- The document discusses anti-patterns in test strategies that waste time, such as overly long documents following templates exactly and writing for the wrong audience. - It recommends that test strategies be concise and focus on communicating the most important choices to management to gain support, rather than documenting all details. - Key elements to include on just a few slides are the objectives, types of testing, roles, and resources needed; more details belong in test plans rather than strategies.

1. Test Strategies Are 90% Waste
Remi Hansen, PROMIS AS
www.eurostarconferences.com
@esconfs
#esconfs

2.  Me and my message
 Anti-patterns
 Recommendations
Photo (Flickr): Spiroll

3.  Senior PM in PROMIS, a leading provider of agile
project and test management services in Norway
(www.promis.no)
 20+ years experience from the IT Consulting business
◦ Primarily Project Manager and Business Consultant
on strategic projects in both private and public sector
◦ Some years as line manager –
incl. Head of the Project Management Community in one of Scandinavia’s
largest IT consultancy groups, with more than 150 PMs and TMs
 Presenter on local and international conferences
 B.Sc. in SW Engineering, M. Sc. in Industrial Economics
 Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), PRINCE2 Practitioner,
IT Project Professional (ITPP), CSPO, ISTQB Foundation and ITIL
no.linkedin.com/in/remihansen/

4. 1. Dare to break the test strategy anti-patterns
2. Test strategies are for communication
– not for documentation
3. You will receive a limited amount of attention – use it wisely
- to gain the mandate you need to manage the test activities
Foto (Flickr):
Jordan McCullough

5. Photo (Flickr):
thegift73

6. An anti-pattern is a pattern used in social or business
operations or software engineering
that may be commonly used
but is ineffective and/or counterproductive
in practice

7. Can you think of any
test strategy anti-patterns?

8. Use a template based on an international standard
- make sure to fill in something in every section

9. Write as if the document exists
without any context at all

10. Write as if the reader has never heard of
the concept of testing

11. Do not communicate any of the content
until the document is complete, in perfect condition
and formally approved

12. Volume = Quality

13. Write for the test management community
– Stick strictly to the test vocabulary!

14. Include a snapshot of the risk,
to have it declared once and for all

15. Write excessively about what the SW developers should do
in their unit tests

16. If you follow these anti-patterns you should keep occupied
for a long time
producing an impeccable document
of at least 50 pages
- With close to zero value
because nobody can endure reading it
- And if anybody does read it
it’s certainly not the ones who should read it

17. What is the record for test strategy page meter carrying?

18. Photo (Flickr):
thegift73

19.  Test strategies are for communication
– not for documentation
◦ Write for the target audience!
◦ Put forward the important choices in an understandable
way – do not let the important drown in details
◦ The document has no value in itself
– it’s the common understanding and direction it gives
that creates value

20.  Present the strategy incrementally – build consensus around the
essential choices before moving on to more detailed issues
◦ Presentation is more effective than documents
◦ Create discussions and common conclusions
◦ Do we need the traditional test strategy document?
 What is most important in a test strategy?
- Build support from management for the most important choices,
which gives you a clear boundaries to manage within

21.  You will receive a limited amount of attention – how will you
spend it?
◦ Don’t make the readers relate to details or issues they need not worry
about – that will only dilute the message
◦ Don’t waste space and attention on matters covered elsewhere
◦ Dare to impress with a short and concise strategy – possibly on
presentation format
◦ Use tables and graphics to create compressed overviews
◦ It’s bolder (and more difficult) than hiding behind 50 pages
based on an old-fashioned and inappropriate standard template

22.  Don’t underestimate the level of test knowledge out there
– most project managers and steering committees have
participated in several projects and learned a lot about testing
 A decision maker without test knowledge will not become
knowledgeable even if you write a lot of details
– don’t write a textbook on test management!

23. What would you include
if you were to write a test strategy
on five slides?

24.  Which tests will we perform?
 When (in what phases) do we test?
 Who (what roles) will perform the tests?
 In which environments will we test?
 What test techniques are required?
 What are the test objects?
 What are the acceptance criteria?
 What tools will we use?
 What documentation is needed?
 What metrics do we need?
Tabular / graphics
presentation
Do we need this in
the strategy?
Consider moving to
test plan
What’s missing?

25.  Test objectives / Business risk assessment
 Strategy for test automation
 Clarifications on scope, ambition and responsibility for more «peripheral»
tests, like non-functional test incl. performance tests, regression tests,
operational tests, quality assurance of documentation and training, usability
tests, static testing, code quality, etc.
 Resource requirements – type and amount
 Use your critical sense – don’t base your work on an extensive template
 Distinguish clearly between
Test strategy – the overall policies, guidelines and priorities that project
management and steering committee must support
and
Test plans – everything you as a test manager and professional can take
responsibility for yourself

26. What you should remember
1. Dare to break the test strategy anti-patterns
2. Test strategies are for communication
– not for documentation
3. You will receive a limited amount of attention – use it wisely
- to gain the mandate you need to manage the test activities
Photo (Flickr):
ILhan Gendron

27. Emancipate yourself from bloated test strategies!
Photo (Flickr):
Jake Gagne

28. Photo (Flickr):
Horia Varlan
Reachable on remi.hansen@promis.no