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“Big names” in software testing (ummm… I mean consulting)?

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Recently, I was talking to one of Microsoft’s Technical Fellows about senior engineering roles. He talked about the fact that senior engineers should know of the “big names” of the industry in their field, and that he knew of (or directly knew) the most senior developers at Oracle, IBM, and other big software companies. He asked me about “big names” in software testing, and I realized something obvious that had never struck me before. The big names in software development – names like Grady Booch, Jim Gray, or Alan Kay are big names because of their achievements in software engineering for significant software application or research project. The most well known names in test, on the other hand, are primarily consultants.

Why is that?

Sure, there is an employee of MS who, from time to time is popular in the testing community, but why is it that inevitably, if there’s a tester that everybody in the room knows about, that they are a consultant? And these aren’t usually people who were highly successful changing testing at a particular company who recently became consultants. The most well known names in test are people who have been consulting for years and years.

I’ve got to think about this, as I’m sure there’s a viable solution. I think it has something to do with the immaturity of testing as a profession, the general lack of commitment to quality, and probably a few other things. If you’re reading this and have an idea or two, please take time to share.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    July 28, 2006
    There are several reasons, but some of them are:

    1) "for significant software application or research project."
    can you think of testers that have done significant testing applications or testing research projects?

    There isn't that much research done in testing unfortunately.  

    2) Of the 3 you name, most are in the industrial research side of their companies:
    "Jim Gray is a researcher and manager of Microsoft Research" http://research.microsoft.com/~Gray/
    (Ph.D. in Computer Science from UC Berkley)

    Alan Kay "Senior Fellow at Hewlett-Packard until HP disbanded the Advanced Software Research Team"
    ( Ph.D. from the University of Utah)

    How many PhDs in software testing are working in industrial research labs and publishing papers?

    3)  There are also well known consultants in software engineering like
    Martin Fowler <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Fowler> and Kent Beck <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Beck>
  • Anonymous
    August 05, 2006
    Have you considered following names ?

    Gerald Weinberg  (http://www.geraldmweinberg.com/)
    Cem Kaner (www.kaner.com)
    James Bach (www.satisfice.com)
    Bret Pettichord
    James Whitteker
    Brian Merrick
    Rex Black

    would love to hear your views  - mail me at
    Shrinik@gmail.com.

    Do check out my Blog

    Shrinik.blogspot.com

    -- Shrini Kulkarni



  • Anonymous
    August 10, 2006
    The above list (excluding Whittaker, who is now a Microsoft employee) are indeed all well known consultants.

    Weinberg (who I like) isn't really a test consultant, so I'll exclude comments on him.

    I'm not much of a fan of Kaner or Bach - I think they are both very smart people who focus on bug finding techniques rather than holistic testing.

    I have read some of Pettichord's research, and find it interesting, but (excluding that lessons learned fiasco), I haven't read nor near enough of him to have a fully supported answer.

    Brian Marick isn't focused that much on testing these days, but I wish he were, as he has great, forward thinking ideas on what can be done in testing.

    I've read books by Rex Black, and like what he has to say, but as with Pettichord, I haven't followed him enough to make a fully supported decision.
  • Anonymous
    August 30, 2006
    "I'm not much of a fan of Kaner or Bach - I think they are both very smart people who focus on bug finding techniques rather than holistic testing."

    I don't understand this comment.   The material at http://www.satisfice.com and http://www.kaner.com focuses on things like tester skills, the roles of testing and testers, testing philosophy, epistemology, metrics, etc., etc.   Perhaps the problem is that I don't understand what you mean by "holistic testing".  Could you help me understand?

    "I have read some of Pettichord's research, and find it interesting, but (excluding that lessons learned fiasco)"

    I don't understand this comment either.  Help?

    "The most well known names in test, on the other hand, are primarily consultants.

    Why is that?

    ...

    I’ve got to think about this, as I’m sure there’s a viable solution."

    What's the problem?

    ---Michael B.

  • Anonymous
    September 11, 2006
    The comment has been removed
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