Satya04
Newbie
Reged: 09/11/08
Posts: 6
|
|
Hi,
I am into software testing domain and when i proposed to my client that we need to have a separate entities for both development and testing and same team (development) should not be doing both (Functional,UAT), he asked me to provide justification.
Can any of you please provide me with the advantages of having a sepaarte testing team over same dev team doing the testing. Also the disadvantages of same team doing the both.
Please give them in bulleted points to me more clear.
Thanks in advance.
|
JCTreb
Active Member
Reged: 08/16/01
Posts: 762
Loc: Minneapolis, MN
|
|
Instead of us providing your justification (it may be right, it may be wrong), why not first provide your rationale for proposing that there be a separation of roles and responsibilities?
I could easily make arguments for and against...but they're arguments that are meaningful to me and dependent on a whole number of assumptions.
--------------------
Jason Trebilcock
"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."
-George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright and Nobel Prize winner, 1856-1950
|
michaeljf
Veteran
Reged: 09/17/01
Posts: 3527
Loc: Yankee Land
|
|
Certain methodologies like Agile or Scrum say that it's not possible, others may imply it or corporate culture may say that its necessary due to the nature of the work. Although like Jason I can't give justifications for your argument unless I know why you would propose it in the first place. Personally, I don't agree with the division, but thats another thing entirely.
--------------------
- M
Nothing learns better than experience.
"So as I struggle with this issue I am confronted with the reality that noting is perfect."
- Unknown
Now wasting blog space at QAForums Blogs - The Lookout
|
GoGreen
Active Member
Reged: 09/01/08
Posts: 1002
Loc: Neverland
|
|
I agree and believe that there needs to be separate testing and dev teams. But yeah again, am waiting for Satya's justification for it.
--------------------
Regards,
Tinker
"My own business always bores me to death. I prefer other people's".
Cecil Graham, Act III by Oscar Wilde.
|
broop
Member
Reged: 01/03/01
Posts: 180
Loc: Grandville, MI, USA
|
|
The entities need to be separate because of what Bret Pettichord taught us back in year 2000.
Testers and Developers Think Differently.
|
Corey_G
Veteran
Reged: 09/14/01
Posts: 3882
Loc: Boston, MA
|
|
disagree... I think tighter coupling is [generally] better.
|
Sh4wn
Newbie
Reged: 04/23/09
Posts: 2
Loc: North of Boston
|
|
There are several reasons why it's better to have independent test, but I wouldn't call it isolating. The two groups need to work together very closely.
|
GauravPandey
Member
Reged: 03/29/10
Posts: 40
|
|
This is known as degree of independence.
Having a completely independent test team has its advantages and its own set of disadvantages
Advantages - test team is unbiased. Do not have any "emotional" ties to the system under test.
If they have questions (on expected result), they will turn to the test basis (requirements) instead of the test object (the actual)
Disadvantages - more effort for communication is required. Developers also loose sense of responsibility.
This should not be confused as testing maturity. (Assessments are done for the process or the organization)
Wheather YOU should have a high or low degree of independence has various questions to it - including testing team capabilities, scope of testing, management committment and vision for quality!
--------------------
Regards
Gaurav Pandey
|
Hanoz
Newbie
Reged: 06/29/10
Posts: 10
|
|
Hi Satya,
I agree with Gaurav. Confining testing to the test team minimises devlopers' conflict of interest. Developers carry out their own testing, dev testing, but that's tiny compared to how QA usually hammer the system.
Whether agile or not, the system will be better serviced in the unbiased and independent hands of testers because they don't have an attachment to the code that developers are justifiably proud of writing.
To get past the communication challenges, have both teams sit close by to each other. That way they can simply walk over to another person's desk and also have informal discussions. Worked very well at a previous client site with agile, separate teams and in close proximity. Separate teams also worked well with off-shore devlopment at yet another client site.
|
Chitt2
Junior Member
Reged: 09/11/03
Posts: 5
Loc: India
|
|
my current org, has a separate dev and test team structure. It has been defined so primarly for better resource management, having an independent hierachy, growth plan etc. More the testing team's scope could be more than what dev gives them by project/release.
The pros and cons have been pointed out above and I endorse that. QA teams typically do functional testing (system, intersystem and assist in UAT) and they do this primarly with their view of the requirements and how the user were to interact. Its always the big picture !
Also when it comes to defect removal, it is advantageous to have an independent team involved, rather than a joint team, where they potentially be an informal exchange of information and closure (between dev and test) and this could impact the metrics (if collected)
Having said that, the challenges are many and communication is key. Often the development team are the first to hear about requirements and esp changes and unless there is a clear channel, the test team will find themselves against a wall, esp since they will be under pressure to test before the scheduled dates.
Also its advantageous to have both team involved in requirements clarification at the same time, so that they are on same page
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
