In current economic situations, IT folks worry about one thing – “reduce cost”. I have been frequently asked “how to reduce testing cost”. A no brainer answer would “do not do testing … at all”. How many buy this idea … can current breed of IT applications sustain with less or no testing at all? When I use the term testing –I am referring to “non-programmer” testing.
Here is my draft list of suggestions ...
1. Closely work with developers, do some parallel testing with them as the product/feature is getting developed
2. Identify and eliminate non-testing activities that occur in the name of process, documentation, management, metrics etc.
3. Analyze and profile every application under the portfolio to determine “stable” and “well tested” areas of the application. These areas should receive the least or no testing effort.
4. Analyze the test scripts suite and remove redundant, worn out ones. Aim to reduce scripted test repository as small as you can.
5. Review and reduce “regression testing” on the basis of “well tested/stable areas” of the application
6. Switch from resource intensive and highly scripted testing approach to highly improvisational exploratory /rapid testing approaches
7. Plan testing in small but frequent cycles (Session based exploratory testing approach) – reduce planning and management overheads
8. Analyze and reduce the usage of costly tool licenses - especially those do not help in testing directly (test management tools)
9. Cut down on lengthy test plans, testing reports, dashboards – switch to simple but frequent test reporting.
10. Simplify defect management process – reduce defect life cycle – resort to informal/quick defect communication.
Some this advice might look like a simple common sense (eliminate waste, focus on tasks that impact end result DIRECTLY). With so much selling happening about “testing tools”, “factory models”, “cheap and best testing services” – any common sense is difficult to come by.
How would IT community react to these suggestions – most likely response would “This would not work, how can we reduce testing, those test cases, processes, metrics, management practice?”. These suggestions would be most likely to be rejected on the grounds that testing cost needs to be reduced without “compromising quality”. Many IT folks think that quality comes from test scripts, processes, metrics, testing tools, automation etc. I am afraid quality is not such a simple thing.
Again, there are no free lunches here … if you are thinking about reducing cost of testing, there are always risks of impacting quality (roughly goodness or confidence in the product) in one or other way. If you approach the problem (cost vs quality) from a quality side (improve testing - test better, deeper and wider), then the chances of achieving good quality and also “some” cost benefits are more likely. However, if you approach it from “cost” side of the equation – you might do achieve that albeit some impact on overall goodness/quality of delivered product.
Note that some suggestions mentioned in this list call for some smart testers who can think on their feet, work with least supervision, least (optimum) documentation and processes and so on. I think, the focus should shift from process, tools, management, documentation to Skill. There can be problems in getting such resources in IT scenario (especially in outsourced/offshored world)
You have choice … which side you would like to approach the problem ..?
[update 20/Apr/2009] A colleague of mine reacted to this list saying "These are too risky suggestions and he would not recommend any of these. Business prudence is totally missing".
I think he was expecting to see some "low risk and high return" type of suggestions - like those "cheap" and "best" items. I still do not understand - there can be no risk free ways of reducing (testing) cost -unless you are totally spending like crazy without any thinking. We do not seem to have such risk free - free lunches - why fool ourselves and the client in believing such "non existent" things?
Another suggestion that came up was "Let us use standardized processes". How standardization can reduce cost? what is the cost bringing in standardization itself?
May be the expectation is that standardization will make each tester behave identical to another like robots. Are robots cheaper? may be? may be not .... They at least do not whine about working on week ends :)
Shrini
