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Further Adventures in Session-based Testing

Explore the session-based testing method, managing unscripted testing with limited duration and directed exploration. This approach records activities, supports Agile processes, and allows quick metric analysis for broader use. Discover two case studies on permanent and part-time testing teams facing commercial constraints, rapid changes, and shared business contexts, with a focus on controlling scope, work, assessing risks, and improving continuously. Learn about tools, training, and coaching strategies to stay within business constraints, deal with change, and transfer knowledge rapidly for independence. Enhance skills in control, recording, assessment, measurement, and social techniques with examples like Test Points, Test Sessions, and Metrics tools within the infrastructure. Adapt to ongoing learning, real-time metrics, and an experimental approach for effective communication and empowerment. Freely available tools like Excel spreadsheets and PHP/MySQL web applications support single or multiple users. Enhance training, coaching, and peer involvement techniques for ongoing learning and development to encourage team involvement, responsibility allocation, and ownership. Learn how a disciplined and framework approach improves overlap between training and testing and matches challenges effectively, with a focus on communication, rewards for discovery, and transparency in successes and failures.

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Further Adventures in Session-based Testing

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  1. Further Adventures in Session-based Testing James Lyndsay Workroom Productions jdl@workroom-productions.com www.workroom-productions.com

  2. ? What?

  3. Session-Based Testing? • Manages and controls unscripted testing • Limited Duration • Directed Exploration • Recorded Activities • Supports ‘Agile’ Process • Allows quick metrics • Has wider uses

  4. Adventures? • Two case studies • Permanent team - • 20 coders, 4 testers • Inexperienced and under-motivated • Internet-based product, ASP model • Part-time team • 2-6 coders, 0-3 testers bought in from pool of 6-8 • No permanent test team • Windows client / server product around known application • Shared business context • Rapid change • Commercial constraints; budget, time-to-market

  5. Further? • Paper - Adventures in Session-based Testing • Contains detailed methods • Contains problems and (some) solutions • Now a year old • STARWest 2002 -Further Adventures . . . • Methods • Tools • Training, Coaching

  6. Strategy • Stay within business constraints • Deal with change rather than enforce stasis • Rapidly transfer knowledge to allow independence • Four goals • Control the scope • Control the work • Measure risk and coverage • Promote ongoing improvement

  7. 1 Methods

  8. Methods: Overview • Control and recording • Control Scope • Control Work • Recording a Session • Assessment and Measurement • Assessing Risk • Assessing Coverage • Infrastructure • Real-time Metrics • Social techniques

  9. Example: Test Points (Excel-based tool)

  10. Methods: Control • Scope - made of Test Points • Test Point - piece of work • Risk, Estimated cost • Four groups • New tests • Regression tests • Retests for fixes • Investigatory tests • Work done - made of Test Sessions • Test Session - piece of time • Actual cost, Coverage

  11. Example: A Test Session

  12. Methods: Control • Recording a Test Session • Plan: Approach, Scope, Expectations • Record: Conditions, Actions, Observations • Bug details • Actual Cost • How done are we?  Coverage • Allows • Review, coaching • Forgetting • Retrospectives

  13. Methods: Assessment • Risk • Coverage • Ask the Experts - the testers! • How done are you? How much is left? • Collect many subjective  few objective assessments • Overall figures can go down as well as up • Ongoing learning - estimates improved

  14. Example: Metrics (Excel-based tool)

  15. Methods: Support • Real-time metrics • Immediate feedback • State of testing, not of system • Fast, frequent, informed re-planning • Soft skills/Social Techniques • Experimental Approach • Ongoing learning • Communication • Empowerment

  16. 2 Tools

  17. Tools • Freely available - under GPL • Excel spreadsheet • Single-user, single location • Download from: • Web: PHP/MySQL • Multiple user • Download from:

  18. 3 Training and coaching

  19. Ongoing learning and development • Training - from unskilled to skilled • Skilled involvement - pair expert / novice • Show - practice - challenge • Careful choice of sessions • Coaching - from good to great! • Peer involvement, neutral assessment • Challenge - innovate • Discussion, metrics, personal investigation

  20. Supporting the learning process • Session-based testing • Introduces discipline and framework • Helps overlap training and testing • Helps match challenge to individual • Experts, managers - get involved! • Sometimes compromise: • Good bugs found quickly, or • Better testers long-term • Feedback is integral • Before testing - techniques, planning, charter • After testing - session log, bug log • Stats and metrics - not just for management

  21. Encouraging the team • Involve the test team • Allocate responsibility / ownership for tests • Allow direct influence on clear, open metrics • Relate metrics to business decisions • Share successes, failures • Reward discovery • Discourage blind faith, boredom • Step away - look at the wider picture

  22. Changes: Case Study 1 • Active learning process is encouraged • Feedback has improved estimating skills • Session review has improved test techniques • Test Point ownership has improved planning and scoping skills • Weekly 2-hour self-training session as a team • Greater interest in testing, greater motivation • Useful, visible, up-to-date metrics • Increase openness, reduce surprise, blame • Joint ownership of decisions, successes, failures

  23. ! Conclusion

  24. Conclusion • Communication • Sessions gave us the tools to communicate • Better communication improved trust and effectiveness • Ongoing improvement • Sessions allow directed and disciplined approach • Feedback improved techniques and estimation • Empowerment increased morale and confidence • Openness • All figures available, all of the time, always current • Encouraged trust and interest • Allowed neutral feedback

  25. Conclusion • Test sessions provide: • Control of unscripted testing • Framework for ongoing improvement • Overall lessons • Simple measures are the best • Favour effective communication and involvement over knee-jerk documentation • Unobtrusive, immediate metrics allow real-time control and feedback

  26. More • Further details: • Paper, updates, references etc. • www.workroom-productions.com • Contact: • James Lyndsay • Jdl@workroom-productions.com

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