- Focusing Your Practice
- Avoiding Automated Performance
- Contributing to Open Source Projects
- Beta Testing
- Pair Testing/Programming
- Adopt "Parallel Thinking"
- Search for Bugs in the Wild
- Learn "Systems Thinking"
- Teaching and Writing
- Participating in Conferences and Workshops
- Develop Your Cognition Skills
- Finding the Time for Practice
Beta Testing
A favorite strategy of Antony Marcano and Neil McCarthy is to get involved in a beta testing program. If you use commercial tools (IBM Rational, Mercury, Microsoft, etc.), let your local representative know that you would like to be involved in their beta test program. This opportunity gets you using the latest and greatest software and potentially exposes you to new types of bugs (hopefully in a way that improves the way you test your products). In addition, you sometimes get to be an active participant in providing feedback that sets the direction for the tool you're testing.