Today is Earth Day! How We Testers Can “Go Green” to Celebrate It?

Hello Folks! It is ‘that’ day of the year again. April 22^nd, Earth Day. See more about it here and here.

I am sure as individuals we have eternal gratitude towards the great gift this planet has given us – the gift of life, nature, and our human intellect. I am sure each one of us is doing our bit to preserve the sanctity of it. Kudos for that!

Now, around this time, all we hear is “Go Green”. The signs, boards, ads, kid’s crafts, TV shows – everything is all about going green and related awareness. And, it should be, after all, Green does mean “Go”, it means progress.

So, STH is going green too. We all know that for us green means – as desired, on time, in budget and at-par, right?

When the status for a task is done on time or when the project/task is accomplished for as much expenditure as it was planned or when the quality is as expected – we use green to show the status. In our context too, green means “Go”.

The Earth Day – 3 Ways ‘We’ Testers Can celebrate it to “Go Green”!

Here are a few tips on how to stay green. We believe these three areas can make a major impact:

#1) Plan

Plan better. Test planning, a formal activity in the STLC takes up 1/3 of the entire testing effort. So, testing is not coming in the end, playing with the software here and there and finding problems. It doesn’t work that way. Planning even in the most informal sense must include – What to do, When, How and who -would do it.

Planning is not simply drawing a calendar and marking dates. It is an elaborate, important and methodical activity that drafts the proceedings of the testing activity as accurately as possible.

So, plan well. Not only that, plan your day’s activities effectively. Learn good time management techniques. Stay organized. Organize your work in a way that it reduces clutter, makes finding everything you need easy and maximizes efficiency. In our IT language, find a framework that fits.

#2) People

It is hard to find the right person for a job at the right time. But let’s not let go of the pursuit. A dedicated team member can make all the difference. If you are one, well, keep up the good work. If you are looking for one, find someone positive, knowledgeable, skillful and with integrity. If you found one, treat them good. Also, give everyone a fair chance.

If a newcomer has a few things to catch up to- exercise patience, give them a benefit of doubt, mentor them and nurture them to become who they want to be. If you are that newcomer, do not be afraid of work, every experience is better than none.

Also, let us all try to remember not to throw each other under the bus. It will get us nowhere. One more thing- onsite, offshore teams- please, try to complement each other and not compete with each other. Respect time and space.

#3) Process

This is where we are to get slightly technical. The process is nothing but, finding a strategy that works, establishing guidelines for it, documenting it to include every little detail, following it, reviewing the results and making sure it works. Processes are created to ensure uniformity, consistency, and repeatability of certain activities in a way that the outcome is always the same.

Since all IT projects rely on teamwork having a consistent process is key for a successful outcome. Invest some time to create a process. Put it to use. Evaluate to see the results. Observe over time and collect statistics. Modify it, if needed to suit your needs better.

In other words, create the process and work towards their maturity for 100% guaranteed results.

So, with the right plan, right people and the right process- there will be nothing but “Green” in our way.

Lastly, let’s not forget too,

1. Print responsibly.
2. Use energy-efficient devices to conserve power
3. Carpool to work. Better yet, use public transport or walk, if and when possible.
4. Reduce-reuse-recycle – The classic!

Happy Earth Day everyone from Vijay, Swati, and the entire STH team!