Thoughts before MoTaCon: You are invited to a testing party, bring a Bug
11 Aug 2026
In this moment:
Lisa Crispin
Eamon Droko
Continuing with an experiment. Let's look at the talk and workshop descriptions of MoTaCon 2026 and share my thoughts and reflections before the talk/workshop has happened. And then, hopefully, share my thoughts after MoTaCon — for those I'm able to attend live or watch back via the recording.
Lisa Crispin and Eamon Droko's "Testing as a Party: Inclusive ensemble testing for the whole team" sounds like such a fun workshop. And the fact it's Lisa and Eamon running it is a double whammy bonus. I'm a big fan of these two for a multitude of reasons.
It made me think about parties. Like when we're invited to a party some party organisers will provide clear instructions on what to bring. While others might just say "show up and don't worry about bringing anything". Yet in both situations when people show up they'll bring something: Flowers, a small gift, a card, some wine, beers or whatever. So it's kinda funny that we ignore instructions.
Ignoring instructions feels like an interesting heuristic for testing. What instructions is an application giving us and how can we ignore them to see what risks reveal themselves. Or what happens if instructions are misinterpreted.
An ensemble testing party sounds absolutely epic and I wish I could join one every day of the year. I guess we kinda do when we show up in the MoTaverse. 😎
Lisa Crispin and Eamon Droko's "Testing as a Party: Inclusive ensemble testing for the whole team" sounds like such a fun workshop. And the fact it's Lisa and Eamon running it is a double whammy bonus. I'm a big fan of these two for a multitude of reasons.
It made me think about parties. Like when we're invited to a party some party organisers will provide clear instructions on what to bring. While others might just say "show up and don't worry about bringing anything". Yet in both situations when people show up they'll bring something: Flowers, a small gift, a card, some wine, beers or whatever. So it's kinda funny that we ignore instructions.
Ignoring instructions feels like an interesting heuristic for testing. What instructions is an application giving us and how can we ignore them to see what risks reveal themselves. Or what happens if instructions are misinterpreted.
An ensemble testing party sounds absolutely epic and I wish I could join one every day of the year. I guess we kinda do when we show up in the MoTaverse. 😎
Simon Tomes
Community Lead at MoTaverse
he/him
Hello, I'm Simon. Since 2003 I've had various roles in testing, tech leadership and coaching. I believe in the power of collaboration, creativity and community. 🎓 MoT-STEC qualified. I get real joy working with and supporting our wonderful MoTaverse community.
“Thanks for making me feel so confident about myself.” | “I'm so grateful for all you do in the MoTaverse community, I learn so much as a result!” | “A simple chat with Simon in person absolutely changed everything.” | “Simon is one of the best people that I've ever met to have conversations with. He's so grounded in his way of thinking and articulates his thoughts so well and his feelings and his knowledge about community and everything.”
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