Test Strategies Detail Amadori Courses Effective Test Strategies

Test Strategies (Detail) Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans 1

Introduction • This session will • Having discussed what you can do to give your strategy its best chance of success • This session will discuss what should go into your strategy and WHY • And what should NOT 2

3 So what should you put in a Test Strategy? Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans

4 So what should you put in a Test Strategy? 1 Very Simple Answer Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans

5 So what should you put in a Test Strategy? • Whatever you think is appropriate and relevant • And nothing more…. Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans

There is no definitive list to employ here So what should you put in a Test Strategy? What is important for 1 project may be irrelevant for the next Even strategies which cover the same subjects may apply completely different sets of priorities to each area Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans 6

So what should you put in a Test Strategy? • Every strategy is different • One of the biggest reasons that test strategies fail is because of this “one size fits all” approach • Every Test strategy must be relevant to the project it is written for • If it is too generic it will add no value and will get ignored Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans 7

Ask Yourself What do I hope to gain from its inclusion? • What do testing need in this area to help them deliver? • Why will each of these items make a positive difference? • If your arguments here don’t convince yourself • They won’t convince anyone else Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans 8

9 A useful doublecheck • What might happen if I don’t include it? • May reveal something important you initially missed • Or confirm your decision was sound Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans

• Only include items which are essential to the success of the project Be Honest • Don’t include requests which only help you personally or which are just designed to grow the role of testing within your organisation • This approach won’t help in the longer term Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans 10

Document Structure • If some areas are more important than others make sure that your document reflects this • Highlight critical areas • • Give them priority of position • Spend more time on them Each section should • State what you want • Why you want it • What will happen if you don’t get it • How you will measure success in this area Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans 11

Document Tone • Document should NOT just state what testing want/need • Strategy should • Clarify what the project needs to deliver in each area • Describe risks in terms of their impact on the project as a whole if these needs are not addressed • Show If successful how each area will benefit the project as a whole Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans 12

Keeping Your Strategy Relevant… • It is very common for a Test Strategy to be written, signed off and then lie on a shelf gathering dust… • adding no value • To add value • A Test Strategy must remain RELEVANT to what is happening in the real world Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans 13

Question What do you want to happen to your Test Strategy after it is signed off ? Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans 14

Answer • Your strategy sets out what is needed for a successful delivery So…. • You want to see that its contents are • Taken seriously • Put into practice • Measured Against • If your strategy is not being followed • Your project is almost certainly in trouble! Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans 15

Validate against Reality • Your strategy should contain • success criteria against each section • and the means by which these criteria are measured • Periodically review what is happening on the ground against your Strategy • Flag areas where your strategy is NOT being followed and investigate further • Also publicise the results across the project • Reminds everyone why the strategy is there in the first place… Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans 16

You will identify 2 sorts of issue Issues within your immediate control Issues outside your control Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans 17

18 If an item is within your immediate control • Assess its priority and ensure that it gets the time and resources it needs • Treat its delivery as a mini project all of its own • Set interim milestones to give early warning of non delivery • Tell stakeholders what you are doing to address this issue and why • Explain the consequences if the issue is not addressed… • If you hit a problem you can’t resolve internally • Raise formally on the project risks and issues log • Make stakeholders aware of the new status Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans

19 If an item is NOT within your immediate control • Raise formally on the project risks and issues log • Make Stakeholders aware of the criticality of the issues • Explain where appropriate what is being blocked or delayed • And the impact on the project as a whole of not addressing each issue Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans

• A Risk is an Issue that has NOT happened yet • Issues have definite consequences but a Risk may not come to pass Remember • Be careful to differentiate between the two • When you have a risk attempt always • Assess the % likelihood of it happening • The date by which it will become an actual issue • This will makes your judgement much more likely to be listened to…. • You don’t want to be accused of “Crying Wolf” Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans 20

• Also important to distinguish between Criticality • Type A Issues which can be addressed given current time and resource constraints • Type B Issues which cannot • Type A issues can usually be addressed via updates to your existing Test Documents and changes within the test team • Type B issues will often require a new approach across the project as a whole Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans 21

• Take your current project or one who have worked on recently……. AND Exercise 1. Describe the 3 most important issues or areas that must be addressed from a testing perspective 2. List the areas you would include within the document • And how you monitor their successful delivery • Be ready to justify your decisions • The template provided may help here Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans 22

23 Questions • How closely do your conclusions match the actual Test Strategy followed on your project • If there are differences how do you explain them? Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans

• The Test Strategy covers ONLY • What you plan to test • Why you think this testing is necessary Remember • When you will test • Who will do the testing • How you will carry out the tests • Are all topics for the Test PLAN Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans 24

• The Test Strategy should be a high level statement of the scope and objectives of testing Conclusion • How we map this document to the lower level detail of who, how and when things get tested is the subject of the next session…. Amadori Courses: Effective Test Strategies and Plans 25