“software testing to be or not to be” conference of the association for software testing july...
TRANSCRIPT
“Software Testing To Be or Not To Be”
Conference of the Association for Software Testing July 15, 2009
“To be or not to be, that is the question”– William Shakespeare’s Hamlet
Neha Thakur
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.2
• To identify the various stakeholders, their involvement and to strategies the communication and the engagement needs of stakeholders
• To discuss various advantages, challenges and appropriate strategies
Objective
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.3
• Introduction• Advantages of identifying and involving stakeholders• Stakeholder analysis• Stakeholder engagement and communication• Challenges• The appropriate strategy
Coverage
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.4
Need for testing:• Only testing can demonstrate that quality has been achieved.• Software Testing is an empirical investigation conducted to provide
stakeholders with information about the quality of the product or service under test, with respect to the context in which it is intended to operate.(Source: Wikipedia)
In spite of performing testing, Why major software fails?
Introduction
Fact sheet
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.6
• Software bugs are costing the U.S. economy an estimated $59.5 billion each year.(Source: WASHINGTON (COMPUTERWORLD))
• A May 2005 newspaper article reported that a major hybrid car manufacturer had to install a software fix on 20,000 vehicles due to problems with invalid engine warning lights and occasional stalling.
• On June 4 1996, the first flight of the European Space Agency's new Ariane 5 rocket failed shortly after launching, resulting in an estimated uninsured loss of $0.5 billion dollars.
• In early 1999, a major computer game company recalled all copies of a popular new product due to software problems.
Software failures
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.7
• Major software fails due to shortfalls in skills to deal with stakeholder value propositions
• Out of six reasons cited for failures, five are related to communications between teams and stakeholders
• Poor planning and bad communication• Scope — stakeholders — goals, we rarely see testers involved to drive
out any ambiguities or inconsistencies in these crucial deliverables
So, what went wrong?
All about stakeholders
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.9
Who is a stakeholder?
Are entities who are affected by:• The success or failure of a project • The actions or inactions of a product• The effects of a service
Stakeholder
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.10
• Build organizational buy-in, mutual trust, commitment and capability.• Reduced litigation/opposition to project implementation that results from
the plan.• The introduction of new perspectives and diverse interests into the
planning process.• Respect among adversarial advocacy groups and varied stakeholders
across organizations of varied interest with varied POV (point of view)• Incorporation of an open-minded and broad search for creative
alternatives.• Maximize the potential for a successful project from current to future
state.• Ensure the right people receive the right information, at the right time, in
the right way.• Ensure the right people participate at the right time, in the right way.
Advantages of identifying and involving
In order to proactively increase stakeholder commitment to change over time stakeholder engagement is required.
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.11
Stakeholder analysis
SDLCmanagement
• Requirements engineering
• Application architecture and design
• Data modeling• Coding and unit testing• Test definition• Test execution• Go live!• Transition
Deliverymanagement
• Project initiation• Project planning• Estimation• Project monitoring
and control• Risk action
assumption issues management
• Supplier agreement management
• Change control• Decision analysis
and resolution• Project closure
Qualitymanagement
• Quality assurance• Metrics collection and
reporting• Deliverable review• Defect prevention• Defect management
Figure 1: Structured process area and process list of different management cycles
Microsoft Office Excel 97-2003 Worksheet
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.12
Understand your stakeholders:• What is their motivation? • What are their expectations? • What do we expect of them? • Where are they? • How expert are they at what they do? • What is their availability?
Analyze your stakeholders
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.13
Examples of categories you could use are:• Decision makers (e.g., sponsors, artifact approvers) • Information providers (e.g., Subject Matter Expertise) • Regulatory (e.g., legal body, Center of excellence) • Implementers (e.g., developers, testers) • End users • Post implementation support (e.g., trainers, managers)
Analyze your stakeholders (cont.)
