test process improvement – how hard can it be?

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Test Process ImprovementHow hard can it be?

17th May 2017

Geoff Thompson

Copyright © 2016 Experimentus Ltd

Agenda

How did we get here? Defining a test process Why does Process change fail? Challenges

– People/Culture– Communications– Other SDLC processes

We have come a long way…


How did we get here?

IT is a relatively new industry – but growing very fast

Testing is perhaps the least mature part of the lifecycle?

A lot of testers ‘fell’ into the role

It’s still a craft – not a profession!


Defining a Process…

Level 0 – process-to-process high-level integration diagram

Level 1 – sub-process definition diagram

Level 2 – high level activity diagram with integration and primary roles

Level 3 – detailed activity and steps diagram with integration

“Snake”

“Swim lanes”


Level 0 process area

Validation and Testing

Defect Management

Test Environment Management

Business Analysts

Configuration Management

Development

System Design

Design Authority


Level 2 Process area


Level 3 process area


Why does process change fail?

1. No sense of urgency

2. No guiding team

3. No change vision and strategy

4. No communication for Understanding and Buy In

5. No one is empowered to act

6. No Short term wins

7. No pressure to deliver

8. No one understood the need to change culture


8 Step Process to Successful Change Set the stage

1. Create a sense of urgency

2. Pull together the guiding team

Decide what to do3. Develop the change vision and strategy

Make it happen4. Communicate for Understanding and Buy In

5. Empower others to act

6. Produce Short term wins

7. Don’t let up

Make it stick8. Create a new culture


The change plan (Vision and Strategy)


Lets talk about People and Culture


Gartner Hype Cycle

Change Trigger

Peak of Inflated Expectations

Trough of Disillusionment

Slope of Enlightenment

Plateau of Productivity

Old Status Quo

CHAOS


CHAOS


Find your way or RIP


Dunning Kruger effect

The unskilled suffer from illusory superiority, rating their own ability as above average, much higher than it actually is

While the highly skilled underrate their abilities, suffering from illusory inferiority


How is this reflected?

Tendency to overestimate ones own level of skill

Failure to recognise genuine skill in others

Fail to recognise the extremity of their inadequacy

Only recognize and acknowledge their own previous lack of skill, if they can be trained to substantially improve

The utter confidence of those who, with no expertise, remain stubborn in their views regardless of overwhelming evidence

Those with the least knowledge and the lowest level of skill tend to be the loudest and most confident


Organised/Dis-organised teams

Which one is better at accepting change?


The one dissenter


Not everyone will make the journey


Develop a Communications plan


Develop a Process Interaction diagram


We have come a long way

We have over 450,000 testers certified by ISTQB

3500 test resources see Process Improvement as the major way forward in 2016 (ISTQB)

29 TMMi certified organisations, 9 at level 5

EuroSTAR has been going for 23 years (nearly 24)!

2012 2013 2014 2015

TMMI Certification Trends

Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5


Experimentus Software Testing Maturity Survey

24

• Yearly online survey undertaken by Experimentus

• 250 respondents from across the globe

• Most IT Sectors represented


Where are we?

25

2.1 Test Policy and Strategy

2.2 Test Planning

2.3 Test Monitoring and Control

2.4 Test Design and Specification

2.5 Test Environments

3.1 Test Organisation

3.2 Test Training program

3.3 Test Lifecyle and Integration

3.4 Non Functional Testing

3.5 Peer Reviews

0%

50%

100%

2015

2014


Where are we?

26


2.2 Test Planning








3.5 Peer Reviews

0%

50%

100%

Telecommunications Sector Results

2015 2014


Where are we?

27


2.2 Test Planning








3.5 Peer Reviews

0%

50%

100%

IT Service Provider Sector Results

2015 2014


Closer look

28

Test Policy and Strategy

Test Organisation

Test Process

Test Monitoring & Control

Test Planning

Test Specification

Test Execution

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

58%

48%

42%

48%

46%

49%

62%

30%

37%

45%

42%

36%

37%

31%

12%

15%

14%

10%

18%

13%

7%

Last Year

Fully Achieved Partially Achieved Not Achieved


Closer look

29

Test Policy and Strategy

Test Organisation

Test Process

Test Monitoring & Control

Test Planning

Test Specification

Test Execution

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

53%

59%

50%

48%

45%

52%

66%

34%

28%

39%

41%

42%

38%

29%

13%

14%

11%

10%

13%

10%

5%

This Year

Fully Achieved Partially Achieved Not Achieved


Summary

Process change is 20% of the change People and culture are everything Remember the eight step change process Key success factors can be found in:

– People – Communication– Understanding how you integrate with other SDLC processes


Thank you

www.experimentus.com

+44 (0)207 871 2300

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