NVP Software Solutions

Tag: #softwaretesting

  • A vision without the ability to execute is probably a hallucination

    A vision without the ability to execute is probably a hallucination

    This quote is interesting and would probably be disputed by many people. They would say that a Vision is something you want to do and whether or not it can be executed has no impact on its validity (or whether it is a hallucination).  While the quote is not new, the applicability to today’s world with the concerns expressed about AI Hallucinations provides it with a fresh applicability.

    Over the years we have encountered a lot of Visions for Software Testing and Quality Assurance.  Unfortunately, many of them do not get realised.  Budget is often stated as the main culprit despite the fact that almost all Visions relate to doing tasks better and cheaper.  Quality Assurance Visions are even worse.  Saying that we want to make Process Improvements without some concrete actions to back it up (not part of the Vision directly but certainly related) does not go very far.  But with no Vision at all, no improvement will ever occur and the same processes and same errors will recur for every project or initiative.

    Make 2026 the time you realise your Visions for Software Testing and Quality Assurance.

    Software Testing solves your problems for today and yesterday. Quality Assurance makes your Vision reality.

  • You can only predict things after they occur

    You can only predict things after they occur

    “You can only predict things after they occur” This quote was attributed to Eugene Ionescu in the source I had.

    There are several related quotes:

    “Those who have knowledge don’t predict” and its corollary “Those who predict, don’t have knowledge.”

    Or lastly: “The best way to predict the future is to create it” (Peter Drucker).

    Maybe we could use these quotes the next time someone says how long testing is going to take.  The interesting part is when you push back and say: “How long did it take last time?” or “How much bigger (in whatever the favourite measure is) is this project compared to the last one?”.  Neither of those questions elicit much useful information or a response at all so the analogous method using internal numbers is unavailable.

    If you have no previous statistics from the organisation, there are lots of statistics available online or you can use one of the Estimation Methodologies (PERT, Planning Poker, WBS, Function Point Analysis or Test Point Analysis).  They provide a good starting point but must be adjusted for the particular situation. 

    One of the major aspects of Quality Assurance is to gather up statistics on what occurred last time and use that to predict the future. While no one can get 100% accuracy, it certainly helps to know what occurred in the past.  Adjust for the situation at hand and go forward.

    Software Testing solves problems for yesterday and today.

    Quality Assurance solves your problems coming tomorrow!

  • Is your testing Ad hoc?

    Is your testing Ad hoc?

    While most people won’t come out and say that their testing is Ad Hoc, it can usually be inferred from some of the following comments:

    1. We keep redoing things.

    2. We seem to lose everything with every iteration.

    3. We keep re-inventing the wheel.

    4. We have thousands of testcases and most of them have not been looked at in years.

    5. We miss things in every release even though we saw them in the past.

    6. We keep solving the same problems in development.

    And on the list goes.

    If you feel you are stuck in this rut, it is time to break out

    .

    But that requires a fresh look at the following items:

    * Current assets

    * Current processes

    * Missing pieces

    * Left over items and problems. Breaking out of Ad Hoc testing is very difficult. Process improvement is resisted on many levels.

  • Test Leadership

    The role of a Test Lead varies widely between organisations and even within some large organisations. Some test leads execute a plan, other build and manage and some run multiple projects with other test leads running particular aspects.  If you are in this position, you may be wondering what to do. 

    Please take a look at Case Study 2: https://nvp.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Case-Study-2.pdf for how training was organised in one particular example.

  • Quantifying Intangibles

    Quantifying Intangibles

    Last week we talked about how missing Quantifying the Intangibles caused issues in people supporting QA efforts. When intangibles cannot be costed (but still take effort) and the benefits the provide may not be immediate they become a (not so hidden) cost on the project. At the very least we need to put a baseline cost on the intangibles.

  • Are your Product Issues Worrying You?

    Are your Product Issues Worrying You?

    Possibly your customers will not like the User eXperience.

    They may use your product in unexpected ways and break it.

    OR

    They may love it and ask for further functionality.

    Any one of the above scenarios can cause problems for a product. Some may arise within hours of release and others may appear over time. Regardless,you need to be prepared.

    • Align your Product Assurance with your clients.
    • Incorporate Product Assurance and Testing to catch issues early while they are cheap to fix
    • Lay the groundwork for future success.

    NVP Software Solutions

    • NVP Software Solutions provides industry-leading software product assurance and testing services, customized to address client’s business requirements. 

    Schedule a no-charge one hour consultation with a senior Product Assurance consultant for an initial assessment/problem solving session.

    Contact us: Nvp.ca

  • Quality Assurance

    How to start QA with an unwilling company?

    Sometimes you run into a situation where a company indicates a wish for QA but will not put in any effort to make it happen. It looks like a large effort to them and they cannot see any reason or benefit. In this case there are several steps that you can take to make this happen. We will discuss these over the next few weeks.

    The need for Quality never goes away; it just reappears in a different format each time. The same techniques often apply; it is just a different situation.

    If you have something you would like to discuss, please get in touch. Our contact information is below.

    Test Leader or Manager with concerns? Test Managers Conference.

    Services NVP Quality Assurance Services

    Contact Contact us

    Meeting Book a Meeting with NVP

    LinkedIn Group Software Testing and QA Group

    LinkedIn Company Page NVP LinkedIn Company Page

  • Quality Assurance

    For those who follow the blog, we gave it a rest over the summer. Not only were we busy with some security testing, we also had a several projects go-live at various dates. One more is going live right now. Between one thing and another, the summer seemed to pass more quickly than we expected. However, quality did not take a break and we are looking forward to the last part of the year for several reasons.

    1. Some of the rush to get critical items updated has abated.
    2. Projects are now running for more extended periods of time which will give more time to get the Quality right
    3. We are getting more buy-in from people with respect to the need for Quality. This is a welcome change

    The need for Quality never goes away; it just reappears in a different format each time. The same techniques often apply; it is just a different situation.

    If you have something you would like to discuss, please get in touch. Our contact information is below.

    Test Leader or Manager with concerns? Test Managers Conference.

    Services NVP Quality Assurance Services

    Contact Contact us

    Meeting Book a Meeting with NVP

    LinkedIn Group Software Testing and QA Group

    LinkedIn Company Page NVP LinkedIn Company Page