Episode #7— Taking Testing Seriously – James Bach

James Bach is the founder of the RST Methodology and co-author of “Taking Testing Seriously: The Rapid Software Testing Approach”. He’s been in the IT Testing field since the 1980’s. Together, we discussed:

1️⃣ How he got into testing , it’s influences & why he created RST→ From teenage game programmer, he became the youngest R&D manager at Apple, then a tester frustrated that most books don’t actually teach how to test—only how to write test cases and follow specs.

2️⃣ The RST definition of testing→ Testing is a human learning activity that consists of evaluating a product by learning about it through experiencing, exploring, and experimenting with it—not just executing scripts or checking boxes.

3️⃣ What makes great testing→ Excellent testing requires skill, motivation, and time, and benefits from independent testers who are rewarded for finding problems. Great testers are “finely tuned instruments” aware of biases and using deep testing or tools like the Heuristic Test Strategy Model (HTSM) to structure and sharpen their thinking.

4️⃣ Common Risks in software development→ Security often overlooked, usability not always tested deeply enough, and how a lack of variety in test data hides many of the most interesting bugs.

5️⃣ Start a QA career today→ While commercial certifications don’t improve the craft, building a portfolio (bug reports, test notes, tools, coverage outlines) + focusing on areas like security testing and testing AI systems is a far better career move.