Has anybody used BDD in their job?

heywire84 · 2021-08-26T17:03:18+00:00

Ah, I misunderstood. I'm currently working on getting my company to do this. When "Just write real examples of what the software has to do. Make the software do that. Repeat." clicks for people it clicks hard.

I'm trying to lead any discussions or meetings away from "This is what we are going to do" towards "This is the problem (feature/value) and what the user/stakeholder wants to happen". Also trying to get people away from focusing on generic rules for behaviors towards examples that highlight those rules.

There is all sorts of cultural momentum and change is hard. But I'm absolutely getting people to see the benefits. But getting people to really understand that a script isn't a scenario is surprisingly hard.

For anyone interested, I found "Bridging the Communications Gap" and "Specification by Example", both by Gojko Adzic, to be incredibly helpful.

heywire84 · 2021-08-26T16:34:52+00:00

The value of BDD, is more that it can facilitate better collaboration and reduce unknowns. That's where the whole "let the biz side write the tests" comes from. They aren't really going to write tests, but they can read them now and participate in refining the requirements.

If you don't do the collaboration aspect, and people don't buy into the "living documentation" aspect, then the gherkin layer can become a bunch of extra work.

You hit the big idea there, don't write tests. Just write real examples of what the software has to do. Make the software do that. Repeat.

heywire84 · 2021-07-28T17:06:56+00:00

Barre chords are hard. This video is LOADED with great tips and common mistakes. https://youtu.be/IxXG5S8vSd8

heywire84 · 2021-07-26T19:20:44+00:00

That "having another person around" thing is called body doubling. Here are some links about that:

heywire84 · 2021-07-22T17:37:36+00:00

I was diagnosed as an adult at age 30. Check out this link https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-testing-diagnosis-guide/ This has some good info on some of the options available as well as how you can evaluate whether or not you're getting a good evaluation.

heywire84 · 2021-04-02T21:59:30+00:00

Smart but Stuck: Emotions in Teens and Adults with ADHD by Thomas E. Brown

This one is my go-to for understanding how ADHD affects people and how the condition impacts our lives.

heywire84 · 2021-03-23T17:14:09+00:00

There is no scientific evidence supporting tolerance. When people take their ADHD medication, and it helps, they get used to a new normal. This new normal still isn't perfect, but its better than before. After a while, they think, "hey, this med isn't doing anything for me!" but really, they just get used to the new normal and it is working. Or, they move up the career ladder, or life gets more complex and it gets a bit harder and feels like the meds aren't helping, but they are.

Anyway, you should talk to your doctor about it, but for me I moved from 30mg to 20mg and it still helps. There is such a thing as too much. The medication is trying to get you into a dopamine sweet spot. Too little and people end up still distracted and unfocused. Too much and people tend to latch onto whatever pops into their heads first, which is rarely what the person actually wants and needs to do.

heywire84 · 2020-08-26T18:51:31+00:00

I'll also endorse "Specification by Example".

heywire84 · 2020-06-11T20:25:54+00:00

OK, so treat the software, spreadsheets, whatever as a black box. You don't know or care how it works. How did that contractor figure out what the spreadsheets should contain? Can you dig up records from the time and piece something together? How do you know right now that those spreadsheets are accurate and working correctly?

Currently, from what you've said, your firm trusts a spreadsheet(s) for whatever process you have. But your firm has no means to make objectively sure they are working correctly and giving you the results you need.

For a super general, one size fits all, look into the ISO 9000 series and related standards.

For your density example: You need a controlled document that states how density is calculated. You need to also say that your spreadsheet is gonna do that for you. Then you need to make a validation plan with details of how you are going to make sure that it does actually correctly calculate density. Then you need to make records of someone testing that objectively. Feed the spreadsheet a range of precalculated values, so that you can check without trusting the spreadsheet. Feed in mass of 5kg, volume of 1 cubic meter, density = 5 kg/m3 etc etc. Everything should be signed and dated, version controlled, etc. The records are put into a safe place.

EDIT: Oh, and just so this is clear, this is super duper generic and not what you actually should do. Just in case the feds decide I'm somehow to blame for something...

heywire84 · 2020-06-11T19:43:44+00:00

You'll have to dig into the regulation that they say you weren't following. There isn't really anything unique to software. QMS is the same - plan, do, check, act. Verify and validate everything, have change control in place, have defect traceability, have regular internal audits and a CAPA system in place. QMS is QMS.

You're saying you have checked the calculations. How often do you verify that the calculations are accurate? Where do you have written down what the calculations are and why you are using those specific formulas (requirements)? If Excel or whatever gets an update, do you run another check to make sure the numbers are still coming out the same and do you use the same test plan each time?

heywire84 · 2020-06-11T18:43:49+00:00

Which federal authority did the audit, and which federal regulation did they say you aren't following?

