1. Slide 1 Should Test Managers Get Emotionally Involved? Paul Gerrard Gerrard Consulting 1 Old Forge Close Maidenhead Berkshire SL6 2RD UK e: paul@gerrardconsulting.com w: http://gerrardconsulting.com t: 01628 639173

2. Paul is the founder and Principal of Gerrard Consulting, a services company focused on increasing the success rate of IT-based projects for clients. He has conducted assignments in all aspects of Software Testing and Quality Assurance. Previously, he has worked as a developer, designer, project manager and consultant for small and large developments using all major technologies and is the webmaster of gerrardconsulting.com and several other websites. Paul has degrees from the Universities of Oxford and London, is Web Secretary for the BCS SIG in Software Testing (SIGIST), Founding Chair of the ISEB Tester Qualification Board and the host/organiser of the quarterly UK Test Management Forum and annual Summit conferences. He is a regular speaker at seminars and conferences in the UK, continental Europe and the USA and was recently awarded the “Best Presentation of the Year” prize by the BCS SIGIST. Paul has written many papers and articles, most of which are on the gerrardconsulting.com website. With Neil Thompson, Paul wrote “Risk-Based E- Business Testing” – the standard text for risk-based testing. Paul is currently researching test methods and tools for large ERP implementation programmes in collaboration with large ERP user organizations and academia. Paul Gerrard Slide 2Assurance with Intelligence

3. Countless conversations with emotional Test Managers Bewilderment, frustration, helplessness, anxiety, fear, apprehension, anger, relief, joy etc... Should emotion be part of test management? Can we control the emotions, particularly worry? Caveat: I’m not a psychologist (thank goodness). Background Assurance with IntelligenceSlide 3

4. Seem to be large range of emotions involved in test management But this goes for everyone on the project Testers and test managers seem more prone to worry and upset – why? To be concerned is professional (and is a key part of your job), but worry can be stressful and destructive Worry and stress are a pre-cursor to more serious emotions and breakdowns How can we counter worry, whilst still being concerned?. Worry is stressful and destructive Assurance with IntelligenceSlide 4

5. Pronunciation [wur-ee, wuhr-ee] 1. to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret. 2. to move with effort: an old car worrying uphill. –verb (used with object) 3. to torment with cares, anxieties, etc.; trouble; plague. 4. to seize, esp. by the throat, with the teeth and shake or mangle, as one animal does another. 5. to harass by repeated biting, snapping, etc. –noun 6. a worried condition or feeling; uneasiness or anxiety. 7. a cause of uneasiness or anxiety; trouble. 8. act of worrying. 9. Fox Hunting. the action of the hounds in tearing to pieces the carcass of a fox. —Verb phrase 10. worry along or through, Informal. to progress or succeed by constant effort, despite difficulty: to worry through an intolerable situation. worry (from dictionary.com) Assurance with IntelligenceSlide 5

6. Worry is there for a reason - A state of mind intended to focus you on self-preservation - a good thing! - But worry can also focus you on other people’s problems, not your own There’s an aspect of us all that expects perfection, completion, certainty – but we just can’t have it Worry about what is under your control and what you can change, not what you can’t control Perhaps, it’s all about managing expectations - ours and others’? Perhaps we can identify expectation mismatches and fix them? How can we counter worry? Assurance with IntelligenceSlide 6

7. Slide 7 The Weight of Expectation Assurance with IntelligenceSlide 7 What we expect from ourselves What others expect from us A professional job

8. IDWe ExpectOthers ExpectIts Our Job 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  Seven areas of expectation – six of frustration, one of perfection Assurance with IntelligenceSlide 8

9. Dangerous assumptions for a test manager: - Perfect requirements - Delivery on time - High quality software to test - 100% coverage - Fully resourced teams - Reasonable timescales Theoretical, absolute, ideal world situations are for the classroom, not the real world We need to negotiate, assume, caveat and compromise. 1. We expect, others don’t, it is not part of the job Assurance with IntelligenceSlide 9

10. Certainty is our expectation and we struggle to achieve it Testers argue for objective exit criteria and get them in plans But should we get frustrated when they aren’t met? Exit criteria are not concrete hurdles or gates that must be overcome on the very day that testing completes - Imagine what kind of crystal ball is required to meet that expectation! They are simply planning assumptions When they are not met on the day, exit criteria should trigger a change in project behaviour - Extend test phase to meet criteria - Realign expectations of quality (downwards) - Review our perception of risk - Adjust the project plan to adjust approach, timescales, resource. 2. We expect, others expect, but it is not part of the job Assurance with IntelligenceSlide 10

11. Do we ever expect testing to go smoothly? Bumpy rides seem to be par for the course - Software isn’t ready (but we carry on anyway) - We find more bugs - It takes longer, it costs more - The system just doesn’t work Inexperienced managers and stakeholders are surprised and upset by this We have to manage their expectations. 3. We expect, others don’t expect, but it is part of the job Assurance with IntelligenceSlide 11

12. We’d all like to think that - We don’t take the acceptance decision - We just provide evidence - It’s a stakeholder decision But our stakeholders need advice beyond raw test statistics We need to be expert witnesses - Able to analyse AND interpret stats - Willing to advise safer and less safe courses of action - Articulate the risks of proceeding, whilst understanding the business risks of not proceeding. 4. We don’t expect, others expect, and it is part of the job Assurance with IntelligenceSlide 12

13. Our stakeholders want commitments, but we need to be very careful what we promise - Zero defects, 100% coverage of everything, absolute certainty - A surprise-free test phase - An easy exit or acceptance decision - Finishing on time and to budget Infinite attention to detail and a perfect outcome in a finite time and budget is an irrational expectation. 5. We don’t expect, others expect, and it is not part of the job Assurance with IntelligenceSlide 13

14. Most of us are in testing because we have a passion for - Finding problems - Getting things right - Telling the truth We know there’s a psychological aspect to testing and our relationship with developers and management We shouldn’t get ‘too emotional’ when: - Our plans are ‘re-scoped’ - Defects appear to be acceptable - We have to lower our standards to deliver Get over it – it’s part of the job. 6. We don’t expect, others don’t expect, but it is part of the job Assurance with IntelligenceSlide 14

15. Define and understand the job that is required and is possible (very important!) in your context Ensure your peers, stakeholders and managers understand what that job is Expect to do your job; anything out of scope is a Change Request Part of everyone’s job is expectation management Folk just expect a little more than is possible from testing. How to get out of the mess of expectations Assurance with IntelligenceSlide 15

16. Are you bovvered? Want to share an experience or two? How do you ‘get over it’? Where are the really sensitive areas we need to watch out for? Do we need to worry about other peoples’ emotions? Does anyone care about your emotions? Admit it – you’ve been emotional Assurance with IntelligenceSlide 16

17. Should Test Managers Get Emotionally Involved? I think it’s inevitable. Assurance with IntelligenceSlide 17