Demonstrating and Validating the Sprint for Testers Part 2

Architectural modelling and design of the end product are part of the initial backlog planning. This modelling is light in nature, with the remainder being completed based on feature sets included in sprints. Testers in the scrum team will use this model to create acceptance criteria and regression testing that focuses on test-driven development. This is extremely valuable to the developers in that the tests provide concise metrics for successful delivery of feature sets in a code-base.

The sprint and release reviews will finalise which features are ready for release. Thresholds established by the testers will aid the product owner in determining the readiness of a release. Releases may be postponed in order to execute another sprint that addresses defects or features that could not be completed during previous sprints. A product owner in partnership with project stakeholders, will also use the testing thresholds to determine if some features can move back to the product backlog for future release consideration.

Date Driven releases are defined by calendar milestones. These milestones are usually tied to major events such as the end of a quarter, a holiday season or some other metric important to the organisation. As the product backlog is created, the testers develop acceptance criteria for use in development and testing. Thresholds are refined to determine what feature sets are the most critical for validation to meet a specific milestone. Velocity of the scrum team – including the testers – moves to the forefront as a critical metric. The velocity will determine the number of features that can be included to meet a milestone date.

Testers, will once again establish thresholds to determine show-stoppers that may delay a release, important items that will be individually evaluated and non-production impacting defects that can move to the feature backlog for inclusion in a future release.

The iterative nature of Agile allows for major and maintenance releases to be planned effectively. Maintenance releases are those designed to be low volume, quick-win defect resolution delivery of features. Maintenance releases can be a part of either the functionality or date driven release cycles. Testers will work in collaboration with the product owner to rank defects and determine what can be effectively delivered. Maintenance releases are generally calendar driven so that project stakeholders and end users can know that a cadence has been established to eliminate production issues.

Release planning is a collaborative effort that reflects what features are to be developed and delivered at what interval to maximise the benefits of the product for end users. Establishing testing thresholds as well as utilising test driven development techniques, will give a scrum team the tools to best deliver features. Schedule methodologies such as Functionality and Date Driven releases, allow the project stakeholders to best align product releases with the needs of their organisation and end users.

<– Continue Reading –>

Our Book Recommendations

We found these books great for finding out more information on Agile Scrum: