CONSIDERATIONS FOR BUILDING A QUALITY

CONSIDERATIONS FOR BUILDING A QUALITY ASSURANCE DEPARTMENT

Quality Assurance, the department that checks the functionality of new features in a software, is as vital as mysterious to many companies. Though most only know about QA testing in software development, the department exists in many fields, like medical, aviation and engineering. It is mentioned in almost all customer service calls made to major companies: “For quality assurance purposes, this call is being recorded…” But what exactly is Quality Assurance? Quality Assurance is like the TSA. They make sure everything that gets through the door doesn’t cause a problem later. They check the baggage for things against the rules and keep disruptions to a minimum. Quality Control is what happens if something slips by – they react and correct the problematic situation. Think of an airport without the TSA. Yes, everyone would be able to stroll in, but systematic breakdowns would inevitably happen and cause flight delays. QA keeps the day-to-day working smoothly. But QA can become a catch-all department for many software departments. They become not just the TSA, but the flight attendants and custodial staff. Sometimes they even are asked to do something totally outside of their scope because alltyme.com 1

managers and development teams aren’t versed in QA and their testers. QA testers have a part to play, and if they are supported correctly, they are vital to a successful product. They can help you save and/or earn more money in the long run. With QA, there’s more likely to be fewer bugs in live environments, better user experiences and fewer customer frustrations and ultimately, less churn. If customers love the software, they are less likely to switch to the competitors. “Not all software works. Clearly we have all used applications that crash too often, stop working the way they used to, get to the point where they can’t scale to our wider extended needs, or simply get compromised by some update or change that renders then non-functional,” wrote Adrian Bridgwater in Forbes. “But before that point, not all software works in its developmental programming stage. This core unfortunate and inconvenient truth has given rise to the expression ‘shift left’ development; also sometimes known as test- driven development. This is all about testing software early and often.” The field has changed dramatically in the last few decades, especially with the adoption of modern workflows and “test early and test often” approach. 2 alltyme.com

“Quality assurance is no longer the last thing you do before the software launches; it weaves through the entire software life cycle, with business goals attached,” says Brenda Hall, CEO of software quality assurance firm Bridge360 in a blog on Techbeacon.com. Yet, when a company doesn’t understand this, QA can become a catch-all department for many software departments. And though many Agile workflows allow for standard operating procedures for Product and Development teams, Quality Assurance testers are usually left to fend for themselves with little support. “In many companies, testers are placed on multi-year projects where they test the same application day after day. While some employees are complacent about change, countless end up jaded about the impact they’re making in their role,” wrote Ruslan Desyatnikov, the CEO of QA Mentor Inc., in a post on Forbes.com. “Curious, assertive employees with a proclivity to problem-solving need to be challenged or they’ll seek opportunities where they can make a real contribution and feel truly valued as employees. In today’s knowledge economy based on intellectual capital, people aren’t content with being another cog in the wheel: They want to make a difference.” This can cause a lot of turmoil, turnover and even bigger problems down the road. QAs are notoriously underpaid and/or only offered contract positions, so if they are not properly supported, they will look elsewhere. QA testers are desperately needed, and there are competitive opportunities readily available. alltyme.com 3

To retain talented QA testers, the company must consider modern day approaches and options of support – like Test Management Software. Many QAs step into the job and find an inconsistent workflow and/or lack of best practices. So they have to scrape together the product’s software testing history, if it exists, and then construct a possible methodology based on their findings. This takes time and resources while pulling QAs away from the quality assurance testing tasked to them. “Running a manual test through different data sets is often challenging and unproductive as it involves manually trying different sets of data for specific test steps,” wrote Ryan Pinkham in a blog on SmartBear. com. “A test management process can make the process of iterating an existing manual test through a variety of data set really easy, thereby increasing the coverage of existing manual tests.” Once the tester creates a workflow, they usually put the information in a word processing document or spreadsheet – where it has to be manually updated and shared with other members of the team. And though cloud-based document sharing exists, this antiquated way of collecting testing data can result in perpetuating the same inefficient cycle. With a Test Management Software, any Quality Assurance would be executed in the same way. This will help managers have a clearer picture of their software’s progression and also help prevent miscommunication between testers and the development team. With a standardized testing process, it would be easier to identify a bug versus a defect. This, in turn, allows for quicker resolutions and happier teams. 4 alltyme.com

