NVP Software Solutions

Tag: Quality Assurance

  • Quality Assurance Process Improvement – Part 1

    Quality Assurance Process Improvement is the next topic in our Blog Series. We completed a series of 4 on Assessments and at the end of the Assessment process a lot of organizations tend not to act on the results if they do not have a plan for moving forward. This is particularly true if the Assessment has not been tailored to the particular company. A standardised Assessment process generates standard recommendations which may not be applicable. Make sure you detail your expectations at the beginning of the Assessment so you get value from the process and your expenditure of time.

    Assuming that you have the results of an Assessment available, the next step is often some sort of Process Improvement. So what is Process Improvement?

    We define Process Improvement as a planned and measured activity that leads to a better process.

    Planned – Process Improvement carried out without a plan is simply change for the sake of change with no knowledge of whether this is an improvement or not.

    Measured – Measurements need to be taken both before and after the process improvement activity is completed. Before measurements provide a current baseline of how the process is currently operating. After measurements determine whether the process improvement activity has had the desired effect. Without both, there is no point to the process improvement.

    Better Process – The measurement process tells us whether the process has improved at all. There is a number of things that could be measured. Maybe the process has got quicker; maybe it is cheaper in some way; maybe it is more consistent so the results are more similar; or maybe the end product or service generated from the process is better. It would be nice to get all four with one process improvement activity but frequently it will require multiple iterations of the process improvement cycle to start realising gains on all four items.

    Next Week: Coming Meetings

  • Test Cycles

    NVP considers a Test Cycle to be one complete execution of a group of test cases. The reason we’re interested in this particular item is that it leads to estimation. The first questions in any testing project are:

    1. How long is it going to take?
    2. How much is it going to cost?
    3. When will you be done?

    These questions can be difficult to answer when starting a project as a new tester or test manager or with limited experience in the software one has been asked to test. Having test cycles helps solve that issue.

    In order to answer those questions we need to:

    1. Define the contents of the group of tests constituting the cycle
    2. Get an estimate of how long each test will take
    3. Add up the resultant times
    4. Build in some contingency
    5. Use that as an estimate for the length of the cycle

    The above gives us an estimate for the length of a single cycle.

    The next question is how many cycles will be run. Our answer is usually three at a minimum on the grounds that there are two debug cycles and hopefully a clean run. In our experience we have managed to get away with two cycles but that’s unusual. Many times it’s many more than three especially if the code is weak or the full requirements are still being worked out. Usually you will have an idea after your first test cycle as to how many will have to be run.

    In order to answer the question of when you will be done, you then need to multiply the number of projected cycles by their individual lengths, add in time for the fixes to be made and promoted and use that as an estimate of the completion date (and the cost by using the chargeback rate).

    1. Do you have defined test cycles?
    2. What is the worst case for number of times they had to be run?
    3. What is your least number of runs

    Next Week: Process Improvement

  • Quality Assurance Assessments – Part 4

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

    What to with the results of a QA Assessment

    There is a strong temptation to (facetiously) say Do Nothing with the Results since that happens so frequently. The Assessment is completed and everyone just wants to forget about it. Not only is that a direct waste of the effort and time included in the assessment, it also sends the signal to everyone that their effort was unnecessary and their thoughts unappreciated. Don’t expect a lot of effort next time under this scenario.

    If we use the example from the last blog (referenced above) of the questionnaire or in person interviews to elicit the information using open-ended questions, then we will end up with a lot of disparate information that may not be readily parsed.

    The steps are as follows:

    1. Review all the provided answers.
    2. During the review write down some general categories for the answers (i.e. insufficient testing; requirements issues; development issues; testing issues). If these categories were predetermined then this step does not apply.
    3. Allocate the answers into the categories.
    4. Allocate the answers that fit into more than one category (put them into both).
    5. Allocate the answers that only occur once and do not fit into any category (make a category of Other and put them there).
    6. Extract a common consensus from each category (there is a lot of work in this step)
    7. Start a process of finding the root cause of the common problems.

    Now we have to act on the root causes and resolve them. This could be a whole series of blogs but we will leave that for the process improvement cycle.

    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. Has anyone acted on the results?
    3. Were the results used for Process Improvement?

    Next Week: Vocabulary

  • Software Testing Strategy – The Test Strategy

     

    We discussed Test Plans and their contents in the earlier blog and today we will discuss the Test Strategy. Some people will look at the title above and think we are just repeating our blog from three weeks ago. Luckily, that’s not the case. We differentiate between Test Plans and Test Strategies.

    NVP considers a Test Strategy to be a document that outlines a long term direction for testing. It’s possible that the Test Plans for each project will borrow heavily from the Test Strategy and may even be based on it. We’re not necessarily considering that level of connection in this scenario.

    The following is a set of contents for a Test Strategy

    1. Introduction – outlines the purpose of the document
    2. Corporate Business Strategy – Copy and paste from the relevant business document
    3. A high level outline of the Test Strategy – See below
    4. Alignment with corporate strategy and identification of the gaps
    5. Baseline of current testing (where we are today)
    6. Gaps between the baseline and Test Strategy
    7. Goals or methodologies to close the gaps
    8. Strategy assessment process
    9. Continuous improvement

    The Test Strategy section would include answers to the following:

    1. Where is the best place to complete testing in the life cycle?
    2. Who are the best resources for each level and type of testing?
    3. What is the long term development process for the identified resources?
    4. From where are the resources going to be sourced?
    5. What is the long term automation process or direction?
    6. Where is the greatest ROI for testing?

    Some questions to assess your Test Strategy readiness:

    1. Do you have a Test Strategy?
    2. If you have a Test Strategy; has it been reviewed recently?
    3. Is there a person or a group responsible for the Test Strategy?

    If you answered No to any of the above questions, send us an email to see if a Test Strategy would be a fit for your organization.

    Next Week: Assessments – Deal with Results

  • 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 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