A Software TestingMeasures & Metrics Hierarchy?

Graham ThomasUKTMF, London

28 Oct 2015

Inspired by the RTW voyage of Solar Impulse 2

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Abstract

This session has been inspired by following the journey of Solar Impulse 2 (SI2), an aeroplane powered only by solar power, on its Round The World journey (RTW).Last June SI2 flew from Japan to Hawaii. It took 6 days, using only solar power. A remarkable feat which smashed all solar powered flight records.Even more amazing, was that as the plane flew it transmitted flight data which was published, live and real time, on the internet at solarimpulse.com, giving a real insight.This got me thinking. • Wouldn’t it be amazing if our software testing projects could broadcast

live, real-time metrics and measures just like Solar Impulse?• Looking at the information being sent back, a mix of flight data,

presented with route information, and the context of the overall RTW journey, there was a clear alignment with Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. From safety through to self-actualisation.

• And I wondered if there wasn’t an opportunity for us to revisit our testing measures and metrics, and look at whether they also aligned with Maslow, and what we could learn from that.

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Agenda

• Solar Impulse• Maslow• Si2 Alignment• And that got me thinking!• Workshop

• (What is a Measureand what is a Metric?)

• Measures & Metrics• Maslow Mapping

• What does all that mean?SI2 Cockpit

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Solar Impulse 2

Solar Impulse 2 was built to take up the challenge of achieving the first round-the-world solar flight. This revolutionary airplane has to do what no one has ever done before: fly through 5 consecutive days and nights without using any fuel, so as to cross oceans from one continent to the next. André Borschberg, at the controls, achieved such an oceanic crossing during his record-breaking flight from Nagoya to Hawaii.Our challenge: to take an airplane to such a high efficiency level of energy efficiency that it can fly day and night relying only on the sun. This required the optimization of new kinds of technology and a drastic reduction in energy consumption. The components normally used in aircraft construction are far too heavy for Solar Impulse.Solar Impulse’s 80 engineers and technicians, under André Borschberg’s leadership, have had to apply highly innovative solutions. What major civil and military aircraft makers thought impossible has been achieved by the ingenuity of a small team.General characteristics• Length: 21.85 m (71.7 ft)• Wingspan: 63.4 m (208 ft)• Height: 6.40 m (21.0 ft)• Wing area: 11,628 photovoltaic cells

rated at 45 kW peak: 200 m2 (2,200 sq ft)

Performance• Cruise speed: 70 kilometres per hour

(43 mph)• Endurance: 36 hours (projected)• Service ceiling: 8,500 m (27,900 ft)

with a maximum altitude of 12,000 metres (39,000 ft)

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SI2 Live Data

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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation" in Psychological Review. Maslow subsequently extended the idea to include his observations of humans' innate curiosity. His theories parallel many other theories of human developmental psychology, some of which focus on describing the stages of growth in humans. Maslow used the terms "physiological", "safety", "belongingness" and "love", "esteem", "self-actualization", and "self-transcendence" to describe the pattern that human motivations generally move through. – Wikipedia, 20.10.2015

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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is often portrayed as a pyramid, with the most fundamental levels of needs a the bottom.With the exception of Physiological needs, there may be no indication of the need – but the individual may feel anxious and tense.More than one level of need can occur at any time. - Wikipedia 27/10/2015

Physiological needsPhysiological needs are the physical requirements for human survival. If these requirements are not met, the human body cannot function properly and will ultimately fail. Physiological needs are thought to be the most important; they should be met first.Air, water, and food are metabolic requirements for survival in all animals, including humans. Clothing and shelter provide necessary protection from the elements. While maintaining an adequate birth rate shapes the intensity of the human sexual instinct, sexual competition may also shape said instinct.[2]

Safety needsWith their physical needs relatively satisfied, the individual's safety needs take precedence and dominate behavior. In the absence of physical safety – due to war, natural disaster, family violence, childhood abuse, etc. – people may (re-)experience post-traumatic stress disorder or transgenerational trauma. In the absence of economic safety – due to economic crisis and lack of work opportunities – these safety needs manifest themselves in ways such as a preference for job security, grievance procedures for protecting the individual from unilateral authority, savings accounts, insurance policies, reasonable disability accommodations, etc. This level is more likely to be found in children because they generally have a greater need to feel safe.

