As a continuum of my post on test approach best fit vs first fit, thought id present Heuristic testing as a means of getting this done….

Question is “What is heuristics”

Well, a heuristic is a rule of thumb solution to a problem that may qualify as the solution but need not necessarily be so….. This a terminology where emphasis lies on the potential of a thought, approach or method to be come the solution for a problem.

How does this help testing…… Well QA and testing has reached very appreciable maturity levels the worldover (barring India ) that for any given problem posed you have a sizeable set of solutions as compared to what you would have 10 years back. Let say i want to do funtional testing. There are umpteen number of options at hand like the following:

• Sticking to age old manual testing.
• An automated solution ( just because a testing can be automated it need not be)
• The possibility of using my own custom scripts.
• Possibility of using COTS products ( high industry affinity)

Now heuristic testing is a methodology where the set of n possible solutions are all given equal importance initially. Then begins the probing stage where the validity of accepting any of these n solutions is questioned and a process of elimination gets kicked off. Darwin says “The fittest will survive”. Well if thats true for the cosmos then why should not hold true for Testing Methodologies ?

The biggest truth is “Winrunner need not be the best solutions for your functinal testing requirements just because your QA Consultant know only that !!!!! ”

Sorry if that came across too hard…… but then in many cases i have seen the following classic case “My carpenter knows how to use the only the hammer and i want him to put in a screw. So he bangs the bejesus out of the screw till it goes in….. End result i have a wall that looks like its survived world war II……… and we give him an award for ontime service delivery but failed to realize that the next day a painter and a mason will have to come in for damage control post deployment………” Now i be that sounds like a familiar story…….

This is where we do Heuristic testing where the primary focus is not on getting A single solution but to ascertain what options we have. Then we get around to finding our best option after careful analysis by questioning the authenticity of each of our options and let the fittest solutions emerge as the winner….

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A picture is worth a thousand words…… Presenting the synopsis of what i mean

The nut bolt analogy would give u a small idea of how this is relevant to testing. There is always a set of N possible ways to test and application/product. This is the “superset of all solutions”. Out of this a small subset can be derived by using filters like

• Feasibility
• Compatibility
• Efficiency
• Capability
• Time

Once this subset has been derived, we reach the set of n possible testing solutions. Now in most delivery models that i have encountered, the focus of the testing group is to find out “a” solution rather than “the” solutions. Especially in the Indian IT scenario testers are highly susceptible to the “tunnel vision syndrome” where the first solutions that rings a bell is pursued.

What do I do about it?

Well for starts here are a few pointers:

• To start creating an overall strategy, have the best testers on-board work in silos.
• DO NOT rely on the collective intelligence of the team at this stage. That will come in later.
• DO NOT interfere with the independent thought process of the the “silo’ed testers”.
• Once individual approaches are derived, bring the team to the table.
• Battle mode: This is where “collective intelligence” begins. Discuss the various approaches on table.
• Survival of the fittest: Darwinian theory will do the rest for you. The best will emerge as none of the “silo approaches” but as the common maximum of the best approaches put forth by each tester.

This is how you can ascertain the “best fit” test approach and NOT pursue the first stray thought.

Testing principle: Excellence is always instilled never inbuilt.

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