Tests, scripted, and taken

So I was watching some short videos on cognitive biases the other day when my mind wandered on to the topic of tests and testing. The things that we do to investigate the quality of software, and the thing most people do in large rooms under time pressure, and I wondered if the most commonly understood meaning of the word testing, as in formal highly structured, controlled and scripted process of answering questions on a specific topic under time pressure to receive a grade has poisoned, to use a dog training term, the ability to get people to understand testing as a process of exploring, learning, evaluating, modeling etc software to help make a value judgement on its quality.

So what do I mean by poisoned, in dog training terms if you have a cue you have taught your dog that elicits a specific behaviour, such as down, to lay on the floor, and then other people repeatedly, and constantly overuse the term, ie more than once per requested behaviour, and also use it to mean get off that thing/me/other person. The dog will stop having a cue down for laying on the floor, and the down cue will like not result in any particular behaviour.

So how am I applying this to the endless education issue around testing in software testing, we are bombarded with the word test and the school exam meaning for many of our formative years, and again if you enter an industry that has a high degree of continuous study and testing to maintain a level of knowledge and does this via formal testing. Rarely do any of these tests reflect our use of the word testing, they seem anathema to it, in fact, all formal, with a gravitas and pomp to give the appearance of great importance. 

Is this in fact the fight that we are having to get people to accept that testing software  can legitimately be exploratory and investigatory, rather than a highly formalised and scripted process, has the interpretation of test become an Alief in the minds of the general population?

What are your thoughts, why is it so difficult to shift the understanding of the word Test?

Doug

If it's a journey...

As those of you who have read previous posts of mine will know, at work we are installing a new ERP system, and taking out the very old one.
One of the phrases that are being used is we are on a journey, this provokes an irrational response of wanting to strangle the individual uttering it.
So I thought I'd explore what about it drives me mad.
The way it is used implies that we are following some path that leads us to our chosen end goal, and if we travel it we will discover what we need to know along the way and get to this nirvana.
However, there is no path, we don't know what we will encounter, we are drawing the map as we go, as what we require is unique to us, as is each major software installation. We don't even know if our compass works here, the things we have used before to direct us no longer apply, the context they worked in, isn't this context.
This journey would be more akin to some explorers landing on a new planet and having to map it all by hand, without knowing whats safe and whats not, let alone having a known destination to head towards, best we have is large geographical features, ie it needs to me able to manage stock.
It is this apparent gap between the reality and the phrase that causes my sanity to fray.

Passion in your job

So as you may know from earlier posts I'm quite new to testing as a full-time job, it's something I've been involved in for a while. As I've progressed in my new role as a software tester, rather than just doing some testing on the side I have come to the realisation that testing, as I now understand it, is something I really enjoy. It speaks to many parts of my mind, it's a constant challenge, with a great deal to learn about, and a huge variety. It turns out that I am very passionate about testing being done well, and that passion is translating to work listening to what I have to say to them.
So what does this meaning for me?
Work are more willing to accept when I tell them something about testing.
They are willing to send me on courses and to conferences.
They are willing to review what I do, as defined by my job title.
But more importantly, they are willing to give me more responsibility, areas of the business that were out of my original reach, yet really needed to review how they test software are becoming places I can influence, they are falling within my remit as a software tester. This hasn't taken long either, my passion for high-quality testing totally changed how we are approaching testing the ERP we are installing, as a knock on from that they are willing to listen to me about minor software changes. letting me help the new testers we have, in terms of coaching, and getting them on courses to help them, inviting me to meetings with the senior developers so I can input early on projects.
All of this is happening because of my highly visible passion for what I'm doing.

If you want to go further where you work, show the passion you have for your role, bring ideas to your boss, push your self-development, let people know how much doing what you do, well, means to you, and how it helps them. Passion for your job does translate to progress.

Doug