A while back I had written a blog post about my thoughts on Future of Testing. Not just that I have been quite vocal with my thoughts at every given opportunity, especially here.

My take on future of testing has always been – in fact I think it is the current state now, that:

1. Testing is not just functional GUI testing
2. Desktop apps are a thing of past
3. With the advent of Web 2, SOA, Cloud, etc. it is getting more and more technical
4. Performance
5. Security
6. Usability
7. Integration
8. Automation
9. …are the areas where the testers of today need to develop skills in

I have interacted with all kinds of testers, testers from different schools, contexts, methodologies, level of experiences, and most of them specialise in functional testing. But if you would really like to be future-proof – then I think Technical Testing is the way forward.

To add fuel to the topic Goranka Bjedov did a great presentation recently at a conference in Wellington: STANZ

In the presentation she shares her past experiences in software testing, especially last couple of years of her life when she comes across some hard reality of life/software quality. And she ends her presentation with the following summary:

1. We can reduce dev time (and costs) by writing productivity tests
2. We can bring in quality by adding smart system tests in right places
3. Think performance, scalability
4. Think usability
5. We can reduce number of machines needed in dat centers
6. We must start calculating and communicating the value of our work (dollar amounts)
7. We must stop being the cost center