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QA TEAM LEADERSHIP 10 Things Every QA Leader Should Know AboutBuilding & Managing a World-Class Testing Team
WHITEPAPER: March, 2009
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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
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WHITEPAPER: Ten Things Every QA Leader Should Know 2
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
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WHITEPAPER: Ten Things Every QA Leader Should Know 3
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
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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
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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
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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
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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