I’m Michael Bolton.

1. I’m Michael Bolton. http://www.developsense.com

2. I teach people how to test software.

3. James Bach and I co-author a course called Rapid Software Testing.

4. Testing,the way we teach it,is based on heuristics.

5. A heuristic is a fallible methodfor solving a problem.

6. A heuristic often works, and it sometimes fails.

7. In testing, an oracle is a principle or mechanismby which we recognizea problem.

8. All oracles are heuristic. (Not all heuristics are oracles.)

9. Since all oracles are heuristic, an oracle often works,though it can sometimes fail.

10. When we see a problem,it’s a problem with respect to some oracle.

11. Oracles don’t guarantee that there’s a problem, but they point to potential problems.

12. Consistency is an important theme in oracles.

13. So is inconsistency.

14. We suspect a problem if a product is inconsistent withits history.

15. We suspect a problem if a product is inconsistent with our organization’s image.

16. We suspect a problem if a product is inconsistent withcomparable products.

17. We suspect a problem if a product is inconsistent with claims made about it,by important people.

18. We suspect a problem if a product is inconsistent with user expectations.

19. We suspect a problem if a product is inconsistent withits presumed or intended purpose.

20. We suspect a problem if a product is inconsistent withitself, in two or more places.

21. We suspect a problem if a product is inconsistent withstandards or statutes.

22. We suspect a problem if a product is consistent withproblems we’ve seen before.

23. We run the program,and to some, it seems like we just notice problems as we go along.

24. That’s all there is to it.

25. Noticing problems is a very logical, objective, dispassionate process.

26. Isn’t it?

27. Recently, I realized a hole in our profession’s folklore about the processof testing software.

28. That realization led to a question,which I’ll ask presently.

29. But first a little background.

30. I was at a conference, and a presenter was asking why projects based on 100% test automation fail.

31. The presenter was a guy from Microsoft.

32. Never mind his begging the question about what he meant by 100% automation…

33. I noted thatautomation can’tempathize.

34. I noted thatautomation can’tanticipate.

35. I noted thatautomation can’trecognize.

36. I noted thatautomation can’tjudge.

37. I noted thatautomation can’tpredict.

38. I noted thatautomation can’tproject.

39. I noted thatautomation can’tevaluate.

40. I noted thatautomation can’tassess.

41. I noted thatautomation can’tbecome resigned.

42. I noted thatautomation can’tget frustrated.

43. I noted thatautomation can’tinvent.

44. I noted thatautomation can’tmodel.

45. I noted thatautomation can’tresource.

46. I noted thatautomation can’tcollaborate.

47. I noted thatautomation can’tmake conscious decisions.

48. I noted thatautomation can’twork around a problem.

49. I noted thatautomation can’tstrategize.

50. I noted thatautomation can’tcharter.