hello and welcome back to the Exactpro channel
my name is Anna-Maria 
I'm head of marketing at Exactpro
at Exactpro we build software to test software
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in the Test World: Reboot segment 
we will lead you through the story behind Test World
the fanfiction art we created back in 2018
based on HBO's critically acclaimed 
sci-fi tv series entitled Westworld
this review contains multiple spoilers and
we'd hate to ruin anything for you
so if this show is still on your watch later list
pause this video catch up on seasons 1 and 2
and come back as soon as you can
so the plot of Westworld is complex
it can be characterized by exceptional narrative
non-linear storytelling, dynamic point of view changes and striking metaphors
what seems evident at first 
may turn out to have a deeper sense to it
the video clips that we created 
are also filled with more meaning
than might initially appear
and that's what we will try to explain 
in this and the next couple of videos
in this show, we saw a great opportunity to illustrate 
a lot of the typical situations that we
as software testers face facing our day-to-day work
we will talk about purely technological
as well as cultural, communication and
many other issues 
with help of our main characters
the central figure of the show is Dolores
the Spanish word 'dolores' is the plural form of the 'lore'
meaning either sorrow or pain
software testing is both pain and sorrow
and it takes time to fully appreciate it
without further ado let's meet Dolores
bring her back online
you can lose the accent 
do you know where you are?
I'm in a dream
that's right Dolores 
you're in a dream
would you like to wake up from this
dream?
yes
I'm terrified
there's nothing to be afraid of, Dolores
as long as you answer my questions correctly
understand?
yes
good
first, have you ever questioned 
the nature of your reality?
no
tell us 
what you think of your world?
some people choose to see the ugliness
in this world
the disarray
I choose to see the beauty
morning daddy 
you sleep well?
similarly to Dolores who chooses to see
 the beauty in this world
our main character who is a junior QA engineer
chooses to see the beauty in software
and follow positive scenarios when testing
however, this is a futile undertaking 
when one is inclined to see a quality product
in the system under test 
then that's what they'll see
the chances of actually revealing defects
decrease exponentially
in contrast when one looks for defects
then that's what they likely to find
the essence of testing is not
confirming that a product works but
reporting on the system state by
exposing its defects
to ultimately improve software quality
that's why software testers should be
especially careful not to be affected by
confirmation bias
this is a well-known tendency to verify
one's own hypothesis
rather than trying to refute them
some people choose to see the ugliness
in software
the disarray
I chose to see the beauty
this may however 
be the calm before the storm
because with the serenity on the foreground 
a disruptive force is gaining momentum
much later as Dolores grows as 
a software testing professional
she'll become conscious 
of the true nature of testing
but for now, she is blissful and 
ever so confident in her beliefs
the next episode epitomizes 
this state of euphoric ignorance
in the original series 
the episode is based on the scene where
Lee Sizemore, Head of Narrative and Design 
of Westworld
all inspired 
pitches a new storyline
it's this extremely garish story 
he expects to become their guests' next obsession
this storyline will make Hieronymus Bosch 
look like he was doodling kittens
I have vivisection, self-cannibalism 
a special little something I call the 'whoroborous'
now, I don't want to appear immodest but this
is the apex of what the park can provide
miss anything interesting?
romance, insulation
not appearing immodest
skilled guests will fight their ways
 to the outer limits of the park
besting fierce and braves
seducing new bar maidens
befriending tragically ill-fated sidekicks
and of course
like all our best narratives over the years
our guests will have the privilege of 
getting to know the character
they're most interested in 
themselves
I present our guests' next obsession
Odyssey on Red River
further on, Park Director Henry Ford
explains that
he should have focused on subtleties
much more than
on flashy titles and stereotypical
thinking
in our episode 
Lee pitches his ideal creation
zero-defect software
zero-defect software 
sounds like a catchy motto and
is guaranteed to attract the managers' attention
however, claiming that one software will
be free of all the defects
is unrealistic 
so is exhaustive testing
it's both impossible and impractical
one should not conflate the aspiration 
towards high-quality software
and doing whatever it takes to get there
with unrealistic expectations
claiming one's software to be defect-free indicates
that the technology vendor is perhaps
slightly confused as to what's
achievable and what's not
and there should be a clear distinction between
 having no bugs and seeing no bugs
that are in fact present
this new drop will make Hieronymus Bosch
look like he was doodling kittens
now I don't want to appear immodest
but this is the apex of what 
our software development team can offer
I present our management's next obsession
zero-defects software
the zero-defect approach also results
 in dangerous QA practices
avoiding confrontation QA engineers 
might not feel inclined to raise defects at all
and aiming to only follow positive
testing scenarios
QAs may fall victims to congruence bias
this can be explained as over-reliance on direct testing
over giving hypotheses
while neglecting indirect testing
so in the next scene, we demonstrate 
that the process of software development
shouldn't be guided by personal feelings
its participants should be impartial
with the only aim of making the system better
anything so full of splendor
it's like the stars scattered
across the ground
have you ever reported the software bug
Dolores?
