Software Testing – A Users Guide

Erkki Pöyhönen,TietoEnator Oyj,

Finland

Europe’s Premier Software Testing EventWorld Forum Convention Centre, The Hague, Netherlands

WWW.QUALTECHCONFERENCES.COM

“The Future of Software Testing”

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EuroSTAR 2008, W16

Software Testing - a User's GuideGetting better results by improved understanding

about each other and the big picture

2008-11-12

Erkki Pöyhönen

QA Business Development Manager

TietoEnator Corporation

Quality Assurance Competence Center

erkki.poyhonen@tietoenator.com

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Background

• I have worked long time in software development, especially in telecom industry

• Consulting for software processes and quality assurance

• Problem solving and coaching for testing improvement

• Many process assessments (CMM & TPI)

• Learned many ways a project can fail

• Training for several customers and both internal and public courses

• Met huge amount of people in the industry & learned about their concerns

• Started FAST (Finnish Association for Software Testing), EuroSTAR 2004 programme chair, 1st ISTQB vice president, “Tester of the year 2008” in Finland

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Typical testing issues in the projects, collected from several

assessments and discussions

• Lots of changes in project

scope

• Lack of customer and

management interest or co-

operation

• Testing reports irrelevant to

project

• Testing not appreciated

• Development late, squeezing

the testing schedule

• …

• How about your own?

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A real mismatch exists between the management needs

and the existing testing culture

• Assumed and real testing paradigm

• Rubber stamping

• Testing as a one-shot activity

• Not discussion about "goodness of testing"

• Typical assumption is that SW is almost perfect

• Testing is needed because of the process or whiny customers

• Testing is responsible for quality

• No real commitment for quality in the development

• Testing typically feels underwhelmed by the lack of interest for

quality

• A common mistake of testing is to hijack concern for quality in

the organisation

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Symptoms of culture mismatch

or lack of open communication

• Illusion of control

• Managing by metrics

• Managing via writing plans

• Low availability of big picture

• Project objectives, constraints and focus unclear or conflicting

• Should be known to all project

• Coordination of quality assurance activities

• Role of requirements

• Illusion of correct requirements

• "By the book" ?

• “Requirements are just guidelines, ask for details" ?

• Is information about changes available to all relevant parties during

all stages of project and all stages of a change life-cycle

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Coaching

• This model is used in both personal and organisational coaching

• Source: Tim Gallwey, Tennis coach 1970

• Wondered:

• Why does tennis take so long time to learn?

• Why do athletes seldom perform up to their potential?

• Found out about two games taking place simultaneously

• Outer game

• The behaviour you can see on the field

• Inner game

• The game you play in your mind

• Lots of artificial constraints, limiting beliefs

• Persons with great potential had big problems to perform according to their level of competence

• Similar rules apply to people organisations and projects

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Model of potential and performance

• Inner potential

• Inherent constraint to possible

performance right now

• Inner game

• Interferences

• Internal resistance

• Limiting beliefs

• These all are limiting the

performance

• Outer game

• Less than the potential

• Similar model works for both

individuals and organisations

Intent

Actu

al

Perfo

rmance

Outer Game

Inner Game

Potential

• Good personnel

• Processes

• Tools

• Plans

• Requirements

• Project

organisation

• Project realities

• Deliverables

• Personnel

satisfcation

• Project results

• Experienced

quality

• Schedule, Cost

• Communication

problems

• Conflicting forces

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Getting more from testing is possible after identifying

the need and options

• Know what you need and then ask how it could be possible

• There exist several methods and organizing models for testing to choose from

• Ask for a rubber stamp and you will get it

• Understand the context and needs of the project

• Rex Black in his book "Critical testing processes“ had "Plan", the first group of

testing processes cover these processes:

• Understand the operational (system, project, and process) and the

organizational context of the testing to be performed

• Define and prioritize the risks to system quality, and obtain stakeholder

consensus on the extent of testing to mitigate these risks

• Estimate and obtain management support for time, resources, and budget

required to perform the testing agreed upon

• Develop a plan for the actions, participants, and dependencies required

to perform the testing, and obtain stakeholder support for this plan

• Very similar is in the start of the planning life-cycle of the TMap model

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There exist several options of more productive testing

paradigm and improved communication

• Growing together

• Organisational visibility to the status of the organisational project machinery

• Openness and reality check

• Organisational learning

• Several models of learning organisation exist

• All are based on good and honest communication

• Solution orientation instead of problems

• Do SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis

• Be aware of the weaknesses, but focus on the strengths

• Weaknesses stick (look trends in past lessons learned!)

• Focus on weaknesses can bring you to basic level

• Focus on strengths and opportunities will help organisation to reach their potential, even excellence

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From problems to solutions

• Problem-focused thinking easily leads to blaming or wading in

the problem

• Causing inward cycle

• Solution-focused thinking helps to be creative and free the

person and team from the failures in the history

• Outward move

• Not a quick-fix thing!

• You can not coach a person who thinks that someone else has to

change first

• The culture of blame, the "X factor"

• Should ask: even if we have this X, what can we do?

• "Be proactive" is the 1st habit of 7 habits & 1st step in 12-step

programs is to admit that "I have a problem"

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Thank you.

Erkki Pöyhönen

QA Business Development Manager

TietoEnator Corporation

Quality Assurance Competence Center

erkki.poyhonen@tietoenator.com

References

• Rex Black: Critical Testing Processes

• Kaj Hellbom: The Coaching Mindset

• Cem Kaner, James Bach, Bret Pettichord: Lessons Learned in

Software Testing - A Context-driven Approach

• Tim Koomen, Martin Pol: Testing Process Improvement (TPI)

• Tim Koomen, et al: TMap Next for results-driven testing

• Steven J. Stowell, Stephanie S. Mead: Team Approach