Did you remember the Pickled Onions?
Did you test <insert_non-obvious_scenario_description_here> ?
If I received a pound for every time I have been confronted with this sort of question; I would have been at least two pounds better off last week. As a tester, it is easy to become defensive when these sorts of questions come up. In some ways this is good, it means we are passionate about what we do. In other ways, it can distract from the question itself. If the answer does happen to be no, then we must respond quickly – as a team – with a plan. This all sounds very tactical, dynamic and, err, agile. So, where do these questions come from? Why did scenario X not seem obvious to start with?
Most importantly, what has any of this got to do with Pickled Onions?
As we enter the Christmas period, I know I am going to have forgotten to buy something at the supermarket. It’s unlikely to be a complete disaster as I have developed two potential strategies to mitigate the risk:
- Go to the supermarket this week and buy at least one of every item they sell, just in case I need it.
- Make a list of all the things I think I will need to survive for a couple of days while the shops may be closed, and purchase only these items from the supermarket.
After a little bit of thought, I am not really liking option one, it does not seem a proportional response to the issue. Option two seems a much better idea, in fact, I have already had a draft list buddy checked and am ready to execute. Is there a risk of me forgetting something though? Yep – the question really is what am I going to do if faced with this situation? I’ve decided to try and keep calm, assess the situation and work out how best to correct it (with the resources available). Sound familiar?
Just for luck, I am going to purposely forget the Pickled Onions – I know the local shop is open on Boxing Day and I’ve already checked that they sell them.
Merry Christmas
Tags: tactics
December 22nd, 2008 at 20:15
I like pickled onions and I like this post.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:49
I do not like pickled onions, but I like this post.
January 7th, 2009 at 11:47
Great post – I don’t like pickled onions so it’s worth the risk! And it makes perfect sense
January 9th, 2009 at 16:53
I like Pickled Shallots…and these seem to fit the analogy better however the pickled goods approach to risk analysis is sound and appropriate. Nice Post
January 12th, 2009 at 15:54
Option 3. If you make your own pickled Onions then this situation never arises… good post.
February 6th, 2009 at 12:51
[...] Pickled onions and snow – not something you would usually put together (maybe for a snowman’s eyes?) But all week, following the ‘worst snow storms for 20 years in the south of England’, I’ve been thinking about Rich’s post about Christmas (Did you remember the pickled onions?). [...]