...Many people who want to get a web-developed project don't even understand the details of work. They just want to have a result and not to make a lot of efforts. How do you think - is there any solution? I think it is wide-spread problem.

"...productvity as a term is "bad" for creative work like "testing" or "art". That makes me to feel that I am a low skilled labour on a manufacturing assembly line (not that - it is a bad profession but that does not represent the kind of job I do or I would to do or I am capable of doing)"

What bad things happen when we apply the word 'productivity' to testing?

Like it or not, unless we are on a fixed price contract with no deadline (and when is there *not* a deadline?), the person who pays is going to be evaluating the value that we provide relative to the money they spend. This seems to be a productivity measurement, and things don't usually go well when we ignore it.

We are often forced to balance the artistic/creative part of our work with giving our employer the impression that we are being 'productive'. My understanding of history is that most artists through history have also had to concern themselves with both productivity and art, especially if they want to make a living.

To me, productivity is the key to defensible testing. It's the idea that I should be striving to get the best coverage that I can for the least cost.

I think where we go wrong is when we define productivity as output or effort, not 'value'. Unfortunately, the former definitions are common, and I think this is a huge problem in many places that I work. That is, there is a focus on appearing busy and creating artifacts, and not on gathering the information that would most help the project right now.