Testing is a critical activity in all projects. In this article we’ll look at the mindset of the top test managers, the skillset you will need to excel in this role and key activities.

Mindset

Risk management is a high priority for the best test managers. They definitely do not see test management as a box-ticking exercise for the Go/No Go meetings. They view the project holistically and prioritise the critical business processes to ensure the system works as expected.

Common traits of the top test managers:

• In difficult situations they use their knowledge to provide the level of assurance required to go live. An example of this is running dress rehearsals in parallel with UAT. This was on a project with a fixed deadline and potential severe reputational risk.
• The best test managers prioritise the critical business processes and ensure that the complete process works as expected. Of course, they want to cover as many scenarios as possible, but it is critical to agree on the priority ones with the stakeholders and prove them first.
• They understand that quality test data is required for valid testing. In order to test some scenarios, live data, or data that mirrors live data, is required.
• An appreciation of the test environment requirements. For the final tests before cutover, the test environment must have the same configuration as the live environment. This includes data, integrations, security settings, monitoring, etc. Please note that the test environment does not have to be the scale of the production environment, but the configuration must be the same. You don’t want a cutover to be aborted because the business acceptance scenarios fail due to a variance in the environments!
• Attention to detail. Accurate test reports instil confidence in the project team and stakeholders.
• They understand that testing is a critical element of risk management and view all test activities through this lens. It’s not about running a given number of tests. The key is running the right tests to ensure the system will function as expected in BAU
• Excellent test managers have the ability to communicate effectively with the project team and stakeholders. They ensure that the communication is relevant for each group.
• They remain calm and professional when faced with issues and work with the team to find a resolution. It is not uncommon for test teams to be caught between delays in development, data preparation, environment builds, etc. and a fixed deadline. Highly skilled test managers will focus on the critical activities and ensure the test team does everything possible to reduce risk in the time that is available.
• They collaborate with everyone that can help with testing. This includes users, super users, SMEs, support teams, infrastructure teams, data teams, quality assurance specialists, stakeholders, third parties, etc.

Skills

Professional test management requires a range of skills, including:

• People management.
• Technical skills.
• Attention to detail.
• The ability to view a project holistically.
• Being able to work under pressure while remaining calm and professional.
• The ability to work with testers, data specialists, infrastructure teams, super users, analysts, project managers and senior stakeholders.
• Producing documents that are meaningful to the intended audience.
• Planning skills.
• Quality assurance skills.

Key Test Manager Responsibilities

Typically, the test manager is responsible for ensuring the following activities are completed: 

• Preparing test scenarios and scripts.
• Preparing test data.
• Test activities.
• Managing third parties. Please note that a third-party company is usually included in security testing. 
• Reporting on all test phases.
• Test automation, if applicable.

Preparing for the Start of Testing

It casts the project team in a very bad light if the users can’t start testing on the agreed date. The team should check the following items in advance:

• Unit testing – Review to make sure this has been completed to a high standard. Users shouldn't discover errors that unit testing should have addressed.
• System access – Confirm that system access for every person involved in testing is in place. It impacts the confidence of the users if they are ready to test and they can’t access the system.
• User roles – Please verify that they have the appropriate user roles on the system for the tests they plan to conduct.

Key Points to Consider

• Building new test infrastructure is difficult and time-consuming, and it may have long lead times. It is wise to add contingencies to all infrastructure builds, analyse the impact on your critical path, and monitor this work. Lead times can be weeks or months for infrastructure builds. Be sure to take such delays into account in the planning process.
• Security testing – A third party will usually complete this, and their earliest date may be months in the future. Select the company and book the date as early as possible. Important: Verify their cancellation policy and make the booking tentative if possible. Ensure you will be able to meet the date before confirming to prevent wasting hundreds or thousands of pounds.
• Non-functional tests – These tests are critical but sometimes do not receive the focus they require. Assumptions are made on performance, and non-functional tests may be omitted if time becomes an issue before the cutover.

The core objectives of testing are to reduce risk and provide go-live assurance.

Pathway IT offers expert test management courses that will allow you to streamline testing processes and improve software quality. You will learn how to save time, reduce software defects, and improve product quality.

Our practical test management training is based on lessons learnt delivering critical projects and transformation programmes across a number of industry sectors. (Including charity, transport, finance, hotels, automotive and education.)

Good luck with your projects; please contact us if you have any questions.