Top 10 Takeaways from the TISQA Conference: Agile Testing in the Carolinas

9) Don’t rely on statistics to effectively measure software quality

Walker: Statistics may not be a very reliable indicator of software quality or team efficiency. For example, neither the number of defects found, nor the number of defects fixed by any team member give us very helpful information. If we find and fix 20 defects, we don’t know that we’ve found all of the defects in that program—in fact, we don’t even know what percentage of the defects we’ve found, therefore the number really means very little. You can’t even use the number of unit tests you’ve created as an indicator of how well the code has been tested—you can only use them as a measure of the percentage of code tested. Even knowing the unit tests exist doesn’t necessarily imply that the unit tests will reveal all possible defects.

Quentmeyer: Velocity is another statistic that we need to be careful to use correctly. Velocity is simply a measure of the team’s bandwidth (or capacity to produce working software); it’s not a tool to track accomplishments. The intent of tracking velocity is to provide a framework for the stories that the team commits to completing each sprint. A traditional indicator of progress in waterfall development might be measuring how many code modules you delivered, with no consideration of whether or not you could actually create a working build. In contrast, Agile development helps the team focus on producing working software every two weeks, rather than merely tracking an arbitrary number of tasks completed or modules changed.

10) Embrace change

Being Agile means embracing change: changes in roles, changes in teams, and changes in the development process. Judging by the interest and enthusiasm in Agile development methodologies expressed by Paragon’s TISQA conference attendees, change is good.

About TISQA

TISQA (Triangle Information Systems Quality Association) is a non-profit organization dedicated to software quality, based in the Research Triangle Park area (near Raleigh NC) for over 15 years. TISQA promotes and encourages the improvement of information systems quality practices and principles through networking, training, and professional development opportunities. TISQA is a federation chapter of the Quality Assurance Institute (QAI). More information about TISQA can be found on their website: http://www.tisqa.org.

About Paragon Application Systems

Paragon Application Systems is a leading global provider of ePayment simulation, configuration and testing software tools to the financial industry. More than 400 financial institutions in over 80 countries use Paragon tools to improve quality and reduce time-to-market. Paragon’s broad customer base includes major interchanges, processors, leading software providers, banks and credit unions. Visit Paragon Application Systems at www.paragonedge.com.

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