Test Team & Process Assessment

 

The goal of doing a test strategy assessment is to get a clear picture of what is going on in testing.

 

The good things, the problems, and possible paths to improvement. Fundamentally, a test assessment is a data gathering process. To make effective decisions we need data about the current test process. If done properly, the assessment will probably cross many organizational and management boundaries.

 

It is important to note when embarking upon such an assessment that this effort is much larger than the test team alone. Issues will arise over ownership of quality as well as the goals of testing. And, possibly, work may actually increase.

A successful assessment process requires:

 

• Executive sponsorship

• A measurement program

• Tools to support change

• An acceptance of some level of risk

• Avoidance of blaming testing for project-wide failures

• Commitment about the goal of testing

• An understanding of testing or quality assurance across the product team

• Responsibility for quality

 

A test strategy is a holistic plan that starts with a clear understanding of the core objective of testing.  From this we derive a structure for testing by selecting from many testing styles and approaches available to help us meet our objectives. Performing an assessment helps to provide the "clear understanding" and "understanding of the core objective of testing" necessary for success. Implementing the resulting roadmap for improvement can help to substantially improve the performance of your software testing organization and help solidify your test strategy.

 

Metrics & Measurements

 

 

Metrics and measures have become a key requirement of organizations for controlling & managing their projects. Code Q help clients develop metrics & measurement frameworks and capabilities, that are simple and effective in monitoring and controlling their projects. Software Metrics are an integral part of the best practice in software engineering.  More and more customers are specifying quality metrics reporting as part of their contractual requirements. Clients are using metrics to better understand, evaluate, control and predict software processes, projects, products and services.

 

Code Q experts along with in-house team of specialists (if available) to customize a metrics program that:

 

• meets the reporting requirements of our customers

• provides the managers and engineers with the information they need to make better decisions

 

Steps you can follow to improve the quality of the organization’s information by:

 

• assess your existing data collection and metrics programs

• identify process improvement opportunities based on industry standards, models and best practices

• establish a metrics program tailored to meet your information needs

• facilitating metrics selection and design meetings with your in-house specialists and staff

• designing databases for the collection of needed software engineering data

• automating your metrics reports to  improve timeliness and accuracy

• providing training for your staff that is customized to your software metrics & information system

 

What Code Q suggests

 

• Define what you want to measure and what are your goals and purpose for measurement

• Design the right questions that need to be answered in order to get some meaningful conclusion

• Map the right data and metrics that satisfy the goals of our measurement plan and the questions around it; if needed create more metrics

 

Quantitative Management

 

code Q has developed a comprehensive methodology for measuring the performance of its teams working on any type of software testing project in any technology or business domain. The quantitative management methodology presupposes comprehensive measurement of multiple indicative metrics, and reflection and analysis of their dynamics. This all-embracing examination of team and individual progress provides the customer with an unprecedented, transparent view of the project.

 

The Metrics

 

The set of metrics used for tracking and analysis varies depending on the specific project settings. Project managers can introduce any additional metrics that they deem feasible, valuable, or conductive to more efficient project management.

 

The baseline set of metrics, which Code Q teams use as a starting point projects of all types, sizes and duration (where measurement is technically possible) are:

 

• Profitability

• Productivity

• Defect life cycle

• Defect processing time

• Defect boost

• Percentage of Function As Designed defects

• Percentage of Rejected defects

• Percentage of To Be Deferred defects

• Overall defect density

• Active defects by importance

• Defect validation performance (speed of defect check)