Developing Testers What Can We Learn from Athletes?
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Transcript of Developing Testers What Can We Learn from Athletes?
Developing TestersWhat Can We Learn from
Athletes?
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Paul GerrardGerrard Consulting1 Old Forge CloseMaidenheadBerkshireSL6 2RD UK
e: [email protected]: http://gerrardconsulting.comt: 01628 639173
Why did I put this talk together? Athlete Development
- 2 Minute Introduction to Rowing- A (Development) Squad Training Plan
Tester Development- A Tester Development Plan- Coaching/Mentoring
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Agenda
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Good question! Well… I coach and train testers and rowers Similarities?
- Me, being a know-all, telling other people stuff so they can meet an objective (or two)
- Mainly about human interaction, trial and error, trial and success, behaviour changes driven by feedback
Differences- One mainly ‘physical’, the other completely
mental.
Why did I put this talk together?
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I believe that there enough similarities in overall objective, that some of the methods used in one, could be used in the other
By looking at another discipline, we might obtain insights to how we might improve the way we develop as testers
It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Why did I put this talk together? 2
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Introduction to Rowing
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Sculling- Each sculler has two sculls (oars)
- Single, double, quads (coxed/coxless), octuples (coxed)
Rowing- Each rower/oarsman/woman has one oar or blade
- Pair, Four (coxed/coxless) or Eights (coxed) Cox – the little guy who steers and gives orders Basic movement in rowing and sculling is the
same.
Rowing 101
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From the power of eights…
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…to the grace of a single sculler ;-)
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Something more graceful than me
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Womens’ Head of the River 2006
A (Development) SquadTraining Plan
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Squad goals- To represent MRC in three head races and three summer
regattas at Novice level- To improve crew endurance to achieve target time for
2000m on Dorney Lake in IV and/or VIII – March- To improve crew technique to match Women’s squad
Personal goals- To improve specific points of rowing technique for each
individual- To achieve an agreed level of skill in a single sculling boat- To improve PBs on Ergometer for 500m, 2000m, 5000m
by agreed targets- To be capable of rowing in Womens squad next season.
1 Year Goals
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Achieve one novice head event win in IV or VIII for all squad members
Achieve one novice summer regatta win in any boat for all squad members
Win a pot at Maidenhead Regatta?
Ambition
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Overload - athletes subjected to progressively higher stresses to develop strength and endurance
Recovery - adaptation takes place during recovery, not the training session itself
Specificity – training sessions will aim to develop a specific area of technique or physiology
Reversibility – the body can reverse any of the adaptations (i.e. stop training – lose speed, strength etc.)
Evaluation – constant monitoring to plan training, recovery and improve the plan itself.
Training Principles
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Five key areas- Rowing technique
- Flexibility/mobility
- Strength
- Power
- Endurance
Overall Training Strategy
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Ergometer – instrument of torture
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Four core sessions per week Typical winter session in gym/Ergos will last
maximum 90 minutes On-water sessions will typically last 60-80
minutes Sessions to start and finish promptly On occasion, two sessions may occur on
Saturdays/Sundays Training will taper off towards competition
days.
Training Plan Structure
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Basic rowing movement and land fitness training on ergometers and in gym
Rowing technique in boat, technical drills/exercises
Technical paddling will be done at low intensity Basic sculling and rowing technique will be
taught Video will be used as a training tool, on water
and on Ergos Squad members will get CDs containing all
footage of crews and individuals.
Training Approach
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Critical part of training and development is the ability to monitor progress towards goals
One of the following tests will be performed monthly- 20 minute test on Ergo
- 1000m, 2000m test on Dorney Lake (still water)
- 1500m (approx) test on Thames at Maidenhead
- Occasional, informal sculling “heads”.
Testing
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Terminology- Standard ARA terminology will be used,
except for exercise names which are often non-standard – a glossary will be provided
- Squad are expected to be “fluent” Crew Selection
- Selection for boat places for competitions may be necessary
- Main Criteria will be commitment.
Other stuff
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Plans covering the three main training periods will exist:- September-December (created/agreed
August)
- January-April (created/agreed December)
- May-July (created/agreed April)
- The period mid August to Mid September will be a ‘rest period’.
