Amadori UK

White Paper on Release Measurement Published

markchesworth@aol.com (Mark Chesworth) — Fri, 07 May 2021 19:56:37 GMT

Organisations put a lot of time and money into releasing new versions of software but often don't apply the same level of focus to assessing whether the release was a success or not.

The attached document reviews what is currently the norm in this area and goes on to outline the process we generally use at Amadori Limited when asked to assess a release of software

We describe a process which

Explicitly links the value of a release to the value that its contents will provide to the organization
Values the prevention of regression and a smooth delivery process as highly as the delivery of change
Places the needs of end users at the centre of the measurement process.

It will also allow releases across an organisation to be compared and measured in an objective and consistent fashion

The document includes a worked example showing in detail how the reporting process works in practice and a survey template which can be used to elicit information about a release from end users in a structured fashion. Both can easily be adapted to fit the details of your specific projects and releases

Hopefully we’ve designed this document to be as clear as possible, but if you have any questions about it, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

New Course now available online

markchesworth@aol.com (Mark Chesworth) — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 14:24:49 GMT

Agile Demystified course: Click to access and download

Many Projects and Organisations claim to follow an “Agile” methodology but on closer inspection are shown to do nothing of the sort

This one-day course aims to

Explain what “AGILE” really means by reference to the ©Agile Manifesto in in which the core principles of the approach are set out

 Examine and dispel common misconceptions about what Agile is and isn’t

 Provide advice and guidance as to how to implement each of the 12 principles in an organisation or project

 Provide examples of issues and pitfalls which might delay the full implementation of Agile

 Review whether partial implementation of some of the 12 Agile principles may still be of benefit or whether for some organisations or projects Agile processes are not suitable at all

The course is aimed at Senior Stakeholders and/or Senior IT managers who are either thinking of implementing Agile processes for the first time or are experiencing issues deriving the benefits they expected from their existing Agile process

New Content Online - Role of the Test Manager (Part I)

markchesworth@aol.com (Mark Chesworth) — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 16:26:15 GMT

I've been asked several times in recent months various questions along the lines of "What exactly does a Test Manager do?" or "What do you need to be an effective Test Manager".

The attached slides may help answer the question setting out the various areas a Test Manager needs to focus on and how they inter-relate.

They may also assist individuals who are looking to discuss the role of Test Manager with their management team and require a framework around which to build such discussions

The slidepack can be found on the Core Curriculum page

The Role of the Test Manager - Part II

markchesworth@aol.com (Mark Chesworth) — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 11:47:50 GMT

I've been asked several times in recent months various questions along the lines of "What exactly does a Test Manager do?" or "What do you need to be an effective Test Manager".

The attached slides may help answer the question setting out the various different roles a Test Manager must fulfil at the same time if they are to be effective in the role.

They may also assist individuals who are looking to discuss the role of Test Manager with their management team and require a framework around which to build such discussions

The slidepack can be found on the Core Curriculum page

Proposed Changes to Effective Test Management Course

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 11:35:48 GMT

A Training Course covering the topic of Effective Test Management has been published on the site for a couple of years now

The course aims to assist those new to Test Management in building an environment in which effective test processes can flourish and is scheduled to last a couple of days

From feedback I’ve received however it has become apparent that 2 days is simply not sufficient to do justice to all of the topics within the current syllabus particularly if space and time for interactive elements is to be found.

So as a result I’ve been working on a redesign of the existing material with a view to making it more modular and allowing individuals and organisations to access the elements which are of most relevance to them

I see the revised course in its revised format as having 4 separate modules as follows

1. Managing an effective test process – which will include the existing material on how best to manage each phase of the testing process along with additional exercises and interactivity and become a self contained 1 day course

2. Effective Test Strategies and Test Plans - this element has already been carved out into a separate 1 day course and is available for download from the website

3. Building an effective test team - this subject is touched upon in the existing material but I plan to expand into a half day session including sessions on

• Working out what sort of testers your team needs

• Recruiting the right people

• How your needs will vary according to the sort of organisation and project you are working on

• Maintaining an effective team over the long term which will include a section on to how to mentor and bring on the careers of more junior members of your team

4. Building an effective test environment within which testing can flourish

This is another topic covered at a high level in the existing material but which I plan to expand and make more interactive, looking at ways in which an effective test manager can create good working relationships with other parts of the organisation and build general acceptance of the role that testing needs to play within the overall delivery process if it is to be effective.

This material is still in the very early stages of preparation but I would expect it to be a half day session when complete also

Once all 4 courses are complete I will then look to recombine them into a single coherent set of training for those with the time and inclination to spend 3 solid days learning about how to become an effective test manager.

