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Entries Tagged as 'Testing'

Passing the System Test

November 14th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Did the system we are building pass the test? Wrong question. Let’s consider the purpose of testing. We have been testing the system we are building. The first question is almost always, “Did the system pass the test?” Wrong question. What these anxious folks want to know is, “Will the system do […]

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Tags: General Systems Thinking · Information · Learning · Questions · Systems · Testing

Large Language Models and Adults

February 1st, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Large Language Models appear to have all sorts of problems. I wonder why companies that build such don’t hire adults to help build them. I recently learned that large language models (LLMs) have “sleeper agents” in them. Given some inputs, the LLM starts doing crazy things that it shouldn’t do. Gosh. LLMs […]

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Tags: Adults · Artificial Intelligence · Computing · Concepts · Engineering · General Systems Thinking · Testing

Two Essentials for Employees

November 20th, 2023 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips There are two essentials for an employee. Given the job market, it appears that the great majority of employers don’t understand these essentials. I have been on both sides of the hiring and being hired world. I find two and only two essentials: Okay, that’s it. Next? The trouble is, it is […]

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Tags: Ethics · Jobs · Judgment · Multitasking · Remote Work · Testing · Work

Flexibility and a Foundation of Fundamentals

August 7th, 2023 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips To be flexible enough to do new things, I often need a foundation of fundamentals in place first. If I am standing on shifting sand, I have to be flexible to adjust my stance and upper body so I don’t fall. Flexibility is required just to stay in place. If I am […]

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Tags: Agility · Experiment · General Systems Thinking · Knowledge · Testing

The Stupid Hunters (still hunting down stupid everywhere)

May 8th, 2023 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Aha! I was sort of right. Now companies have teams of folks hunting down stupid in their systems to keep the world safe from stupid. Way back in 2015, I wrote a blog post about being a stupid hunter. This is not a hunter who is stupid, but a hunter whose job […]

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Tags: Analysis · Artificial Intelligence · Competence · Stupid · Systems · Technology · Testing · Visibility · Work

First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage, …

February 20th, 2023 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Events occur in a set order, unless they don’t. Thought is encouraged. The title is from a nursery rhyme (origin unknown by me). The third event is a baby in a baby carriage. Events occur in a set order. Breakfast-lunch-dinner. Entree then desert. Eat breakfast, then brush your teeth (or is that […]

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Tags: Design · Learning · Rest · Systems · Testing · Thinking · Work

Verification and Validation

December 15th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips This is yet another fundamental to providing systems that delight users. Have we validated that we verified before vacation? Or is it the other way around? There was a time when verification and validation were so commonly used that we called it “V&V.” Then we wanted independent persons to perform V&V so […]

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Tags: Customer · General Systems Thinking · Requirements · Systems · Testing · User

Friendly Testers

November 17th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips It may be a good idea to have your friends test your system. Who should test your system? Who should tell you what they think about your idea? Who should read the manuscript of your novel? Friends or a “friendly audience” may be the answer to these and related questions. Consider the […]

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Tags: Authentic · Honesty · Information · Learning · Testing

What will This Tell Us?

September 29th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Most tasks provide us with something and information. Often the information is more important than the something. Often the information is something we already know. If that is the case, skip the task. Testing is a task that provides information. Well let’s back up: a good test provides information we can use. […]

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Tags: Communication · Design · Information · Learning · Process · Testing

Shortcuts (I Hope Nothing Terrible Happens)

June 27th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Recent fueling tests at NASA once again show us the peril of shortcuts. NASA recently completed a fueling test for its Space Launch System. Good for them. Test completed. The story in the link is a good one as it describes several things that went wrong while fueling. One of the problems […]

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Tags: Problems · Risk · Testing