Monday Musings: The Three T’s – Test, Test & Test Again

Well it’s been a few weeks since our last Musing, so here is a short one to ease us back into the swing.

Don’t underestimate the virtues of testing. Test everything, and test it often. This applies in more ways then you may think. If you’ve read our first Musing, you’ll remember we said some of the worst calls we take are to do with losing files. A very close runner-up is when someone is doing a live demo/sales pitch/ training session and the projector isn’t working, or the presentation file doesn’t load etc. There’s nothing like an audience to increase the pressure! It doesn’t need to be this way, just remember to follow a few basic steps:

• If it’s a new process, practice it a couple of times so you are comfortable with all the steps
• If it’s a new piece of hardware, make sure you have all the accessories and that it all works before you leave the office
• If it’s a presentation, make sure you have all the files you need, and try to get early access to the presentation equipment so you can iron out any problems before the audience sits down

Of course, even the best laid plans.... A big part of me likes to think the Penny Arcade guys are spot on with this one. You can be sure Mr Jobs rehearsed and rehearsed and I don’t know if an over-saturation of Wi-Fi hotspots classes as force majeure, but sometimes you just have to look adversity in the face and smile.

That’s it for this Monday. As we’re in a testing frame of mind, test your smoke/carbon monoxide detector as well when you get home tonight. If you’d like to discuss today’s musing, follow us on Facebook or Twitter at www.facebook.com/agileit or www.twitter.com/agileitlimited.