Interview for the 'featured' Series

Hanser-Verlag interviewed me about my motivation and topics that are important to me. The interview originally appeared in the blog “Hanser-Update”.

This interview is all about Richard Seidl, expert in software testing and co-author of the book “Agile Testing. The agile way to quality”! You already know him from his articles “Tester vs. Technical Debt”, the interview on the “Agile Testing Days” and most recently from the 5 questions - 5 answers on software testing. This time you can look forward to a very personal contribution from and with him.

What motivates you to write a book?

My motivation for my books and texts lies in sharing knowledge. Every day I experience the successes, synergies and developments that come about when knowledge is shared with others. I see this in development teams, companies and also in society. And since I consume a lot of knowledge, it is only logical for me to pass on my knowledge. Another motivation for me is the focused examination of a topic. Looking at it again from different angles and questioning it; exchanging ideas with others and discussing opinions on it - that always takes me further in terms of content.

Why is this topic close to your heart?

My last book was about testing in an agile environment. For me, the ideas behind agility are an essential step towards a reorganization that we will not be able to avoid in many areas of life. Why? Because we live in exciting times! The world around us is changing faster and faster - more than we would sometimes like; technologies are developing rapidly. The crux of the matter is that this development is more exponential than linear in most areas. This stretches our imagination and so we project the last 10 years onto the next 10 and that calms us down a little. The point is, we have no idea what awaits us in 10 years’ time - be it in the professional world, socially, environmentally or anywhere else. But it looks as if changes and unexpected impacts will increase. I find this exciting and ask myself how I can deal with it. I wouldn’t be able to cope with shock or resignation. And this is where the agile mindset comes into play. Being open to change, a collaborative mindset, flexibility and the ability to react quickly - these are all strategies that I currently consider useful for the future. For me, agility is primarily a matter of the mind. If the mindset and inner attitude are not there, I will find it difficult to achieve success even with agile methods and good practices. (In my opinion, this is also a reason for many failed projects - nobody really wants to, but because the process dictates it, you put 15 minutes together every day).

But the exciting thing is that if I adopt this attitude, I can apply agile methods in all areas of my life and become more flexible, resilient and relaxed - whether in my family life, hobbies or lifestyle. Changes in my environment stress me less and are perhaps even the seed for something new.
Agility is currently an important part of my toolbox that helps me in many contexts. But this is also changing and I don’t believe in glorifying agile methods - whether in software projects or in everyday life. They are an important step, but there is more to come. Will we still be calling them that in a few years’ time or pursuing other concepts? Who knows.

All in all, that is what is close to my heart: Allowing people, teams and companies to experience this mindset and inspiring them to develop further. Agility is a good way to do this.

What is your typical workflow for your manuscript? I prefer to work in nature. This is the quickest way to get into the flow of writing, turning the initial outline into paragraphs and the paragraphs into chapters. I write exclusively in electronic form; I use paper for sketching and mind maps. Focus is extremely important to me when writing, both on the computer and at my desk. Mail, phone, etc. off and preferably a text-only editor - I use Ulysses for this. I usually write for 1/2 to 1 1/2 hours at a time, then I’ve had enough and take a break.

What did you particularly like about the writing process for the last book project and what would you do differently next time?

For me, the best moment in the writing process is when I get into the flow and can simply write down my thoughts without interruption. And that’s also what I want to improve in the future: I sometimes let spelling mistakes, etc. stop me in my writing flow and then start looking things up - which really shouldn’t be necessary at that point. Otherwise, I currently feel comfortable with my writing process.

Are you already planning or writing a new book?

I am constantly collecting ideas, paragraphs and thoughts - and the idea for a new book is currently taking shape.

So it remains exciting, thank you for the insights and good luck with the realization of the book idea!