Reducing Testing Time and Blaming Testers
Even though testing time needed for any software development project is agreed on at the beginning, it is common that management team decides to reduce testing time in case the project falls behind the schedule. Management team aims to bring the project back on schedule in order to release the software to customer(s) on time and avoid any penalties as a result of the delay. This case is very common. However, I wonder why reducing testing time is usually the preferred option to bring the project back on schedule?
From management team perspective, reducing testing time is a very easy option to take and it does not cost much. However, this option is very risky. Things turn out to be different when major issues in the software start to show at customer site and the cost of fixing those issues goes high. At this time, management team realizes that reducing testing time was not a good option. Yet, unfortunately still testing team is the one to blame for not finding those issues!!!
All the best…
5 Comments
Mike Finn
about 9 years agoThis is so true.. and its so obvious but way too often forgotten. Testing should not be considered as "the bit at the end" but instead should be include through out the SDLC, from static testing to dynamic testing, but not only the bit at the end that candidate to be squeezed out..
ReplyDipesh
about 9 years agoWell its true... But that's all situation dependent and well this is practiced only in those place where testing or QA is considered as piece of approval. So we as tester should speak or raise voice against such practices. After all if 4+4=44 than we all would have been millionaires. Always carry power and pride with responsibility...
ReplyAnwar Bosbool
about 9 years agoThanks Mike and Dipesh for the remarks.
ReplyPhil Robinson
about 9 years ago"My boss should attend this course.." is the most frequent comment I hear from students who attend my software testing courses. In fact I hear it so often, I put together a comic book for students to discretely leave where their managers might see it http://www.slideshare.net/lonsdalesystems/what-your-boss-needs-to-know-about-sw-testing. On a more serious note, risk based testing is one approach that testers can use to protect themselves when their schedule is arbitrarily cut by management. I offer a risk based testing course in Malaysia http://processworksgroup.com/?p=4660
ReplyAnwar Bosbool
about 9 years agoThanks Phil for sharing.
Reply