This document discusses Session Based Test Management (SBTM) as a way to manage exploratory testing in an agile context. SBTM involves running tests in sessions of fixed length with goals and strategies. Key aspects of SBTM include planning test sessions in sprints, tracking session charters and bugs on a scrum board, reporting on the health of the product daily, and using a dashboard to visualize test information. Benefits of SBTM include improved visibility of testing velocity, better communication, and bringing testing "out of the dark."

1. Adding value in an
agile context
Henrik Andersson
House of Test Consulting
henrik.andersson@houseoftest.se
twitter: @henkeandersson

2. House of Test
Consulting and Outsourcing
•Member of the Context
Driven Testing
community (CDT)
•Co-founder Let´s Test
•PSL Graduate, AYE
attendee and student of
Jerry Weinbergs work
•Presenting at CAST
(USA), EuroStar (Europe),
STANZ (Australia/New
Zealand)
Lund,Sweden

3. Let´s have a look at:
“cool abbreviations” - who has the
most value out them and why
so what is testing then?
framework to explain, visualize
and report testing

4. TDD
BDD
ATDD
Agile
Checking
A Machine-check provides a binary result—
true or false
This check is fully automated and the result
are machine-decidable
BUT……..
http://www.developsense.com/blog/2009/08/testing-vs-checking/
Confirming existing beliefs
Want to see that everything that worked before
still works
To check to see that the code hasn’t broken

5. ….this is not my main reason
why programmers should drive
are design principles to facilitate
simple, clean, clear design and
inspires confidence.
It helps programmers deciding when to stop coding
Help out but, Don´t
take this away
from them!
A tool to help figuring
out what to do

6. Don’t worry we still
need testers and here
is why…

7. Testing is: exploration,
discovery,
investigation,
and learning
“Is there a
problem here?”
search for new information
driven by questions that haven’t been
answered before
See things differently

8. You as a
tester!
Pair
with Product Owner on design of Acceptance
test
with PO when doing ET sessions
with PO to understand the customer
with programmer on checking
with programmer to understand the program
Be a coach on testing for the
whole team to provide other
perspectives
pick up, try and learn new testing
stuff otherwise you will run out of
wisdom to share
I´m here to make you look good!
- James Bach
Do what you can to be valuable. If your
not, stop and do something else
us

10. Now what?

11. PB
SB
Sprint
Product
Increment
Scrum
Product Owner
Scrum Master
Team Member

12. Session Based Test
Management
A way to manage exploratory testing developed by
Jon & James Bach.
Solves problems with bad and not trustworthy
reporting of the test work.
The tests are run in sessions with a more or less
fixed length.
Every session has a goal and one or several test
strategies.

13. Charter

14. Session Facts
Uninterrupted testing time
no mail, calls, meetings, breaks
Duration is normally ≈ 90 min
We do 2-3 sessions per day per
tester

15. Sprint Planning

16. testers velocity
Total # sessions available over the sprint - planned “out of
office” - planned other “things” = actual available # of
sessions for the sprint
How much testing
can we do?
(3 *4*10) - 6-8 = 106
sessions
testers
days One tester
off for 2
days
Workshop
¾ day Available sessions
start thinking of how distribute
your sessions

17. In the sprint

18. Daily Planning
From sprint planning you have a
rough idea on what to test. But it
will change! so update your scrum
board
Put all your test work in sessions
Use different tags or colors to
separate them
persona testing, technology facing, business

19. Tracking
put your test charters as tasks on
the scrum board
put bugs on the scrum board
Backlog
not
started
in
progres
s
Test done
US11
US4
Reg.test
TaskTaskTask
Task
Task
Task BUG
charte
charte
charte
charte
BUG
Task
Task
charte
charte
Task charte
charte
charte
chartecharte
BUG

20. Reporting

21. report the “health” of your product
at your daily scrum
have a simple dashboard for test
information

22. Function
area
Planned
#
sessions
# tested
sessions
Health Bugs
Search
(US2, US7,
US8)
15 7
Quick
response,
presents valid
data, nice
presentation
does not
allow search
incl åäö (BUG
#32)
My Page
(US4, US5)
5 0
no status yet
but did not
crash when we
poked it

23. 0
15
30
45
60
day 1 3 5 10
# TEST sessons burndown
15 %
25 % 60 %
test
bug investigation
set up
TBS Metric
16 %
41 %
33 %
10 % learning
performace
business facing
integration

24. Recap
Sprint planning
Test Velocity (# sessions)
Create test ideas
During sprint
execute sessions
track test ideas on scrum board
report health on product at daily scrum
use a dashboard for visualizing test info
End of sprint
if you like to, take a snap shot your dash bord
and store it

25. Benefits
testing velocity
mean for communication
visualize health of product
testing stepping out of the dark

26. now, what is
puzzling you?
henrik.andersson@houseoftest.se
twitter: @henkeandersson
www.houseoftest.se