Let's Do a Thing and Call It Foo | Maaret Pyhäjärvi | Testμ 2022

About The Talk

What Foo looks like is that we'll take computer-assisted software authorship as our developer, write a comment and get to implementation. As the human pair programmer, we will most likely be held accountable for the results when we pass that on. Foo is what makes us accountable. Not only is our program correct in its implementation, but it also fits the domain for which it was designed.

About The Speakers

Maaret Pyhäjärvi works as the principal test engineer at Vaisala and is an expert exploratory tester. She is a community facilitator, speaker, author, and (polyglot) programmer in addition to being an empirical technologist. She also serves as a catalyst for improvement. She has received two prestigious international testing awards: the Most Influential Agile Testing Professional Person 2016 (MIATPP) and the EuroSTAR Testing Excellence Award (2020).

She has been chosen as one of Finland's Top-100 Most Influential in ICT for 2019, 2020, and 2021, and she will receive the Tester Worth Appreciating Award in Finland in 2022. She has given over 400 sessions while speaking at events in 25 different countries.

She leads TechVoices, enabling new speakers, and blogs at https://visible-quality.blogspot.fi, and is the author of three books: Ensemble Programming Guidebook, Exploratory Testing, and Strong-Style Pair Programming.

Key Topics Covered

Introduction to Software Testing and Development: The session begins with an overview of the current state of software testing, emphasizing the evolution of testing practices and the integration of AI tools like GitHub Copilot in software development.

Exploratory Testing and Its Significance: The speaker discusses the concept of exploratory testing, outlining its importance in identifying issues that automated tests might miss. This approach encourages testers to think creatively and critically about the software they are testing.

GitHub Copilot and AI in Software Testing: The presentation explores the use of GitHub Copilot, an AI-powered code completion tool, in software development and testing. The speaker shares insights into the potential benefits and challenges of integrating AI tools into testing workflows.

Practical Testing Strategies: Various testing strategies are discussed, including boundary value analysis, equivalence partitioning, and error handling. The speaker provides examples of how these strategies can be applied in real-world testing scenarios.

The Role of Testers in Agile Teams: The session highlights the evolving role of testers within agile development teams, stressing the importance of collaboration, continuous learning, and adaptability.

Challenges and Solutions in Testing: Common challenges faced by testers, such as dealing with complex software systems and ensuring comprehensive test coverage, are addressed. The speaker offers practical solutions and best practices for overcoming these challenges.

Future of Testing with AI Integration: The keynote concludes with a forward-looking perspective on the future of software testing, particularly regarding the integration of AI and machine learning technologies. The speaker speculates on how these advancements might change the testing landscape and the skills testers will need to succeed.