Rating: 
Summary: Pragmatic software-testing advice in bite-sized lessons
Review: If you're looking for a long-winded theory of quality and testing, look somewhere else. The format of "Lessons Learned in Software Testing" is as praiseworthy as its content. In less than 250 pages, you will find almost 300 tidbits of testing experience --called "lessons"-- covering the gamut of discipline of software testing. For the testing professional, reading Lessons Learned is like being coached on hitting home runs by Babe Ruth.
Rating: 
Summary: The Worst Book on Software Testing
Review: The authors admit the following (on page xxiii):
1- "This is NOT a comprehensive guide to software testing"
2- "This book is NOT a collections of lessons that are always true" (!)
3- "Some lessons that have been usefull and important in our careers may NOT work for you. Use your own judgment" (!!)
4- "This book is NOT a collection of best practices. We don't believe in best practices" (!!)This is a real bad book. The only lesson you may have to learn is "how to sell used books in auctions!"
Rating:
Summary: General Ideas Learned the Hard Way
Review: The book consists of nothing more than what the three authors have encountered. I found myself nodding in agreement with much of what is in the book. The ideas are presented independently of each other, grouped logically into a variety of topics. Because the "lessons" are exactly that, general lessons gained from experience and not an attempt to promote a specific "best" process, some of the ideas seem to contradict each other. However, people with experience in a variety of IT positions, including software testing, will get something usefull from the book. True novices will probably have a hard time with it.
Rating:
Summary: Read a few at a time
Review: This book contains 293 "Lessons". Each seems to be meant for people with certain experiences and certain problems; some very broadly defined, others more tightly. So, how do I grade 293 lessons? One way would be to average them, another to pick on the worst (from my point of view). I choose to pick out the ones that hit me the hardest; the best from my point of view. I've been a developer, a tester, a test manager, and am now a grad student studying testing with Dr. Kaner. This book was the proximate cause of the last. If I had had this book a couple of years ago, I believe I would have done a much better job as test manager, and my project would have succeeded better with our customer. This is the second best book on testing that I've ever read. By the time I saw Lesson 31, I had already learned it the hard way. "A Requirement is a quality or condition that matters to someone who matters." It doesn't matter what the requirements document says; you ignore the opinion of someone who matters at your peril. I did. Lesson 57: "Make your bug report an effective sales tool." My bug reports developed a pretty good reputation with most of the developers, so I quit paying as much attention to putting convincing arguments in them. Then, we got some new senior developers. I was back at square one without quite realizing how I got there. Don't do that. Lesson 235: "Staff the testing team with diverse backgrounds." When I became test manager, I looked for people like me: computer science degree with developer experience. Well, such people don't work as testers, especially for the location and money we offered. I first hired a young woman with Army training. Later, I figured out how lucky I had been; she was one of the two best testers who worked for me. I learned a lot about my blind spots from her pointing them out to me. I'd hate to have tried to do the job without her or many of the other people very different from me (and her) that I hired. Lesson 240 "During the interview, have the tester demonstrate the skills you're hiring for." After having a lot of bad results from traditional interviewing, we wrote a series of tests and gave the appropriate one (testing, SQL, C++, etc.) to each candidate. Afer that, we found our rate of bad hires was down sharply. We hired several people whom we would not have hired based on our traditional interview questions; almost all turned out well. What am I learning? Lesson 17: "Studying epistemology helps you test better." I hope so; I'm studying it. Lesson 76: "Always report nonreproducible errors; they may be time bombs." I'm keeping more lists of these now. No good results yet. Lesson 266: "Learn Perl." Yep, there's more than one way to do it. (BTW, the best book on testing I've ever read is Testing Computer Software, 2nd. Kaner, Falk, Nguyen.)
