Test Process Improvement
Insight
Companies rely on various software development life cycle (SDLC) methodologies to create, deploy, and maintain new software solutions. Many have evolved from Waterfall or Spiral into Agile or a version of Agile. However, companies usually want to update and improve their models, methodologies, and processes as technology advances and business needs change. Quality is often a concern as they migrate from one platform, methodology, or technology to another. Some think software testing or a focus on software quality is no longer needed, especially with AI aiding code development.
Despite adopting new methods and technologies, the same common testing problems persist: defects found in production, late delivery, and regression test cycles that take too long. While defect detection rates are always a concern, some testing organizations use this as a primary metric to improve software quality by keeping them under 90 percent. However, defect detection is a lagging metric, and more attention should be paid to leading metrics further upstream in the process. Why? Because it’s well known and proven that early detection is the key to keeping costs down, while defects found late in the development cycle or production are expensive to fix and take too much time. This led to our TPI approach focused on leading rather than lagging indicators to improve the testing process.
At XBOSoft, we specialize in supporting our clients in maintaining and improving their software quality to keep their users happy and subscriptions continuing. In doing so, we recognize that testing must do more than find defects during regression testing at the end of the development cycle. Using our proven Test Process Improvement (TPI) methodology, we can help IT teams drive improvement from the beginning.
Our Clients
Framework
An integral part of TPI is the application of process engineering methodologies to evaluate testing maturity. This improvement strategy consists of several key evaluation areas, including:
- Test strategy: XBOSoft’s software test strategy and planning efforts first identify risk to guide the process and ensure that effort is expended in the right places at the correct times. We determine what functions and features should be tested, how, by whom, how much time should be allocated, what benefits you should expect (why do it that way), and how you should measure success. It doesn’t have to be long and shouldn’t be, but keeps everyone on the same page and provides an excellent reference for retrospectives. In addition to testing features and functions, don’t forget to test for quality properties. For example: performance, security, compatibility, learnability, usability, and reliability. It’s easy to overlook some of these non-functional quality properties since defects in these areas are hard to measure and quantify.
- Test process management: In the old days with software development lifecycle models such as waterfall, we took software requirements, added in some design development to figure out what to build, wrote code, unit tested, and deployed. Acceptance testing was usually done late and often separate from development activities. Though frequently unavoidable because the application was not ready to test, it led to many problems. We see progress early with agile development modes, which can deliver at least something by the original deadline. However, we must adapt the traditional testing model to an agile test process and compress testing cycles using the right combination of test automation and targeted regression testing while continually increasing the quality of the software under test. This includes adapting traditional test strategies that coordinate better with agile testing methodologies.
- Test methodology: Agile is based on a mindset of figuring out what to do – or not do – to implement Agile in an organization effectively. This requires guideposts to ensure your testing delivers actionable and insightful results. Drawing from our years of experience in Agile implementation, we’ve identified seven common factors that lead to success or failure. Many of these habits you already know, like having a solid definition of “done,” but you might not realize that some of your practices are not only hurting your chances of success but setting you up for failure.
- Test design: What should we do to write practical and effective test cases? A test case is simply a list of actions that need to be executed to verify a particular functionality or feature of an application under test. Test cases can also be used as a document to help understand a product’s functionality. Test design ensures your software is reliably tested and meets all vital benchmarks. XBOSoft can evaluate your current test case procedure, within the testing phase of SDLC, to see what’s working and what isn’t, and suggest actionable improvements to enhance results.
- Test metrics: You’re testing, but what are you measuring? At XBOSoft, we recognize the need for reliable and relevant metrics in software test process improvement. Our depth of testing experience within the software development life cycle phases can help streamline your development and identify specific metrics of interest. If you’re an organization using an Agile development process, your focus is typically on two key Agile objectives: quality software (free from defects) and velocity (speed). To effectively achieve those goals, measurement and accountability are required.
- Defect management: During testing, we find defects, or instances where the software does not meet requirements. Hence, many software testing metrics focus on analyzing defects. What happens when you find a critical defect? Many flow charts detail how defects flow back and forth to QA with state changes (fixed, open, re-open, etc.). Numerous software applications (defect tracking systems and management systems) help us track defects at the different phases of development and after release. However, these activities are rarely connected to metrics in such a way that is easy to analyze. At XBOSoft, we use an abbreviated form of UML to assign attributes such as metrics to different defect entity types.
Using a test maturity matrix, each key testing area is assessed and evaluated against specific checkpoints, including Initial, Controlled, Efficient, and Optimized, to determine test maturity. The evaluation data is then used to grade and understand the current situation, prioritize the areas for improvement, and then create a plan to improve overall test process quality.
