This sounds like testing

Previously compared
This week I already made a posting with a relation between music and testing Patterns in music and software testing. In that post I tried to link it to the way we try to value music towards testing based on identification of certain patterns.

Today I drove in my car to work, normally I listen to the programs on the radio, this time I shared that time. I listened to the radio and again to the band Conorach.

Previously I tried to compare the music with other artist I know. As already spoken I noticed there were some patterns I recognized in the music and based on those I compared it with the others. This time I made also a comparison within the music.

Comparing with numbers
It starts with identification of patterns. If you are aware of patterns you are willing to look at it in different ways. Instead of trusting the known approaches you can search for other relationships.
I think there are certain steps you can make. I'm sure there are books which explain this better than I will do know. Only, books are not available yet/now when the mind is throwing ideas :)

You can listen to music in different ways. Your perception will be defined based on who, how, when, what, why you will listen the music. Are you listening a song you already heard about, listening the whole CD or is it live? Are you in a good mood which fit the music or artist? Do you want to listen since you need to recover from an exhausting testing session? Or, do you need to energy to start with it?
You can listen in different ways, focus might shift/change.

When I was driving in my car I shifted to focus from comparing the music and certain pieces with other artist towards comparing parts between the songs on de CD.

Seems in songs you can use other artists as Oracles, you can also use the songs of that artist as an Oracle. This sounds familiar, don't you think.

Comparing with testing
Imagine you replace artist with system and you replace songs with functionality. This gives the following sentence: "Seems in functionality you can use other systems as Oracles, you can also use the functionality of that system as an Oracle."

To me it seems that music can be used well defining approaches for testing. Perhaps even better then the traditional methods. Ouch, now I might be walking on thin ice. It is not that I am against the traditional project or test methods/approaches. I only experienced too often that maintaining the arguments for using methods is the goal instead of the goal you start using those methods. For me it always helped to change the glasses I was looking to. I tried to look at projects/systems with other point of views. This is necessary as systems are built for humans and organisations. They are also different which result in differences in perception.

Differences in perception is a strength

Music is also different, we all experience songs, music, tunes different, people are different. This leads that perception of music is different. Still we are able to value them within a short period. Some will like the music and some will not. If people have to listen together to music then often is avoided to play music only a small group likes. Imagine you are at work and you play your song and only you like it. Your colleagues might get annoyed by that tune (they wont call if music). This will lead in irritation, lesser performance by them, focus on wrong things. A solution for this is a mutual understanding and knowing that the optimal situation per individual is not obtainable. You have to define a common goal.

Define a common goal

To define a common goal you can use heuristics for it or perhaps use the quality attributes mentioned in ISO-9126. Perhaps this works out. The danger I see is that again best practices become leading instead of first thinking which best practice is the most valuable here. Also, is there a need to learn more best practices first. Learning from music might be a good way.

If a human being is able to value it using their mind and willing to learn from it. Why not use music as a metaphor to help testing software. If people on a work floor can come together about music then it must be valuable to use it also coming together about using systems.

Some instruments are easy to play, especially by experienced people. Some words are better to sing and understand. There might be differences in keeping the tune right. Some can some won't. Compare the guitar sound between songs, artist and time. Even an artist is growing in a direction.

Music is the way
What I'm trying to say is that it might be good if you are following traditional steps to make other moves and learning from music might be such a move. I challenge you to keep learning from situations and don't be distracted by ideas from others like methods etc. Try to listen to the music of the artist I started with: Conorach. I'm curious what you can learn from it. And how you learn from it.

I noticed some riffs from Joe Sattrianni, tunes from the Dubbliners, voices from The Nits, Iron Maiden is also involved and somehow the quietness of Pink Floyd and the piece of Bach. I also noticed other artists I forgot the name. If I try, I can find other songs which seem a bit similar.
I noticed that in a system functionality can be pointed to instruments, some are solid and some are fragile. Some are nice and some are fast. Some are played from paper and some jamming.

If we can come together valuing music would it be able to come together on testing? Accepting the differences in methods/approaches/systems/people?

