+

The Value-Adding Test StrategistHow can a test strategist add value to an

organization?

+Introduction Testers can add value to an organization [1] Test Leaders can add value in a similar way to Project Managers

(Generalization/Simplification) Test Tool Engineers provide value correlated to the tools they

develop and maintain Managers and team leaders of test organizations add value [2] But how does a Test Strategist, Test Architect, or similar roles

add value?

+Different Test Roles Overview

Tester

Test Team Lead

Line Manager

Test Tool Engineer

Test LeaderTest Strategist

Project Manager

Developer

These are roles – one person can have many roles

+Test Strategist Value-Add Overview

Document existing Methods

& Processes

Identifying Method & Process

Improvements

Driving Improvement

Projects

Improvement Projects

Prepare Education

Hold Education

Competence Audit

Education

Set Long Term Test Strategy

Audit Long Term Test Strategy

Communicate Long Term Test

Strategy

Long Term Strategic Direction

Set Project Test Strategy

Audit Conformance to

Test Strategy

Test Risk Assessments

Project Involvement

+Long Term Strategic Direction Overview

Survey Industry “Best” Practices of

Test & QA

Analyze & Define Company Context

Create Context-Specific Long Term

Test Strategy

Identify Steps to Move in Strategic

Direction

Monitor Progress towards Strategic

Direction

Communicate Strategic Direction

Start Improvement Projects to reach next Step together with Line Management

Summarize Strategic View of Organization

+Identify Improvement Projects Overview

Gather Feedback & Ideas from

Organization (Bottom-Up)

Apply Knowledge & Experience to Ideas

Summarize potential Improvement

Projects

Hold workshops with different groups; engineers, managers, PMs etc.

Could use methods such as Systematic Inventive Thinking to refine ideas

Formalize your own view on improvement

potentials & problems

(Top-Down)

Present potential Improvement

Projects to Organization

Important to present to everyone who were involved in the workshops, and justify why the selected projects were chosen in favor of other potential projects

+Documenting Existing Process & Methods Minimal high level documentation of processes and methods

when possible Always strive for simplicity [4] Complicated detailed processes will be outdated almost as

soon as they are written down Methods need to be explained in a simple way for people to

understand them

+Drive Improvement Projects Overview

Define Measure Analyze Improve Control

Lean Six Sigma [3]

+Education Overview

Competence Audit to identify Current Education Gap

Identify potential Future Education

Gaps

Create Education Plan

Create Education Material

Prepare Education Session

Together with Line Management

Hold Education Session

Receive Feedback on Education

+Project Involvement

Set Project Test Strategy

Analyze Project Test Strategy Validity

Analyze if Project Test Strategy is followed

Test Risk Analysis

Educate & Inform about Project Test

Strategy

+Test Strategist Value-AddMeasurable Value Soft Value

Driving Improvement Projects according to Lean

Six SigmaProposing & Rejecting Improvement Projects

Competence Development

Long Term Test Strategy

Internal Education instead of External Education

Organizational Involvement &

Ownership of Long Term Test Strategy

Organizational Awareness of Testing &

QA

Documenting Existing Processes & Methods

Project Test Strategy Project Awareness of Test Strategy

+Conclusion

Long Term Test Strategy Project Test StrategyDriving Improvement

Projects according to Lean Six Sigma

Drives Directly Affects

Value Not Easily Measurable

Value Not Easily Measurable

Value Measurable

+Conclusion It is hard to measure the full value of a Test Strategist However the improvement projects that the Test

Strategist runs, and the external education that can be replaced with internal education held by the Test Strategist are measureable

Try to cover your costs with measurable value, and let the soft value be the extra value gain that the role provides

+References[1] The Value-Adding Tester

http://www.slideshare.net/JohanHoberg/the-valueadding-tester

[2] How does a non-technical manger add value to a team of self-motivated software developers?

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/12/how-does-a-non-technical-manager-add-value-to-a-team-of-self-motivated-software-developers/?comments=1

[3] Six Sigma

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

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

[4] Simplicity

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