According to Whittaker (pg. 16) Exploratory Testing (E.T.) is testing where scripts or rigidity have been removed (paraphrasing). Whittaker then explains his terms "E.T. in the small", decisions made where the scope of the testing is small and "E.T. in the large", decisions made when the scope of testing is large (small might be a screen in an application while large is the whole application). At the end of chapter 3 he mentions E.T. can be done in a way that allows test planning and execution to be completed simultaneously which I believe is one of E.T.s most important aspects. Touring (as in a tour guide or sight-seeing) becomes a metaphor for and a way to structure E.T.
There are 8 chapters in the book plus a number of appendices. In the first several chapters Whittaker discusses what he sees as the case for software quality (possibly redundant in a book for testers), introduces E.T. and explains how he uses it, in the small and the large. The next 4 or so chapters cover tours he and others have come up with. The last chapter is about how Whittaker sees the future of testing or at least how he did at the time of publishing.
The first appendix, A, is one of the most important parts of the book: building a successful career in software testing. Whittaker talks about how he got into testing and gives some advice on "getting over the hump" to be a better tester. Its short but worth reading. The rest of the appendices are old blog posts from his Microsoft days.
As a beginner (at the time I first read it) I found this book much more valuable than I do now several years later. I know more about E.T. and how it is an approach to testing that can but doesn't necessarily include tours or scripts. It isn't just manual testing either. For reference Michael Bolton (the testing expert) has some good posts in what E.T. is not:
- What Exploratory Testing is Not (Part 1): Touring
- What Exploratory Testing is Not (Part 2): After-Everything-Else Testing
- What Exploratory Testing is Not (Part 3): Tool-Free Testing
- What Exploratory Testing is Not (Part 4): Quick Tests
- What Exploratory Testing is Not (Part 5): Undocumented Testing
Years after reading Exploratory Software Testing I found out Exploratory Testing wasn't an original Whittaker concept rather it was conceived by James Bach. Bach has a different and more expansive idea of what constitutes Exploratory Testing. I could be wrong on this but I believe Bach coined the term but it was first published by Cem Kaner. Regardless I find it a little odd that Whittaker uses a limited definition without reference to either Bach or Kaner and their work.
This book offers a very limited understanding of Exploratory Testing. It isn't as practical as Whittaker's previous because you can't apply the teachings very well without fully understanding what E.T. is and how tours fit in. However if you only want ideas on how Microsoft’s testers used the touring metaphor to “perform” exploratory testing then you’ll get four chapters of information otherwise Exploratory Software Testing is worth skipping.
