep up the good work and I will look forward to future communications! -- Enterprise Project Manager
"Thank you very much for your wonderful article Bringing People into the Organization in your last Reflections. I'd like to get as good at welcoming someone into my department as I have been about recruiting to get them here in the first place." -- Test Manager
As one of those who heard you last night at the ASQ Merrimack Valley meeting, a hearty "Thank you!" You were in fine form, and helped a number of people to understand (and appreciate) SQA, and SQA Managers. I think a lot of us will be quoting you (consciously or not) for a while. -- Meeting attendee
A test lead said: "A survey of books on testing and metrics left me desperate for real live examples of release criteria. A search for 'release criteria' turned up your paper, "Measurements to Reduce Risk in Product Ship Decisions". Over the course of several months, I developed a habit of discovering something "new and useful" in the paper and implementing it. As it turns out, this careful selection process resulted in me doing everything the paper suggested. In my first two years as a testing lead, I did more testing than leading. Thanks for helping me test less and lead more."
"Just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed your article in the December Computer [IEEE Computer, December 1998]- good going. I enjoy those pearls more than most of the technical articles." -- Frank Bonk.
"You, like me, seem to try to integrate all of the various disjointed facts, studies, and anecdotes into a more unified wisdom about what should happen in the office each day. " -- Senior software engineer, scientific applications
A VP of Product Development said this about Reflections: "Your newsletter is great. You really have a knack for explaining difficult (and often painful :-) concepts so concisely."
Full Testimonials
For three years I was the testing lead at a small company with more work than testers to do the work. Initially, I tried to make up the difference by working weekends and devising clever automation schemes. Neither measure served to narrow the gap between work to be done and available resources.
Finally, I turned instead to publicizing the gap, and its effects on our ability to release quality software. A survey of books on testing and metrics left me desperate for real live examples of release criteria. When prayer failed to produce results, I went to the web. A search for "release criteria" turned up your paper, "Measurements to Reduce Risk in Product Ship Decisions". Jackpot! There I found release criteria and--though it took me awhile to realize it--the proverbial "much, much more."
Over the course of several months, I developed a habit of discovering something "new and useful" in the paper and implementing it. As it turns out, this careful selection process resulted in me doing everything the paper suggested. I worked with developers and managers to arrive at release criteria. I listed all of our test cases in a spreadsheet, produced a graph of tests planned/run/passed per week, produced a graph of check-ins per week, and produced a graph of defects arrived/open/closed per week. All four were eye-openers. Several hundred files per week were being checked in after feature code freeze. Defects were being filed faster than they could be fixed. Testing was not keeping pace with the schedule.
People reacted! Developers clamped down on changes. Managers cut the number of platforms supported. Resources were redirected to bug fixing. Three times, developers stopped what they were doing to help bail out the test effort by running tests. When the ship date arrived and we hadn't met our release criteria, we kept working, and released a month later.
In my first two years as a testing lead, I did more testing than leading. Thanks for helping me test less and lead more.