Seasons Greetings! Thank you for joining us for our fifth annual podcast at Christmastime, this year's festive cheers with the Testing Peers brings Russell, Simon, David, Tara, Beth & Chris together to refine the holiday season backlog [see the footnote after the sponsor message for more details].

Who doesn't feel the festive warm & fuzzies over a refinement session?

Before we jump in, Russell warms us all up with an ice breaker based on Christmas drink preferences.

The we all dive in.

Chris (the business - in this case) has populated a series of epics for the team of Peers to commit to delegating Christmas on time.

Christmas Tree Size Estimation Framework: From desk-sized (1) to forest-worthy (6).

• Epics:
  • Festive Décor: Lights, trees, & cosy vibes (no tinsel, for the pets!).
  • Festive Events: Baking nights, light tours & Secret Santa.
  • Gift-Giving: Thoughtful presents, no gimmicks.
  • Holiday Self-Care: Quiet evenings & avoiding burnout.
  • Traditions: Advent calendars, holiday movies, & music playlists.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from us all here at Peers HQ

The Testing Peers Conference is happening on the 13th March 2025.

Thanks to our brand new sponsors – NFocus Testing.

nFocus are a UK based software testing company. They’ve been supporting businesses for 24 years by providing services that include burst resource, accelerated test automation, performance testing & fully managed testing services. In 2021, they launched a Test Automation Academy to create amazing testers & they’ve now created jobs for 48 people in our industry in just under three years!

nFocus were a big part of PeersCon in 2024, really grateful for all they do supporting the Testing Peers.

www.nfocus.co.uk & info@nfocus.co.uk for anyone wanting to get in touch.

Holiday Season Backlog

The Peers embraced their festive spirit by creating a "Holiday Season Backlog," blending testing concepts with holiday preparation! Here's the breakdown:

Christmas Tree Size Framework

• 6: Forest
• 5: Town Square
• 4: Shopping Centre
• 3: Fancy House
• 2: Modest House
• 1: Desk

Definition of Ready (DoR): 3 Peers agree it’s ready
Definition of Done (DoD): Santa’s approval! 🎅

Epics and User Stories

1. Festive Décor - Town Square

Goal: Transform spaces into magical holiday settings.

• Tasks: Fairy lights, tree decorations, wreaths, and cushions.
• Requirements: Keep it cosy and avoid tinsel (pets say no!).

2. Festive Events - Town Square

Goal: Spread holiday cheer through activities.

• Tasks: Tree-lighting ceremony, film marathons, Secret Santa, baking nights, and light tours.
• Risks: Festive fatigue from over-scheduling.

3. Gift-Giving - Fancy House

Goal: Thoughtful gifts for smiles and joy.

• Tasks: Draft gift lists, set postage reminders, donate to charity, and avoid gimmicky gadgets.

4. Holiday Self-Care - Modest House

Goal: Maintain mental well-being during the holidays.

• Tasks: Relaxing evenings, “no obligation” days, acts of kindness, and avoiding burnout.

5. Festive Traditions - Forest

Goal: Celebrate beloved seasonal traditions.

• Tasks: Advent calendars, holiday movies, music playlists, theatre shows, and family games.
• Notes: Self-care wins over endless activities.

Highlights:

• Peer collaboration: Everything was

Support the show

Thank you for joining us for episode 121 of the Testing Peers Podcast.

This time, join Chris, Tara, Russell and David as we discuss tools for testers.

Before diving into the main topic, to mark the festive period, Tara poses the ice-breaker question of the Peers' favourite Holiday movie.
It's a Wonderful Life, Die Hard, Home Alone, Spirited, The Grinch and Violent Night are included.

Then we move on to the main event.....tools for testers.

The Peers discuss screen readers and recorders, AI, computers, phones, tablets, post-it notes, to-do lists, whiteboarding tools, dictating tools and more.

As testers, we all use tools everyday. What's in your toolkit?

Are there any tools that you couldn't live without?

What are you looking for in a tool? How do you navigate the sales pitches?

Can there be one tool to rule them all?

Do we listen to music while we work?

The Testing Peers Conference is happening on the 13th March 2025.

Tickets available here: https://testingpeerscon.com/ticket/

If you wish to Sponsor the conference: https://testingpeerscon.com/partners/

If you wish to volunteer for the event: https://testingpeerscon.com/volunpeer/

contactUs@TestingPeers.com

Twitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)

LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)

We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app stores

If you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeers

Thanks to our brand new sponsors – NFocus Testing.

nFocus are a UK based software testing company. They’ve been supporting businesses for 24 years by providing services that include burst resource, accelerated test automation, performance testing and fully managed testing services. In 2021, they launched a Test Automation Academy to create amazing testers and they’ve now created jobs for 48 people in our industry in just under three years!

nFocus were a big part of PeersCon in 2024, really grateful for all they do supporting the Testing Peers.

www.nfocus.co.uk and info@nfocus.co.uk for anyone wanting to get in touc

Support the show

Welcome to another Testing Peers podcast episode.

This time, join Chris, David, Richard Bradshaw and Al Goodall (whose surname Chris had some real issues remembering, sorry Al!)

In this episode, the Peers talk about the role of the SDET. Is it SDEad?

To break the ice, Al leads the group into a discussion about the best live albums, in our humble opinions. Shout-outs to Linkin Park, Sky, Raye, Live Aid, Iron Maiden, U2, Seal and Hoobastank!

The main topic dives into the main topic - the role of the SDET.

What does it mean? Is it a synonym for a test automation engineer? Are you a tester if you're an SDET? What does the role of an SDET look like where you work?

Chris asks his favourite AI tool for a definition to stimulate the conversation.

"The main difference between a software development engineer in test and a test automation engineer is focus and responsibility.
An SDET focuses on bridging the gap between development and testing processes. And a test automation engineer focuses on designing and implementing automated tests."

The Peers talk about context, focus, tooling, frameworks, responsibility, problem-solving and quality!

What do you think the future for the SDET is?

The Testing Peers Conference is happening on the 13th March 2025.

Tickets available here: https://testingpeerscon.com/ticket/

If you wish to Sponsor the conference: https://testingpeerscon.com/partners/

If you wish to volunteer for the event: https://testingpeerscon.com/volunpeer/

contactUs@TestingPeers.com

Twitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)

LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)

We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app stores

If you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeers

Thanks to our brand new sponsors - NFocus Testing.

nFocus are a UK based software testing company. They've been supporting businesses for 24 years by providing services that include burst resource, accelerated test automation, performance testing and fully managed testing services. In 2021, they launched a Test Automation Academy to create amazing testers and they've now created jobs for 48 people in our industry in just under three years!

nFocus were a big part of PeersCon in 2024, really grateful for all they do supporting the Testing Peers.

www.nfocus.co.uk and info@nfocus.co.uk for anyone wanting to get in touch.

Support the show