Effective Test Planning: Scope, Estimates, and Schedule

Effective Test Planning:Scope, Estimates, and Schedule

Presented By: Shaun [email protected]

Agenda• Why Plan?• What’s in a test plan?• Define– Objectives– Scope– Priorities

• Estimate work effort• Develop schedule

Software Peace of Mind in ActionSlide 2

Why Plan?


What’s in a Test Plan?• Most test plan templates available are

derived from IEEE standards• The template presented here is a

minimalist version of that template• Generally, a test plan includes:– Objectives– Scope– Risks & Contingencies– Focus / Priorities – Work Effort Estimation– Go/No Go Criteria


Sections of the Document


Test Objectives• Test Objectives should be based on the

needs of the business and established organizational processes & goals– Determine short-term and long-term business

needs– Is the business most concerned about

qualitative or quantitative objectives– How can our test objectives help the business

achieve its objectives– Test plan objectives should tie into business

objectives


Let’s identify test plan objectives related to each of the following business objectives


Test Objectives

Scope• Identify the scope and how the test effort

will allow the business to meet its objectives– Determine functionality, processes, and

systems to be validated– Establish types of testing necessary to perform

the validation– Identify supporting systems that should be in

scope – if not in scope then document it– Read available documentation – identify

potential anomalies– Examine existing applications & processes– Get involved EARLY!!


Risk• Risk is the probability of an undesirable

event occurring and its subsequent impact to a project


Types of Risk


Contingency Planning• Because risks tend to have a domino

effect, develop contingency plans for each

• Contingency should align with theprobability and cost of the risk

• Contingency should address the impact of the risk


Prioritization• Prioritization of application components

assists in determining what functionality has precedence when organizing the test effort.

• Creates a systematic approach for identifying what to test first, what can be minimally tested, and what can be eliminated from testing, if necessary

• Determine criticality and impact of application components based on discussions with SMEs


Prioritization


Risk/Impact Analysis• Use a Prioritization Table to determine

which components have the highest priority– Set Risk value (probability of failure)– Set Impact value (impact of failure)– Calculate Total and sort highest to lowest

Component Risk Impact Total PriorityRegister 3 5 15 2

Search 2 2 4 4

Add to Cart 2 5 10 3

Checkout 4 5 20 1


Estimating the Work Effort• Producing estimates using a defined

process provides greater confidence in its potential accuracy– Is an “accurate estimate” an oxymoron?– Think about The Price Is Right

• Following a process for estimation allows us to review and identify information necessary to complete the project – it is NOT wasted time

• The problem is not in doing an estimate, but in the assumption that an estimate is automatically accurate and therefore a promise!! Software Peace of Mind in

ActionSlide 19

Estimating Size

• Provides direct correlation to the number of tests necessary to validate the component

• Use existing documentation, conversations, and historical data to create estimate Software Peace of Mind in

ActionSlide 20

Estimating Complexity

The more complex an application, the longer it will take to analyze, create, and execute the tests.


Estimating Reliability

Use historical analysis to evaluate the likelihood that the development process produces complete, stable, high-quality

applications.


Estimation ExampleStep 1

Estimate size by counting the number of business rules, logical branches, inputs and outputsComponent BusRule LogBranch Inputs Outputs Totals

Register 5 4 6 4 19

Search 15 25 8 6 54

Add to Cart 13 8 3 25 49

Checkout 54 36 22 8 120


Estimation Example

Component ComplexityRegister .5

Search 1.5

Add to Cart 1

Checkout 1

Component ReliabilityRegister .5

Search .5

Add to Cart 1.5

Checkout 1

Step 2Estimate complexity & reliability for each component using a 5-point scale of 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0.

Note that the scales for complexity and reliability are reversed, i.e. a 0.25 for complexity indicates very low complexity, but a 0.25 for reliability indicates a highly reliable component.


Estimation Example

Step 3Based on historical information or industry standards, determine:

• Average TC Analysis & Creation Time 1.5 hours• Average TC Execution Time 1.0 hours• Average Defect Rate

35%• Productive Hours/Day

6.5 hours


Estimation Example

Step 4Calculate component estimates

Calculated Factor (CF)= Size * Complexity * Reliability

Analysis & Creation Time (ACT)= CF * Avg TC Analysis & Creation Time ÷ Productive

Hrs/Day Execution Time (ET)

= CF * Avg Time to Execute a TC ÷ Productive Hrs/DayRe-execution Time (RT)

= ET * Avg Defect RateComponent ACT + ET + RT = Total

Register 1.25 0.75 0.25 2.25 days

Search 9.50 6.50 2.25 18.25 days

Add to Cart 17.00 11.50 4.00 32.50 days

Checkout 27.75 18.50 6.50 52.75 days

Test Schedule• Develop a work schedule that assigns

testing resources and timeframes to each test activity and identifies relationships/dependencies between them– Schedules help leads determine if the project is

adequately staffed– Remember to match the experience of your

resources to the level of work necessary, but look for opportunities to challenge them and cultivate their skills


Contingency Time


Primary Test Activities• There are 5 primary test activities– Test planning– Test analysis– Test creation– Test execution (includes defect tracking)– Test summary

• Each of these activities may be combined or duplicated for each type of test performed

• Each activity should have associated deliverables identified in the schedule


Sample Gantt Chart


Conclusion• Careful planning lays the groundwork for a

successful test effort by providing opportunities to:– Learn the scope of the project and the testing

needs– Research and analyze, early in the project, the

business needs and environment– Identify the relative size, complexity, and

reliability of the application


Questions


Effective Test Planning: Scope, Estimates, and Schedule

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