First Thoughts on a System of Profound Testing

W. Edwards Demings’s System of Profound Knowledge (SoPK) is a valuable framework for leadership. SoPK provides a view, which Deming called a lens, “by which to understand the organisations we work in”[1]. The SoPK is “a framework for applying best efforts to the right tasks”[2].

There are four parts to the SoPK:

• Appreciation of a system
  • The use of systems thinking to better understand the organisation. 
• Knowledge about variation
  • There is always variation, but what is variation telling us about the process and the people who work in it?[3].
• Theory of Knowledge
  • Knowledge is built on theory. Theory predicts the future and is based on observations of the past. [4] If a theory’s prediction does not occur, then the theory can be revised and in doing so knowledge is gained. 
• Psychology
  • We need to understand people and the interactions between people.

The theory that is developed using SoPK can be used in a plan-do-study-act cycle in order to increase learning.

The four parts of the SoPK can not be separated, for example, “knowledge of psychology is incomplete without a knowledge of variation” [5], a reason for that would be that “fear invites wrong figures”[6].

The SoPK can also act as “a framework for applying best efforts to the right tasks”[2] for testing. If we look at the four parts of the SoPK we can apply them to testing:

• Appreciation of a system
  • Systems thinking provides insights that can help us test. Systems thinking can be used to understand the organisation we work for and its customers. It can, for example, be used to understand how the organisation we work for and its customers are one system. 
• Knowledge about variation
  • The variation in the test results is something that we need to fully comprehend. In the results of a performance test, we see variations that we need to understand. Metrics on quality will also show variation which needs to be understood.
• Theory of Knowledge
  • We can use the SoPK to develop a theory, such as a testing charter,  on how to test the application or feature we are testing. We will learn from using the theory. It may be that the theory gives us what we want to achieve, or it may be that it does not. If it does not give us what we want we can learn by revising the theory. We can use the theory in a plan-do-study-act cycle to help us learn. 
• Psychology
  • Psychology can help us understand interactions with our team and interactions with our customers. These are both useful. Testers sometimes have to give bad news, such as when they find a bug. Understanding the psychology of the team helps the tester deliver the message successfully. Psychology can also help us understand what the customer wants and needs from the product we are testing, and this can help us test.

Using the SoPK has a number of advantages for testers.

The use of the SoPK for testing will give testers a deeper point from which to start their analysis, which will enable testers to better understand their team and customers, and so be better testers.

Using the SoPK will give testers a lens, an external view, of their testing.

Deming wrote that if you use the SoPK you will be “a good listener”.[7]

Another advantage for testers using the SoPK is that it is a framework for leaders and by using it testers are preparing themselves for leadership. 

When the SoPK is used as a framework for testing we could call it the System of Profound Testing.

Please let me know your thoughts about the System of Profound Testing.

Thank you to John Willis for inspiration.

References

[1] The New Economics by W. Edwards Deming (1994, p92)

[2] Four Days With Dr Deming by William J. Latzo and David M Saunders (2002, p34)

[3] The New Economics by W. Edwards Deming (1994, p98)

[4] The New Economics by W. Edwards Deming (1994, p102)

[5] Four Days With Dr Deming by William J. Latzo and David M Saunders (2002, p34)

[6] The New Economics by W. Edwards Deming (1994, p94)

[7] The New Economics by W. Edwards Deming (1994, p93)

Other Learning Resources:

• DemingNEXT – eLearning
• ED – Rediscovering a WWII Statistician& Why We Need His Ideas to Survive the Digital Age by John Willis 

Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge by John Hunter