I will be looking to merge elements from all 4 modules into this unified course into a revised running order at this point in order to better show how each element is interrelated and each supports the other

I will retain the original course material on the site however even when all of the above is complete for anyone who wishes to use it

Agile Demystified - New Content Online

markchesworth@aol.com (Mark Chesworth) — Sat, 01 Feb 2020 16:58:43 GMT

I’ve just made the following material available online relating to my long-promised “Agile Demystified” Training Course

1. A Course Outline

2. Draft Slidepacks covering the first half of what is designed as a 1 day training course

Having been exposed many times over the years to organisations and projects who claim to be Agile when they are quite clearly not, the course sets out to return to basics and by referring back to the 4 Goals and 12 Principles of the Agile Manifesto my aims are to est ablish

1. What Agile really is and what it sets out to achieve

2. How all of the goals and principles within the Manifesto are designed to work together to deliver Agile

The course will make clear the clear advantages which can accrue if an organisation decides it wishes to adopt agile processes but will also make clear the issues and difficulties they are likely to encounter along the way

I plan to add the remaining sessions to the site over the next few weeks and the current course outline may still be subject to some change as a result

As with previous material I have posted online I always welcome feedback and questions as these help me improve the quality of the material moving forward

a link to the material is provided here

Improved Site Security

markchesworth@aol.com (Mark Chesworth) — Mon, 17 Sep 2018 15:55:12 GMT

The more observant visitor to this site may already have noticed a change over the last couple of days.

I've invested in SSL certificates which should mean that any personal information you share via comments etc. should be secure from unauthorised access

I don't believe there have been problems in this area to date anyway, but moving forward this update should provide just a little bit more in the way of reassurance in this area

Training News

markchesworth@aol.com (Mark Chesworth) — Mon, 17 Sep 2018 15:47:52 GMT

Some Good News, Some Bad

I've spent the last few weeks putting together a course entitled "Effective Test Management". A lot of the material has been delivered before under various contexts for a variety of clients and a large part of the work has been converting all of this disparate material into a standard format and making sure that all client specific references have been removed both from the slidepacks and the exercise material

This exercise is now more or less complete and I have come to realise a couple of things

That to do the subject matter justice the course, as currently written should probably be 3 days long rather than the original 2, particularly if I want to preserve an appropriate level of interactivity within the sessions
That as currently constituted the course starts to drag a little in the middle and if it feels a bit of a slog for me as the author/presenter I can only imagine it would be worse for the attendee

I do however think that the base material within the course is worth presenting so have decided to move forward as following

A. I have extracted the sessions and exercises relating to Test Strategies and Test Plans and turned them into a 1 day entitled "Effective Test Strategies and Plans"

This is uploaded to the website and is ready for you to download and present

B. It may be possible to do the same for the other elements in the course and for example run 2 further 1 day courses entitled "Building and Sustaining an Effective Test Team" and "Managing an Effective Test Process" but I am also thinking that it might actually be better to present the material in a completely different way interweaving all the different threads to show how Effective Test Management is more a matter of successfully combining lots and lots of small changes and processes across multiple areas than a sudden radical step change.

This would require some major rework on my part. Expect some updates on this in the weeks to come

Why is the Effective Test Management Course being Revised?

markchesworth@aol.com (Mark Chesworth) — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 10:52:54 GMT

What are the Extent and Nature of the Changes?

To a large extent the core content of the course will remain exactly as before. It is still a course aimed at demonstrating ways to maange the testing process and a team of testers more effectively.

In response to feedback however I am currently redesigning the course so that rather than building towards a picture what an Effective Test Manager looks like, section by section, it will bow begin by describing what an Effective Test manager should do and then followup with sessions providing detailed hints and advice in each area.

I also need to improve the material associated with a couple of the training exercises to make them more stand alone and capable of being run by someone other than myself

When will Course Material be available online?

markchesworth@aol.com (Mark Chesworth) — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 10:42:18 GMT

Delivery Schedule

Course Title	Description	Status
Delivering an Effective Test Process	A 2 day course covering the 5 elements which must work together to deliver if we are to deliver a sustainable and effective test process. The course explains in detail what each of the 5 elements involved are, how best to combine them and provides guidance and advice as to the best ways of tackling common problems which may be encountered en-route	Complete and Available for Download http://www.amadori.co.uk/delivering-an-effective-test-process
Delivering Effective Test Management	A 2 day course for Test Managers and Senior Stakeholders explaining how to create an environment within which an effective test process can be delivered	Course Outline Available . Course Detail is currently being Revised and Uploaded. Targetted for delivery by the End of August http://www.amadori.co.uk/delivering-effective-test-management
Effective Testing in an Agile Environment	Exactly the same principles apply when testing in an Agile environment as in a non-Agile environment but in many cases a slightly different approach is required to achieve success. This 1 day course covers not only what testers must do differently to success when testing in an agile program but also what other teams must do differently too if effective testing to take place.	Written in Draft. Currently being revised in the light of user feedback. Course Outline expected online by the end of August, course detail by end of September
Effective Test Automation	A half day course for Stake Holders and Test Managers who are looking either to • Introduce Automated Testing for the first time • Improve the scope and effectiveness of their existing automated test scripts It aims to explain ways in which they can ensure that they derive significant long term benefit from the time and money they commit to test automation The course includes workshops and group exercises to help clarify key concepts and processes	Written in Draft. Currently being revised in the light of user feedback. Course Outline expected online by the end of August, course detail by end of September
Everything You need to Know about Testing but could never be bothered to ask	A half day course designed for stakeholders and senior managers. It aims to show them ways in which they can derive maximum benefit from the testing resource within their organisations, and use testing as a means not just of improving software quality but of improving the overall software delivery process by ensuring that deadlines are met stakeholders are satisfied issues are addressed before they grow too large In Short the course aims to show how testing should no longer be seen just as a necessary evil but a means of shortening the delivery cycle and reducing costs	Written in Draft. Currently being revised in the light of user feedback. Course Outline expected online by the end of August, course detail by end of September

