“Bouncebacks’ is not a technical term in common use. In our usage here we are counting the number of times a defect (or issue) bounces back and forth between tester and developer (or other personnel). It is common for a defect to have a count of at least 2 and maybe 4 if some clarification is required. Here we are looking for defects or issues that are bouncing back and forth between development and testers too many times. One of our clients recently did this and then concentrated on the items that had high counts. Not surprisingly they discovered that the majority of the issues with high bounceback counts revolved around poorly written requirements. Instead of getting the requirement correct in the first place, the concept was being clarified by continuous back and forth communication late in the project with a high overhead and testing cost.
Tag: Process Improvement
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No plan survives – Part 2
No plan survives contact with the enemy
An earlier post referenced the fact that the Quality Assurance and Business Plan need to be integrated to be successful. In addition, the last post made the comment that a Quality Assurance initiative can be derailed by passive or active resistance (as can all plans). The additional concern is that QA initiatives are small incremental long-term improvements. The ROI does not fit nicely into a financial quarter or even an annual plan. We also referenced the need to know the Stakeholders and their wishes to address them pre-emptively.
However, the key consideration is to ensure accurate and supportable measurements that can be used to demonstrate any successes and to start with small improvements to have demonstrable successes reasonably quickly. Then we build on those successes to make more changes that have more substantial impacts.
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TASSQ and National Software Testing and Quality Engineering Conference
TASSQ April 2026 Meeting
Presenter: Ari Rowland [Future proofing yourself in the AI world]
Location: Online – Zoom
When: Tuesday April 28, 2026
Networking 6:00 – 6:30
Presentation 6:30 p.m. (until 7:30 p.m.) EST
Cost: $20.00 (CAD)
Register at https://tassq.org/events. (Still coming)Presentation Abstract: Will be coming
National Software Testing and Quality Engineering Conference
The National Software Testing and Quality Engineering Conference is scheduled to take place on May 26, 2026, at the Delta Marriott in Downtown Toronto– 75 Lower Simcoe St, Toronto, ON M5J 3A6, Canada
This conference is specifically designed for experts in software testing, quality assurance, and quality engineering, and it aims to provide a thrilling new gathering tailored to their needs.
The field is currently experiencing a revolution with the introduction of AI, making this an ideal moment for professionals to take charge and stay ahead of the curve.
By attending this one-day event in May, participants will have the opportunity to network with industry pioneers who are shaping the future, as well as leverage the power of AI through interactive workshops.
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Juggling multiple streams both from a testing POV
Multiple streams were necessary but the merging was not well organised.
In the last post we discussed the merger. It was rocky but eventually everyone had provided their input and we were into Integration and subsequent testing phases. Obviously, as is usual, some of the problems should have been caught earlier and there was a degree of rework which we could have avoided. Step’s 1 and 2 did reduce the rework quite a bit.
Step 3 blend all the streams together and test as one integrated whole. It took awhile but the testing progressed satisfactorily.
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Juggling multiple streams from a testing Point of View
Multiple streams were necessary but the merging was not well organised.
For those who are reading regularly, you may recall the two posts “It’s your move” from February. The piece we did not include there was that the project started with multiple streams that needed to be brought together. Project plans had been created for each stream although the allotted time for QA and testing seemed to have vanished somewhere. Clearly some of the streams planned only to test after merging on the assumption that it would not be their problem. Shift Left or any of the other terms suggesting early testing seemed to be lost on them. Of course, the streams were not necessarily going to converge at the same time.
Step 1 was to create expectations for each stream as to what were the conditions for being merged. There was pushback from some of the people involved but it was a case of now, when it was simpler and cheaper, or later when it was more expensive.
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TestFormation 2026
Join us again for TestFormation 2026 – now even bigger and better than ever!
This year’s theme, “Elevating quality in the age of intelligent autonomy: driving trust, transparency, and governance in AI-powered testing“, promises transformative insights through world-class keynotes, panels, and sessions.
Keynotes:
- Badal Bhushan (Distinguished Engineer, Walmart): “Testing Tryst in Autonomous AI Systems” – IC³T for agentic AI authority risks
- Sheena Yap Chan (WSJ bestselling author): “Visible Confidence in AI-Powered QA” – Ethical leadership frameworks
- Anu Thothathri (Cognizant QE Leader): “From Testing to Trust” – Modern QE for enterprise AI trust
- Rogerio Castillo (Caliche Energy Solutions Founder): “Testing in the Age of AI” – TMMi for AI-era quality
Featured Panel (10 AM):
“Engineering Leadership in the Age of AI-Driven Quality” moderated by Dr. Amanda Fetch (AI Advisor), featuring:- Tejas Pandit (MeshDefend.ai Co-Founder/CEO): Builds AI-native systems; ex-Dell global teams
- Wendy Lally (Engineering Director): Hands-on leader in AI, supercomputing, platform engineering; ex-Intel/Dell
- Himanshu Pathak (Meta QA Automation Lead): Transforms manual QA with GenAI
Other sessions cover:
Autonomous AI agent validation, TMMi cloud security maturity, AI-driven governance controls, data governance clarity, GenAI automation frameworks, model-based testing, agentic QA ecosystems, AI testing maturity models, Zero Trust, safe GenAI guardrails, and tool-enabled AI agents.Key Benefits:
- Free, virtual, global access on March 12
- Full session recordings available to all registrants – never miss a session!
- Network via channels + win speaking slots next year, webinars, or newsletter articles!
Presented by TMMi America Foundation.
Register now (limited spots!):
https://tmmiamerica2024.zohobackstage.com/TestFormation2026 -
Quality Coaching
Quality Coaching focuses on guiding the process improvement required to make a difference in the way a department works. The intent is not to repeat the mistakes of the previous projects but to look at new ways of working which prevent problems in the first place.
Quality Coaching provides techniques to individuals enabling them to identify places where a Quality Improvement initiative could provide increased efficiency or reduced costs.
Read the Case study at https://nvp.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Case-Study-6-Coaching.pdf for a particular example.
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Fractional Quality Assurance and Process Improvement
- Are your clients requesting auditable proof that your product works?
- Does your product work as expected in all cases?
- Do your backers need independent proof?
- Is your development proceeding without any issues?
If your answers were Yes, No, Yes and No respectively then you may be looking at a requirement for Quality Assurance and Software Testing solutions. As a preliminary, consider the following when looking for a solution:
- Kickstarting Quality Assurance with minimal impact on your existing processes.
- Ongoing regular consulting periodically to keep QA on track and make sure the requirements are being met.
- Process Improvement and team empowerment while maintaining the current product trajectory.
- Providing enhanced communications and delivery strategies to clients.