agilequalityassurance.com

I’m interested in defining the best metrics to use for checking whether the product quality is improving as time, and sprints, pass by. One obvious factor is the number of automated tests passing in the continuous integration builds related to the coverage of functions in the code.

Or is it? Do the tests literally show the product quality? What if the finished article isn’t what the customer wanted? There are then a suite of tests making sure that the software does something it’s not meant to.

Number of defects? Measured against what? The list of possibilities goes on, what I’d like to find out are tried and tested measurables. Does anyone have a list they use in every project?

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I see that part of the power of agile is being able to change requirements during an iteration and still release, there is flexibility inherent in the process. From a project management and development perspective, that sounds good, but through the eyes of a QA person, it has the very real danger of letting things slip through the cracks.

With that in mind, can there be a line drawn between letting the agility of changing functionality allow a product to change mid-sprint and the steadfast necesity of real, measurable, requirements? And if so, then where can that line be put? I see the benefits of both and am wondering whether the ‘grey area’ in the middle can be clarified?

I’ve been thinking about this for a while as I see more and more the interest in offshore development work. Be it to South America, India, anywhere, it appears to be a preferred option for some companies and even a long-term strategy.

It’s now a relatively mature idea and is proving cost-effective for many a software house, but is only ever deemed viable for development (as far as I know! Please correct me if I’m wrong).

My question is, why not for QA? I understand the very real problems inherent with people working in different geographical locations and timezones, but whenever I’ve asked about a testing team based remotely, people have had an initial mental block to the idea.

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