utest whitepaper qa team leadership

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QA TEAM LEADERSHIP 10 Things Every QA Leader Should Know AboutBuilding & Managing a World-Class Testing Team

WHITEPAPER: March, 2009



WHITEPAPER: Ten Things Every QA Leader Should Know 1

Table of Contents

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………..……………….…………………………………………………..…….… 2

Begin with the End in Mind…………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………….. 2

QA and Testing Leaders Live In an Ever-Changing Profession…………………………………………………..………… 2

The 10 Things Every QA Leader Should Know ………………………………………………..………………………………………………..………………… 3

1. Automated test tools are valuable; independent, creative brains are essential……………… 3

2. Having been a great tester does not make you a great testing manager………………………………… 3

3. Keep the end goal in mind…………………………………………………………………..……………..……………..……………..……………..……………..… 4

4. Collaborate for efficiency and creativity ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4

5. Assume at your own peril…………………………………………………………….……………………….……….……………………….……….………………… 4

6. Understand the limits……………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………….……………… 5

7. Dedicate time for exploratory testing……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5

8. Create a shared tool box for your team………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5

9. Have a plan, a flexible plan………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6

10. Don't measure success by the number of bugs found………………………………………………………………………………… 6

11. Bonus Tip: Expand your QA team in tight economic times……………………………………………………………………… 6

Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7

About Software Testing Club ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7

About uTest……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 7

"The real complexity in our jobs is that all planning is done under conditions of

uncertainty and ignorance. The code isn't the only thing that changes.

Schedules slip. New milestones are added for new features. Features are cut

from the release. During development, everyone – marketers, developers and

testers – comes to understand better what the product is really for."

- Brian Marick

Author and Software Testing




Introduction:

Begin with the End in Mind Baseball legend Yogi Berra once observed that: “If you don’t know where you are going, you might end

up somewhere else.”

These words should strike a particular cord with today’s QA leaders. In a field that often lacks a well-

defined trajectory, the all-important question of “Where are we going?” is routinely set aside for what

seem like more pressing matters during release cycles. As these tasks multiply - and the QA team is

forced to do more with less - the question is put on hold until the department arrives at its destination:

somewhere else.

As the leader of the QA department, there is no one more qualified to answer the question of where

your team should be going or how you will get there. Sincesoftware testing is a relatively young discipline, there are few

experts – only different points of view – and in this regard, you

are your own most valuable resource.

But since the universal QA manager is so over-burdened with day-

to-day operations, there is a real tendency among them to neglect

the very principles they helped establish. This whitepaper is

designed to provide these leaders with a clear reminder of the 10

things they should know about the evolving world of software

testing.

QA and Testing Leaders Live In an Ever-Changing World

Once perceived as an easy route into the world of computing

profession, the software testing profession now stands up

strongly against a historically undervalued career path. Every profession within the IT industry has had

to adapt, QA and Software Testing has been no exception to this. The rise of the modern Web 2.0

approach means some software aspects have become easier to test, however from the other side a

whole new dimension of challenges have been introduced.

A huge challenge that software projects face is to strike a fine balance with releasing a product within a

short period of time, that works, is usable and quite often has a potential worldwide audience. When

budgets and timing are tight:

How and what should you test?

Who should do the testing?

When do you start, or stop testing?

How can testing integrate with the rest of the project team?

A different and creative approach is often required.

“QA executives face greater

challenges today than ever

before. They’re being asked to

do so much more, but are being

given fewer resources, smaller

teams and tighter deadlines.

If we want to succeed as

leaders of software testing, it’s

time for fresh ideas.”

- Doron Reuveni,

CEO and Co-Founder, uTest




Ten Things Every QA Leader Should Know

1. Automated test tools are valuable; independent, creative brains are essential

It’s tempting to believe the sales pitch that all testing can be

conveniently accomplished solely with tools. Don’t fall for it. While

these tools are certainly part of building a world-class testing

capability, they won’t get you all the way there. You’re going to

need real human beings.

A truly outstanding QA team requires the testing coverage that is as

fluid and dynamic as the application itself. To accomplish this, you

must include the critical thinking, creativity and diversity of human

testers. It's important to remember that the conception and

development of software applications is a very human activity –

and so too is testing.

We all bring our own unique perspectives and experiences to our

jobs. Whether we like it or not, software testers need to

incorporate these nuances when testing an application. Rather

than thinking how a tool can solve a problem, think of how a creative tester can work with your project

team to uncover potentially nasty bugs (before your customers do).

2. Having been a great tester does not make you a great testing manager (or leader)

There's a common myth in business that people should advance up a perfectly straight career ladder.

