Managing the Testing Process

The survival guide for test managers

Test managers must take a potentially infinite job - testing major changes and new applications - and accomplish it within tight time and resource restraints. It's a tall order, but successful test managers have found proven ways to handle the challenges.

"As a new test manager I found the entire course valuable and believe I will be able to put a lot of this into practice."

Hilda Allen, Westpac

This course includes a copy of Rex Black's book, Managing the Testing Process, when attending a public course.

This course will provide you with all the tools you need to succeed as a test manager. The materials presented in the course follow Rex Black's book, Managing the Testing Process, which is the distillation of over two decades of software, hardware and systems experience.

"Presenter was great and kept us engaged. Very Enthusiastic and a pleasure to listen to."

Krishna Selvarajah, Test Analyst, Objective Corporation Limited

See how this course fits into your career path >>

Intended For

This course is specifically designed for:

The experienced software test analyst moving into a test lead or management role.
The test lead or manager with mininum software testing or test management skills.

Do you already have a lot of test management experience? In that case, you may also be interested in the ISTQB certified Advanced Test Manager course.

Prerequisites

Extensive experience as a software tester or having management experience combined with a good understanding of the principles of software testing.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course participants will be able to:

Assess the quality risks and cover these risks in your testplan.
Determine test project scope.
Prepare a budget and schedule.
Develop test plans and cases that address the important customer needs.
Create and implement defect and test tracking systems that support effective test reporting.
Prepare for and manage the challenges of test execution.
Build and retain an effective, loyal test team.
Work and communicate effectively with managers and peers, especially in terms of communicating test findings.
Understand the test effort within the context of the larger project.
Allocate scarce hardware.
Manage a test lab.

Content

Day One
Introductions, participant objectives and overview of test management Defining your scope Aligning testing in the organisation Aligning testing with quality Testing real-world use and configurations Sources of risk information Using risk to guide the areas and extent of testing Exercise: Risk analysis for an internet kiosk Estimating a schedule and budget Work-breakdown-structures Critical paths Test execution cycles Bug find-fix-confirm cycles Budgets Exercise: Estimating testing for an internet kiosk	Thinking and communicating with test plans Developing test plans A test plan template Entry and exit criteria Test execution Planning risks for test plans Selling the plan Case study: Banking application test plan Exercise: Test planning for an internet kiosk Test system engineering and architecture Test systems and test system design Test templates Test documentation precision and detail Traceability Test effectiveness Regression risk mitigation strategies Continuous improvement
Day Two
Bug reporting basics Bug reporting and tracking The importance of good bug reports Ten steps to better bug reports Bug reporting refinements Classification Bug lifecycles Bug triage Defect removal models Case study: A sample bug report Exercise: Bug reporting Bug metrics and management Opened/closed chart Closure period Root cause Pareto chart Affected subsystem Pareto chart Defect detection percentage Case study: Banking application bug metrics Tracking test cases and suites A basic test tracking spreadsheet Test tracking process	Extending the test tracking system Adding coverage traceability Test tracking example Test metrics and management Management summaries Test hours progress Test case fulfillment Risk coverage Creating a project dashboard Challenges of test execution Certainty versus progress Collaborative processes Result misinterpretation Holidays and cultures Hiring and managing a test team Personality and skills Skills management Education and certification Organising the team Hiring and interviewing Motivation Consultants and contractors
Day Three
Politics of test management What is your job? Where does the test team fit in? Managing and communicating with your managers and peers Credibility and presentation Exercise: Presenting bad news Testing context: Economics, lifecycles, processes Analysing the return on the testing investment Testing within system development lifecycles Testing in other types of projects Process improvements and maturity Exercise: Defending a budget Exercise: Calculating the costs of failure	Managing a test lab Determining need for a lab Designing and stocking a test lab Security, safety, and configuration management Testing hardware/software systems Effect of hardware on testing Engineering samples and configuration management Logistics Tester skills effects Estimation Hardware testing fundamentals Electrical, environmental, and mechanical tests Thermal, reliability, packaging and safety Compliance Hardware and software subsystems Pilot testing Glossary, bibliography and resources

The class materials include an extensive bibliography of books related to software testing, project management, quality and other topics of interest to the test professional.

Method Used

Presentations, interactive discussion, some self-study, case studies, hands-on exercises, plus recommended additional reading material.

Note: Exercises are selected based on audience needs and interest. Not all exercises will be covered in the course.

Testimonials

"As a new test manager I found the entire course valuable and believe I will be able to put a lot of this into practice."

Hilda Allen, Westpac.

"Excellent course, lots of info and discussion."

Siobhan Cotter, Lead Test Analyst, Bank of New Zealand.

"Presenter was great and kept us engaged. Very Enthusiastic and a pleasure to listen to."

Krishna Selvarajah, Test Analyst, Objective Corporation Limited

Software Education Associates Limited
Freecall: 0800 268 773