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  • Upcoming Software Testing & Quality Assurance Events – April 2016

    NVP Software Solutions will be participating in the following three software testing and quality assurance events happening this April in Ontario, Canada. The events are located in Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo and London in the coming two weeks. Check out the relevant websites for more information and to register. This is a great opportunity to connect with other software testing and quality assurance professionals. We hope to see you there!

     

    Toronto Association of Systems & Software Quality

    TASSQ – Toronto Association of System and Software Quality – Everything you Wanted to Know about the CSQE! – Brenda Fisk, Director,
    ASQ Canada Deputy Regional Director 2014-2016
    Software Division, Division Executive Team – April 26, 2016 – See http://www.tassq.org/

     

     

    Software Testing in Kitchener Waterloo

     

    KWSQA – Kitchener Waterloo Software Quality Association – the bare minimum you need to know about web application security in 2016 – Ken De Souza – April 27, 2016 – See www.kwsqa.org

     

     MANHATTAN

    London Quality Assurance Peer-to-Peer Contact neil@nvp.ca for more details

  • Quality Assurance Assessments – Part 3

    Quality Assurance Assessments take a variety of forms in an IT project and can range from very informal to very formal in nature. This week we will discuss HOW to do a QA Assessment now that we have completed an explanation of WHY to do Assessment in a past blog.

    HOW Quality Assurance Assessments are Done:

    The following needs to be done in order to complete a Quality Assurance Assessment:

    1. Determine the objective of the assessment. (Refer to Why Quality Assurance Assessments are Done in a past blog).
    2. Set up a team (may be a team of 1) to do the assessment.
    3. Determine the targeted group who are going to provide information to the team.
    4. Determine the method of getting the information (questionnaire; in person interviews; survey).
    5. Using the method selected above, carry out the assessment.
    6. Collate the results.
    7. Provide a report.

    The above is a general methodology. The following is a short example of a very basic QA Assessment.

      1. The objective is to determine how well the Software Testing Process worked on the last project.
      2. The team will be the Quality Assurance department (not involved in the particular project).
      3. Target audience: Software Testers, Developers, Project Manager(s), End Users, Management, all other interested stakeholders.
      4. Methodology: Individual interviews using a questionnaire. Some sample questions follow
        • What went right with the project in terms of Software Testing?
        • What went wrong with the project in terms of Software Testing?
        • What expectations were and were not met?
        • How could the process be improved?

    This is a very small sample of questions to be answered. From there:

    1. Compile the answers into a report removing the names and any identifying comments.
    2. Create a set of recommendations based on the results.

    If you are having trouble working this out, contact us and we can help guide you and your team in the right direction.

    Finally, we’ll leave you with a few questions and ask you to post your answers.

    1. Have you participated in a Test Process Assessment?
    2. What was the justification for the Assessment?
    3. Were the results used for Process Improvement?

    Next Week: KWSQA, TASSQ and London Peer-to-Peer

  • Software Testing Strategy – The Test Plan

    Any given test plan and its contents vary widely depending on to who is doing the testing and what template is used. Test plans can be found anywhere on the web. They can be generic in nature or specific to a particular industry and have specific sections that are critical for regulatory or risk reasons. A test plan can also be seen as a strategy, while in some cases strategy is never considered. Sometimes test cases are included in a test plan.

    We consider a test plan to be a document that outlines a path for the testing but excludes the test cases (which we like to keep in a database). The test plan often includes the following (not a comprehensive list):

    1. Introduction
    2. Test Approach
    3. Assumptions and Dependencies
    4. Risks and the Risk Plan
    5. Schedule and Resources
    6. Glossary

    The Incredible Shrinking Test Plan

    We’ve seen where one client invested a lot of time creating a test plan template for use within their organization. The template with various sections indicated what the contents of that section should include, however, if the section was irrelevant,  a statement as to why it was inapplicable was to be noted. Under no condition was any section to be deleted. Unfortunately, one group misunderstood the importance of keeping ALL data and deleted any section they felt was unnecessary. They innacurately used the previous plan version as the template for the next one and so on. So every time a section was deleted it was lost forever. We used to refer to those plans as the The Incredible Shrinking Test Plan, it just got smaller and smaller.

