The Secret to Faster Agile Testing
Testing Stage, Introductory Level Tutorial, 90 min. Keywords: acceptance criteria, ??
Personas: Tara Tester. Additional personas: Padma Product Owner, Peter Programmer, Patricia Project Manager
Summary: (Limited to 600 characters)
Why do testers on some agile teams find iterations productive and enjoyable, while other teams struggle to "keep up" with testing and get to "done done" within the iteration?
Succeeding with agile testing is more than just automating tests or sitting with the developers. To create working software quickly, your whole team must be able to build a shared understanding of a feature - and do this rapidly, accurately, over and over again, every feature, every iteration.
This tutorial explains how to build this shared understanding, using the agile practice of acceptance criteria.
Learning outcomes:
- Learn the four keys to effectively use acceptance criteria
- Practice building simple, effective acceptance criteria
- Compare acceptance criteria to traditional big requirements up front
- Understand why acceptance criteria are often undervalued
Process/mechanics:
This tutorial is a revised and focused version of a successful tutorial I offered last year at two Utah companies and at Agile 2008.
Attendees learn the value and technique through lecture, pair and group exercises, and discussion.
- Introduction (5 minutes)
- Build Quality In (20 minutes)
- Exercise (Puzzle) - Inspect defects out vs. build quality in
- Discussion - Motivation for acceptance criteria
- Using Acceptance Criteria (30 minutes)
- What are acceptance criteria
- Keys to using acceptance criteria
- Exercises - How to use acceptance criteria
- Overcoming Resistance (20 minutes)
- Guided discussion - Defensive reactions map
- Exercise - Values guide decisions (If time)
- Debrief and summary
- Question and Answer (10 minutes)
- Attendees Ah-has (5 minutes)