Testing 2011 to 2021 Agile - PowerPoint Presentation

1. Testing2011 to 2021AgileEngineeringAutomationRolesProcess & ToolsTESTING 2011 TO 2021: KEY CHANGESMassive shift to Agile ways of working, and to DevOps / CICDMost organisations gone through / going through Agile transformationTesters working as part of Scrum or Kanban teams, testing product features as builtTest estimation built into rest of estimation process with teamEmphasis on continuous testing, particularly with integration, however that is still a challengeIn larger / older organisations, still seeing hybrid delivery models and test strategies with aspects of Agile but aspects of waterfall tooBDD & the three amigos becoming more prevalent (user stories defined as: As a (role), I would like (feature), so that (benefit))Data & SecurityMove to Cloud, rise of big data, more data regulations e.g. GDPR = massive shift to data security and proving itMuch more control over, and rigour around, the data used in testingEthical hackers more prominentSecurity testing is not just penetration testing (e.g. vulnerability assessments, role based access)Seeing a rise in requirement for data testing specialistsThere has been a move away from the “traditional” manual tester roleMore emphasis on the discipline of engineering as part of testing (thus the move from test analyst to test engineer roles)Career progression via technical route is now more prevalentA level of automation skill is being seen as the norm for a testerTest analysis skills have not changed much per se – you still have to be able to analyse what is required, specified and built but perhaps discuss and document it in a different way – refer to BDD for an exampleAutomation is a given nowReal shift in attitude from it being a nice-to-have or it being too expensive to maintain, to it underpinning an organisation’s ability to deliver CI/CDOn other side, many stakeholders think automation immediately means testing is cheaper / a reduction in staff which isn’t the case, particularly at the start of the journeyPlethora of ever changing tools and languages – engineers need the ability to flex and learn, use different tools, build frameworks to join tools together to create E2E automated systems.Service virtualisation being used more widely and to better effectAutomated regression testing packs key enabler for CICDSome moves towards a breakdown of the roles due to Agile: T Shaped team members and “everyone taking a task” are a desire but not yet a reality everywhere. Still the old dev-test “barrier” where Agile hasn’t properly taken hold. Tester is still a very distinct role.As move to Agile increases, test manager working more at project / programme / portfolio level – autonomous scrum teams mean fewer “system test manager” type rolesWhere Agile properly in play, the user or customer is at the heart of the product delivered (via user stories and journeys). Seeing more input by users / customers where it matters e.g. sometimes seeing the customer doing the demos rather than the IT bods.A move away from the homogeneous and monolithic test process. Used to be that everyone followed or aspired to follow an industry standard or set-in-stone organisational process, and everyone used same templates and processes. Now the processes and disciplines still exist, but it’s more about the spirit or the principle but not the letter of the law.Wide variety of documentation depending on what is actually required / useful, as opposed to producing a document for the sake of it. More online test documents / Confluence pages rather than actual documents. Can’t remember the last time I saw a Master Test Plan in word form, for example.More test policies, frameworks and strategies, rather than nth degree documented processes and templates. (Caveated by industry sector). The rise of Jira and Zephyr!Shift LeftFocus on shifting testing as far left as possible in the lifecycle

2. Real World TestingHybrid Delivery & TestTest ManagementSkillsChallenge of IntegrationNFTOTHER THOUGHTS / REAL WORLD TESTINGLocationMy experience is that there is still very much a mix of agile and non-agile, or multiple hybrids, in delivery and test methodologies. Depending on maturity, age, type of organisation.Still tendency for people to feel comfortable with the standard testing phases (SIT, UAT, NFT)Tendency for certain groups / organisations to plan at the macro level (yearly budgeting cycle, massive delivery and test phases) even while Agile tries to bite at the heels. Therefore can’t break cycle of needing big long test phases because still big programmes.Even where organisations purport to be agile, testing is still seen as “done later” e.g. separate testing sprints.Outsourcing of testing abroad still prevalent and largely still seen as cheaper than a larger permanent teamStill more body shopping of outsourced testing activity, rather than delivery of a fixed serviceRare in Fin Tech to have all team members in one place. Technology supports testing from anywhere and it’s normal to be round a virtual board, or constantly on Skype / Teams meetingsCaveat re. the industry / sector / organisation size.Many TMs I speak to talk about the fact that their role is more about project management skills than test management now.Test reporting is still a massive part of the role, and testing tends to over-report in comparison to other areas of the lifecycle.Due to hybrid delivery models, skill of the TM is often about defining a test strategy specific to the programme / portfolio that enables best of breed, and leverages Agile gains while compromising where you have to re. waterfall type activity. In larger companies with a wide variety of systems and technology, with different development methods depending on the team, and with a large amount of legacy estate, the biggest challenge for testing remains systems integration testing.Fully integrated automated frameworks are rare – E2E journeys across multiple technology platforms.Linked to delivery model – often see Agile delivery at a “system” level, then revert to type for integration and acceptance testing in bigger phases. However there is a move towards using Agile techniques for integration and seeing acceptance testing moving left. Continuous integration in sprints using automation is seen more.Softer skills are as important as always for testers.Being able to communicate well is key, at whatever level you are working at.Skill of a tester is still to design tests to find defects – that has not changed.As automation increases, skill of tester should be more about exploratory testing but I have not worked anywhere that is that mature with CI/CD and automation to allow that. Combination will always be required – people are more creative and curious.NFT still undertaken and viewed as very separate exercise – covers security, service and all the performance type work.Seeing more done earlier on e.g. some requirements picked off within scrum sprints, but still prevalence of an NFT “phase”.NFT testers do tend to specialise in NFT – not too much crossover.Pen Test often outsourced to specialists.

3. Testing RolesHead of Test is a standard role.Test Manager role is still a standard role in all organisations – type of TM and level of seniority required will be specified in job ads but role is standard. Programme Test Manager roles are likely to be interim roles.Test Environments Manager or Environments Manager is still seen.Much more likely to see Test Engineer rather than Test Analyst now.Prevalence of Test Automation Engineers now.Do see Test Automation Architect type roles, generally senior automation specialists who can design entire automation frameworks. However, also see this as Test Automation Engineer role with the equivalent seniority / higher skill set.