Thus, the most common next job for testers is often to be a QA Team Leader or Manager. However,leadership or managerial roles require a wholly different set of skills which may be well-suited to some

candidates, but most definitely not to all.

Companies need to understand the different roles that testers can potentially take on, as it essential to

offer top performers the opportunity to grow. The best testers tend to be very analytical, detailed

people who enjoy troubleshooting – and these people tend to make great managers (note the sarcasm).

It is important to know that those with experience and knowledge of your products and business have

skills that are easily transferrable to other departments in your company. Product Manager, Product

Marketing and Business Analysts are good examples of potential paths for testers. Square pegs don’t fit

in round holes. Make sure you can spot the difference.

3. Keep the end goal in mind

Let’s face it: The QA team isn’t always the bearer of good news. In fact, Project Managers and Software

Developers often dread seeing the QA manager coming down the hall. Developers want software that

works, and to move on to the next cool feature. Project Managers are concerned about delivering

successfully on time and on budget. Who wants to be told there are problems with their software

project?

“ Manual testers excel at

becoming domain experts and

they can store very complex

business logic in the most

powerful testing tool around,

their brains. Because manual

testing is slow, testers have the

time to watch for and analyze

subtle business logic errors.

Low speed but also low drag.”

- James Whitaker

Testing Guru, Microsoft




Everyone needs to work towards the same goal - which is usually something along the lines of "creating

happy customers" or “creating a better product than the competition”. Whatever it may be,

communicating a shared goal for the team is critical to your team’s morale and success.

That said, the success of any web or mobile product is often

determined by how well the product, development, QA and

project management teams work together as a team, and

understand how to deal with situations that have no simple fix.

For example, if a bug cannot be fixed, it would be wise to

document this in a help section and ensure that your support staff

can assist customers if need be. So although the application may

not be perfect, customers can still achieve high levels of

satisfaction with the company as a whole.

What can you do to make your customers happy?

4. Collaborate for efficiency and creativity

Collaboration has always been the key to successful software testing, as it involves multiple teams and

multiple agendas. The social web makes collaboration easier and more effective than ever.

From simple things like instant messaging, to wikis and real-time document sharing, to web video and

audio conferencing - we can collaborate better today than at any other time in history. The past barriers

of geography and time zone no longer constrain us from working effectively with a team that’s based in

Boston, Budapest or Bangalore. Strong communication and these technologies enable teams from

around the globe to work together, which opens up endless new possibilities.

The benefits of collaboration are readily apparent when people are given the freedom and tools to

communicate. The simplicity of being able to contribute to a project easily with the knowledge that

words are respected and acknowledged is a powerful thing. The simple act of posting an internal forum

post with an idea could change everything. Simplicity is key - too much process and structure can often

hinder the creative process.

5. Assume at your own peril

Ever asked a group of developers to solve a problem with a bit of code on their own? It's pretty much

guaranteed that they all come up with a different way of doing it. That’s because each developer (as

well as each tester and product manager) brings their own perspective – and their own assumptions – to

the job. Just as there is no single way to code, there is no single way to test.

And in a QA leadership role, it's not enough to check your own assumptions at the door. You need todiscover and challenge (respectfully) the assumptions that the testers, developers and project managers

on your team are making.

“Share the load. Find someone in

your team that is good at

something, ask them to be the

specialist in that field and then

mentor the rest of the team at

agreed times."

- Thomas Ponnet

Software Testing Club




6. Understand the limits

Testers face challenges and decisions that are quite different from other professions. If you are a

project manager, a designer or a construction worker, it is fairly easy to demonstrate that a project is

done. In theory, testing software could go on forever. Though the idea of infinite testing is wholly

unrealistic (not to mention horrifying) great QA leaders must still understand how to work within their

given constraints.

Between time limits and budget cut-backs alone, there’s no shortage of obstacles that testing teams

must deal with – but don’t expect any sympathy. Other departments (marketing and sales come to

mind) will always ask of you the impossible, and so it is your responsibility to clearly state what the QA

team is delivering and when it will be delivered.

But remember, QA provides information to those who will make the final decision regarding its release.

It is NOT the responsibility of QA to declare a product bug-free or to demand a certain release date.

Rather, it should say “this is what we have done” and leave the release decisions to the higher-ups. In

any event, know your limits.

7. Dedicate time for exploratory testing

What if your plan to find bugs has bugs of its own? What if your plan is ridden with them? For this

reason, it’s important to stress the practice of exploratory testing. When budgeting, set aside some

additional time and resources so that your team can search for other issues or bugs you may have not

previously considered. You’d be surprised at what you could find.