“A test management tool can reduce duplication of data which traditionally occurs when requirements, tests, or defects are managed in a silo,” Pinkham wrote. “It ensures everyone — from business analysts to developers, testers, and QA managers — has one view of the progress being made.” It creates an environment for innovation and scalability. QAs don’t have to focus on replicating past tests but instead can execute regression tests in an already verified guardrail. Test Management Software is also beneficial for backlog management. Backlogs are unavoidable in any project, and sometimes can be a good thing, but if they get unruly, it can stymie progress. Backlog grooming needs to happen regularly, and Test Management Software helps keep the project lean and scope creep at bay. Scope creep is an unfortunate side effect of a project when elements are added after the project is in motion. “Scope creep negatively impacts projects in several ways—usually because the work increases, but not the budget or time frame,” wrote Brett Harned on Teamgantt. com. “Scope creep is notorious for stressing out team members, pushing projects over budget, and taking time and focus away from the original deliverables.” Test Management Software helps with the scope creep by using test automation to reduce manual testing while keeping progress with the backlogs, defects and overall workflow. That’s why this type of software is so integral to any product team. It tackles half of the struggle found in most QA environments, and lets the testers spend their alltyme.com 5

efforts and skills on doing what matters – Quality Assurance testing. Test Management Software and its byproduct, Test Automation, is a bustling field and there’s a lot of information on the major players, like TestRail, SpiraTest and SmartBear’s Zephyr products. When researching the most optimal solution, a QA team leader or Product Manager must pick something that works with their current workflows and fosters a collaborative environment for QA testers and Dev team members. The Test Management Software cannot disrupt the current development sprint or cycle, and if it does, not only would QA abandon it, but they might also look elsewhere for opportunities. “We are faced with the choice of a multitude of tools available in the market,” Nishi Grover Garg, a corporate trainer, wrote in a blog on Test Rail’s blog site. “And with so many tools promising us the best features and quality, we most often find ourselves taking a safe bet with the most popular kids on the block. “While that might seem like a safe bet, in the beginning, it could also turn out to be an expensive mistake later. “We must not go just by the popularity of the tool or just pick open source tools. We must survey the market for the actual fit for our team as well as our project.” A good place to start with research is www.Guru99.com. Test Management Software is just the first step though. To create the most efficient QA-friendly environment, there needs to be an adoption of a few workflow practices. 6 alltyme.com

QA traditionally sits at the end of a development cycle – the last part of a chain. This Waterfall methodology, where one large project goes through a linear process before going live, can be efficient but needs a lot of foresight and stability. “The success of the Waterfall method depends on the amount and quality of the work done on the front end, documenting everything in advance, including the user interface, user stories, and all the features’ variations and outcomes,” according to a blog on Adobe Workfront’s website. “With the majority of the research done upfront, estimates of the time needed for each requirement are more accurate, and this can provide a more predictable release date.” Though it can be efficient, most of the time the QA department exists outside of the creative process and causes problems if issues arise in the development cycle. alltyme.com 7

“The Waterfall methodology requires that you outline the project from start to finish before you begin,” wrote Leeron Hoory and Cassie Bottorff on Forbes.com. “This doesn’t allow for a lot of flexibility or change. Additionally, it can become problematic if the stakeholders disagree on the project’s vision and don’t find out until it is executed or in a later phase.” When you want a more flexible workflow and more innovation opportunities, many companies are turning to Agile workflow – where small parts of the project are constantly being delivered to the end-user. “Agile methodology was developed as a response to Waterfall’s more rigid structure. As a result, it’s a much more fluid form of project management,” wrote Hoory and Bottorff. “A software development project can take years to complete, and technology can change significantly during that time. Agile was developed as a flexible method that welcomes incorporating changes of direction even late in the process, as well as accounting for stakeholders’ feedback throughout the process. “In Agile, the team will work on phases of the project concurrently, often with short-term deadlines. Additionally, the team, rather than a project manager, drives the project’s direction. This can empower the team to be motivated and more productive, but also requires a more self-directed team.” One of the biggest benefits of Agile is the “Lean” element of the product. When you make smaller pushes to live, you can get feedback and assess changes quicker. This, in turn, minimizes both scope creep and tech debt, both detrimental to productivity. 8 alltyme.com

The most popular ways to build this workflow are Scrum and Kanban. “Scrum is a framework that helps teams work together. Much like a rugby team (where it gets its name) training for the big game, scrum encourages teams to learn through experiences, self-organize while working on a problem, and reflect on their wins and losses to continuously improve,” according to Atlassian’s Agile Coach Knowledge Base. A lot of QAs swear by the Scrum workflow. They love their sprints, small intervals of time to produce test cases, and how quickly they can get regression testing out the door. Others love Kanban because of its visual aspects. “Kanban is a popular Lean workflow management method for defining, managing, and improving services that deliver knowledge work. It helps you visualize work, maximize efficiency, and improve continuously. Work is represented on Kanban boards, allowing you to optimize work delivery across multiple teams and handle even the most complex projects in a single environment,” according to the site Kanbanize.com. Both workflows have their merits, but QA teams must do their research to pick the best Agile workflow for their products. Scrum workflow has a tighter turnaround and works better with a smaller team, but can be adapted for larger projects. alltyme.com 9

