developing a test team - rbcs, inc · developing a test team ... smart goals and objecti es pro ide...

Developing a Test TeamBest Practices for Excellent Test Organizations

Time Tested. Testing Improved

I t d tiIntroduction Our industry is focused on developing softwarey p gFor the last 25 years or so, we’ve been obsessed by processes and SDLCsBut software is still built mostly by hand by peopleBut software is still built mostly by hand, by peopleWe talk too much about how we develop software and not enough about how we develop the people that develop the softwarethat develop the softwareEnough of the religious warfare about SDLCsLet’s start a healthy discussion of how to develop, b ild d t lbuild, and nurture our peopleLet’s look at some proven best practices for doing so…

Developing a Test Teamwww.rbcs-us.com

Copyright (c) RBCS 2015

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E ti l El t f T D l p tEssential Elements of Team DevelopmentAs a manager, you’re only as good as your teamAs a manager, you re only as good as your teamDevelop the team by taking capable people who like to learn and transforming them into a remarkable teamTh i l l i d l i Three essential elements in developing a great team:

Help people acquire new skills to complement the strengths and offset the weakness of the teamgAssign work to people to use both new and existing skillsManage competently but above all provide inspired Manage competently, but above all provide inspired and inspiring leadership

Leadership is important enough for its own sessionHere we focus on skills growth and work assignment



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D l pi I di id lDeveloping IndividualsStrong teams are made up of strong individuals Strong teams are made up of strong individuals Only in silly movies do collections of misfits and losers accomplish amazing thingsp g gSince you probably didn’t start with a perfect team, you’ll need to develop the people on the teamIndividual development should complement team needs by identifying and filling skills gaps team needs by identifying and filling skills gaps This won’t happen by accident, you’ll need a development plandevelopment plan



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C ti Skill I tCreating a Skills InventoryFind skills gaps through a skills inventoryFind skills gaps through a skills inventory1. Identify important tasks done by your team 2. Determine skills required for those tasks, grouped into categories (e.g.,

general qualifications, technical, business domain, and testing)3. Check skill levels of each existing team member for each skill

A skill level scale I’ve used:0 (No Knowledge): Person cannot perform tasks that require this skill1 (S K l d ) Gi f i l 1 (Some Knowledge): Given support, person can perform simple to moderate tasks that require this skill2 (Knowledgeable): Person can perform simple to moderate tasks that require this skill, and can support others in this skill3 (Expert Knowledge): Person can perform all tasks that require this skill and can answer most questions about this skill

Ensure objective, meaningful evaluations of skill levelsResulting spreadsheet will show areas of strength and weakness



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U i th Skill I tUsing the Skills InventoryUse the skills inventory to:Use the skills inventory to:

Identify areas of individual and team weakness, addressing weakness through g gtraining, mentoring, etc.Create job descriptions, in order to hire people who bring new skills into weak areaswho bring new skills into weak areasAssign tasks, keeping in mind that you can use tasks to grow skills as well as to exploit g pskills

Create a training plan



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Id f th T i i PlIdeas for the Training PlanUse instructor-led (on-site or off-site) or e-learning ( ) gtraining courses Have individuals or groups use books, webinars, and other resources to self-study S l l d bl f dSelect relevant, credible certification programs to guide the processProvide cross-training and mentoringC id j b t ti Consider job rotation Encourage people to start or continue work toward a college degree Remember that task assignment is required to cement the Remember that task assignment is required to cement the new skillsDon’t just support individuals in skills growth; require it by making skills growth part of their periodic objectives by making skills growth part of their periodic objectives or goals



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S tti G l d Obj tiSetting Goals and ObjectivesAs a manager, you must guide people to achieve their best g , y g p ppossible workThis involves defining goals and objectives for each person, then periodically evaluating their performance p , p y g pSome organizations tie employee achievement of their goals and objectives to their salary increases, bonuses, or other incentivesGoals and objectives must be fair to the employee and to the companyRemember that people respond to economic rewards and Remember that people respond to economic rewards and punishments, so goals and objectives drive behaviorWhen done wrong, this can be very destructive and disruptive, so be carefuldisruptive, so be careful



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SMARTSMARTEach goal and objective should have five Each goal and objective should have five properties:

Specific: Exactly what is expected, what will be accomplished? Measurable: How will you measure progress? y p gAttainable: Is the goal achievable and beyond typical performance? Realistic: Given project and organization constraints and realities, does achieving this goal make sense (for individual, realities, does achieving this goal make sense (for individual, test group, and organization)? Timely: When should the goal be completed and milestones reached?

