Managing the Software Test Organization

(CTM #4) or (CSTP Elective)

This tutorial covers area 4 of the Certified Test Manager (CTM) certification requirements. This tutorial also covers the Elective area requirements for the Certified Software Test Professional certification.

Concepts

Management in the technical world requires different skills than non-technical management. As managers and leads, we are dealing with highly skilled individuals who have their own motivations and goals. Molding this group into a working unit has many unique challenges. Put that already challenging task into the software test environment and suddenly your life as a manager has become extremely complicated. Not only must you deal with the very intelligent technical individuals on your team, but you must also deal with the external pressures of politics. Add to that the constant battle of removing the “second class citizen” aura that tends to surround test organizations and you may find yourself seeking a more rewarding career, say bagging groceries at the neighborhood store.

It's a difficult job at best but this course will walk you through building the team, also known as the Perfect Beast. We'll talk about making the team effective, how to lead a strong team, how to do evaluations, how to handle compensation (and that ever present fight for equity in pay) and how to do terminations and layoffs.

This class is focused on the needs of the technical manager with specific attention to the unique problems we experience managing testing and quality assurance staffs. Both experienced and novice managers will leave this class with valuable and practical information. This is not a course on management theory; you can read about that elsewhere. Judy McKay teaches this class based on her own real world management experience and a survey of techniques used by other successful technical managers.

Learning Objectives

Find and hire the very best people for the team
Master management techniques that will lead to productivity gains and will keep the group working together
Deal with the politics of the job while being an effective leader
Fairly and accurately assess performance and conduct reviews for mutual gain
Create and administer effective reward systems, even within the confines of the environment
Deal with problem employees as necessary and conduct successful layoffs without causing a mass exodus
Create, maintain and develop an effective team of test professionals

Outline

Introduction
- Administrative information
- What characteristics make a good test organization?
Building the Perfect Beast (the Test Organization)
- How did you get where you are?
  - Promoted from within
  - Inherited
  - Starting new
- Finding parts for the Perfect Beast
  - Writing a good job description
  - Reviewing resumes
  - Conducing an effective interview
  - Checking references
  - Handling internal referrals
- Combining the parts
  - Defining your team
  - Defining your expectations
  - Filling the holes
  - Creating project teams
  - Finding good leaders
  - Checking for problems
  - Sizing the team
- Budgeting
  - People
  - Equipment
  - Facilities
  - Resource management
Making the Perfect Beast effective
- Communication
- Optimal teams
- At the root
- Synergy and Pride
- Deflecting criticism and building respect
Leading the Beast
- A couple important things
- Living under the microscope
- Effective leadership
  - Managing inward
  - Managing outward
  - Disseminating information
Evaluating the Perfect (or not-so) Beast
- Informal evaluations
- Formal evaluations
- Reviews
- Merit increases
Feeding the Beast
- Rewards and awards
- Bonus systems
- Career development
Vaccinating the Beast (optional)
- Dealing with the good leader gone bad
- Oh no! Good people are leaving
- How to terminate someone who needs it
- Conducting a layoff without creating an exodus
- Dealing with a mass layoff or bankruptcy
Summary
- Course wrap-up
- Questions
- Expectations/Objectives
- Course evaluation

Biography

Judy McKay has spent the last 20 years working in the high tech industry with particular focus on software quality assurance. She has managed departments encompassing all aspects of the software lifecycle including requirements design and analysis, software development, database design, software quality assurance, software testing, technical support, professional services, configuration management, technical publications and software licensing. Her career has spanned across commercial software companies, aerospace, foreign-owned R&D and various Internet companies.

Judy has been conducting training seminars nationwide for four years for audiences ranging from 150 to 3. Her well-accepted, enjoyable and informative courses are based on the real world application of practical data. Her courses cover the spectrum of software quality assurance, including creating and maintaining a world class quality assurance team, designing and implementing quality assurance and effective testing, and creating and implementing useful test plans. She also offers a course introducing the non-programmer to programming and databases.