exploratory testing is now in session

Team LeadershipTelling Your Testing Stories

Bob GalenPresident & Principal Consultant

RGCG, LLC [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Copyright © 2013 RGCG, LLC 2

IntroductionBob Galen Somewhere ‘north’ of 30 years experience Various lifecycles – Waterfall variants, RUP, Agile, Chaos… Various domains – SaaS, Medical, Financial Services, Computer

& Storage Systems, eCommerce, and Telecommunications Developer first, then Project Management / Leadership, then

Testing Leveraged ‘pieces’ of Scrum in late 90’s; before ‘agile’ was ‘Agile’ Agility @ Lucent in 2000 – 2001 using Extreme Programming Formally using Scrum since 2000 Currently an independent Agile Coach (CSC – Certified Scrum

Coach, one of 50 world-wide; 20+ in North America) at RGCG, LLC and Director of Agile Solutions at Zenergy Technologies

From Cary, North Carolina Connect w/ me via LinkedIn and Twitter if you wish…

Bias Disclaimer:Agile is THE BEST Methodology for Software Development…

However, NOT a Silver Bullet!

Outline

Intro Elevator Pitch / 30 Second Commercial The Story Factor – Annette Simmons The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling – Stephen Denning Tell to Win – Peter Guber Techniques Examples Workshop Storytelling Close



StoriesElevator Pitch

You’re in the middle of a testing cycle for a business critical project. You’re testing a single component of a large system - roughly 10 testers are on your team. The Vice President of Software development walks up to you in the lab and asks you – “How’s it going?”

What do you say?

He challenges you on several defects that you’ve entered – disagreeing on priority and severity

How do you respond?

This is a great opportunity. You’re either ready for it and respond well or you don’t…which do your choose?


Another Situation

Same situation, although time has passed and the project has missed several of it’s planned Beta dates and things are “dicey”. You’re in the middle of the “last” testing cycle prior to going to Beta test. You’ve found some regressions that you “suspect” will impact the products ability to go to Beta. The Vice President of Marketing walks up to you in the lab and asks you – “How’s it going?”

What do you say? How do you say it?

Another, even more critical opportunity to make an impression…


StoriesElevator Pitch We’re in communicating situations all of the time As Test, QA and Process engineers -

We’re representing the product, it’s correctness, completeness and overall quality

We’re representing our test team and ourselves We’re the living embodiment of “how is it going?” And “is it ready

yet?”

I refer to these ongoing and ever present conversations as a communications & PR effort

It’s all of our jobs and we do it anyway So why not learn techniques for doing it often and well?


StoriesElevator Pitch - Introduction Break into groups of 2 Take a minute or two and introduce yourselves. Share

on: Background information (Overall experience, where you work,

etc.) Biggest challenge you face at work Ideas for facing that challenge

I’ll time each exchange

Let’s debrief…how did you do?


30 Second “Commercial”

In job search circles, they refer to your developing and delivering a “30 second commercial” for networking. It’s a -

Quick introduction Concise overview of your background Includes your professional history Delivered to fit the situation, allowed time and specific audience

You take the time to develop your “commercials” from your resume, you should have at least a few – to many of them. They’re targeted towards different audiences and situations.


30 Second Testing “Commercials”

Current work status: What are you working on, what are your recent successes and

your challenges. Very importantly - what’s next? Do you need any help? (escalations, ideas, alternatives,

workarounds, etc.) If you have one message to send for status – what would it be?

Make sure you communicate it! Current product status:

Overall view to your area of testing responsibility What is the overall product stability, feature set maturity and

performance? High level defect trends, schedule status and work projectionsAlways practice your commercials - Preparation is the key!


Characteristics

Keys to Effective Communication Concise communications – remember the “Top 1/3” rule If you could only say 2-3 things, what would they be? All forms matter – written, verbal, non-verbal, defects

Target your communications Their functional role and level within the organization Their point of view (adopt their POV - empathize) What they want to hear and what they need to hear What will they do with the information you give them Can they “handle” the truth and how much of the truth

Story Models


Story Telling ModelAnnette Simmons The Story Factor, published in 2006 Six stories everyone needs to be able to tell

People don’t always want data, then want faith. Faith in you. Stories help them to find that faith in you.

