Rik Marselis presented how TPI NEXT and PointZERO can contribute to increasing the business success of an organization by improving the testing process as well as the IT process as a whole. Prior to this presentation Rik, together with Geoff Thompson, presented about "Why would you want to improve your test process" (also uploaded on slideshare). This presentation was given at a conference for the test experts of the Siemens group.

1. Increasing
Business
Success
with TPI

2. |
Increasing Business
Success with TPI
Stop wasting time and money, focus on quality & risk
Siemens Nürnberg, 13 March 2014 Rik Marselis
2

3. |
History of Test Process Improvement
 1998 first TPI book; Martin Pol & Tim Koomen
 1999TPI book in English
 2002 TPI book in Japanese
 2004 TPI Automotive
 2009 TPI NEXT book, 6 authors
 2010 ISTQB expert level:
improving the test process
 2011 TPI NEXT auf Deutsch
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4. |
Improvement basically is:
4Increasing Business Success with TPI 13 March 2014
Measure Improve

5. |
The TPI NEXT model
5
Test maturity matrix
Improvement
suggestions
Key areas
Maturity levels
Checkpoints
Enablers
Clusters
Increasing Business Success with TPI 13 March 2014
MeasureMeasureMeasure
ImproveImproveImprove

6. Measure

7. |
Test maturity matrix
Elements of the TPI NEXT model for
measuring
Key areas
Maturity levels
Checkpoints
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8. |
The TPI NEXT maturity levels
 Initial  ad hoc / unstructured / unorganized testing
complaint: quality of software not satisfactory
 Controlled  structured & organized testing
complaint: testing is too expensive
 Efficient:  early testing
complaint: inflexible
 Optimizing  always adapting to current situation
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9. |
Why 4 maturity levels?
Other models have 5 levels, why only 4 in TPI NEXT?
Reason: No more levels are needed
Compare to sports:
Level 1: you are not in the game
Level 2: you are in the game
Level 3: you win a medal
Level 4: you win a gold medal
Nobody stives for winning a silver medal (do you?)
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10. |
TPI NEXT tool (www.tpinext.com)
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11. |
TPI NEXT tool (www.tpinext.com)
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Each checkpoint is a question
Answer by filling in Yes / No / Not applicable
One sheet per key area

12. |
TPI NEXT tool (www.tpinext.com)
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Answering all checkpoints results in a Test Maturity Matrix

13. |
TPI NEXT tool (www.tpinext.com)
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Each answer is shown in the matrix

14. |
TPI NEXT tool (www.tpinext.com)
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This organization is well on its way towards being
“controlled”

15. |
TPI NEXT tool
in multiple languages
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16. Improve

17. |
TPI follows the generic change process
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Evaluate and
redirect
Implement
actions
Make a plan of
action
Define
improvements
(generate)
Awareness
Determine goal,
scope and
approach
Assess current
situation
Increasing Business Success with TPI 13 March 2014

18. |
Elements of the TPI NEXT model
for improvements
Test maturity matrix
Clusters
Key areas
Maturity levels
Checkpoints
Improvement
suggestions
Enablers
Target situation
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19. |
Clusters
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A cluster is a group of checkpoints from multiple key areas that function
as one improvement step. Each cluster is identified by a letter.

20. |
Current situation and target situation
improvement goal: up to cluster “D”
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21. |
Characteristics
 Optional
 Related to Key areas, not specifically to Checkpoints
 Help to achieve a desired Maturity level
 Based on best practices
 Adaptable to specific circumstances
 Various …..
Improvement Suggestions (1)

22. |
Examples from Test strategy
from Initial to Controlled:
 Convince project and line management to perform a product risk analysis
 Involve various stakeholders in the product risk analysis and the test strategy
 Discuss light and/or thorough testing depending on the perceived risks
from Controlled to Efficient:
 Define and allocate the tasks of the coordination between test levels and
continuously monitor this process. This role must be documented in the master
test plan. This person reports to the project manager and other stakeholders. To
prevent a conflict of interests, this person should have an independent
relationship to the various test levels.
 Perform an inspection on testware from previous test activities or reviews. The
system test delivers a functionally-tested system, including test cases through to
the acceptance test. The acceptance test evaluates these test cases (complete
or spot-check) and, when in doubt, performs one or more test cases on the
delivered software. Consequently its main effort can be directed towards testing
the suitability and/or the usability of the system for the organization.
Improvement Suggestions (2)