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.14
Stakeholder engagement and communication
Stakeholder assessment• Identify the key
stakeholders of the program and the extent to which they:–Need to be
engaged–Require specific
communication
Stakeholder action plan• Outline a framework
to manage stakeholder engagement and communications throughout the project
Communication plan• Outline the detailed
plan for communicating with key stakeholders throughout the project and establish responsibility for communication
Figure 2: Stakeholder engagement Approach
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.15
• Engage stakeholders early and throughout the plan• Plan should build trust over time and should allow for revisiting of the
goals and project implementation• Have a roadmap• Be flexible• Adhere to meeting times• Facilitate the meetings skillfully• Follow up
Fundamentals
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.16
Stakeholder engagement strategies
Commitment Level: Commitment & Action
Engagement Strategy: Involve extensively
Commitment Level: Awareness
Engagement Strategy: Keep informed
Commitment Level: Support & buy-in
Engagement Strategy: Enlist as needed
Commitment level: Understanding
Engagement Strategy: Address concerns
Start-up TIME Vision Achieved
Lo
wD
ES
IRE
D C
OM
MIT
ME
NT
Hig
h
Hig
hP
RO
JEC
T IM
PA
CT
^
Lo
w
Low ABILITY TO INFLUENCE§
High
Commitment Level: Advocacy & Ownership
Engagement strategy: Position as Champion
Figure 3:Stakeholder engagement map
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.17
Stakeholder engagement plan
StakeholderAbility to influence§
Project impact^
Commitment level
Engagement strategy+ Action planCurrent Desired*
Identify stakeholder group or individual
Categories as High, Medium, or Low
Awareness, Understanding, Support & Buy-in, Commitment & Action, Buy-in & Ownership
Keep informed, Enlist as Needed, Address Concerns, Involve Extensively, Position as Champion
Identify the key activities that will be done to implement the engagement strategy and increase the stakeholder group’s or individual’s commitment throughout the project, as required
Figure 4: Stakeholder engagement assessment and action plan
Ability to Influence§
It is the extent to which the individual has the ability to affect the success of the project
Project Impact^
Extent to which the project affects or will affect the individual
Enrollment Strategy+The higher the desired commitment level, the more the enrollment strategy moves toward positioning an individual/group as champion
Indicators
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.18
StakeholderKey concerns/
information needsKey messages
Key vehicles/ mechanisms
Action plan Desired outcomes
Identify stakeholder group or individual
Identified the concerns, sensitivities, or information needs of the stakeholder group or individual as it relates to the project
Identify the key messages required for each stakeholder group or individual
Identify the most effective vehicles and mechanisms for communicating with each stakeholder group or individual
Outline the communication tactics that will be used to deliver the key messages and address concerns
Outline the desired outcomes of these tactics and how they will increase stakeholder commitment
Timing Communication Purpose Audience(s)Vehicle/
mechanismDevelop Deliver Notes
Identify the timing of the message
Identify the name of the communication (e.g., weekly updates, kick-off memo)
Outline the purpose of each communication that will be sent
Identify the core audience for each message
Identify the vehicle or mechanism that will be used to send each message
Identify the individual(s) responsible to develop/ deliver each message
Outline any key assumptions, considerations, or details
Stakeholder communication plan
Figure 6: Stakeholder communication plan
Figure 5: Stakeholder communication needs assessment and action plan
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.19
Commitment versus time
Awareness
Individuals have heard that the
Project exists and are aware of basic
scope of the Project and general concepts.
Understanding
Individuals have an appreciation for the
impacts and benefits that the Project will have
on their functional areas.
Acceptance
Individuals are receptive to
working with and implementing
Project changes amid uncertainty.
Engagement
Individuals are actively involved in and contribute to Project activities.
Ownership
Individuals acknowledge that
the Project belongs to them and create innovative ways to use and improve it.
Status quo Time Vision
Co
mm
itm
en
t
Figure 7: Stakeholder commitment versus time graph
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.20
• Inadequate communication• Constraints on time and money• Pressures to meet schedules • Inappropriate planning• Little or no monitoring and evaluation process of interaction
Challenges
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.21
1. A leading global asset management firm announced merger of equal in late 2006 targeting close in mid 2007. The publicly announced target was more than half a billion dollars in cost reduction fully captured in five years. Deloitte was engaged to assist pre close planning, post close tracking, tools/system/framework development, enterprise wide base lining and non personnel expense execution. The mobilization of cross functional experts/staff and leverage of proprietary benchmarks and methodologies helped the firms successfully delivered/exceeded target slotted for the first six months of closing. In particular, the team achieved 40% cost saving in one major procurement category alone, which involved engaging close to 100 business stakeholders and gathering thousands of detailed specifications.
Stories/Case Study
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.22
2. As a small credit union in the Vancouver area, Vancity was founded on principles of community and has won numerous awards for its work around sustainability and climate change. With a re-branding effort that included an opportunity to better highlight its sustainability efforts, Vancity actively engages members and prospective members through new social media channels, member forums, unique brand campaigns, educational activities, and numerous opportunities for stakeholder feedback. As a result, brand preference went up by 30% and Vancity announced that it became carbon-neutral at the end of 2007, two years ahead of plan. As part of this effort, Vancity recorded more than $2 million in cost savings since 1992 through reductions in energy usage alone.
Stories/Case Study
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.23
Links/Books/Articles
Software Testing as a Social Science Authored by Cem Kaner
DEVELOPING STAKEHOLDER CONSENSUS Authored by Dan Rodrigo, Paul Brown
Requirements Testing - Creating an Effective Feedback Loop Authored by Suzanne Robertson
Stakeholder Analysis and Communication Plan Deloitte Internal Resources
Stakeholder Engagement Plan Deloitte Internal Resources
“Early Involvement of Testers” http://www.systemsguild.com/GuildSite/JSR/earlytesting.html Authored by James Robertson
http://www.pmhut.com/, http://www.forrester.com/Research
References
Questions?
Thank you
About DeloitteDeloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, a Swiss Verein, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and its member firms. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.
Copyright © 2009 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.Member of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu