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The Test Plan Redefined

A container for information or a vessel in the journey towards knowledge

The 10 Minute Test Plan [2]

James Whittaker describes a problem where test plans are

made and then never used again

Resources are spent creating test plans that after creation

have no informative value

By forcing testers to create a test plan in 10 minutes he tries to

boil down to the core of what is important and necessary in a

test plan

Only information that is necessary for the day-to-day work of a

tester

Google Test Analytics [1]

A group at Google set about creating a methodology that can

replace a test plan, which they have called ACC.

It needed to be comprehensive, quick, actionable, and have

sustained value to a project,

The ACC methodology creates a matrix that describes your

project completely; several projects that have used it

internally at Google have found coverage areas that were

missing in their conventional test plans.

What is the purpose of a Test Plan?

Is the purpose to continuously provide information about the

project? Is it an automatic risk matrix?

Or is it a tool to support the tester in a journey towards better

understanding and knowledge about how to work more

efficiently and effectively?

There is a difference between information and knowledge [3]

If we only care about information, it could be argued that

Googles approach is the most effective

Information vs. Knowledge [3]

Competence

If the goal of the test plan is to help the tester on the journey

towards knowledge, an automated risk matrix may not be the

best way forward

Of course this requires a will to improve and learn by the tester

If test plans are all copy-pastes of each other then of course

they will not facilitate learning

But if the tester takes the creation of the test plan seriously,

and uses it as a tool to learn, then it should be structured in a

way that facilitates learning

Learning

Test Plan Structure to facilitate learning

A test plan should be the documentation of a discussion

between testers and developers working in the same project – it

can not be the work of a single mind

A test plan should be updated when the testers get more

practical experience from test execution and development

A test plan should include visualizations to facilitate learning

The test plan should be an instrument which senior testers use

to transfer knowledge to junior testers

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Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition [4] 1. Novice

"rigid adherence to taught rules or plans"

no exercise of "discretionary judgment"

2. Advanced beginner

limited "situational perception"

all aspects of work treated separately with equal importance

3. Competent

"coping with crowdedness" (multiple activities, accumulation of information)

some perception of actions in relation to goals

deliberate planning

formulates routines

4. Proficient

holistic view of situation

prioritizes importance of aspects

"perceives deviations from the normal pattern"

employs maxims for guidance, with meanings that adapt to the situation at hand

5. Expert

transcends reliance on rules, guidelines, and maxims

"intuitive grasp of situations based on deep, tacit understanding"

has "vision of what is possible"

uses "analytical approaches" in new situations or in case of problems

Test Plan Structure to facilitate learning

A test plan should ask questions which forces the tester to

think

But there must also be a framework to support the tester and

facilitate learning

Examples and standardized lists help the tester to start

thinking about the right questions, but the test plan still needs

flexibility to allow the tester to write down what is important

for learning

Allow for different levels of skilled testers to use the test plan

in a way that allows for them to improve and learn – guidelines

and help for beginners, flexibility for experienced testers

Conclusion

Depending on the purpose of the test plan it can be structured

in different ways

If the test plan is only a container for information – an

automatically updated risk matrix, then you have one

approach

If the test plan is a vessel in the testers journey towards

knowledge, then you have another approach

It is important to understand the pros and cons with both

approaches, and understand the difference between

knowledge and information

Reference [1]Google Test Analytics

http://googletesting.blogspot.com/2011/10/google-test-analytics-now-in-open.html

[2]10-minute Test Plan

http://googletesting.blogspot.com/2011/09/10-minute-test-plan.html

[3]DIKW Hierarchy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIKW

[4] Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreyfus_model_of_skill_acquisition