Patterns in music and software testing

New music
Yesterday I bought a CD from a colleague who plays in a band called Conorach. In the past he already mentioned about this activity and after an announcement of a new CD release I spend time to pay more attention to it and listen to the demo on their site. Somehow I got convinced to learn more about this band. I decided to support them by buying their CD. That CD I obtained yesterday and was able to listen in the car driving back home.

The ride back home was quite a journey; next to learn from their experience I also learnt about how I look/listen at things.

Travelling home
Imagine: you are sitting in a car, driving all alone, it is already dark outside and there are just a few people on the road. You listen to music you were curious about and never heard much about it. It is not that type of cover-band who brings you music of songs you heard somewhere. It is a band with their own sound.

I like to drive in my car when it is quite and dark. It enables me to think more about things I usually don't care/mind/think about. The situation here is that I like different types of music. If I have to define a range it is hard to do as the music cannot be compared. It differs from The Dubbliners to U2 from Bach to Marillion, from Metallica to de Dijk, from the Baseballs to Pink Floyd, from Fats Domino to Rage against the machine. There is no direct similarity between the choices of sound. Though, the knowledge and my experience with these bands shaped my vision and experience with music.

Try to like it
I started to listen to the music which was playing on my radio. Let me call it the "new" music. Somehow I heard sounds which were familiar to me, they were even sounds I like. First thing I noticed is that I started comparing the "new" music with the perception and knowledge I have about my known "old" music. I wondered if it is human nature when you are doing things with an open vision you try to compare it with other similar things you like.
I did. I tried to compare it with music I know and like. I tried to find the best feeling of my knowledge in the "new" music. I did this for every song and noticed that a song as whole item could not be compared with another artist. Parts of it were comparable.

Are there parts I liked?
After a few songs I changed my approach from comparing whole songs with known artists to parts of songs and even usage of instruments to artists and other music. I choose to compare it on a positive way; compare with things I like. I did this on purpose as the trip was not yet to end. It is better to listen in a good mood then in a negative mood. (I assume) Somehow, this approach made me to learn more about the music. I was able to extend my vision. Not only to recognizable sounds of instruments, patterns of music; also combination of instruments compared with voices. I managed to listen how the volume was used and value that experience.

Finally
As trips ends a CD has also an ending. Within the hour I learned some about a “new” sound, how things can be compared, how I compare things, which I had a good feeling about the music, much more to look at and to check. I manage to value this music and willing to spend more time to listen to it. Listening becomes a journey of its own. Therefore alone it must be some good music, at least parts of it.

Relation with testing?
I know there are items written which might support certain ideas, or part of it. Recently I read a blog which is referring to a book from G. Weinberg with respect to holistic thinking and quality assurance. Unfortunately I’m not in the luck yet to read that book/books. To me it doesn’t matter that much. I believe that it values more to a person who is able to come up with own ideas/thoughts then reproducing others; although it is good to support the thoughts with other ideas :)

Looking back to this experience I believe that in software testing we can experience similar situations.
- compare projects as whole vs compare projects as parts
- compare it with one method vs use more models as comparison
- try to find the best of a situation vs wasting energy to worse part
- try to challenge your thoughts vs sticking to traditional ideas
- see it as a tour of experience vs focus on safe processes
- start with open mind vs use best practices to define approach

Personal lesson
From just listening to new music I learned something about myself. I was triggered to be careful to when using best practices. Knowing methods is good, having experience might count. It only count when it is used justified. My thoughts might be fallible, even my first impressions. I believe in the strength of teaching myself and sharing these thoughts with you will be valuable.
It is good for people to be aware of the pitfall to step in old behaviour and come up with “old conclusions”.

Another thing I liked about this was the awareness you can learn from everything if you open your eyes, ears and mind and try to find relationships. What seems to be different is not definitely wrong. Changes focus from negative perception towards positive attitude might result in new energy which leads to new areas to explore.

As patterns can be recognized based on the view you have, you might be aware of patterns. If patterns are in music in this example, patterns are in testing. If you don’t see a pattern, then spend time to focus and defocus.

Awareness can grow if you are open for it and support skills and craft.