Amount Quote by Steve McConnell
“Testing by itself does not improve software quality. Test results are an indicator of quality, but in and of themselves, they don't improve it. Trying to improve software quality by increasing the amount of testing is like trying to lose weight by weighing yourself more often. What you eat before you step onto the scale determines how much you will weigh, and the software development techniques you use determine how many errors testing will find. If you want to lose weight, don't buy a new scale; change your diet. If you want to improve your software, don't test more; develop better.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Code Complete, 2nd Edition, 2004
Testing alone doesn't raise quality; it only measures it. Quality comes from better development practices, not just more tests.
In simple terms: Tests show problems but don't fix them.
Key Takeaway
Focus on improving code, not just testing.
Themes
software quality
testing
development practices
Mood
analytical
pragmatic
Type
advice
technical
When to use this quote
- software projects
- team retrospectives
- continuous integration
- code reviews
Key Concepts
measurement vs improvement
process improvement
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you improve development processes?
- What metrics truly reflect quality?
A Different Perspective
More testing can give false confidence if underlying code is poor.
![“[...] you shouldn't be uneasy about any parts of the architecture. It shouldn't contain anything just to please the boss. It shouldn't contain anything that's hard for you to understand. You're the one who'll implement it; if it doesn't make sense to you, how can you implement it?” quote by Steve McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0a6/steve-mcconnell-11957_architecture_you-shouldn-t-be-uneasy-about-any-parts_574744.jpg)
