We live in a time of constant change, unclear requirements and systems that don’t behave the way we expect. Software testing depends now more than ever on the tester’s ability to adapt quickly. Of course, you’ve got test strategies, tools, and plans. But does everything always go according to plan? Not for me.

That’s exactly the kind of question orienteers face on every run. And surprisingly, we, testers can learn a lot from them.

Orienteering isn’t just about speed or getting lost. It’s a mental exercise in thinking under pressure, navigating with limited information, and the ability to quickly switch course when reality doesn’t match the plan. This sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Analytical Thinking

You’re at the start line of an orienteering course. In front of you is the map. You can’t see what’s on it yet. The map is rolled up and waiting. You’re only allowed to take it after the starting signal. So there’s no time to analyze or prepare beforehand. You’re forced to think on your feet and quickly determine the fastest route to the first checkpoint. And you constantly have to weigh alternatives. Is that way faster? Can I cut through the forest, or will that slow you down? Are there obstacles that aren’t marked?

These same skills are essential in software testing. Whether you’re dealing with functional requirements, user stories, or a brand-new system with no documentation, you need to check what’s happening at lightning speed. What test approach fits here? Where are the risks? Which scenarios are likely, and which are edge cases?

For testers, this means:

• Work iteratively, not linearly.
• Observe, conclude, reframe.
• Use heuristics (like SFDPOT) to guide your analysis in unknown territory.

Uncertainty

In the woods, you’re never 100% sure you’re on the right track. Every decision is a judgement call based on a map that might not match the terrain exactly. Sometimes you run for minutes without any confirmation that you’re going the right way. You have to tolerate that uncertainty and still move forward, trusting your approach.

In real world testing, you rarely work with complete information. Requirements are vague or incomplete, documentation is missing or systems behave differently than expected. You need to be able to test and explore without immediate feedback. Exploratory testing for example, is basically mental orienteering. You use your knowledge, intuition, and experience to systematically explore unknown terrain and make informed decisions along the way.

Time Pressure

Orienteering is a race against the clock. You try to find all the checkpoints in the right order, in the shortest possible time, while making constant decisions. Every mistake costs time. The challenge lies in balancing speed and precision under pressure.

Software testing has a similar dynamic. You’re often working against deadlines: a sprint that’s ending, an upcoming release, a bug that needs to be fixed yesterday. Under that pressure, you still have to stay sharp, think clearly, and prioritize effectively.

Orienteering trains you to stay calm under stress. Something that directly translates to your work environment. It helps you stay focused in hectic situations and make deliberate decisions instead of reacting out of panic.

Abstract Thinking

When orienteering, you’re constantly looking at an abstract representation of reality: the map. You have to translate that into the real world environment. You learn to recognize patterns, interpret contour lines and anticipate terrain changes. It’s all about bridging the gap between model and reality.

Testers do the same. You might be handed UML diagrams, architecture docs, pseudocode or wireframes. That are all abstract models of a system. You need to translate those into test scenarios, user behavior or technical edge cases. Using abstraction to navigate complexity is a good mental skill.

Feedback

One of the most important parts of orienteering is the post run evaluation. You often go back over your route and map choices. Where did you go wrong? Where could you have been faster? These moments of reflection are essential for improvement. You learn not just from your successes, but also from your mistakes!

Same goes for testing. Retrospectives and root cause analyses are moments to look critically at what happened. What went wrong? Why wasn’t that bug caught earlier? What can we do better next time? Testers who do this consistently are building a learning mindset.

Orienteers are used to this. They know that mistakes aren’t disasters. It are valuable lessons.

Step Outside Your Comfort Zone

Are you a tester looking for ways to see your craft from a new perspective? Then my invitation is simple: try orienteering.

Not because you have to, but because it teaches you to navigate uncertainty and builds skills that are directly applicable to your work:

• Focus
• Flexibility
• Processing feedback
• Scenario thinking
• Risk assessment

Go out, get lost on purpose and see how you return changed. Your tests will thank you for it.