Three Ways To Introduce Exploratory Testing to Your Team

Exploratory testing is a powerful practice. Yet introducing and implementing it to your team can take longer than expected. Here are three ways to introduce exploratory testing to your team.

1. Disconnect ad-hoc testing from exploratory testing

There’s a difference between ad-hoc testing and exploratory testing and folks often mistake the latter for the former. Be sure to distinguish the difference and make explicit what you mean by exploratory testing.

2. Listen to concerns

Moving from only using test cases and test scripts can feel overwhelming for some. Before jumping straight into the benefits and practice of exploratory testing, be sure to listen to the concerns of your team. They might be unsure what it means when it comes to knowing what to test, how it impacts test coverage and how they might pass or fail tests. Address these concerns with examples of how exploratory testing is about discovering useful information about risks. Reassure your team that exploratory testing provides the organised feel of scripted testing with the rapid feedback of ad-hoc testing.

3. Experiment with multiple approaches at the same time

A big bang “let’s just do exploratory testing” isn’t going to work. Instead, invite your team to run scripted tests and/or exploratory test sessions. Invite them to make comparisons to discover where each is useful and where there are pitfalls. Share notes and inspire each other to find useful contexts where exploratory testing is appropriate.

Nicola Lindgren talks about the efforts she took to introduce exploratory testing to her team in this excellent article: A Journey: Introducing Colleagues To Exploratory Testing ??