Training Periods
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Paul will present the overall Training Strategy to the squad (end July/early August)
Commitment is sought from each squad member to the plan to establish the need for equipment and whether IV or VIII (or quad) will be the primary training and competition boat.
Start-Up
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Training bandsBand Type of work % max Rate SPM What it is good for How you feel
UT2 Utilisation 2. Light aerobic, low intensity work. Sustainable and fat-burning.
55-70 16-20split:
General cardiovascular (CV) fitness Relaxed. Able to carry on conversation.
UT1 Utilisation 1. Aerobic work using more oxygen.
70-80 20-24split:
Higher level of CV fitness. Working. Feeling warmer. Heart rate and respiration up. May sweat.
AT Anaerobic threshold. Harder work. On the aerobic limit.
80-85 24-28split:
High level of CV fitness. Building mental and physical endurance.
Hard work. Heart rate and respiration up. Carbon dioxide build up. Sweating. Breathing hard.
TR Oxygen Transportation. Working hard. Unsustainable for long periods. (2000m race pace)
85-95 28-32split:
Developing oxygen transport to the muscles under stress. Increasing cardiac output.
Stressed. Panting. Sweating freely.
AN Anaerobic (without oxygen). Short burst of maximum effort. Unsustainable. Burning carbohydrate. (500m race pace)
95-100 32+split:
Anaerobic work. Increasing speed. Accustoming body to work without oxygen.
Very stressful. Gasping. Sweating heavily.
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A Tester Development Plan
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Overload – testers need to be subjected to progressively more demanding training to develop a broader skill-set
Recovery/Adaptation - adaptation takes place during debrief, reflection, implementation – post-training
Specificity – training sessions should aim to develop a specific area of technique or skill
Reversibility – the tester can reverse any of the adaptations (i.e. stop training/using skills – lose those skills/capability)
Evaluation – constant monitoring to plan training, adaptation and to improve the plan itself.
Tester development plan - Principles
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Team goals- To apply new methods/approaches consistently across
the team, to the next project- To make the team more flexible by acquiring new skills
and making team members interchangeable Personal goals
- To improve technical, planning, managerial skills in specific areas
- To improve interpersonal skills in specific areas- To improve self-evaluation or independent evaluation
scores- To be capable of taking responsibility for e.g. test
planning, team supervision, test reporting
(1 Year) Goals
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Goals need to be related to capability,SMART* and RELEVANT
* specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and tangible
Examples:- Prepare tests for a new application,
unsupervised
- Manage product risks from requirements through to implementation
- Be recognised as a Centre of Excellence for test automation
Ambition (planned achievements)
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Ambitions should reflect desirable achievements, scheduled to occur in less than a yearSMART* and RELEVANT
Testing theory: terminology, ideal process, underlying principles, standards…
Testing skills: verbal reasoning, numerical/abstract reasoning, fault diagnosis, accuracy…- http://www.criticalthinking.org/resources/TRK12-strategy-
list.shtml Testing practice: practical hands-on – planning,
designing, running, exploring, incident logging… Interpersonal skills: awareness of self and others,
listening, questioning, presenting, helping, influencing, negotiating, teamworking, managing relationships…
Overall Training Strategy
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Personal development plan 360 degree feedback – colleagues,
managers, direct reports, customers, others…
Agreed budget for off-the-job training Agreed time allowance for on-the-job
training
Development Plan Structure
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Regular review of the development plan as it’s a living document.
Testing theory: standard classroom or self-study courses (ISEB for basics; focused, specialist courses on testing)
Testing skills: critical thinking skills, 35 of them – brief 1-2 hour focus every two weeks
Testing practice: organisational process, standards, templates coached by peers; regular practical hands-on refreshers: test programs, exploring, incident logging
Interpersonal skills: micro-skills can be taught and practiced in work and classroom situations; scenario-based case-studies, role-playing etc. cover higher-level skills.
Training Approach example
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Test design quiz to measure/hone techniques skills
Testing/critical thinking practicals (Testing Case Studies) :- Reviews of documents with known issues
- Hands-on tests of software with known bugs
- Incident reporting and independent assessment 360 feedback to review IP skills Post-project reviews.
Testing and feedback
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Testing needs to be competitive, non-threatening, informative and relevant.
Terminology: team need to be “fluent”
Team selection linked to development attainment
Promotion linked to development progress.
