Sometimes testers are asked how long it will take to automate a batch of tests. Planning how long your test automation should be simple, however, the plan will have missed some requirements. There are three types of requirements[1]: “We will never understand all the requirements of a story ahead of time”[2], this applies to test …
Tag Archives: TestManagement
Get insights from “The World of W. Edwards Deming” by Cecelia S. Kilian
Cecelia S. Kilian was W. Edwards Deming‘s long-term secretary. She created this book which contains her memories, and many curated documents from Deming. I read this book with the Profound Deming Book Club and it made me think about why I am interested in Deming. The details of Deming’s life are interesting, however I am …
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A review of ”The Checklist Manifesto How to Get Things Right” by Atul Gawande
As testers, we often use checklists, such as a Definition of Done, so I was drawn to this book when it was suggested at the Profound Deming Bookclub. Atul Gawande tells the story of how he was asked by the World Health Organisation(WHO) to develop a global programme to reduce avoidable deaths and harm from …
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Drive out fear to improve psychological safety
We need psychologically safe workplaces. Testers, and all other members of development teams, need to feel safe enough to be able to ask questions and express opinions about the project we are working on. The need for psychological safety is not a new issue. W. Edwards Deming saw it as an important issue. Drive out …
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Developing your listening skills is really useful
We all know that speaking up and getting your point over at a meeting is important. However, I am sure that we have all taken part in meetings when everyone is so keen to speak that we do not listen to one another. It is not only important to speak, it is also important to …
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How long should an automated test pack take to run? And what should we do about it?
How long should an automated test pack take to run? Some people say that a certain number of minutes is too long, and others say that a different number of minutes is too long. How can we determine what is “too long”? And what can we do about it? What is an acceptable length of …
A theory of management for improvement of quality vs a quality improvement plan, which helps us more?
What can we learn from comparing Deming’s 14 Points for Management and Crosby’s 14-Point Quality Improvement Plan? Which will help us more to improve quality? W. Edwards Deming first presented his 14 Points at a conference in 1978 in Tokyo[1] and published his 14 Points for Management in 1982[2]. Philip B. Crosby published his 14-point …
Definitions of Done, Team Agreements, Ways of Working and Checklists have so much in common
Many teams, create a definition of done to clarify what putting a card in the Done column on a scrum or kanban board means. A good number of teams also have team agreements or ‘ways of working’ which define ways in which the teams work. Also, some teams have checklists of items that need to …
A chart for measuring the quality of “spinning plates”
Quality metrics can be like measuring the wobble on spinning plates. The engineering teams are merging to the main branch, code is being deployed and you need metrics to show if there are issues with this process that require your attention. The teams working are rather like spinning plates. The teams are working and management …
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We need to remove barriers to good work
If we want to make good quality software we need to remove barriers to good work. Dr Deming‘s 14 Points for management were the basis for lessons for top management in Japan. Dr Deming said that “the 14 Points apply anywhere, to small organisations as well as to large organisations[1]”. Point 12 is to “remove …
How can we communicate what agile testers do?
A tester’s job is to test, well that is what our job title says, however, we add value in a number of ways to features that we work on. We need to be able to communicate how we add value. Some time ago we had some new managers where I was working and I wanted …
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What job should you hire a tester to do?
Jobs Theory gives us a way of understanding clients by asking what job did they “hire” a product or service for. An example of Jobs Theory is given in “Competing Against Luck”: by Clayton M. Christensen, Taddy Hall, Karen Dillon and David S. Duncan. The example they give explains why people “hired” milk shakes. Research …
Reasons why you should write a test strategy
I wrote our test strategy after taking Michael Bolton’s Rapid Software Testing course using what I had learned on the course. I reviewed the strategy recently and one of the thoughts I had while reviewing it was why should you write a test strategy? There are many good reasons to write a test strategy and …
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Improving quality creates a chain reaction
W. Edwards Deming wrote that improving quality results in a chain reaction “lower costs, better competitive position, happier people…and more jobs”. Deming worked in Japan after World War Two where he helped rebuild the Japanese economy. He received honours from the Emperor of Japan and the President of the USA. His work underpins agile, lean …
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Three short stories about the Definition of Done
What does it mean when a card is put into the Done column? Done can mean that the coding is completed, it can also include that the code has been reviewed, that it includes unit tests and many other things. Teams sometimes create a “Definition of Done” to state exactly what “done” means and this …
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