      1. Do you write test plans?
      2. If you use a template, do you have trouble filling it out?
      3. Do you get test plans reviewed by the relevant stakeholders?
      4. Are they approved at any point?
      5. What is your experience in how well they test what you need to test?

    And most importantly: Do you ever review them after the project is over and see how well you adhered to the initial outline?

    Next Week: Assessments – How

  • Quality Assurance Assessments – Part 2

    Quality Assurance Assessments take a variety of forms in an IT project and can range from very informal to very formal in nature. This week we will discuss WHY we want to do a QA assessment now that we have completed an explanation of WHAT an Assessment is in a past blog.

    WHY Quality Assurance Assessments are Done:

    1. They’re Mandated

    If it is mandated but not accepted then it is an exercise in futility. This is quite possibly the worst reason to start a QA Assessment, especially from the viewpoint of those carrying out the assessment. The process will be completed with little effort given, in the shortest time possible and the results will end up on a shelf, never to be discussed again.

    2. To Find Out What Went Wrong

    In this case, there will be an effort to find out what went wrong in the just-completed project and even if no further action is taken, at least people are aware of what everyone considered to be problems (which may not have been obvious to other people in the project). The danger is that this session and the final report can easily turn into an exercise of complaint and self justification.

    3. To Improve the Process

    This is by far the best justification for a Test Process Assessment. If parties are focused on what needs to be done to make the next effort easier, better, or more effective, then the discussion will focus on finding solutions to problems encountered. The participants cannot simply list their problems and concerns and then walk away.

    We want to finish with a few questions and ask you to post your answers.

    1. Have you participated in a Test Process Assessment?
    2. What was the justification for the Assessment?
    3. Were the results used for Process Improvement?

    Next Week: Test Plans

  • Upcoming Software Testing & Quality Assurance Events

    NVP Software Solutions will be participating in the following three software testing and quality assurance events happening this March in Ontario, Canada. The events are located in Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo and London in the coming two weeks. Check out the relevant websites for more information and to register. This is a great opportunity to connect with other software testing and quality assurance professionals. We hope to see you there!

     

    Toronto Association of Systems & Software Quality

    TASSQ – Toronto Association of System and Software Quality – Building Great Apps with Real-World Testing and Automation – Mark Holland, VP of Enterprise Solutions – Applause – March 29, 2016 – See http://www.tassq.org/

     

     

    Software Testing in Kitchener Waterloo

     

    KWSQA – Kitchener Waterloo Software Quality Association – Subject still to be determined – Martin Hynie – March 30, 2016 See www.kwsqa.org

     MANHATTAN

    London Quality Assurance Peer-to-Peer Contact neil@nvp.ca for more details

  • Test Cases

    Test Cases, Test Scripts, Test Runs, Test Sets, Test Scenarios, Test Databases, Test Plans and Test Strategies have all been used to define some type of Test Case. When it comes to popular automated test tools, some of these terms do have very specific meanings. However, others are defined within testing courses or for specifically for test certifications. The problem is that many of these definitions differ. Sometimes the difference is directly in the definition; other times it is in the use. The loose terminology can lead to problems when people are expecting something different than the test case they asked for.

    For the sake of this post, we are going to define a test case as something that needs to be tested. It includes the following fields (at a minimum):

    1. Test Title
    2. Test Objective
    3. Priority
    4. Steps (or Actions)
    5. Expected Results

    Obviously this is a fairly minimal list and there are many more useful fields that could be included. We often encounter Test Cases (and there’s a lot) where there are more fields included especially if they are being recorded in one of the popular test administration tools.

    Whatever is included, we use a test case as a basis for what needs to be tested for any particular application under test. How we actually run that test case and the amount of detail recorded in the test case and about the run will differ from place to place depending on the criticality of the application and the time we have.

    We want to finish with a few questions and ask you to post your answers.