Other stuff
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Testers need to regard ‘being selected’ for a team as a key objective.
Promotion comes from being a “first team” regular.
There is no ‘season’ for testers, but development activities can be synchronised to projects- Between projects: post-project reviews, 360
feedback, classroom training, testing, development plan review, goal setting
- Early in projects: review participation, test design refresher courses
- Mid-project: Testing Case-Studies- Late-project: let the testers do their job;
managers should monitor performance at peak times
- Project end-game: personal self-assessments, prepare for 360 feedback
Training “Periods”
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Team and individual development plans agreed and communicated early in ‘the season’
Commitment is sought from each individual to the team and individual development plans to establish the need for additional resources, budget, time, equipment etc.
Development plans can by synchronised with overall resource plans with effort allocated to development activities.
Start-Up
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Training typesType Type of training What it is good for
Private Review Practical (TCS)
Standard technical review of documents with known problems
Critical thinking, perseverance, attention to detail, systematic approach
Review Participation Review, with others, of project documents
Independent, critical review; team working; review process; giving criticism; verbal/written communications; decision making
In-house inter personal skills courses
Classroom-based, workshop format with role playing and team discussion
Focused on specific interpersonal skills, as required.
Practice Testing and Bug Reporting
Practical testing of prepared programs, logging incidents
Hands on fluency with self-confidence to run tests, explore software programs, log incidents and compare with model incident reports.
ETC ETC
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Coaching/Mentoring
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In sport – coaches are fundamental to success – why don’t test teams have a coach?
Testers must trust the coach to observe, guide, advise, motivate
Coach competences – to be effective, some very specific competences are required.
Coach-Tester Relationship
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Don’t need to be a current or ex-Olympic medallist to coach Olympians
Don’t need to be a champion tester to coach testers
Fluency in the skills to be taught is required
Enthusiastic and ability to enthuse others.
Coach competencies
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Communication skills are paramount- How to communicate a vision
- How to listen, observe, interpret
- How to advise, cajole, convince, influence Observation, observation, observation!
- Once the plan is set, all technical coaching input starts with observation
- Ability to identify, observe and communicate the indicators of success.
Competencies 2
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Wins of course, but competitions are infrequent!
Need to coach the tester to recognise the signs of success, to self-motivate and wish to improve
Signs of mastery (personal)- Independent work, ability to consult/advise, scores
in tests, confidence, comfort in their role, enjoyment Signs of achievement (in the eyes of peers)
- Work rate, capacity, regarded as a master, peer role model (“the one to copy/beat”).
Indicators of success
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Communication in terms of analogies, metaphors, comparisons, examples, stories
Often, people don’t understand straightforward technical descriptions
Need to make the message accessible by using real-life stories or metaphors
Interpersonal classes often use related, not directly comparable examples to illustrate points
Don’t underestimate the value of humour.
communication
communication
communication!
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Feedback to the tester is critical:- Technical faults (with care and
consideration)
- Test results and interpretation Feedback from the coach
- Does the tester understand, appreciate the point being made by the coach?
- Does the tester believe/commit to the implicit, explicit changes in behaviour being sought?
Feedback
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Motivation is more important in training than in competition- Training lasts much longer, is costly in effort
and much more draining than competition
- No instant reward – that’s months away In competition, athletes shouldn’t need
motivating – competition is WHY we train- Competition is PAYBACK time for all those
long hours, effort, boredom, pain, injury.
Motivation - Sport
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Motivation is more important on projects- The job is continuous, lasts longer, costly in
effort, more demanding, unrewarding perhaps- Coach should be prominent in the team, asking
questions, giving guidance, open to suggestion- Coach should treat the project as an
opportunity to learn, to witness the training being applied, to refine the training itself
In training, testers shouldn’t need motivating- Training is often regarded as a REWARD in itself- But to train hard requires discipline and
commitment.
Motivation - Testing
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There are obvious parallels between the athlete and tester’s training, coaching and development
Personal and team development goals and plans agreed and committed to
More attention on critical thinking, interpersonal and practical (+ some theory) skills is required
Opportunities exist for training and evaluation on the job itself
Coaches/coaching are underused (if used at all).
Close
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gerrardconsulting.com
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Thank-You!
Developing TestersWhat Can We Learn from
Athletes?
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