Best ways to practice’s for Successful Test Management
We all know Managing Large Scale Projects are very challenging. As we face many challenges that an organization faces while deploying and managing the computer software testing process (STLC) software testing life cycle these challenges can be overcome using the following best practices available in the testing industries.
A properly followed STLC always exceed the customer demands in terms of product quality. If followed properly, the process will lead to improved products, and thus more satisfied customers.
In this blog I will try to explain few best practices that will lead to an effective test management environment. But first we take a look of some common issue teams faces while following STLC.
Test Management Challenges & Issues
Following are the few challenges that an organization faces while implementing STLC.
• Due to tight deadlines insufficient/not enough time to test products
• lack of good resources
• Distributed/Co-located testing teams
• Ad-hoc changes made in requirements
• Delay by development teams to update changes on time, or provide the right information at right time.
Test Management Recommendations
Best practices for Test Management involves keeping the test effort organized with well-defined processes and systems in place. As different projects may require different specific testing process, an effective test management process can deliver a predictable and iterative process. Test Processes which are predictable and repeatable are usually easier to estimate and plan which help the overall management and control of a project.
To overcome the challenges that delay the implementation of a successful test management environment, organizations must try to use the following well-known practices to implement a successful test management system:
1. Organization should begin to create test cases early on in the SDLC:
Although it not said so and organization also not follows it. This leads to bugs being identified at a later stage which causes add on to the cost. Thus, the testing process should start at an early stage by extracting from the initial software requirements. So, if any changes in architecture or functional process required can be highlighted at early stage and appropriate steps can be taken to neutralize it.
2. Always perform iterative tests:
Most vital part of software testing is that it must be performed iteratively. This approach helps generate important testing assets and also helps reduce problems going ahead by focusing on bugs or any unwelcome delays early on in the cycle.
3. By Reusing test assets and improve time spent every time:
Reusing and recycling of test procedures, test automation objects etc. this always help enhancing the quality and efficiency of a software product, and of development teams too that can save a lot of time and effort by this simple strategy.
However, it requires test management skills to be able to predict if a certain asset can be reused in future.
4. Apply testing strategies based on requirements:
As there is a saying, Little stroke fell great oaks. Similarly, by performing different types of test, and testing strategies, which suits the specific kind of test management framework you are using. So, the moral of the story is trying to follow a requirements-based testing approach. It not only helps you in system/application validation, but also helps in calculating the testing efforts needed.
5. Define & implement flexible testing processes:
As we all know different projects have different testing needs and require different testing effort. We require customizable test management processes for creating an automated workflow and it should be iterative, and also it can be further optimized and modified as per requirement. For an effective test management implementation, it is very important to clearly define the process along with the workflow – and then impose the same and it should be followed by the team also.
6. Coordination and mutual understanding are must among the Development and testing team. To achieve maximum output from the testing process, testing and development teams need to work in a complete corporative way with each other. This improves product quality, reduces any communication gap issues, and it highlights any loop hole missed.
7. Highlight and communicate the correct status at the right time to right person:
If a proper communication is not made at the right moment, it might also cost an big loop hole or overhead cost. Successful test management involves complete sharing of all related information data such as status, goals etc. in the right way, right time, to the right person, for a project to be successful.
8. Conclusion
In short, it is recommended to incorporate newer approaches for implementing a successful test management scenario. Above told points are the best practices suggested herein will help to overcome almost all sorts of obstacles.