Process is a wonderful and often necessary thing. It serves a

purpose of ensuring that certain aspects of a project are performed

to a certain standard. However, it is also crucial to remember that

the process of testing a life-saving technology device will be much

different than that of testing an online web game. Context is key.

8. Create a shared tool box for your team

Whether you’re aware of it or not, your testers have more than a

few tricks up their sleeves. It is important, therefore, that you set

up (or at least encourage) a formal, yet flexible process that

enables them to share these tactics with one another. Not only will

this foster collaboration, it will ultimately make your entire QA process much more efficient.

Think about it. As every tester grows, they develop their own 'tool box' - efficient ways to get their day-

to-day work done and of course, find bugs. The whole of your team’s knowledge is greater than the sum

of its bugs, so set up a blog or wiki to facilitate the free exchange of ideas among your team. You’ll beglad you did. You might even learn a thing or two.

“Testing is complex, but

effective use of exploratory

techniques can help tame that

complexity and contribute to the

production of high quality

software.”

- James Whitaker

Testing Guru




9. Have a plan, a flexible plan

Plans are a necessary part of the QA process, but they are just plans. And if they can go wrong, they

often will go wrong. Besides, whether it's a formal test plan or a few notes jotted down on a wiki, the

truth is that once it’s written, it’s out of date.

The most successful teams are not only adaptable to change,

they thrive on it. Lessons are learned on-the-fly. Budgets get

cut, staff comes and goes and resources get delayed, but

wise QA Leaders would have factored this (and more) into

their plan! Don’t get caught off guard.

10. Don’t measure success based solely on the number of

bugs found

Think of the best programmer on your team. Is he or she theone who writes the most code or finds the most bugs? Your

top tester may fit neither of these criteria and truthfully it

doesn’t matter. While raising a lot of bugs can be a good

thing (something younger testers are well-known for) it

should never be used as a way to measure a tester’s

capability. After all, the really valuable bugs are often those

that have taken the most time to investigate.

Other ways to evaluate a tester include:

Expression: How well-written are the plans, bugs and other communications?

Support and training: Are they supportive or combative with their colleagues?

Feedback: Are they unafraid to speak up on ways to improve the testing process?

Passion: Do they genuinely enjoy the testing process?

Bonus Tip

Expand your QA team in tight economic times

You advocate expanding your testing team. Upper management advocates cutting it. Choose your

battles wisely, but know that you have options regardless of which side prevails.

If you're adding a new full-time tester to your team, remember that great testers are hard to find. Try to

identify what personality traits make a great tester (detailed, technical, competitive, etc). Second,attempt to discover if they really do love testing. Put those two things together and you’re on to a

winner. Everything else, including education and past history, is secondary.

If you're trying to do more with less in terms of tightening budget, teams or deadlines, there are

alternatives that can compliment your in-house QA team. This could be part-time, freelance, consultant

or the emerging trend of crowdsourced testing.

What is the greatest challenge facing

QA department managers in 2009?

- Budgetary pressures (33%)

- Deadlines (20%)

- Hiring good testers (11%)

- Corporate Bureaucracy (8%)

- Hiring good testers (8%)

- All of the above (8%)

Source: Software Testing Club

http://www.utest.com/



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Acknowledgements

Special thanks to members of the Software Testing Club for their contributions to this whitepaper. For

more information on becoming a better QA leader, be sure to visit their website.

About Software Testing ClubThe Software Testing Club was founded in 2007 by Rosie Sherry after a clear need for a community for

software testers with a *quality approach*. It started out as an experiment without high expectations. It

is now a leading and thriving community for software testers.

About uTestHeadquartered near Boston, uTest is the world's largest marketplace for software testing services. The

company provides real-world QA services through its community of 25,000+ professional testers from

over 150 countries around the world. Hundreds of companies - from web start-ups to enterprise

software firms - have signed up to get their apps tested by the uTest community.

uTest enables companies to launch higher quality products; get their desktop, web and mobile

applications to market faster; and control the cost of testing. Customers specify their QA requirements

for tester experience, location, language, OS and browser, and uTest selects the right testers for each

project. And because uTest is on-demand, companies pay for completed test cycles.

A brief online demo is available at www.utest.com/demo. uTest can be contacted at:

uTest, Inc.

153 Cordaville Road

Southborough, MA 01772

p: 1.800.445.3914e: [email protected]

w: www.utest.com

http://www.softwaretestingclub.com/


http://www.rosiesherry.com/



http://www.utest.com/demo



mailto:[email protected]











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