Adventures in Medical Device Testing

On Wednesday March 23 I attended the session presented by James Bach called "Adventures in Medical Device Testing".

I do not remember all of the details, but I can recall a few key points.

James talked about how he was hired to test a medical device.  He subsequently was fired for not wanting to take the requirements and write test cases.  Soon he was rehired.  One of the main lessons for me was that James took it upon himself to become an expert with respect to this medical device.  As testers we must do our homework. 

I was also fascinated that he could get away without having to write zillions of test cases.  Having worked in a highly regulated industry in my past, I assumed he would have had to follow stringent and regulated standard operating procedures.  I have always wanted to skip writing test cases, because historically I spent a large chunk of my life wasting time developing many the test cases. James showed us how to do excellent testing in new ways.

I walked out of this session completely charged up.  I was energized to learn more about Session Based Test Management, SBTM.  I was also inspired to learn more about the systems that I test.

Over six months have passed and I still find myself talking about this STP Conference session.

As testers we must always look for new ways to do things.  We must always sharpen our skills and evolve or craft.

On October 23 I drive to Dallas to attend my Third Software Testing conference.  I am excited because I always seem to take away something new.  I am looking forward to being inspired by the likes of Jason Huggins, Matt Heusser, Karen Johnson, Scott Barber, Pete Walen, Lanette Creamer, Dan Downing, and many others.

@James and Jon Bach - I truly want to thank you for your kindness and inspiration in Nashville.