The importance of ‘connection’ of staying ‘Real’


http://www.amazon.com/The-Story-Factor-Revised-Edition/dp/0465078079/ref=la_B001ITTNSC_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341128312&sr=1-1

“Who I Am” Stories This is your introduction.

If you’re new to a group or role, then it’s pure introduction If you’re new to a situation, then explaining how you faced similar

situations might be appropriate Make them personable Try to inject some sort of humor Show vulnerability—illustrate a mistake or a personal

flaw Be honest and genuine


“Why Am I Here?” Stories This is the “What’s in it for you” story

Explain your career path—why are you particularly skilled to do this?

Or explain a project path—what events have led to your getting involved?

Share what are you trying to achieve, and why Sometimes your very role, charter, or mandate on the part of your

company helps here

These last two are easy and hard—linking to you. They might also blend together into a single story.


VisionStories This is the “What’s in it for others?” story

At a leadership level—where are you proposing taking the organization? Why? looking for alignment…

At an agile level—what methods and path will be used? How will we measure success?

At a project level—what is the purpose / goal of the project? And how do you envision our supporting that goal?

Often its about sharing a high-level strategy Connecting it so that others can ‘See’ it


Teaching Stories Sharing your experience

Learning from mistakes Failing Forward The Wisdom of the Crowd Trusting each other; 5 Dysfunctions of a Team

Sharing ‘models’ for maturation and improvement Patterns Anti-patterns; often we can learning more from what didn’t work Solving problems Listen to our customers; take & accept feedback



5 Dysfunctions of a Team -- Lencioni

Absence of

Trust

Fear of

Conflict

Lack of

Commitment

Avoidance of

Accountability

Inattention to

Results

“Values-in-Action” Stories Playing back “actions” stories

Team members helping each other Projects under ‘stress’ and how teams’ seemed to rise to the

occasion Character checking / building events Agile teams holding to their “quality commitments” and time-box

agreements Persistence, patience, staying the course


“I Know What You’re Thinking” Stories This is your opportunity to address

Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt Dissention Historical patterns Trust in leadership vs. Trust in your teams Undermining, lack of true support, waiting things out We don’t address performance issues

Everyone treated the same Nobody is ever fired or released based on poor performance

New ‘Sheriff’ in Town; new rules and a new spirit


Story Telling ModelStephen Denning

The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling

published in 2005. Author of Squirrel Inc.

Similarities to The Story Factor, but with a leadership and more in-depth focus.

Denning has gone onto become immersed in innovation, leadership reinvention, and agile methods.


http://www.amazon.com/The-Leaders-Guide-Storytelling-non-Franchise/dp/0470548673/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341185030&sr=8-1&keywords=stephen+denning

8 Narrative PatternsStephen Denning1. **Motivate Others to Action

Using narrative to ignite action and implement new ideas

2. Build Trust in You Using narrative to communicate who you are

3. Build Trust in your Company Using narrative to build your brand

4. Transmit your Values Using narrative to instill organizational values


8 Narrative PatternsStephen Denning5. **Getting Others Working Together

Using narrative to get things done collaboratively

6. Share Knowledge Using narrative to transmit knowledge and understanding

7. Tame the Grapevine Using narrative to neutralize gossip and rumor

8. Create and Share Your Vision Using narrative to lead people into the future


Tell to WinPeter Guber1. Motivation

Your, be intentional, passion, engage

2. Audience Render an experience, connect, align with

3. Goal Purposeful, build an ongoing relationship (not a point

transaction)

4. Interaction For them to own, secret sauce

5. Content Its everywhere, your own experiences, what moves you


http://www.amazon.com/Tell-Win-Connect-Persuade-Triumph/dp/0307587959/ref=pd_luc_sim_02_02_t_lh

General Techniques


Basic FrameworkStill quite effective…

Tell them what you’re about to tell them Tell them Tell them what you just told them

Oreo Cookie Model (sandwich)

From a Planning and a Strategy perspective, consider: Opening Moves Middle Game End Game


Copyright © 2013 RGCG, LLC

The “One Thing”

When it comes to risky, controversial, and emotional conversations, skilled people find a way to get all

relevant information out into the open.That’s it. At the core of every successful conversation lies

the free flow of relevant information. People openly and honestly express their opinions, share their feelings, and

articulate their theories. They willingly and capably share their views, even when

their ideas are controversial or unpopular.

