The testers review the specifications and the manuals, and offer feedback. They also learn how the
feature works, and write test objectives, and test scripts. One tester is thus always available for feedback
both to the developers and other testers, as well as attending meetings.
There is thus a curious relationship between testers and developers. Developers have to report to the
project manager (typically via the team leader). Testers must ultimately report to the test manager. The
test manager is thus a safety-net in the event that testers become pressured by developers. There is also
a point at which testers
???return to the fold???
and execute system tests as part of the test team. That period
is characterized by some strain and sense of betrayal on the part of the developers unhappy that their
tester colleagues have shown that the developers??™ Very Wonderful creations occasionally don??™t work.
9.4 Assessing the Test Team
Despite all the ???good??? things written of them there are several critical attributes testers must have:
??? The ability to find a lot of bugs
??? The ability to find them in odd places
??? The patience to prepare good tests
To assess any team member solely on the number of bugs they find will lead to bug inflation as multiple
manifestations of the same bug are sought rather than different bugs. When assessing team members,
bear in mind both the difficulty involved in finding the bug and the apparent bugginess of the feature
concerned.
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