23. |
Enablers in the Business Driven TPI NEXT model
connect Key areas of testing with other activities in
the Application Lifecycle model
in order to keep test process improvements
aligned with other activities across the lifecycle.
3.4 Enablers (1)
example
Configuration
management
Quote: “it is possible to implement a highly-efficient testware management
process without proper configuration management for non-testing artifacts.
But when an organization routinely enforces proper version control on
development documentation, testware management becomes much easier.”

24. |
Characteristics:
 Reinforcement of other processes
 Reinforcement of the test process
 Optional
 Prevent ‘sub-optimalisation’
Example from stakeholder commitment:
 If a proper change management
process is implemented and followed
it helps the stakeholders to also
support the test process
3.4 Enablers (2)

25. |
Practical tip for large organisations: Min/
Max situation
Minimum: The checkpoints that ALL projects/groups comply with
Maximum: The checkpoints that at least one project/group complies with
Immature teams can
reuse good practices
from mature teams

26. |
Integrate in Software Process Improvement:
CMMI clusters
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http://www.tmap.net/sites/tmap.net/files/attachments/TPI___NEXT_clusters_for_CMMi_0.pdf
TPI NEXT Cluster A
TPI NEXT Cluster B
TPI NEXT Cluster C
TPI NEXT Cluster D
If you fulfil all checkpoints
of a specific cluster then
the test process has
reached that CMMI level

27. Benchmark
for
reference
groups

28. |
Benchmark example
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29. |
Benchmark example from industry
“Your” score
Average scores in
peer-group
(industry-example)
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30. Improving
Business
Driven

31. |
1. Identify the business driver
2. Translate business goals into IT goals
3. Identify the more and less important Key areas
for the IT goals
4. Rearrange the Checkpoints in the Clusters
Business driven in 4 steps
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32. |
TPI NEXT Clusters and prioritites
Key areas prioritized
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33. |
Business driven: Adapting the model
Rearrange the Checkpoints in the Clusters
Business
driven
Base
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34. |
Reporting: first measurement
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35. |
Reporting: second measurement
(after improvement)
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36. TPI NEXT
can be used
in any situation

37. |
 Use the “business driven clustering” approach
 High priority clusters for Agile:
 Stakeholder commitment
 Degree of involvement
 Test strategy
 Testware management
 Tester professionalism
 Test environment
TPI NEXT and Agile
Chapter 7.2
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Effective testing in Agile projects2012

38. |
Using the Model for outsourcing
chapter 7.7
► Special focus on:
► Product risks
● Joint PRA
● Manage
● Reporting (to client)
► Strategy
● Prevent overlap/gaps
● End-to-end testing
► Metrics
● Show/demonstrate quality (process
and product)
► Craftmanship
● Test ànd business knowledge
● Techniques, methodical
► Testenvironments
● As much as possible ‘Production Like’
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39. |
TPI NEXT and End-to-End testing
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Stakeholder commitment
Degree of involvement
Test organization
Test environment
Test process management
Test strategy
Estimating & planning
Organization
Control
Infrastructure

40. |
End-to-end testing real-life example

41. TPI NEXT
contributes to
increasing
business success

42. |
A mountain can’t be moved in one day
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Parallel & step-by-step improvement 
continuous model
Start improving at the “weak spots” 
don’t elevate the peaks but fill up the valleys
 use the clusters

43. |
Test process improvement can’t be on its own
Frontload the application lifecycle with quality measures
“Shift left”
“Early reviews”
“Integrate testing activities with other lifecycle activities”
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44. |
Shift focus to Quality & Risk
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45. |
Certification of test-organizations
Official certificate of the
maturity of the test process.
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Bronze = 50% controlled
Silver = 75% controlled
Gold = 100% controlled
Platinum = 100% efficient
Diamond = 100% optimizing

46. |
Result: increasing business success
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47. |
The books
English Deutsch
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Both are
available on
paper and as
an e-book

48. Contact?
Rik.Marselis
@sogeti.nl