Defining The Profession Th15 Ruud Teunissen, Polteq IT Services, The Netherlands
Ruud Teunissen Polteq IT Services BV The Netherlands Stockholm December 6 th 2007 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 2
Objectives for this workshop Discuss the testing profession Key points - Trust people, not numbers, processes, books or tools - Play to their strengths, don't ask for the impossible - Stand by your tester and be rewarded with the "speed of trust" Exchange experiences 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 3
Ruud Teunissen Polteq IT Services BV The Netherlands ruud.teunissen@polteq.com http://www.polteq.com Stockholm December 6 th 2007 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 4
Profession A profession is an occupation, vocation or career where specialised knowledge of a subject, field, or science is applied. It is usually applied to occupations that involve prolonged academic training and a formal qualification. It is axiomatic that "professional activity involves systematic knowledge and proficiency. Professions are usually regulated by professional bodies that may set examinations of competence, act as an licencing authority for practitioners, and enforce adherence to an ethical code of practice. Source: Wikipedia 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 5
Formation of a profession A profession arises when any trade or occupation transforms itself through "the development of formal qualifications based upon education and examinations, the emergence of regulatory bodies with powers to admit and discipline members, and some degree of monopoly rights." The process by which a profession arises from a trade or occupation is often termed professionalization and has been described as one, "starting with the establishment of the activity as a full-time occupation, progressing through the establishment of training schools and university links, the formation of a professional organization, and the struggle to gain legal support for exclusion, and culminating with the formation of a formal code of ethics." Source: Wikipedia 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 6
Characteristics of a profession (not extensive) Skill based on theoretical knowledge Professional association Extensive period of education Institutional training Licensed practitioners Work autonomy Code of professional conduct or ethics Self-regulation of the profession. Public service and altruism Exclusion, monopoly and legal recognition Control of remuneration and advertising High status and rewards Individual clients Middle-class occupations Male-dominated Offer reassurance Legitimacy Inaccessible body of knowledge Indeterminacy of knowledge Mobility Source: Wikipedia 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 7
Questionnaire Question y/n Question y/n Skill based on theoretical knowledge Professional association Extensive period of education Institutional training Licensed practitioners Work autonomy Code of professional conduct or ethics Self-regulation of the profession. Public service and altruism Exclusion, monopoly and legal recognition Control of remuneration and advertising High status and rewards Individual clients Middle-class occupations Male-dominated Offer reassurance Legitimacy Inaccessible body of knowledge Indeterminacy of knowledge Mobility 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 8
Testing a profession? It is an occupation and career finally, we re getting there It is a vocation definitely! Most testers have an academic education not available in testing yet! There are worldwide recognised examinations - ISTQB Foundation - ISEB Practitioner - TMap Foundation / Advanced - not obligatory yet! 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 9
Testing a profession? Professional association - SIGIST, TestNet, SAST, Self regulation - more or less : if you re not good at it, you won t like it, so High status and rewards mmm Male dominated in some countries it isn t! 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 10
Treat your testers as professionals by offering Growth - responsibility, independence, Differentiation - tasks, roles, and playing to their strengths Knowledge & skills - test techniques, social skills, Experience 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 11
Differentiation Start at the basis: test preparation & test execution Next steps: individual preferences and skills - test co-ordination, test project leader, - test methods, test techniques, coaching, - test infrastructure, test automation, 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 12
Growth and differentiation Test design & execution Team lead Test expert Tool expert Test coordination Test specialist Tool specialist Test management Test consultant Tool consultant Test guru 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 13
Knowledge and skills Training - test methods and techniques - test tools - project leading - advice - infrastructure - Experience - in time Social skills - finding errors - enable others to add quality - (self) critical - Coaching and support - training on the job - seniors vs juniors - 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 14