Impact
TPI examines software requirements and user stories and continues through design and development. Testability is a key component and concept that permeates all areas of TPI. Yes, requirements can be tested! This applies not only to acceptance testing and methods to identify defects in production quickly but also to unit testing from the start of new feature creation to drive analysis and improvement throughout the entire development process, not just testing.
Examining the testing process and how it fits and synchronizes with development, our analysis will enhance your current SDLC and give your team the tools to develop long-term testing and deployment strategies.
We’ve worked with companies in various industries, from shipping and manufacturing to financial services, and have consistently improved testing processes and measurable improvements. Benefits have ranged from reducing regression testing by 30 percent to reducing customer-reported issues by 25 percent.
XBOSoft’s TPI has long-reaching impacts on the testing process and organizational culture far beyond the short-term benefits such as reducing customer-reported issues or defect escape rates. In particular, the metrics programs instill a sense of ownership and visibility across the organization for long-term improvement.
Measurements
You’re testing, but what are you measuring, and are you improving? At XBOSoft, software testing is the foundation of our business, and we do it daily. The more efficient and effective our test processes are, the easier our jobs are and the happier our clients are. Thus, we recognize the need for reliable and relevant metrics in software test process improvement. Using our depth of testing experience, we work with you to understand your pain points and identify specific metrics to measure and alleviate your pain.
Suppose you’re an organization using an Agile development process. Your focus is improving your Agile process, maintaining quality, and increasing velocity. In that case, we will work closely to understand what upstream metrics can help you achieve these lagging indicator objectives. In particular, many organizations battle with requirements, the definition of done, and the effective implementation of improvements uncovered in retrospectives. We can work with you to design specific metrics targeting these problems.
To vet out metrics, we need to account for the organization context. We don’t want to develop metrics that are unreliable or too hard to get the information. So, first we work to understand your technology and management infrastructure to determine what data is available. This is followed by baseline development to determine where you are today, combined with improvement milestones. Most importantly, collaborate to determine how you communicate your measurement results to your organization’s stakeholders with the understanding that not all stakeholders will want all metrics all the time.
Let’s make your success our next story
Challenges
You probably already know many of these habits, like having a solid definition of “done.” Besides some apparent surface level improvements, many areas of improvement are just below the surface with a high return and little effort. We’ve been working with organizations for over a dozen years, and many think Test Process Improvement is a heavy ordeal requiring too much time and effort. That’s understandable. Many consulting firms will come in with a large book with a standard methodology that may take months or even years to complete. Given the existing infrastructure and tooling, technology barriers may also constitute other mental barriers that block change and improvement. All this leads to the assumption that time and labor to implement improvements will be a monumental undertaking.
We’ve dealt with these situations and understand these concerns. However, the payback of investing a few weeks into understanding how to improve your entire process usually convinces most clients that it’s well worth the investment. After all, why keep repeating the same thing, linearly applying more resources into a process and problem without getting tangible results?
Of course, our TPI process has pitfalls. It requires commitment to change from top to bottom and a few weeks of your time. But if you recognize that your saw needs to be sharpened, we encourage you to change blades, and XBOSoft can show you how to do it. Our customized fast track approach gets to the core of most problems within days.
Experience
XBOSoft has worked with dozens of organizations, from small startups beginning to understand that quality needs to be baked in from the beginning to large public companies developing software for years.
Because of this, our TPI has evolved over the years with our standard framework, which is customized for each organizational context. Most smaller organizations don’t want a heavy-weight assessment that they associate with a Big 4 consulting firm, which would take months or even years. Larger organizations are more complex, and you would feel you don’t understand them well enough to provide a worthwhile assessment if you didn’t spend enough time on them.
So, depending on the organization, we work with the stakeholders involved to develop a unique solution and project plan, usually lasting 4 weeks to 4 months.
- Share lessons learned from implementing TPI across different organizations
- Describe how your approach has evolved based on real-world implementation
- Include stories that illustrate breakthrough moments in client implementations
- Provide advice for organizations beginning their TPI journey
- Discuss how client feedback has shaped your methodology
- Share perspectives on the future of test process improvement
Despite AI and its promise, any company that develops software will have some of the same age-old problems in the foreseeable future. Some of these include:
- Regression testing is too slow
- Platform coverage is insufficient
- Delivery is late
- Quality in production is poor
- User issues cascade
XBOSoft offers TPI services for companies of any size, customized to your test process and quality objectives. Improving your software development life cycle phases is an ever-evolving process that your company may not have the resources or time to manage internally. Our deep technical expertise and dedicated focus on software quality assurance make us the ideal partner to improve your SDLC environment and help you deliver high-quality code.
Certifications
Certified expertise, reliable results
We hold PMP, ISTQB, and ISO27001 certifications, reflecting our adherence to rigorous standards in project management, software testing, information security, and internal controls.