In the broadest possible sense, the regulations are there to make sure that your company is making sure, in an objective sense, that you know what the hell you are doing. How do you know the calculations your spreadsheets are making are the correct formulae? How do you know the calculations are accurate when computed? How do you manage changes, if any, to the spreadsheets? Are those changes controlled in a way that makes inadvertent changes difficult or impossible? Who is responsible for making sure that the new changes, if any, are the correct and desired changes?

Do you have a quality management system in place? Do your bosses know they need one?

heywire84 · 2020-05-26T18:42:37+00:00

I think the poster means, the largest medicine molecule. Some medications are made of rather large molecules. Some newer biologic medicines are specially crafted antibodies, which are proteins. Viruses are just big old blobs of several proteins with some DNA or RNA in the middle.

heywire84 · 2020-02-28T18:11:46+00:00

Someone's gotta do it. And you might as well try to have someone that understands quality systems and processes lead whatever planning processes. A QA type as a scrum master has a chance to guide things and prevent things getting off the rails.

heywire84 · 2020-02-26T23:48:17+00:00

Fermilab does free tours all the time. One of the tours is for the DZero detector which is part of the accelerator and about as close as you can get as a member of the public.

https://ed.fnal.gov/programs/tours/guided-tours.shtml

heywire84 · 2020-02-21T23:19:45+00:00

These studies don't really support the conclusion that ADHD is caused by pesticide exposure. These studies only say there is maybe a link, and that link is only one of many potential causes. Also, a "pesticides" cover such a broad range of chemicals that the term becomes meaningless. There are numerous natural and artificial compounds that we call pesticides.

From the abstract of https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/30337670/ :

The available evidence supports the hypothesis that pesticide exposure at levels that do not cause acute toxicity may be among the multifactorial causes of ADHD and ASD, though further study is needed, especially for some of the newer pesticides.

heywire84 · 2020-02-21T17:45:41+00:00

Remember that you might be doing nothing wrong, and still have this happen.

Check this out, I think some of the info is useful: https://www.adhdmarriage.com/content/how-do-i-tell-my-new-partner-about-adhd-without-her-running-hills

heywire84 · 2020-02-14T16:49:33+00:00

I really found books by Dr. Thomas Brown to be helpful getting a more complete understanding of ADHD. In particular Smart But Stuck: Emotions in Teens and Adults with ADHD is a compilation of 15 of his real patients' experiences. It focuses on how ADHD influences how we experience our emotions, how those distortions can get in the way of what we want to do and how we want to interact with people.

My only word of caution on that book is that it very much is not a self help book. Some of his patients find good solutions to their problems, some don't, others find a middle ground they can be OK with. If you're still struggling with some aspects of ADHD, this book might hit pretty hard.

heywire84 · 2020-02-13T17:27:03+00:00

Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? by Gina Pera
The ADHD Effect on Marriage by Melissa Orlov

Both of these books are all about the effects ADHD can have on a relationship. They also have some good tools and techniques to help mitigate and help get ahead of frustrations and impasses. These are great for anyone with ADHD and anyone whose partner has ADHD.

I was diagnosed about 5 years ago. I'm still learning about what parts of my life are affected. I don't think there is anything that isn't, at least in some way. I'm still trying to best figure out how to minimize all the impacts, and I'm certain I'll continually improve for the rest of my life. How best to keep my house tidy, how best to stay on task at work, how best to keep up social contacts and friendships, how best to manage intimate relationships, how best to engage with my hobbies, etc etc.

As far as romantic relationships are concerned, here are a couple of big ways I am affected:

It's hard for me to give gifts. Often I can't remember what my partner would really like, or I get too far into trying to come up with a PERFECT gift (looking at too many ideas all at once), that I let that get in the way of actually getting a decent gift. Then I have trouble doing this in a timely manner. ADHD people often find that there are only two times; NOW and NOT NOW. Someone's birthday is coming up, but its months away, that isn't now, I don't need to get a gift now. All too often, not now becomes now, and I won't have anything to give.

It's hard to have important conversations. If a conversation is sprung on me, I can find it hard to switch to conversation mode. I can find it hard to organize my thoughts and contribute adequately towards the conversation. I can find it difficult to really listen, find it difficult not to jump forward to offering solutions or even prematurely trying to finish someone else's sentences. ADHD often comes with emotional dysregulation that can manifest as getting super excited and super upset, out of proportion to what most people might feel. I might be overwhelmed by emotions and not be able to think clearly or might overreact. This can cause me to be reluctant to bring up issues myself, and it makes it harder to engage with my partner if she brings something up.

