Ideas worth carrying forward
Articles, white papers, and practical lessons from more than four decades in software testing and quality.
From Randy’s desk
Practical observations for testers, test leaders, and organizations that want software quality to create genuine value.
Joseph Juran, one of the founding fathers of the quality movement, introduced the idea of a “Cost of Quality,” or “CoQ,” in his Quality Control Handbook in 1951.…
Read article October 8, 2026This article was originally posted in February, 2015. It has been revised to reflect current technology and Randy’s thinking. Recently, I responded to a question on Quora.com about…
Read article October 8, 2026You can learn almost anything for free today. There are thousands of articles, videos, tutorials, books, and AI tools ready to answer your questions. Some of that information…
Read article October 5, 2026Test planning is one of those critical test activities that benefits from collaboration. While the test leader or manager is typically responsible for creating and finalizing a test…
Read article August 11, 2026There are many ways to approach test design. These approaches range from checklists to precise algorithms that combine test conditions to maximize testing efficiency. There are situations, such…
Read article August 11, 2026As a consultant and trainer in many organizations over the last thirty-five years, I have observed that the organizations that tend to grow and be innovative also invest…
Read article August 11, 2026When you boil it all down, the first and primary task of software development is problem analysis. Although many people commonly view software development as the process of…
Read article August 11, 2026I often get questions about how to transition from a manual tester to one who can also work with test automation. This is asked by both individuals and…
Read article August 11, 2026Last evening I was watching some YouTube videos to wind down. One video in particular looked interesting, so I started watching. At first, I didn’t notice anything off.…
Read article August 11, 2026I learned early on in my 38-year QA and Testing career that measurement and metrics are important parts of evaluating quality. I have also learned that it’s tempting…
Read article August 11, 2026