Risk based testing forum
… where time and money matters!
|
|
|
|
|
Success using risk based
testing |
|
|
|
|
|
|
11th
January 2006
Projects
need to persevere with risk based testing
Tom Norris,
Director, Acutest Ltd
Many programmes
and projects implement a risk based testing strategy at the initiation stage of
a project. This strategy seems obvious for the benefits it can provide. During
analysis and design phases, the risk based strategy is normally bought into and
practiced. The creep away from risk based testing normally occurs during
development. It is not saying that the developers are the cause for not
following risk based testing but somewhere between design and development the
majority of slips in project plan occur. This brings upon pressure to deliver
within reduced timescales due to the slippage. At this point we see a change in
attitude.
‘When the heat is on many
of the project team revert back to type, what they feel comfortable with’
explains Tom Norris, Director of Acutest Ltd. ‘Many new people to risk based
testing will return to their old procedures and processes when milestones are
in jeopardy or have passed. This is the opposite action to what they should be
doing. Risk based testing will help them resolve their issues. The key is to
always keep the business involved as they have the ultimate responsibility of
accepting a change into live’.
‘Strangely, although risk based testing has been
around for a while now, there is limited practice of the method. Where it is being
practiced there are many instances of the risk being focused on IT rather than
the business. The biggest success stories I have seen
using risk based testing are where the business are involved with the test
teams all the way though the project. When this has happened we have reduced
the testing cost and duration. More importantly there have been no surprises
with defects when going live as the business teams have focused our testing on
what matters to them’.
Tom Norris (tom.norris@acutest.co.uk)
Tom has
been a full time testing consultant since 1985. Tom is an acknowledged
authority on testing and has been a regular speaker at conferences. Tom focuses
on devising and implementing test strategies that help his customers derive
more value from their testing budgets in a lesser time. By combining his
experience and testing skill he creates testing suites that can be executed
quickly and cost-effectively, enabling bugs to be found more quickly and
reducing the overall time taken to develop, release and roll-out software.
Acutest Ltd (www.acutest.co.uk)
Acutest
is an independent testing consultancy. We concentrate solely on testing
software, IT and technology-centred change with the
goal of substantially increasing the value our customers derive from testing.
Increased Acutest value means:
- reducing the elapsed time spent testing
- reducing the risk to going live
- reducing the cost of software testing
For
us, it also means supplying objective and accurate information on risks, issues
and milestones throughout the project lifecycle, not just in the final phase.
And this clarity enables managers to make informed and timely choices as the
project proceeds. Our software testing services improve the outcome and the
journey to create it.