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Manual tester playbook

The manual tester redefined: the professional sceptic of agent output. When agents write the code and the tests, the human who deliberately tries to break it is more valuable, not less.

The work​

  • Session-based test management (SBTM) — time-boxed exploratory sessions with charters (a mission per session), not scripted click-throughs.
  • Touring & risk heuristics — SFDPOT (Structure, Function, Data, Platform, Operations, Time) and RCRCRC to decide where to look.
  • Per-iteration exploration — every loop gets a focused exploratory session on the riskiest changes.
  • Findings routed twice — into the backlog and into agent memory, so the same gotcha is never re-found by a human or an agent.

Why human exploration still matters​

Automated checks verify what we thought to assert. Exploratory testing finds what we didn't — the surprising interaction, the ugly edge case, the "no user would do that (but they did)". Agents are confident; the manual tester is the professional doubt that catches confident mistakes.

Standards referenced: SBTM, Heuristic Test Strategy Model.