Pomodoro Testing Reloaded
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Pomodoro testing is a testing technique based on the widely spread time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980's. Common estimates for maintained attention span (amount of time a person can concentrate on a task without becoming distracted) in adults is around 25 min. As a tester, how can we be expected to keep "attention to detail" when we work in all day long testing sessions? Is there a way to find more defects while testing for the same amount of time or less? The answer to these questions is Pomodoro Testing, a technique used by Globe Testing to ensure our testers stay focussed hence maximizing productivity and minimizing overtime. In this talk Jose Aracil will explain how to use the Pomodoro technique to excel during exploratory testing sessions, as well as agile testing sprints, where staying fully focussed and managing time effectively are crucial for the success of the project. We will wrap up the session by explaining how to use this innovative technique together with your team, boosting the productivity of your software testing department.
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Pomodoro Testing Reloaded
- 1. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 1 Pomodoro Testing Berlin QA // Because blame doesn´t fix bugs
- 2. THANK YOU
- 4. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 4
- 6. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 6 Working environment challenges We are interrupted by ourselves as well as by others OthersUs Check email Check the fridge Make a call that suddenly seems urgent Look for something on the internet Second guess daily planning Email pop-up Colleagues coming over Phone call or Text Background noise
- 7. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 7 Working environment challenges We are interrupted by ourselves as well as by others OthersUs Check email Check the fridge Make a call that suddenly seems urgent Look for something on the internet Second guess daily planning Email pop-up Colleagues coming over Phone call or Text Background noise These distractions are not always bad, but remember to keep them timeboxed
- 8. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 8 Improve productivity With the Pomodoro technique Enhance focus and concentration Refine the estimation process Achieve your goals Boost motivation Improve your work
- 9. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 9 A Records Sheet Raw data Activity Inventory Sheet Various activities are noted down as they come up To-Do Today sheet Filled in at the start of each day A timer Kitchen timer, mobile phone or any other “timer capable” device Necessary items All you need is the following
- 10. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 10 01 Set your timer for 25 mins 02 Do the first thing off that to-do sheet 03 Concentrate on that for 25 mins 04 Do nothing else 05 If someone interrupts, defer them How To Guide
- 11. Rules You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over. Pomodoro 25 min + 5 min break If a Pomodoro begins, it has to ring
- 12. Break it down Add it up Protect the Pomodoro
- 13. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 13 Next Pomodoro will go better Feel good about yourself
- 14. POMODORO Testing
- 15. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 15 Testers life Others You name it! Distractions Emails, chats, bug discussions, helping peers Focus Focusing at least 8 hours a day on one application Repetitive tasks Sometimes…. Lack of motivation to perform repetitive tasks Mental fatigue Keeping attention to detail is tough, lack of concentration, backache, eye restrain
- 16. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 16 Pomodoro testing In a nutshell 01 03 Adopting this technique has its own challenges Perform “test” related tasks using the Pomodoro Technique 02 It solves most of the problems described so far
- 19. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 19 Food for thought “Any tests that can be scripted should be automated. We don’t need humans doing something that a machine can do. What we do want the human testers doing is exploratory testing ...” – Dr. Robert C. (“Uncle Bob”) Martin
- 20. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 20 Exploratory testing example Ad-hoc testing Ad-hoc testing is a commonly used term for software testing performed without planning and documentation
- 21. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 21 Session based testing Focus Difficult to focus on long tasks (>25 min) Endless = Useless Must focus on specifics Requirements, problems, complex parts
- 22. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 22 Session based testing Focus Difficult to focus on long tasks (>25 min) Endless = Useless Must focus on specifics Requirements, problems, complex parts
- 23. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 23 Session based testing Focus Difficult to focus on long tasks (>25 min) Endless = Useless Must focus on specifics Requirements, problems, complex parts Session based test management Stay focused for burst periods
- 24. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 24 Risks Exploratory testing without the Pomodoro technique Always test the same for distractions 01 Forget that parts have been tested for lack of historical 04 Fail to schedule tasks leads to longer sessions 02 Test several parts and not get any concrete conclusions from them 03
- 25. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 25 Benefits Exploratory testing using the Pomodoro technique More exhaustive tests01 The tester and the test team becomes more dynamic 04 Higher quality test results02 Increased satisfaction of the testers to complete tasks successfully 03 Story points used in Agile vs Pomodoros 05
- 26. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 26 Tools required From analog to digital tools, all are valid
- 27. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 27 Online timer Multiplatform, with ticking noise Management tool HP Agile Manager HP Application Lifecycle Management Exploratory testing tools HP Sprinter Digital tools
- 28. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 28 TEAM Pomodoring
- 29. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 29 GAMIFICATION
- 30. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 30 GUERRILLA Pomodoro
- 31. In summary Easy Fun Free Results in one day 01 02 03 04
- 32. ANY QUESTIONS?
