Adam White

I was impressed by what Cong had done. I thought his summary was thoughtful and showed understanding of the concepts. I went through bugs and reviewed the answers to each of the 4 questions. I learned a few things about the details of our product that I didn’t know before.

I picked up the phone and called him to talk to him about his findings. I gave him credit for doing what he did. When discussing the bugs I asked him if he could do this process for every bug or if it would be too time consuming. His answer was something to this effect “Well even for bugs that I thought were trivial I still learned something from talking with the developer so I’ll have to use judgement in the future”

In discussion of one particular bug I asked him to think about whether it was something we should write down as a test idea for future release and also to help future testers learn about the product. I didn’t give explicit directions/instructions on whether this is an expctation/requirement for him. He will have to figure that out for himself and decide where the info would go.

One point we discussed was that there was no response to my initial request until it was done. Throughout the week I wasn’t sure if he was putting any effort into it. I’m also at fault for not setting expectations for an initial response. We both learned a lesson from this and can now communicate more effectively in the future.

I feel like now when I respond to his daily updates we can speak a common language and have a common understanding.

Here is my summary of this interaction

What went well

• Attempting to make Cong feel safe and that I wasn’t threatening or unhappy with his work. I am his boss’ boss afterall and I had never given him a direct request before
• Clearly set completion date
• Set out expectations on how the end result should be delivered
• Gave some local options for getting help
• Follow up via phone to discuss findings and do a little bit more coaching

What could be improved

• I could have picked up the phone in the beginning and explained the exercise, following up with the email writeup
• In my initial request I could have asked Cong to respond and either accept, reject or negotiate my request and give him a date to do this by
• I could have followed up with him mid-week to see how things were going with the task
• I could have set up a skype call with him

Things to remember when coaching remotely

1. Look for things that will teach you about something of interest to you – not only the person who you are coaching
2. It’s important to set two deadlines – one for the initial response/commitment and one for the actual deadline
3. If you’ve not met the person or had very little interaction with them make sure they don’t feel threatened
4. Give the person options for getting local help
5. Follow up via phone/skype, give feedback watching for anything from #1

I’d love to hear any comments on this situation or thoughts/experiences you have with remote coaching/training

I was using a mind mapping tool called BrainMine. I found a bug that exhibited itself if you printed the mind map and then edited and/or moved a node afterwards. What do you think is going on underneath the covers here?  Would your automation have caught this? How would you automate this test?

The video is here

I wasn’t up on my BB Test assitant skills when this video was taken so you’ll have to infer my troubleshooting process from what you see in the video.

I don’t know why I haven’t done this before. Hot stone massages are awesome!!! They work stones into a normal massage. It is amazing!

We had done relaxation massages with RMTs at this spot before. They have e room with dividers that they open up so the couple can see each other. It’s a great way to spend “quality time” with your significant other. There were at least 4 other couples there on Sunday.

My massage therapist also happened to be a reflexologist. When working on my shoulders which were very tight, she asked “Do you grind your teeth?” I responded that I clinch my jaw when I’m sleeping. She then proceeded to massage my jaw and scalp. My shoulder muscles then relaxed. It was amazing – I’ve never experienced something like that.

We were so relaxed afterwards that we both felt stoned. I wasn’t sure that I should drive because my reaction time was significantly slower. It’s amazing how you can go into somethign with a certain energy and come out feeling like a totally different person.

If you are interested in were we went check out Novo Spa in Yorkville. This area of town is generally known for it’s “upscale” (read: snotty) persona. There is none of that here – service is great and relaxing!

Neetu is in the market for new glasses. A friend gave her the idea that we should go to Pacific Mall to buy them. We (Neetu) decided to make the trek up the DVP to get “cheap glasses”. It was the first time either of us had been to this particular mall. It was a new experience. 

The Pacific Mall experience starts in the parking lot.  There are very few, if any, empty parking spaces. The only option is to sit in a row and wait for someone to leave.  This idea wasn’t that cool with me so I kept driving around looking for a spot. This isn’t such a bright idea since there is so much traffic – vehicle and pedestrian. In my frustration of driving around this huge freakin’ parking lot I went down a row that was a dead end.  As I turned around someone happened to be leaving so I slipped in their spot but not before someone from the other direction tried (and failed) to get in the spot.

The entrance of the mall is home to a variety of smells – some good and not so good. The first visual thing we noticed is the size of the stores. There are so many stores in such tight quarters. Most stores are no bigger than our bedroom. It’s an experience just walking down the aisle where you’ll find clothing stores next to food stores selling squid and other “exotic” munchies, next to stores selling bootleg DVDs.

It was quite easy to find the store we were looking for – Optic Zone – by following the “street signs”. The other sign was the 50% sale. People were packed in like sardines. One salesperson started showing Neetu  frames – the pile must have grown 30 deep at one point.  After picking out the top 3 we got it down to the pair that she would go with. I mentioned that one of the reasons that the frames are so cheap is that they are knock-offs. She didn’t agree so that proves they aren’t knock offs. I’ve learned that part quickly enough after getting married .  

While shopping around we got hungry. When in a place you aren’t used to and given a wide range of choices what do you do? Go to the place with the biggest line up right? Well The Golden Regency had the biggest line-up so we figured it must be good. Well – the “Line equls good” heuristic is just that and heuristics are fallable. This being our first experience with an “authentic” Chinese food place we were pretty excited.

The person who seated us gave us 3 pieces of paper and a pencil and then walked away. Apparantley we are supposed to do something with this. The papers appeared to have checkboxes. Hey – I’ve played this game before! Finally someone comes over to the table to bring us green tea. We start to verbally tell her what we want. I guess this isn’t a good thing. She reluctantly picks up the card and starts to draw pictures on it.  Nobody ever picked up the paper but food got delivered to our table.

We ordered spring rolls, hot and sour soup, chicken fried rice, and beef noodles.  We were expecting very tasty and vibrant dishes. What we got was a sub-par meal. $40 and a huge disappointment later we were still hungry. It was neccessary to take the rest of the food so we didn’t “offend them”. We took the box to go but promptly dumped it in the first garbage can.

As we shopped around some more we found the heritage part of the mall. Really neat stuff in that area. Samurai swords, beautiful paintings, and some other speciality type stores. We wound up buying a gift for someone for Christmas. All-round amazing part of the mall. This is also where the food court is. I think we would have had better luck getting something quick from here.

As we walked through the heritage area a terrific smell kept hitting us. We couldn’t place it until we took one turn and found 3 Asian women in front of griddles. Turns out what we smelled was egg waffle. We bought one and scarfed it down. It was delicious!!!

As we left the mall the sweet smell of moth balls hit us in the face. Hoards of people were standing just outside the door. Part of me wondered – are they trying to get away from the moth balls?

Jazz music at the Diesel Playhouse? That’s an odd venue. I didn’t expect to see jazz there. When I first saw the advertisement in the Globe and Mail I thought it sounded interesting but I didn’t have high hopes. I was worried that Happy Fingers – A Tribute to the Piano would be $20 wasted. I was so pleasantly surprised by what I saw and heard that we went back for the 3rd show of the 4 part series.  You definitely don’t want to miss the 4th and final show on Sunday April 13 at 2:00 p.m..

Happy Fingers is hosted by Jamyz Bee from Jazz.FM91 and sponsored by Remenyi house of music who provided the pianos as well as Wild Horse Canyon who supplied the wines. It’s great to see a new generation of jazz lovers taking in such a wonderful line up of musicians. At the first show the under 30 crowd was non-existent but at the third show there were definitely a lot more young faces in the crowd.

The show begins with 4 or 5 performers doing 10 minute sets of their own music or their interpretations of other people’s songs. During the sets I found a few of the songs hard to follow. There didn’t see to be a rhythm I could tap my finger to. It must be my immature jazz palette. The interpretations of the songs can bring on really strong – Happy, Sad, Excited. Joe Sealy played a song that he had written for his mother. My fiance was so touched by the story he told and the song that tears started to stream down her cheeks. Robert Scott was another performer who told a few great stories before starting to play. It made me feel like I was getting to the know the artist a little bit better.

Diesel playhouse provides a great way to get up close and personal with the musicians.  During intermission patrons and musicians congregate in the hall, near the bar of course. By watching the musicians interact with the guests I got the sense that there was a “jazz crowd”. A group of people that know everyone in the jazz scene. I overheard stories of people who had travelled from the coasts of Canada to come see the show.  It was really great to see and hear. Have the musicians around made it feel like a intimate and private event. After the intermission improvisation starts. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Improv and piano? I thought improv was only for second city.

I’m not a jazz pro but I do know a thing or two about improv. The duets are an amazing display of improvisation applied to jazz piano. At the first Happy Fingers show John Sherwood and Thompson Egbo Egbo were the first to take the stage. What energy! What passion! They were definitely in tune with each other. They made strong eye contact through the whole set. A piece of wisdom I learned at the Second City about making successful improv scenes. They were definitely in the zone to the point that they switched pianos in the middle. The song never missed a beat. It was fun to watch their intensity and how they would watch each other all the while figuring out where to go next just by listening and watching. It was a great showing of giving and taking focus.

At The Second City you practice giving and taking focus through specifically designed exercises. Another improv key is to Yes And offers. This essentially means don’t block your partner. When they say “you have big tooth brush” you go with the tooth brush and don’t change it to “Well it’s actually a toothpick” I could see Yes And happening between the piano players. Even more interesting I could hear it when an offer was strong and someone applied the “Yes And” theory and then took the sound to a whole new level.  At the end of the show all the musicians went out to sign autographs and talk more with patrons. I had a chance to talk with John Sherwood about his duet. “Listening is key – you have to pay attention to what your partner is doing. If you stop listening they you both look bad”. That’s another lesson you learn in second city improv; you exist to make your partner look good. John also commented that “The scaffolding is already there – you know the chords – C minor, G, A -. All the work has been done for us before. We are just putting up new dry wall.”

Getting to talk to the musician after the show really showed their uniqueness. Everything about them is unique. The way they enter the stage, what they say before they start performing, how they bow after their set. Even the way they let you know song is done. Some put their hands down, some look to the crowd. The variety of movements, gestures and facial expressions made me wonder what they are thinking about when they are playing. Sometimes their faces looked as if they were in pain with every key they played.  Other times it looked like they were on top of the world.

I would highly recommend taking in the last show coming up on April 13. It is an awesome way to spend a cold winter sunday afternoon. My fiance and I left feeling relaxed, mellow and energized all at the same time. It’s a great first date spot or just something fun and different to do. The price is right at $20 a ticket.

“Official” Advertisement

April 13 2pm
Diesel Playhouse / 56 Blue Jays Way 416.971.5656
HAPPY FINGERS: A TRIBUTE TO THE PIANO ($20)
 
It’s the birthday of Happy Fingers host/creator Jaymz Bee, this piano tribute will also feature special guest vocalists such as Lyne Tremblay, Sonya Cote and Sophia Perlman. Six piano greats are featured: Adam Makowicz, Adrean Farrugia, David Restivo, Waylen Miki, Elizabeth Shepherd and Robert Scott will perform on a Steinway grand piano (courtesy of Remenyi House of Music).
Tickets are $20 at the door or in advance, but why risk it? GET YOUR TICKETS NOW: dieselplayhouse.com or toll free 1.877.971.5656 

 Links
www.egbo.ca
www.johnsherwood.ca
www.dieselplayhouse.com
www.jazz.fm
www.remenyi.com
www.wildhorsewinery.com
www.timelymanor.ca

What do I do with this information as a user? I don’t know how to troubleshoot this – nor do I have time to. Why can’t it tell me what RSS feeds it’s having a problem with.Of course I searched for the error message using google. I searched for “outlook RSS feeds error” and “RSS feeds error 8004010F” neither of which yeilded a link to a solution.

I like to do testing exercises with my team. Below is a list of links to various activities I have done with the team at some point in time. I usually turn these things into an interactive session. I thought I would share my list with you in case you want to do some of them with your team (or by yourself)

Observation skills
Which way is she spinning?

A similar picture

Cartoon
Powers of Observation

Activity – watch videos and answer questions at the end
New TV Show

Observation – General Link
http://www.smart-kit.com/scategory/brain-art/>Brain Art

Are the two blocks different colors?

How many differences can you find?
Spot the Differences

Activity for Team
How many F’s?

Activity
Optical Illusion

Cartoon
Perception

Video
The Amazing Color Changing Card trick

Where  possible with these exercises I get the team write out their observations before we go into discussions about what they see. This is to help prevent certain biases from showing up – mainly confirmation and hindsight biases

Confirmation bias, according to wikipedia, is a tendency to search for or interpret new information in a way that confirms one’s preconceptions and avoid information and interpretations which contradict prior beliefs.

Hindsight bias, sometimes called the I-knew-it-all-along effect, is the inclination to see events that have occurred as more predictable than they in fact were before they took place. Hindsight bias has been demonstrated experimentally in a variety of settings, including politics, games and medicine. In psychological experiments of hindsight bias, subjects also tend to remember their predictions of future events as having been stronger than they actually were, in those cases where those predictions turn out correct.”

When we did these exercises it made for some really interesting discussions – especiallly the spinning dancer and the different color blocks.  Doing these exercises can help you become aware of (and possibly manage) confirmation and hindsight bias.

Places you might find more information and exercises
Inattentional Blindness
Selective Attention

It’s been a while since my last post. I’ve got lots to write about and not enough time to do it.

 The one thing I do want to mention is the upcoming CAST conference which will be held in Toronto this year. Some of the best minds in software testing will be at this conference. Speakers like Michael Bolton, Robert Sabourin, Jerry Weinberg, Cem Kaner. Not to mention I’ll be doing a presentation as well

The full program is available on the website – you can find it here http://www.associationforsoftwaretesting.org/drupal/conference

Make your reservations soon – Jerry’s tutorial is selling out quickly (if it’s not already sold out)