Building an Independent Test Group

Summary:

Are you attempting to start an independent test group or increase the scope and value of your present group? After building a highly effective thirty-person test group, Scott Eder reflects on the three major areas where he focused and the challenges he faced along the way. Take away sample work scope and purpose statements for your test group, and learn how to set realistic expectations at all levels within your organization. Find out the key processes that Scott implemented immediately to get his team off to a good start.

The foundations of an independent test group that is valued by your organization
Ways to build relationships with key stakeholders in order to foster a supportive environment for test and quality
How to create a sense of identity around which your test team can rally

About the author

Scott Eder

Scott Lazenby is the Test Engineering Manager for Emerging Products at Glenayre Technologies, Inc. In addition to his test management duties, he is also heavily involved with the Quality department's process improvement program and is responsible for engineering tool implementation at Glenayre. Prior engineering tool experience includes: Mercury WinRunner and LoadRunner implementation for Glenayre web-based products; SS7 call-processing tool implementation for the telecom-based products; Creating a linked summary report between the test results database and the defect tracking database; and integrating a customer-service ticket escalation mechanism between the customer-service CRM system and the engineering department's defect-tracking tool. Scott is currently evaluating model-based testing tool options. Scott attended the University of Georgia where he received his BA Management Information Systems in 1994. Scott's first visit to StarEast was in 2003.