Pressure to deliver as soon as possible and upholding efforts for superior quality are two conflicting goals because by nature, the more time we spend on thorough testing, the more issues we find. There is always the challenge of balancing thorough testing and fast feedback. In this article, let’s look at some strategies to accomplish the balance.
Fast feedback – of what?
Even in these days of fast exploration and iterative releases through CI/CD, there is the challenge of what to explore! If you consider a functional module, there could be many test considerations that need be tested. But the key consideration is about what the module accomplishes. If that is not obvious and there are multiple goals for that module, then I would say that the module has not been functionally broken well and of course not designed properly. When it comes to what it does, there should be one thing that it does, and by providing a minimal set of inputs, we should be able to test if that it does its function well. So the fast feedback starts there – to make sure that the module works for its basic functionality. But it is only a starting point of testing. You then move on to test other combinations and possibilities.
Domain focus
A very good knowledge on the domain (finance, telecom, etc.) of the product, and a strong focus on how the domain works is the key to superior quality. If I am hard-pressed for time, I would focus on what the product accomplishes towards its domain goals. It is the intersection of big picture thinking of product/module placement, and attention to detail of how the product is accomplishing that. If I test the module in isolation without the knowledge of what it is accomplishing in the big scheme of things, like testing a screen that has a few menu items but no clue on what those menu items are about, then it is not testing, is it? So keeping the focus on the domain is important towards balancing quality and fast feedback.
Iterative development and testing
If the development is being done in an iterative fashion with more and more details getting added to the module/functionality, the testing as well should expand to those details. When testers are in alignment of what is being developed iteratively, there is less pressure from the program lead / project lead to finish testing as soon as possible because the testers are in tune with what the developers are doing and are in sync.
Conclusion
Quality practices like influencing to break down the modules into manageable chunks, focusing on product domain, and aligning with iterative development can lead to superior quality products being developed by balancing thorough testing and fast feedback. If your organisation is looking for inputs on how to device test strategies along these lines, please feel free to get in touch with me for detailed consulting. Glad to help!