A malady suffered by nearly every person on this planet, individually or collectively. Google defines Inertia as "a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged." Also, "a property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force." Another: "resistance to change in some other physical property."Physics The tendency of a body to resist acceleration; the tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest or of a body in straight line motion to stay in motion in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force." Finally: "Resistance or disinclination to motion, action, or change."The lesson here is clear: many of us, either by necessity or by lack of motivation, find ourselves making our own habits into a hard and imperceptible policy of behavior. We don't change because "this is what [we] do". We've always done it this way. And we will always do it this way.
For me, if I think about it, this stings a bit. In how many ways am I "comfortable" with the status quo - even if it is an inferior way of doing something? Am I creating my test plans from a template? Am I following my test scripts verbatim? Am I doing ad hoc testing because the inertia-based policy has been to not create a test plan?
I urge all of us to question the policies in our lives. If they have been made with foresight, they will stand the test of time and of testers' questions, being validated and confirmed by those questioning it. If the policies in our lives have been made by inertia, they will crumble with the least bit of scrutiny.
This questioning is what separates the professional tester from the amateurs. This is what makes makes the systems-under-test more robust. And although we cannot change most of these policies overnight., our questioning and positing of a better way, can indeed make even the most entrenched policies change their direction.
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| Our constant small suggestions for improvement can change the outcome of the game |
By the way, companies pay big bucks to have this sort of individual on their team. Just as long as the questioning is done in the right way. More on that to follow. :)
