A Tester’s Role in Requirements Exploration

Having a shared understanding of desired and undesired behaviors for each new product feature is key to delivering value to the business frequently and predictably. However, many teams lack this understanding even as they start coding. As testers, we can explore feature specifications early, contributing to a successful and timely delivery. With a testing mindset, testers can elicit examples from stakeholders and help turn them into test scenarios that guide development. Janet Gregory will explain how incorporating that tester mindset and using test techniques during requirements exploration can accelerate test planning, enhance product quality, and uncover missing, conflicting, erroneous, and unnecessary requirements. The tester’s role changes and expands; it is not only about finding defects or breaking illusions about the product, it is also about helping to prevent the defects in the first place, or finding them early enough in the process to reduce risk caused by misunderstandings. Join Janet to learn how to use your testing skills throughout the development process.