Training Update

markchesworth@aol.com (Mark Chesworth) — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 10:32:40 GMT

Details of training material which will made freely available via this site

Over the last few weeks, since the end of my last contract I’ve taken the opportunity to revamp my company website.

www.amadori.co.uk

The work I did building the a website to support an art exhibition my company sponsored back in June ( www.reabachnerova.art ) has certainly helped here and means that for the first time I feel able to make freely available some training material which I hope will prove of assistance to testers and non-testers alike

Initially I envisage making 5 courses available as listed below. All are based on training I have successfully delivered formally or informally in the past but reconfigured into a standard non client specific format.

If available I am more than happy to deliver any or all of the courses listed below for your organisation but I’ve realised over the last few years

That I am not always available when the training is needed (and vice versa)

That there is always more than failing testing project in the world …..

So have taken the decision to make this material freely available on the understanding that if you do make use of it you

1. Give me a namecheck when you do so

2. Provide feedback on how the course which can be used to improve the material going forward

Initially I am planning to offer 5 “core courses” as set out in the link below.

http://www.amadori.co.uk/core-curriculum

I will obviously be providing regular updates as to how I am progressing against the above targets (practising what I preach…..) and would welcome feedback of any kind but in particular about the detail and/or focus of the material I am posting to the site.

http://www.amadori.co.uk/news

I am also more than happy to host training material that other people are willing to share on the basis described above. In such cases I would of course ensure that full credit is given to the author(s) of this additional material

Enhanced Set of Training Material added to website

markchesworth@aol.com (Mark Chesworth) — Fri, 03 Aug 2018 10:00:56 GMT

Following user feedback I have improved and clarified the exercise material relating to one of the sessions in the "Delivering and Effective Test Process" and posted the new material online

Course Material Online

markchesworth@aol.com (Mark Chesworth) — Sun, 29 Jul 2018 17:29:55 GMT

Just Finished uploading all of the slides and ancillary material for this training course onto the website.

Always happy to assist in the delivery of this training if available, but I understand that there are a whole lot of projects with testing issues out there..... and only 1 of me !!

so feel free to use this material if you think it will help your project or company test more effectively.

The material can be used free of charge but if you can, please give me a name check and let me how how the training went, so if the material can be improved I can make the necessary changes and post a revised set of material online

Art?

markchesworth@aol.com (Mark Chesworth) — Sun, 29 Jul 2018 14:56:46 GMT

The more observant amongst you may have noticed that the dropdown menu includes an option simply entitled "Art"

What's all this about then ???

Quite simply it's a link to the website of a promising young artist whose first exhibition Amadori was proud to sponsor earlier this year

Rea's website

www.reabachnerova.art

provides details of the exhibition and images of all her paintings.

A word of warning however before you check it out , Rea's art is raw and visceral and is not for the small-minded or faint of heart.....

Sponsoring an art exhibition was never something I expected to do... but I am pleased that the opportunity came my way and happy with the way the exhibition turned out.

Hopefully it has helped bring Rea's work to the attention of the wider audience her talent deserves

Who knows, one day soon I may do something similar again !!! And if so expect to see details here first !!!

Welcome to Amadori

Mon, 07 May 2018 10:37:38 GMT

This is how testing can often feel.....unless you take steps to address the issues you encounter

I thought I would begin this blog with an image showing how testing can often feel when things are not going to plan....

This site aims to pass on hints and tips acquired during 3 decades of software testing

It will point out common pitfalls to avoid and ways in which issues , when they do occur, can be mitigated

Most importantly of all it will include training material aimed at addressing these issues.

Amadori provides training and consultancy around software testing and delivery but we recognise that we can't be everywhere at once....

So feel free to download and use any of the material posted on this site. All we ask in return is that you give us a namecheck when you do and provide feedback as to how the training went and whether it has had a positive impact of your business.