Now in my last blog post I talked about developer and tester walkthroughs. We have now been doing this for a while now and as with all new things you learn some lessons. Below is some advice that I can give to help you get the most of of these sessions:
1) Have decent kit
If you are talking to someone in the office this is not a problem but If you are talking to remote workers, make sure that both parties have a decent microphone and headphones. Nothing is more frustrating than not be able to hear the person you are talking too, you may also miss an important point.
2) Don't be afraid to ask any questions
If looking at code is a new experience for you then don't be afraid to ask any questions. Any code can seem complex and if you don't have much exposure to code it may seem daunting. However, over time the answers to the simple questions will eventually grow into a good base understanding of the application and your questions will become a little more focused.
3) Fully understand what the change is
Before you have the walk-through it is useful to look at the change that you will be reviewing. Now you may not understand all of it (It depends on how changes are documented) but this will prepare you for the walk-through and any potential issues to look out for in the code. These issues may be at a higher level but as you go through the code you can ask questions around the code where you think the issues may lay.
4) Stick to the time-box
Now time boxes are sometimes hard to keep to but I found for these walkthroughs it is important not to overrun. Sometimes you can digress and then the session can overrun and you lose focus on what you are going through. Stick to the time box and make sure you stay focused on the change you are discussing. Anything else can be talked about at a later time. Its better to focus hard for 30 mins that spend 1 hour leisurely going through a change,
5) Make it a video call
If you are having a walk-through with someone remotely then make the call a video call. This makes the walk-through more personal and its always better (IMO) to see the person you are talking to. You can tell a lot about people by their facial expressions and body language. So for example, if you ask a question and the developer has a confused look on there face (which is often the case with me :) ) this may tell you that you need to be a little more focused with what you are asking. This will help you refine your questioning skills.
6) Talk through even complex changes
Even if you have no experience of coding, going through complex changes can be useful. Now you may not understand all of the code but by it may help you in the future with other walkthroughs. If the code is particularly complex, don't keep asking the developer lots of questions so that you end up spending hours on the walk-through. Try and balance the questions so that you get a good level of understanding of the change even if you don't understand all of it. The more you go through complex changes the more your knowledge and confidence will grow and so will your level of questioning. This can be tricky and will depend on the individual tester and their experience, ability and confidence.
So here are my hints and tips. If you have any please feel free to comment......
If you are talking to someone in the office this is not a problem but If you are talking to remote workers, make sure that both parties have a decent microphone and headphones. Nothing is more frustrating than not be able to hear the person you are talking too, you may also miss an important point.
2) Don't be afraid to ask any questions
If looking at code is a new experience for you then don't be afraid to ask any questions. Any code can seem complex and if you don't have much exposure to code it may seem daunting. However, over time the answers to the simple questions will eventually grow into a good base understanding of the application and your questions will become a little more focused.
3) Fully understand what the change is
Before you have the walk-through it is useful to look at the change that you will be reviewing. Now you may not understand all of it (It depends on how changes are documented) but this will prepare you for the walk-through and any potential issues to look out for in the code. These issues may be at a higher level but as you go through the code you can ask questions around the code where you think the issues may lay.
4) Stick to the time-box
Now time boxes are sometimes hard to keep to but I found for these walkthroughs it is important not to overrun. Sometimes you can digress and then the session can overrun and you lose focus on what you are going through. Stick to the time box and make sure you stay focused on the change you are discussing. Anything else can be talked about at a later time. Its better to focus hard for 30 mins that spend 1 hour leisurely going through a change,
5) Make it a video call
If you are having a walk-through with someone remotely then make the call a video call. This makes the walk-through more personal and its always better (IMO) to see the person you are talking to. You can tell a lot about people by their facial expressions and body language. So for example, if you ask a question and the developer has a confused look on there face (which is often the case with me :) ) this may tell you that you need to be a little more focused with what you are asking. This will help you refine your questioning skills.
6) Talk through even complex changes
Even if you have no experience of coding, going through complex changes can be useful. Now you may not understand all of the code but by it may help you in the future with other walkthroughs. If the code is particularly complex, don't keep asking the developer lots of questions so that you end up spending hours on the walk-through. Try and balance the questions so that you get a good level of understanding of the change even if you don't understand all of it. The more you go through complex changes the more your knowledge and confidence will grow and so will your level of questioning. This can be tricky and will depend on the individual tester and their experience, ability and confidence.
So here are my hints and tips. If you have any please feel free to comment......
Comments
Post a Comment