"Pragmatic"

I call myself a pragmatic tester, but it occurs to me that I've never actually explained what I mean.

Let's start with the basics: "pragmatic"

Dealing or concerned with facts or actual occurrences; practical.

Pragmatic QA is about doing what works. Shipping product well is paramount. How you do it is less important. Just get it done.

• If you have to change your process, do it.
• If you have to alter your test plan to account for new information, do it.
• If you have to push back your test schedule to allow for the last minute "forgot it" feature, do it.
• If you have to restart testing of an area because you just found a big bug, just let people know and reset expectations.

Oh, and do it all cheerfully.