26

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Conversations-Talking-Stakes-Second/dp/0071771328/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341237388&sr=1-1&keywords=crucial+conversations

The Pareto PrincipalCrossing the Chasm Communicate mostly to the 80% Communicate mostly to the Early Adopters and the

Majority Tailor your message to these folks; reach out to their

interests, connecting to them


Turning Points

Major shift points or nexus points can be useful in stories A major shift or turning point in your life A major external turning point to you personally, your group, your

organization; M&A activity A major turning point in a project A key player leaving your team

Example: I’ve often used lay-offs as transition points for major shifts in my career. From the ashes…rises another chapter. My two books have resulted from these transitions…


Connecting to Your Audience

Reference their perspectives Reference their context What would you want to hear IF you were in their shoes What sorts of history relates to your topic

Walk about, make eye contact Talk about what you’d like to help the audience do, how

you’d like to serve them Keep the Servant Leadership mindset in mind

throughout


Admiration

Someone you knew when you were growing up Someone in the organization who has met a lot to you The person you admire most in your organization Someone who did better in the organization than anyone

expected Someone who mentored you (showed you the ropes) in

the organization Someone who handled adversity incredibly well in the

organization Someone who is a humble servant leader


Goals & Objectives

You can’t force collaboration. You can encourage it towards specific expectations surrounding Goals & Objectives… Major initiative Major project Major new methodology Challenging new

technology Quarterly / Annual

goal-setting Connecting alignment to the top-line strategies

We’re all being measured together


Clarifying & Listening

Were you listening? Play it back to me…what were the key points? What do you think will be the most challenging parts of

the strategy? Is this the right direction? Does anyone see crucial

adjustments that need to be made?


Humor

Self deprecating humor can be incredibly

powerful in stories— particularly as an introductory

device Share internal stories that are commonly views as

humorous Twist questions around, be playful with your audience You don’t have to be a comedian; be yourself


Adding Context

Add appropriate breadth and depth to the context that folks normally wouldn’t have— Risk context Organizational context Impact context Customer context Dependency context Quality context Leadership context Technical context Revenue context


Power of Transparency

13 Behaviors that Foster & Increase Trust

1. Talk Straight

2. Demonstrate Respect

3. Create Transparency

4. Right Wrongs

5. Show Loyalty

6. Deliver Results

7. Get Better

8. Confront Reality

9. Clarify Expectations

10. Practice Accountability

11. Listen First

12. Keep Commitments

13. Extend Trust

35Copyright © 2013 RGCG, LLC

http://www.amazon.com/SPEED-Trust-Thing-Changes-Everything/dp/1416549005/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341237240&sr=1-1&keywords=coveys+the+speed+of+trust

Visualization

Try to paint a picture Directionally committed – Burn the ships behind you

Let pictures do some of your talking for you Mine the organization for supportive “pictures”

Defect reports, project failures, M&A intentions, success & failure email, metrics, virtually anything that adds to the imagery


Group-based Stories

Engaging multiple story-tellers Defining a strategy around a group with different

Perspectives Stories Audience Connections

For example, we’re “ Going Agile” Engage Development + Quality + Product Engage team member(s) from pilot team(s) Engage leadership to speak to the core drivers


When trying to make a point…

Let it emerge…

Don’t start with it: This is a story about incredible courage. At the end, you will

aspire to be like me Or end with:

And now I expect you all to be like me

Allow everyone to come to their own conclusions. Of course, you can recount what it means to YOU


Safety

In order to get feedback the environment has to be considered ‘Safe’

Commit to “What happens in Vegas…” for all story telling session Don’t be afraid to disagree or debate, just don’t take follow-on

actions Tell stories about how much you appreciate candor, feedback,

and truth-telling

It will take time to establish trust, but well worth it. Safety needs to be 100%


What to try?

Find opportunities for stories Keep a diary; remember key events When in doubt or when there’s a ‘void’…start Remember: we can all tell stories, think about your

interviews When it feels like its time to stop…stop Walk around, make eye contact, take questions Be yourself; don’t try to be someone else It’s better to tell a story badly, than to not tell one at all

when the opportunity is there


What to avoid?

