Practice: Test Management |
This practice describes the process of managing the software testing effort.
Purpose
For any sizable software engineering effort, test management is an important concern. As any management process does, it deals with different aspects of organization, planning, team preparation, monitoring, and reporting the test process to be followed. The target audience for this practice is the more mature test organizations which need to independently plan and track the test effort, but still interface and collaborate with the rest of the overall development team. Very few people will argue against test management, because the need of organizing and controlling the testing effort is evident. The more important questions are how and how much extra effort will be required? The Test Management practice provides a good starting point for practitioners relatively new to this area, but it also offers a structured reference model for the more seasoned professionals. An important factor that needs to be considered are the tools that assist in planning, designing, implementing, executing, evaluating, and managing the test tasks or work products and how well they align with your current practices. The Test Management practice is tool-enabled, as the tasks and artifacts can easily be realized by specific tools in this domain.
How to read this practice
The best way to review a practice is to adopt a multi-prong approach: Use different perspectives driven by artifacts, activities, test cycles, or roles and shift among them when your focus changes from what you need to produce to how or when an activity is performed. Start with the test management-related Artifacts and decide which ones are important to you and your organization. Pay special attention to the Test Plan artifact, because this work product is the hub of all the test management activities. Analyze the main Test Iteration [Management] work pattern, which gives an overview of all of the activities performed as part of a typical testing cycle. Drill down into each activity to better understand the tasks and artifacts employed. Review the guidelines, concepts, and, if applicable, the tool-related guidance.
Additional Information
For more information on this practice, see the practice resource page on IBM® DeveloperWorks®.
Relationships
Content References | How to adopt the Test Management practice Key Concepts Levels of Test Quality Dimensions Testing Qualitative Requirements Work Products Test Evaluation Summary Test Plan Test Motivator Tasks Agree on the Testing Mission Comunicate Test Project Status Identify Test Motivators Monitor Test Effort Plan Team Preparation Plan Test Effort Refine Test Process Test Iteration [Management] Quality in the Test Plan Test Plan IBM Rational ClearQuest Test Management IBM Rational Quality Manager
Inputs | [Project Definition and Scope] [Project Risk] [Project Status] [Project Work] [Technical Architecture] [Technical Test Results]
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