Ben Dowen
Lead Quality Engineer
He/Him
I explore the world of software development and testing. Join me as I continue my adventures, discovering the wonders of quality.
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Achieving 5 or more Community Star badges
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earned:
Call for Insights turns 45
earned:
4.5.0 of MoT Software Testing Essentials Certificate
earned:
4.3.2 of MoT Software Testing Essentials Certificate
earned:
2.3.0 of MoT Software Quality Engineering Certificate
earned:
Call for Insights turns 45
Contributions
On the 15th of January 2026 myself and Ujjwal Kumar Singh joined a call and pressed record. We were curious to see what would happen. A few weeks later Iād done the same with Neil Taylor and Clare ...
Explore how risk can guide smarter testing decisions.
During a Software Testing Live with Ben Dowen and Melissa Fisher, I was reminded of a Club post from 2017.Ā I set a little challenge that I think is fun to do again.Ā
Start a five minute ...
What is Testing?
Nice try! I'm not going to define all of testing here, when there are many pages of different topics on the Glossary that cover what is Testing, in so much great detail.If you really must know, and you got this far without knowing, here is a workable definition of Software Testing, from Wikipedia:
Software testing is the act of checking whether software meets its intended objectives and satisfies expectations.Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_testing
Also, see: https://www.ministryoftesting.com/software-testing-glossary?button=&q%5Btitle_cont%5D=testing
Who are the Testers?
This could be, someone who is an expert in software quality and testing, with many different possible role titles, many of them don't even have the word Tester in the name.For the most part, the term Tester is usually used for those with dedicated testing and quality roles. However, in many modern software teams, much of the testing is carried out not by dedicated specialists, but Software Development Engineers, Product Managers, Designers and other members of the team alongside their primary roles.These people who take on Testing in addition to their other roles, are no less Testers, and some of them may also have a lot of experience and expertise in Testing, regardless of their current role title.
When is a Tester, not a Tester?
Some time ago, I wrote a blog post about my journey in software testing, feel free to take a look if you're interested:
https://www.dowen.me.uk/posts/when-is-a-tester-not-a-tester/
But, Testers do ALL these other things, don't they?
Yes, many Testers also do many, many things to support their teams and companies, that go way beyond any reasonable definition of Testing. And, many then also go on to carry out other roles in Software Development Teams, including many leadership positions.
Hardware Testing
Yes, Testing and Testers are most definitely not limited to Software! Hardware, and probably other not-software things inbetween, also need testing, by testers.Testing and Testers also exist in many other industries, beyond Technology, shout out to my Snack Testers out there, further detail on such things are mostly out of scope for Ministry of Testing.However it's always interesting to see what we can learn from other industries and outside disciplines.
Explore the boundaries of AI-generated software by live-testing a word search tool and using collaborative techniques to identify gaps in logic despite passing all initial automated tests.
A lively chat about influence without authority, from asking better questions and telling clearer risk stories to navigating stakeholders, careers, and community visibility.
Have you been enjoying Software Testing Live?Want to take it to the next level and help shape the future of the new Software Testing Live Chapter?!?That's right, we started an MoT Chapter for STL!J...
Evaluate the shift from "automate all" to "review all" by using AI agents for test plans while applying human-led ACE feedback to ensure code quality and business relevance.
Getting myself in the mood for today's episode of Software Testing Live, I've gone for the "grab what MoT merch I can find" look.
And today, MATT was born. The Mimica Automation Test Teller.MATT is my slack app, I can tell MATT when my tests fail, and he tells my team.Only I don't have to tell MATT, my Acceptance Tests runnin...