no 
why should I?
we all love our software developers
you know sometimes I am frightened of
you testing software
that will go into production
why on Earth 
would he ever be frightened of me?
let's stop and think for a second why
are personal feelings an issue
and why can't developers value and worth
be characterized by how defect-free their code is
in some organizations the number of
defects may affect the developer's pay
and the assessment of their work
this is probably expected to motivate
 them to write better code
but the truth is that having to fix their own defects 
increases their workload
so instinctively 
they may reject defects revealed by QA
especially if those are raised 
in the current sprint before its release
instead of perceiving them as valuable insights
they will do it to preserve their reputation
and pay
but also possibly to save valuable time 
for the entire project
this snowballs further as QAs become hesitant to submit defects
knowing that developers will try
to dismiss them out of hand
so whether they do it 
with the best of intentions or not
being blind to defects 
at any stage of SDLC
has a negative effect on the quality of
the system being released into live service
in the next clip, we'll look into this issue 
in more detail
Teddy just like all other hosts 
in the narrative
has died hundreds of times
and yet that doesn't affect how he
or most of the hosts go about their day
in fact, every day may start with a new life
and they won't even register it
the coward dies a thousand deaths 
the valiant taste of death but once
of course, Shakespeare never met a man
quite like you Teddy
you've died at least a thousand times
and yet it hasn't dulled your courage
tell me 
is that all you aspire to Teddy?
there's a girl Dolores
better than I deserve
but maybe someday soon 
we'll have the life we've both been dreaming of
no 
you never will
there are many jokes 
around how software developers
go through the classical stages of grief 
before fixing the defect
a developer may deny it at first, then get angry 
and start bargaining
before doing some introspection and 
eventually accepting it
our Teddy is an example of a software developer that 
isn't affected by the number of bugs
that have leaked into production or 
the defects in front of him
in a hostile environment, a developer
may definitely use denial as a defense mechanism
but this is completely wrong
now tell me what do you see 
in these pictures?
doesn't look like anything to me
a coward dies a thousand deaths 
the valiant taste of death but once
of course, Shakespeare never met 
a software developer quite like you, Teddy
you released defects into production
at least a thousand times and yet
that doesn't dull your courage
tell me, is that all you aspire to, Teddy?
there's a software tester Dolores
better than I deserve
but maybe someday soon 
we'll be a cross-functional team and
have the go-live 
we've both been dreaming of
no
you never will
in our recent publications 
we've talked a lot about outages
we'll be sure to put the relevant links
in the description below for further reading
outages are inevitable
they are a question of 'when'
rather than 'if'
and the only way to prepare 
for releasing a system into production
is realizing that defects are imminent
it's how you deal with them 
that sets you apart and lets you avoid a catastrophe
if a team hides defects 
or simply hopes for the best
instead of preparing for every possible
adverse scenario
they won't be able to 
deal with what's coming
much like death to Teddy systems failure is inevitable
but that doesn't mean that you don't have to try 
and meet it with the dignity
thus if your processes have already let 
thousands of unknown defects leak into production
then they're not set up right
in the end, Teddy admits that 
he is dreaming of a perfect go-live
where the bugs will magically disappear
but to this, he receives 
quite a skeptical reaction
right at the start of the first episode
Dolores's consciousness is starting 
to transpire
as conceived by Arnold 
the park's original architect
hosts are supposed to take a journey
inward
they should go through an intertwined net
 of experiences - the Maze
to increase the levels of their consciousness
in a subtle detail 
at the end of the first episode
we see that Dolores is the first host to respond 
to the stimulus of a fly on her skin
it's highlighted throughout 
the episode that
hosts are not programmed to kill 
living things
and that includes insects
and yet she treats this fly 
in a very human-like way
by swatting it 
she makes her own choice
she goes completely off-book 
from this point on she has free will
this, of course, symbolizes a software bug
there is a flip side to our Dolores too
as she acquires knowledge and 
experience
her consciousness awakens 
and she starts to realize
the ultimate goal of testing
serving as a bridge between 
customers and the development team
every QA analyst has to aim 
to troubleshoot the software failures
so the bugs could be discovered 
and  fixed in time
now our Dolores is experienced enough 
to know that the absence of defects
is not necessarily the evidence 
of ideal quality
as I explained earlier 
zero-defect software is a myth
and if an Automated Test Library 
finds no bugs in a system
it means that some radical changes 
need to be introduced
this concludes today's video
thanks for staying with us
if you are interested in finding out exactly 
why Automated Regression Libraries
are prone to finding no defects
do check out our new white paper on 
Test Automation for CCPs and Exchanges
Operational Day Replay Limitations
you will find the link in the description below
feel free to give us a thumbs up 
if you like the video
how is the communication between developers 
and QA set up in your company?
do you personally enjoy it?
have you ever encountered zero-defect software?
let us know in the comments below
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