Love and belongingAfter physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, the third level of human needs is interpersonal and involves feelings of belongingness. This need is especially strong in childhood and can override the need for safety as witnessed in children who cling to abusive parents. Deficiencies within this level of Maslow's hierarchy – due to hospitalism, neglect, shunning,ostracism, etc. – can impact the individual's ability to form and maintain emotionally significant relationships in general

EsteemAll humans have a need to feel respected; this includes the need to have self-esteem and self-respect. Esteem presents the typical human desire to be accepted and valued by others. People often engage in a profession or hobby to gain recognition. These activities give the person a sense of contribution or value. Low self-esteem or an inferiority complex may result from imbalances during this level in the hierarchy. People with low self-esteem often need respect from others; they may feel the need to seek fame or glory. However, fame or glory will not help the person to build their self-esteem until they accept who they are internally.

Self-actualization"What a man can be, he must be."[10] This quotation forms the basis of the perceived need for self-actualization. This level of need refers to what a person's full potential is and the realization of that potential. Maslow describes this level as the desire to accomplish everything that one can, to become the most that one can be.[11] Individuals may perceive or focus on this need very specifically.Maslow believed that to understand this level of need, the person must not only achieve the previous needs, but master them.

Self-transcendenceIn his later years, Maslow explored a further dimension of needs, while criticizing his own vision on self-actualization.[13] The self only finds its actualization in giving itself to some higher goal outside oneself, in altruism and spirituality.[14]

SI2 Measures & Metrics

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Maslow Alignment

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And that got me thinking

• Some people say don’t measure – it is fear(Recent EuroSTAR Keynote)

• Some measures and metrics create very strong emotional responses

• Other people ask me “What is it that you do?”

• I often ask myself “Why am I doing this?”

• “Why don’t we have a Hierarchy of Software Testing Measures, like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?”

• Most of our measures and metrics are at the physiological or safety level. Is this good for us?

• What measures and metrics do we have?• How do they map to Maslow’s Hierarchy of

Needs?• Does this affect the way we generate and

disseminate software testing measures and metrics?

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Maslow

Maslow

PhysiologicalAir, Water, Food

SafetyPersonal, Financial, Health

Love & BelongingFriendship, Intimacy, Family

EsteemLower: from others, Higher: from yourself self. Self-esteem & Self-respect.

Self-actualisationRecognition of and realisation of one’s full potential. And on to Altruism.

Testing

PhysiologicalTest Environment, System Under Test, Resources

SafetyTime, Budget, Environment

Love & BelongingRelationships, Skills Community, Shared Purpose

EsteemRespect from Others. Respect for self.

Self-actualisationSelf-development, Test Improvement, Conference Speaking, on to e.g. Industry Working Groups

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Definitions

Measure

• Size or quantity found by measuring

• Degree, extent or amount• Rod, tape, etc. for measuring• Ascertain extent or quantity of

Metric

• Of the Metre; decimal measuring system

• So this is one of those IT words!

• “A Metric is derived (calculated from two or more measures)”- Rick Craig, Me, & others

The Concise Oxford DictionaryFifth Edition, 1972 ReprintFirst Published 1964

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Metric Examples

• MPH (Miles Per Hour)• Measure of speed * Time = MPH

(How fast the Driveshaft is spinning ( x * circumference of wheel))

• DDP (Defect Detection Percentage)• DDP = Number of defects at the moment of software version release /

Number of defects at the moment of software release + escaped defects found.

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Measures & Metrics

Let’s discuss which are our favourite measures and metrics• Which ones we are using?• Which ones we would like to use?

(And why we don’t?)• Which ones we use but don’t like?• Favourites• And what the response is to the

measure / metric?

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Maslow Mapping

• Let’s take our list of measures and metrics and map them onto Maslow

• And as we do that, let’s consider what Maslow’s hierarchy says about:

• How the measure or metric will be received?

• What it is trying to show?• Whether we are prepared for the

response?

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Summary

• I hope you found that useful?

• Did it work for you?

• I hadn’t realised the alignment until I had the thought watching the Solar Impulse flight

• Remember, this is pseudo-psychology, so be careful how you use it!

• Like Solar Impulse 2, I think we are only half-way there.

• There is still a way to go on our software testing measures and metrics.

• Hopefully thinking about Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs will help.

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Contact Details

You can connect with me at:

graham@badgerscroft.com

@GrahamNThomas

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