Rating: 
Summary: Poor Comments in a Good Book
Review: This book contains a lot of good information especially for those further removed from the testing process. I'll let other reviews speak to these issues. Unfortunately, the authors have polluted their work with politically correct opinions lightly sprinkled throughout the book. The most egregious example is in lesson number 235 on test team diversity. After correctly pointing out the need for technical diversity and rewarding people based on results, the authors do a 180. Just after stating the dangers of racism, sexism and ageism, they authors engage in racist and sexist discrimination by bashing white males. They state that "...groups...dominated by white males...are particularly counter-productive in testing." Since testers (are supposed to) analyze things, and I'm a tester, let's analyze this statement. If you're hiring white males just because they are white males and not for their technical ability, then you should expect problems. Ditto for any other race, gender (I'm waiting for this to encompass sexual orientation any day now) or age. In other words, this statement adds no value so why single out and bash white males, except to gain politically correct brownie points. You need to hire on diversity of skill, knowledge and experience, not race, gender or age. Secondly, the authors imply that all white males think alike. I'm not sure how and where the authors were raised, but from my experience very few white males think alike. So this is defective thinking. At least 2 of the 3 authors run their own companies. I wonder what their diversity distribution looks like? My guess: They probably have no employees, which may be viewed as "Do as I say, not as I do." And for the height of hypocrisy, they should look in the mirror. All three authors are - you guessed it - white males. So while gender and racial diversity is good for your testing group, it's not necessary for writing a book on testing groups. The authors do not practice what they preach, another defect. Don't let these ideological slips prevent you from buying and reading this book. It contains a lot of good information that is sure to surprise those not intimately familiar with software testing. Notes: For those interested in fighting gender discrimination, see mensactivism.org
If you think that men (of any race) are given societal advantages, read "The Myth of Male Power" by Warren Farrell, Ph.D. You will quickly see that women are routinely given special privileges that men could only dream of having.
Rating:
Summary: Testing Concepts Presented Within Context
Review: This book is a "must have" item for professional software testers and others who work in software development. As an experienced tester, I recognized many familiar issues and learned some new lessons. I wish this book had been available 25 years ago so I could have avoided learning my lessons the hard way. The book covers the spectrum of topics important to software testing. Each lesson can stand alone, not requiring a cover-to-cover reading to get extremely valuable information from the book. The lessons are explained, including why the lesson is valuable and the context in which the lesson was learned. An extensive bibliography is also referenced so the reader can read further to understand the concepts and contexts.
Rating:
Summary: Testing Concepts Presented Within Context
Review: This book is a "must have" item for professional software testers and others who work in software development. As an experienced tester, I recognized many familiar issues and learned some new lessons. I wish this book had been available 25 years ago so I could have avoided learning my lessons the hard way. The book covers the spectrum of topics important to software testing. Each lesson can stand alone, not requiring a cover-to-cover reading to get extremely valuable information from the book. The lessons are explained, including why the lesson is valuable and the context in which the lesson was learned. An extensive bibliography is also referenced so the reader can read further to understand the concepts and contexts.
Rating:
Summary: Good Thoughts For Managers, Testers and Developer
Review: This book is not a tutorial on "how to test." While it offers some suggestions, its aim is to pass on to the reader some significant considerations learned over the years by the authors. While it does cover some rules of thumb for testing techniques, it goes further. It provides insight into the human element of testing and gives practical advice on how to communicate defects, trust in the doers to make estimates, understand the importance of a diverse culture and other areas that have a significant impact on the development process. This is all done well within the context of the impact to software testing. If you're a development manager, I strongly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Good Thoughts For Managers, Testers and Developer
Review: This book is not a tutorial on "how to test." While it offers some suggestions, its aim is to pass on to the reader some significant considerations learned over the years by the authors. While it does cover some rules of thumb for testing techniques, it goes further. It provides insight into the human element of testing and gives practical advice on how to communicate defects, trust in the doers to make estimates, understand the importance of a diverse culture and other areas that have a significant impact on the development process. This is all done well within the context of the impact to software testing. If you're a development manager, I strongly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Theory and Practice
Review: This book was helpful in understanding the capabilities - and limitations - of software testing. I got the big picture regarding software testing, but also some great advice on how to manage testing as part of a larger project. Definitely a worthwhile read.
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