A better way to Test – 4
In our last blog we discussed addressing Risk via Testing and one of the problems. Today we want to continue with another of the problems. “More is NOT necessarily Better“. Traceability has come a long way in the last few years. Many of the better test management tools automatically include Traceability modules and generate metrics as a result. The fact that they can measure coverage and provide instant statistics has taken a lot of boring work out of managing a testing effort. Where they can lead astray is in assuming that everything has been checked and that the percentages mean something. We recently visited an Assessment site where the raw figure of 83% of the testcases had been completed successfully in the last cycle. The site was planning on raising that percentage to about 93. Considering where they had started a few years ago; it was a laudable aim and a vast improvement. However, there were several pieces missing from the statistics they were using:
- Whether any of the testcases were redundant and simply repetitions of each other.
- Whether any of the testcases were simply ‘variations on the same thing’. i.e. they were just doing the same thing with slight variations in data
- How long since the last review of the testcases.
- Whether the testcases actually addressed any of the current risks.
Testing Faster or doing More testing may not translate into a reduction in risk. It may actually increase the risk by making people assume that they have done a lot of work and a lot of coverage while completely missing major risks.
Take a look at some of the seminars that we offer that address this situation and see if they apply to your situation. Testing can be better.
Contact us for further information.