“Both scrum and kanban use visual methods such as the scrum board or kanban board to track the progress of work,” wrote Claire Drumond, a marketing strategist for Atlassian. “Both emphasize efficiency and splitting complex tasks into smaller chunks of manageable work, but their approaches towards that goal are different. “Scrum focuses on smaller, fixed-length iterations. Once the time period for a sprint is finalized, the stories or product backlog entries that can be implemented during this sprint cycle are then determined. In kanban, however, the number of tasks or the work in progress (WIP limit) to be implemented in the current cycle is fixed at first. The time taken to implement these features is then calculated backward.” Regardless of the Agile workflow chosen, there must be buy-in from the QA testers. If they don’t believe in the structure, or are stuck on another method, it will be difficult to restructure the team without friction. If the QA testers are avid Scrum disciples, a Kanban approach might not be the best solution. Just make sure to put the QA team in consideration with picking an Agile workflow. Once you get that Agile buy-in from the team, there are even more ways to make the workflow even more adaptive for your specific team - like Git Workflow. “A Git workflow is a recipe or recommendation for how to use Git to accomplish work in a consistent and productive manner. Git workflows encourage developers and DevOps teams to leverage Git effectively and consistently. Git offers a lot of flexibility in how users manage changes,” stated in one of Atlassian Bitbucket Tutorials. Another is the Requirement Traceability Matrix. 10 alltyme.com

alltyme.com Guru99 defines it as “a document that maps and traces user requirement [sic] with test cases. It captures all requirements proposed by the client and requirement traceability in a single document, delivered at the conclusion of the Software developement [sic] life cycle. The main purpose of Requirement Traceability Matrix is to validate that all requirements are checked via test cases such that no functionality is unchecked during Software testing.” Both Git Workflow and Requirement Traceability Matrix are incredibly helpful in QA teams. Once tools are in place, there must be proper training in QA. Even if QA testers are veterans in the industry, innovation cannot exist without education. Software testing is ever-changing and there are always new ideologies manifesting. “If testers aren’t given proper training to improve their technical skills (a must in the DevOps practice), such as automation, performance and security testing, they’ll remain trapped as manual testers for far too long,” wrote Desyatnikov. “The low learning curve doesn’t just make people feel bored, it also robs them of meaningful growth 11

opportunities to become QA leads, test managers or project test coordinators. Without a corporate ladder to climb, they’ll either stay in the same spot without adding any growing value to your company or simply quit when the right opportunity knocks on the door.” Training doesn’t just stop at ideologies. It also needs to create a pipeline for growth and new internal promotions. And if the company only has a small team or, like in a lot of scenarios, one tester, this needs to be addressed and remedied. Quality Assurance is the last line of defense for software and multiple eyes on the regression test is vital. A QA lead, or manager, oversees testers and advocates for the department. They also help with the communication in the development cycle. “A QA manager keeps testers aware of deadlines and on track. When test execution is rushed or continuously fraught with crisis, tester morale goes down – and so does the quality of their work,” wrote Amy Reichert on techtarget.com. “Test execution time needs realistic limits, but it should be lengthy enough to add business value. “QA managers boost testing productivity and test coverage for Agile applications. If that person also performs tests, all the better, but the focus should be to help QA engineers be capable and focused. This, in turn, helps Agile teams build higher-quality final products that customers want to use.” If expanding the QA department isn’t feasible at the moment, at least pay attention for warning signs of an overworked department. If the backlog is growing too rapidly, there is an influx of bugs slipping through the cracks and/ or QA testers are working long hours, a new hire would benefit not just the QA department but the entire development cycle. And if there 12 alltyme.com

are any plans for software expansion or retooling, more testers will be needed, even if they are temporary. Without this added help, the software can suffer, and the company’s security can be at risk. QA isn’t a regimented field and shouldn’t be treated as such. In this department, there is untapped innovation and potential that many companies don’t appreciate or don’t know how to utilize. To recruit, or retain, those top-tier QA testers, the company must establish tools, like Test Management Software, an Agile workflow and continuous training. There also needs to be growth opportunities and competitive salaries. “Most QA testing professionals, especially the top- performing ones, dislike coming to work where all they do is go around in circles, performing tasks that they have outgrown,” wrote Desyatnikov in a different post about QA retention on Forbes.com. “Unless they feel challenged to solve problems and flex their creative muscle, they’re unlikely to stick around. This is why management needs to create opportunities that engage their employees in accordance with their seniority status and creative capacity.” Quality Assurance is a cornerstone to innovation, and any company who wants less damage control and more innovation must understand its importance. Without this vital department – and its team members – companies will be stuck in the past. alltyme.com 13