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

We celebrate Earth Day, a significant occasion that reminds us of the importance of taking care of our planet. What are some ways that testers can adopt eco-friendly practices to commemorate this occasion?

Greetings, everyone! It’s that time of the year again. April 22^nd, Earth Day. See more about it here and here.

We, as individuals, are eternally grateful for the priceless gifts of life, nature, and human intellect bestowed upon us by this planet. I believe we are all contributing to preserve its sanctity. Well done 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 means “Go”, it means progress.

STH is joining the green movement as well. We are all familiar with the fact that green indicates meeting our expectations: as desired, on time, on budget, and on par. Isn’t that true?

Green is used to signify that a task is completed on schedule, within budget, and meets quality standards. In our context as well, 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

It is important to plan better. Test planning, a formal activity in the STLC takes up 1/3 of the entire testing effort. Instead of testing at the end, we’re playing with the software and discovering issues along the way. It doesn’t work that way. Any type of planning, even informal, should cover what, when, how, and who.

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 carefully. 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. Well, if you are one, keep up the good work. If you are looking for one, find someone positive, knowledgeable, skillful, and with integrity. If you come across one, be kind to them. Present everyone with a fair opportunity.

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.

Let’s all make an effort to avoid blaming each other. We won’t make any progress by doing that. Onsite and offshore teams should aim to complement, not compete with each other. Be mindful of time and give others their personal 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 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 to 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. Adjust it as necessary to better suit your requirements.

Create the process and work towards their maturity for 100% guaranteed results.

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

Last, let’s not overlook this either.

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

Wishing everyone a Happy Earth Day from Vijay, Swati, and the rest of the STH team!