    1. Do you write test cases?
    2. Do you get them reviewed by the relevant stakeholders?
    3. Are they approved at any point?
    4. What is your experience in how well they test what you need to test?

    Next Week: KWSQA, TASSQ and London Peer-to-Peer.

  • Quality Assurance Assessments – Part 1

    Quality Assurance Assessments take a variety of forms in an IT project and can range from very informal to very formal in nature. No matter where each assessment lands on the spectrum, they are intended to do only one thing: Improve the Processes that are used. This week we will discuss the various forms of assessments.

    Post Project

    Post project assessments have had a variety of names throughout the years:

    1. Post-Implementation Review
    2. Lessons Learned
    3. Post Mortem

    Regardless of what they are called, they all have one purpose. The people on the project are asked to recall what went right and what went wrong in a project. This could mean trying to remember things that are a few years old, which isn’t always ideal. The person conducting the assessment then provides the information to a recorder. The resulting information is compiled somewhere and (sometimes) used for process improvement. (More on that in our next blog series).

    In-Project Assessments

    In-Project Assessments can have a variety of formats:

    1. Walkthroughs
    2. Reviews (checkpoint and in process)
    3. Inspections

    Sometimes the above are referred to as Reviews and not as Assessments.

    Test Process Assessment

    The last type of Assessment we want to discuss is the Test Process Assessment. This one is aimed solely at assessing the Test Process used for any particular project. It is often carried out by an independent group although it can be done by a Quality Assurance person or a test manager. The assessment looks for places where the process is not efficient or not effective. It looks for redundancies and repetition. Frequently the assessment starts with the Quality Assurance aspect of the project but finds itself extending back into the Development piece and forward into Implementation. It’s usually difficult to carry out an assessment just of the Quality Assurance piece when there are so many other interlocking pieces that impact Quality Assurance and Quality Control. See nvp.ca/services/assessments/ for further details.

    Next Week: Test Cases

  • Quality Assurance Centre of Excellence – Part 6

    Over the past 4 weeks we have been discussing the following list of items related to Quality Assurance. While it may not necessarily be a full comprehensive list, it is a starting point for many Quality Assurance activities. In looking at the list, there are many things a tester could concentrate on. We also have to be concerned about perceptions of the Quality Assurance department. Concentrating on any one of the items to the exclusion of the rest can not only cause one to lose sight of the larger picture, it can also cause problems with the remainder of the organization that feels that Quality Assurance has one one agenda.

    1. Proactive
    2. Analytical
    3. Focused on Root Causes
    4. Focused on Process

    Given the above list, what can a Quality Assurance Centre of Excellence concentrate on in order to provide value to the organization?

    Proactive We need to spend some time each week looking at the future and how Quality Assurance can address it. The first few weeks are difficult because you may not know what to look at or look for and you may not be aware of what to ask. Some initial interviews asking for expectations might help guide the agenda. The answers need to be analysed and weighed so that emphasis can be placed on the correct items. Be prepared for your initial ideas to be wrong and for them to change over time.

    Analytical This one can be more political. People do not like having their work focused on with the intent of seeing what has gone wrong. You will need to repeat the words ‘We are here to help’ constantly, and demonstrate that you are living up to them. Since this is reasonably concrete, it is easy to spend all your time here and start generating reports that may or may not be useful. Results from this item need to be reviewed to check for their usefulness.

    Focused on Root Causes We already indicated what this one was and what would be involved. It is easy to spend a lot of time on this and not get anywhere. After all, if Root Causes were easy to find, they would already have been discovered and corrected. Brainstorming on the Root Cause followed by a time for reflection is probably best. Be prepared to be surprised as to what the Root Cause really is followed by resistance to any sort of correction.

    Focused on Process There are entire books and courses on Process Improvement. Much of the above will drive the processes since it is the processes that are wrong and are causing the problems in the first place. So while you can do Process Improvement in isolation, it can also be driven by what comes from the previous three sections. Be prepared for some long payback cycles and a lot of resistance.

    Visit our website for ways we can help your organization.

    Next week Assessments