Summary

“Testers [do|don’t] (help) [prevent|detect] problems.”

Throughout my career, I’ve encountered numerous variations of this phrase and discussed the underlying ideas often. The expression uses just a few small words to express many big ideas. It can be valuable and critical to understand what each word means individually to understand better the concepts they convey collectively.

Semantics is the study of meaning in words. The session begins with a brief and broad overview of semantics, and related ideas, which sets the stage for an in-depth analysis of each individual word and its potential meaning. We collaboratively consider:

• Testers – What might this word mean to different people and in different contexts?

• Do/Don’t – What do normative and descriptive statements have to do with it?

• Help – How does the inclusion/exclusion of this word affect the meaning of the phrase?

• Prevent/Detect – What do causality and perspective have to do with which word we choose?

• Problems – What exactly is the thing that is being prevented or detected?

This session demystifies and promotes semantics, and goes beyond wordplay to introduce critical concepts that have practical impacts on testers, their roles, and responsibilities.

Key Takeaways

• A deeper understanding and appreciation of semantic discussions

• How causality and relativism affect perception

• What exactly is testing, quality, and bugs?