Abstract :

It might sound obvious, but one of the most important elements of a highly mature test organization is its ability to detect and fine tune its own organizational test process. Lacking understanding about the key factors, test managers, test engineers and other stakeholders will have no idea on the root cause perceived or existing inefficiencies in testing (despite best efforts).

Yet, as any experienced Test manager will testify, there are mechanisms that will provide complete insight into the key causes of test inefficiency. Taking a cue from the TQM (Total Quality Management) philosophy that suggests a comprehensive and structured approach to organization management with participation from of all members, test managers can devise mechanisms for assessing the current test organization’s process capabilities.

Adopting a diagnostic approach and conducting a health check of the current variables governing the test process, managers can identify existing and potential points of failure in the test process.

For instance, the testing team might write 1000’s of test cases and establish adequate traceability with the existing requirements. However, if the team does not focus on optimizing test cases or if they overlook the need for automation or worse if they are not able to differentiate between testable and non testable requirements, their test efficiency is questionable.

This paper on test organizational maturity elaborates the approach that needs to be taken by managers for conducting periodic health check assessments of their testing capabilities and test processes. It evaluates the test process from 11 different perspectives and follows an assessment model that includes asking close to 180 different questions as part of the test assessment.

By reading this article practicing managers will not only be able to identify causes for inefficiencies in the test process but also be able to predict potential failure points. Such periodic health check assessments helps the test organization in not only establishing and running highly efficient testing organizations but also in increasing the overall testing capability of the organization.