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I've seen many companies struggle in the team rebuilding process, mainly due to simply getting people on the same basis of knowledge. The thing to consider is, when you start to being new people into your teams, how will they build the skills they need to be effective on your team?

My last post about the American Airlines baggage system failure mentioned interoperability testing and it got me thinking about this important type of testing that is often minimized or overlooked in systems testing.

NOTE: This was originally posted in 2008, but I feel the lessons are still important. I have posted previously about my disdain for the term "glitch", especially when it is misused to describe a major computing problem or failure. "Glitch"

I get a lot of questions each month about user acceptance testing (UAT) - what it is, how to perform it, which (if any) tools to use, and a variety of other questions.

When I suggest there are other ways to design and evaluate tests besides requirements, the response is similar to the time I accidentally walked into the glass of the revolving door at the Portland airport- surprise, followed by intense laughter.

As I have led and trained test teams over the years, there are some things that I routinely make sure I convey to new testers. Whether you are new to testing, or a seasoned professional, these are helpful things to remember.

There are many ways to approach test design. These approaches range from checklists to very precise algorithms in which test conditions are combined to achieve the most efficiency in testing. In all approaches, creativity is needed.

Test planning is one of those critical test activities that benefits from collaboration. While the test leader or manager is typically responsible for the creation and finalization of a test plan, there can be many contributors, such as stakeholders.

Test scripting has been a popular way to build testware since the advent of interactive software. With Graphical User Interfaces and web-based interfaces, the use of test scripts should be carefully considered. In some cases, test scripts maybe helpful. In other situations, test cases may be all you need.