What is Agile to the Tester? Part 2

Organisations who adhere to certain international standards or are subject to appraisal have metrics that need to be strictly tracked. When it comes to testing, test coverage, defect validity, and re-open defect percentage are some of the metrics that are important to management. When an organisation decides to shift to Agile, the metrics will also need to adjust to the framework being used. What was once important for traditional projects may no longer be relevant for Agile projects.

Even though the Agile manifesto stated it values “working software over comprehensive documentation,” metrics serve as the basis for continuous improvement, making them a necessary part of Agile projects. The scientific nature of Agile makes it more predisposed to tracking metrics, with time-boxes as the fixed variables for experiments. The metrics to be tracked will depend on what the Agile organisation finds valuable. It could include quantitative measures such as site usage analytics, or more qualitative such as customer feedback. A few of the most common metrics used by Agile projects would be project burn-down and velocity, which depict how much work is left and how much work the team can take, respectively. Testers will need to adjust to these new set of metrics in order to help the team move forward.

Embracing and keeping up with change

Even when a product has reached a “good enough” state – the minimum viable product – and has met the Definition of Done, the Agile team must recognise that work is never really truly done, and that enhancements can still be made. It is not uncommon for Agile projects to be deep in technical debt, given the need to deliver the product increment in a fortnight. There is always room for improvement, and Agile knows this fact. It was designed to keep up with the ever-changing trends in market demands and technology.

Changes are therefore to be expected in Agile projects. Requirements could be revised, new tools could be introduced, and critical roadblocks could be identified mid-project. Even processes that were once working could become subject to change as improvements are made to other processes. The shorter time-boxes allow Agile teams to inspect and adapt the product and their processes, while their customer-centric nature allows them to get the data relevant for the project.

Transitioning to an Agile project is not an easy feat, but by understanding the above, testers will be a able to adjust accordingly and do what they were meant to do, along with the rest of the Agile team: build the product right, build the product well.

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Our Book Recommendations

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