Test Monitoring in test execution is a process in which the testing activities and testing efforts are evaluated in order to track current progress of testing activity, finding and tracking test metrics, estimating the future actions based on the test metrics and providing feedback to the concerned team as well as stakeholders about current testing process.
Test Control in test execution is a process of taking actions based on results of the test monitoring process. In the test control phase, test activities are prioritized, test schedule is revised, test environment is reorganized and other changes related to testing activities are made in order to improve the quality and efficiency of future testing process.
Congratulation! We now start with Test Execution phase. While your team works on the assigned tasks, you need to monitor and control their work activity.
In the Test Management Phases tutorial, we briefly introduced Test Monitoring and Control. In this tutorial, you will learn it in detail.
This small example shows you why we need to monitor and control test activity.
After finishing the Test Estimation and test planning, the management board agreed with your plan and the milestones are set as per the following figure. You promised to finish and deliver all test artifacts of the gtupapers Bank Testing project as per above milestones. Everything seems to be great, and your team is hard at work.
But after 4 weeks, things are not going as per plan. The task of “Making Test specification” is delayed by 4 working days. It has a cascading effect and all succeeding tasks are delayed. You missed the milestone as well the overall project deadline.
As a consequence, your project fails and your company loses the customer trust. You must take full responsibility for the project’s failure.
No matter how much and carefully we plan, something will go wrong. We need to actively monitor the project to
Project monitoring helps you avoid disasters. Monitoring can be compared to checking the gas gauge in your car as you drive. It helps you see how much gas left in the tank, monitoring your project helps you avoid running out of gas before you reach your goal.
Monitoring will allow you to make comparisons between your original plan and your progress so far. You will be able to implement changes, where necessary, to complete the project successfully.
In your project, as the Test Manager, you should monitor the key parameters as below
How can you work without a schedule? It can be compared to driving your car but without any idea of how long it takes you get to the destination. No matter how big or small is the size & scope of your project, you must prepare a project schedule. The schedule tells you
Here is an example of project schedule
You assigned a Team member to a Task: Executing the Integration Cases of gtupapers Bank website.
This task should be finished in one week. You can create a schedule as given below As mentioned in previous articles, resources are all things required to carry out the project tasks. They can be people or equipment required to complete the project activity. Lack of resources can affect the project progress.
The truth is, everything may not happen as planned, employees will leave, the project budget may be cut, or the schedule will get pushed. Monitoring resources will help you to early detect any resource crunch and find a solution to deal with it.
Quality monitoring involves monitoring the results of specific work products (like test case suite, test execution log), to evaluate whether its meets the defined quality standards. In case results do not meet quality standards, you need to identify potential resolution.
Example: Suppose that you monitored and controlled the project progress very well. Finally, you delivered the product at the deadline. The project seems to be successful.
But after delivering 2 weeks, you got this feedback from customer
As your project comes to life, keep these questions in mind:
These are just a few of the questions you should ask yourself as you monitor the progress of your project.
It is important to monitor the progress of the project so you will know if adjustments need to be made to get it moving back in the right direction. To monitor project progress effectively, you should follow the following steps
In the Monitoring Plan, you must plan carefully about
|
|
Now decide when or how often you are going to collect the data for monitoring in the monitoring plan –Weekly or monthly? Or just at the start and end of the project?
As the Plan, the gtupapers Bank project will be completed in one month. In that case, we recommend you monitor the project progress weekly or daily basis.
In the monitoring plan, you should define the methods to evaluate the project’s progress via collected metrics. Some methods you can refer are
You can refer the template of monitoring plan here. Here is a sample monitoring plan for gtupapers Bank project
With time, your team member will be making progress on their project task. You must track their activity as per schedule and ask them frequently update the progress information such as time spent, task status…etc. By checking these records, you can immediately see the impact on the project plan.
One of the best methods to track the member progress is holding regular meetings.
In the meeting, all members report their current status and issues if any. If a team member or members have fallen behind or have run into obstacles, formulate a plan for identifying and solving the problem.
Let’s practice with following scenario
As defined in monitoring plan, you assigned a task “Setting up Test environment” for testing website gtupapers bank to a member in your Team. His role is a Test Administrator. He has to set up the Test Environment in 6 days. You required him to report the current status in every team meeting. Here is an example of his record of current progress
By tracking and analyzing the project progress, you can early detect any issue which may happen to the project, and you can find out the solution to solve that issue.
Make the necessary adjustments keep your project on track. Reassign tasks, modify schedules, or reassess your goals. This will help you keep moving toward the finish line.
Test ManagementHow to Select Best Automation Testing Tool{loadposition Content-ADS-Test-Management-TOP} In the article Test Process Improvement , you... Test ManagementSoftware Quality Assurance(SQA): Plan, Audit & Review{loadposition Content-ADS-Test-Management-TOP} After completion of the seven phases of testing, the... Test ManagementTEST PLAN: What is, How to Create (with Example)Test Plan A Test Plan is a detailed document that describes the test strategy, objectives,... Project ManagementRisk Analysis & Risk Management in Project ManagementWhat is Risk Analysis? Risk Analysis is defined as the sequence of processes of risk management... Project ManagementProject Cost Estimation & Budget Management TechniquesProject Cost Management Project Cost Management is defined as the process of planning and... Test ManagementProject Risk Analysis & Solutions in Test ManagementWhat is Risk Analysis? Risk is the probability of occurrence of an undesirable event. Risk... |
