Using a Test Project Office

 

This entry was prompted by this thread in QA forums.  http://www.qaforums.com/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=18;t=001356

 

 

Test Project Office staff are, in my experience, under-used resources that if used properly can assist in making the running of a Test team much more efficient and effective.  Until very recently, I was running a test team of 45 testers and had my own Test Project Office.  The Test Project Office consisted of an experienced Project Manager and two admin staff.  It was the first time I had a Test Project Office of my own, I had always used the Programme Office or overall Project Office before, and it took some time for me to realise how a Test Project Office can make my life easier.

 

Test Project planning is a key area that the Test Project Office can take a load off the Test Manager.  It is my responsibility to have a realistic plan that reflects the Test Project, but do I have to actually do it myself?  As a related aside, let’s have two definitions that so many people confuse. 

 

·         Test Plan – A test plan consists of details of what is to be produced, how it will be produced, what resources are required (both human and non-human), what timescales will be set, what are the key deliverables, what are the success criteria, entry and exit criteria, communications paths, responsibilities, project controls, external dependencies and who will deliver them, and usually a number of other bits of information. 

·         Test Schedule – a Gantt chart showing a work package breakdown, when each task will be started, finished, who is doing that task, dependencies between tasks.

 

A Test Plan must contain a schedule, but thinking that a schedule is a plan is a common mistake.  Part of the problem is the tools used.  A common tool is MS Project and it is misnamed, it should be called MS Schedule because that is was it does, it doesn’t plan.

 

Only managing the schedule is doing half the job, the whole plan needs to be managed.  If you have an experienced Project Manager assisting you, then s/he is perfectly capable of managing and maintaining your plan so you don’t have to. 

 

As a Test Manager, the plan is only a part of what you need to worry about.  The most important part of the job, in my opinion, is making decisions.  You make decisions based on the data and information that you discover and is provided to you.  The less data gathering and analysis you have to do, the more you can concentrate on making the right decisions in a timely manner.  Here is where the Test Project Office can assist. 

 

What are the main pieces of information I need in order to make decisions?  Here is a list:

 

·         Delivery dates to me

·         Progress against Development schedule

·         Progress against Test schedule

·         Reasons for dates changing

·         Problems that may impact my plan (risks)

·         Problems that will impact my plan (issues)

·         Bug raising rate

·         Bug fixing rate

·         Actual deliveries

 

All of these are activities that I don’t need to do myself, what I need are the output from these activities. 

 

The decisions I can then make are:

 

·         What should I do to mitigate the risks

·         What can I do to resolve the issues

·         How should I juggle my resources to attempt to make the dates without compromising the testing

·         How can I use my resources more effectively

·         Do we need to re-scope the project

·         Do we need to re-schedule the project

·         Who do I need to kick into action

 

The decision making activity is what I believe is the added value I bring to the project, not the gathering of data.  Hence, the Test Project Office is a very valuable asset in helping me to do that.  Their key activities are:

 

·         Maintenance of the schedule – Here I want them to gather the actuals, identify slippages and early completions, identify over and under-resourcing, do what-if analysis on the schedule to provide me with options.  I also want new or removed activities to be folded into the schedule to identify the impact of the change so I can make a decision.

·         Maintenance of the plan – Here I need to ensure that the plan stays current, that the statements made are still true and any changes are correctly communicated and agreed.  The Test Project Office can do that for me.

·         Bug analysis – It would be nice if bug analysis always followed the S-curve, but the reality is that it doesn’t always.  Regular plotting of bug raise rates, fix rates and retest rates, by severity and priority will give information about whether we are in trouble as a project or not.  Ad hoc analysis is often required, for example I may want to know which function has had the most number of bugs raised against it or what is the level of No Fault Found bug reports.  Again, this information allows me to make decisions.

·         Admin – with a large team goes a lot of admin.  I don’t want to do it myself, apart from the fact I am not good at it, it is a waste of my time

·         Advice and guidance.  Having an experienced Project Manager looking after the Test Project Office for me was extremely valuable.  He was able to provide me with advice and guidance, I used him as a sounding board for ideas, he pointed out mistakes I was making or about to make and avoided some potentially embarrassing situations.

·         Rumour! – Project Office staff are often able to get information that you can’t get yourself.  Having “Test Manager” tattooed on your forehead can exclude you from some information if people are concerned about what you will do with it or if they don’t really want you to know or if the information is not final yet.  Rumour is a vital source of information that assists in making the right decisions.

 

How to use a Project Office is not something that I have ever seen taught in standard Management training courses and this is an omission.  I have written and given a Project Office training course when I was doing Project Management training courses and it is a skill that is worth gaining.

 

If you don’t have your own Test Project Office, then use the Project Office set up for the Project.  If you don’t have a Project Office, then I hope you enjoy filing!