Comments on: Using Heuristics to Cook http://www.adamkwhite.com/2007/09/30/using-heuristics-to-cook/ Leadership, Management and Software Thu, 30 Sep 2010 05:05:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Testy Redhead http://www.adamkwhite.com/2007/09/30/using-heuristics-to-cook/comment-page-1/#comment-8 Testy Redhead Tue, 02 Oct 2007 20:07:35 +0000 http://www.adamkwhite.com/archives/19#comment-8 This blog gives me some ideas on how to think about my automation (I know, I'm obessed about that topic right now). I have a very sick cat right now who needs extra care, so this morning before I left I made up a crock pot of stew so that it will be ready when I come home so that instead of cooking dinner I can care for this cat. I did many things in advance to ensure that the food will be ready, edible, and clean up will be as efficient as possible. One thing I did was I noticed they had these new "crock pot liners" at the store. I get very annoyed with scrubbing out the crockpot after eating dinner and letting it soak takes time, so I decided to try them. I'm not sure how well it will work, but I figured it was worth a try. It didn't hurt that they were on sale. If the cost of the automation were low enough and had a chance of solving a problem for me when I was at my busiest, I'd be willing to try it even without a guarantee that it would save me time. I'd be willing to risk a semi-ruined dinner or a pan which needed extra scrubbing. The fact that I'll leave a slow cooker on in my house without anyone there already shows I'm willing to take some risk. Maybe I could contain my automation risk to a crockpot rather than setting the entire house on fire. By the way, enjoying cooking shows that you are artistic, where being a good baker shows you are more scientific. Those who can do both are unique. I know a few people who have talent in both areas, but to learn to bake well takes more learning in many cases. I like to cook and rarely use recipes, measure anything, or follow rules, but if you apply those same principles to baking, disaster ensues. Cooking goes by feel more than baking does. I think bridging the gap from cooking to baking so that you can do both is needed to be a good tester who creates good test automation. This blog gives me some ideas on how to think about my automation (I know, I’m obessed about that topic right now).

I have a very sick cat right now who needs extra care, so this morning before I left I made up a crock pot of stew so that it will be ready when I come home so that instead of cooking dinner I can care for this cat. I did many things in advance to ensure that the food will be ready, edible, and clean up will be as efficient as possible.

One thing I did was I noticed they had these new “crock pot liners” at the store. I get very annoyed with scrubbing out the crockpot after eating dinner and letting it soak takes time, so I decided to try them. I’m not sure how well it will work, but I figured it was worth a try. It didn’t hurt that they were on sale.

If the cost of the automation were low enough and had a chance of solving a problem for me when I was at my busiest, I’d be willing to try it even without a guarantee that it would save me time. I’d be willing to risk a semi-ruined dinner or a pan which needed extra scrubbing.

The fact that I’ll leave a slow cooker on in my house without anyone there already shows I’m willing to take some risk. Maybe I could contain my automation risk to a crockpot rather than setting the entire house on fire.

By the way, enjoying cooking shows that you are artistic, where being a good baker shows you are more scientific. Those who can do both are unique. I know a few people who have talent in both areas, but to learn to bake well takes more learning in many cases.

I like to cook and rarely use recipes, measure anything, or follow rules, but if you apply those same principles to baking, disaster ensues. Cooking goes by feel more than baking does. I think bridging the gap from cooking to baking so that you can do both is needed to be a good tester who creates good test automation.

]]> By: Alan http://www.adamkwhite.com/2007/09/30/using-heuristics-to-cook/comment-page-1/#comment-7 Alan Mon, 01 Oct 2007 03:56:15 +0000 http://www.adamkwhite.com/archives/19#comment-7 Good post - I've also <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/alanpa/archive/2006/12/29/exploring-exploratory-testing.aspx" rel="nofollow"> compared testing to cooking </a>in the past (with a slightly different take) and think the creativity involved in the two activities have a lot of similarities. Cooking, like testing, is something you get better at with experience. It also helps to know specific techniques, have some expertise in with certain foods (or a breadth of knowledge), and have a willingness to experiment. Expert chefs discover a few fantastic food ideas purely by accident, but most of their signature dishes are created becaus they have an vast knowledge and encyclopedia of foods, herbs and spices, and can constantly come up with new ways to combine them. Just like testing. Good post – I’ve also compared testing to cooking in the past (with a slightly different take) and think the creativity involved in the two activities have a lot of similarities.

Cooking, like testing, is something you get better at with experience. It also helps to know specific techniques, have some expertise in with certain foods (or a breadth of knowledge), and have a willingness to experiment. Expert chefs discover a few fantastic food ideas purely by accident, but most of their signature dishes are created becaus they have an vast knowledge and encyclopedia of foods, herbs and spices, and can constantly come up with new ways to combine them.

Just like testing.

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