The functionality and quality of software is often directly related to how well the whole development lifecycle and its associated components work together. Today, even a simple product or service requires tens or hundreds of hours of development. And the easier and more reliable the software is to use, the more testing effort is likely to have been put into it.

In our previous blogs we have discussed test automation and the importance of testing and quality assurance in software development, but who in a testing project is responsible for keeping the “strings” tight and enabling the successful completion of a testing project?

Testing Manager.

In this article, we will go through the key attributes of a good test manager, hiding behind the quality assurance professional and expert your organisation needs when it comes to ensuring the quality of your product or service in terms of planning and conducting testing.

A good test manager knows the testing processes,
phases and methods

A good test manager can use experience to determine the critical points to test at different stages of testing, based on business requirements and needs. When using traditional methods such as the waterfall model, defining the testing phases plays a key role in the successful completion of a testing project. If agile models (e.g. scrum, kanban, scrumban) are used, the role of the test manager becomes more important, especially in larger projects or when several simultaneous development teams are running.

The Test Manager coordinates and manages the needs, bugs or findings raised by the development teams and acts as the testing liaison with the various stakeholders. Taking into account dependencies and synchronising release calendars for development teams progressing at different paces requires planning and close collaboration with the teams and the owner. In agile software development, service or product components are built “piece by piece” and when teams reach the desired level of completion, it is a good idea to hand over the transfer of joint releases to the test environment and finally to the production environment to a professional responsible for testing and overall quality.

Test design is an important part of the development process and helps to steer the implementation in the right direction. In traditional models, test planning focuses on the early stages of the project and often takes into account the entire project lifecycle to account for scope, cost, resourcing and testing needs for the planned deployment.

In agile methods, test planning and documentation takes place during development (sprints) and is broken down into smaller parts, like the rest of the project design work. Test planning is the process of going through all the features that need to be tested to ensure the desired requirements and to meet quality expectations. A good test manager will also be able to assess which features will be tested manually and which will be tested using automation.

Choosing the right technology requires a test manager with solid expertise and diverse experience

There are several technologies suitable for testing and a good test manager can assess how and with which technology services and software are produced, and what requirements it places on testing. The benefits of testing may be partial if these requirements are not adequately identified. A good test manager will also pay attention to the versatility and continuity of the technology.

Technology selection and software development (coding) are an important part of the development project and require solid expertise and diverse experience from the test manager. However, while technology expertise plays an important role, it should not be overemphasised. The ability to see the software development process as a whole, to assess quality requirements from a business, end-user and user needs perspective are also important qualities for a test manager. Depending on the need for the service or product, security risk factors are also becoming increasingly important. A good test manager will question and be able to apply and combine best practices and techniques in their work, leaving room for creativity.

A good test manager leads projects to the finish line with good communication

Good interpersonal, leadership and interpersonal skills are essential for a test manager. In a software development project, the test manager has many different points of contact and needs to be able to interact with different stakeholders and recognise the interdependencies between them. A good test manager will be able to report on the status of testing in plain language so that the benefits of testing are as comprehensive as possible from a project risk management perspective.

A good test manager understands his or her role as a leader and is able to create an atmosphere in which each member of the test team has a clear role and task. The team member is motivated and feels suitably challenged and valued. The test manager has the ability to identify the strengths of the experts, enabling him/her to build an effective team of experts, each willing to work towards common goals and achievements.

At Nextcon, consultants have responsibility and freedom for their own work and are encouraged to innovate, suggest and try new things. Our corporate culture is very much built on autonomous teams, and teams and their coaches have a very wide scope to decide on issues related to the working environment and well-being of team members, such as training, equipment and work ergonomics, all of which affect their well-being and comfort at work.

Finally

Often working closely alongside the project or project manager, the test manager is responsible for quality assurance needs at all stages of the project, and therefore the role of the test manager requires good interpersonal skills and the ability to understand and recognise the importance of quality to the end customer. In order to measure software quality, a good test manager will be able to visualise quality through a range of metrics and data that can be used to support business development and strategic decisions.

Nextcon as a quality expert

Whether it’s manual software testing, test automation, test planning and coordination, or a combination of all of these, Nextcon’s experts will ensure a successful testing project for your business.

Our testing and quality assurance customers are found in a wide range of industries, including mobile and telecoms, financial and banking services, lift and crane services, healthcare, energy. Our consultants working on testing and quality assurance services have had the opportunity to develop, implement and deploy DigiFinland’s testing services.

Contact us and let’s start together towards a better quality future!