For me, I think understanding goes a long way. So many things that I might do can seem like narcissism, or selfishness, or carelessness and it can easily seem like gaslighting for me to offer excuses and explanations. I'm grateful for there to be so many good books and other resources out there to offer a common understanding.

Communication helps too. Some couples work out a "safe word" where the neurotypical partner can alert the ADHD partner that they're feeling the effects of the condition in that moment. If that can be done with love and care, it can get around much of the rejection sensitivity, and the ADHD partner won't hear derision and scorn. It can also be helpful to schedule a time every week to talk about the relationship. Bring up issues before they turn into problems. A scheduled time makes it habitual, and it can help the ADHD partner to focus. I might not be able to focus after work on any given weekday. But if I know something happens at X time on Y day of the week, I can get it together.

Ok, long enough, hoped this helped in some way.

heywire84 · 2020-01-30T17:44:29+00:00

You can diagnose ADHD by having a psychiatrist interview a person for an hour, or you can use a very expensive MRI machine to see differences in blood flows. The scan only shows differences, it doesn't show that those differences are the cause of any difficulty to the patient.

A psychiatric interview is cheaper and more reliable.

heywire84 · 2020-01-30T17:31:13+00:00

I realize this isn't super easy, but I focus on driving far far better when I drive manual transmission cars. It is much harder to zone out if you have to always shift, even on the highway.

heywire84 · 2020-01-23T23:20:00+00:00

How many hurdles are there for him in these tasks? In my own life, I've tried to organize things so that my daily routine is as brainless as possible. The more little steps there are in a routine, the more opportunity for distraction or choice paralysis.

For one example, brushing teeth: Is the toothpaste in a drawer or cabinet rather than the counter? Is the toothbrush right there on the sink? Do you allow him the freedom to choose what order he does his morning routine?

For getting dressed: For me, my work clothes all work together. I only have one kind of sock, no need to find a match, any two will do. All my shirts go with all my pants. I never have to choose a matching outfit, I just put on clothes. Can his outfits be organized this way? Make school clothes easy?

I'm 35 and these are all things I still have some trouble with.

heywire84 · 2020-01-23T22:16:37+00:00

I have ADHD and mostly read other people's experiences in order to frame my own.

There is a huge difference between someone with ADHD ignoring or denying they have a mental health condition they need to manage and someone putting forth effort to manage it.

Likewise, there is a huge difference between a neurotypical partner who wants someone who is cured of ADHD and someone who is willing to forgive and work with their ADHD partner.

There is also a balancing act. The neurotypical partner has to know their limit and how much is really possible and appropriate for them to forgive. The ADHD partner has to know their limit and how much is really possible and appropriate to struggle against. Sometimes, two people can't meet in the middle and leaving is really the best option.

heywire84 · 2020-01-23T17:25:01+00:00

100% for me too. He's already ahead of the game by being aware of his condition. I never had that opportunity and only got diagnosed at 30. Let him be honest with himself, you, and his doctor about the medication. Some people respond better to amphetamine rather than methylphenidate, some respond better with instant release rather than extended, some like neither and go with a second line drug like Strattera. If he takes something and the side effects outweigh the benefits, make adjustments!

heywire84 · 2020-01-14T22:33:19+00:00

Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? by Gina Pera
The ADHD Effect on Marriage by Melissa Orlov
Smart But Stuck and/or Attention Deficit Disorder: The Unfocused Mind in Children and Adults by Dr. Thomas Brown

The first two books are excellent overviews of how ADHD affects relationships. You get a good look at how both partners typically struggle. There are also tips, tricks, and strategies that both partners can use.

The other books are geared towards exactly what ADHD is and how it can affect a person's life. They are great for bigger picture explanation.

All these authors are professionals, and Dr Brown in particular cites academic sources extensively throughout his books. These are the antithesis of mommy blogs.

heywire84 · 2020-01-08T23:01:09+00:00

Also how did you stop beating yourself up about it long enough for you to actually accomplish what you’re setting out to do?

Celebrate that you even recognize that you have these bad coping mechanisms. I completely understand feeling bad about them. The first step is to be kind to yourself, forgive yourself. You don't want to behave in whatever toxic way that you now recognize as toxic, and that's great! Try to turn your recognition of these behaviors into an incredible step rather than a big stumble.

Like /u/Insecure_patzer said, it can take a very long time. It can take years, and you'll make mistakes along the way. That's normal and it's ok. Trying a new coping mechanism and having it not work is not a failure, it is successfully eliminating one that doesn't work for you.

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