The Tale of Testing

From translator

I would like to share a translation of a fairy tale (or even a fable) written by Gerald Wynberg, the author of the famous book Psychology of Programming. The tale tells about the unpleasant consequences of "cutting out" testing from the software development process.
Despite the fact that the context in which the tale gives the process of “cooking-development” is rather utopian (we know what, when and how), the very idea underlying it is universal and close to many who worked in the computer industry. In addition, the form in which it is filed is very unobtrusive and original.
Enjoy reading.

The Tale of Testing

During my work, I had to watch with horror how many times a regular manager was trying to meet deadlines due to "cuts" in testing. Some of these managers reduce time by removing block testing from the middle of the project life cycle. Others force testers to "test faster." The third generally exclude testing from the life cycle, hoping for dull luck.

More than once I wrote about how dangerous it is to cut back on testing, but it seems that nobody understood me. It made me think: “What if I do something wrong? What if I do not really follow the rules that I impose on others? What if I cut down testing myself? Maybe I should have better tested my own writings! ”
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As a result of such reflections, I wrote a fairy tale about how dangerous shortcuts are, and told her to my granddaughter, Camilla. Here she is:

Rhubarb pie for the Forest Queen

From the very morning the forest was buzzing with excitement. The raven had just announced that in just two hours the Forest Queen herself would visit them to choose a new Royal Baker.

“She wants to arrange a baker's tournament,” said the raven, importantly. “The winner will receive the title of Royal Baker and one hundred gold bargains!”

“What do we need to bake for her?” Bear roared.

“Revenie pie,” answered the raven. “This is her favorite treat.”

The rabbit began to nervously run around the bush, lamenting: “Revenevy pie? But the Queen will be here in just two hours, and I need as many as three to make a cake. ”

“Me too,” complained Coyote.

The excitement of the bear began to sharpen its claws on the bark of the nearest tree: "Me too."

In the meantime, the Wise Porcupine climbed out of a big hole and immediately went to her kitchen. "If so, it is better to get down to business as quickly as possible, and not to waste time on empty complaints."

And each of the bakers began to think about how they would make rhubarb pie in two hours.

Oh, I know, Rabbit thought. - Most of the time you lose because you have to add a little sugar every five minutes, and even constantly taste. Not at all. Immediately put as much sugar as you need, and win on this for an hour. ”

The bear reasoned like this: “I have the largest oven in the whole forest, so I will put the cake on its very top, the hottest place there. And I will drown apple branches, they burn best. The cake will be fried in time and will be ready for the Queen's arrival. ”

Coyote didn’t have such a big stove, but he also found a short way: “If I bake less than an hour, the cake may be a little damp, but I’ll put so much sugar in there that, because of its sweetness, the Queen has nothing notice. "

But Dikobraviha thought quite differently: “My rhubarb pie is one of the most delicious in the forest, but if I somehow try to speed up the cooking, then almost certainly nothing will work out. We'll have to explain to the Queen that the cake will not be ready on time, but it will be worth its expectations. ”

By the arrival of the Queen, Rabbit, Bear and Coyote had already put their cakes on the tables and invited the Queen to try them.

The Queen first tried the Rabbit pie and wrinkled her nose with displeasure. “Ugh, he's completely bitter. What are you, sorry for him sugar? "

Looking at the Bear's pie, she was surprised: “Why did he burn so badly? Well, maybe the filling will be delicious. ” She tried to cut a piece, but the crust was so badly burned that it could not give way to the knife. The queen went to the Coyote table without even trying the Bear Pie.

She began to cut Coyote's cake: “Something is soft. Oh, yes he is soft as a jelly. We think it will taste nasty. ” (Queens always say “We” because they think they are speaking on behalf of a whole nation). The queen made a pie for her face and refused to try it.

At last the Queen turned to the porcupine table. Not seeing the cake, she indignantly asked: “Why is there nothing here? We ordered ALL the bakers to cook over the cake. Who here dares to disobey the Royal Decree? "

Porcupine came to the Queen, bowed to her and said: “My cake is in the oven now, Your Majesty. You can taste it in exactly an hour. ”

“But, by Our order, the pie was supposed to be ready NOW! - exclaimed the Queen in a rage. “Such is the Royal Will and no one dares to contradict it!”

Then the porcupine in response bowed so low that fallen leaves stuck to its needles. “Of course, Your Majesty. If I could cook a rhubarb pie in two hours, I would certainly do that. But I do not know how to make a pie worthy of the royal taste in such a short time, so I had to try to manage it in three. If you want to punish me, then I will meekly submit to Your Will. ”

"Hm," muttered the Queen, choosing the appropriate punishment.

While she was thinking, Porcupine shook off the leaves and said: “But still my cake is already in the oven. As you can see, from one of his smell, drooling. In an hour he will be ready and you will be able to taste it properly. In the meantime, I’ll be happy to tell you a story to pass the time. ”

“What a fairy tale?” The Queen asked curiously.

“About the Princess and the Pea,” suggested Porcupine. The queen was delighted, because this tale was about her when she was still a little princess. The queen listened attentively to the fairy tale, laughed merrily, plaintively cried and clapped her hands heartily - an hour passed completely unnoticed.

So Porcupine put on mittens, opened the oven and pulled out the rhubarb pie. The Queen liked him so much that she ate him entirely, leaving only a very small piece of Porcupine. Then she handed her a bag of hundreds of gold and announced to all the inhabitants of the forest that Dikobrakikha, even though she sometimes lets out taunts, is still the best baker in the forest, and will henceforth be the Royal Baker.

**********

When I finished my story, I asked Camilla what the moral of the tale is. She replied: “Bear, Rabbit and Coyote were not real bakers. They only pretended to be because they wanted to win the tournament. In fact, they did not know how to make a real cake. ”

“Good,” I said. “And you don’t think they knew, but they were afraid of the Queen’s wrath.”

"If you are afraid to do what seems right to you, then you are not a real baker."

Camilla understood the fairy tale absolutely correctly and passed my test - and this despite the fact that she was not even five years old!

I wonder if forty-year-old managers will understand this tale?