SMART goals and objecti es pro ide fair SMART goals and objectives provide fair standards for performance reviews and give employees a meaningful framework for self-improvementimprovement



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C Mi t kCommon MistakesGoals that are unachievable by the employee or due to y p yorganizational or project realities Goals that are so simple that achieving them is no achievement at all Goals that are not within the control of the testerGoals that are not within the control of the testerUsing project, product, or process metrics to measure and reward peopleBonuses for bugs found, tests run, etc.gConfusing individual goals and group goalsIndividual goals and objectives that don’t fit with or support group goals and objectives“Set and forget” until the ne t performance re ie “Set and forget” until the next performance review Moving the goalpost after a goal has been agreed to (especially if done with malicious intent)Goals and objectives that don’t fit the tester’s roles, j ,responsibilities, or career path



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P f R iPerformance ReviewsReview goals and objectives at least annuallyg j yThese will not be painful if you give employees regular feedback on their work Performance reviews are a key part of your role as a leadery p yThree-hundred-sixty-degree reviews are a good way to consider all stakeholdersPerformance reviews should consider subjective and objective f l d b f d lfactors, always supported by facts and examples When giving someone a performance evaluation you expect them to be unhappy with, be sure to explain:

The requirements of the job The requirements of the job The employee’s demonstrated capabilities The difference between those two

No one should ever be surprised by a bad performance review; p y p ;if they are, you failed to provide regular feedback



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Opti f O i i T t TOptions for Organizing a Test TeamTwo models for organizing a test teamg g

Generalized: favors efficiency, since any tester can do any task, but reduces effectiveness, since testers are not experts in any areaSpecialized: favors effectiveness, as testers are experts, but reduces efficiency, since skill requirements can fluctuatey, q

Specialization is also a function of size Possible specializations:

Black-box testerWhite-box testerPerformance test engineerTest environment and data administratorTools developerTools developerTest lead and test managerTest architectTest automation specialistS i iSecurity test engineer



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RACI M t iRACI MatricesA useful tool for task assignments and to identify roles and g yresponsibilities Four types of participation :

Responsible: Doing the work and creating work productsAccountable: Being answerable for the proper, thorough completion of the task and its Accountable: Being answerable for the proper, thorough completion of the task and its associated work products (sometimes same as responsible)Consulted: Advising, discussing, and reviewing options with responsible and accountable Informed: Receiving progress reports

f dd dSometimes a supporting type of participation is addedA typical RACI or RASCI matrix has a list of tasks or deliverables on the left, roles across the top, and assigned participants shown in the appropriate cellpp pRoles are not the same as titlesMultiple people play one role, and one person can play multiple rolesRACI matrices help managers assign tasks, and help testers understand h i ifi l d ibili itheir specific roles and responsibilities



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P litPersonalitySkills and qualifications vary, and so do personalitiesq y pManagers must skillfully handle their interactions with their testersMyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) tests place people into 16 compound personality types, based on four classifications:

Extrovert (E) or Introvert (I): People focused vs. inward focusedSensing (S) or Intuition (N): Facts and data focused vs. interpretation focusedThinking (T) or Feeling (F): Decide on facts, logic, consistency, and coherence vs. decide based on people and context Judging (J) or Perceiving (P): Follow a careful plan vs. roll with the punches

These classifications are combined to give the compound personality typepersonality typeUse personality types to help decide task assignment and to avoid/resolve personality conflicts Remember that the MBTI is a form of modeling, and all models are wrong but possibly useful



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St Th h ld d R tiStress Thresholds and ReactionsPeople differ in dealing with stress and where their stress p gthresholds areStress can lead to chronic fatigue and loss of demotivation (a.k.a. burnout)S l l d b llStress can also lead to anger, aggression, bullying, or even violence (a.k.a. snapping)Underlying psychological problems or chronic substance abuse issues can exacerbate and be exacerbated by stressabuse issues can exacerbate and be exacerbated by stressDifferent people find different things stressful, and different people can handle different levels of stress before a stress reaction occursDifferent people have different ways of coping with stress, and sometimes those coping mechanisms are counter-productive



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C l iConclusionsDeveloping your people into the best Developing your people into the best possible team is a key part of managementTeam development is more than just

di l i isending people to trainingTraining must be targeted to individual and team needsand team needsPersonality, stress, and job assignments also must be consideredSetting and evaluating fair, SMART goals and objectives is part of leading the development of your teamdevelopment of your team



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T C t t RBCSFor over twenty years, RBCS has delivered consulting, outsourcing and training services to clients helping them with software and hardware testing Employing

To Contact RBCSservices to clients, helping them with software and hardware testing. Employing the industry’s most experienced and recognized consultants, RBCS advises its clients, trains their employees, conducts product testing, builds and improves testing groups, and hires testing staff for hundreds of clients worldwide. Ranging g g p g g gfrom Fortune 20 companies to start-ups, RBCS clients save time and money through improved product development, decreased tech support calls, improved corporate reputation and more. To learn more about RBCS, visit www.rbcs-us.com.Add RBCS IAddress: RBCS, Inc.

31520 Beck RoadBulverde, TX 78163-3911USA

Phone: +1 (830) 438-4830E-mail: [email protected]: www.rbcs-us.comT itt @RBCS @L ik T tD

Developing a Test Team

Twitter: @RBCS, @LaikaTestDogFacebook: RBCS-Inc

www.rbcs-us.com Copyright (c) RBCS 2015

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developing a test team - rbcs, inc · developing a test team ... smart goals and objecti es pro ide...

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