- 33. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 33 Globe Testing Our offices Bergmannstraße 68 10961 Berlin Berlin Office Fernando el Católico 21 28015, Madrid Madrid Office Albert Einstein, 15 , 01510 Álava Vitoria Office
- 34. Confidential and Proprietary // All rights reserved // Globe Testing 34 Thanks for Watching
Editor's Notes
- Let´s start by explaining what the Pomodoro Technique is and how it works. This will help us set the context for the presentation. Thechnique invented by Francesco Cirillo in the late 80´s Francesco Cirillo is an Entrepreneur, Software Designer, and Productivity Expert. One of the pioneers of XP development and Agile Methods. Francesco is currently living in Berlin and working full-time in his FC Garage, developing new, simple, and effective techniques to improve personal and team productivity. Pomodoro, do you know why it is called like that?
- So, why using a pomodoro timer? Because that was what Francesco had at hand when he “invented” the technique. It also has some “possitive psicological reinforcement”. We´ll discuss later. In a nutshell, the technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals of 25 minutes in length. Then you rest for 5 min, and every 4 pomodoros you get 15 to 30 min rest. Pshicologically, the pomodoro reinforces the tasks by: The manual “rewind” – To set you “in the working mood The “tick tack” – So you know you need to be “focus” The crazy alarm when completed, success feeling
- Work life these days is not easy, it is full of challenges that need to be overcome to stay productive. Talk about distractions in Spain and the lack of productivity. Timeboxing is used as a project planning technique. The schedule is divided into a number of separate time periods (timeboxes), with each part having its own deliverables, deadline and budget Ask about context switching rate, any geeks in the room.
- The Pomodoro technique is all about staying focused for short periods of time, but what happens when we have an interruption?
- The Pomodoro technique is all about staying focused for short periods of time, but what happens when we have an interruption?
- The aim of the Pomodoro Technique is to provide a simple tool/process for improving productivity (your own and that of your team) which is able to do the following: ! Alleviate anxiety linked to becoming ! Enhance focus and concentration by cutting down on interruptions ! Increase awareness of your decisions ! Boost motivation and keep it constant ! Bolster the determination to achieve your goals ! Refine the estimation process, both in qualitative and quantitative terms ! Improve your work or study process ! Strengthen your determination to keep on applying yourself in the face of complex situations
- To implement the Pomodoro Technique, all you need is the following: ! A Pomodoro: a kitchen timer, mobile phone or any other “timer capable” device. We will go into details in the “Tools Required” section ! A To Do Today Sheet, filled in at the start of each day with the following: ! A heading with place, date, and author ! A list of the things to do during the day, in order of priority ! A section labeled Unplanned & Urgent Activities where any unexpected tasks that have to be dealt with should be listed as they come up. These activities could potentially modify the day’s plan. ! An Activity Inventory Sheet, consisting of: ! A heading with the name of the author ! A number of lines where various activities are noted down as they come up. At the end of the day, the ones that have been completed are checked off. ! A Records Sheet: This is the set of raw data needed to produce pertinent reports and graphics. Depending on the objectives in question, this contains different sets of boxes. Normally, this sheet would include the date, description, and the number of Pomodoros worth of effort needed to accomplish a task. This sheet is updated at least once a day, usually at the end of the day.
- A Pomodoro Consists of 25 minutes Plus a Five-Minute Break Every Four Pomodoros Break The Pomodoro Is Indivisible. If a Pomodoro Begins, It Has to Ring: If a Pomodoro is interrupted definitively – i.e. the interruption isn’t handled – it’s considered void, never begun, and it can’t be recorded with an X If an activity is completed once a Pomodoro has already begun, continue reviewing the same activity until the Pomodoro rings
- Protect the Pomodoro - Inform effectively, negotiate quickly to reschedule the interruption, call back the person who interrupted you as agreed. “Focusing is about saying no” – Steve Jobs If It Lasts More Than 5-7 Pomodoros, Break It Down. Complex activities should be divided into several activities. If It Lasts Less Than One Pomodoro, Add It Up. Simple tasks can be combined.
- The Next Pomodoro Will Go Better Feel good about yourself
- Now let´s dive into “Pomodoro Testing”, how this technique will help you and your test team to stay focus and productive, while getting better outcome from your tests. Who´s this crazy guy? Markus Gartner, he was in the agile testing days last month here in Berlin.
- At the beginning of the session we mentioned some of the challenges that we face when we work in an office / team. Now let´s have a look at a “Tester´s life” and what sort of situations he´s facing on a day to day basis.
- How´s Pomodoro Testing going to help testers. Brief description Plan your test related tasks with Pomodo in mind. 1 task doesn´t have to 1 Pomodoro, but as we will see later measuring tasks using 25 min fragments will help planning future test releases. Benefits Most of the challenges of “keeping attention to detail” for 8 hours a day are overcome by using the pomodoro technique. We have been using this technique in our team and we can vouch for it. Challenges Adopting this technique has its own challenges. Discipline is key, and as we will see later on in the session, “Team Pomodoring” will help us succeed.
- After 20 min our audience will experience their first “Pomodoro” break! We will take a 3 min pause where we will answer the first set of questions and potentially play a short video (2 min) of our team doing Pomodoro Testing.