Coaching and support HRM - Personal coaching - Career planning & -coaching (inclusive education) - Periodic evaluation and feedback - Promotion, raises,... Test Support - Coaching, training on the job,... - Follow-up 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 15
Test Professional Knowledge of amongst others: - IT in general - Test approach & techniques - Test infrastructure & tools - Metrics & reporting - Application development - Working in a project - System management But also: - Test attitude - Social skills 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 16
Testers: a strange phenomenon Being criticized by everyone They make more errors then they find! Every execution of a test is on the critical path! Tests are prepared but not completed Enable others to add quality, instead of rejecting their work Always report in a positive way: - yes, if... - defects instead of errors - recommendations - advice Advice is ignored 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 17
Treat each tester as an individual 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 18
Questionnaire No right or wrong answer Don t think you re first response is the one you want Be honest not the wanted answer Thank you Lloyd! Lloyd Roden - Grove Consultants 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 19
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Y 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 X 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 21
Different styles The Pragmatist The Pioneer The Analyst The Facilitator 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 22
Pragmatist Likes strategic / goals positive results / brief practical efficiency tasks Dislikes indecision vagueness time-wasting unproductive The Pragmatic style tester will a. be good for setting and monitoring short/long term goals for the team b. be good at documenting factual test reports c. remain positive through pressure d. be keen to adopt Most Important Tests first principle e. be a strong driving force - ensure a task is done f. want to implement efficiency into the team g. be self-motivated and task oriented h. will make quick decisions i. enjoy challenging testing tasks 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 23
Pioneer Likes new / ideas change openness results/efficiency involving others risks Dislikes standards detail norm paper-work The Pioneer style tester will a. be good at ad-hoc testing / bug hunting / error-guessing/ exploratory testing b. be good at challenging and improving things to make more efficient and effective c. enjoy GUI type testing/lateral tester d. have good ideas e. be good at brainstorming Test Conditions f. share ideas about different ways to approach testing g. identify and take necessary risks when required h. have creative test ideas - how to find more faults 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 24
Analyst Likes accuracy attention to detail proof standards reliable all alternatives Dislikes new / change untested / risks brief / speed letting go The Analysing style tester will a. be good at defining and documenting test cases b. be good at producing test standards and procedures c. analyse problems and finding root cause d. produce work which is accurate and complete e. enjoy logical tests scenarios f. provide proof when faults are found g. document thorough test reports h. complete work regardless of what it takes i. challenge requirements 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 25
Facilitator Likes networking positive team oriented consensus / sharing building bridges status quo Dislikes pressure / deadlines confrontation isolation dictated The Facilitating style tester will a. be good in a RAD environment or a buddy test team b. often ask opinion before raising issues c. be good at documentation d. co-operate well with other departments e. often see the other side f. be good at defusing us v them syndrome g. be popular h. make things happen - eventually! i. will provide support in testing to other team members 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 26
Ruud Teunissen Polteq IT Services BV The Netherlands ruud.teunissen@polteq.com http://www.polteq.com Stockholm December 6 th 2007 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 27
We re all familiar with these Testing Principles : Exhaustive testing is testing everything! Testing everything is impractical! Detect the most important defects as soon as possible (at the lowest cost) Prioritize testing so that whenever you stop testing you have done the best testing in the time available 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 28
So we stop testing if and when the required level of confidence has been achieved the residual risks are acceptable reaching the test completion criteria (exit/success criteria) in terms of costs, time, coverage, the costs of finding the next defect exceed the costs the defect will cause life 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 29
But somehow we fail TMap Test Strategy (Master) Test Plan TDT RRBT Test Strategy Clustering Priorities TD Prince 2, Cobit, Testing should be performed and managed FDA, Testing must be performed and managed 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 30
The reasons are known and plentiful Not enough time Not enough budget Involved too late Specifications unclear and ambiguous Bad software quality - Have they even performed a unit test? Inappropriate test environment The testers don t apply the required techniques because they are not able to 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 31
