I’ve come to realise recently that the way to fine tune an idea or theory is to share it with the wider testing community. I shared an idea I had at The Software Testing Club meetup in Oxford and I got lots of feedback. I have re-evaluated that idea since and fine tuned it. I shall present this idea again at some other peer meetup and again, get the feedback and then adapt and iterate.
It is scary. The first time you share your ideas in a public way via any medium. And sure, there are people in the community who like to argue, to destroy ideas and to belittle others. These people exist in every community. But if you can hold your head high and ignore the nay-sayers then there are a whole bunch of very insightful people offering constructive feedback. The feedback you get on your ideas from these people is invaluable. The scary part is over. You’ve shared your idea. Now to gather the feedback and fine tune it.
It’s important to keep sharing your ideas as they grow so you can keep getting feedback. It’s a great way to develop a peer reviewed theory. Sadly too few people share their ideas before the “big launch”, meaning they leave the “big launch” feeling disappointed and destroyed. Unless of course the “big launch” is your ideal platform to get feedback.
The testing world is changing fast. Our testing domains are changing fast and to keep up and remain relevant in the software industry we need big ideas. We need to experiment and try things out. We need more sharing. We need more creativity.
But don’t expect it to be an easy ride. Putting theories and ideas out in to the wild is asking for feedback, good and bad. Don’t be offended by the feedback. Ignore the Trolls. Don’t take it to heart. Don’t let it grind you down. If you believe in your idea then keep pushing and seek out the audience you need. Gather their feedback, refactor your idea and keep moving forward.Take the rough with the smooth.
The community needs it.
We need change. We need big ideas. We need you to share.
Rob,Well said.When I was launching my company, George Box gave me the following wise advice:”You’ll see three phases of adoption. First, people will tell you ‘It won’t work.’ Next, they’ll tell you ‘OK, I accept that it works in some other situations, but it won’t work HERE.’ Lastly, they’ll say ‘Of course it works… and I thought of it first!’ “Hang in there. Keep sharing your ideas.- Justin
Hi Justin,That’s great and sound advice. I guess having sage advice like that is also a real inspiration to follow your dreams and keep on pushing. Motivating stuff.Thanks for commentingRob..