Test Strategy

Where I work I am the only tester who is employed to work on general software testing, we have a small team that works on the web site, they are quite separate to the rest of the business though, and constantly engaged in testing patches and updates, as you'd expect.

So my boss asked me to write a test strategy for the business, as you'd imagine I was over the moon at the chance to move us towards good quality testing, and away from meaningless metrics.

I thought the best place to start would be James Bach's heuristics strategy, as its broad and easy to apply, and to that I have added some information about session based test management to give them some comfort around easily understood measures and metrics that will fill the void of the pointless test case counting graphs.

It has been broadly accepted by my boss, I suspect he doesn't actually understand it, even though when I ask him about it, he assures me he does, and requires no further explanation, I do however have the dev team leader totally on board with it, and he loves the way it works, and is trying to support it as much as he is able, which is fantastic.

However we are about to undertake a major project to install a new ERP , AX to be specific and they are looking for a consultant to help write the test strategy for this project, now obviously I've asked why we are not using the strategy they just asked me to write, and I've been assured that any consultant will be writing a test strategy, with me based on what I have already done.

The downside is the CV's that are coming in all read like factory school of testing grads, and I'm not looking forwards to having to counter everything they say about how I want us to go about testing, when I need them to support me in attempting to explain that we can not test an ERP with me and may be a couple of others in 4 months.

I really wish I knew some ET testing consultants in the area who were able to come in and help, they would still have to get past my boss and the project manager, but they would at least be starting with the advantage that they would be supporting the test strategy my boss has already said he wants to use.

He does however keep going on about getting in a consultant to ask about best practices, it's deeply frustrating.

well minor rant over, pointers however more than welcome

Doug