So we start to improve!!! Optimize the quality, costs and lead time of the total software development process - SPI, CMM(I), Spider, Bootstrap, RUP, (Continuously) optimizing the quality, costs and lead time of the test process, in relation to the total information services - Quality: Timeliness, Coverage, Insight, Control - Costs and lead time: Risk-based, Early detection, Reuse, Collaboration, Automation 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 32
But somehow we fail again TMM TPI ISEB Practitioner CMM(I) SPI(DER) BootsTrap 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 33
Failures and successes Did you or didn t you involve the people who do the real thing in the test (improvement) process? And how did you involve them 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 34
Testing is just like pole vaulting everyone can become like Sergei Bubka 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 35
Your testers are your success factor They are the most important part of your test process They have to learn to apply the new methods, tools and templates They need to change the most! So create a training program aimed at - young, eager, ambitious, highly educated people But also include a coaching program for - the senior business testers, heroes and fire fighters 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 36
Maturity level Management Expectations Reality Achievable 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 37
First steps : testmanagement Make the test organisation more professional Develop a test strategy Follow a lifecycle: plan, prepare, specify and execute Select the right tools Select adequate test design techniques According to the book! Take into account the capabilities and potential of your test team. Listen to what they have to say. 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 38
Ruud Teunissen Polteq IT Services BV The Netherlands ruud.teunissen@polteq.com http://www.polteq.com Stockholm December 6 th 2007 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 39
The speed of trust The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything (Hardcover) by Stephen M.R. Covey (Author), Rebecca R. Merrill (Author), Stephen R. Covey (Foreword) 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 40
MYTH Trust is soft. Trust is slow. Trust is built solely on integrity. You either have trust or you don t. Once lost, trust cannot be restored. You can t teach trust. Trusting people is too risky. You establish trust one person at a time. REALITY Trust is hard, real, and quantifiable. It measurably affects both speed and cost. Nothing is as fast as the speed of trust. Trust is a function of both character (which includes integrity) and competence. Trust can be both created and destroyed. Though difficult, in most cases lost trust can be restored Trust can be effectively taught and learned, and it can become a leverageable, strategic advantage. Not trusting people is a greater risk. Establishing trust with the one establishes trust with the many 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 41
13 behaviors of high trust leaders Character behavior Competence behavior Character & Competence behavior Talk straight Demonstrate respect Create transparency Right wrongs Show Loyalty Deliver results Get better Confront reality Clarify expectations Practice accountability Listen first Keep commitments Extend trust 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 42
Trust Account Diagnostic Developer vs tester Trust Breaker Withdrawal Behavior Deposit Trust Maker Talk straight Demonstrate respect Create transparency Right wrongs Show loyalty Deliver results Get better Confront reality Clarify expectations Practice accountability Listen first Keep commitments Extend trust 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 43
Ruud Teunissen Polteq IT Services BV The Netherlands ruud.teunissen@polteq.com http://www.polteq.com Stockholm December 6 th 2007 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 44
Become test leader Don t stay behind as test manager The manager administers, the leader innovates The manager maintains, the leader develops The manager relies on systems and tools, the leader on people The manager counts on control, the leader counts on trust The manager does things right, the leader does the right thing 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 45
Ruud Teunissen Polteq IT Services BV The Netherlands Stockholm December 6 th 2007 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 46
About the speaker Ruud Teunissen Polteq IT Services, The Netherlands In the testing world since 1989, Ruud Teunissen has held numerous test functions in different organizations and projects: tester, test specialist, test consultant, test manager, etcetera. Ruud is co-author of Software Testing - A Guide to the TMap Approach and is a frequent speaker at (inter)national conferences and workshops. He was a member of the program committee for Quality Week Europe and EuroSTAR. Ruud is currently International Test Consultant at Polteq IT Services BV. TMap is a registered trademarks of Sogeti Nederland BV 2007 Polteq IT Services B.V. slide nr. 47