Ridicule Lying or stretching the truth Poking fun Mean spiritedness Getting personal Complexity – multi-threaded stories Making it about you Negativity, pessimism, excessive realism


Group-based WorkshopStorytelling


Example Stories / Situations

I want to mine everyone for story examples

Situations where you told a story effectively Situations where a story would have worked, but you

didn’t leverage it Observations from your history that could be re-framed

into an effective story

This is NOT storytelling, but just brainstorming & mining examples from each other…


44Copyright © 2013 RGCG, LLC 44

I want you to break out into groups of three We’ll rotate around 3 primary roles

Story-teller Story audience Story observer

We’ll explore each of you telling a story One of you volunteers with a potential story All three will strategize on the structure of the story Tell the story Debrief the story

The notion of a Triad

Introductions

You have 6 minutes, two minutes each Properly introduce yourselves to your Triad team

Professional introduction: work, how long, career path, current title, current responsibilities, likes & dislikes

Personal introduction: family, children, where you live, vacation, hobbies, volunteering, recent books you’ve read

In the last year, what are compelling truths you’ve discovered? What do the next five years hold in store for you?



Imagine you’ve just joined your current group as a leader or senior contributor

The group is tight-nit and tenure of quite long, so you want to make a good first impression to

You decide to tell a story about yourself—as a means of sharing some insights as a way of introduction

One that – shares more about who you are (either professionally, personally, or both)

Also, one that sets the stage for some changes you plan on making within the organization

Story #1Introduction


Think of your toughest, most challenging projects that you’ve encountered in your career

Think of what made it challenging, and more importantly, what were the factors that you brought to bear to deliver the project

Get down to the essence of that made it work out. Now translate these lessons to a current project and

share a story relating the pervious to this one…connecting the dots and trying to inspire confidence and direction

Story #2Confidence & Direction


Your current organization has decided to go agile Leadership is basically driving it down from above, so

you and your team have little choice but to “get on board”

You do feel it’s the right decision, but for your own reasons. You also realize it will be a great cultural challenge for your team. Many of whom have been around for 20+ years

This is your first exposure to them of what's about to happen, why, and how you expect it to evolve…

Story #3Vision – “Going Agile”


Your interviewing a new test manager for within your team. She’s come wildly recommended and the interview has proven the accolades to be understated. She’s outstanding

You’ve been given the closing position on the interview She asks you about the culture and why you get up in

the morning. What’s exciting about your job and why are you there.

Here’s your chance to WOW her and close the deal…

Story #4Interview


Quite frankly, you wish they would cancel this project. It’s over schedule by 6 weeks and testers on it need to

move onto their next effort—so everyone is multi-tasking and stretched

The software doesn’t meet the clients needs and the development team doesn’t know what they’re doing

Each release has more defects than the last and your in a death spiral of fix – test – refix

The VP of Product Development has asked you for an assessment of the situation from a “QA perspective” for himself and the rest of the leadership team—now…

Story #5Project Status


You’ve been on-board as a senior test manager for 3 months.

You were initially shocked that there was no automation strategy in place and that only about 10% of the regressions suite was automated

It’s a tremendous resource and time waste and you’ve just sold management on your ideas for investing in automation

You now want to share your vision with the testing team and created a shared strategy that will quickly change the dynamics…

Story #6Agile Automation Initiative


Wrap-up

• Hope we challenged your existing

assumptions a bit• Inspire you to change your view towards Automation ROI

and investment• What did I miss?

• Final questions or discussion?

Thank you!

52

Contact Info

Bob GalenPrincipal Consultant,

RGalen Consulting Group, L.L.C.

Director of Agile Solutions, Zenergy Technologies,

Experience-driven agile focused training, coaching & consulting

Contact: (919) [email protected]

[email protected]

BlogsProject Times -

http://www.projecttimes.com/robert-galen/

Business Analyst – BA Times - http://www.batimes.com/robert-galen/

My Podcast on all things ‘agile’ - http://www.meta-cast.com/




http://www.rgalen.com/



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http://www.batimes.com/robert-galen/

http://www.meta-cast.com/

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http://www.zenergytechnologies.com/

http://www.amazon.com/SCRUM-Product-Ownership-Balancing-Inside/dp/0578019124/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353803787&sr=8-1&keywords=scrum+product+ownership

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