- Now that we have the theory behind the Pomodoro technique covered, let´s dig into how to apply it to Exploratory Testing and Agile Testing. La Tomatina (Spanish pronunciation: [la tomaˈtina]) is a festival that is held in the Valencian town of Buñol, a town located 30 km from the Mediterranean, in which participants throw tomatoes and get involved in this tomato fight purely for fun. It is held on the last Wednesday of August, during the week of festivities of Buñol.
- “Any tests that can be scripted should be automated. We don’t need humans doing something that a machine can do. What we do want the human testers doing is exploratory testing. Exploratory testing is a creative endeavor in which human testers explore the behavior of the system in an attempt to characterize its behaviors, both documented and undocumented.” Professionalism and discipline in software development: Q&A with Bob Martin, Jan. 3 2012 http://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/news/2240113240/Professionalism-and-discipline-in-software-development-QA-with-Bob-Martin
- El testing exploratorio debe estar organizado y hace énfasis en la capacidad intelectual del teste El primer Myth es que el testing exploratorio es lo mismo que hacer Ad-hoc testing. Ad-hoc testing se refiere a la realización de pruebas sin planificación o documentación específica, donde los test se ejecutan una sola vez y sin documentación específica. Una de las principales diferencias entre el testing exploratorio y el ad-hoc testing es la organización. El testing exploratorio debe estar organizado y hace énfasis en la capacidad intelectual del tester para encontrar defectos, al contrario que el ad-hoc testing que se limita principalmente a realizar pruebas por el hecho de realizarlas y suele ser sinónimo de “trabajo mal hecho y sin cuidado” Vamos a ver un pequeño ejemplo de un defecto que solo es posible encontrar si el tester tiene un conocimiento TOTAL de que se está probando, como por ejemplo en cartografía donde hay puntos negros o elementos que pueden hacer que en situaciones como la que aparece en la imagen, el software mande a los pobres Noruegos a visitar Inglaterra para ver un pueblo dentro de Noruega. Este defecto no se pudiera haber encontrado con pruebas Ad-hoc a no ser que tengas muuuucha suerte. A la hora de realizar pruebas exploratorias debemos saber que se ha probado, cuando se ha probado y que defectos se han encontrado. Como os podéis imaginar hay muchas formas de “organizarse” para poder gestionar esta información, desde “papel y boli” hasta la sugerencia que nos hace Microsoft con su Visual Studio que luego veremos más adelante. Ideas, os recomiento leer or ver los vídeos que hay en Youtube de James Whittaker y James Back, ambos tienen acercamientos muy interesantes a las pruebas manuales. Session-Based Test Management. SBTM by Jonathan and James Bach. Se intenta dar una estructura a las pruebas exploratorias (aunque pueda parecer una contradicción). Cada sesión contiene información como Áreas funcionales cubiertas Notas de la sesión Defectos encontrados % de la sesión invertido en configurar el entorno para empezar las pruebas % de la sesión invertido en el testing % de la sesión invertido en investigar problasm. Volumen de defectos encontrados Atención, un tester experimentado y un tester novel comenzarán encontrando un volumen similar de defectos (dada la naturaleza de las pruebas exploratorias), no obstante el tester experimentado será capaz de mantener su “volumen de defectos encontrados” estable durante mas tiempo.
- Dificil concentrarse, igual que los jugadores de ajedrez, un buen tester exploratorio planifica su siguiente movimiento en base a su oponente y en que punto de la partida esté. Focalizar en partes concretas - Error del mapa Session Based Test Management by Jonathan Bach
- Dificil concentrarse, igual que los jugadores de ajedrez, un buen tester exploratorio planifica su siguiente movimiento en base a su oponente y en que punto de la partida esté. Focalizar en partes concretas - Error del mapa Session Based Test Management by Jonathan Bach
- Dificil concentrarse, igual que los jugadores de ajedrez, un buen tester exploratorio planifica su siguiente movimiento en base a su oponente y en que punto de la partida esté. Focalizar en partes concretas - Error del mapa Session Based Test Management by Jonathan Bach
- We will explain how we use the Pomodoro Technique to perform exploratory testing in the office.
- There are a number of tools available, from the “analog” tools for the “old school” testers – a timer, a notepad and some coffee to keep us going. To the digital tools for the geek inside you – Mobile device timer and Pomodoro specific applications. Some examples will be provided. The creator and others encourage a low-tech approach using a mechanical timer, paper and pencil. The physical act of winding up the timer confirms the user's determination to start the task; ticking externalises desire to complete the task; ringing announces a break. Flow and focus become associated with these physical stimuli Talk about the “problems” when we bought multiple timers in the office.
- Choosing a Focus area and sharing one or many Pomodoros to test it is a great way of making sure we are not missing absolutely anything. Working as a team (not a group or department, but specifically as a TEAM) helps creating invaluable relationships between team members, helping getting things done. Freakonomics – There´s an interesting example on “Peer Pressure” that we will discuss.
- Sometimes when we are trying to adopt a new methodology, tool or any other technique, our main enemy is in our Team / Department. Prove them wrong and be “Guerrilla” Pomodoro, make sure they see the advantages of the Technique. I like this but … My colleagues make fun of my Pomodoro My boss doesn´t get it Don’t tell, just act Use it for yourself and keep track of your improvements “show and tell” improvements first, then techniques