Software Quality Characteristics in Dutch
At EuroStar 2012 in Amsterdam, Henrik Emilsson did a talk about the Software Quality Characteristics poster made by The Test Eye. After his talk he asked if someone was interested in translating this poster into other languages. Me and my DEWT colleagues happily picked up this gaunlet and we proudly present the Dutch translation: Software Kwaliteit Kenmerken. I use this checklist often when preparing my testing. Now available in the Dutch language!
Why use checklists?
The modern world has given us stupendous know-how. Yet avoidable failures continue to plague us in health care, government, the law, the financial industry—in almost every realm of organized activity. And the reason is simple: the volume and complexity of knowledge today has exceeded our ability as individuals to properly deliver it to people—consistently, correctly, safely. We train longer, specialize more, use ever-advancing technologies, and still we fail. Atul Gawande makes a compelling argument that we can do better, using the simplest of methods: the checklist (source: Amazon.com)
Added the part on heuristics to this blog post in 2025. When I talk about Software Quality Characteristics now, I would call them heuristics.
Why use heuristics?
Heuristics help you think better about certain topics. In RST we say: “heuristics are fallible methods for solving problems”. They are like guidelines or rules of thumb. Some examples: “Pull on the handle, push on the plate”, “Don’t drink and drive”, “If it rains, take an umbrella” and “If you are having difficulty understanding a problem, try drawing a picture”. Heuristics are mental shortcuts that help you solve problems or makes decisions fast and with minimal mental effort.
More on heuristics
- The Essence of Heuristics by James Bach
- Heuristics for Understanding Heuristics by Michael Bolton
- Software Testing Heuristics: Mind The Gap! by Sarah Deery
Still want more? Have a look at my Great resources list here.