Manage and Strengthen Testing

be obeyed.

In variations of the application of Brook's law, avoid bringing in new esting tools or changing test processes beyond the first third of the testing roject. The learning curve and dislocation caused by the changes are too risky n the last two-thirds of the project. (Fred Brooks is a professor at the niversity of North Carolina who led the software development team for IBM's reakthrough IBM/360 computer in the 1960s.)

Ensure the right person is allocated to each work activity (i.e., the est person available for that particular activity). Testing is a very broad ield with many specialized types of expertise and context-specific knowledge. A articular task that takes one team member five days may take another team ember only two hours.

Give the testers the facilities they need. It is not a good sign when esters are waiting for shared testers' equipment, which currently is tied up wth other demands. Or when testers are struggling and wasting time with quirky, ifficult, or obsolete tools. Or when testers do not have the support personnel hey need, such as network administrators to troubleshoot the network, or atabase administrators to extract and download test databases.

Upgrade the skills and experience levels of the test team. In some rganizations, juniors are used in testing to free the valuable people for the important activities." While they may be bright and motivated, eophytes can require an exceedingly long time to get up the learning curve or, orse, they may perform an inadequate test and not even know it. At the very east, the test team should be seeded with a few highly competent, attle-scarred veterans to guide the juniors.

Expertise is needed in three key areas: the functionality or subject matter, he technological foundation for the system, and effective test techniques.

Increase the involvement of the clients and end users in the test process. These people bring functional subject matter expertise, a fresh perspective, and additional hands to the test effort. Involving them early in the test process also builds psychological ownership of the system and narrows the gap between user expectations and the reality of what the system can actually do.

Read Part 2: "Conduct Early and Streamlined Testing"
Read Part 3: "Manage the Risks and the Process"