Perhaps it\u2019s just the nature of the tester, but I\u2019ve seen a lot of complaints from testers recently. \u201cManagers do the wrong thing\u201d, \u201cTesters need to do more \u2018x\u2019\u201d, \u201cTesting isn\u2019t taken seriously\u201d, \u201cThese people don\u2019t understand what I do\u201d, gripe, mumble, etc. Of course, it\u2019s easy for me to tell you to quit your griping and fix it (in fact, I\u2019m sure I\u2019ve done that in previous posts), but solving problems is much bigger than that.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s say, for example, that you want to make a change in your organization (I\u2019ll leave the exercise on how to change the world) for another post. Just for fun, let\u2019s say you would like to do a lot more Exploratory Testing in your organization (bad joke removed – should have picked a different example).<\/p>\n
What do you do first?<\/p>\n
The number one answer I expect (and I\u2019m usually right) is that you need to convince management<\/strong> that ET is great (or that you should do more of it), and they\u2019ll make a top down decree, and everything will be unicorns and rainbows(tm).<\/p>\n Bzzzt!<\/p>\n Management is one faction, but there are more. What if the rest of the testers on the team don\u2019t see the value in ET? What if they don\u2019t know how to do it? What if your customer demands that you only deliver automation results (or something else silly). What other factions can you identify? You need to think about everyone<\/span> with an interest in the results \u2013 then take time to understand where they\u2019re coming from and how the change impacts they\u2019re thinking. With any change, you have gains and losses. What do you gain by doing more ET (note: also define \u201cmore\u201d). What do you potentially lose by doing more ET? Top down edicts rarely work, so if you want a chance of success, don\u2019t start there. Identify your factions, and come up with a strategy for working with each of them.<\/p>\n The important thing to remember is that you don\u2019t change the process, you change the people. If you don\u2019t think about how change impacts people, you will probably fail. Whenever I\u2019m dealing with a performance gap, the six boxes<\/a> model helps me think about how change happens.<\/p>\n Environmental and Team Factors<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n Expectations and Feedback<\/b><\/p>\n \u00b7 Roles and performance expectations are defined; employees are given relevant feedback.<\/p>\n \u00b7 Work is linked to business goals.<\/p>\n \u00b7 Performance management system guides employee performance and development.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n Tools and Processes<\/b><\/p>\n \u00b7 Materials, tools and time needed to do the job are present.<\/p>\n \u00b7 Processes and procedures are clearly defined and enhance individual performance.<\/p>\n \u00b7 Work environment contributes to improved performance.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n Consequences and Incentives<\/b><\/p>\n \u00b7 Financial and non-financial incentives are present<\/p>\n \u00b7 Measurement and reward systems reinforce positive performance.<\/p>\n \u00b7 Overall work environment is positive, employees believe they have an opportunity to succeed; career development opportunities are present.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Individual Factors<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n Knowledge and Skills<\/b><\/p>\n \u00b7 Employees have the necessary knowledge, experience and skills to do desired behaviors.<\/p>\n \u00b7 Employees are cross-trained to understand each other\u2019s roles.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n Capacity<\/b><\/p>\n \u00b7 Employees have the ability to learn and do what is needed to perform successfully.<\/p>\n \u00b7 Employees are recruited and selected to match the realities of the work situation.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n Motivation<\/b><\/p>\n \u00b7 Motives of employees are aligned with the work.<\/p>\n \u00b7 Employees desire to perform the required jobs.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n The six boxes model (sort of based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs) is a model to help think about all of the factors that go into change.<\/p>\n Box 1<\/strong> is where management can help. Defining the expectations and feedback loop for the change helps people understand what they need to do.<\/p>\n\n\n
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