Test Process Structure

Different organisations will have different needs in terms of the levels of test process that are required and it is important that the correct levels are applied. The Testing Maturity Model is a good source of information for this and can be located at http://www.tmmifoundation.org/

TMM suggests that as organisations mature in line with the Capability Maturity Model, the same is occurring within testing. TMM was introduced to apply CMM type measures to an organisations testing capability. In brief there are 5 stages of test maturity, beginning at level 1 where testing is undisciplined, level 2 where the testing is managed but still seen as a phase of the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) that occurs after testing, although at this point process is being put in place on a programme or organisation wide basis. Level 3 sees testing fully integrated in the SDLC and no longer a single phase, with processes become more mature and honed over time. Level 4 sees the testing fully defined, established and measurable and level 5 looks at optimisation of testing efforts, processes and practices where costs are controlled and continuous improvement occurs.

What I would like to suggest is that TMM can be seen as a trifle heavy for some organisations and unless already pursuing CMM may seem quite foreign. I am not suggesting that it does not have a place, but that it focuses entirely on process and not on understanding the drivers of the business itself, which may make it impossible to move up through the maturity levels.

I think that from a more simplistic approach, organisations will follow something more as follows:

Stage 1
Testing is being performed by available resources that are not professional testers. Defects are being recorded in basic form, using a tool like Excel. Some test cases or scripts may be produced.

Stage 2
Testing is being performed by test professionals and they are called in after development has occurred. Test Plans and Scripts are being produced and defects are being logged formally and reported on.

Stage 3
Testing exists as one or more independent functions, each having it’s own process. These small test teams are aligned to the business areas they serve. Projects now have approaches or strategies produced against them.

Stage 4
The disparate teams have now been pooled to form one function which is independent from the development side of the business. A Test Policy has been produced and testing is involved in all aspects of the software development life-cycle. Metrics and KPIs are being gathered and fed back to the organisation.

Stage 5
Testing is improving in it’s capability. The quality of releases to production is high and end users have a high opinion of the IT function. Releases to live occur only with approval from the testing function and testing is viewed as a discipline within the organisation. Metrics and KPIs are now giving the business sufficient information to base decisions on preferred development agencies and technologies, demonstrating those which are most successful.

The key is to ensure that your business is improved and enabled by testing and not crippled by a level of process which does not match that of the rest of the organisation. Learn to walk before you run and build over time.