Tech Talks with Mark Winteringham

Talking about influencers has become the hot topic on social media these days, especially in the digital world, where we can connect online with anyone in the blink of an eye. The world is wondering how influencers do business by sharing their content on different platforms. But, at BugRaptors, we don’t miss even a single chance when it comes to knowing the real story of influencers who’re in the Software Testing field, same as ours.   

On behalf of BugRaptors, I, Sandeep Vashisht, the Vice-President – Quality Assurance, grab the wonderful opportunity from this CMMI Level 5 Software Testing Company to interview, Mark Winteringham talking about the Software Testing Clinic, Mark's personal public speaking experience, and many more things about the COVID-19 pandemic and related to the Test Automation or Software Testing domain.   

Before moving to the interview part, you should know about Mark Winteringham below as he is a very interested person, and his professionalism becomes my true inspiration. You can also learn from him to bring inspiration to your daily work life.   

So, Mark is a tester, teacher, coach, international speaker, and workshop presenter. In addition, he has an unlimited talk to discuss about the matter of Technical Testing Techniques, Automation Testing, and various relatable Software Testing topics. Besides, he has worked on several award-winning projects and mobile, web, and desktop-based technologies to help enterprises go the extra mile for their customers. Moreover, technical testing, risk-based automation, and test automation are the main areas where Mark loves to play with. You can find his passion by checking his published blog at mwtestconsultancy.co.uk.   

When exploring London, you can even meet with Mark because he has his own Software Testing Clinic where he is acting as a co-founder and has arrangements of regular workshops for novice and junior testers. Further, he allows everyone to get his lessons in Software Testing for free.  

Even you can check out his popular video on Youtube, and by walking from Youtube, you can find him on other various common Platforms: Twitter, Linkedin, TestIstanbul Conference.   

In short, time has less to explore about him due to his long list of achievements. If you want to take personal guidance in Test Consulting, QA Engineering, and anything which you love in Software Testing, you can consult with him through social media platforms.  

However, I can’t wait for the next time because Mark is already here with us, and I was very curious to dive into the interview with him. Here are some glimpses of BugRaptors Interview with Mark Winteringham. I'm hoping that you'll Scroll below and read what questions I've put to Mark and how he made resourceful answers to them. Also, don’t forget to share your reading experience in our comments section below.  

Sandeep: How did you start the software testing clinic? 
 
Mark: I started the Software Testing Clinic, now known as Ministry of Testing Essentials, with Dan Ashby. We were talking one day, and I was expressing my frustration in the lack of coaching/mentoring opportunities and a desire to help others get into the testing industry. Dan was working on similar ideas around teaching testing in community colleges, so we got together and began running a regular meetup to talk about different topics on testing. Ministry of Testing then got involved supporting us with getting our message out and opening both Dan and me to professional teaching theory, which helped us form our curriculum. 
 
Sandeep: What's your first public speaking experience? 
 
Mark: My first-time public speaking was at a local meetup in London called the London Tester Gathering run by Tony Bruce. I remember changing my talk about five days before I was due to speak because I was unhappy with the topic I had initially chosen. It was a bit stressful ripping everything up and starting again. Still, ultimately the talk I ended up doing, which explored how test automation is overly focused on tooling, was a significant stepping stone towards co-creating the Automation in Testing training I run with Richard Bradshaw. 
 
Sandeep: What are the best techniques to fight stress during this corona pandemic time? 
 
Mark: A combination of things has helped me manage stress and anxiety during the pandemic. My wife and I are fortunate to have an allotment near our house, meaning that we had a place outside of our home to focus on and work in during the times we were locked down. I'm always looking for opportunities to get into 'flow' where I'm only thinking about the job that I need to complete, and helping my wife on the allotment has resulted in a lot of those moments, which can be quite calming. I also try to practise mindfulness meditation using apps like Smiling Mind to help train me to not dwell too much on things outside of my control. 
 
Sandeep: What's your favourite testing tool? 
 
Mark: I don't have a specific favourite tool because each tool serves a particular purpose and solves a specific problem. However, I've had a/. lot of fun building APIs that will collate data for me into data dashboards and building browser extensions to help speed up my exploratory testing. I enjoy creating things, which is why the tools assisted testing section of our Automation in Testing training is personally my favourite part to teach. I love building tools and seeing the tools others create to solve problems. 
 
Sandeep: Best approach while choosing an automation tool? 
 
Mark: Problems first, tools second. I see too many people trying to use tools they are comfortable with or favour in situations that are not suitable. When I am selecting tools, I take the time to first understand what the problem is that I'm trying to solve. For example, I might have an issue with data creation that if I explore in detail, I discover an API I can use or a database query I can run. Those findings will influence my tool choice. 
 
Sandeep: Which tech influencer inspires you the most? 
 
Mark: Working for Ministry of Testing means I am fortunate to meet many people in the industry, so it's hard to pick who inspires me the most. Testing is such a varied topic from technical skills to psychology to communication and influencing, and there are so many people sharing ideas and information on each topic. I'd say the people who are willing to take a risk and share their story and experiences are the ones that inspire me right now. 
 
Sandeep: How can test automation bring business value other than finding defects? 
 
Mark: In Automation in Testing we talk about using automation to support our testing and our teams. When automation is discussed, it's focused on using tools to reproduce human testing, which we can't do. However, we like to think of it as a way to augment our testing. This means identifying ways to use tools to help us test faster, deeper or in a more complex way. For example, I find automating data creation for exploratory testing or test script execution to be a powerful way for me to test faster and discover more. 
 
Sandeep: Is there one piece of actual advice? You can give someone to help them with their automation testing efforts 
 
Mark: You don't have to automate everything you do. Find the pain points in your testing like data creation, getting set up, filling in forms to get to a specific place in a system, and create automation that helps resolve those pain points but leaves you in the driving seat of your testing. 

Sandeep: Good to know that no one is like you, Mark. I mean, you have so much content to share with our viewers, especially those who are passionate about going to the world of Software Testing and interested in learning new trends in QA, Test Automation, and the entire domain. According to my mindset, the modern youth who’re in this niche should definitely learn many more things from you.   

Thanks a ton for coming to an interview at BugRaptors QA talks, a platform where professionals like you come many times to share their personal experiences, latest trends in Software Testing, Software Testing Tools, and almost everything from Regression Testing, Digital Assurance, QA Transformation, Quality Assurance, Agile Testing to DevOps so that readers can know about what’s trending in the Software Testing Domain, testers can keep themselves updated in their profession. And, businesses can make a selection of the Best Software Testing Company wisely before acquiring Software Testing Services & QA.   

BugRaptors is lucky to have you on its platform, and I, Sandeep Vashisht, in the interests of this Independent Software Testing Company, congratulate you for your successful journey at Software Testing Clinic and whatever the big hits you’ve made in your career. Please stay in touch with us, and we’ll be waiting for you to join us at BugRaptors QA talks again.    

Mark: Alright Sandeep! Catch ya later ? 

Sandeep: Readers, here our interview gets over. If you have similar interests like Mark, or you’re an avid influencer, public voice, speaker, or expert based on Software Testing & QA, or if you have something to share with our audience, you’re always welcomed at our BugRaptors QA talks.  

Please feel free to contact us.  

Other than this, we always love to connect with QA experts worldwide to bring quality in Software and real-time Mobile, Web & Gaming Applications. At BugRaptors, we are not only limited to QA interviews but we also provide a wide range of Software Testing Services fulfilling the unique business needs.  

So, join hands with us and let us help add more value to your business .