All time classic soap opera test .... for real!

Scenario testing is a powerful technique for testing software. When bugs are found, the scenario itself becomes a strong argument for fixing the bug. An extreme variation of this is called soap opera testing . This involves putting many complications into a scenario, so that it resembles a soap opera plot. For example, let’s start with a basic premise, a store is meant to give away $10 to customers successfully applying for a credit card, but let’s make it a random amount from $850 up to $4000, and let’s give away the money even if the card isn’t approved.

Sound wild enough? Yes, but it was real! It happened at a store in Wauwatosa in the U.S, with people calling friends to come for free money, till the store ran out of credit card applications, then an entrepeneur was selling applications for $20 in the car park. A fight started between two women developing into an all in brawl of customers that moved into the carpark leaving hair and earrings in its wake, and a staff member was pushed through a plate glass window. While nearly a dozen police cars were called, there were only(!) two arrests. A workaround fix was credit card applications were suspended, and I guess that scenario resulted in a prompt bug fix! The full story deserves to be filmed!