I’m an Agile Test Manager:Do I really exist?

I’m an Agile Test Manager:Do I really exist?

A discussion and debate

David Evans & Ivan EricssonSQS Group Limited

Test Management SummitLondon, 30th January 2008

© SQS Group Limited Agile Test Management | October 2007 | Page 2

Agenda

Who are we?

What do we think?

What do you think?

What have we concluded?


Dave Ericsson Not a real person, but a moniker in SQS to refer to us together We think frighteningly alike on most subjects in testing Just as well, since we jointly hold the title of

“Directors of Methodology” As consultants we have both served roles that could be called

“Agile Test Manager” Dave Evans

Software developer and tester for 20 years Agile convert for 5 years Prefers the term ‘Coach’ or even ‘Evangelist’ over ‘Manager’

Ivan Ericsson Involved in testing for 12 years A Test Manager for 8, 1 year in agile Test Manager as shoeshine boy

Dave Ericsson : not a real person Who are we?


Who are you?

You have heard of Agile Software Development You have at least a reasonable sense of what it means Your organisation has had projects that called themselves agile Your organisation has completed projects that were really agile You have been a Test Manager directly involved in an Agile team

Raise your hand. Keep it raised if…


Recap of Common Agile Characteristics

Iterative development Running, tested features developed in order of business priority

Responsive to changing requirements Many opportunities to re-prioritise and re-evaluate

‘Travel light’ Favour conversations over documentation and formal process

Customer (Product Owner) is part of the team Empowered customer rep either on-site or accessible to the

team, provides constant feedback on quality and priorities Focus on delivering Business Value

Everything costs, so don’t do anything that doesn’t add value! Test-Driven

High emphasis on testing early, testing often & testing fast Restrospectives

The team review and improve their own processes regularly

Most Agile methods have these features in common


The Agile Manifesto – What the Agile camp has declared it believes

“We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it.

Through this work we have come to value:

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

Working software over comprehensive documentation

Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

Responding to change over following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on the right,

We value the items on the left more.”

www.agilemanifesto.org

Are you left-leaning or right-leaning? Please read all of it!


Canonical Agile (Scrum) Roles

Customer (Product Owner) The person responsible for defining Requirements (Product Backlog items) and

prioritising items for each Iteration / Sprint. Coach (Scrum Master)

The person whose primary role is to remove impediments blocking the team Team of developers and testers

Collaborating to produce running, tested features. Developers, testers and any specialists that may be needed

(e.g. DBA, UI designer) The team are all ‘pigs’, not ‘chickens’

Although testing is very high on the agenda of all good agile projects, you will be hard pressed to find the term “Test Manager” in any book about Agile.

Hey, where’s the Test Manager?


Test Management

Ensure independence of testing Ensure corporate standards are complied with Ensure the test effort remains state-of-the-art QA of the test effort Manage effectiveness of the test effort Manage efficiency of the test effort

This is what we do. Isn’t it?


Agile Test Management?

Assumption: Ensure independence of testing What is the business value of independence? Aren’t the testers and developers representing the customer? Is independence more valuable than shared goals,

knowledge and communication? Could the automated tests be the independent evidence?

Assumption: Ensure corporate standards are complied with Is compliance always more valuable than improvement and innovation? Is it more valuable than doing the right thing, right now? Could we use standards as platforms rather than cages?

Assumption: Ensure the test effort remains state-of-the-art How would we do this, other than by examining and improving our own process? Does state-of-the-art testing deliver more business value?

Questioning those assumptions


Agile Test Management?

Assumption: QA of the test effort Does this need a TM, or could the quality of the test effort be measured by the

customer’s level of confidence in the test coverage and satisfaction with the product? Assumption: Manage effectiveness of the test effort

Can the customer make the decision on what is good enough? Isn’t the team collectively responsible for the effectiveness of testing?

Assumption: Manage efficiency of the test effort If features are estimated (for development and testing effort) and completed within

short time-boxes, wont any inefficiencies be transparent? As long as we achieve the appropriate quality levels within the team’s group

estimates, does it matter how we get there?

Questioning those assumptions


Your Thoughts

As a Test Manager, what value could you deliver to an Agile project? Is this enough to justify your salary?

How would you position your role in a ‘classic’ agile team? Would the whole team be satisfied with this?

What are the risks to a project of having no TM involvement? Are there other ways to mitigate these risks?

Can we reconcile these positions?


Our Thoughts

All the activities of Test Management have a valid role, somewhere The Test Manager needs to determine where and when Understand when to wear different ‘hats’ as manager, coach, test expert etc.

Focussing relentlessly on business value might make us do a better job of management Let the team be self-organising: do less man-management Consider how your responsibilities helps the team get better at delivering value

Manage testers better by helping them do their job well Lead by example: do what they do, at least some of the time Understand their issues, observe their problems first-hand

Be an amplifier of information about quality to all who care Don’t hoard or ‘own’ this information

Don’t try to ‘own’ Quality If you do, no-one else will take responsibility for it

Some possible ways through…


Thanks!

Any other questions or thoughts, feel free to contact us.

[email protected]

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


SQS Group Limited

120 MoorgateLondon EC2M 6SSUnited Kingdom

Phone: +44 (0) 2074 484620Fax: +44 (0) 2074 484651 [email protected]@sqs-uk.com

Internet: www.sqs-uk.com


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I’m an Agile Test Manager:Do I really exist?