Testers can make use of task writing to inform their teammates what testing work they plan to do, how it would impact the others team members, and what help they would need, if any. Some testing tasks could include:
- Identify and retrieve test data from the QA database
- Set up the data files for test scripts
- Write automated test scripts
- Run and debug test scripts
- Run automated test scripts in QA environment
Other things that could be considered in writing testing tasks would be the different browsers, devices, and environments that tests should be done in. It can take a few Sprints for the Scrum team to find the best “size” or granularity for their tasks.
Estimating Tasks
Estimating is part of capacity planning for a Sprint. The Scrum team should know if they can accommodate certain tasks for the Sprint, and if they will need to split or move out certain user stories.
There are two ways to estimate tasks:
- Task points – Not different from user story points, some teams assign points to tasks as a more granular way of measuring the complexity of a task. Since it could take more than a day to finish a user story, task points help teams measure daily progress.
- Hours – Duration in hours is a more concrete way to measure and track the team’s progress for their tasks. It lets everyone know how long it would take to complete the task, and how much time they have spent completing tasks in the Sprint.
Recommended Further Reading
The following materials may assist you in order to get the most out of this course: